Now playing: ‘Kong’ looks to be box office king

■ The event: Today’s opening of “King Kong.”

■ The backdrop: In the long list of 2005 holiday films, this remake has been drawing the most attention – even more than “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” and “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.”

■ The usual suspects: It’s directed by Peter Jackson, fresh off his Oscar-winning turn as director of the three “Lord of the Rings” films. It stars Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody and a computer-generated giant ape.

■ The history: “Kong” was made originally in 1933, remade in 1976 and 1986 (as “King Kong Lives”). Variations on the theme include “Son of Kong” (1933) and two Japanese productions, “King Kong vs. Godzilla” (1962), “King Kong Escapes” (1967).

■ The release: “Kong” will open on 3,568 screens across the U.S. (compared with 3,616 for “Narnia,” 3,858 for “Harry Potter”).

■ The critical response: Two review compilation sites rate the film highly. Rotten Tomatoes ( www.rottentomatoes.com) lists 50 of 54 critics rating the film “fresh” (as opposed to “rotten”), while 20 critics on www.metacritic.com rated the film an average 87 out of 100.

■ The quotes: “At last it can be said without irony – I laughed, I cried.” – Jamie Bernard, New York Daily News. “Here is the jaw-dropping, eye-popping, heart-stopping movie epic we’ve been waiting for all year.” – Peter Travers, Rolling Stone.

–Dan Webster, staff writer