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Jason Lee: No quarrel here. This is Depp's picture, absolutely.

Reagen Sulewski: Not only is he kind of a non-factor in the movie, Bale's character is named "Melvin Purvis". I don't think you even want your breakout to happen with a character name like that.

David Mumpower: While I do think this helps Bale's career a bit by reminding people he's a fine character actor, I will say this. He better not price himself out of The Dark Knight II. It's readily apparent people won't miss him.

It's almost time for the dog days...

Kim Hollis: We're effectively at the midway point of summer box office season. Which movie is the most impressive box office performer relative to expectations thus far - Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, The Hangover, Up, Star Trek, or an option we missed?

Daron Aldridge: I figure if I chime in first with my guess then there is a greater chance that I get to hear, "I agree with Daron," which always has a nice ring to it. My vote goes to The Hangover based upon expectations. $200+ million. No one could have predicted that.





Scott Lumley: As impressed as I have been with the absolutely monstrous performances by Star Trek, The Hangover and Transformers, and as shocked as I am by the absolute silence that met Land of the Lost and Terminator Salvation, it's the foreign market response to Ice Age that has me just stunned.

For clarity, Up's total foreign revenue is $35 million dollars over five weeks. That's it. Ice age did four times that amount in five days. I can understand Angels and Demons pulling this off, but Ice Age?

Josh Spiegel: First of all, I agree with Daron. The Hangover was arguably the most surprising performer of the summer (so far, that is). Looking back on it, the hype started with the movie being a sleeper hit, but snowballed into something more. Kudos to the Warner Bros. marketing team for making a good comedy feel like it's the best thing since sliced bread.

For the most part, the other movies that have come out so far this summer have performed exactly as I'd have thought. Star Trek had a great marketing campaign and solid word-of-mouth; thus, it makes millions. Transformers is what it is, so it's making a lot of money, but it may not make double its opening five-day take, which isn't as impressive.

I'm equally impressed with Up as I am with The Hangover, though. Here's a movie about an old man who lifts his house up on balloons to go to South America, and it's now got more money to its name than The Incredibles, either Toy Story movie, or Monsters, Inc. I'm thrilled it's made this much money, but I'm a bit surprised. Also, it's worth noting that Up's foreign performance is impossible to compare to that of Ice Age 3. The former movie is being released in a very staggered pattern, so much so that some markets won't get the film until December.

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