Well everyone, it’s that time of year again, my favorite
time of year, The Summer Movie Season! The
2013 offerings include a number of gambles, but moviegoers are in for some big
surprises. Here is a small preview of
what we have to look forward to and my prediction for top movie of the summer. Granted, this breakdown doesn’t include all
of the 109 new films hitting between now and August, but I’ve covered the
favorites and I’m largely judging on pre-season exposure, perceived quality,
and box-office potential.
May:
The Powerhouse Sequels
Iron Man 3 (May 3rd)
Star Trek Into
Darkness (May 17th)
The Hangover Part III (May
24th)
Fast & Furious 6
(May 24th)
: Following the
success of The Avengers, it is
absolutely no surprise that Iron Man 3
is the most anticipated film of the Summer, and as the first entry in Marvel’s
Phase Two, fans cannot wait to see Robert Downey, Jr. gear up with his new
armors to take down Ben Kingsley. Star Trek Into Darkness is currently
enjoying a massive marketing effort and will benefit from positive reaction to
its predecessor, while The Hangover Part
III must overcome potential audience bias after Part II was widely reviled. As
for Fast & Furious 6, having
already seen Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson team up, I know that audiences will
love the fast-paced action and lose their minds after the post-credits scene.
The Standalone
Potential Blockbusters
After Earth (May
31st)
Now You See Me
(May 31st)
: After Earth may
share some associations with Tom Cruise’s Oblivion,
but in having Will and Jaden Smith team together, Columbia Pictures has a true
heavyweight on its hands, even if it is directed by M. Night Shaymalan. However, in terms of sheer potential, I
cannot wait for Now You See Me, a
thriller-caper that includes everyone from Jesse Eisenberg and Mark Ruffalo to
Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine. It’s
like The Prestige meets Ocean’s Eleven, so with some truly
original storytelling and sharp direction by Louis Leterrier, Now You See Me can end up becoming the
biggest pleasant surprise of the summer.
The Crowd-Pleasing
Comedies
Peeples (May 10th)
: It may not be the highest-profile
comedy of the Summer, but after three years of analyzing the box office, I have
learned to never ever underestimate the draw of a Tyler Perry comedy. Based on early previews, Craig Robinson and
David Alan Grier look absolutely hysterical together, and as the only true
comedy throughout May, it is likely that Peeples
will have a considerable impact.
The Question Marks
The Great Gatsby
(May 10th)
: It seemed like a
perfect fit for its originally-slated Holiday 2012 release, but in being
delayed to one of the first entries of The Summer Movie Season, not even
stylish previews and the draw of Leonardo DiCaprio can keep The Great Gatsby from feeling out of
place. I, along with countless others,
read the classic book when I was in high school, and I am curious to see the
big-budget adaptation, but I’m not sure that audiences will respond to a slow-paced
drama during the notoriously lighthearted May schedule.
The Animated and
Family-Friendlies:
Epic (May 24th)
: As the first entry
of a remarkably-stacked animated release schedule, Epic may not have the backing of Pixar or the expectations of a
sequel, but 20th Century Fox has been executing a clever marketing
campaign that is building massive buzz for its newest family entry. Beyond drawing obvious associations to the
classic FernGully, promotions for Epic have been leveraging the all-star
voice cast which includes Amanda Seyfried, Aziz Ansari, Christoph Waltz, and Beyoncé
Knowles…I’ve been championing that marketing tactic for years, so hopefully it
pays off in a big way.
June:
The Standalone
Potential Blockbusters
The Purge (June 7th)
Man of Steel (June
14th)
: Despite a
relatively secretive marketing campaign and significant controversy over some
of the casting decisions, in the hands of Zack Snyder and Christopher Nolan, geek
anticipation for Man of Steel is
through the roof, with many expecting the true blue superhero to launch DC’s
shared cinematic universe and finally start a competition with Marvel. Now that Iron
Man 3 has officially released, marketing tactics for WB’s powerhouse can
shift into overdrive and start disassociating form 2006’s disappointing Superman Returns, thereby paving the way
for one of the strongest performances of the summer. Aside from the superhero genre, another thriller
is flying-in under the radar to make an impact on the June market, as The Purge features Ethan Hawke participating
in an exciting horror premise in which peaceful society is shattered when all
crime is declared legal for a period of 12 hours…color me intrigued.
