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If it doesn't have Colin Firth, it's crap. (Good news, The Last Legion!)

Kim Hollis: Becoming Jane added 501 locations this weekend and earned $3.0 million, giving it a running total of $4.6 million after ten days in platform release. Its per venue average of $5,005 is a 48.5% drop from last weekend's $9,721. Do you believe the Shakespeare in Love treatment of Jane Austen is likely to see significant success in wide release or has it already reached a plateau?

Max Braden: I think it has very weak awareness, though I heard it discussed in a restaurant this weekend. The girls wanted to go, the guys didn't want to be dragged there. The guys won. I expect the plateau will only stay up because of the extra sites.

Michael Bentley: I'm amazed it earned as much as it did. I haven't heard or seen a single thing about this. Unless it quadruples its screen count for some reason, it's already hit the peak.

Finally - a summer that makes us remember why we loved movies in the first place

Kim Hollis: In terms of quality and box office, is this the best summer for movies that you can recall?

Joel Corcoran: Surprisingly, yes. Given the trend over the past few summers, I didn't expect such a good crop of movies this summer. However, every weekend since Memorial Day, there has been at least one movie that I've really wanted to see, and sometimes two or three. Additionally, I didn't expect the box office records of last summer's box office smash - Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest - to fall nearly so quickly. But Spider-Man 3, Shrek the Third, and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End managed to blow most of those records out of the water (no pun intended). Also, when you look at opening-day gross revenues, four of the top ten movies on that list were released this summer. The same for single-day gross (though five of the top eleven films are summer 2007 releases; Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End missed knocking the original Spider-Man from the #10 slot by a mere $700,000).

Max Braden: I think 2005 easily offered a stronger crop in regard to quality and entertainment: Batman Begins, Layer Cake, March of the Penquins, Wedding Crashers, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Constant Gardener... The summer of 2007 has been more consistent with a solid selection, I think, but I haven't been entertained as much as I'd hoped. As box office goes, I'd be satisfied with the way this summer's movies have performed.

Michael Bentley: For box office, it has definitely been a good summer for Hollywood. I'd have to think about it a little more, but for me there have definitely been better years for quality. 1997 comes to mind. I weep for the lack of original movies (non-sequels, non-comic adaptations, non-tv shows, etc.).

Reagen Sulewski: I think the fact that the vast majority of the summer's big movies have been sequels and that they've still been this good is remarkable. Normally at this point we'd be talking about Hollywood's lack of originality and why it's going to doom them. This year, they've all hit home runs.

David Mumpower: I've gone back fifteen years trying to come up with one that had such a unique combination of quality releases that were also bread winners. There just isn't one. The only big budget movies this summer that were both poorly received and financially disappointing were Evan Almighty, Lucky You and Surf's Up. Every other major title can claim at least one of the two and the majority can claim both.

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