The Cast of Eight Is Enough: Where Are They Now?

Adam Rich It's hard to believe it's been 30 years since Dick Van Patten graced our television screens as patriarch Tom Bradford in Eight Is Enough. So what is the 82-year-old up to today? Still acting! In the latest gallery from Snakkle.com, see where Van Patten and his co-stars from TV's first dramedy have landed, including Willie Aames and Adam Rich. Who made it to Broadway and who headed to Celebrity Fit Club? See the gallery here.

Secret Circle Taps Chris Zylka As the Witchy New Bad Boy

Chris Zylka Chris Zylka is about to get wrapped up in The Secret Circle's coven, TVGuide.com has learned. The Secret Circle: No crossovers with The Vampire Diaries Based on the novels by L.J. Smith, the upcoming series centers on orphaned Cassie (Britt Robertson), who returns to her family's hometown to discover she is a member of a covert coven - including Phoebe Tonkin's Faye and Thomas Dekker's Adam. Zykla will play Billy, a chiseled and charming neighbor of Cassie, who also has a romantic history with Faye and is quite the foil to Adam. Exclusive: The Secret Circle taps Logan Browning Zylka, whose credits include 10 Things I Hate About You and Zeke and Luther, will first appear in the Episode 6 of the freshman series, executive-produced by The Vampire Diaries' Kevin Williamson. The Secret Circle premieres Thursday, Sept. 15 at 9/8c on the CW.

Fall TV First Look: James Spader on The Office

The Office "I can assure you I did not win some sort of contest to replace Steve Carell," insists James Spader, who joins the cast of The Office as Sabre CEO Robert California in the September 22 premiere. "I just thought, this show is fun, this character is strange and NBC asked me to sign on, so I said, 'Absolutely.'" How's life in the office so far? "It's probably the funniest group of people I've worked with." For more first looks at fall TV - including The Good Wife, Vampire Diaries and Grey's Anatomy - pick up this week's issue of TV Guide Magazine on newsstands Thursday, August 25! Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!

11-Year-Old Bailee Madison on Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, 'The Definition of Scary'

