Rush Hour 3 easily topped the weekend's box office, taking in nearly $50 million. It failed to match the opening take of its predecessor, but that was to be expected. It has been six years since that last film, and the careers of its two leads have not exactly been sparkling of late. The situation is not helped by the fact that the movie is not all that good. Sure, the leads have some chemistry, but Tucker's brand of comedy is becoming seriously unfunny, and Jackie Chan seems a little tired. However, it still drew well from all demographics, and was inoffensive enough.

Aside from Rush Hour 3, two other films made their top ten debuts this week. First up is the fantasy Stardust, placing fourth. I was completely unsure of what to expect when I went in. The movie turned out to be a breath of fresh air, an original vision brought to the screen by director Matthew Vaughn. Vaughn is a bright young talent, fresh off of Layer Cake, and now moving onto Thor. If Stardust is any indication of what to expect, I am looking forward to it. The other new entry is Daddy Day Camp, sequel to Daddy Day Care, which barely squeaked onto the list, finishing tenth. This will end up being a bomb; it doesn't help that the stars of the original, including Eddie Murphy, declined to return.

Of the returning films, Hairspray fared the best, slipping a mere 31% from last week. It is a real crowd pleaser - I know I was surprised by how good it was. At the other end of the spectrum, The Simpsons Movie dropped the most, down 55% from last week. Following its incredible opening, it seems to be slipping rather fast. Sure, it came in third overall, but it has just plummeted over the two weeks since its opening. It will likely level off over the next couple of weeks as it makes its run for $200 million.

Transformers slipped out of the top ten, but succeeded in crossing the $300 million barrier. It was the fourth film to do so this year, and seems likely that it will surpass Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End for third place on the yearly list so far. The next to make a play for the triple century is Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, although it will take a few more weeks to deal with dipping attendance. It will be a close one.