July saw the continuation of the animation dominance this summer, asThe Secret Life of Petsblew past even the most optimistic expectations (now passing $300 million), andFinding DoryovertookShrek 2to become the highest grossing animated film of all time at the domestic box office. Elsewhere, however, the month of July suffered substantially at the box office. WhileLights OutandJason Bourneseem poised for decent grosses,Ice Age: Collision CourseandStar Trek Beyondappear on track to become the lowest grossing entries of their respective franchises.
Looking ahead to this month, all eyes seem to be onSuicide Squad, which looks guaranteed to break the August opening weekend record that has been held for two years byGuardians of the Galaxy. The film should be enough to propel August ahead of that of last year’s (whenStraight Outta Comptonruled andFantastic Fourbombed), with some added support fromFlorence Foster JenkinsandPete’s Dragon.
Nine Lives – August 5 (EuropaCorp)
Although the concept admittedly feels like the basis for an SNL sketch (Kevin Spaceybeing turned into a cat),Nine Livesmanaged to assemble an impressive cast that also featuresChristopher WalkenandJennifer Garner. While all three actors have starred in hugely successful films,Nine Livesseems unlikely to break out for a number of reasons, including that the film’s plot can’t help but feel recycled (a neglectful father and husband caring only about his work being punished until he can understand and bond with his family) from numerous prior movies.
Looking back at past films featuring the lead character being turned into a pet, the genre has seen some success.The Shaggy Dog, for example, grossed a strong $61.1 million back in 2006. That film, however, faced very little competition for family audiences. During this summer, by contrast, competition for families this has been fierce, withThe Secret Life of PetsandFinding Dorytaking in record grosses, and established franchises such asIce Age: Continental Drift, flopping.
Nine Livesalso has to contend withPete’s Dragonthe following weekend, which looks to continue Disney’s winning streak for 2016. This should end up at least above last year’s EuropaCorp offeringThe Transporter Refueled, but will likely end up as one of the summer’s lowest grossing films.
While it’s awfully hard to call a movie that grossed $872.6 million worldwide a disappointment, last March’s franchise and DC shared universe starterBatman v. Superman: Dawn of Justicearguably fell below its sky-high expectations. While the polarizing reaction toDawn of Justicemight cause concern for DC’s next installment,Suicide Squadlooks well positioned to become one of the top grossing August releases of all time.
Although comic book adaptations aren’t exactly in short supply these days,Suicide Squadhas whatGuardians of the GalaxyandDeadpoolhad going for them: it has a sense of humor and looks wholly original, featuring a team of crime fighting super villains that includes iconic characters such as The Joker and Harley Quinn. The film also benefits from a strong cast that includesWill Smith,Margot Robbie, andJared Leto.
Warner Bros.’s marketing engine has characteristically been working in overdrive on this film, with trailers dating back to last year’s Comic Con, and frequent commercials airing during the summer’s biggest televised events. The film seems in line for a huge opening weekend, likely toppingGalaxy’s$94.3 million to claim a new August record. How high the film can go largely depends on the quality of the film, which given directorDavid Ayer’strack record may be a bit of a toss up. If it leans more in the ballpark ofFuryandEnd of WatchthanSabotageandStreet Kings,Suicide Squadmay even passGalaxy’sfinal gross of $333.1 million.
Florence Foster Jenkins – August 12 (Paramount)
Florence Foster JenkinscontinuesMeryl Streep’strend of playing interesting and eccentric characters, telling the true story of the title character who late in life began a singing career despite being heavily criticized for her lack of rhythm and pitch, and for her poor pronunciation. Streep here also receives some strong support fromHugh Grantas her husband, andSimon Helberg, whose presence may help draw in some ofThe Big Bang Theorycrowd.
Meryl Streepis no stranger to August release dates, and has found much success with them. 2009’sJulie & Juliawent on to become one of her most successful films, grossing $94.1 million, and 2012’sHope Springsended its run with $63.5 million. Streep’s impressive box office run did stumble a bit with last summer’sRicki and the Flash, grossing a low $26.8 million. Unlike most of Streep’s films, however,Ricki and the Flashhad a relatively low theater count and received a middling 65% Rotten Tomatoes score.Florence Foster Jenkins, on the other hand, currently sits at a 92%, which is not terribly surprising given that directorStephen Frears’sprevious two major releases,PhilomenaandThe Queen, were nominated for Best Picture for their respective years.