Where have America’s sweethearts gone? Seventeen-year-old Dakota Fanning is charging hard towards adulthood, with Abigail Breslin (15), Chloe Moretz (14), and sister Elle (13) hot on her heels. Enter 11-year-old Bailee Madison (Bridge to Terabithia, Conviction, Just Go With It), a young actress who’s already been acting for half of her life and shows it by holding her own opposite Guy Pearce and Katie Holmes in the Guillermo del Toro-produced horror thriller Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark. Like her preternaturally poised peers, Madison is mature beyond her age in many ways. “I’m so into pumps right now, you have no idea,” the fashion-minded pre-teen enthused when Movieline sat down with her in Los Angeles this summer to discuss Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, which marks her first starring role. But onscreen in the contemporary Gothic tale, about a young girl sent to live with her distracted architect father (Pearce) and his new girlfriend (Holmes) who discovers sinister creatures in her new home’s basement, Madison conjures a sullen, adolescent naivet — plucky, curious, a touch defiant and a bit withdrawn — that brings her performance to life with a natural believability. Movieline spoke with the expertly composed and wise-beyond-her-years Madison about filming director Troy Nixey’s Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, its R-rating (and why the film is “the definition of scary”), working with Guillermo del Toro (a “wonderful, wonderful talented man”), her upcoming rodeo film Cowgirls N’ Angels, and the prospect of sharing the screen with fellow young veteran Chloe Moretz in the near future. You’ve been acting for quite a while now, and you’re only 11 years old. How old were you when you first started acting? I did Bridge to Terabithia when I was around 6 years old but for my first movie I was 5. When did the acting bug really get you hooked? My mom and my sister did commercials, and now my mom’s always with me. I did commercials when I was with them, but I feel like it was when I’d watch them that I’d think I just wanted to do that, you know? So when I auditioned for my first one with Salma Hayek and Jared Leto — it was called Lonely Hearts, with John Travolta — that to me was like, ‘This is exciting! Let’s do this!’ And then after that I did another little one and I got Bridge to Terabithia, which was just the beginning of this amazing journey. That’s a pretty special movie. I love Bridge to Terabithia so much. I have so many wonderful memories, and I really think God did just bless me with that. You’ve done TV, you’ve done many films by now… you’re basically a veteran. I’ve heard that word a lot! [Laughs] Thank you. How do you choose roles for yourself at this point? Especially since Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark is dark and scary it earned an R-rating, although I suppose it did start out as a PG-13 film. Yes, it did. I did say that the other day, though! I said, ‘Wait, PG-13!’ Let’s not forget here. But I picked it because I wanted to be able to show a variety. I didn’t want to have someone think of me as the same thing, the same kind of acting. I wanted to be able to show a scary, horror, kind of thriller genre in my acting and my resume, so I was excited to take on this new challenge. Guillermo [del Toro] is so much a part of this movie; his fingerprints are all over it. Were you familiar with his work beforehand? I know that my family was so familiar and they kind of brought me up to date with his work, and he was truly just amazing when I met him, he was such a nice guy. It’s amazing to see his passion for movies, you know — the sparkle in his eyes when he sees it come off of the script. So that was just amazing to get to watch, and he’s just such a wonderful, wonderful talented man. He taught me so much and gave me the ability to get ready for the scene — for this crazy scene. How did you work together on set with Guillermo and Troy [Nixey]? Before they’d yell action I would turn to them and I’d nod my head and he would nod at Troy, and Troy would yell, ‘Action.’ We kind of all just got to work together. He really just made sure that I knew that I was capable of doing so much more than what I thought I was. He would pull that extra mile out of me. I feel so honored to have had the privilege to get to work with him. You’re right about Guillermo — he’s well known for his infectious love of movies. And comics, and books… And everything! And love for just people. No matter what, if someone stops him just to say something he’ll stop and he’ll have a conversation with you, out of his day. I look up to that so much. You seem a lot like that yourself. Thank you! Thank you very much. The original Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark scared plenty of young folks when it first aired, including Guillermo. He’s also said it reminds him of the films that frightened him when he was little. What were some of the films that were like that for you? I mean, I was only 9 back then. [Laughs] So I don’t know, I didn’t really see a lot of scary films because I was at that age where I wasn’t really into the scary stuff. And I feel like once I got older and filmed this movie I was excited to do that kind of stuff. But always having an older brother, you can always watch the films he’s watching. But like I said, I wanted to show variety and I wanted to challenge myself, so I was so ready for the thrill of it. Have you seen the movie? Yes, I have. Do you feel like it deserves its R-rating? I do. I feel like it’s a really big suspense movie, it keeps you on the edge of your seat. It’s not very gory, which is the good part because I feel like it’s just a beautifully well-told scary film. I mean, the definition of scary is what this is. Just when you’re able to breathe we snap you right back into this position where you’re like, ‘Ahhhh!’ and crunching on your popcorn so loud. Those are the kinds of movies that are wonderful because you’re able to watch it over and over again. You and Katie [Holmes] have the strongest relationship in the film, but it changes from the beginning to the end. How did you two first get to know each other and develop your characters’ bond? I feel like when we all met each other we had a few weeks of rehearsal before we actually started filming, so we were able to sit down with the director and go, ‘This is what I was thinking for this,’ and we just worked off of each other’s’ instincts. And of course you don’t shoot in order. We had to be prepared… one of our biggest scenes was on our first day, it was the koi pond [scene]. That was the first scene where [Katie and I] actually start liking each other, so that was even more we had to show the difference, because we were already kind of still distant in that scene but we still got each other. So we wanted to make sure that all the beginning scenes were very, very distant. Let’s talk about some of your upcoming films. First of all, I’m so impressed by how much you are working right now. Thank you! [Laughs] How is that possible? Are you home-schooled or do you still go to school? I go to school. I’m originally from Fort Lauderdale, that’s my home town in Florida. So when I’m on location I just get the packets from school in Florida. And when I go to Florida I go to Christ Church School. Do you miss it when you’re off filming? Of course I do! I have all my friends there but I make sure I keep in touch! Tell me about Cowgirls N’ Angels. Cowgirls N’ Angels is about a girl who’s never met her dad before, and sets out on this rodeo journey with a rodeo instructor for Sweethearts of the Rodeo in hopes of finding him. So it kind of shows her love for horses and passion for what she’s been doing, riding, but there’s still something missing. She still needs her dad. Everyone needs a father and everyone needs a mother, so it’s just a really sweet movie. Did you get to work a lot with horses? I got to ride so many horses and learn tricks and ride an actual rodeo, so that was a blast. One of your co-stars was Jackson Rathbone, which would be exciting for many Twilight fans your age. Yeah, I was excited! He was so sweet when I met him. I was watching because I wasn’t in that scene that day and I turned around and went, ‘Oh, hello!’ And he’s just sitting next to me. I was like, ‘How ya doin’?’ And we just started talking. He’s such a nice guy and he does great in this film. It’s cool to see him with a country side. You have a project with Chloe Moretz as well, Dance of the Mirlitons, which is interesting because you two are in this fairly small group of up and coming young actresses. What part of that project are you most looking forward to? Thank you. I know, I’m excited to get to work with her. I think it’ll be cool to get in the same room and show our different unique personalities and our love for the films we do. Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark is in theaters August 26.

