New Movie Releases Oct. 4-6: Can 'Runner Runner' Outrun 'Gravity'?

You've got two choices this weekend in terms of new nationwide movie releases. You can opt for a thriller with some big names attached to it, or you can, well, choose the other thriller with big names attached to it.

The more modest of the two new films is "Runner Runner," which stars Justin Timberlake as a straight-arrow college student who gets mixed up in the shady world of online gambling and Central American criminal types. Ben Affleck also stars as the sketchy boss who tries to pull Timberlake to the dark side. With its star power, "Runner Runner" would probably make a sizable splash at the box office if it weren't facing major competition.

But "Runner Runner"'s competition couldn't be more major. The other wide release this weekend, "Gravity," is a space-based thriller starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, arguably much bigger names than even Timberlake and Affleck. What's more, "Gravity" has been the subject of a relentless marketing campaign and has garnered breathlessly positive reviews from critics.

The real question is not whether "Gravity" will win the box office competition, but how much money it's going to rake in. The movie, with its overwhelmingly positive pre-release buzz, seems likely to avoid this year's curse on effects-heavy blockbusters. Clooney's presence is huge, and Bullock's ability to draw female viewers will help to broaden the film's audience demographics.

The biggest potential hurdle is the season. Fall movies tend to do relatively modest box office; projections have "Gravity" taking in about $40 million over the weekend, but it helps that the movie is being heavily pushed as a must-see in 3D and/or IMAX, where each ticket demands a premium price. With all those factors in play, "Gravity" could be a monster autumn success.