Time Warner’s (TWX) Warner Bros-produced, Steven Spielberg-directed “Ready Player One” is opening in theaters later this month. The film, based on a novel by Ernest Cline, is a science fiction thriller set in a near future dystopia where everyone spends most of their time logged into a virtual reality world called the Oasis. CATALYTS FOR GPUS?: In a research note from Jefferies analyst Mark Lipacis, he opines that this film could drive sales of virtual reality headsets that use GPUs from Nvidia (NVDA) and AMD (AMD) due to the film’s positive portrayal of virtual reality escapism. VR HARDWARE MAKERS: According to Statista.com, Sony (SNE) shipped 2.6M units of its Playstation VR, while HTC Vive and Oculus Rift shipped 950K and 850K, respectively. The PlayStation VR uses an AMD processor, while HTC Vive and Oculus Rift use NVDA or AMD GPU-cards. Oculus is a Facebook (FB) subsidiary. MODEST MOVIE EXPECTATIONS: Early expectations for “Ready Player One” are for an opening weekend debut of $35M+, which is below Warner Bros. expectations of $50M. Jefferies’ Lipacis noted that despite the modest projections, he believes the movie “has the potential to appeal to a electronics game savvy audience that is motivated to have a more immersive experience.” PRICE ACTION: Shares of Nvidia are up 2.7% in afternoon trading, while shares of AMD are down fractionally. Time Warner shares are higher by 1.6%.