Indian High Court strikes down state's ban on pic

LONDON -- India's Supreme Court struck down a ban on "Aarakshan" (Reservation) on Friday. The court quashed the ban on the grounds that once a film is cleared by the central board of film certification, it is fit for public viewing and a ban is tantamount to censorship. The court also reprimanded the government of Uttar Pradesh for banning the film. Pic was banned in the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh ahead of its Aug. 12 release for fear that it might incite inter-caste violence in India. The state of Maharashtra allowed its release after helmer Prakash Jha agreed to a few cuts. Punjab and Andhra Pradesh lifted their bans on Aug. 13 after Jha removed some dialogue that was objectionable to the governments of those states. However, Uttar Pradesh stood fast on its decision to ban the film and Jha moved the Supreme Court against this ruling. "I'm glad I decided to challenge the Uttar Pradesh government's decision to ban the film rather than bow down to it," Jha said in a statement. "This has been an important battle in making right to the freedom of expression a real right for the common citizens of India." The film released in other parts of India and in North America and the rest of the world as scheduled and has grossed $13 million in its first week. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

'Bala,' 'Swirl,' 'Bonsai' play Horizontes

MADRID -- Gerardo Naranjo's "Miss Bala," "Swirl," from Brazil's Clarissa Campolina and Helvecio Marins, and Chilean Christian Jimenez's "Bonsai" will compete in San Sebastian Film Festival's Horizontes Latinos sidebar. The Latin American section, whose 13 photos compete for any Euros35,000 ($50,000) cash prize, mixes major fest standouts and -- that is frequently pretty the same thing goes factor -- the most recent productions from a number of Latin America's most worldwide minded film companies: Mexico's Canana, Brazil's Dezenove Som e Imagem, Colombia's 64 Films, Argentina's Rizoma and Chile's Fabula and Jirafa. Section opens with "Miss Bala," an action-thriller social problem pic that denounces drug cartels' permeation of social existence in Mexico. Canana produces, with Fox Intl. Prods. handling worldwide sales. Pic performed in Cannes' Not Certain Regard. Midway between art film and art installation, and also the latest product of Brazil's burgeoning regional cinema -- here Minas Gerais -- "Swirl," a portrait of rural misconceptions, is created by Dezenove and Spain's Eddie Saeta. It world preems at Venice fest's Horizons. Another Not Certain Regard player, "Bonsai," a gag-packed comic drama dating to two literature students' romance, is created by Bruno Bettati's Chile-based Jirafa Films and Hernan Musaluppi's Rizoma Films in Argentina. Of further fest highlights, Milagros Mumenthaler's three siblings drama "To Stay" won Locarno Leopards for film and actress (Maria Canale). Also from Argentina, Pablo Giorgelli's romantic road movie "Las Acacias" arrived Cannes' Camera d'Or. Alejandro Landes' true-account tale "Porfirio" stories a motorized wheel chair-bound man's building wrath at condition paperwork. Many Horizontes gamers emerged through Films happening, the San Sebastian and Toulouse fests' completion finance showcase: Brazilian Julia Murat's ghost village set "Historias que so existem quando lembradas," now bound for Venice Days Iria Gomez Concheiro's slow-burning Mexican barrio drama "The Cinema Endure,Inch which performed Sundance Bernardo Arellano's 2010 FIP Industry Award champion "Between Day and night" and the other Sundance player, Carlos Moreno's social satire "All Of Your Dead Ones," created by Diego Ramirez's 64 Films. Horizontes also leaves room for lesser-known films: Sebastian Cordero's low-budget, free-wheeling road movie, "Pescador," created by Colombian Alejandro Arango's burgeoning genre giant Contento Films Oscar Godoy's Fabula-created "Ulysses," a unique immigration tale seen at April's Bay Area Festival and "Anonimo," from Chilean first-timer Renato Perez, in regards to a teen girl's friendship having a guy who hides a dark past. Fest runs Sept. 16-24. Contact Variety Staff at news@variety.com

