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Jason Lee: Clear, unquestionable win for the studio. No big name director, no big name stars. $20 million+ opening? No problem. There aren't too many other film adaptations of non-fantasy kids books that have hit these heights. The people over at Fox Walden would have been thrilled to have done this type of business with this type of title.

Max Braden: I was expecting a little more because I'd had the impression the books had created a big base. And looking at Percy Jackson's numbers, I don't think Wimpy Kid will get close to the $213+ million worldwide gross. However, Percy Jackson's grosses came at a much higher cost. Wimpy Kid seems to be more in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants category, and compared to that series, is already doing much better.

David Mumpower: To address Michael and Reagen's question about sequels, one was announced prior to the release of the first film. That's how confident the studio was that they had a franchise. This weekend's results have justified that decision. I had discussed the success of the books a few months ago in a different column on this site. I am not the least bit surprised that those sales translated into significant opening weekend box office. I also expect the legend to grow in coming weeks as people grow more and more familiar with this adorable brand.

We wonder if maybe people were thinking that Dog had gotten a big screen adaptation

Kim Hollis: The Bounty Hunter, the latest Jennifer Aniston romantic-com...oh, wait - it's being billed as an action/comedy/romance - opened to $20.7 million. Is this more, less or about what you expected?

Josh Spiegel: This is exactly what I expected. Anyone assuming that either Gerard Butler or Jennifer Aniston open movies to big audiences these days isn't looking at the stats. These people don't open the movies that do well; they're either in ensemble casts (He's Just Not That Into You) or well-marketed romantic comedies (The Ugly Truth). The been-there, done-that quality of the ads, the tepid reviews, and the general lackluster feeling helped make this one do modestly well. The movie did well enough, all things considered.

Michael Lynderey: It's basically right at where I thought it'd be, give or take a million. But I do have to say that Gerard Butler's star power seems to often go a bit underestimated. In the past two years, he's headlined one mid-level hit after the other - films that took in $53 million (P.S., I Love You), $48 million (Nim's Island), $88 million (The Ugly Truth), $73 million (Law Abiding Citizen), and now Bounty Hunter, which will finish somewhere in between. While those aren't exactly willsmithian numbers, I'd say all came in well above expectations, and besides, how many recent actors have starred in so many $50 million+ earners in such a short period of time? A few, but the list isn't that long. Butler's Gamer and RocknRolla were his only real misses, but can you really blame him? Jennifer Aniston is a bit less consistent, but she's very visible among the current crop of romantic comedy leads, all of whom are happily beating up on the classic storyline that actresses over 40 are box office no-nos (now that should have been Vanity Fair's New Hollywood cover - Aniston, Fey, Bullock, Lopez, Streep, and Madea, with the tagline "They're not going anywhere").

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