Summer Movie Season has come and gone once again. And what is our conclusion?
In terms of box office success, it was a mixed bag. Movies are about a 6% down from last year. Before I go further, there were a number of movies that I did not get a chance to see, so I cannot speak intelligently about them.
In terms of box office success, it was a mixed bag. Movies are about a 6% down from last year. Before I go further, there were a number of movies that I did not get a chance to see, so I cannot speak intelligently about them.
In terms of box office, the top 10 highest grossing films of the summer are as follows:
1. Avengers: Endgame
2. The Lion King
3. Toy Story 4
4. Spider-Man: Far From Home
5. Aladdin
6. John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum
7. Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw
8. The Secret Life of Pets 2
9. Pokemon: Detective Picachu
10. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
My predictions were as follows (along with my rationale):
1. Avengers: Endgame
This is a little bit of a cheat since as of this posting Endgame has already broken so many box office records. But it had to be put at the top because this is the movie that kicks off the season.
2. Toy Story 4
Of all the Disney movies coming out this year, I think this one has the most anticipation. Unlike The Lion King and Aladdin, we don't know what will be in store for our heroes. On top of that, the emotional connection that millions of movie-goers have with these characters makes this a must see for the summer. The last Toy Story made $415 million. Combined with the fact that Finding Dory made $486 million, I think this is a good bet.
3. The Lion King
This is a little bit of a cheat since as of this posting Endgame has already broken so many box office records. But it had to be put at the top because this is the movie that kicks off the season.
2. Toy Story 4
Of all the Disney movies coming out this year, I think this one has the most anticipation. Unlike The Lion King and Aladdin, we don't know what will be in store for our heroes. On top of that, the emotional connection that millions of movie-goers have with these characters makes this a must see for the summer. The last Toy Story made $415 million. Combined with the fact that Finding Dory made $486 million, I think this is a good bet.
3. The Lion King
Unlike Toy Story, we know exactly what we are going to get with this remake. This is a movie that has simply been transformed into a photo-realistic version of the original and there are many people who will simply enjoy the experience of seeing something familiar as if for the first time.
4. Aladdin
Robin Williams is irraplacable, but this movie should have enough nostalgia and energy to bring in an all-ages crowd. I put this under The Lion King, because the changes in casting here are significant. It shows great insight that Jon Favreau made sure to get James Earl Jones to once again play Mufasa. We will see if Will Smith can bring his own spin to the Genie.
5. Spider-Man: Far From Home
The previous Spider-Man made over $334 million. But I think that this one will top that because it is leaning so heavily into Endgame. Last year's Ant-Man and the Wasp, also came out after the Avengers movie, but it was not emotionally connected to the events of the story. This one could be a cathartic experience for audiences still reeling from Endgame
6. The Secret Life of Pets 2
I really did not care for this first film, but it made $368 million. This is a movie that is geared right towards little kids who ate it up the first time and I see no reason they won't go for it the second time around.
7. Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw
This is the first spin-off of the Fast and Furious franchise. Internationally, these are gigantic hits and the last movie in the franchise made $226 million. If you give Dwayne Johnson the right material, people will come and see his movies, as we saw with Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. This looks like silly, high octane action that audience may eat up.
8. Men in Black: International
The reason I have this on the top ten is because of it's connection to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The last MIB movie made the least at $179 million. I think this one will make slightly more as the two leads are the stars of the last Thor movie and they are also going to be riding the Endgame wave.
9. Godzilla: King of the Monsters
The last American Godzilla movie made $200 million. However, it's most immediate predecessor of this new shared universe, Kong: Skull Island, made $168 million. I think this will top Kong, but it will hover around the other Godzilla.
10. Dora and the Lost City of Gold
This is my wild card. It is dropping late in the summer with little competition and it just might pull in the little kids who remember Dora fondly and parent who think that their kids will like it since so many of them grew up with her.
Robin Williams is irraplacable, but this movie should have enough nostalgia and energy to bring in an all-ages crowd. I put this under The Lion King, because the changes in casting here are significant. It shows great insight that Jon Favreau made sure to get James Earl Jones to once again play Mufasa. We will see if Will Smith can bring his own spin to the Genie.