TALENT SIGNINGS ROUND-UP: Neal McDonough to Paradigm; New Clients at WME, ICM, UTA, APA

Neal McDonough, who co-stars in Captain America: The First Avenger and appeared in Minority Report, has signed with Paradigm. His other film credits include Flags of Our Fathers, Timeline and Walking Tall.McDonoughhas also had a regular series role on ABC's Desperate Housewives; his other television credits include HBO's Band of Brothers and NBC's Boomtown. William Levy, who stars in the Spanish-language Univision telenovela Triunfo del Amor, has signed with WME. He has also appeared on the Televisa telenovela Cuidado con el Angel.Levy is managed by Gladys Gonzalez of John Carrabino Management. Michael Genet, who wrote Focus Features' Talk to Me and co-wrote She Hate Me with Spike Lee, has signed with ICM. Genet won an NAACP Image for the Talk (2007) screenplay. He ismanaged by E. Brian Dobbins of Principato-Young Management. Teen actor Jake Cherry, whose credits include The Sorcerer's Apprentice and both Night at the Museum films, has signed with UTA. His television credits include Fox's House and ABC's Desperate Housewives. Cherry is managed byLoch Powell of Leverage Management; his attorney is Jamie Mandelbaum of Jackoway Tyerman Wertheimer Austen Mandelbaum Morris & Klein. Necar Zadegan, who recently appeared in the Broadway production of Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo alongside Robin Williams, has signed with APA and management company Trademark Talent. Zadegan's television credits include Fox's24and NBC's The Event. ComedianPatrick Borelli, who writes forLate Night with Jimmy Fallon, has signed with Paradigm.He is managed by Brian Steinberg and Tucker Voorhees of Principato-Young Entertainment. James DuMont, who has a recurring role on HBO's Treme and appeared on TNT's Men of a Certain Age, has signed with talent agency The House of Representatives. He is managed bySteven Adams of Alta Entertainment. Email: Daniel.Miller@THR.com Twitter: @DanielNMiller Related Topics Neal McDonough UTA WmE Paradigm ICM

