Summer is officially in full swing, and Hollywood studios are hoping to find traction at the box office with their big tentpole releases. Heading into the season, “Sinners," the kid-friendly “A Minecraft Movie,” “Lilo and Stitch” and “How to Train Your Dragon” have already connected with audiences and scored big at the box office. But some of the biggest releases are yet to come.
The origin of the summer blockbuster
Almost 50 years ago to the date, Steven Spielberg's "Jaws" opened in more than 400 theaters across the country and forever changed the entertainment landscape. Variety dubbed it a “super-blockbuster" after it became the first film to gross $100 million at the box office. And it did not stop there. It became a phenomenon that made Hollywood studios rethink how they handled their films. They realized that early advertising, widespread distribution in hundreds of theaters, collateral merchandising and creating a well-designed package could pay off in huge ways.
"Jaws" laid out the template that "Star Wars" would perfect a couple of years later, extending the summer season by opening on May 25, 1977. These films paved the way for the "Indiana Jones," "Jurassic Park" and Will Smith franchises. And we continue to live in that landscape. There was a new "Mission Impossible" film earlier this month, but Paramount was so committed to its announced summer release date for the first film in the Tom Cruise franchise back in 1996, that it forced the film into production without a script.
Opening this weekend: 'F1'
Opening this weekend is a film Warner Bros. hopes will score big: "F1," starring Brad Pitt as an aging driver who gets a second shot at Formula One racing.
"F1" is something of a vanity project for Pitt, but he is a smart actor who has crafted a project tailored to his strengths. The story and the character all feel familiar and well-worn, but what I loved in the film was the racing.
I love gearhead films — classics like "Grand Prix" and "Le Mans," or stunt-filled action films by masters like George Miller (the "Mad Max" films) or Chad Stahelski (the "John Wick" films).
"F1" really puts you in the driver's seat. You feel the speed, the wind and the proximity of the other cars. The editing and cinematography make you feel the allure of the sport and the rush you get from flying in a Formula One car. Director Joseph Kosinski (who did "Top Gun: Maverick") and producer Lewis Hamilton (a Formula One race care driver) are committed to making the racing visceral. They opened my eyes to aspects of racing that I was not aware of. I just thought racing meant you drive fast, but "F1" reveals more about strategy and how members of a team can work together to secure a win.
Exhilarating action combined with a sappy, predictable story — worth seeing on the big screen. I do wish the sound design was more impressive. Fun soundtrack, though.
Superhero summer
Although there has been talk of superhero fatigue for years, James Gunn might just have the cure. Gunn jumped ship from Marvel (where he made the fabulously fun "Guardians of the Galaxy") to DC (where he made the R-rated, super anti-hero "The Suicide Squad" and its even better spin off series "Peacemaker").
I confess that when he said he was going to remake "Superman" yet again, I was doubtful. I grew up with the perfection of Christopher Reeve's incarnation of the character and never enjoyed the somber Zack Snyder takes. But when Krypto the Superdog made an appearance in the new "Superman" trailer, my heart did melt. Gunn seems to be returning the character to a more heroic and less dark, brooding demeanor. The darkness can work in some superhero films — like "The Dark Knight" trilogy — but I am looking forward to a fresh take on Superman.
I am less hopeful about the fourth attempt to bring "The Fantastic Four" to the screen. The comics have something of a cursed history. In the early 1990s, Roger Corman was handed the task of making a film but apparently it was never intended to be released — it had been commissioned solely to hold onto the rights. The film was finished but never released, essentially erased. A bootleg did emerge that some fans hold dear to their hearts.
Then we had two horrendous attempts at reviving the franchise, and now Pedro Pascal leads "The Fantastic Four: First Steps." Nothing in the trailers has given me much hope, but I do love Pascal. There has been some controversy about the Silver Surfer being female. I hope there is a reason for this — and that it is not just a lazy gender swap to get more female characters into the narrative. There is some basis for this in the comics, but the details of the character in the new film remain vague. I do love that Marvel is pushing people to read the comics cited as inspiration for the film. Too often, the big comics publishers seem to ignore the source material.
Summer comedies
I was absolutely against a "Naked Gun" remake. Leslie Nielsen was perfection in the Zucker Brothers/Jim Abrahams' hilarious and ridiculously stupid failed TV series and successful film franchise. But I have to say, the trailer for the new one with Liam Neeson did make me laugh. As with Nielsen, Neeson seems to be having a glorious time poking fun at himself.
I am also looking forward to the second collaboration between the solo Coen brother Ethan and his real-life and creative partner Tricia Cooke: "Honey Don't." It has the same vibe as their earlier, unfairly overlooked "Drive-Away Dolls."
Additional summer releases
June 27
“M3GAN 2.0”
“Sorry, Baby”
July 2
“Jurassic World: Rebirth” (I hope the dinos have more screen time than the humans!)
July 11
“Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight ”
July 18
“I Know What You Did Last Summer” (Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. reprise their roles from the 1997 slasher)
“Eddington” (Ari Aster re-teams with Joaquin Phoenix)
July 30
“Together”
Aug. 8
“Weapons”
“Freakier Friday”
Aug. 15
“Nobody 2”
Aug. 22
“Lurker”
Aug. 29
“Caught Stealing”
“The Roses”
“The Toxic Avenger” (Peter Dinklage takes on the titular superhero in this supremely gory and graphic remake of the Troma classic)
