Happy Fourth of July, everyone! I smell a rat here, and so did the many folks who went to see Ratatouille last weekend, proving that the old Disney/Pixar magic is still working. Live Free or Die Hard, took second for the weekend, though since it opened on Wednesday it has a total of $48.3 million. Evan Almighty and 1408 both dropped about 50% from their opening weekend to take the third and fourth spots respectively. The big irony of the week is Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer skipping the number four position and going directly to fifth place.

Here's the top five from last weekend:
1. Ratatouille: $47.2 million
2. Live Free or Die Hard: $33.15 million
3. Evan Almighty: $15.1 million
4. 1408: $10.6 million
5. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer: $9 million

Both of this week's new releases are getting a jump on the weekend by releasing on Tuesday. Here's what we've got:

Transformers
What's It All About: Evil shape-shifting robot aliens come to Earth and break lots of stuff. Good guy robots try to stop them and break more stuff. And that kid from Disturbia (Shia LaBeouf) appears to be off house arrest.
Why It Might Do Well: With names like Steven Spielberg and Michael Bay attached, ultra slick eye-candy is pretty much assured.
Why It Might Not Do Well: I've seen a handful of reviews complaining that there isn't much story to hold the action together, which could spell doom for these mechanoids from the stars.
Number of Theaters: 4,011
Prediction: $36 million

License to Wed
What's It All About: Robin Williams plays a manic (now there's a stretch) priest who puts a young couple (Mandy Moore and The Office's John Krasinski) through pre-nuptial boot camp.
Why It Might Do Well: Krasinski is great on The Office and his laid back approach should make for a good counterpoint to Williams' antics. Evan Almighty and Knocked Up have shown that comedy is holding its own this summer, so License to Wed may continue the trend.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Williams is a comic genius, but a little of him can go a long way, and a lot of him can be downright annoying.
Number of Theaters: 2,401
Prediction: $15 million

This week I'm using a complex series of algorithms and my set of Howard the Duck tarot cards (God bless Ebay) to gaze into the future and report the coming weekend's box office. Here's how I think it will go:
1. Transformers
2. Ratatouille
3. Live Free or Die Hard
4. License to Wed
5. Evan Almighty

Last Week's Prediction Ranking:
1. Andrew: 16
1. Anna07: 16
1. Ray: 16
1. Kevin: 16
1. Bubba8193: 16
2. David Nguyen: 13
3. Eric: 12
3. Brad B: 12
3. Opp-Neg: 12
3. Derek: 12
3. Chris: 12
4. Gregory Rubinstein: 11
5. Gilbert Davis: 9
5. Mario: 9
6. Matt: 7
6. NPC: 7
6. Bradley Thom: 7

Don't forget to get your predictions posted by 5:00PM on Saturday. One point for every top five movie correctly named, two points for every correct placement, and one extra point for the top movie.