Summer movie season cooling off

Just a few years back, Eddie Murphy in a family comedy was as sure a thing as anything in Hollywood. His five total "Dr. Dolittle," "Nutty Professor" and "Daddy Day Care" movies all grossed more than $100 million domestically. But "Imagine That" may not get past $16 million. Similarly, Will Ferrell's racier "Step Brothers," "Blades of Glory" and "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" comedies all surpassed the $100-million mark. But his "Land of the Lost" disappeared soon after arrival, and the costly comedy (at $100 million, more than the cost of Ferrell's previous hits and three times the budget of "The Hangover") will struggle to get to $50 million domestically.

Foreign audiences have different tastes

Even with some movies underperforming domestically, their foreign results in some cases have been astonishing. "Terminator Salvation" has doubled its domestic gross in international markets, and the ratio was even better for "Angels & Demons." "Wolverine" has grossed more on foreign shores than it has here, as have Fox's "Ice Age" and "Night at the Museum" sequels. Because foreign revenue almost always spells the difference between a film's profit and loss, Paramount passed on a chance to make "Moneyball," deciding that the film had zilch prospects outside the United States.

Women make a difference

Female ticket buyers made up nearly half of the audience for the supposedly male-appeal titles "The Hangover" and "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen." At the same time, women moviegoers helped give Sandra Bullock's Disney romantic comedy "The Proposal" the actress' best opening weekend by a wide margin: $33.6 million, compared with her previous best debut, $17.6 million for "Premonition." If women turn out for July 24's "The Ugly Truth" and "Julie & Julia," they could leave an even bigger mark on the summer season.

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john.horn@latimes.com