Call it the new movie math.

No textbooks but practitioners galore, who have declared that a movie earning $48 million its opening weekend is weak, soft, a flop or, at the very least, a disappointment.

That's what "Mission: Impossible III" earned Friday through Sunday in North America on 4,054 screens. Of course, it made another $70 million overseas, and that money deposits just as nicely as American or Canadian dollars.

On May 6, 2005, Ridley Scott's "Kingdom of Heaven" starring Orlando Bloom debuted with an anemic $20 million, so Cruise and company trumped that. Still, theories abound about why "M:i:III" wasn't a bigger draw. Take your pick:

Tom Cruise, enough already.

The buildup for this movie felt like a yearlong slog, with advance publicity mingling with stories about: Cruise taking on Brooke Shields and Matt Lauer over postpartum depression, drugs and psychiatry; Cruise declaring his love for Katie Holmes on "Oprah"; Cruise and Holmes anticipating the birth of their first child; Holmes converting to Scientology; and finally, Holmes giving birth to their daughter. There were other oddities, like the purchase of a sonogram machine.

All of this comes at a time when there are more entertainment shows or reports and celebrity magazines than ever, creating a sort of sickening synergy that Cruise admittedly has no control over. Throw in the late-night monologues, and you're really overexposed.

Could Cruise's antics and constant media presence have created a backlash against the popular star?

The female factor -- see Tomfoolery above.

Although women aren't the target audience for a big-budget action picture, they certainly buy tickets or influence what a couple sees. Some women swore off Cruise movies with "War of the Worlds," and they've dug in their heels since.

The women of "The View" may have devoted an hour to the movie on Friday -- and the audience cheered wildly -- but the average person isn't caught in Cruise's magnetic gaze.

Sequelitis.

It's been six years since the second film, and this is obviously the third installment of a movie inspired by a long-gone TV show. "X-Men: The Last Stand" is also No. 3, but it has a built-in base of comic-book fans, and those movies have come in more rapid succession. Besides, a plain old remake called "Poseidon" with hunky Josh Lucas and a 150-foot wall of water is coming on Friday.

Check the calendar.

The other "M:I" movies opened on the Wednesday before Memorial Day, guaranteeing a bigger bounce. Extract just the weekend, as Hollywood Reporter did in its story headlined "Mission: Inconclusive," and you'll find the first movie earned $45.3 million Friday-Sunday and the second, $57.8 million Friday-Sunday.

Paul Dergarabedian, head of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations, told The Associated Press that the third "M:I" film "did very well. Its only problem was that it was measured against even higher expectations."

Summer comes early.

Although it's typical for the summer movies to open in early May or even late April, that timetable conflicts with end-of-school-year games, proms and other activities, while adults are busy reseeding the lawn and circling the city for cheap gas prices. Besides, everyone knows the movie won't disappear by Memorial Day.

Villain visibility.

Philip Seymour Hoffman was the best actor in America in 2005, as decided by Oscar voters who were wowed by his "Capote." But he's not exactly a household name like, say, Darth Vader or Anthony Hopkins.

Procrastinator's paradise.

Miss it now, rent or buy the DVD later or order it from your cable company's on-demand service.

Critics don't count.

Sad but true. The Web site rottentomatoes.com collected 152 reviews that broke down this way: 109 fresh (or positive), 43 rotten.

The studios created a monster by releasing a string of horror movies without advance screenings; teens flocked, reinforcing the notion that critics don't count. Turns out they don't count much when they like something, either.

Chicken Little Syndrome.

The sky is falling. Again.