"?War of the Worlds? was more costly, but Steven Spielberg?s ?Munich,? opening Friday, rates as the biggest gamble for Hollywood?s most celebrated filmmaker.

A kind of fact-based existentialist thriller, ?Munich? follows the secret Israeli squad sent to avenge the 11 Israeli wrestling team members murdered at the 1972 Munich Olympics by the Palestinian Black September group.

What puts ?Munich? apart this holiday season isn?t its political content - politics are an element of ?Syriana? and ?Good Night, and Good Luck? - but Spielberg?s decision not to promote it. He told the Los Angeles Times that the film was so intensely personal, ?it frightened me.?

So unlike every other year-end movie, ?Munich? had no press junket. Its actors, including ?Troy? star Eric Bana, Oscar-winner Geoffrey Rush and the new 007,Daniel Craig, are under a gag order not to do interviews. And Spielberg, until the Dec. 18 Los Angeles Times interview, had given only one, to Time magazine.

Maybe Spielberg and his team expected year-end critics groups to shower ?Munich? with awards for Best Picture and Best Director, making it a must-see. That strategy didn?t pan out. Until the Oscar nominations are announced in six weeks, all ?Munich? merits are two Golden Globe nominations, for director and screenplay, and one Broadcast Film Critics? nomination for Best Picture.

Could the low profile have a Garbo effect? The more ?Munich? stands apart, the more interesting it looks?

?The lack of Spielberg and company?s participation in the usual publicity dance is helping the movie to stand out in a very crowded movie season,? said boxofficemojo.com analyst Brandon Gray.

Hollywood Reporter columnist Anne Thompson disagreed, saying Spielberg?s strategy to sit back and let the film speak for itself is ?clearly not working. Even before it?s reviewed, it?s taking a hammering. The movie will open a lot of discussion, and I know that?s what Spielberg wanted to achieve, but he needs to speak out and defend his movie. Right now, he?s getting hammered on the Internet and in forums by people taking political exception to ?Munich.? ?

Given the potential for controversy, Spielberg may have felt that ?Munich? had to avoid a publicity blitz.

With the film opening in limited release - 525 theaters Friday, then expanding to 2,000 theatres two weeks later - Gray has low expectations.

?The trailer is so somber, it seems strange anyone would be interested in this picture. Even the poster is unappealing,? he said. ?If it does more than million over that first weekend, it would be surprising.?"