“Handicapping the summer movie clashes”
We’re barely into January 2010 and already the LA Times is handicapping how summer movies will fare at the box office:
About 40% of all movie tickets are sold between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and as the studios try to squeeze more dollars from the vacation season, they not only are expanding the parameters of what defines the summer (Marvel and Paramount’s “ Iron Man 2” opens on May 7) but also inevitably packing numerous movies into some key weekends like so many cars on the 405 Freeway.
As is often the case, some of the year’s most-anticipated movies — DreamWorks’ “Shrek Forever After” on May 21, for example — will open alone, with the competition steering clear. It’s the same wide berth given last summer to Paramount’s “Star Trek,” Sony’s “Angels & Demons” and Warner Bros.’ “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” all of which premiered with no new national releases against them.
But even with studios staking out release dates well beyond our imagining — DreamWorks already has claimed May 25, 2012, for “Madagascar 3” and penciled in “Shrek 5” for 2013 — it’s inevitable there will be any number of bloody clashes. This past summer, Sony’s “Year One” dared to premiere directly opposite Disney’s “The Proposal,” and we know how well that turned out for Jack Black.
Per this post and this post, here is the slate of summer movies:
May 7
Iron Man 2 (Paramount): Robert Downey, Jr., Mickey Rourke
Action, Superhero
The continuing adventures of billionaire industrialist Tony Stark and his alter-ego, Iron Man.
Letters to Juliet (Summit): Amanda Seyfried, Vanessa Redgrave
Drama, Romance
An American girl on vacation in Italy finds an unanswered “letter to Juliet” — one of thousands of missives left at the fictional lover’s Verona courtyard, which are typically answered by a the “secretaries of Juliet” — and she goes on a quest to find the lovers referenced in the letter.
May 14
Robin Hood (Universal): Russell Crowe, Kate Blanchett
Action, Drama, Historical
The story of an archer in the army of Richard Coeur de Lion who fights against the Norman invaders and becomes the legendary hero known as Robin Hood.
May 21
Shrek Forever After (Dreamworks): Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz
Comedy, Fantasy, Animation
The further adventures of the giant green ogre, Shrek, living in the land of Far, Far Away.
May 28
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (Disney): Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton
Action, Fantasy
An adventurous prince teams up with a rival princess to stop an angry ruler from unleashing a sandstorm that could destroy the world.
Sex and the City 2 (New Line): Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis
Romance, Comedy
June 4
Killers (Lionsgate): Ashton Kutcher, Katherine Heigl
Thriller
A former hitman’s seemingly perfect life with his wife is turned upside down when he discovers that their neighbors may be assassins hired to kill them.
Marmaduke (20th Century Fox): Judy Greer, Lee Pace
Family, Comedy
The Winslows move from Kansas to Orange County with their dog Marmaduke, a slobbery pooch who creates chaos wherever he goes.
June 11
The A-Team (20th Century Fox): Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper
Action
A group of ex-military commandos escape from a military prison and roam America, handling covert operations for money. Their latest incarnation revolves around a group of Iraq War veterans looks to clear their name with the U.S. military, who suspect the four men of committing a crime for which they were framed.
Get Him to the Greek (Universal): Jonah Hill, Russell Brand
Comedy
A record company intern is hired to accompany out-of-control British rock star Aldous Snow to a concert at L.A.’s Greek Theater.
The Karate Kid (Columbia): Jackie Chan, Jaden Smith
Action, Family
Set in China, the story follows a bullied youth who learns to stand up for himself with the help of an eccentric mentor.
June 18
Jonah Hex (Warner Bros.): Josh Brolin, John Malkovich
Action
Hex, known for having the right side of his face disfigured and wearing a Confederate army uniform, was a rough-and-tumble gunslinger and part-time bounty hunter whose adventures always ended in blood.
Toy Story 3 (Disney): Tom Hanks, Tim Allen
Comedy, Family, Animation
Woody, Buzz, and the rest of their toy-box friends are dumped in a day-care center after their owner, Andy, departs for college.
June 25
Grown Ups (Columbia): Kevin James, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider, David Spade.
Comedy
Five best friends from high school reunite 30 years later on a Fourth of July weekend.
