How movie studios play "chicken"

Another gem from Mike Shor's collection, from the NY Times:

The first principle of scheduling any film's release date is to avoid going directly against a similar movie. Studios realize that a standoff between films aimed at the same demographic -- kids, women, ''urban'' teenagers -- splits the vote, in effect, and hurts both films. ''No one is interested in going head to head in this business,'' Harper says. ''Someone is almost always going to give. It's just a question of who.''

Given the stakes involved, film companies generally disclose their future release dates well in advance, giving everyone time to minimize the chance of collision. But at the end of the year, with so many films vying for coveted berths, some jostling is inevitable. As Jeff Blake, vice chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, notes, ''There are only four weekends in December, so you're always going to be bumping into other movies.''