"Officially" starting the Summer Movie Season with somewhat of a fizzle are a pair of wide release newcomers and a handful of hangers-on. Ridley Scott's "Kingdom of Heaven" took the #1 spot by a healthy margin, although total box office numbers continue to lag as compared to last year. "Heaven" grossed an estimated $20 million on 3,200 screens, which was more than enough to give it the top spot, despite hauling in less cash than anticipated. In second place ...

... was Elisha Cuthbert's horror remake "House of Wax," which grossed about $12.2 million at 3,100 theaters. Dropping 57% from its opening weekend was Disney's "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," which made $9.1m in its sophomore session. In fourth place was New Line's race-relations drama "Crash," which pulled in a fairly impressive $9.1m on less than 1,900 screens. In fifth was the Nicole Kidman / Sean Penn political thriller "The Interpreter," which added another $7.5m to a box office total that presently stands at $54m total. Next Friday sees a quartet of releases that will try to make a quick killing before "Revenge of the Sith" overtakes the multiplexes: the Will Ferrell soccer comedy "Kicking & Screaming" and the J. Lo / Jane Fonda concoction "Monster-in-Law" open in wide release, while the crime thrillers "Mindhunters" and "Unleashed" open semi-wide. As always you can get a closer look at the box office numbers by visiting the Rotten Tomatoes Box Office Page!