2012 was a big year for the box office, with beginning of two massive series The Avengers and The
Hunger Games, the concluding chapter to the Batman series, The Dark Knight rises, and the Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn Part 2. Along with these films James Bond proved to have his most successful film ever with Skyfall. 2013's big budget films may not prove to be as strong as 2012, but there are some great potential films on the way. Here is the list of some potential block busters, and some that could major losers.
March is the first month with the biggest potential, although February's Live Free or Die Hard will capitalize on a slow winter.
Oz: The Great and Powerful (March)-This film looks like it could be great, and like with the live action Alice in Wonderland, there is a built in fan base of Oz obsessed fans. With a great cast including James Franco, Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams, and Rachel Weisz, this tale will do great at the box office.
The Host (March)-Another Stephanie Meyer film comes to theatres, The Host does not have the same following as Twilight, but Meyer fans may just not be able to resist the spell she has on her followers. With the talented Saorise Ronan, the film could surprise and not be as bad as Twilight. One thing is for sure The Host will cash in at the box office.
G.I. Joe: Retaliation (March)-The first GI Joe was not a big hit, fans showed up, but disappointment soon followed, when the film strayed away from the actual background, and the characters. This sequel packs the punches with Bruce Willis, The Rock, and was re-shot to include the box office king Channing Tatum. Knowing what they know now this sequel may be an even bigger hit than the first film.
Move quickly past April, and straight into May for the beginning of the Summer box office bonanza. May is stacked with four weeks of back to back films that could pull in a lot of money at the box office. Making the question, why don't the studios spread out these films more, an obvious question. I feel like Arthur from The Holiday when I talk about things like this, but the studio system will only get worse before it gets better. Check out the rest of the Summer too!
Iron Man 3 (May)-The last film opened strong, but flat lined as the weeks went on. Fans showed up right away, but soon realized this sequel did not have the heart, and was not as good as the first one. The third film's trailer has me excited, and worried they are once again taking on too much, and not keeping the film simple enough. The villain Mandarin could be a big hit, or flop. One thing is for sure, fans will head to this in droves the first weekend, especially with another tent pole Avengers clip at the end.
The Great Gatsby (May)-This Leo DiCaprio film was first intended to open around Christmas this year, but the film was pushed back to May 2013. That signaled my non existent Spidey sense that this was a flop in the making, and the studios were pushing it back because they did not want to compete with Oscar fare. This may be true, but every time I see the preview or mention this film, people are still excited to see Leo on the big screen. Throw in some Baz Lurhman theatrics and even more are sold.
Star Trek: Into Darkness (May)-My most anticipated film of the year. The original was one of the best films of 2009, and the sequel looks just as good, although that's something hard act to follow. With J.J. Abrams still in the director's seat this film series will get the love and care it deserves to continue on, the cast is impeccable and with Benedict Cumberbatch rumored to play Khan, there is no stopping this sequel.
Fast and the Furious 6 (May)-I honestly do not get the appeal of this series, but the fifth film was one of the highest grossing films of the year, a few years ago. With many of the same major players returning there is no reason fans will not show up in full force. I was hoping they would call this The Fastest and Most Furious, but no luck.
Man of Steel (June)-The last Superman reboot, Superman Returns starring Brandon Routh as the titular
character was a massive train wreck. Director Bryan Singer gave up on the third X-Men to take on this project, and that film failed. Man of Steel, looks like it could be a good step in the next level with smarter casting, but a director who is even more self-indulgant than any working today, Zack Snyder. Superman is the most popular super hero, for some odd reason, and his fans will show up in their red capes, and potentially even some tight blue spandex, God willing.
This is the End (June)-I have been looking forward to this Seth Rogen directed/written project for years with Seth Rogen, James Franco, Paul Rudd, Jonah Hill, Emma Watson, Jason Segal, Mindy Kailing, Michael Cera, Danny McBride, Jay Baruchal, and many more, all playing, well themselves, in an apocalyptic comedy. You could not ask for a better cast?
Monsters University (June)-One of, if not the most under rated Pixar films. Monsters Inc was re-released in 3-D this December, but the re-release has flatlined at the box office. The reason, people are tired of the Disney 3-D re-release. This is "the big Pixar film" of the year and like years past this will have people excited to go to the movies.
World War Z (June)-The book has a lot of fans, but trailer, and Pitt's casting has seemed to polarize people left and right. Yet after vampires zombies are the next most popular type of movie and television series. The preview looks action packed, and will no doubt draw large crowds. While I do not think this will make massive amounts of money, and may not do as well as planned. Marc Forster (
Finding Neverland) is an odd pick as the director of this film.
The Lone Ranger (July)- Johnny Depp is not always a big box office draw, but that's typically when they are smaller films. Johnny Depp and Gore Verbinski worked together on another wild west interpretation, Rango. While Rango was an atypical animated film, The Lone Ranger has a following, and this big budget film could be a big hit, or a massive flop.
Despicable Me 2 (July)-The first was a sleeper hit that took the box office by storm, and audiences hearts melted for Gru and the three young girls. Who knows what the plot of this film will be, but my bet is that audiences will show up yet again to watch the sequel.
Pacific Rim (July)-Guillermo del Torro's giant robots got the most attention from Comic Con, and based on that reception this films word of mouth, has helped get a lot of interest in the film. This film could be a massive hit in the vein of Transformers, with audiences needing giant robots. Hopefully the quality matches the height of the robots.
The Wolverine (July)-New details of the timeline make this film even more intriguing. The Wolverine is set to take place after Last Stand, and not after soon after the Wolverine Origins film. I am a bit shocked by this piece of news, but this could be be a smart move. The original film was a massive flop creatively, and even though fans showed up opening weekend they soon lost interest. Wolverine is a popular character, and people may not lose interest in him just yet.
Elysium (August)-Blonkamp's original film District 9, was an awesome sci-fi Best Picture nominee, and was one of the most original films. With an all-star cast including Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, and Sharito Copely (from
District 9). The combination of another sci-fi adventure with this director, and cast makes this a can't miss film.
As the Summer ends, the number of "major" films diminish, but there are still a lot of highly anticipated films for fans. From super heroes, to a girl who plays with fire, and a highly inappropriate news person, the fall and winter are shaping up to be one fun time.
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (October)-The first Sin City was released seven long years ago, rarely does a studio wait so long for a sequel, but this could be worth the wait. With the entire original cast returning, and Frank Miller, and Robert Rodriguez directing this could, and will be one of the most anticipated films of the year.
Thor: The Dark World (November)-Thor is the most underrated Marvel film that built up to The Avengers balancing humor, mythology, and great action. Thor took in a solid box office take, and like with Iron Man 3 people will be excited to watch another film, which will lead up to the second Avengers film, although this is shaping up to be a great sequel.
The Hunger Games Series: Catching Fire (November)-With no Avengers, or even a massive hit like The Dark Knight Rises, this will be the biggest film at the box office next year. There is rarely a November release that trounces the summer releases, but Katniss Everdeen will take down the boys. The Hunger Games has more power behind it than Twilight, and people will be lining up at midnight, just as fast as Katniss volunteered to be the tribute.
The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug (December)-The first part of The Hobbit has made 222 million domestic (so far) and even with poor word of mouth fans of the book, and films are lining up, this film will get the same reception next year.
Anchorman: The Legend Continues (December)-I like scotch scotchy scotch scotch. The gang is back together again, and one of the most quotable bro picks is getting a sequel. Even if this is awful people are going to make this a must see film of the year.
