The week’s openings: Virtual worlds galore

You can always tell when Hollywood thinks it has a hit on its hands. It occurs when nothing major opens in opposition.

And that's pretty much the case this coming week as Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Ernest Cline's best-selling novel opens on Thursday (which means that some area theaters will offer Wednesday night screenings). According to the national release schedule, the week's lineup looks like this:

"Ready Player One": When the creator of an online world called OASIS dies, it's revealed that the winner of a special contest — a virtual scavenger hunt, so to speak — will inherit control of the company. And one young player finds himself in the thick of the race. 

"God's Not Dead: A Light in the Darkness": When his church is burned down, a pastor begins to question how he's practicing his faith. Amen.

"Tyler's Acrimony": Taraji P. Henson plays a woman who reacts poorly to the fact of her husband's philandering ways. Not a comedy.

And at the Magic Lantern?

"Lives Well Lived": A number of elderly people, ages 75 to 100, tell their inspiring life stories. 

As always, I'll update when the area theaters finalize their schedules.