"The Dark Knight" broke all kinds of records last weekend. Here they are:

3-Day Weekend: $155.34M

Largest One-Day Box Office: $67.8M 

Largest IMAX 3-Day: $6.2M

Most # Screens (worldwide): Approx. 9,320

Largest Box Office Mid.-6am: $18.5M

Largest Per Screen Average: $35,000

"The Dark Knight" is the 11th film all-time to gross over $100M in it's first weekend. But how will it do in weekend #2? I say $76.4 million.

This is a great weekend for family movie going. But that doesn't mean it's a great weekend for family movies.

Let me explain: "The Dark Knight" is going to be the #1 movie in America this weekend (and maybe for the year). It's geared to guys. "Mama Mia" also opens this weekend. It's a "chick-flick", geared to women. And "Space Chimps" is the other big new movie. It's geared to kids.

So, Dad can go see Batman and the Joker, while Mom is watching Meryl Streep sing ABBA songs and the kids are laughing at the monkey astronauts...ALL AT THE SAME TIME. And, one trip to the multi-plex saves gas. The ultimate family movie trip.

One problem: Mom and the kids better be ready to spend some time shopping because "The Dark Knight" is two-and-a-half hours long, much longer than the other two.

While movie fans this week eagerly await Friday's release of "The Dark Knight", there's also a lot of buzz about one of the trailers that will be debuting before the movie: "Terminator Salvation."

This will be the 4th installment in the "Terminator" series. It stars Christian Bale (he's been busy) and Helena Bonham Carter and is due to come out on May 22, 2009.

When I went on vacation last Christmas in Florida I went to the Terminator 2 3-D attraction at Universal. It's was pretty cool. They have unknown actors playing the parts on stage and in a 3-D movie. No Arnold. He's not going to be in the movie, either.

I guessed they asked him and he said..."I won't be back." 

It's time for the nominations for "LCJ's Best in Movies" for the first half of 2008. 

Best Animated Film: Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!", Kung Fu Panda, Persepolis, The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything, WALL-E

Best Actor: Jack Black ("Be Kind Rewind), Steve Carell ("Get Smart"), Robery Downey, Jr. ("Iron Man), Harrison Ford ("Indiana Jones 4), Danny Glover ("Honeydripper")

Best Actress: Anne Hathaway ("Get Smart"), Gweynth Paltrow ("Iron Man"), Susan Sarandon ("Speed Racer"), Liv Tyler ("The Incredible Hulk")

Best Supporting Actor: Alan Arkin ("Get Smart"), Jeff Bridges ("Iron Man"), Mos Def ("Be Kind Rewind"), Fred Willard ("WALL-E"), Shia LaBeouf ("Indiana Jones 4")

Best Supporting Actress: Catherine O'Hara ("Penelope"), Mia Farrow ("Be Kind Rewind"), Mary Louise Parker ("The Spiderwick Chronicles"), Cate Blanchett ("Indiana Jones 4")

Best Family Film: "The Chronicles of Narnia 2", "The Spiderwick Chronicles", "Indiana Jones 4"

Best Male Voice:  Jim Carrey ("Horton Hears a Who!"), Jack Black ("Kung Fu Panda"), Dustin Hoffman ("Kung Fu Panda"), Steve Carell ("Horton Hears a Who!"), John Ratzenberger ("WALL-E")

Best Female Voice: Sigorney Weaver ("WALL-E"), Angelena Jolie ("Kung Fu Panda"), Carol Burnett ("Horton Hears a Who!"), Kathy Najimy ("WALL-E")

Best Cameo: Bill Murray ("Get Smart"), Samuel L. Jackson ("Iron Man"), Robert Downey, Jr. ("The Incredible Hulk")

Winners will be announced soon!

It's officially the second half of the 2008 movie year. Here are the Top 10 Family Films I'm looking forward to seeing over the next 6-months (not counting "Hancock" and "Kit Kittredge", which I'll be seeing and reviewing this week):

10) "Igor" - Sept. 19. John Cusack voices Igor, a monster trying to win a contest. 9) "The Express" - October 10. The true story of former college football star Ernie Davis. 8) "Bolt" - Novemeber 26. John Travolta does the voice of Bolt, a dog who acts in a TV show who thinks he's a real crime fighter. 7) "The Tale of Despereaux" - December 19. Matthew Perry voices the lead character, a mouse. The movie is based on the award-winning children's book. 6) "Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas in 3-D" - October 24th. It's a LCJ tradition. 5) "Journey to the Center of the Earth" - July 11. Based on the classic book. See the 3-D version if you can. 4) "Space Chimps" - July 18. How can this not be funny? 3) "The Dark Knight" - July 18. The latest Batman film looks like it'll be great. Keep the younger kids home. 2) "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" - October 3. George Lopez does the lead voice. Could be hilarious or could be a bomb. And...1) "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" - November 7. Everybody's back for the sequel. Should be this year's big holiday movie.