The Crowd-Pleasing
Comedies
The Internship (June
7th)
This is the End (June
12th)
The Heat (June 28th)
: June is definitely
the summer month for laughs, with buddy comedies featuring not only a Wedding Crashers reunion in the form of Owen
Wilson and Vince Vaughn’s The Internship,
but also pairing audience favorites like Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock together
in The Heat. However, the biggest expectations have to lie
with This is the End, an apocalyptic
comedy featuring nearly every young comedic actor in Hollywood portraying exaggerated
versions of themselves. If you don’t
laugh at the trailer featuring Seth Rogen and Danny McBride reacting to being
robbed by Emma Watson, then I’m afraid that you may have been born without a
sense of humor.
The Question Marks
World War Z (June 21st)
White House Down (June
28th)
: White House Down is essentially a carbon
copy of March’s Olympus Has Fallen,
so some audience fatigue will unquestionably weaken the draw of Channing Tatum
and Jamie Foxx’s action-thriller, but I’m still not sure how I should react to World War Z. I adore the horror novel that serves as the
source material for Brad Pitt’s newest project, but development of the film was
plagued with delays and re-writes, while early trailers make almost no effort
to reveal that zombies are at the center of the portrayed conflict. The zombie genre is currently enjoying an insanely
high level of popularity, but with limited accessibility for a book-to-screen
translation and laughably-bad special effects detailing the undead; World War Z may finally end up souring
the public on flesh-eaters.
The Animated and
Family-Friendlies:
Monsters University (June
21st)
: There may be a hell
of a lot of competition on the animated landscape this summer, but Pixar is the
early favorite with the highly-anticipated sequel to one of its most successful
and revered properties. John Goodman and
Billy Crystal are returning at everyone’s favorite monsters, and if the early
trailers depicting Mike and Sully in college weren’t enough to grab your attention,
the later promotions modeled after standard university commercials were nothing
short of brilliant, so kids and parents alike have to be thrilled.
July:
The Powerhouse
Sequels
Grown Ups 2 (July 12th)
Red 2 (July 19th)
The Wolverine
(July 26th)
: It may be a bit of a stretch to label Grown Ups 2 as a “powerhouse,” but the original ensemble comedy was
just charming enough to disguise the fact that Adam Sandler’s career is on life
support, so maybe the sequel is a necessary evil to drive the final nail in the
coffin. Now, Red 2 is an entirely different story, as I loved the original and
am truly amped that Catherine Zeta-Jones and Anthony Hopkins will be joining
Willis, Malkovich, and Mirren as aged, ass-kicking assassins. And even though it isn’t necessarily a sequel
in its purest form, The Wolverine has
to be the biggest buzz-builder of July, sending Hugh Jackman all the way to
Japan in an attempt to distance itself as far as possible from the steaming
pile that was X-Men Origins.
The Standalone
Potential Blockbusters
Pacific Rim (July 12th)
The Conjuring
(July 19th)
: Offering yet
another thoroughly creepy look at a haunting within a New England, there is
little doubt that The Conjuring will
find a definitive audience looking for a few chills and thrills in the middle
of summer with the help of Vera Farminga and Patrick Wilson. As for Pacific
Rim, the trailers look absolutely brilliant, with Guillermo del Toro
working alongside Idris Elba to form a hybrid of Avatar and Transformers
that will demand IMAX 3D screenings.
Very few details of the plot have been released, but the Warner Bros.
science fiction film has all the makings of a classic, having giant monsters
battle giant robots in what looks like an updated version of a fistfight
between Godzilla and The MegaZord...that set-up is almost too awesome for
words.
The Question Marks
The Lone Ranger (July
3rd)
R.I.P.D. (July 19th)
: I love both Ryan
Reynolds and Jeff Bridges, but R.I.P.D.
looks like nothing more than a bastardized version of Men in Black that is futilely trying to capture some of the charm
that was showcased in Ghostbusters;
needless to say, I will be shocked if the sci-fi action-comedy actually ends up
being a decent film. And with easily one
of the shakiest development periods in recent memory, one which included many
over-budget delays and rewrites that once included werewolves, The Lone Ranger has a hell of a lot to
prove. It may come from the same minds
that brought together the Pirates of the
Caribbean franchise and include Johnny Depp in his best type of role, but
there is no middle ground here, so be prepared for a full-blown hit or total
disaster.
The Animated and
Family-Friendlies:
Despicable Me 2 (July
3rd)
Turbo (July 17th)
The Smurfs 2 (July
31st)
: While I’m pretty
sure that someone sold their soul to get The
Smurfs 2 made, Despicable Me 2
has to be one of the most anticipated animated sequels of all time, because
absolutely everyone loved the gibberish-spouting Minions once they first
appeared and left an indelible impact on pop culture. If DreamWorks wants to have a chance of
competing with its newest entry, Turbo,
they had better start promoting the hell out of the racing snail and leveraging
the star-studded cast that includes Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, Samuel L.
