Summer movie report card

By Scott Bowles, USA TODAY

This may become known as the summer Hollywood got it right. Sure, there was plenty of sequelitis — 14 sequels, the second-most ever. But after a couple of sub-par summers, the movie industry is on track to enjoy its biggest season, thanks largely to some big-screen geeks. Not that there weren't a few turkeys in the mix: Fat camp would be better than Daddy Day Camp. And Evan Almighty will need a miracle to make its money back. But summer had its share of standouts and could have 2007 on its way to a record-breaking year. USA TODAY grades the summer movie scene.
A-: Revenge of the nerds

The geeks have inherited the theaters. Because nerd movies tend to be story-driven (and often set in high schools and moms' basements), they're cheap, campy and, at least this summer, profitable.

Knocked Up knocked some socks off by pulling in $147 million, and Superbad opened at No. 1 with a cool $33 million. Even among the big-budget "threequels" that opened the summer, dweeb superhero Peter Parker was the surprise winner as Spider-Man 3 raked in $336 million.

"I think the people who used to be known as freaks are now considered the normal ones," says nerd-king Judd Apatow, who directed Knocked Up and produced Superbad. "It's nice to look around a theater full of people and see people just like myself."

B+: Finally, some substance

Thin may be in among Hollywood starlets, but fat is where it's at in theaters.

Our favorite chunky ogre led Shrek the Third to $321 million, the second-highest-grossing film of the year so far, and bad dad Homer Simpson ("Mmmmm, floor popcorn") led The Simpsons Movie to a hefty $173 million. John Travolta donned a fat suit and wig to help Hairspray waddle across the blockbuster mark with $107 million.

"It's fine to have your superheroes and supermodels," says Simpsons creator Matt Groening. "But I think what people really want is a depiction of life they can relate to. Why they relate so much to a big, fat, yellow butt, I'm not sure."

B: Toying with audiences delights kids, parents

Toys have been coming to life — and raking in Hollywood bucks — since Pinocchio tried to emancipate himself from Geppetto.

But no one saw the gold mine that the cars-to-crimefighters would be in Transfomers (originally a cartoon created in the 1980s to promote Hasbro's line of toys). The big-screen adaptation has earned $308 million and become the fourth film this year to cross the $300 million mark, a first.

The Simpsons was first a TV show, but it soon became an action-figure empire — made stronger by the film's impressive run in theaters.

The only thing dragging down the average were the bad girls of Bratz, which has mustered only $9 million.

"When you do them right, you get two separate audiences," says Marvin Levy of DreamWorks, which released Transformers. "The kids get to see something new; the grown-ups get to see something they grew up with."

B: Car chases speed back into favor

For a while, it looked as if believable Hollywood car chases were going to be left to the Lindsay Lohans of the world.

But a slew of movies brought the time-tested stunt back full-throttle, most notably The Bourne Ultimatum ($185 million so far) and Live Free or Die Hard ($133 million).

Not all the motor-minded movies burned up the track. Rush Hour 3 has lapped up $109 million but has a way to go to recoup its $140 million budget.

"If you can make people feel they're inside a speeding car, there isn't a better effect," Bourne's Matt Damon says.

B-: Sometimes the book really is better

You'd be hard-pressed to find a best seller whose rights haven't been snapped up by movie studios. But familiar doesn't always mean profitable.

Several popular literary titles got their big-screen debuts but managed only middling numbers. Evening turned in early with $13 million. Becoming Jane didn't become much of a hit, taking in $13 million. And despite Angelina Jolie's non-stop talk-show tour, A Mighty Heart mustered a modest $9 million.

The saving grace, of course, was the boy wizard. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix continued the series' hit streak, earning $283 million so far.

"It's hard to underestimate how well they've handled those adaptations," says Gitesh Pandya of BoxOfficeGuru.com.

C+: That sinking feeling

There were high hopes for the high seas. Most analysts assumed Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End would be the easy winner in the threequel showdown against Spider-Man 3 and Shrek the Third. And coming off the success of 2003's Bruce Almighty ($242 million), Evan Almighty seemed to be a slam-dunk.

Instead, the $300 million Pirates took in $307 million — the lowest — and Evan, costing $170 million, earned $98 million. Nothing that would sink a studio, but disappointing considering how much money was plunged into the projects. Even boats that could take to the sky didn't captivate audiences as the $70 million Stardust took in only $24 million.

"You can look at numbers like Pirates' and Evan's, and on paper, they're not bad," Pandya says. "But when you're spending $200 (million) and $300 million on a movie, you've got to bring in a huge amount."

D+: Glut of horror films sees red — ink

It was inevitable that the slashers of horror movies would turn on their own. And with more than 40 clogging the 2007 schedule, this was the summer massacre.

Bug was squashed like one, doing $7 million. Lindsay Lohan's I Know Who Killed Me learned who killed her movie: disinterested audiences, who plunked down $7 million. Even the once critic-proof torture porn got a taste of its own medicine: Hostel: Part II was dissected by reviewers and audiences alike, doing a measly $17 million.

"It makes it hard to stand out" with the glut, says Bob Weinstein, who had one of the few horror hits with 1408, which earned $71 million.