OOO-LA-LA: Why French Company directors Are All of a sudden So Hot In Hollywood

The present wave of French company directors making Hollywood films appears to possess taken Jean-Luc Godard's advice ("All that's necessary for any movie is really a gun along with a girl"),amped up witha healthy dash of effects or three dimensional andtaken it towards the bank. Louis Leterrier, director from the Incredible Hulk and Clash from the Leaders, will in The month of january bemaking Summits movieabout masters of magic who take advantage of banks throughout performances You Now See Me, with Star Trek-authors Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci creating. Fred Cavay, director from the original French version from the Russell Crowe-thriller The Following 72 Hours, is within talks with galleries to remake his latest, Point Blank. And Brought director Pierre Morel, who had been set to direct Paramounts Dune remake, has become being spoken about for Foxs next Wolverine movie. I was raised watching American movies, so my lexicon is American company directors like Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, Leterrier stated. These movies seeped into my artistic DNA. Simultaneously,simply because Paris may be the capital of world cinema,I had been also watching French films, German cinema or kung fu movies from Hong Kong. Why is me along with other French company directors not the same as People in america is the fact that i was feeding ourselves using their company cultures. The communication revolution and modern travel facts are which makes it simpler for French helmers to mix to Hollywood. Today anagent in Beverly Hillsides can view something on the internet and get in touch pretty within hrs.There is a fluid traffic in information, states Ron Halpern, vice-leader of British-language production at Studio Canal. The earth has become more compact. The rate of communication implies that foreign company directors take presctiption peoples radars much faster. So when a studio is searching for something fresh and interesting, an overseas eye can frequently bring something. Luc Besson, in france they author/director who found prominence within the eighties with films like La Femme Nikita and Subway, has presided over this new movement through hisEuropaCorp production company. Alexandre Aja (Piranha three dimensional) got his first break pointing High Tension (2003) for EuropaCorp. Morel, Leterrier and Olivier Megaton all broke inon the business's Transporter film franchise. Morel was cinematographer about the first Transporter (2002) prior to making his directorial debut on District B13 (2004), a EuropaCorp thriller compiled by Besson,after which reverting to as being a cameraman on Transporter 2 (2005). However it was Taken (2008) that smacked Morel into Hollywoods awareness. Leterrier directed the very first twoTransporter movies before Marvel offered him The Incredible Hulk (2008), then Clash from the Leaders. Morel has stated the Transporter films were really like training courses for him and the co-workers. EuropaCorp has needed to scramble a little as a number of its top company directors happen to be poached for Hollywood films. But as ex-Boss Pierre-Ange Le Pogam observed, U.S. agents snappingup his company directors permitted the companyto develop much more new talent. Leterrier states: Luc Besson did such things as a French version of Roger Corman. After I began at EuropaCorp, I had been making Luc his tea. He really respects passion, and that he often see the passion within me. Luc has attempted to re-inject the around he is able to, and extend the achieve of French cinema. France's prolificproduction biz adds to its profileas alaunching pad for directorial talent too. In France They made 261 filmslast year, a lot more than every other European country, most targeted in the domestic market. Between 10 and 15 movies are launched every week, but onlyone or twowill travel outdoors France. The relaxation are mainly funded by tv stations for example TF1, M6 and Canal Plus and are equipped for primetime TV viewing too.France audiences frequently wrinkle their noses at such made-for-export productions as Morels From Paris With Love,which starredJohn Travolta. The majority of the large names within this new generation continue to be within their mid-to-late 30s. Aja is32, Leterrier is 37 