Summary: Big budget sequels and super hero movies helped push the bar on summer box office records slightly higher. North American grosses rose to $4.4 billion as overseas markets improved to $8.2 billion in receipts. But how much did all those blockbusters actually cost to produce and market? After all the money is counted, how profitable will the latest installments of "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Transformers" truly be? We sharpen our pencils and do the math to answer all these questions and more. One future blockbuster that was recently axed by Disney may actually get made after all. The studios is lowering the budget on "The Lone Ranger" by asking star Johnny Depp and filmmaker Gore Verbinski to take a pay cut. The publishing world also seems to be doing quite well lately thanks to strong sales of digital titles. Even though the e-books may be getting all the love in mainstream media stories, Random House wants everyone to know that print books aren't dead. In fact, the sale of hardcover and paperback books still outpaces their digital counterparts. We also cover all the week's top entertainment news including the "controversial" selection of Chaz Bono to appear on "Dancing With The Stars", why Starz is breaking up with Netflix, Sinead O'Connor's dating problems, and whether reality television needs to be reformed. Hollywood Scores A Record Summer Worldwide http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/box-office-update-hollywood-scores-231220 (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/box-office-update-hollywood-scores-231220) Record Summer Box Office Looms as 'The Smurfs' Takes No. 1 Spot Again http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/foreign-box-office-report-record-231124 (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/foreign-box-office-report-record-231124) Neither Smurf Nor Wizard Could Save Summer Movie Attendance http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/05/business/media/summer-movie-attendance-continues-to-erode.html (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/05/business/media/summer-movie-attendance-continues-to-erode.html) China Headed for $2 Billion Box Office Record In 2011 http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/china-headed-2-billion-box-223854 (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/china-headed-2-billion-box-223854) Why Disney Might Make 'Lone Ranger' - Reluctantly http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/why-disney-might-make-lone-230271 (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/why-disney-might-make-lone-230271) Telluride 2011: Festival Gives Promising Look Into The Fall http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/telluride-2011-festival-gives-promising-231284 (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/telluride-2011-festival-gives-promising-231284) Revamping Reality http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/28/revamping-reality/ (http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/28/revamping-reality/) ABC Attacked By 'DWTS' Fans Over Chaz Bono Casting http://www.thewrap.com/tv/article/abc-hit-attacks-chaz-bono-after-dwts-casting-30586 (http://www.thewrap.com/tv/article/abc-hit-attacks-chaz-bono-after-dwts-casting-30586) Unbroken Tops One Million Sold In Hardcover http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/48562-unbroken-tops-one-million-sold-in-hardcover.html (http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/48562-unbroken-tops-one-million-sold-in-hardcover.html) Profits Surge At Random House http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/financial-reporting/article/48530-profits-surge-at-random-house.html (http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/financial-reporting/article/48530-profits-surge-at-random-house.html) Sony Tablets Coming In September http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/devices/article/48536-sony-tablets-coming-in-september.html (http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/devices/article/48536-sony-tablets-coming-in-september.html)