June 30
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (Summit): Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson
Drama, Romance, Fantasy
Lovestruck teenager Bella must choose between her vampire boyfriend Edward and werewolf Jacob.
July 2
Knight & Day (20th Century Fox): Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz
Romance, Comedy
A secret agent pops in and out of the life of a single woman who has terrible luck with men.
The Last Airbender (Paramount): Dev Patel, Noah Ringer
Adventure, Fantasy, Animation
The film is about the successor to a long line of Avatars who must put aside his irresponsible ways to save the world.
July 9
Despicable Me (Universal): Steve Carrell, Jason Segel
Comedy, Family, Animation
In a happy suburban neighborhood surrounded by white picket fences with flowering rose bushes, sits a black house with a dead lawn. Unbeknownst to the neighbors, hidden beneath this home is a vast secret hideout. Surrounded by a small army of minions, we discover Gru (voiced by Steve Carell), planning the biggest heist in the history of the world. He is going to steal the moon.
Predators (20th Century Fox): Adrien Brody, Alice Braga
Action, Sci-Fi
A mercenary is trying to keep his team alive when its members are hunted by the aliens.
July 16
Inception (Warner Bros.): Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page
Action, Sci-Fi
Corporations have developed a technology to enter dreams to extract information from certain peoples’ heads. A CEO (Leonardo DiCaprio) enters dreams and things begin to escalate, taking a turn for the worst.
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (Disney): Nicholas Cage, Jay Baruchel
Action, Adventure
In contemporary New York, a wizard searches for an apprentice.
July 23
Dinner for Schmucks (Paramount): Steve Carrell, Paul Rudd
Comedy
An extraordinarily stupid man possesses the ability to ruin the life of anyone who spends more than a few minutes in his company.
Salt (Columbia):Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber
Thriller
A CIA officer is accused by a defector of being a Russian sleeper spy and must elude capture long enough to establish her innocence.
July 30
Beastly (CBS Films): Vanessa Hudgens, Alex Pettyfer
Fantasy, Horror, Romance
An arrogant 17-year-old who’s hideously transformed in order to find true romance.
Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore (Warner Bros.): Chris O’Donnell, Jack McBrayer
Adventure, Family,
Little Fockers (Universal): Ben Stiller, Robert DeNiro
Comedy
The Focker and the Byrnes families brace themselves for the arrival of a baby.
Morning Glory (Paramount): Harrison Ford, Rachel McAdams
Comedy
An aspiring news producer tries to save a failing morning show by getting control of its feuding anchors.
August 6
The Other Guys (Columbia): Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg
Comedy, Action
Step-Up 3D (Disney): Harry Shum Jr., Adam G. Sevani
Music, Drama, Romance
August 13
Friday the 13th Part 2 in 3D (New Line): Damian Shannon, Mark Swift
Horror, Thriller
Ramona and Beezus (20th Century Fox): Selana Gomez, Josh Duhamel
Comedy, Family
Follows the misadventures of young grade schooler Ramona Quimby from Beverly Cleary’s popular children’s book series.
August 20
The Expendables (Lionsgate): Sylvester Stallone, Jet Li
Action, Adventure
A team of mercenaries are on a mission to overthrow a South American dictator.
August 27
Resident Evil: Afterlife (Screen Gems): Milla Jovovich, Boris Kodjoe
Action, Horror, Sci-Fi
September 1
The American (Focus): George Clooney, Bruce Altman
Drama
An assassin hides out in an idyllic Italian town before carrying out a final assignment. He resists his usual aversion to human interaction, and his friendships and romantic entanglements complicate his mission.
September 3
Born to Be a Star (Columbia): Christina Ricci, Nick Swardson
Comedy
A small-town nerd stumbles upon a family secret: His quiet and demure parents were famous porn stars in the 1970s. This motivates him to leave Northern Iowa for Hollywood, hoping to follow in their footsteps and fulfill his destiny as the biggest adult-film star in the world.
I know there wasn’t much enthusiasm for this roster of movies when I first posted them a month ago. After you check out the Times article, what movies do you think stand the best chance at becoming a blockbuster at the box office?
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