With only two months left in a rough year, Warner Bros. may have caught some good fortune with "The Departed," Martin Scorsese's bloody film about the mob in Boston. The film has brought in $91.1 million in the U.S., and is likely to do well overseas and when it is released on DVD later. Critics loved the film.

It has been a comparatively long time since Warner's last big successes like "Harry Potter" and "The Matrix." Both movies came out with sequels as well, giving them "legs," as they say in L.A.. It's true that "Superman Returns" has brought in almost $200 million this year, but it was also very expensive to make, weighing in at $270 million.

Warner Bros. may be coming to the conclusion that smaller is better. Pictures like "Superman Returns" and "Poseidon" are so costly that getting a decent return may be nearly impossible.

If Warner stays away from very expensive films and has a few modest successes over the next couple of quarters, the management at the studio may avoid being the departed themselves.

Douglas McIntyre is a partner at 24/7 Wall St.

Today's New York Times made the point that Warner Bros. is in the midst of a year of disappointment. Last year, Warner was No. 1 at the box office. This year, it is No. 6. Movies like "Poseidon" have done poorly. The film cost $150 million to make and sold only $60 million worth of tickets in the U.S.

The studio will get some money back from overseas and DVD markets, but being No. 6 among all studios in not what the sometimes beleaguered management at parent Time Warner needs.

The studio is not attempting to play "small ball." Instead of pushing films with massive production and marketing budgets, the studio hopes to rely on more modest films like this weekend's release of "The Departed" with a cast lead by Jack Nicholson. The film brought in $27 million, which was considered a success given that it was not a film that cost more than $100 million to make.

Even though Warner Bros. will still likely post decent numbers this year, it would be nice to go into earnings season with some good news.

Douglas A. McIntyre is a partner at 24/7 Wall St.