It's no secret that most critics outright despise Adam Sandler movies. At least the recent ones, anyway (there are probably a few film writers out there with a soft spot for Happy Gilimore). Sandler's films are routinely trashed by critics, even though they usually pull in respectable box-office profit. And that very same thing seems to be happening to Pixels, Sandler's latest, already.

Pixels stars Sandler, Peter Dinklage, Josh Gad and Kevin James as former arcade gaming pros who have to step up and save the Earth after aliens misinterpret old footage of arcade games and invade the Earth- in the style of old arcade games (a giant Pac-Man tearings its way through buildings, for example. Every trailer for the film (including the latest) has been savaged and proclaimed a horrible idea well in advance. However, the newest reports indicate that Pixels could be an enormous box-office smash hit for Sandler- the biggest he's had in years!

According to the latest reports, Pixels is being considered enough of a box-office powerhouse to cause Pan (the Peter Pan reboot starring Hugh Jackman) to shift its release date to avoid clashing with Sandler. As well, the videogame-based story may unite adults who played Pac-Man way back when with the kids who're growing up gamers today. Could Pixels clear $400 million or even $500 million at the box office? It's possible- but it's also worth considering that this summer is absolutely packed with potential smash hits. Pixels will probably be muscled from the #1 spot in its second week, when Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation premieres (and Fantastic Four) premieres just a week later.

Of course, Sandler's also been relegated to Netflix recently, where he's working on his latest film- The Ridiculous 6, a spoof of cowboy movies that's already getting a bad rap for its treatment of Native American actors. Pixels will feature the icons of early gaming, including Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Space Invaders and Frogger. It premieres in theaters on July 24.