8. THE WOMEN OF SEX AND THE CITY
Before the May release of the Sex and the City movie, some were dubious, to put it mildly, about the film's prospects. But Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon, and director Michael Patrick King had the last laugh when they turned the big-screen adaptation of HBO's hit series into the summer's biggest bash. Ultimately banking $153 million, the movie offered undeniable proof that women will spend their cash at the cineplex. —Missy Schwartz

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