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Summit Entertainment found success opening Twilight on the pre-Thanksgiving weekend last year and will try to follow suit on the same weekend this year with sequel New Moon, but the distributor will break that pre-Thanksgiving streak with the third installment in the vampire romance franchise based on the four-novel series by Stephenie Meyer. The Twilight Saga's Eclipse is scheduled to open Wednesday, June 30, 2010, timed to be associated with the Independence Day holiday (the Fourth of July lands on a Sunday) in its first weekend.

Becoming the highest-grossing Best Picture nominee in the last two years with a $119.1 million tally, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button topped the foreign box office chart again, making $31 million over the weekend. The fantastical drama had three strong, first-place starts in Italy ($3.9 million), South Korea ($2.2 million) and Taiwan ($907,443) and was average in its other Southeast Asian debuts. Holdovers were sturdy as well, including the United Kingdom (off just 20 percent), France (off 24 percent) and Japan (off 12 percent). Benjamin Button also marks lead actor Brad Pitt's 11th picture to cross the $100 million mark overseas.

Valentine's Day landing on the weekend assisted a battery of appealing holdovers during President's Day weekend. He's Just Not That Into You ranked second with $22.3 million for a $57.8 million in eleven days, putting it ahead of Failure to Launch through the same point among past similar movies. However, its 30 percent drop Friday-to-Sunday was among the least impressive holds for the weekend, showing the strength of the market. Tim BurtonClint Eastwood

Friday the 13th was the nation's bloody Valentine during not only the busiest President's Day weekend ever but the biggest February weekend on record, no matter how one slices it. Propelled by the slasher remake and hearty holdovers like He's Just Not That Into You and Taken, overall business spurted up 31 percent over the same four-day timeframe last year to a bustling $220 million. Clive OwenNaomi Watts

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button hit the big leagues for the first time after adding 23 markets over the weekend for a total of 48. The fantastical drama earned an impressive $32 million to lead the weekend at the foreign box office, lifting its total to $74.8 million. Debuts in Spain ($5 million), France ($5.4 million) and Japan ($3.5 million) were excellent, but the movie had quieter starts in other markets like the United Kingdom ($3.3 million) and Russia ($1.6 million). In places where it didn't impress out of the gate, it has held well, including Germany (off 29 percent over the weekend), Chile (off 23 percent) and Brazil (off 21 percent).

While He's Just Not That Into You claimed the top spot over the weekend, several holdovers packed a wallop as well, even by post-Super Bowl weekend standards. The Super Bowl takes a sizable bite out of nearly all movies, and the weekend after sees smaller declines than the norm as a result. Pictures like Taken, Slumdog Millionaire and Gran Torino, though, had holds that were much better than typical. Clint Eastwood

Four high-profile nationwide releases and small declines from holdovers led to one of the highest-grossing February weekends on record. Overall weekend business was up a whopping 38 percent over the same timeframe last year, and one has to go back to 2001 to find a better attended comparable weekend.Jennifer AnistonDrew BarrymoreHenry Selick

At the foreign box office, Valkyrie took the lead over the weekend with $19.2 million from 33 markets, bringing its total to $40 million. The World War II thriller had a satisfactory performance but hasn't packed the same punch as such recent titles as Yes Man, Australia or The Day the Earth Stood Still. Valkyrie had solid openings in Spain ($3 million), Russia ($2 million) and France ($2.2 million). It was off off 39 percent in Germany but down only 27 percent in the United Kingdom, and it's held well in South Korea, amassing $7 million in two weeks there. In two weeks, the picture will be further tested with openings in most of Asia and Latin America.

Driving an overall well-attended Super Bowl weekend, Taken seized $24.7 million on approximately 3,500 screens at 3,183 theaters, ranking as the second-biggest Super Bowl opening on record, behind last year's Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour. The kidnapping thriller was also strong for its sub-genre, beating the average by over 50 percent and boasting comparable attendance to Man on Fire. Liam NeesonRenée ZellwegerClint Eastwood

Excluding results from the Chinese-speaking territories, which are delayed due to the Chinese New Year, Seven Pounds remained No. 1 at the foreign box office with $12.7 million from 23 markets, bringing its total to $60.2 million. Solid holdovers in France (down 34 percent), Spain (down 36 percent), Germany (down 36 percent) and the United Kingdom (down 30 percent) carried the weekend for the Will Smith drama, which had no openings.

