Signs you made a bad movie: You fall to third place behind the movie with which you tied for first in the previous week, and that movie wasn't screened even for critics to review. Yes, I'm talking about you, "Cowboys & Aliens."

If you're reading this, you must like movies. If you haven't listened to this month's PopCultured audiocast, you should check it out. I moderate for the first time, and our topic is summer movies. Give it a listen.


From The Associated Press:

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” $54 million ($23.4 million international). (Review by The News-Herald's Mark Meszoros; "Movie simians rise to next level in new 'Apes' prequel" by The AP's David Germain)
2. “The Smurfs,” $21 million ($45.2 million international).
3. “Cowboys & Aliens,” $15.8 million. (Review by Germain)
4. “The Change-Up,” $13.5 million. (Review by The AP's Christy Lemire)
5. “Captain America: The First Avenger,” $13 million ($27.5 million international). (Review by Meszoros; "Evans apprehensive about clutching shield in 'Captain America'" by The AP's Derrik J. Lang; "Captain America's co-creator proud of patriotic hero" by The AP's Matt Moore)
6. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,” $12.2 million ($61.8 million international). (Review by Meszoros; "But what if the 'Harry Potter' stars had never been cast?" by Germain)
7. “Crazy, Stupid, Love,” $12.1 million. (Review by Lemire)
8. “Friends with Benefits,” $4.7 million. (Review by The AP's Jake Coyle)
9. “Horrible Bosses,” $4.6 million ($7.7 million international). (Review by Meszoros)
10. “Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” $3 million ($17.5 million international). (Review by Meszoros)

-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl