Here we look at the upcoming month’s offerings.

July 6, 2018

Ant-Man and the Wasp

Premise: From IMDb: “In the aftermath of ‘Captain America: Civil War,’ Scott Lang grapples with the consequences of his choices as both a Super Hero and a father. As he struggles to re-balance his home life with his responsibilities as Ant-Man, he’s confronted by Hope van Dyne and Dr. Hank Pym with an urgent new mission. Scott must once again put on the suit and learn to fight alongside The Wasp as the team works together to uncover secrets from their past.”
Box Office Prospects: $200 M
Expectations: Good. The prior film made $180 million at the box office. This sequel is a one of only two films between now and the Infinity War sequel, so it has the potential to draw attention to look for clues as to what will happen next. However, I suspect it will remain one of the lower-grossing franchise films.
Oscar Prospects: Uncertain. The effects look more diverse this time around, which could put it into competition for Visual Effects. It will probably make the shortlist, but not the Oscars.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

The First Purge

Premise: From IMDb: “The film will be a prequel that will focus on the events that lead up to the very first Purge event.”
Box Office Prospects: $35 M
Expectations: Mediocre. The other three films in this series have made around $30 million at the box office, which isn’t great, even for horror films, but they are popular and draw audiences along with being cheap to make, so more films are made. This time, they draw on current political climes to sell the story, which could bolster its final box office take.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

July 13, 2018

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation

Premise: From IMDb: “Mavis surprises Dracula with a family voyage on a luxury Monster Cruise Ship so he can take a vacation from providing everyone else’s vacation at the hotel. The rest of Drac’s Pack cannot resist going along. But once they leave port, romance arises when Dracula meets the mysterious ship captain, Ericka. Now it’s Mavis’s turn to play the overprotective parent, keeping her dad and Ericka apart. Little do they know that his “too good to be true” love interest is actually a descendant of Abraham Van Helsing, ancient nemesis to Dracula and all other monsters.”
Box Office Prospects: $150 M
Expectations: Good. The first two films were all solid successes. Not as potent as a Pixar or DreamWorks film, but strong enough to earn sequels. I see little reason why this third film won’t do similar business.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Skyscraper

Premise: From IMDb: “FBI Hostage Rescue Team leader and U.S. war veteran Will Sawyer, who now assesses security for skyscrapers. On assignment in Hong Kong he finds the tallest, safest building in the world suddenly ablaze, and he’s been framed for it. A wanted man on the run, Will must find those responsible, clear his name and somehow rescue his family who is trapped inside the building…above the fire line.”
Box Office Prospects: $125 M
Expectations: Good. Dwayne Johnson has proven to be a solid performer at the box office and while his last film didn’t crack $100 million, this film looks a lot more broadly appealing, so should do better.
Oscar Prospects: Doubtful. While the film looks to boast strong effects, I doubt that it will be able to overcome the plethora of other such films invading the Summer marketplace.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

July 20, 2018

The Equalizer 2

Premise: From IMDb: “Robert McCall serves an unflinching justice for the exploited and oppressed, but how far will he go when that is someone he loves?”
Box Office Prospects: $100 M
Expectations: Good. The first Denzel Washington outing as this character barely topped $100 million. I see little reason to suspect it will do much better or worse.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again

Premise: From IMDb: “In this sequel to Mamma Mia!, Sophie learns about her mother’s past while pregnant herself.”
Box Office Prospects: $125 M
Expectations: Good. The first film was a surprise success, so a return to the feeding trough is unsurprising. It should also prove lucrative, though I urge caution as this film could also be a surprise bomb just like the sequel to surprise hit My Big Fat Greek Wedding.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Unfriended: Dark Web

Premise: From IMDb: “A teen comes into possession of a new laptop and soon discovers that the previous owner is not only watching him, but will also do anything to get it back.”
Box Office Prospects: $25 M
Expectations: Uncertain. The first film made very little money at the box office, but it merited a sequel. Why this exists is anyone’s guess, but I doubt it will do even as well as its predecessor.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Blindspotting (Limited)

Premise: From IMDb: “Blindspotting-”
Box Office Prospects: $2.5 M
Expectations: Uncertain. This is the kind of film that could ride critical acclaim to major heights at the specialty box office. It’s also the kind of film that such audiences could be uninterested and it underperform. We’ll have to wait and see.
Oscar Prospects: Uncertain. The film earned strong reviews out of Sundance and South by Southwest. That should give it a small boost going into the Oscars, but there are a lot of other films that will be chomping at the Oscar bit, so it could be hindered by the stiff competition.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

July 27, 2018

Mission: Impossible – Fallout

Premise: From IMDb: “Ethan Hunt and his IMF team, along with some familiar allies, race against time after a mission gone wrong.”
Box Office Prospects: $180 M
Expectations: Excellent. This is the series that keeps on giving. The first two films made over $300 million adjusted for inflation. The third was a disappointment, marking the series’ weakest entry, but even adjusted for inflation still made almost $200 million. The two most recent have done well, though with diminishing returns. This film should follow the downward trend closely and will struggle to top the third film in inflation-adjusted numbers.
Oscar Prospects: Weak. None of these films have been Oscar contenders, so I don’t expect much from the sixth entry in the series.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Teen Titans Go! To the Movies

Premise: From IMDb: “A villain’s maniacal plan for world domination sidetracks five teenage superheroes who dream of Hollywood stardom.”
Box Office Prospects: $65 M
Expectations: Uncertain. It’s hard to know how an animated film will perform. While some have been surprise hits, others that one thought might have performed well didn’t. This film has the benefit of a popular television program under its belt, but as the Lego Batman Movie proved, even with a wildly successful predecessor, there’s no guarantee of success.
Oscar Prospects: Weak. This is the kind of movie that struggles at the Oscars. If the acclaimed adaptation of TV series The Simpsons can’t earn Oscar glory, this minor effort without two-plus decades of public familiarity isn’t likely to either.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.