'Kingdom' Come

Will we finally see summer-sized box office grosses this weekend?

The Crusades epic Kingdom of Heaven, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Lord of the Rings pinup Orlando Bloom, marks the unofficial kickoff of the summer blockbuster season, and 20th Century Fox is certainly hoping for Mummy-sized numbers: In 1999, The Mummy opened with $43.4 million in the first weekend in May, and its sequel, The Mummy Returns, premiered with $68.1 million exactly two years later. But Kingdom carries with it an R rating and a historic setting that will prohibit such a gigantic debut, particularly since Bloom’s legions of young female fans will have to sneak in to see it. Expect Heaven to gross $30 million this weekend.

Also premiering is the horror remake House of Wax, perhaps best known as ''that movie with Paris Hilton in it.'' Though it’s widely known that her character isn’t long for this world, many moviegoers will be curious enough to see if she’s got the chops. And costars Elisha Cuthbert and Chad Michael Murray won’t hurt either. Wax should score second place with about $25 million.

Last week’s No. 1 film, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, will see a 45 percent drop to $12 million, while The Interpreter will battle for fourth place with the new ensemble drama Crash, featuring Don Cheadle and Sandra Bullock. Both should earn about $8 million over the weekend. If you’re waiting for huge numbers, just hold out for two more weeks, when Star Wars: Episode III finally unspools.