THE MOVIES : BLANK CHECKS

At $70 million-plus, “Total Recall” may very well be the summer’s most expensive spectacle, but with Arnold Schwarzenegger in it, Tri-Star feels it’s money well spent. Warners’ “Gremlins 2: The New Batch” and Buena Vista’s “Dick Tracy” also have been reported in the $50-million range, though their respective studios claim $30 million apiece. “Back to the Future III” and “Die Hard 2” both carry $60-million price tags. Paramount’s reported $40-million babies are “Days of Thunder” and Eddie Murphy’s “Another 48 HRS.” Paramount also has late summer’s “The Two Jakes,” Jack Nicholson’s troubled “Chinatown” sequel, which looks as though it’s headed toward 30something. In “RoboCop 2,” Orion has a good bet to recoup its $25-million investment. Warner’s “Presumed Innocent” and Buena Vista’s “Ducktales” are reported to have cost a bargain-basement $20 million each.

TWO MINDS

Bill Murray has enough clout to order up a director’s chair. Or maybe half a chair. Murray is co-directing “Quick Change” with screenwriter Howard Franklin--a first time for both. The multiple-director system works sometimes, as witness Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker helming the hits “Airplane!” and “Ruthless People.”

THE SON OF SEQUELS, PART 2

Movie sequels seem eternally with us. This summer has eight follow-up films, a pair of which--”Exorcist III and “Back to the Future III”--are sequels to sequels.

* Longest sequel gestation period this summer? “The Two Jakes” shows up 16 years after its inspiration, “Chinatown.” The span from “Exorcist I” to “III” was one year longer, but “Exorcist II: The Heretic” came between them.

* Summers with more than five sequels have become commonplace. There were 10 last summer, led by “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” “Star Trek V” and “Ghostbusters II.”

* In 1988, 10 flicks were imbued with deja vu. During one weekend that year, “Short Circuit 2,” “Phantasm II” and “Arthur on the Rocks” opened. What they all did in total business, “Batman” last year did in its first three days .

* This year mirrors the summer of three years ago, when eight films were deemed sequel-worthy. Only six movie derivatives were trotted out in 1986, and 1985 was relatively free of sequels, offering but five.

CLAY’S FEAT

Andrew Dice Clay may wallow in irony should his summer release--”Ford Fairlane”--hit big and play into August. That’s when his concert film bows. Will Andrew Dice Clay hurt Andrew Dice Clay at the box office?

WHO’S ON FIRST?

“RoboCop 2” and “Total Recall” are two different stories by two different studios with something in common. “Recall” director Paul Verhoeven will compete against the sequel to his own “RoboCop,” which packed them in three years ago.

TOP 10 SUMMER HITS

“The Godfather” made much of its $134 million during the summer of 1972 but was technically a spring release. The following year, “American Graffiti” became the first summer film to crack the $100-million barrier. What follows is the very cream of the summer crop, not adjusted for inflation. That is, “Jaws’ ” $245 million in 1975 dollars might be considered more impressive than “Batman’s” $251-million take of 1989.

1. “E.T. The Extraterrestri- al.” Universal (1982), $368 million (initial release).

2. “Star Wars.” Fox (1977), $323 million.

3. “Return of the Jedi.” Fox (1983), $264 million.

4. “Batman.” Warner Bros. (1989), $251 million.

5. “Jaws.” Universal (1975), $245 million.

6. “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Paramount (1981), $242 million.

7. “The Empire Strikes Back.” Fox (1980), $223 million.

8. “Ghostbusters.” Columbia (1984), $221 million.

9. “Back to the Future.” Universal (1985), $208 million.

10. “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” Paramount (1989), $197 million.