The Summer Blockbuster: Where Is It? : Films: It’s almost the Fourth of July, but there has been no explosion like that of “Batman.”

What happened? Where’s the summer’s movie blockbuster?

Half a dozen high-profile movies have opened since the Memorial Day weekend holiday, but on the eve of the Fourth of July, not one has exploded into a “Batman”-like phenomenon. Or even a semi-”Batman”-like phenomenon.

The latest film on the track, Paramount Pictures’ $50-million-plus “Days of Thunder,” got off to a quiet start with opening weekend ticket sales of $15.4 million, and a five-day total (the movie opened last Wednesday) of $21.5 million. This boils down to a five-day per-screen average of $9,320--or a three-day average of $6,715. Industry expectations were much higher for the film that many critics have labeled “ ‘Top Gun’ on wheels,” since it reunites Tom Cruise with producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, this time out with a stock car racing scenario scripted by Robert Towne and much-touted state-of-the-art racing photography.

The “Days of Thunder” release was paced by the much anticipated openings of Orion Pictures’ “RoboCop 2” ($14.1 million; $8,001 per-screen ), Walt Disney Studio’s “Dick Tracy” ($22.5 million; $9,667 per-screen), Paramount’s “Another 48 HRS.” ($19.4 million; $8,462 per-screen), Tri-Star Pictures’ “Total Recall” ($25.5 million--the year’s biggest to date; $12,395 per screen ) and Universal Pictures’ “Back to the Future III” ($23.7 million over the four-day Memorial Day weekend holiday; $11,740 per-screen).

But after those openings, all but “Total Recall” and “Dick Tracy” have quickly spiraled downward.

Now, prognosticators are pointing to the next big release, Twentieth Century-Fox’s $60 million-plus “Die Hard 2”--opening today--as the blockbuster everybody’s been waiting for. Running a close second is the Disney Studio’s “Arachnophobia,” due July 20.

In the meantime, the top 10--in estimates--with the weekend’s gross, and total gross are:

1--”Days of Thunder,” $15.4 million, weekend; $21.5 million over five days.

2--”Dick Tracy,” $10.6 million; $62 million.

3--”RoboCop 2,” $6.5 million; $22 million.

4--”Total Recall,” $5.6 million; $90 million.

5--”Another 48 HRS.,” $5.4 million; $56 million.

6--”Ghost Dad” (Universal Pictures), $4.5 million (opening weekend).

7-- “Gremlins 2: The New Batch” (Warner Bros.), $4.5; $26 million.

8--”Betsy’s Wedding” (Disney Studio), $3.2 million; $10 million.

9--”Pretty Woman” (Disney Studio), $3.1 million; $150 million.

10--”Back to the Future III,” $2.6 million; $67 million.