“KILLERS” WON’T BE SCREENED FOR CRITICS

Lionsgate, which ordinarily does not screen its Saw horror flicks and Tyler Perry movies in advance for critics, has no intention of doing so for next weekend’s comedy thriller Killers, featuring Katherine Heigl and Ashton Kutcher, the Associated Press reported on Sunday. “In today’s socially connected marketplace, we all have the ability to share feedback instantly around the world. In keeping with this spirit, Lionsgate and the filmmakers want to give the opportunity to moviegoing audiences and critics alike to see Killers simultaneously and share their thoughts in the medium of their choosing,” Lionsgate said in a statement. But Brent Simon, president of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, told the A.P. that such a plan could backfire. When reviews for a film don’t appear in print or online in advance, “people smell a stinker,” he said. “They take that into account and it’s a potential strike or demerit on a film.”