Is Tom Cruise desperate to save his new movie -- and his image as a bankable superstar? That's what Hollywood studio insiders are saying as the actor spearheads a campaign to drive audiences into seats for his upcoming ''Valkyrie'' film.

The official word from Cruise PR agents insist the actor's career is in fine shape and he is happy with the final cut on ''Valkyrie,'' in which Cruise portrays Col. Claus von Stauffenberg, the high-ranking German officer who led a failed assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler at the height of World War II.

But, Hollywood investors are worried about the timing of the "Valkyrie" release -- on Christmas Day. It joins a number of serious but clearly depressing films focusing on either the Holocaust or World War II. That includes some already released, some yet to come, among them "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas," "The Reader," "Defiance" and "Good."

According to a top studio executive, the timing of these films is worrisome for Hollywood: "I don't know what people were thinking. Here we are in the worst economic slump since the Great Depression, and Hollywood is flooding the market with all these downer films -- at Christmas! Even the good ones, like 'The Reader' or 'The Boy in the Striped Pajamas,' which may generate critics awards or Oscar nominations, won't make money."