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For some reason, studios have circled this weekend on their calendar in red pen, drew some stars on it and covered it in glitter. An incredible eight new films open or go wide this weekend with another in sneaks and an Oscar contender in limited release. If you can't find a movie to see this weekend, you're not trying very hard.

It's definitely a case of quantity and not quality, as evidenced by the odds-on favorite to win the weekend, Beverly Hills Chihuahua. A script vomited forth from the bowels of hell, this trailer has been horrifying unsuspecting audiences for several months. A quasi-animated children's film starring a bunch of talking Chihuahuas, it follows one of the little dogs as she...oh, I can't even pretend to care, and I know you don't.

Really, there's not a lot to say about this from an adult's perspective – if you have a kid, they've likely been pestering you about the cute doggy movie for some time, and if you don't you're staying far, far away from this one. I suppose it's possible this is some hidden gem akin to Babe, but the odds are pretty slim coming from the director of Big Momma's House and Scooby-Doo. Unfortunately, kids are going to eat this up in a big way, making this probably the next Baby Geniuses or something.

There are a few names providing voices for adults to latch onto, like Drew Barrymore and George Lopez (and every other Hispanic actor in Hollywood, apparently), but that's unlikely to make a difference to the audience they're going after. With the widest release of the week, in over 3,000 venues, look for about $26 million for the dogs this weekend.

All the cool kids will be seeing Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist this weekend. Starring Michael Cera and Kat Dennings, it's one of those "and that was the night that changed everything" movies, somewhat akin to Superbad, but with less dick jokes. Cera stars as the socially awkward (you don't say!) Nick, who after being dumped by his girlfriend stumbles into an "insta-boyfriend" situation with Dennings, who's looking for a non-threatening option to avoid embarrassment at being alone. Ah, sweet pity dates.

The rest of the movie follows the pair around Manhattan for the rest of the night as they find random adventure tracking down lost friends and getting involved in hijinks, while a soundtrack of hip, now music plays in the background. It's kind of like High Fidelity: The Early Years.

Cera has had a lot of success essentially playing himself, and who can blame him for carrying on with that when it's clearly working with films like Superbad and Juno and of course Arrested Development. Much of the rest of the cast is an unknown quantity, though Alexis Dziena is probably familiar to you, and Jay Baruchel makes an appearance. This one's going to grab just about every teenager this weekend as the date movie for fall, and spillover heavily into the 20-something demo as well. In the able hands of director Peter Sollett (whose Raising Victor Vargas is a must-see. Seriously, if you haven't seen it, go rent it now. I'm not kidding. Why are you still here?), this should see about $14 million this weekend.

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