Here we look at the upcoming month’s offerings.

Jun. 3, 2016

Me Before You

Premise: From IMDb: “A girl in a small town forms an unlikely bond with a recently-paralyzed man she’s taking care of.”
Box Office Prospects: $50 M
Expectations: Unkonwn. The romance genre has had some struggles in recent years with literary adaptations being the only ones to do well at the box office. This is certainly a literary adaptation, but is it one that will have a large impact on the box office? I’m not certain it will at this point.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: I’ve already previewed this title. Click this link to read more.

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping

Premise: From IMDb: “When his new album fails to sell records, pop/rap superstar conner4real goes into a major tailspin and watches his celebrity high life begin to collapse. He’ll try anything to bounce back, anything except reuniting with his old rap group The Style Boyz.”
Box Office Prospects: $55 M
Expectations: Uncertain. In the realm of music comedies, a rather limited subset of films, there haven’t been very many to score more than $50 million at the box office. While this one could certainly do that, I expect that it being wedged between two more likely box office champs and in the midst of a lot of more popular features, it will struggle to make much at the box office.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: I’ve already previewed this title. Click this link to read more.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows

Premise: From IMDb: “The Turtles return to save the city from a dangerous threat.”
Box Office Prospects: $120 M
Expectations: Good. The first reboot of the franchise was a $191 million success. That is enough to make sure it has a number of sequels. However, I’m not so sure the series will last very long as I expect this one to have trouble mixed in with several other bigger event pictures whereas its predecessor had August and September largely to itself.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: I’ve already previewed this title. Click this link to read more.

Jun. 10, 2016

The Conjuring 2

Premise: From IMDb: “Lorraine and Ed Warren travel to north London to help a single mother raising four children alone in a house plagued by malicious spirits.”
Box Office Prospects: $100 M
Expectations: Good. The original was a horror hit. Not perhaps to the degree of the Paranormal Activity series, but big enough to merit a sequel. I suspect it will still do quite well, but how quickly will the concept wear out its welcome.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: I’ve already previewed this title. Click this link to read more.

Now You See Me 2

Premise: From IMDb: “The Four Horsemen resurface and are forcibly recruited by a tech genius to pull off their most impossible heist yet.”
Box Office Prospects: $85 M
Expectations: Uncertain. The original was a bigger hit than expected in 2013. The sequel is certainly to follow a long string of genre sequels to fail to live up to the predecessor’s heights. It’s also facing tougher competition this time around.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: I’ve already previewed this title. Click this link to read more.

Warcraft

Premise: From IMDb: “The peaceful realm of Azeroth stands on the brink of war as its civilization faces a fearsome race of invaders: orc warriors fleeing their dying home to colonize another. As a portal opens to connect the two worlds, one army faces destruction and the other faces extinction. From opposing sides, two heroes are set on a collision course that will decide the fate of their family, their people, and their home.”
Box Office Prospects: $150 M
Expectations: Good. There’s really no way to know how this will perform. Most video game adaptations are duds, but this one has a respected director and a video game that has millions of fans and a highly successful massively-multiplayer game spun off the property. If all 13 million World of Warcraft subscribers bought a single $8.58 ticket that would be more than $111 million. That’s just in the United States. That isn’t to say that they will all pay for it, but some will see it multiple times. If it’s also a solid player with critics, the film could easily surpass my prediction.
Oscar Prospects: Uncertain. If the critics like it and the box office is big enough, I’m sure there will be some consideration put to the film’s creative categories. I doubt it will be a Best Picture contender, but that all depends on a lot of factors.
Cinema Sight Preview: I’ve already previewed this title. Click this link to read more.

Jun. 17, 2016

Central Intelligence

Premise: From IMDb: “After he reunites with an old pal through Facebook, a mild-mannered accountant is lured into the world of international espionage.”
Box Office Prospects: $100 M
Expectations: Good. Kevin Hart’s box office takes have been solid, but frequently below $100 million. Dwayne Johnson has had far better success. Together, they could do much better than predicted.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: I’ve already previewed this title. Click this link to read more.

Finding Dory

Premise: From IMDb: “The friendly-but-forgetful blue tang fish reunites with her loved ones, and everyone learns a few things about the real meaning of family along the way.”
Box Office Prospects: $450 M
Expectations: Excellent. At one time, Finding Nemo was the undisputed Pixar champ with $339 million. It has since been topped by Inside Out and Toy Story 3. Outside of Cars 2, all of the Pixar sequels have outperformed their predecessors’ initial box office takes. Adjust for inflation and Monsters University joins Cars 2 in failing. However, I expect this to resemble Toy Story‘s progressive increases rather than those others. Adjusted for inflation, Finding Nemo is the top grossing Pixar ever. I suspect that title might fall, but it will be a very challenging climb.
Oscar Prospects: Excellent. Pixar is a great Oscar performer. While they’ve stumbled a few times recently, they appear to be back at the top of their game. Best Animated Feature is certain to be in play for this film, but it will have to contend with Zootopia and Moana for the win.
Cinema Sight Preview: I’ve already previewed this title. Click this link to read more.

Jun. 24, 2016

Free State of Jones

Premise: From IMDb: “As civil war divides the nation, a poor farmer from Mississippi leads a group of rebels against the Confederate army.”
Box Office Prospects: $75 M
Expectations: Uncertain. Matthew McConaughey has never been a box office draw. His films have performed well, but that isn’t necessarily his doing. If you look at the likes of The Lincoln Lawyer, you’ll see his general potential. However, a Civil War drama in the midst of the summer could be a draw for older viewers who don’t cotton to all this superhero nonsense.
Oscar Prospects: Uncertain. Releasing over the summer isn’t the smartest move for an Oscar contender, especially a wide release. At the specialty box office, it can prove to be a potent factor, but bombing at the box office could doom it. The film could be a player in several key races, but that will depend entirely on its reviews.
Cinema Sight Preview: I’ve already previewed this title. Click this link to read more.

Independence Day: Resurgence

Premise: From IMDb: “Two decades after the first Independence Day invasion, Earth is faced with a new extra-Solar threat. But will mankind’s new space defenses be enough?”
Box Office Prospects: $250 M
Expectations: Uncertain. The original film was a box office titan in 1996. Upon its release, it became the 8th biggest box office hit of all time (unadjusted). That $306 million would be $594 million today. That doesn’t mean much. The original film had a box office titan in tow with Will Smith starring. That isn’t happening this time. Will people think there’s enough reason for a sequel? Will it tap into a cultural zeitgeist like Jurassic World did? I suspect it will underperform its predecessor in actual dollars, not even coming close to its adjusted total. There’s just far too much competition for it to dominate this year.
Oscar Prospects: Uncertain. The original picked up a single Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects. I don’t see that happening again this year as its effects don’t look to be that original or spectacular this time out and once again competition is astounding this year.
Cinema Sight Preview: I’ve already previewed this title. Click this link to read more.

Swiss Army Man (Limited)

Premise: From IMDb: “A hopeless man stranded in the wilderness befriends a dead body and together they go on a surreal journey to get home.”
Box Office Prospects: $10 M
Expectations: Uncertain. All that will give this film a push at the specialty box office is its unusual premise. Curious folk will seek it out, but will it be much of a hit beyond that? It’s possible, but I doubt it.
Oscar Prospects: Doubtful. Being weird doesn’t generally help with the Oscars, but it has some solid reviews and buzz coming out of the festival circuit, so anything is possible.
Cinema Sight Preview: I’ve already previewed this title. Click this link to read more.