FRIDAY AM: Hollywood studios are worried that the recent box office slump in North America will hurt what is supposed to be a big weekend kicking off the holiday movie season. Already executives are looking for less. Insiders tell me that Universals Tower Heist opened with $85K in midnight shows. What was once thought a sure-thing $35+M first weekend is now projected around $30M for the R-rated action comedy directed by Brett Ratner and starring Eddie Murphy and Ben Stiller. But any double-digit number with a 3′ in front of it is reason to celebrate in these days of lowered expectations as young males generally keep away from multiplexes since August. Tower Heist looks good. Got big break when Puss In Boots moved up, a source tells me about the Oceans Eleven-style heist movie intended to appeal more to adults. DreamWorks Animations Puss In Boots distributed by Paramount will have very good hold off last Fridays/Saturdays snowstorm and funky Halloween weekend with a $25M outcome for #2. New Line/Warner Bros low-budget A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas debuted after midnight in 1,000 locations for $550K which is a franchise best. It opens wide today in 2,875 runs with 2,943 3D screens and expectations are for a $19M finish which, again, is a gift in these soft attendance times. No other pic even cracks $7M this weekend.