A couple of story-driven vfx movies open in theaters today to take on 20th Century Fox’s hit superhero sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Steve Carell picks up where Jim Carey left off in Universal’s Evan Almighty and John Cusack is a skeptical paranormal investigator checking into a haunted hotel room in MGM/The Weinstein Co.’ adaptation of the Stephen King tale 1408.

Rolling out in around 3,600 theaters across North America, Evan Almighty has the best chance of clobbering Fantastic Four and claiming the top spot at the box office. Reprising his role from Bruce Almighty, Morgan Freeman plays God in this sequel that has Carell charges with building an arc and becoming a Noah for modern times. The comedy’s apocalyptic visual effects and many of the animal characters were brought to the screen by Rhythm & Hues, ILM, CafeFX, CIS Hollywood and TeamWorks Digital.

Though it’s getting better reviews than Evan Almighty, the chiller 1408 is being released in about a thousand fewer theaters, no doubt due to a downturn in horror grosses, Vacancy and Hostel Part II being prime examples. Still, Stephen King fans may make a hit of this trippy hotel stay that offers vfx by The Motion Picture Co., Rainmaker, Framestore CFC, Baseblack and The Senate VFX.

Moviegoers looking for Evan Almighty may accidentally walk into A Mighty Heart, Paramount Vantage’s account of the recent capture and subsequent beheading of Daniel Pearl, a journalist on assignment in Pakistan. The Critically lauded film stars Angelina Jolie a Pearl’s wife, who spearheads efforts to locate her missing husband.

Opening in four theaters in New York and Los Angeles is Black Sheep, a horror comedy from New Zealand that boasts visual effects by Peter Jackson’s Weta Workshop. The flick about a flock of killer sheep on the attack has been garnering mostly positive reviews and may end up being this year’s Shaun of the Dead if it ends up getting a wider berth.