"Mission: Impossible III"; Summer Box Office

• "Mission: Impossible III"--I'm so happy to report that the circus freak that we know as Tom Cruise doesn't ruin this summer's first (and hopefully not last) big thrill ride. Under the capable direction of J.J. Abrams (co-creator of TV's current greatest show, "Lost"), the third installment of this franchise is injected with some life after a nearly franchise-ending "Mission: Impossible II." From the very beginning, the pace is quick, the acting is convincing and engaging (even from Mr. Cuckoo-Ca-Cruise), and it never slows down. The action scenes are terrific, and the plot is passable (not without its holes, but the story is secondary anyway). It's just what you want out of a summer movie, and a promising start to 2006's big summer season. (*** out of four).

In other news, I've been dying to get around to making some predictions as to the box office winners this summer. I'm basing these guesses on nothing more than my impressions of this summer's movies, but here goes:

• The two biggest movies of the summer will be "Superman Returns" and "Pirates 2." That's a risky prediction because the biggest movie usually comes out in May, but I think these two will be huge, and will be fighting for upwards of $275 million. Captain Jack may just prove mighter than the Man of Steel...
• I think "X3: The Last Stand" (what a dumb name) will probably fill in the third spot, with $230 million. Comic book fans are loving this summer.
• Look for "The Da Vinci Code" to last throughout the summer, and probably end up with $200 million. Should endure beyond opening weekend (despite what Stephen King thinks) because it appeals to adults, who have a longer attention span than teenage boys.
• "Mission: Impossible III" will end up with around $180 million--not bad for a third entry in a franchise, but lower than last year's "War of the Worlds" and the previous two "Mission" movies.
• "Poseidon" could open decently, but will probably taper off with a final gross of around $150 million. Special effects only go so far without engaging characters...
• Other probable $100 million hits: Adam Sandler's "Click," Vaughniston in "The Break-Up," Dreamworks' "Over the Hedge."
• Possible disappointments: As much as I love Pixar, I fear that their car-heavy "Cars" will fall short of expectations--probably somewhere near $150 million (small by Pixar standards). Additionally, I smell stinkers with the tired "Garfield" and "Fast and the Furious" franchises.
• Finally, the phenom that is "Snakes on a Plane": Even though internet chatters are loving the campy title and premise, it was only last year that "Anacondas" flopped at the box office--are airborne human-eating snakes that much more entertaining than Amazon human-eating snakes? I predict this will disappoint with less than $80 million--not bad for a cheap horror flick, but poor when compared to the amount of buzz it has received.