Greetings, Moguls! Welcome to yet another installment of the Tip of the Week. After a one-week hiatus, I'm back to expound upon the significance of release dates — why (and when) they might change, and what implications they have for your studio. Most summer flicks are pretty firmly entrenched in their slots on the release schedule, but a few may be somewhat open to change. For us Moguls, that just means we've got to keep an extra close eye on these films. There are a few reasons a release date might get changed, but in any case, when a studio yanks a film off a date, it could spell trouble for your slate.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Iron Man (Paramount) continues to enjoy solid weekday grosses, adding an estimated $3.12 million on Wednesday. The first movie produced and financed by Marvel Studios has topped $188.15 million domestic. Robert Downey Jr.'s superhero debut should blow past $200 million on Friday, and it has an outside chance finish the upcoming weekend with $220 million. What Happens in Vegas (20th Century Fox) was No. 2 on Wednesday with nearly $1.5 million, and a new cume of $25 million.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: There is no mystery about which film will win the weekend. It is more a question of how high will The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian rise? On Sunday, I was very comfortable forecasting $60 million-$70 million based on industry tracking. The original franchise-starter The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe reached $65.5 million on its opening weekend back in December 2005, and that film has gained popularity in the home video market. The Christian themes in C.S. Lewis's Narnia Chronicles books make this the ultimate family-friendly movie, clearly supported by an aggressive faith-based marketing campaign in America's churches.

TUESDAY NIGHT: Marvel's Iron Man (Paramount), directed by Jon Favreau and starring Robert Downey Jr., has powered past the $185 million mark, after grabbing an estimated $3.38 million on Tuesday. 20th Century Fox's What Happens in Vegas, driven by the all-star romantic-comic duo of Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz, was No. 2 for the day with $1.69 million and a new cume of $23.5 million. Speed Racer (Warner Bros.) finished third with about $960,000.

Who is ShogunMaster, and why is The New York Times taking him so seriously?

Someone in the exhibition business attended a trade screening of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull last week and then published a scathing review of the film under the nom de plume of ShogunMaster on Ain't It Cool. The "old gray lady" then ran a story headlined "Indiana Jones and the Long Knives of the Internet." Should we really trust the word of guy who will not even reveal his name? I have not seen the movie yet, and, in the interest of full disclosure, I am an unabashed fan of Steven Spielberg.

Good day, fellow Fantaversians, and welcome to the extra-special 1st Anniversary edition of Bard's Eye View. That's right, it has been one year exactly since yours truly put my first feelers out into an uncertain realm. But now, 50 issues, 150 films, 120,000 words and three restraining orders later, I have achieved no small measure of ... well, something, I'm sure. I would like to thank everyone who has ever paid me a compliment, playfully thumb my nose at anyone who ever told me to (cough) off, and pray that things only get bigger and better for Fantasy Moguls from here. This is a special issue, folks — with a special introduction, no less, from a very special character — so be sure, immediately after reading, to encase it firmly in mylar, for you never know just how much it's going to be worth one day! (Wink.)

In December of 2005, Disney's The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe became a box office sensation with a $65.5 million opening weekend en route to a $291.7 million domestic gross and nearly $750 million worldwide. Given the popularity of the first film, which sold piles of tickets thanks in part to Red State-friendly Christian themes, organized outreach via churches and Disney's expertise at delivering the family audience, this Friday's Narnia sequel Prince Caspian has an excellent shot to exceed its predecessor's opening weekend, becoming the biggest opener ever for Walden Media and billionaire financier Philip Anschutz.

