''50 First Dates'' will place first this weekend

Sometimes it’s tough to predict what movie will top the box office charts. Not this weekend. Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore will kiss off the competition with their new romantic comedy, ”50 First Dates.”

Another Sandler/Barrymore flick, ”The Wedding Singer,” debuted on Friday the 13th of February six years ago. But coming in the wake of ”Titanic,” it opened in second place with $21.9 million over the Valentine’s Day/Presidents’ Day long weekend. This time around there’s no competition to speak of, which should allow ”Dates” to far outpace its predecessor’s take. Look for ”50 First Dates” to gross $35 million over the four-day weekend.

Last week’s top film, ”Barbershop 2: Back in Business,” meanwhile, should see a small drop from its $24.2 million debut to about $17 million, while the hockey drama ”Miracle” will take the bronze with another $15 million.

With no other wide releases, returning films like ”You Got Served” and ”Along Came Polly” will log another week in the top five, each grossing about $5 million. But with four high-profile new films set for release next weekend, they won’t be around for long.