Germany was at last blessed withsummer-like temperatures, but this had a negative effect on cinema attendancesas shown by the 50%-plus slip in admissions for Spider-Man 2 and Shrek2. UIP's 252-print release of The Stepford Wives was the only othertitle apart from the Top 2 to pass the 100,000 admissions barrier, while 20thCentury Fox's Walking Tall remake only mustered 71,808 admissions and ascreen average of $ 1,422 from its 300 prints.

The continuing popularity of documentariesin German cinemas was given an additional boost this weekend with Prokino'srelease of Morgan Spurlock's Super Size Me on 88 prints to take $283,804and a screen average of $ 3,225. The real test, though, will come when FalcomMedia opens Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 on no less than 200 screens, thelargest ever launch for a documentary in German cinemas, on July 29.

A week before that, however, Germany's boxoffice is set to be shaken up by Constantin's release of Michael'Bully' Herbig's (T)RaumschiffSurprise - Periode 1 which will be opening on Thursday (July 22) on 900prints. Produced for Euros 9m, the sci-fi send-up reportedly has a p&a budget of Euros 4.5m and is the first German film to have a tie-in promotionwith McDonalds.