Big budget franchises have been raking in the dough this year with impressive box office numbers. Films like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, The Fate Of The Furious, and Logan have all made impressive runs in theaters worldwide.
But the summer season doesn’t look as promising according to industry folk who are predicting the worst box office turnout in ten years.
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A new report from the Los Angeles Times indicates that some in Hollywood are preparing for dismal turnouts this summer as lackluster sequels could lead to franchise fatigue. The report points at the many tentpoles consisting of entries in long-running series.
“Some of the tent poles are just not as strong this year,” said head of domestic distribution for 20th Century Fox Chris Aronson. “Pirates? It’s the fifth one. Transformers? It’s the fifth one.”
It should be noted that Aronson’s own company is releasing the sixth Alien movie and the umpteenth Planet of the Apes movie.
While there are some “sure things” that will hit at the box office like the animated Despicable Me 3 and Cars 3, the report states that there is optimism and hope surrounding sleeper successes for films like the horror It Comes At Night, action romp Atomic Blonde, and Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver.
Films such as Wonder Woman, Dunkirk, and Baywatch are all looking like expensive risks but companies are hopeful despite the projections of Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, which is expected to pull in just $25 million domestically this weekend.
“There’s so many movies that could go one way or another,” said Boxoffice.com’s chief analyst Shawn Robbins.
The report also mentions the success of the Fate Of The Furious in international markets, describing how studio plans are shifting for the international market.
It remains to be seen if this year’s summer season will be dismal for domestic box office returns, but unless there’s a surprise hit a la Get Out, studio executives could be bracing themselves for a long year.
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