Studio cuts screens for 'A Mighty Heart'

LOS ANGELES, July 6 (UPI) -- Paramount Vantage trimmed the number of U.S. screens showing "A Mighty Heart" after the Angelina Jolie vehicle did not draw well in its first two weeks.

"A Mighty Heart," a recount of journalist Daniel Pearl's death as told by his wife Mariane Pearl, has taken in $7.6 million through Wednesday since its release June 22, Variety reported Friday.

Beginning this weekend, the film will be shown on 651 screens, down from 1,350. The film will be shown in urban and other key markets with the goal of a longer box office run, an advantage of more limited play.

Officials at the year-old Paramount Vantage said they hope word-of-mouth buzz -- Jolie's performance has received high marks -- will help the movie find its legs.

Curtailing screens has been done by other studios recently -- although not as a counter to weak ticket sales. Both 20th Century Fox with "Borat" last fall and the Weinstein Co. with "Sicko" last month decided to cut back on the number of screens just prior to the films' debuts.