Photo Gallery
10 Summer Surprises

WHY IT SHOULDN'T HAVE WORKED Gooey gross-out gags, an audience-limiting R rating, and no major stars (Ben Stiller and Cameron Diaz were relatively small-time then). Nearly two decades had passed since Porky's made that formula squeal.

WHY IT DID Can you say ''hair gel''? Mary opened in July at just $14 million, but audiences liked its audacious originality compared with the prefab Armageddon and Lethal Weapon 4. It topped out at $176 mil.

Next Photo