and Guillaume Canet (Tell Nobody) is 38. A notable exception is Jacques Audiard, the 59-year-old director of last year's French Oscar nominee A Prophet, a documentary-like search for what its like for any youthful Arab inside a French prison. A few of the most popular French helmersand what they are focusing on: Guillaume Canet (Tell Nobody) will next direct Rivals, that they has co-written with director James Grey (We Own the Evening) for Studio Canal. Rivals got its inspiration from 2008 French criminal drama L'ensemble des Liens du Sang but has moved the experience to seventies Philadelphia. CanetsLittle Whitened Lies, co-created by EuropaCorp and starring hiswife Marion Cotillard, has not yet been launched within the U.S. Fred Cavay is within discussions with assorted galleries to remake Point Blank, his adrenalin-pumped Paris-set action thriller which Magnolia launched recently. Paul Haggis remade Cavays debut feature Pour Elle (2008), in regards to a guy attempting to spring his wife from prison, because the Next 72 Hours. Point Blank - the British title is really a jerk towards the 1967 John Boorman movie - follows a male hospital nurse who needs to smuggle a gangster across Paris if he really wants to keep his kidnapped wife alive. Pascal Chaumeil is pointing Diane Kruger opposite French star Dany Boon in Fly Me towards the Moon, which begins filming this fall. The romantic comedy -- in regards to a lady going to break her family curse of first partnerships ending in divorce - reunites Chaumeil together with his Heartbreaker author Laurent Zeitoun. Next he intends to shoot an adaptation of Nick Hornbys A Lengthy Way Lower for Brit producers Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey (Instruction) and Film4 in spring 2012. Next will bevivvre cest mieux que mourir (Living Is Preferable To Dying), with Heartbreaker star Romain Duris. This time around around Duris will have a likeable dreamer who takes refuge inside a hotel in the police then he buys themself time by pitching an over-the-top blockbuster to some Hollywood producer. Heartbreaker, starring Duris and Vanessa Paradis, was among the greatest-grossing French films of 2010. Working Title is planning an British-language remake. Christophe Gans (Quiet Hill, Brotherhood from the Wolf) is creating a three dimensional version of classic French crime series Fantomas, starring Vincent Cassel and Jean Reno. Paris-based La Petite Reine (Public Enemy # 1) is creating this $70 million production. Produced in 1911 by Marcel Allain and Pierre Souvestre, the masked arch-criminal Fantomas is just one of Frances most widely used imaginary figures. Olivier Megaton (Transporter 3) begins shooting Taken 2 with Liam Neeson in November. The script is as simple as Besson and Robert Mark Kamen and co-stars Maggie Sophistication reprising her role as Neesons daughter. Kamen and Besson also authored Megatons latest EuropaCorp movie Colombiana, starring Zoe Saldana like a vengeful assassin, which The new sony Pictures releases within the U.S. on August 26. Pierre Morel (Taken, From Paris With Love) ended up being to direct Paramounts $100 million remake of Dune but dropped out before Vital abandoned the project in March. Which was after 4 years of development. Privileges owner RichardRubinstein stated he could still approach Morel to direct if Dune could be refinanced being an indie project but he hadbetter move fast.Morel has been around foretells direct Warner Bros' alien invasion movie Earth Defense Pressure, which QED Entertainment (District 9) is financing. Meanwhile, Morel is creating Racing Patriots, directed by Eric Stoltz, aboutthree racecar motorists who brought in france they Resistance throughout theWorld War II. He's also executive creating TV series William the Conqueror for Starz and Electus. Other pointing projects hes been associated with include Pursuit, an action thriller for Universal in line with the existence of British photojournalist Jason Howe Signals, a 3 Times of the Condor-style suspense thriller for Media Privileges Capital anda Tokyo, japan-set spy thriller at Vital. Jrme Salle, author/director of Anthony Zimmer (2005) -- which Studio Canal remade because the Tourist - continues to be associated with a biopic of Jacques Cousteau, in france they submariner and explorer who so taken peoples creativeness within the 50s.