Others to keep an eye out for: "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" - August 15; "Fly Me to the Moon" - August 22; "High School Musical 3" - October 24; "Opus: The Last Christmas" - December 19; "Bedtime Stories" - December 25.

"Journey to the Center of the Earth 3-D" was the original title for the upcoming Sci-Fi, family adventure movie (an update of the 1959 classic). But New Line has mysteriously dropped the "3-D" from the title.

Why would they have done that? Well, not every theater screening the film will be able to show it in the 3-D format (including all Drive-In's). And also I think a lot of people might think "Journey" isn't a quality movie because it's in 3-D (remember "Spy Kids 3-D" and "The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl in 3-D"?

New Line can't afford to scare movie goers away who might think "3-D" = BOMB!

It would be great if the movie was good...and the 3-D effects were amazing. We'll soon find out. I'm going to see the 3-D version and let you know.

"Meet Dave" is a comedy starring Eddie Murphy which opens on July 11th. That's the same day that "Journey to the Center of the Earth" comes out. "Journey" is rated PG and was expected to dominate with family audiences that weekend.

But now comes word that "Meet Dave" has gotten a "PG" rating. This is a bit surprising since the original trailer, which I've seen several times,  didn't make "Meet Dave" look like a family film. However, in a preview I saw on Nickelodean the other night, the Dave character is dealing with a school-aged kid. This kid wasn't even in the first trailer. That one made the film seem like a romantic comedy.

I wonder if the studio (Fox) decided to change the film at the last minute because it didn't do well in early screenings. Family comedies are the way to go in the summertime, especially if they're funny. We'll find out on July 11th if it's worthwhile to "Meet Dave."

It's the middle of June and good time for my annual "Best and Worst So Far" lists. I've got 5 Best and 1 Worst. I'll start with The Best:

At #5, "Honeydripper." I had the chance to meet and talk with director John Sayles the night the movie premiered in our area. "Honeydripper" is about a nightclub owner, played by Danny Glover, who needs to come up with a plan to attract more business and save the club. It's out on DVD June 24. See it then if you missed it in the theater.

#4 is "Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!" Everyone is familiar with the story, but the folks at Blue Sky Studios did a great job bringing the classic tale of Horton the Elephant and the little speck he discovers to life on the big screen. It's still in theaters.

At #3, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." Harrison Ford reprises his role as Indy for the 4th time. Karen Allen returns from the first film ("Raiders of the Lost Ark") and Shia LaBeouf and Cate Blanchett are nice new additions to the series. Good, exciting fun. Still in theaters.

#2 is "Kung Fu Panda." Jack Black stars in this hilarious animated film about a Panda who dreams of becoming a Kung Fu warrior, and then gets his chance. See it, now!

And my favorite film of the year, so far, is "Be Kind Rewind." Jack Black and Mos Def star as friends who are forced to make their own versions of classic movies in order to save a video store. Danny Glover also stars. If you missed it when it was out, and unfortunately most people did, "Be Kind Rewind" comes out on video this Tuesday - June 17. I predict it will become a cult classic.

Here's some interesting Top 5 Trivia: Two Danny Glover films. Two Jack Black films. Two Seth Rogan films. And Two animated films.

However, there's only 1 Worst film of the year so far: "College Road Trip." It comes out on DVD in July. Do not rent it.  

There are three brand new trailers showing before "Kung Fu Panda". In case they didn't have them at your theater, or you haven't seen the movie yet, here's what they are:

First, the highly-anticipated "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa". I knew the studio would unveil this trailer before "KFP", since, of course, it's also a Dreamworks Animation project. Funny trailer. The movie comes out November 7th. "I like to move it, move it!"

Dreamworks and Nickelodean's first film of 2009 is "Hotel For Dogs". It stars Emma Roberts. Lisa Judrow, Don Cheadle and a bunch of kid actors I don't know. I actually had seen an early trailer from the studio that I was asked to review and it wasn't as good as the one they unveiled the other night. I'm glad they fixed a few things. "Hotel For Dogs" opens in January.

The final trailer debut isn't really a trailer at all, but a "teaser." Here are a few clues: It's a sequel to a live-action comedy that came out in 2006. It stars Steve Martin and the title contains a color. You guessed it - The Pink Panther 2". It comes out February 13, 2009.

I'm sure all these new trailers are now available on line, but it's more fun seeing them in the theater.

"Move it!"

There will be lots of kicking in theaters around the country this weekend...hopefull only on the screens. Both of the big new films - "Kung Fu Panda" and "You Don't Mess with the Zohan" star characters who use martial arts.

Which of these movies will kick the competition's butt? Here's my prediction:

#1) "Kung Fu Panda" - $46.9M  #2) "You Don't Mess with the Zohan" - $36.3M 

DreamWorks Animation's highest (non-"Shrek") opening weekend film is "Shark Tale" (2004) - $47.2M. "Kung Fu Panda" has a shot!