The summer line-up was fairly successful, producing instant favorites such as “Inception” and “Toy Story 3.” With only so many choices and rising ticket prices this summer, people were nearly forced to choose very carefully what to see. The sequel to yesterday’s movie showdown includes summer action blockbusters and shirtless werewolf heart throbs. It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there, and box-office earnings based on boxofficemojo.com and critical reactions of the Hollywood Reporter and Roger Ebert will now gauge the successes or lack thereof. This is not an exact science, but a number 1 through 10 is given based on the two categories. Whoever has the most points wins.

-— Compiled by Melissa Cohen

Tom Cruise baffles me on a fundamental level. I thought he was pretty much gone for good following several public instances I need not mention. But, I suppose If Mickey Rourke can do it, so can Cruise — and he is doing just that. Following his beloved cameo as a movie executive in “Tropic Thunder,”  “Knight and Day” finally allowed him a feature film coming out — to society, not from the closet. Yet, disappointment still hangs a heavy cloud over Cruise wherever he goes. The Hollywood Reporter does not blame Cruise, for he and Cameron Diaz do what they do best. Instead, the fault lies with the director and writer. Kirk Honeycutt of the Hollywood Reporter. Box office results are concurrent with the same disappointment, only bringing in $75 million since its release in June.

Maybe this should be the comeback category. Robert Downey Jr., in prison not too long ago, is back to being Hollywood’s golden boy  after the successes of “Sherlock Holmes,” “Iron Man,” and “Tropic Thunder.” While “Iron Man 2” didn’t quite surpass its original in awesomeness, it delivered what its fans generally wanted and expected. This time the man o’ iron had too many dashes of hokey-ness and an unnecessary Scarlett Johansson. Critics felt the same. With a name like “Iron Man 2,” can more really be expected? Probably not. Fans of the first showed up in hoards for its release on May 7. As of Aug. 12, its total domestic earnings were at $311.9 million. Not too shabby.

“IRON MAN 2” WINS

Um, well, I don’t know quite what to say. Twilight has practically ingrained itself in modern society, Stephenie Meyer is a goddess amongst freshman girls everywhere and vampires have never been hotter. Also, the abs of a certain werewolf are worth the $11 ticket price all by themselves. Though it need not worry about making back it’s production cost, “Eclipse” is admittedly the best so far in the saga. Director David Slade finally captured the appropriate tone. Despite it’s overall improvements, “Eclipse” cannot be considered an award-winning movie — except for a Teen Choice Award. Still, $294.6 million in total domestic earning is no scoffing matter.

“Step-Up 3-D.” With a name like that, the people of America have extremely high expectations. Surprisingly, they should be quite satisfied. The high octane dancing will leave audiences drooling for more. Even the Hollywood Reporter admits, “clumsy dramatics…(but) the gimmicky sequel delivers on the dance floor.” I assume most people will be waiting for its DVD release or its cable premier on ABC Family instead of paying the $11 for a ticket — I don’t blame you. Opening weekend earned only $15.8 million, around 18 times less than Twilight.

“TWILIGHT: ECLIPSE” WINS