5. Spider-Man: Far From Home
The previous Spider-Man made over $334 million. But I think that this one will top that because it is leaning so heavily into Endgame. Last year's Ant-Man and the Wasp, also came out after the Avengers movie, but it was not emotionally connected to the events of the story. This one could be a cathartic experience for audiences still reeling from Endgame
6. The Secret Life of Pets 2
I really did not care for this first film, but it made $368 million. This is a movie that is geared right towards little kids who ate it up the first time and I see no reason they won't go for it the second time around.
7. Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw
This is the first spin-off of the Fast and Furious franchise. Internationally, these are gigantic hits and the last movie in the franchise made $226 million. If you give Dwayne Johnson the right material, people will come and see his movies, as we saw with Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. This looks like silly, high octane action that audience may eat up.
8. Men in Black: International
The reason I have this on the top ten is because of it's connection to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The last MIB movie made the least at $179 million. I think this one will make slightly more as the two leads are the stars of the last Thor movie and they are also going to be riding the Endgame wave.
9. Godzilla: King of the Monsters
The last American Godzilla movie made $200 million. However, it's most immediate predecessor of this new shared universe, Kong: Skull Island, made $168 million. I think this will top Kong, but it will hover around the other Godzilla.
10. Dora and the Lost City of Gold
This is my wild card. It is dropping late in the summer with little competition and it just might pull in the little kids who remember Dora fondly and parent who think that their kids will like it since so many of them grew up with her.
I did put Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood and Detective Picachu in my alternates, but I did not predict John Wick. Last year I got 9 out of 10 correct. But this year is earning me some humility as my record this time is 7/10.
So here are my conclusions.
WINNERS
1. MARVEL/DISNEY
Just like last year, Marvel/Disney dominated the box office. If you count Spider-Man as a Disney related property (though it is a Sony film), then these movies took up all five of the top spots. Not only that, but the gulf between hits is extrodinary. #5 Aladdin made $354 million which is more than double #6 John Wick at $170 million. This wasn't just a close call. In fact, if you add up the TOTAL box office for #6-10, it is less than Avengers: Endgame box office.
2. Franchise Films (AGAIN)
Only Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood is the non-franchise film in the top 10. Critics constantly complain about the glut of franchise films, but they clearly are a safer bet at the box office if you build up good-will with the audience. Even the spin-off film Hobbs and Shaw did incredibly well.
3. John Wick
Nothing threw off my predictions more than John Wick. I didn't put it into the predictions for top ten because it is an R-rated film, and those tend not to make as much money. Also, the last film failed to make it to $100 million. Most franchises like this begin to lose steam by the 3rd film. But something must be going on in the pop culture where John Wick is really catching on. It is constantly played on TV now and there are strong connections to Fortnite. The second John Wick doubled the first one's box office. And miraculously, Chapter 3 has doubled Chapter 2 and made it to $170 million. The success of this series is a suprise, but one that I greatly enjoy.
4. Quentin Tarantino
The Hateful Eight was a terrible film. Whenever someone who is thought to be some kind of auteur loses his way, the question becomes if they have gone over the hill. Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood has proved that Tarantino can still make original content and bring in audiences. As I wrote in my review, I wasn't the biggest fan of this movie. But it was intriguining enough to have me talking about it for weeks and weeks after.
LOSERS
1. Franchise Films
While franchise films were big winners, they were also big losers. Godzilla, Shaft, Men in Black International, and Dark Phoenix all seriously under-performed. This is an important warning that while having a movie in a popular franchise is a safer bet, there is no sure thing.
While franchise films were big winners, they were also big losers. Godzilla, Shaft, Men in Black International, and Dark Phoenix all seriously under-performed. This is an important warning that while having a movie in a popular franchise is a safer bet, there is no sure thing.
2. FOX
The highest grossing FOX movie this summer was Dark Phoenix, which was a specatacular bomb.
----
I'll be finishing up my summer movie reviews soon, but there was a lot of hit or miss this year.
I'll be finishing up my summer movie reviews soon, but there was a lot of hit or miss this year.
Here's the thing: I want to go to the movies. I am willing to spend my hard-earned dollars to be taken away inside of a darkened theater. But if you don't give me a good quality, I will save my money and binge-watch Stranger Things Season 3.
But in terms of ranking by quality, here are the rankings of the summer movies I saw in 2019.
Thoughts?
No comments:
Post a Comment