The smart money seems to be pretty positive that “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” will earn in the neighborhood of $20 million and so may end up winning the weekend. At least that’s what I’m reading via jolly Carl DiOrio and the more circumspect Ben Fritz.

The audience for the latest from Oliver Stone skews fairly older, not only because it’s a topical thriller from the bombastic but literate Stone, but because it’s a sequel to a hit movie that is — shockingly for some of us — old enough that 24 year-old co-star Shia LaBeouf was barely a toddler when it first came out. That may help with the film’s longevity since older audiences tend to take their time seeing a new movie. Also, a bit of extra publicity from Gekko-man Michael Douglas‘s well-publicized upbeat battle with cancer might add to awareness over the long term. The reviews, which also have a somewhat stronger effect on older viewers, are only meh-to-okay with somewhat better response from more blue-state-centric “top critics.”

“Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole” is also doing better with the “cream of the crop” crowd than the critical hoi polloi, but interest from regular folks hasn’t been what the makers of this $50-60 million 3D animated production have been hoping for. The film is PG rated, but many feel it is excessively dark and violent for the kids. That may make it truer to the popular books it’s drawn from, and it’s certainly no surprise given that this is from Zack Snyder of “Watchmen” and “300.” Still, this will get at least some boost from the those 3D premium prices and is expected to make, I guess, between $15-20 million, though I personally find the character designs pretty unappealing and I wonder if others feel the same way.

The gurus are not optimistic when it comes to “You Again.” We fans of Kristen Bell are, it seems, once again being forced to wonder about this hugely skilled young actress’s bad luck, first with the early cancellation of the “Veronica Mars” television series, then somehow being saddled with the only uninteresting part in the otherwise first-rate “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” and then to a series of roundly drubbed releases like this one, which is something considering the film’s rather amazing supporting cast.

Oddly, this comedy reunites her with Andy Fickman, the director of what I guess must be her best movie role so far, as the singing and dancing and unbelievably naive female lead of “Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical.” However, our own Jason Zingale’s very negative review is very much line with the majority of critics and audiences aren’t expected to like this one all that much better, with low expectations that still might end up covering its modest studio budget of $20 million. Still, no wonder Ms. Bell seems truly desperate to get that long discussed “Veronica Mars” movie off the ground.

“The Virginity Hit,” which has been in limited release, is expanding into 700 theaters this weekend. The mockumentary horny teenager flick had generated high hopes at one point and has been sponsored by Will Ferrell and his comedy partner Adam McKay, but those hopes have been scaled back once more people got a look at the thing, it seems. David Medsker roundly disliked it, but his slam is a love-letter compared to my Rotten Tomatoes pull quote of the week from Dustin Putnam:

Crass and detestable, a combination of American Pie, The Blair Witch Project and crap.

That, however, is not all because this weekend sees several notable limited releases. The highly buzzed and very well reviewed suspense one-man show for Ryan Reynolds and enormous cinematic challenge for director Rodrigo Cortés, “Buried,” opens in 11 theaters this weekend. There’s also the hugely divisive cinephile-bait, “Enter the Void,” a druggy fantasia about life after death from the ever controversial Gasper Noé, the acclaimed documentary about the should-be hot topic of education, “Waiting for Superman,” and two movies which I actually saw and reviewed myself, the free-speech docu-drama “Howl” starring James Franco as poet Allen Ginsberg and Woody Allen’s latest all-star outing, “You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger,” which I’m somewhat surprised to say I actually kind of recommend.

Just a couple of items where some more information might be of interest.

* I linked yesterday to a Variety story reporting that James Cameron had signed with mega-agency CAA. Last night, however, ace gadfly muckraker Nikki Finke reported that it was merely a new camera technology developed for Cameron’s upcoming “Avatar” 3-D extravaganza, not Cameron himself, that the agency will be repping. In true Finkean style, she can’t resist taking a swipe at Variety in the process, though I guess it might be earned in this case.

* On a more pleasant and actually interesting note, we have some news about Sigourney Weaver‘s upcoming projects, after discussing her — well, actually, Ellen Ripley — topping Total Sci-Fi’s list of female science fiction icons yesterday. For one thing, I didn’t realize until now Ms. Weaver is one of the stars of the aforementioned “Avatar” (as is Will Harris’s talented Facebook buddy Dileep Rao).

But that’s far from all, JA at The Film Experience is waxing enthusiastic over her possible casting (it’s not truly confirmed yet, I gather) in another sci-fi film, of sorts. “Paul” is to be directed by Greg Mottola of “Superbad” and “Adventureland” and written by and starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost of “Shaun of the Dead,” “Hot Fuzz,” and “Spaced” fame. Apparently the film has something to do with a couple of British comic book geeks (Pegg and Frost) traveling cross-country from Comic-Con who meet up with Seth Rogen — I gather possibly animated or CGI’d or something — as an alien named, naturally, Paul at Nevada’s Area 51 (at least that’s how SlashFilm’s Paul Sciretta has it). It will also feature Bill Hader, Jane Lynch, Jason Bateman and Kristen Wiig.

Sounds pretty good, but JA was also good enough to mention another comedy casting for Ms. Weaver, this in “You Again,” which will star Kristin Bell, a particular favorite over here. As JA points out, it will re-team the high talented, geek-friendly Bell with director Andy Fickman, who elicited one of her most interesting performances in “Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical” back in 2005. At the risk of going off on a bit of tangent (and, by the way, just happening to mention my lengthy 2007 blog post on Fickman’s entertaining, though highly imperfect, movie), did you know that the former Veronica Mars can, as the Western codgers say, sing purty?

Don’t worry, she gets a lot less wholesome later on…