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Together, though, XXX and Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams should drive the masses to movie theaters in extraordinary numbers. If this isn't enough, Clint Eastwood hunts down another serial killer in the crime thriller Blood Work.

XXX, a potential franchise a la James Bond for Sony Pictures, arrives with a big bang courtesy of the long and overwhelming marketing campaign revolving around the tattooed body of superstar-in-the-making Vin Diesel.

The summer's last potential blockbuster, XXX should easily outgun a sequel aimed primarily at children who will return to school later this month. Spy Kids 2 rushes into theaters less than 18 months after its predecessor, but may prove just what children want to see after dismissing Stuart Little 2, The Country Bears, The Powerpuff Girls Movie and Hey Arnold! The Movie.

A few years back, Sony failed in its bid to launch its own James Bond franchise. Hence the blatant 007-ish XXX, the first of what Sony executives anticipate will become a series anchored by a spy with supposedly very little in common with the suave and sophisticated British secret agent. Diesel's Xander Cage is an adrenaline junkie who exploits his passion for extreme sports to tweak the establishment. The prospect of a long prison sentence forces Diesel to become a secret agent under the command of the unbilled Samuel L. Jackson. Diesel's mission: Get the dirt on a group of pierced anarchists operating in Prague, Czech Republic.

The success of this Generation X spy franchise rests on Diesel's very broad shoulders. He reportedly received $10 million for XXX, an indication that Sony executives believe that Diesel was mostly responsible for the runaway smash that was last summer's The Fast and the Furious. He certainly throws himself in the thick of the action, be it tumbling out of airplanes or seducing women in the name of his country. He's aided and abetted by Rob Cohen, who directed The Fast and the Furious. The result is loud, dumb but occasionally fun.

As far as charisma goes, the monosyllabic Diesel comes across as nothing more than a 21st-century Sylvester Stallone. But Diesel will win over men with his devil-may-care attitude and charm women with his considerable sex appeal. Older adults weaned on James Bond might want to see what all the fuss is about while they wait patiently for November's Die Another Day, but they should walk away feeling cheated by XXX's sub-Bondian plot, unworthy villain and unappealing love interest.

The Fast and the Furious roared out of nowhere in June 2001 to score an astounding $40 million opening and a $144.5 million total. That was unexpected given that Diesel's previous two starring efforts were the modest hit Pitch Black ($39.2 million total) and the Wall Street-inspired flop Boiler Room ($16.9 million). Diesel's Knockaround Guys, made in 1999 before he tore up the streets in The Fast and the Furious, has yet to see the light of day.

The acceptance of such serious spy fare as The Sum of All Fears ($117.8 million) and The Bourne Identity ($113.1 million), featuring a new generation of action heroes, bodes extremely well for XXX, which slammed into 3,374 theaters on Friday with an audience-friendly PG-13 rating. XXX should gun down between $45 million and $50 million. The Scorpion King's $36 million opening also showed that audiences wanted to see how well wrestler The Rock could body slam his movie foes. So anything less than an opening better than The Fast and the Furious' $40 million would be a disappointment for XXX.

XXX also has the advantage of being the summer's last big offering. That worked in August 2001 to American Pie 2's advantage. The R-rated sequel opened with $45.1 million and held steady throughout the waning days of summer to tally a $145 million total. XXX, which faces little competition in the coming weeks, will likely enjoy the same fate.

All told, XXX should wind up with $150 million, paving the way for a franchise. It also would help the future of two other unreleased Diesel offerings, the aforementioned Knockaround Guys and an untitled drug thriller formerly known as Diablo. The oft-delayed Knockaround Guys is scheduled for an Oct. 11 release. Diesel's untitled thriller is set for March 7, 2003. Perhaps New Line has seemingly kept both on the shelf in order to make a quick buck or two in the wake of XXX's anticipated success.