Assessing a Film That Lost Momentum

Big Names... but: "'The Human Stain' had all the right ingredients, or so it seemed. It had a cast with three top-tier actors: Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris and, most lustrously of all, Nicole Kidman, fresh from her Academy Award-winning performance in 'The Hours.' It had an Oscar-winning director in Robert Benton. And it had a much-praised literary source in the Philip Roth novel of the same name. Miramax, which had invested $8 million on the $24 million project, was so optimistic about the film as a prime contender in this year's Oscar race that it had planned to open it on 600 screens nationwide, the studio said.
But the studio hedged its bets when it opened 'The Human Stain' this past weekend. The number of screens had shrunk to 160, in 25 cities, the studio said. The movie's $1.1 million weekend box-office earnings were less than stellar. Reviews were mixed at best � a lukewarm response that began two months ago, when the film had its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival.
What happened?"