Here we look at the upcoming month’s offerings.

May 5, 2017

Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2

Premise: From IMDb: “Set to the backdrop of Awesome Mixtape #2, ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ continues the team’s adventures as they unravel the mystery of Peter Quill’s true parentage.”
Box Office Prospects: $375 M
Expectations: Excellent. The original film made $333 million at the box office, the sequel has more hype, more name recognition, and therefore every opportunity to surpass its original tally.
Oscar Prospects: Good. The first film earned two Oscar nominations, though it was expected to pick up more. I suspect that it will make another appearance this year, but perhaps only in one category this time out.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

May 12, 2017

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

Premise: From IMDb: “Robbed of his birthright, Arthur comes up the hard way in the back alleys of the city. But once he pulls the sword from the stone, he is forced to acknowledge his true legacy – whether he likes it or not.”
Box Office Prospects: $100 M
Expectations: Decent. Although Guy Ritchie has had only two box office hits, they were big ones. Yet, it’s opening against the second weekend of Guardians of the Galaxy. That will mute its opening weekend, which won’t have much of a positive impact on its lifetime opportunity.
Oscar Prospects: Doubtful. While the film certainly has some technical aspects that could be honored, I suspect the film will have too much competition from other period adventures set throughout the year.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Lowriders

Premise: From IMDb: “A young street artist in East Los Angeles is caught between his father’s obsession with lowrider car culture, his ex-felon brother and his need for self-expression.”
Box Office Prospects: $15 M
Expectations: Poor. The film has had limited advertisement and doesn’t sound like the kind of movie to strike out well against a weekend of three other larger releases.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Snatched

Premise: From IMDb: “When her boyfriend dumps her before their exotic vacation, a young woman persuades her ultra-cautious mother to travel with her to paradise, with unexpected results.”
Box Office Prospects: $65 M
Expectations: Uncertain. The producers are hoping that Amy Schumer will draw major audiences to the theater. Yet, she’s untested at the box office and the movie looks kinda dumb, even for a dumb comedy.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

May 19, 2017

Alien: Covenant

Premise: From IMDb: “The crew of the colony ship Covenant, bound for a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy, discovers what they think is an uncharted paradise. When they uncover a threat beyond their imagination, they must attempt a harrowing escape.”
Box Office Prospects: $200 M
Expectations: Excellent. Although the prequel Prometheus was a dud compared to the original Alien adventures, this has the word in its title and is reminiscent of the original films in a way that may help bolster its box office potential.
Oscar Prospects: Good. The first flm scored two nominations and even managed to win Best Visual Effects. The second film did even better scoring seven nominations, including Best Actress for Sigourney Weaver and taking home awards for Visual Effects and Sound Effects Editing. The third film was a disappointment in terms of Oscar, picking up a single nod for Visual Effects. The fourth film was completely ignored. Flash forward two decades and the prequel to this feature, Prometheus, returned with a single nod for Visual Effects. Considering the franchise’s success in the category, Visual Effects is probably a given. Other categories aren’t terribly likely.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul

Premise: From IMDb: “A Heffley family road trip to attend Meemaw’s 90th birthday party goes hilariously off course thanks to Greg’s newest scheme to get to a video gaming convention.”
Box Office Prospects: $45 M
Expectations: Decent. Looking at the prior three films, released 7, 6, and 5 years ago respectively, the franchise was steadily fading, which is likely why they stopped. Now they are trying again. The lengthy delay won’t help the box office much as pent-up demand may not be there.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Everything, Everything

Premise: From IMDb: “A teenager who’s lived a sheltered life because she’s allergic to everything, falls for the boy who moves in next door. ”
Box Office Prospects: $85 M
Expectations: Good. The film won’t have the longevity and box office potency of The Fault in Our Stars, but this teen melodrama should do decent box office business.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

May 26, 2017

Baywatch

Premise: From IMDb: “Devoted lifeguard Mitch Buchanan butts heads with a brash new recruit. Together, they uncover a local criminal plot that threatens the future of the Bay.”
Box Office Prospects: $150 M
Expectations: Good. Although the film looks quite idiotic, there’s a market for that and if the similar-looking 21 Jump Street can make $138 million, the more popular Dwayne Johnson should be able to outdo Channing Tatum.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Premise: From IMDb: “Captain Jack Sparrow searches for the trident of Poseidon.”
Box Office Prospects: $250 M
Expectations: Good. All but one of the films have topped $300 million, but those films didn’t have a lengthy 6-year hiatus and a jam-packed May to get in the way. Still, Johnny Depp should still merit a success, but it could come in below the last film, On Stranger Tides, which posted a mere $241 million.
Oscar Prospects: Good. Now in its fifth incarnation, the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has done quiet well. The first film earned five nominations; the second received four, and won the award for Best Visual Effects; the third picked up two nominations; but the fourth was ignored. They have apparently done some retooling, at least from the looks of it, so I suspect this one will be a nominee as well, but it will be tougher competition than in the franchise’s prior outings.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.