In a great two-fer for pop culture retailers, Ice Age:  The Meltdown sold $70.5 million worth of tickets in North America last weekend, giving a great send-off to the plush, action figures, and DK hardcover tied to the movie, plus exposing millions of people to a trailer for the upcoming Simpsons flick.  The 25-second trailer announced that the Simpsons feature (see 'Simpsons Movie Pre-Production News') will premiere in the crowded summer of 2007 (see '2007 Movie Dates Settling In'), on July 27th. 

Ice Age:  The Meltdown beat its studio's estimates by about $15 million.

The V for Vendetta film, which is selling graphic novels like crazy, held fairly strong at #5 in its third week, with roughly $6.5 million in tickets sold for the weekend, and a $56.8 million box office to date.