The Lyons Den

Starring E! movie dude Ben Lyons

Beat Ben @ the Box Office: Big Willie Weekend

Hancock Frank Masi / Sony Pictures

It's that time of year: Will Smith season. And the the King of July 4th has another smash hit on his hands with Hancock, costarring Oscar winner Charlize Theron and funnyman Jason Bateman. This is the only major release at the box office over the holiday weekend, and every studio clears a path because, no doubt about it, he's the No. 1 movie star in the world.

In a summer of superheroes, you also have to admire actor-turned-director Peter Berg for bringing us an entirely new character, who doesn't have to cater to both fanboys and mass audiences, or worry about staying true to the source material.

So look for Hancock to bank $127 million over the five-day weekend. Smith goes all-out, and the guy even performed a 45-minute set at his own premiere. (I got a little emotional when he introduced DJ Jazzy Jeff and did "Summertime.")

Don't think Hancock can save the day at the box office this weekend? Then drop your numbers in the comments!

Beat Ben @ the Box Office: Who Wants Wanted?

Wanted Chuck Hodes / Universal Pictures

The Matrix changed the way action movies are made, and its influence is all over the latest graphic-novel adaptation Wanted. Unlikely star James McAvoy is an office monkey-turned-international superassassin, joined by Angelina Jolie and Common, and he's intense and convincing.

It won't be No. 1 (thanks, WALL-E), but people are excited. So look for this stylized epic to pull in big cash opening weekend, something around $37 million.

Ang gets half naked, so let's say $37.7 million.

What do you think: Am I on target here, or am I firing blanks? Put up you numbers in the comments, and we'll see who owns the box office this week, you or me.

Get Wanted trailers, clips and more in the Summer Movie Guide.

James McAvoy Makes a Tough Call

Between last year's Atonement to this week's Wanted, James McAvoy has gone from Oscar bait to action hero, from wooing Keira Knightley to wowing Angelina Jolie. So I had to ask him the desert island question. Hit the clip to see what he says.

And click through to the jump to see how James learned the hard way not to mess with Jack Nicholson.

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Anne Hathaway Totally Ready for a Prada Sequel

She's sneaking around and taking names this weekend in Get Smart, but Anne Hathaway really lit up when I asked her about getting The Devil Wears Prada gang back together. Hit the clip to see what she says.

Beat Ben @ the Box Office: Who Likes Mike?

Mike Myers, The Love Guru Paramount Pictures

Mike Myers is more famous than he is bankable. Sure, Shrek movies make cash, and the second and third Austin Powers movies performed, but that's about it. Cat in the Hat barely took in $100 million—Horton Hears a Who did twice that—and so many others bombed. The first Austin Powers didn't even crack $10 million opening weekend.

So look for The Love Guru, opening with little or no buzz, to come in behind Steve Carell's Get Smart, at around $24.8 million.

Am I nuts? Can Justin Timberlake bring the kids to another ridiculous Myers incarnation? Put your numbers up in the comments, and we'll see who's the real box office guru.

Beat Ben @ the Box Office: What's Happening?

What happens in The Happening? M. Night Shyamalan might blackball me from the business if I tell you, but I know one thing: The guy's movies make money. So do scary movies, and let's not forget that Mark Wahlberg is a huge star. (Check out some of our interview in the above clip.)

The film, Shyamalan's first to be rated R, is unique and terrifying. But I don't think it'll open the way Signs did ($60 million), or even The Village ($50 million). The brand-name director's coming off the dud Lady in the Water and may need to prove himself to audiences again.

So look for his latest effort to open the way The Sixth Sense did, around $25.5 million.

Do you think I'm nuts? Can Wahlberg & Co. crush the Hulk? Put up your numbers in the comments and we'll see what happens.

M. Night Dishes Superheroes, Previews Airbender

With his fright flick The Happening out this week, director M. Night Shyamalan and I sat down to chat about, among other things, the legion of superhero movies dropping all around us. Hit the clip to see what he has to say.

Also, uh, happening this week, M. Night showed off storyboards and video from his next project, which is, according to the Hollywood Reporter, a live-action martial arts trilogy based on cartoon series Avatar: The Last Airbender. "I do everything cheap, baby!" he said about the $250 million price tag. "All my movies come at a 30 percent reduced rate."

So that means we get a break on the ticket price, right?

Heather Graham: Babies Are Strange!

What more could a pregnant woman want than a roomful of cupcakes? Well, Heather Graham isn't exactly pregnant, but she does star in Miss Conception, opening today, about a woman in her 30s desperately trying to get knocked up. So we get together and make some desserts—but not before Graham lets loose on where babies come from. Hit the clip to get the full story.

Beat Ben @ the Box Office: Can Adam Slay 'Em?

You Don't Mess with the Zohan Tracey Bennett / Columbia Pictures / Sony

It's not a good idea to mess with Adam Sandler at the box office. The most bankable comedic star on the planet is coming off a series of films that have opened huge, and You Don't Mess With the Zohan will be no different. How big will it be? Well...

Keep Reading

Lucy Liu Digs Dustin

She plays a snake, and he plays a tiny red panda. She's on Hollywood's short list for kickass chicks, and he's pretty much an acting legend. So what does Lucy Liu confess is her favorite flick from Kung Fu Panda costar Dustin Hoffman? Check the clip to find out.

Who Is Shia LaBeouf Talking About?

He's slinging a switchblade in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, but when last I sat down with Shia LaBeouf, the boy wonder threw around some gossip about a Hollywood big shot. Hit this clip from my new video series to see whose name he's dropping.

Beat Ben @ the Box Office: Will Sex Sell?

Sex and the City Craig Blankenhorn/New Line Cinema

The movie that every woman I have ever met is waiting for hits theaters this weekend, and it'll have a big opening—but not that big. Sorry, uh, Mr. Big.

Sex and the City: The Movie has already sold out many theaters, likely to groups of girlfriends planning to down pink Cosmos afterward. But the flick faces a few problems opening weekend:

Indiana Jones isn't going anywhere, and should pull in another $40 million or $50 million. Also, Sex has a strong R rating, and R movies rarely open big. Lastly, the film appeals to an older audience, which doesn't feel like it has to see something opening weekend.

So look for the fabulous NYC foursome to pull in $34.2 million this weekend, which is still a number Mr. Big should be happy with.

What do you think? Vote and sound off in the comments. Oh, and single guys out there: Go to the movie theater and just hang out front!

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