Florence Foster Jenkinsfeels in many ways reminiscent ofThe King’s Speech, especially given the comedic tone, impressive cast, and the main character trying to overcome an impediment of sorts in order to perform in front of a large audience.The King’s Speech, however, was released at the height of Oscar season, which helped propel its gross to $135.4 million.Florence Foster Jenkinsmay receive awards attention as well, but a gross that high seems out of reach. That aside, the film should join Streep’s list of August successes and end up right aroundHope Springs, if not a bit higher.
Pete’s Dragon – August 12 (Disney)
Pete’s Dragonmarks the latest effort by Disney to reboot an animated film with a live-action adaptation. This model has worked wonders for Disney as of late, withCinderella,Maleficent, andAlice in Wonderlandbecoming hugely successful, and this year’sThe Jungle Bookinching towards the $1 billion mark. WhetherPete’s Dragonjoins these success stories remains to be seen.
While the originalCinderella,Sleeping Beauty, andThe Jungle Bookare considered among the Disney classics,Pete’s Dragonseems to be thought of as being one of the brand’s lesser known titles. All of the aforementioned titles were also released during the prime months of March and June, while mid August doesn’t necessarily indicate a major box office run. Live action family films have also had a rough run this summer, with bothThe BFGandAlice Through the Looking Glassflopping.
However, the film seems unlikely to venture into flop territory. The trailers forPete’s Dragonhave been hugely appealing, showing off the film’s sense of adventure, strong cast (Robert Redford,Bryce Dallas Howard), and some impressive visuals. In addition,Pete’s Dragonhas been receiving hugely positive reviews, which should help sway skeptical parents. Of the August family releases (Kubo and the Two StringsandNine Livesbeing the other two),Pete’s Dragonseems poised to perform the strongest. It may not reach the heights of recent family outings (Finding Dory,The Secret Life of Pets), but this should end up becoming a late summer hit for Disney.
War Dogs – August 19 (Warner Bros.)
The premise forWar Dogs, two twenty-somethings finding themselves way over their heads as gun runners in Afghanistan, lends itself to quite a bit of laughs, particularly when paired with comedic talents ofJonah HillandMiles Teller. Both are popular actors and have been a part of successful films, and have proven to be able to walk the tricky comedy/drama tightrope inThe Wolf of Wall StreetandThe Spectacular Now, respectively. However, it’s tough to say whether the juvenile humor that seems to be present here, as well as in Todd Phillips’s other recent films (The Hangover,Due Date), will mix well with themes of war.
Regardless of the exact brand of humor, war comedies continue to be a very tough sell with mainstream audiences. Despite an incredibly appealing cast that includedMargot Robbie,Tina Fey, andMartin Freeman, last March’sWhiskey Tango Foxtrotgrossed a disappointing $23.0 million.War Dogsmay perform a bit better, but given the difficult subject matter and the release date, this seems unlikely for a major box office run.
Kubo and the Two Strings – August 19 (Focus Features)
Focus Features and the stop motion animation house Laika have produced a series of films together over the last decade, the most successful of which was 2009’sCoraline, grossing an impressive $75.2 million. Their latest offering,Kubo and the Two Strings, appears to align well with Laika’s reputation for impressive animation, original storytelling, and strong voice casts, which includesMatthew McConaugheyandCharlize Theron.
Given that the last three collaborations between Focus and Laika have been critically acclaimed, it seems likely thatKubo and the Two Stringswill turn out to be quite good. Although the fantasy animation subgenre has had its share of recent flops (Strange Magic,Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return), the trailers forKubofeel more reminiscent of the hugely successfulMulan, due to the Asian setting and the film centering on a young adult fighting for his family with help from a spirit that is sent to protect him.
WhileCoraline’sgross may be out of reach, a gross closer to that ofParanormanseems feasible, given the similar release date and supernatural elements.Paranormanalso opened in the shadow of another film targeted at families (The Odd Life of Timothy Green), suggesting thatKuboshould be able to stand on its own despite opening just afterPete’s Dragon.
