Go Speed Racer Go

It has become an annual tradition - the Box Office Summer Movie Challenge. It began many moons ago between my cousin and me and it has persevered throughout the years and gained the attention of contestants around the globe. To successfully predict the results of the blockbuster movie season requires knowledge, skill, and a bit of luck. I am proud to say that I have had the good fortune of holding the trophy a few times in the history of the event.

But not this year. That Speed Racer flick has mucked up everything...

I admit it was a risky pick. So much so, that I did not feel confident enough to pick it to win, only to place. I really thought it had potential. Yeah many of my friends were not excited by the trailers, but they are not the target audience anyway. As it turns out, who ever is the target audience was not interested either. The film opened in third place with $18.6 million and was beat by Ashton Kutcher and a second strong week of Iron Man.

OUCH!

Such a loss places my entire bracket in serious jeopardy. My 2008 picks were the following:

1. Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

2. Speed Racer

3. Wall-E

4. The Dark Knight

5. Iron Man

Whatever happens with for the rest of the summer, it'll be nearly impossible to recover from this loss. Here's some advise, if Robert Meyer Burnett offers you some Kool-Aid, go get a Coke.

Though I may have lost the summer, I'll throw this prediction out there: Both of Brendan Fraser's movies (Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D & The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor) combined grosses will be less than any single entry in the top five when the summer is over.