Jackson, and Snoop Dogg/Lion.
August:
The Powerhouse
Sequels
Percy Jackson: Sea of
Monsters (August 9th)
Kick-Ass 2 (August
16th)
: Being a
full-fledged comic book geek, I am understandably thrilled for Kick-Ass 2, the irreverent action comedy
that will have Chloë Grace Moretz returning as the foul-mouthed badass Hit Girl and will suit up Jim
Carrey as the thoroughly demented Colonel Stars and Stripes…never has the
combination of gore and sarcasm been so well-received by the teenage
demographic. And because it played so
strongly off of my inherent love for Greek Mythology, I adored 2010’s The Lightning Thief, so I cannot wait
for Logan Lerman and Brandon T. Jackson to return with Sea of Monsters.
The Standalone
Potential Blockbusters
2 Guns (August 2nd)
Elysium (August 9th)
Paranoia (August
16th)
You’re Next
(August 23rd)
: Now that we are venturing deeper into August, it is a little
difficult to get finer details on some of the lesser known upcoming releases,
but the pairing of Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg should be enough to peak
interest for 2 Guns, while Paranoia and You’re Next will appeal to the horror and thriller crowds. Perhaps the biggest August buzz builder is Elysium, a science fiction drama that
will pit Matt Damon and Jodie Foster against each other in a dystopian
future. Neil Blomkamp and Sharlto Copley
wowed audiences with 2009’s District 9,
so their involvement with a project benefiting from Matt Damon’s star power
has to be a good sign.
The Crowd-Pleasing
Comedies
We’re the Millers
(August 9th)
The To Do List
(August 16th)
The World’s End
(August 23rd)
: The World’s End will reunite Simon Pegg
and Nick Frost (a definitive plus), while The
To Do List represents a delayed red band comedy that features Christopher
Mintz-Plasse and Aubrey Plaza, but the biggest expectations have to lie with We’re the Millers. Boasting the premise of an amateur pot-dealer
hiring a fake family to transport a huge shipment of weed, We’re the Millers should benefit greatly from a cast that includes
Jennifer Aniston, Jason Sudeikis, and Ed Helms…prepare for big laughs.
The Question Marks
300: Rise of An Empire
(August 2nd)
Grandmasters (August
23rd)
The Mortal
Instruments: City of Bones (August 23rd)
: City of Bones is an adaptation of an
adventure fantasy book series by Cassandra Clare, and Grandmasters is a stylish foreign martial arts epic from the
Weinstein Company, so both have a potential audience, but 300: Rise of An Empire could turn into a massive disaster. Trying to act as a prequel to the insanely
successful 2007 action spectacular, 300,
Rise of the Empire features none of
the original cast aside from King Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro), and with no
indicator of similar levels of battle, the odds are pretty thin that lightning
will strike the same place twice.
The Animated and
Family-Friendlies:
Planes (August 9th)
: In an attempt to
distinguish itself from Pixar, DisneyToon Studios is releasing a spin-off of
the Cars franchise in the first entry
of a planned trilogy that was initially relegated to direct-to-video status. Given the fact that Cars is perhaps the weakest Disney/Pixar property, Planes seems like nothing more than an
attempt to cash-in on audience familiarity by exploiting younger viewers, and
with Dane Cook as the leading character, a positive reception isn’t very
likely.
The Summer 2013 Winner
Iron Man 3
(May 3rd)
Runner-Up:
Man of Steel (June 14th)
: Tony Stark is the
unrivaled poster boy of the insanely successful Marvel Cinematic Universe, and
because it is perceived as more of a follow-up to The Avengers as opposed to a sequel to Iron Man 2, the third entry in the comic book trilogy is set to
strike the box office like a warhead.
Already earning $345 million overseas before its U.S. release, Iron Man 3 is tracking to be one of the
strongest openings ever, thereby paving the way for a financial haul that is
unlikely to be matched. Star Trek Into Darkness will have
impressive numbers, but the only entity to truly challenge the billionaire
playboy philanthropist this summer is The Last Son of Krypton. Superman has an insanely popular
international presence, but because Warner Bros. has been so tight-lipped
regarding the plot elements of Man of
Steel, overall anticipation for the DC property has yet to match the levels
generated by Marvel. Marketing tactics
are sure to skyrocket as the June release comes closer, but it may be too
little, too late, especially since so many moviegoers felt let down by Superman Returns.
So, that’s it, the 2013 Summer Movie Season broken down with
my early reactions and box-office predictions.
Given my work schedule, there might be a gap in my reviews, but keep
checking back and please keep reading!
Your continued support means a lot, so please enjoy all that the theater
has to offer!