SUNDAY MORNING: The studios believe that Mother's Day will help Speed Racer (Warner Bros.), What Happens in Vegas (20th Century Fox) and Made of Honor (Sony) to stronger-than-expected Sunday performances, with Speed Racer performing even better than on its opening day. Warner Bros. tells me that they are reporting $6.2 million for Friday, $7.3 million for Saturday and an anticipated $6.6 million for Sunday, for a three-day of $20.2 million for Speed Racer. That beats the $18.7 million that I projected Saturday night at 9 p.m. (Pacific). $20 million also sounds much better than $18 or $19 million and, combined with solid A- ratings from Cinema Score, it gives the Wachowskis's adaptation of the cartoon classics a chance to continue to score with families next weekend, especially with boys 12-16.

Iron Man (Paramount) is the almost certain winner at America's multiplexes this weekend, and it has been well-reported that Speed Racer (Warner Bros.) will have an uphill drive. This should probably not come as a surprise, and it may have less to do with the movie than with its release date. Although I am by no means a movie critic, I like Speed Racer. The Wachowskis are certainly equal parts genius and self-indulgence, but this movie is an absolute original. In many ways reminiscent of Disney's 1982 film Tron, Racer is too long, but it is consistently engaging, a candy-colored adventure that's almost hypnotic. On a resume that includes the lesbian-flavored thriller Bound, the Matrix trilogy and the underrated V for Vendetta (directed by James McTeigue), Speed Racer is a more-than-worthy entry for the Wachowskis.

Iron Man (Paramount) will almost certainly comfortably win a second consecutive weekend at the box office as Speed Racer (Warner Bros.) struggles to reach $30 million. I have not been able to find a studio exec who believes that the Wachowski Brothers's adaptation of the late '60s anime cartoon classic will be able to outrun its bad industry tracking and generally negative reviews (only 29 percent Fresh at Rotten Tomatoes as of Wednesday night). A source just filled me in on the latest tracking, and Awareness for Speed Racer is fine at 90 percent, but Definite Interest is hovering around 30 percent and its First Choice score is stuck at 16 percent.

The summer is in with a bang, thanks to another comic book adaptation (a good one, I must say), that has officially launched the sunny days inside and outside theaters. And when studios prefer to not open their big films against one another, it turns out smaller films definitely have a place to grab between blockbusters. If you're looking for an insight at those overshadowed features, then welcome to Dances with the Arthouse. Make yourself at home, grab a comfortable chair and leave the popcorn behind. The first weekend of the summer already brought one surprise, as Harmony Korine's Mister Lonely grabbed better PTA numbers than Redbelt and Son of Rambow, finishing a close second to Iron Man. Looking for another great surprise? Could The Edge of Heaven or The Children of Huang Shi, the two limited releases of the weekend of May 23, provide it?

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Iron Man million (Paramount) has surged past $121 million domestic with an estimated $5.72 on Wednesday. Sony's Made of Honor added about $1 million for a new cume of $17.7 million, while Baby Mama continues to run third with $642,000 or so and a new domestic total of just under $34 million.

Hello all, and welcome to the latest installment of Bard's Eye View, the place to come for one self-appointed expert's opinion on what to do with the latest films to hit America's cineplexes. You know, picking the right summer film is a lot like picking the correct TV dance partner ... you want one who's been expertly trained, is sure-footed, dexterous and, most importantly, knows how to work a crowd. Of course, some films look like hot-steppin' hoofers, but turn out to have two left feet that are all thumbs. Whether you are an experienced rug-cutter looking expectantly at Carrie Ann Inaba, or whether you are a pigeon-toed newbie withering under the baleful glare of Nigel Lythgoe, I bid you welcome. (God help me, I've become hooked on Dancing With the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance, and I have no problem whatsoever in blaming my wife for this. Wink.)

TUESDAY NIGHT: Another solid weekday performance for Iron Man (Paramount) as Marvel Studio's meteoric blockbuster has added an estimated $5.82 million. That is down 16 percent from Monday, and it pushes the six-day cume to just under $115 million.