Mark-Paul Gosselaar Engaged!

FIRST Released: August 11, 2011 4:09 PM EDT La, Calif. -- Your investment school bell wedding alarms are ringing once more for Mark-Paul Gosselaar! The first kind Saved through the Bell star is engaged to advertising executive Catriona McGinn, the actor has confirmed to gain access to Hollywood. Mark-Paul, 36, sprang the question to his new ladylove having a 5-carat cushion-cut band, custom-designed by Neil Lane. He couldnt wait to propose, the famous jewelry salesman told People. He am excited to possess found the lady of his dreams. The actor, who presently stars on TNTs Franklin & Party alongside Breckin Meyer and who lately stopped by Access Hollywood Live as guest host, has two kids (Michael, 7 and Ava, 5) from his previous marriage to Lisa Ann Russell. The couples divorce was completed in May. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Corporation. All privileges reserved.These components might not be released, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

'Transformers' Is Summer's Third $1B Movie, So Why Is the Box Office Slumping?

This summer, it's a Tale of Two Box Offices. The best-of-times part of the scenario: Only ten movies have ever made more than a billion dollars in worldwide ticket sales, and three of those have happened this summer. First was 'Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,' then this past weekend, 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2,' and now, a couple days later, 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon.' As of August 2, according to distributor Paramount, the robot threequel has scored $1.004 billion. Without adjusting for inflation, that makes it the ninth highest-grossing movie of all time. 'Harry Potter' is slightly ahead at No. 8, with $1.016 billion, and 'Pirates' is in sixth place with $1.033 billion. So how is it possible (and this is the worst-of-times part of the scenario) that 2011's domestic box office is lagging behind 2010's by 4 percent? According to Variety, year-to-date grosses come to about $6.8 billion, nearly $300 million behind the $7.1 billion in tickets sold during the first seven months of last year. What's more, not even this August's handful of potential blockbusters (like 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' and 'Conan the Barbarian') are expected to be enough to close the gap. How can a summer with an unprecedented number of billion-dollar movies still result in a box office slump? Variety's analysis doesn't provide an answer, but it surely has to do with the changing habits of you, the moviegoer. Despite what has largely been a robust summer, 2011 has been marked by movies that underperformed expectations. The first four months were so full of flops that not even the successes of summer have been able to make up all of the lost ground. (At the beginning of summer, the gap was 7 percent.) Even the movies that did well owe a great deal to overseas audiences. Sure, the fourth 'Pirates' has earned a billion, but 77 percent of that came from outside North America. At home, it grossed $238 million, the lowest domestic take of the four films. This summer has been marked by old franchises that are winding down, like 'Harry Potter,' or running out of steam. At $340 million so far, the latest 'Transformers' (which both Michael Bay and Shia LaBeouf have said will be the last installment for them) is unlikely to surpass the $402 million domestic take of 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.' The 'Kung Fu Panda' sequel fell short of the original's American earnings by more than $50 million. Even mighty Pixar failed to drum up much domestic interest in a 'Cars' sequel; of 12 Pixar features released to date, 'Cars 2' ranks 11th. The search for new franchises to replace the obsolescent ones has been hit or miss. There have been a lot of new superhero titles launched this season, but audiences seem to be suffering not just from superhero fatigue, but superhero origin-story fatigue. The highest-grossing comic-book title of the summer to date is 'Thor' (though 'Captain America: The First Avenger' may still surpass it), and its domestic take didn't even top $200 million. Old-school stars have also failed to draw viewers the way they once did. Harrison Ford ('Cowboys & Aliens'), Jim Carrey ('Mr. Popper's Penguins') and Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts ('Larry Crowne') haven't been big box office attractions. Many of this summer's biggest films (including 'Transformers,' 'Thor,' 'Bridesmaids' and 'X-Men: First Class') don't owe their success to star power at all. The other source of disappointment has been 3D. This year has seen more 3D movies than ever, and the novelty seems to have worn off for audiences. There were a lot of slapdash, last-minute conversions from 2D to 3D, and moviegoers haven't taken the bait. But even for big blockbuster movies that were relying on 3D to boost the box office, American audiences tended to prefer the 2D versions. 3D helped make 'Transformers' a hit (60 percent of the opening weekend gross came from 3D screens), but for most movies, 3D represents less than 40 percent of the domestic take. (Overseas, however, audiences are still enchanted with 3D, one reason why the foreign share of their worldwide take has been so lopsided.) There has been one unexpected bright spot this summer: R-rated comedies. 'The Hangover Part II' seemed guaranteed to be a big hit, and 'Bridesmaids' lived up to its strong advance hype, but then came 'Bad Teacher' and 'Horrible Bosses' and 'Friends With Benefits,' and still, the market for raunchy laughs with appeal to older audiences hadn't been saturated. Look for similar success for 'The Change-Up' when it opens this weekend. All these trends suggest that American ticketbuyers have made some changes in their moviegoing habits. It's long been accepted as a truism that the moviegoing experience is increasingly unpleasant (rude audiences, sticky floors, indifferent projection and sound quality), that the slumping economy and rising ticket prices don't help, and that the growing ease of watching movies at home or online (especially with the ever-shrinking window between theatrical and home-viewing release dates) is further keeping people out of theaters. But these newly-observed trends -- dissatisfaction with 3D, disenchantment with old franchises and old stars, lack of interest in new superhero origin stories -- seem to be depressing the domestic box office even further Here at Moviefone, we'd like to know if you think these observations are true. Are you finding you've changed your moviegoing habits in recent months? If so, why? And what is it about the movies you have seen in theaters this summer that made you decide it would be worth it to buck those trends? Let us know in the comments below. Follow Gary Susman on Twitter @garysusman.