FAST-FORWARDING TO ANOTHER HIT SANDLER'S `CLICK' COULD DEBUT NO. 1 GADGET-COMEDY MIGHT SIDELINE `CARS' FROM TOP BOX-OFFICE SPOT AFTER TWO WEEKS IN TOP POSITION.

Byline: GREG HERNANDEZ Staff Writer

As the movie industry looks to extend its current box-office winning streak to six weeks, the release of a new Adam Sandler comedy could not be better timed.

The Sony Pictures Entertainment's release, ``Click,'' bows today in more than 3,700 theaters and is expected to dislodge the animated hit ``Cars'' from the No. 1 spot after two weeks of victory laps.

``Click'' tells the story of a workaholic architect (Sandler) who finds a universal remote control that gives him the ability to rewind and fast-forward parts of his life.

The film is expected to perform more like past Sandler hits ``The Longest Yard,'' ``50 First Dates,'' ``Mr. Deeds,'' ``Big Daddy'' and ``Anger Management,'' which all grossed $120 million or more domestically, than his occasional box-office misfires, including ``Spanglish,'' ``Little Nicky'' and ``Punch Drunk Love.''

``I really believe this film is going to hit all demographics,'' said Rory Bruer, Sony's president of domestic distribution. ``It has tremendous heart and it's going to appeal to a younger audience and an older audience. It's certainly my favorite movie that Adam's done.''

``Click'' joins a crowded multiplex that already includes such holdover hits as the comedies ``Nacho Libre'' and ``The Break-Up,'' animated family films ``Cars'' and ``Over the Hedge,'' action flicks ``The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift'' and ``X-Men: The Last Stand,'' the dramas ``The Lake House'' and ``The Da Vinci Code.''

Also opening in just over 1,000 locations is ``Waist Deep.''

``This is a healthy mix,'' said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations Co. ``You've got a little bit of everything, a marketplace that literally has something for every type of audience.''

``Break-Up'' starring Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn, is set to cross the $100 million mark in domestic grosses, ``Cars'' should surpass $150 million while ``Da Vinci'' crossed $200 million this week. Sandler has had seven films open at No. 1 and Gitesh Pandya, editor of the Internet site BoxOfficeGuru.com, expects an opening weekend of more than $40 million for ``Click.''

``I think it's a sure thing,'' Pandya said. ``It's not `Spanglish' or `Punch Drunk Love' and I think the concept is very interesting. While it should get the bulk of its business from young males, I think it also has some crossover appeal to go broader. ''

Weekend box-office receipts have exceeded the total of the same weekend a year earlier for five weeks in a row and 11 out of the last 12.

greg.hernandez(at)dailynews.com

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(1 -- color) ``Click'' starring Adam Sandler opens today against ``Waist Deep'' and is expected to knock off ``Cars'' at the box office.

(2 -- color) Sony Pictures Entertainment has hopes that Adam Sandler's ``Click'' will have better success than ``Spanglish'' at the box office.