That six-day cume is the all-time 21st-best, and the all-time 5th-best for a non-sequel, trailing only Transformers, Spider-Man, The Passion of the Christ and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Historically, among blockbusters in the early May window, Iron Man's $5.82 million is also the all-time fourth-best follow-up Tuesday:

David Mamet is among the best playwrights and screenwriters working today. He is a two-time Academy Award nominee, receiving nods for The Verdict in 1987 and the brilliant Wag the Dog in 1992. He was also a Golden Globe nominee for the ingenious 1987 indie hit House of Games, which I recently revisited at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, operated by American Cinematheque.

As a scribe, Mamet has had some blockbuster hits, including 2001's Hannibal, which enjoyed a $58 million opening weekend and a domestic cume of $165 million, but, as a director, his films are far better suited to the arthouse than to the megaplex. So why is distributor Sony Classics jumping into the wide-release marketplace with Mamet's new Redbelt on 1,000 screens opposite Iron Man, Speed Racer and What Happens in Vegas?

What is wrong with Speed Racer (Warner Bros.)? A studio exec just filled me in on the latest industry tracking for the Wachowski Brothers's update of the late 1960s anime cartoon classic, and this picture has real problems in the marketplace.

The tracking has improved a bit, especially since Iron Man moved from Opening This Week to Currently in Release in audience surveys. Un-Aided Awareness has popped to 11 percent and the Total Aware is at a solid 83 percent. Definite Interest, however, is a concern at just 26 percent, trailing Fox's What Happens in Vegas, which is also set for Friday.

MONDAY NIGHT: John Favreau’s Iron Man (Paramount), the first self-produced and financed film from Marvel Studios, has grabbed another $6.5 million on Monday, bringing its four-and-a-half-day cume to $108.62 million. That represents a 25 percent drop from Sunday's $26 million take, which compares favorably to last year's Spider-Man 3 (Sony) on the same Monday.

Marvel Studios is already reaping the benefits of its first ever self-financed comic book adaptation, Iron Man (Paramount). Not only did the near-perfectly-reviewed Robert Downey Jr. film open to the all-time second-best three-day take for a non-sequel, with just over $100 million, but Marvel also announced today that the company has blown out analyst earnings expectations for the first quarter of 2008.

Steve Mason is now on Facebook and on MySpace.

SATURDAY NIGHT: The summer blockbuster season is off to a flying start with Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man. Financed and produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Paramount, the spectacularly-reviewed comic book adaptation scored an estimated 12 percent improvement from its opening day for a staggering $36.4 million Saturday. That should translate to a $94.74 million three-day, and when Thursday night preview screenings are added in, the John Favreau-directed pic should have $100.24 million banked by Monday morning.

EARLY FRIDAY MORNING: Paramount's Iron Man is, by all accounts, off to a tremendous start, although it is well under the pre-opening night totals of $8 million for last year's Spider-Man 3, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End and Transformers.

Are you feeling a little different this week? Don't you sense something special in the air? As you read these lines, it is official: The summer moviegoing season has begun at America's theaters, be they multiplexes, arthouse outlets, or small-town theaters with just one screen. For the next 15 weeks or so, moviegoers are going to be looking for top entertainment across the country, and Hollywood executives will be eagerly anticipating the towering profits of their favorite period of the year. Small films, on the other hand, will try to find an unexpected niche among the giants. They will be few, but it seems unlikely that there won't be at least a couple, perhaps a trio, or, who knows, maybe a quartet of arthouse films that will make a name for themselves, with results that will make them great Fantasy Moguls selections.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: I did a personal survey of studio sources today, and they were unanimous in saying that the release of Grand Theft Auto IV, the Xbox 360 and Sony Playstation 3 video game sensation that his the market on Tuesday, will have absolutely no effect whatsoever on the box-office performance of Iron Man (Paramount) this weekend.

Hello all, and welcome once again to Bard's Eye View, the place to come to alleviate some of the confusion you must feel when trying to pick the strongest possible lineup for your summer slates. Yes, that's right, I said summer! SUMMER! Hip hip hooray! Nice nice! Ya-boo! Phillips is a German and he have my pen! (BONG!) "Start again ..."

