Film Gross Per Screen Toto
1 I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry $34,775,000 $9,949 $34,775,000
2 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix $32,185,000 (-58.3%) $7,511 $207,541,000
3 Hairspray $27,800,000 $8,907 $27,800,000
4 Transformers $20,506,000 (-44.6%) $5,450 $262,969,000
5 Ratatouille $11,000,000 (-38.9%) $3,233 $165,628,000
6 Die Hard in Name Only $7,300,000 (-35.3%) $2,676 $116,466,000
7 License to Wed $3,760,000 (-48.6%) $1,489 $38,678,000
8 1408 $2,600,000 (-47.3%) $1,791 $67,500,000
9 Evan Almighty $2,455,000 (-49.8%) $1,379 $93,469,000
10 Knocked Up $2,318,000 (-37.0%) $1,799 $142,725,000

Adam Sandler is still a draw, even if most of the jokes are about him putting his wee-wee into Kevin James’s manhole. And if Universal didn’t have the Evan Almighty albatross around their necks, this would be their summer. Chuck should get over the hundred million mark and then some, and though that isn’t the victory that Knocked Up was (Chuck cost two and a half times as much), it’s still pretty great for Uni, while they’ve also got Bourne knocking down doors in a week and a half (word is it’s great). Sandler has been a steady cash register with comedies for over a decade now, outside of the Little Nicky misfire, though his attempts at more serious drama (more serious than, say, Big Daddy) still don’t click. But if cash rules everything around me (C.R.E.A.M., get the money), Sandler must have a very nice house.

Potter crossed into two hundred million, but took a much more sizable hit than I expected. It may have been the book, which if you’re a nerd you should have read by now, cause people are going to tell you everything and who died and in what order, and how much kissing there was, etc.

SPOILERS

I was shocked to find out that Hagrid and Snape were lovers.

END SPOILERS

New Line did it! They finally opened a picture! Third place may not seem like much, but when your last couple of films are The Last Mimzy and The Number 23, well, shit, unscrew the Champale, and get to it. The opening means that word of mouth might kick in, and fans of the film may go back to the theaters. A hundred is not out of the question, and it could play long, if films actually played long these days. Since the praise has been mostly unanimous, Adam Shankman has truly fooled them all and must be hunted down and smote. Get smighting, chewers, for the sake of our once great nation. Be bold, be mendacious, but do what must be done.

Transformers is playing better than its ilk (the big opening event films) have done this summer. Directly compared to Potter, it dropped way less. $300 is happening, but the question becomes $350. It’s unlikely, but will it have enough juice to get past Spider-Man 3? Supposedly David Poland’s going to have buy Don Murphy a burger if this happens, so please, return to the theaters to watch robots smash shit.

Ratatouille is also playing leggy, but just how leggy remains to be seen (and I want to see its gams, I do), if it can level, it will likely be on screens until the end of summer, $200 should happen, even it seems so far away at the moment. I though it might beat Cars, but that looks unlikely now. Cars, though, is likely the problem.

Live Free is just out of the top five, but next week, with The Simpsons Movie, Fox may start fucking it. Then again, it’s got maybe another $20 mil before it tops out. License to Wed is still making money, and should be Mandy Moore’s biggest hit, which means nothing, but I guess it’s sort of good for that Office dude. I guess it’s the safer Date Night movie than Knocked Up, which on a per screen basis is outperforming it. KU will get to $150 it seems. Very good. Very nice. People I know saw Walk Hard and said it was great, Superbad should be kicking ass momentarily, The Pineapple Express is about fifteen minutes too long, but is only fifteen minutes away from being the best stoner comedy ever, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall looks great. Apatow and company may not have that feared misfire until 2009.And Judd Apatow is married to Leslie Mann. But don’t hate. Just don’t hate.