Here we look at the upcoming month’s offerings.

May 6, 2016

Captain America: Civil War

Premise: From IMDb: “Political interference in the Avengers’ activities causes a rift between former allies Captain America and Iron Man.”
Box Office Prospects: $350 M
Expectations: Excellent. While the first Captain America film only topped $175 million, the sequel jumped to just over $250 million and that was without the rest of the Avengers cast in tow. This time, everyone’s there, so I expect it will be a big tally, though I’m hesitant to top the $400 million mark as The Avengers: Age of Ultron lost roughly $170 million of its predecessor’s tally.
Oscar Prospects: Good. Captain America: The Winter Soldier became the first film without Iron Man to score an Oscar nomination and, along with X-Men: Days of Future Past, they were the first superhero films outside of Iron Man-featured films to get nominated. This could very well snag the same nod: Best Visual Effects.
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May 13, 2016

The Darkness

Premise: From IMDb: “A family returns from a Grand Canyon vacation with a supernatural presence in tow.”
Box Office Prospects: $55 M
Expectations: Uncertain. Horror in the summer months is a challenge and some distributors struggle to make a ton of money, like they would in the fall. However, this premise falls well within the accepted range of supernatural horror flicks, so it should do adequate business as a result.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: I’ve already previewed this title. Click this link to read more.

Kidnap

Premise: From IMDb: “A mother stops at nothing to recover her kidnapped son.”
Box Office Prospects: $5 M
Expectations: Poor. No advertising whatsoever so far. I suspect the film is about to be pushed to another weekend, but for some inexplicable reason hasn’t been yet.
Oscar Prospects: None.

Money Monster

Premise: From IMDb: “In the real-time, high stakes thriller Money Monster, financial TV host Lee Gates (George Clooney) and his producer Patty (Julia Roberts) are put in an explosive situation when an irate investor (Jack O’Connell) takes over their studio.”
Box Office Prospects: $75 M
Expectations: Uncertain. Jodie Foster only has three films as a director to her credit and those have all been box office weaklings. However, with Julia Roberts and George Clooney in tow, as well as a very topical event picture, I could see this one far outpacing my current predictions.
Oscar Prospects: Uncertain. Jodie Foster has earned some respect for her work behind the camera, but has never had a potential Oscar contender like this. If critics rally behind the film, it could be an early contender. However, if they are lukewarm, it’s like to fade into the background pretty quickly.
Cinema Sight Preview: I’ve already previewed this title. Click this link to read more.

High-Rise (Limited)

Premise: From IMDb: “Life for the residents of a tower block begins to run out of control.”
Box Office Prospects: $2 M
Expectations: Weak. There’s little to suggest this niche-targeted film will do much business at the specialty box office, but Tom Hiddleston might be able to pack in enough curious folks.
Oscar Prospects: Poor. The film’s odd look and plotting is sure to earn it attention from critics, but not enough to overcome the Academy’s reluctance to recognize weirdness.
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The Lobster (Limited)

Premise: From IMDb: “In a dystopian near future, single people, according to the laws of The City, are taken to The Hotel, where they are obliged to find a romantic partner in forty-five days or are transformed into beasts and sent off into The Woods.”
Box Office Prospects: $1.5 M
Expectations: Poor. Like it’s fellow limited releaser this weekend, The Lobster is a very strange movie and audiences aren’t likely to turn up in droves to watch it. However, decent notices may give it a subtle boost.
Oscar Prospects: Poor. This is another film whose bizarre elements aren’t likely to go over well with Oscar voters.
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May 20, 2016

The Angry Birds Movie

Premise: From IMDb: “Find out why the birds are so angry. When an island populated by happy, flightless birds is visited by mysterious green piggies, it’s up to three unlikely outcasts – Red, Chuck and Bomb – to figure out what the pigs are up to.”
Box Office Prospects: $150 M
Expectations: Excellent. Although Angry Birds has been fading in terms of overall excitement, the film is sure to bring young children and adult fans to the theaters. How successful it is remains to be seen, but I suspect it will be a decent hit.
Oscar Prospects: Weak. This is just the kind of film the Academy’s animation branch tends to pass over for year-end awards. If competition is particularly fierce, and there’s every indication it will be, don’t expect to see it on the Oscar roster.
Cinema Sight Preview: I’ve already previewed this title. Click this link to read more.

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising

Premise: From IMDb: “After a sorority moves in next door, which is even more debaucherous than the fraternity before it, Mac and Kelly have to ask for help from their former enemy, Teddy.”
Box Office Prospects: $125 M
Expectations: Uncertain. Is this a sequel no one wanted or a sequel that everyone is clamoring for. The original was great fun, but will the premise wear off quickly. I suspect the turnout may be depressed from the original, since it only made $150 million, but with a dearth of big comedies so far, it might top my prediction and its predecessor if only by a little bit.
Oscar Prospects: None.
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The Nice Guys

Premise: From IMDb: “A private eye investigates the apparent suicide of a fading porn star in 1970s Los Angeles and uncovers a conspiracy.”
Box Office Prospects: $65 M
Expectations: Uncertain. This period crime comedy could play well against so many dissimilar films in the marketplace, but is there really a big enough audience for this and are Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling really the pair to accomplish that?
Oscar Prospects: Weak. The Academy tends to ignore comedy, even period comedy, so unless this is a huge hit and receives broad critical acclaim, I don’t see them going for it.
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May 27, 2016

Alice Through the Looking Glass

Premise: From IMDb: “Alice returns to the whimsical world of Wonderland and travels back in time to save the Mad Hatter.”
Box Office Prospects: $250 M
Expectations: Good. The original film was an unexpected hit and led to a string of Disney live-action adaptations that have all been strong box office performers. What works against the film is that the original is still the most successful, none of the others even made it to $250 million, and Tim Burton isn’t back for this one. It will still be an outsized hit, but I doubt it can come even remotely close to the original’s $334 million.
Oscar Prospects: Decent. The original film nabbed three Oscar nominations and won two of them. For this film to do that well, it has to be different enough from the original to pique the interests of the same voters or it isn’t likely to get the same consideration. Costume Design and Production Design are still both possibilities.
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X-Men: Apocalypse

Premise: From IMDb: “With the emergence of the world’s first mutant, Apocalypse, the X-Men must unite to defeat his extinction level plan.”
Box Office Prospects: $250 M
Expectations: Good. The franchise has done well. Not as well as Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe, but most of their films have been consistently performing between $150 and $240 million. This time, they have much higher stakes, lots of destruction and a growing stable of superheroes. As the First Class and Days of Future Past prove, there’s still life in the franchise and there seems to be growing interest in the films.
Oscar Prospects: Good. The prior effort scored a nomination for Best Visual Effects, breaking a recent Iron Man-only shut out at the Oscars. This film isn’t likely to feature the same dazzling use of special effects, but it has plenty of them, which could be enough.
Cinema Sight Preview: I’ve already previewed this title. Click this link to read more.