Since this coming Memorial Day weekend is often considered the start of the summer movie season, I was going to write about all the movies that I planned to see this summer. However, when I looked through this summer’s release schedule, I realized that there’s no more than 5 movies that I may go and see and only about 3 that I’m planning to see (I’ve already got tickets for 1 movie). Unless there’s an unexpected blockbuster or a “Barbenheimer” situation that I’m not aware of yet, it looks like this will be a fairly slow box office this summer.
2024 is already slower than last year. So far, the best domestic opening weekend of 2024 is $82.5 million for “Dune Part 2” followed by “Godzilla x Kong The New Empire” with $80 million (this time last year there were 3 movies that had an opening weekend over $100 million). The total domestic box office for a 3-day weekend was higher than $100 million only 4 out of 20 weekends since the start of 2024 (last year it was higher than $100 million 13 out of 20 weekends – and over $200 million one weekend).
Judging by this summer’s current release schedule (which is subject to change), it doesn’t look like the box office will be catching up to last year. Some weekends have only 1 major studio release, and there’s almost no weekends that have more that 2 major studio releases.
May 24 (Memorial Day weekend): T unofficial first weekend of the summer has 2 major movie releases. “Garfield” should attract the kids and families while the R rated “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” should attract the adults. So, the total domestic box office should be good, but I don’t think either of the movies will make over $100 million at the domestic box office by itself – even over 4 days.
May 31: The only studio releases for the weekend after Memorial Day are smaller releases. The animated “Haikyuu!! The Dumpster Battle” from Crunchyroll/Sony and the biographical drama “Young Woman and the Sea” starring Daisy Ridley from Walt Disney Pictures. I’m guessing previously released movies will do better than both new releases.
June 7: The action movie sequel “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” will probably rule this weekend but the horror/thriller “The Watchers” – the first movie written directed by M. Night Shyamalan’s daughter Ishana Shyamalan – could do fairly well.
June 14: Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” is the only major studio release this weekend. I’m sure it will bring all the children and families since it’s the only Pixar movie release this year. Plus, most children are now on summer vacation.
(“Inside Out 2” is one of the 3 movies I’m planning on going to see since I usually like Pixar movies).
June 21: This weekend is for dramas. The two major releases are “The Bikeriders” starring Jodie Comer, Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, and Michael Shannon and “Kinds of Kindness” which reunites “Poor Things” star Emma Stone (who won the Academy Award for the movie) and Willem Dafoe with director Yourgos Lanthimos (who was nominated for an Academy Award for “Poor Things”).
June 28: The horror/sci-fi/thriller prequel “A Quiet Place: Day One” will probably rule this weekend. However, the western “Horizon An American Saga – Chapter 1” from co-writer and director and star Kevin Costner could make some money. Although the reviews of that movie after the recent Cannes screening haven’t been that good.
July 3/July 5 (4th of July 5 day weekend) – Just like “Inside Out 2” a couple weeks before, “Despicable Me 4” seems to be the only major theatrical release this 5-day holiday weekend although “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” will be playing in a few movie theaters before it starts playing on Netflix.
July 12: It looks like the Sony Pictures/Apple comedy romance “Fly Me to the Moon” starring Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum is the only major release this weekend. I’m guessing last weekends movie will make more money than the new release.
July 19: This weekends only major release is “Twisters”. The “it’s not a sequel” (but it is a reboot) of the 1996 movie “Twister”.
(not quite sure about this movie. I may go see it.)
July 26: There’s a reason why there’s only 1 major release this weekend. It’s because what is predicted to be the BIGGEST MOVIE RELEASE of the summer and maybe the entire year (although it will probably get an R rating) will be released. Marvels highly anticipated “Deadpool & Wolverine”. Advance tickets went on sale for the movie a few days ago and opening weekend is ALREADY SOLD OUT at various movie theaters.
(I’ve already got my tickets to see it!!!!)
Aug 2: I’m sure the previous weekends movie will stay at #1 this weekend since the only major release is the family film “Harold and the Purple Crayon”
Aug 9: For the first time this summer there are 3 major releases this weekend. The first is the M Night Shyamalan mystery thriller “Trap”, the second is the romantic drama “It Ends With Us”, and the third is the sci-fi adventure “Borderlands” based on the hit video game. I think it could be a race to see which of these movies will be #1 this weekend. If all 3 of them don’t do that well, it could be “Deadpool and Wolverine” still #1 for the 3rd weekend.
(I know someone who worked on “Borderlands”, and he said it’s a great movie. It does have some big name stars including Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis, and (the voice of) Jack Black. That’s why it was on my list of movies to see last year. However, the first trailer for the movie makes it look like a copy of Marvels “Guardians of the Galaxy”. It’s still on my list of movies to see)
Aug 16: If Chapter 1 of the Kevin Costner western is popular in June, then “Horizon An American Saga – Chapter 2” should also be popular when it comes out Aug 16. If not, the sequel/reboot “Alien: Romulus” will rule this weekend. Since Disney/20th Century Studios is releasing the movie, the movie will have the advantage of taking some of the screens still showing “Deadpool & Wolverine”.
August 23: Summer is starting to wind down by this weekend. The major releases are the comedy/drama/mystery “Blink Twice” and remake of “The Crow”.
August 30 (Labor Day weekend): The summer ends with a whimper with only the movie “They Listen” -which MIGHT be a horror movie (the internet says “plot under wraps”) – releasing over Labor Day weekend.
There are also some wide releases that will be coming out after the summer movie season ends including the long-awaited sequel “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice” (Sept 6), the thriller “Wolfs” starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt (Sept 20), and the highly anticipated sequel “Joker Folie a Deux” (Oct 4).
However, unlike last year when the Memorial Day 4-day weekend and the 4th of July 5-day weekend had domestic box office totals of around $200 million and there was one 3-day weekend which had a domestic box office total of $310 million (July 21-23, 2023 – which is the weekend when “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” opened), the only weekend that couple pass a domestic total of $200 million is the weekend “Deadpool and Wolverine” comes out. I’m sure that movie theaters will be on the lookout for this years “Barbenheimer” all summer.
LOS ANGELES FILM REVIEW 