Ben-Hur – August 19 (Paramount)
The decision by Paramount to remakeBen-Huris somewhat puzzling. Although Hollywood is obviously not averse to remakes, and the originalBen-Hurgrossed $74.0 million in 1959 (or in today’s dollars, $840.8 million), it seems like an odd choice because the film is not as iconic a classic as something likeJaws,Citizen Kane, orThe Sound of Music. By no means am I endorsing remaking any of those titles, but they would at least make more sense thanBen-Hur.
Historical epics have a spotty track record at the box office. In the last few decades, the most successful epics have includedGladiator,Troy, andThe Last Samurai. Each of those films, however, had a major proven star attached to them (Russell Crowe,Brad Pitt, andTom Cruise, respectively), whichBen-Hurappears to be lacking.
Ben-Hurin many ways feels reminiscent of this year’s swords and sandals bombGods of Egypt, given the late marketing push and a release date that is considered somewhat of a box office dumping ground. That film went on to gross $31.1 million, which seems like a good target forBen-Hur. Though it may fare better overseas, the film seems as though it will venture into flop territory.
Don’t Breathe – August 26 (Sony)
After 2013’s well receivedEvil Deadremake, directorFede Alvarezbrings us another extremely creepy and suspenseful horror film,Don’t Breathe. Given the talented cast that includesStephen Lang,Dylan Minnette, andJane Levy, and the early positive reviews, it seems likely that Alvarez has another strong film on his hands.
Although the last couple of years have seen several home invasion thrillers (Hangman,Hush,Knock Knock),Don’t Breatheputs an interesting twist on the genre, featuring teenagers being hunted by a blind man after they try to rob his house. The trailers for the film are undeniably scary, and Lang makes for a convincing and harrowing villain.
In 2008,The Strangersbrought back the slasher/home invasion genre in a big way, grossing a strong $52.5 million. While it would be unrealistic forDon’t Breatheto reach those heights, a gross closer toYou’re Next($18.4 million), another late August slasher release with a twist, seems within reach.
Hands of Stone – August 26 (Weinstein Company)
It’s hard not to compareHands of Stoneto last year’s surprise hitCreed, which also featured a boxer who has been fighting his whole life and is being trained by an aging boxing veteran. WhileHands of Stonehas the true story angle going for it,Creedwas technically part of an established franchise (Rocky), had a prime holiday release date, and was released to near universal critical and commercial acclaim. The reviews forHands of Stoneout of its premiere at Cannes have been positive, but journalists have pointed out some flaws in the story, indicating that it may not share the overwhelming love felt forCreed.
Despite this,Hands of Stonehas quite a bit going for it. The film is a biopic of Roberto Durán, who is widely considered as one of the greatest boxers of all time.Robert De Nirois always a welcome presence, particularly in a movie about boxing (due to his iconic role as Jake LaMotta inRaging Bull).Édgar Ramírezhas been a part of several recent high-profile projects (though the majority of them haven’t performed terribly well), andHands of Stonealso features a dramatic turn fromUsher Raymond IV.
Despite the fact that marketing has been light so far for the film, this should at least get past De Niro’s disappointingGrudge Match, which capped out at $29.8 million.
Mechanic: Resurrection – August 26 (Lionsgate)
Mechanic: ResurrectionseesJason Stathamreturning to the late summer release date he’s held for action films such asTransporter 2andDeath Race. The actor has been on fire of late, with strong supporting roles in last year’sSpyandFurious 7(and next year’sFast 8).
While 2011’sThe Mechanicseemed to be a straightforward revenge/hit man film, the sequel appears to be taking a page out of theTransporterandFast and Furiousfranchises by featuring some impressive stunts, and centering the plot more around saving a loved one.Resurrectionalso features a strong supporting cast, includingJessica AlbaandTommy Lee Jones.
AlthoughThe Mechanicwas not necessarily one of Statham’s most iconic roles, the film seems to have built up a following on its home video release, which would explain why Lionsgate is capitalizing on it several years after its theatrical run. The R Rating will likely keep this from reachingTransporter 2grosses, but this should come close to the originalMechanic, if not a bit higher.
