BOX OFFICE BUZZ SUMMER FILM TAKE HEADS FOR $4 BILLION.

Byline: GREG HERNANDEZ

There are only two weeks left in the summer movie season, and it looks like a record-breaker.

Late-summer hits "Superbad," "The Bourne Ultimatum" and "The Simpsons Movie" exceeded expectations and should propel the season past the $4 billion mark for the first time. The record of $3.95 billion came in 2004, according to Media By Numbers LLC.

Since movie ticket prices go up a little bit each year (the current nationwide average is $6.85, compared with $6.21 three summers ago), there will be plenty of people who are unimpressed with a revenue record. Why? Because 650 million tickets were sold in 2002, while this summer's total is expected to end up closer to 600 million.

Still, there have been plenty of mega-hits this summer to indicate that moviegoers liked a lot of what was put out there.

NEW OFFERINGS: It's a good thing "Superbad" is having such a super-good first week, with a $33 million debut and strong weekday business. It looks like the raunchy and very funny comedy will repeat in the top spot because I don't see anything breaking out from this week's mishmash of new releases.

Of the new bunch, I would think the comedy "The Nanny Diaries" has the best chance of finding an audience since it is based on a popular novel in the way that "The Devil Wears Prada" was. But it has Laura Linney instead of Meryl Streep, along with Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans. It should bring the female audience out, but in less than 2,000 theaters, it will be a challenge to make it to the $10 million mark.

The action-crime flick "War" starring Jet Li and Jason Statham has the widest release of the new offerings, with approximately 2,200 locations, so it could actually outperform "Diaries."

BEAN THERE, DONE THAT: "Mr. Bean's Holiday" will bow in more than 1,500 locations, but I'm afraid it will crash and burn. I'm sure awareness of the U.K. imported film is high, but interest will probably be quite low. Still, the original "Bean" flick grossed $45 million domestically a decade ago, so you never know.

THE REST: Samuel L. Jackson and Josh Hartnett headline the drama "Resurrecting the Champ" (1,550 theaters) while the historical drama "September Dawn" debuts in about 850 movie houses. Both flicks should be history by the time the month is out.

A RUSH: OK, "Rush Hour 3" has not set the box office world on fire, but it certainly has not been a flop. The latest installment of the Jackie Chan-Chris Tucker franchise will cross the $100 million mark in domestic grosses as it begins its third weekend. The question is whether it will continue to drop off sharply and not make much more than that.

SEQUELS SOAR: Hollywood has often been lambasted for lacking originality and for cranking out sequels nobody wants to see. But in summer 2007, the studios made sequels that people did want to see, in droves. "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," "Spider-Man 3" and "Shrek the Third" each made more than $300 million domestically, while "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" is nearing that mark. "The Bourne Ultimatum" is a shoo-in for the $200 million club, while "Rush Hour 3," "Live Free or Die Hard," "Ocean's Thirteen," and "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer," each grossed at least $100 million.

greg.hernandez(at)dailynews.com

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