The debate won’t end anytime soon as there are still rumors that George Lucas is kicking around ideas for a fifth film in the franchise. But anyway, you would expect a heap of extras on a DVD for a blockbuster this big. And they include multiple interviews and a whopping 12-part “Making Of” Feature. Cate Blanchett even talks about how she picked out her villainous hair style.

For old school sci-fi fans, the complete series of Ultraman is on DVD. Yes it’s campy, yes it’s Japanese, what more do you need to know? Ultraman would go on to inspire all sorts of shows, both animated and live action. Modern shows including The Simpsons and Yu-Gi-Oh have parodied Ultraman and his exaggerated fighting style and poses.

Image: Paramount Pictures 2008

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That’s right, make your Dr. Evil face, one billion dollars. That’s a lot of movie tickets. The surprise hit Iron Man was a production of Marvel Studios but distributed by Paramount and has pulled down $305 million domestically. It played to stellar reviews and will no doubt open the floodgates for more comic-related fare.

Indy drew mixed reviews, largely due to a complex plot involving Roswell and aliens. It’s funny, initially Cynthia and I were wondering whether an Indiana Jones sequel would fall under our sci fi/fantasy umbrella. Little did we know how sci-fi Indiana was going to get. Despite the ambivalence of reviewers, Indiana Jones and Steven Spielberg are guaranteed to make money together. They’ve raked in $291 million at this point.

But Paramount hasn’t just been a genre juggernaut. Family flick Kung Fu Panda has grossed $156 million domestically.

Image: Paramount Pictures, 2008

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It ain’t exactly chump change, though. Indy shrugged off a blasé reaction from critics as Steven Spielberg and George Lucas did what they do best, thrill audiences. But even with the sure fire success of Dr. Jones’ latest escapade and the surprising performances of films like Iron Man, the box office overall is down this year.

In 2007 by this time, there had been seven movies surpassing the $100 million mark. That was propelled by the infamous “Summer of Three” featuring the third installments of the Pirates, Spider-Man and Shrek franchises. This year only the aforementioned Iron Man and Indiana Jones join family flick Horton Hears a Who in that exclusive club.

Image courtesy of Newscom.

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Media outlets including Yahoo have reported titters of laughter from the audience every time Cate Blanchett’s villainous Russian spy came on screen. She’s sporting the worst Russian accent since, ironically, Harrison Ford in K-19:The Widowmaker.

Even the positive reviews admit it doesn’t hold a candle to Raiders of the Lost Ark, as if it could. Just once it would be awesome if an actor said, “No, I’ve got enough money and I don’t want to tarnish people’s memory of the original films.” Of course, since Ford’s career has deteriorated into starring in dreck like Hollywood Homicide he probably wasn’t going to be the one to say no.

Worse yet, Spielberg hasn’t closed the door on a fifth Indy movie. That could happen with Ford or co-star Shia LaBoeuf’s Mutt Williams character. For the love of God, please stop them.

Image courtesy of Newscom.

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Tony Stark would have gotten away with the weekend box office again if it wasn’t for those meddling Narnia kids and their stupid lion. Marvel’s first effort from its own studio slipped to second place as the family-friendly Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian bowed with a whopping $56.6 million.

High profile misfire Speed Racer continued its spinout with a fourth-place finish. Warner Bros. execs still aren’t admitting defeat publicly but with Narnia pulling at the same family audience, Racer’s prospects look dim. Narnia is poised for a strong summer with the Memorial Day Weekend on the horizon.

It will likely enjoy only a single week at the top though, with much anticipated sequel Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull opening May 22.

These estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters come from Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday. (And then we’ll see a five-percent drop in Racer’s numbers after Warner Bros. tells the truth.)

1. “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,” $56.6 million.

2. “Iron Man,” $31.2 million.

3. “What Happens in Vegas,” $13.9 million.

4. “Speed Racer,” $7.6 million.

5. “Baby Mama,” $4.6 million.

6. “Made of Honor,” $4.5 million.

7. “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” $2.5 million.

8. “Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay,” $1.8 million.

9. “The Forbidden Kingdom,” $1 million.

10. “The Visitor,” $687,000.

Images: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, 2008

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