You've been hearing a lot about high-profile stage-to-screen adaptations, but unless you live in New York or Los Angeles, you haven't seen any of them on local screens. That changes today and in coming weeks.

Evita showed enough strength in it's limited engagement to go into "wide release" Jan. 10, as did Marvin's Room.

Evita, starring Madonna in the film version of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's hit musical, will open at 750 cinemas across the U.S. Jan. 10. Variety reported that the film has done well, "racking up an astounding $1.1 million or $ 50,000 per situation according to studio estimates. The Madonna starrer has grossed $ 2.26 million since its Christmas Day release."

Marvin's Room, Scott McPherson's black comedy about a family coping with illness, won't open quite as widely, but will move from the two biggest markets into the 10 biggest the weekend of Jan. 10-12. The prestigious film stars Meryl Streep, Diane Keaton, Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro.

While not a stage-to-screen, Woody Allen's film musical Everyone Says I Love You uses songs from shows, and is of interest to fans of musical. Starring Goldie Hawn, Drew Barrymore, Alan Alda (The Apple Tree), Julia Roberts, David Ogden Stiers and Allen, the film will open on 255 screens across the U.S. Jan. 17. The Substance of Fire, the adaptation of Jon Robin Baitz' play starring its original Off-Broadway lead Ron Rifkin, will expand to the top 10 markets on Feb. 7.

-- By Robert Viagas.