This year's Best Picture nominees were the least-attended batch on record. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Slumdog Millionaire, Milk, Frost/Nixon and The Reader collectively tallied just $186.7 million prior to being revealed as the nominees. The previous attendance low was 2005's crop, led by Brokeback Mountain and Crash, and 2008 marks the fifth year in a row without a true blockbuster in the mix, the last one being The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King from 2003. Leonardo DiCaprioKate WinsletKathy Bates

Paul Blart: Mall Cop retained the top spot again over the weekend, edging out the debut of the latest Underworld movie with $21.6 million. The action comedy stood its ground with a better-than-average 32 percent drop, and its collections grew to a hefty $64.9 million in ten days. Overall business was just as bullish, strong by January standards for the third weekend in a row with an eleven percent increase over the same timeframe last year.

At the foreign box office this past weekend, Seven Pounds rose to the top spot with $20.6 million from 25 markets for a $41.6 million tally early in its run. The Will Smith drama was propelled by strong openings in France ($3.2 million) and Spain ($4.4 million) and sturdy holdovers in Germany ($6.5 million total) and Italy ($11.2 million total). However, it was disappointing in the United Kingdom ($2.3 million start), Russia (a miniscule $604,179) and Australia ($2.8 million in two weeks). With many more markets ahead, including Japan and South Korea, Seven Pounds will finish much higher than its $70 million domestic gross. Jim CarreyAdam SandlerWill FerrellJohn Woo

Led by an exceptional start for Paul Blart: Mall Cop and solid ones for My Bloody Valentine 3-D, Notorious and Hotel for Dogs, the weekend as a whole was not only a new Martin Luther King, Jr. high but the biggest on record for the month of January. Tallying over $231 million from Friday to Monday, business was up nearly 24 percent from the same weekend last year, demonstrating how the market can expand to accommodate quite a few appealing, demographically-compatible pictures. Dustin HoffmanEmma Thompson

As indicated by last weekend's declines, the nationwide holdovers fell sharply over the weekend, though overall business was good, courtesy of Gran Torino, Bride Wars and The Unborn. Drops of more than 50 percent were typical even for the well-received titles. The champion of the last two weeks, Marley and Me, led the way with $11.4 million. Though down 53 percent, the comedy's total grew to a stupendous $123.7 million in 18 days.

Clint Eastwood vehicle Gran Torino charged the weekend box office with $29.5 million in its nationwide expansion, while comedy Bride Wars and horror The Unborn debuted solidly. On the strength of those pictures, overall business was up nearly 13 percent over the same weekend last year as well as on the high end for January in general. Jack NicholsonMorgan FreemanKate HudsonAnne HathawayMatthew McConaugheyTyler Perry

With no new nationwide releases, New Year's weekend was dominated by the same pictures as Christmas weekend. After the Christmas rush of new movies, there's breathing room the following weekend, especially when New Year's Day itself lands on a weekend or on a Thursday, as it did this year. After a commanding start last weekend, Marley and Me held on to the top spot. Indeed, the Top Seven remained the same. Adam SandlerJim CarreyClint Eastwood

Inglourious Basterds will march into theaters nationwide on Aug. 21, 2009, distributor The Weinstein Company announced today. The World War II action picture marks the seventh feature from writer-director Quentin Tarantino and its cast includes Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger and Mike Myers.

While overall business hit a high note with the openings of Marley and Me, Bedtime Stories, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Valkyrie, the nationwide holdovers weren't as compelling. Last weekend's trio of openers, Yes Man, Seven Pounds and The Tale of Despereaux, did not pick up steam beyond holiday norms after relatively modest initial grosses that studios had blamed, in part, on bad weather. Clint EastwoodLeonardo DiCaprioKate Winslet

After a month of slow business, the box office perked up over Christmas weekend, thanks to the openings of Marley and Me and three other strong contenders that largely appealed to different core audiences. The increase over last weekend was over 125 percent, one of the biggest bumps on record, and the timeframe was the highest-grossing three-day December weekend ever with a $200 million tally (although it didn't crack the Top Five in terms of attendance). Jennifer AnistonOwen WilsonAdam SandlerBrad PittTom Cruise