Warner Bros. and the Wachowski Brothers may need to call for a tow truck. Speed Racer, the big budget adaptation of the popular anime cartoon classic, remains in the "slow lane" according to the most recent industry tracking.

Greetings, Moguls! After a long, arduous winter/spring full of movies as flat as the Coke you left uncovered outside all day, summer is FINALLY here. It's time for another dose of superheroes, high powered sequels, and of course, the annual contribution from Pixar. The new May-July leagues have some very interesting prices, to be sure; whether you're in an Ultimate or Box Office league, it's possible to fit 2 or even 3 mega-blockbusters on your slate! But, in order to do that, you'll have to reach into the bargain basement for some potentially low-priced steals. Have no fear, however! As a special kickoff to the summer season, this week I am expanding my analysis to bring you: The Summer Bargain Basement Spectacular, a countdown of the best 10 films in each league type, Ultimate Movie Moguls and Box Office Moguls priced at $5 or less.

Indiana Jones is coming. So is Batman. So is that spaceship that looks exactly like Eddie Murphy (sweet, we just saved a pile of cash on special effects), as well as that Israeli assassin and hairstylist who looks like Adam Sandler (crap, we just spent a pile of cash on wigs) and that mysterious evil essence that says man's time on Earth is done, even yours, Marky Mark (wait, what did M. Night Shyamalan do with our pile of cash?). It's a great time to be a Fantasy Moguls player, and a time that reminds all of us here at Moguls Central that movies rule and this is heck of a way to make a living. If you've been playing since the first Moguls leagues hit the Web, then we're happy (and honored) to still have you aboard. Thanks for liking us. (If we were Julia Roberts or Sally Field, we'd keep right up on babbling until Gil Cates opened the trapdoor behind the podium.) If you're new to The Game (almost as cool as the one that ate up Michael Douglas), then we're pleased to meet you. Either way, we hope you'll enjoy a week's worth of special contributions from our regular Swamis of the Cinema.

It is time to get very serious about the first major summer blockbuster Iron Man (Paramount), which will debut Thursday night at 8 p.m. at multiplexes from coast-to-coast. My sources tell me that this Robert Downey Jr. vehicle about a hard-drinking billionaire who creates a fantastic iron suit is actually “out-tracking” last summer’s Dreamworks/Paramount smash Transformers.

Steve Mason is now on Facebook and on MySpace.

SATURDAY NIGHT: Hollywood is heading into its biggest season after a very solid weekend. Last year, on the weekend before the release of mega-blockbuster Spider-Man 3 (Sony), the top 12 movies generated $62.2 million. This year, on the three-day prior to the release of Paramount's Iron Man, the top 12 have scored an estimated $80.6 million. That's a 25 percent year-over-year increase, and four films will finish with $10 million-plus.

As of Monday night, I projected that Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo (Warner Bros.) would win this final pre-Iron Man (Paramount) weekend, and I'm standing by that, although I don't expect any new film or holdover to top $15 million.

Arthouse films usually rely on Festivals to build up a reputation. Set critics and audiences on fire in a key film festival, and your movie will multiply its chances of getting a theatrical distribution and finding success along the way. And, by this time next week, the most important Film Festival of the planet will have unveiled its 2008 selections. The prestigious Cannes Film Festival, on the sunny French Riviera.

Good day one and all, and welcome back to Bard's Eye View, your own person guidebook to the ultra-smashes, the mega-flops, and the unbelievably ordinary of upcoming cinematic developments. Whether you are a youngster taking a break from cramming for finals, a seasoned professional taking a gander on your lunch break, or super-intelligent chimp who banged just the right combination of keys to bring up this article, to you I say, in order, welcome, welcome, and eep ook aaa aaa ooo ooo gnaaa Heston had it coming. (Wink.)