In short, the expected mega-blockbusters were indeed mostly mega-blockbusters, the expected middle-of-the-road hits were just that, while the films pegged most likely to flop or at least financially disappoint did just that.

While there are many reasons to praise the $14 million six-day opening of The Debt, the most surprising thing about it is that Focus Features debuted the film wide enough to achieve that kind of opening in the first place.

There is a reason I never discuss how well a respective weekend performed compared to the same weekend last year or the year before. It's irrelevant.

As far as how well Knight and Day will open, you can bet that the tabloids are itching to tear Cruise apart when the film doesn't open to blockbuster levels. But guess what? It probably won't.

Sex & the City 2 opens worldwide on Thursday. Expectations are running high, with the general consensus that it will perform in a similar fashion to the first picture. But the odds are indeed stacked against it.