No Great Expectations for a Movie Launch  To make a box-office
splash in Hollywood, lowball the estimates for the first
weekend's take. Then you have room to look like a star  Only in
Hollywood could a film like Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones and
the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull rake in a massive $151.9
million over its opening four-day weekend and still be called by
some a disappointment. How is that possible? Well, there were
some in Hollywood who were whispering before its opening that
Indy was expected to do better, maybe even set a record for a
Memorial Day weekend. It's called the Expectations Game, a dark
art that Hollywood practices with the same seriousness as a
political candidate running for office.  Anyone following
Hillary or Obama on the primary circuit understands the dance:
You set expectations as low as possible, telling anyone who asks
that you'll be happy to eke out a small win. The media buys in,
and then you revel in the smashing win that follows. In
politics, it's called spin.  It's th