The general belief is that the Summer 2014 Box Office is down significantly from previous years. And the numbers prove it. Back in April I wrote a blog predicting how the big May releases would do. In it I pointed-out that while the May 2013 films grossed more than $1.4 billion domestically, the 2014 crop would have a slightly lower $1.3B total. Since nearly all the May movies have run their courses in theaters, the fact is that the 11 big movies that opened that month (including the indie comedy “Chef”) will not even reach $1.2 billion.
The Biggest Losers from May include Seth MacFarlane’s western comedy disaster “A Million Ways to Die in the West”, which made only $42.7 million, or less than one-fifth of “Ted”‘s domestic haul, as well as the animated flop “Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return”, with a very poor $8.5 million. Adam Sandler’s “Blended” also did much worse than his previous comedies, with just $45 million. Some could even argue that “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” should be in this category since it barely crossed the $200 million mark (I expected closer to $300M). And even “X-Men: Days of Future Past”, while the second-biggest installment in the franchise, didn’t wow with just over $230 million.
Technically, the only financial winner from May was Disney’s “Maleficent”. Released on the last weekend of the month, it’s still one of the Top 10 movies in America. Whether it was the ruthless marketing campaign, the PG rating, or Angelina Jolie as the combination of a heroin and villain, a $230 million cume was far more than anyone, including The Mouse House itself, likely expected. The Runner-Up is “Neighbors”, which on just an $18 million budget, ended-up with nearly $150M.
As far as the rest of the summer so far goes, “How to Train Your Dragon 2”‘s performance is another disappointment for DreamWorks Animation, as $160 million is far from the $220M total the original “Dragon” made in 2010. Disney’s “Planes: Fire & Rescue” will have a lot of work to do if it wants to match or beat the original’s $90M total. And “Transformers: Age of Extinction”, the only $100M open of 2014 to date, may still not outgross 2014’s top two films, “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” (released in April) and “The LEGO Movie” (which opened in February).
On the bright side, “The Fault in Our Stars” is one of the summer darlings. The captivating romantic drama has raked-in more than $120M. And two films many predicted to be financial busts after their opening weekends, “Edge of Tomorrow” and “Tammy”, are successfully chasing $100 million. However, even though “22 Jump Street”‘s $180M+ is a huge accomplishment, way more the original, its triumph is being overshadowed by all the summer letdowns.
And with six weeks of the season remaining, it looks like only one movie could change the atmosphere: “Guardians of the Galaxy”. The special IMAX 3D 17-minute preview of the film was a big success, and the buzz is ginormous. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if it opens to more than $100M. The trailers and TV spots are funny, edgy, and action-packed. And Bradley Cooper’s Rocket Raccoon is on the verge of becoming a superstar. Hopefully, this unlikely band of superheroes can not only save the day, but the Summer 2014 Box Office as well.