'Force Awakens': Is the Stars the Limit?

   

     5 months. Just 5 more months before the force is awakened. That's right, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, aka Star Wars Episode VII is just 5 months away, releasing domestically December 18, 2015. A franchise with one of the most passionate fan bases: hopes, dreams, and expectations are high for Force Awakens. And so is the box office possibilities.

     Before May 1st, the battle for the #1 crown seemed to be between Avengers: Age of Ultron and Force Awakens, but after Ultron's diminishing returns were realized, Force Awakens instantly looked like the early favorite for #1. Once June 14th and Jurassic World's $209 million opening rolled around, the competition for #1 ramped back up and now seems to be between Jurassic and Force. Jurassic is currently at $612 million and counting, and should end in its dino-sized run in the lower-mid $600's. Can Force top that? To be honest, I have no clue. While box office nerds can throw around their $400-$800+ millon figures all they want, no one honestly has a clue where this movie can and will land. Star Wars: Force Awakens may be one of the hardest movies ever to predict, and here is why.

     You may or may not notice, but the Star Wars brand has found a new owner. The Mouse House. 20th Century Fox were the distributors of the previous Star Wars films, but after the purchase by Disney in 2012, all future Star Wars titles will go through them. It's not even a competition: the marketing for Force Awakens will be much broader and dazzling than Revenge of the Sith and co. Disney does not hesitate to spend marketing dollars, and their corporate synergy can only help. Another advantage Force Awakens has over previous Star Wars movies is the advent of social media. There was no Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Vine, and whatever they have in China in 2005. There was Youtube, but it was in its infancy and was mainly just a website of amateur videos of babies biting their siblings. Advertisements and footage for Force Awakens will spread over the web like wildfire, adding fuel to the fire called "hype." You won't only see Force Awakens content on social media sites, but they will definitely play a big role in getting the general public excited.

     Another thing that Force Awakens is doing that many franchises haven't done is bring back the old cast. Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill will be returning, as well as Chewy, R2D2, and C3PO (my favorite), and other characters and locations from the original trilogy. Bringing back the original gang, locations, and even music adds nostalgia to this movie, and many people who saw the originals in the 70s and 80s that may have been considering skipping Force Awakens, may now be inclined to get back on board. The Han/Chewy relationship and C3PO sass is worth admission alone. It's confirmed nostalgia is added, but how much will this effect gross? Sith didn't have nostalgia, and Phantom Menace really only had the nostalgia of being "a new Star Wars 16 years later." Force is in good position here.

     Solid points, but the biggest factor that is preventing anyone from giving a concrete prediction for Force Awakens is the fact that today's box office climate is nothing like before. Force Awakens in 2015 is in a completely different box office world than Revenge of the Sith in 2005, just 10 years ago. Not only has 3D invaded and IMAX became mainstream, but overseas markets have exploded. China, India, Russia, Brazil, the list goes on. For example, in 2010, Iron Man 2 grosses a healthy $623 million. Just 3 years later, Iron Man 3 pulled in $1.2 billion, good enough for #5 all time. In just TWO short years, Iron Man 3 has already fallen to #9. Fast Five shocked the world with $626 million in 2011, and Furious 6 improved on it with $788 million. Bring in Furious 7, just two years later...$1.5 billion. One of the best examples is the Transformers series. 48% of Transformers 2's take came from domestic audiences. Bring on Transformers 4, just 5 years later and domestic grosses only accounted for 22% of the box office. Just like Furious 7, Transformers 4's gross in China alone was bigger than the US/Canada.

     For that reason alone, predicting Force is impossible. It's hard to gauge how interested American audiences still are, but its even harder to gauge how interested overseas audiences have become, especially in Asia, where box office has grown the fastest in the last few years. In this series, we have 6 movies for precedent, but just like Force Awakens, the original trilogy was in a different box office climate than the prequels. There was no $12 ticket prices, Netflix, piracy, HD, and movies weren't going on home video just 3 months later. It's easy for someone in today's climate to say "I can wait a few months. It'll be cheaper." But then again, this is a movie 32 years in the making. Do people really want to miss out on this event? Another factor is the fact that Force Awakens will be released in December, which behaves differently than May. With May, school and work is still in session, so most people have to wait for the weekends. With Force Awakens' December 18 date, Christmas break will be beginning for most. Instead of moviegoers rushing out for Thursday previews and Friday evening, there will be plenty of time for people to do Christmas shopping and see Force Awakens throughout the next couple weeks. With the holiday weekdays, add in the lack of blockbuster competition and Force Awakens could be in for a forcible gross. 

     The general consensus on Phantom Menace, 16 years later, is "it sucks", but that didn't stop it from selling over 80 million tickets. Even if Force Awakens "sucks", the sheer giddyness of having a new Star Wars in theaters when we weren't even supposed to (Sith was "supposed" to be the last), should keep fans blinded long enough to keep Force Awakens from suffering too hard. But if Force Awakens is seen as just "good", possibilities are then endless. Look at Jurassic World for instance. An "okay" movie, but still steamrolling the box office. "Crap", "meh", "good"...but what if Force Awakens is "great?" Oh boy. 

     Over $1 billion for Force Awakens is a given, but is $1.5 billion a given as well? Is $2 billion on the table? Or should Iron Man 3's $1.2 billion be a good target? Only time will tell, but until then, no prediction is wrong or right.

     As of now, I could see Force Awakens doing $600 million and at least $1.2 billion. After Jurassic World, and looking at past Star Wars history, $500 sounds too low, but $700 sounds too high. After the D23 Expo, and once the marketing blitz starts up, we'll have better idea, but for now, just sit back and enjoy the uncertainty. Oh, and be excited (and thankful) that we're getting another Star Wars movie with C3PO in it, and Jar Jar not.

Is 'Interstellar' The Next Big Discovery?

     Recently, astronomers and scientists have discovered an asteroid with rings, new moons orbiting Pluto, extrasolar planets, a star that is 13.6 billion years old, and the God particle. But there's another potential discovery that could be bigger than all: Interstellar. 

     As important as directors are, most are still unknown to the general public. Spielberg, Tarantino, Bay, Emmerich, Zemeckis, and Burton arguably help form the league of A-list directors, but one visionary has skyrocketed into a household name in recent years as well: Christopher Nolan. Thanks to the massively successful Dark Knight trilogy, and Inception, Christopher Nolan is now a huge deal. Not only are his movies success stories, they're also good. No movie he has directed has received a "rotten" tag on Rotten Tomatoes, and The Dark Knight is considered one of the best superhero movies of all time, and was the highest grossing for 4 years. But this isn't about Christopher Nolan, it's about his new project, and why it could be the next big thing in cinema, astrophysics, and life.

     Interstellar has been in development since 2006, and it's so ambitious that Paramount, Warner Bros, Legendary, and Synocopy have teamed up to finance and distribute it. Interstellar tells the simple story of a widow living on a dying Earth, who partners with a team of scientists to find new habitable worlds after they discover a wormhole. There's a couple reasons why that simple story could be the years biggest.

     In Interstellar, the Earth has been depleted of natural resources and agriculture. Mainly corn. No more corn means no more gas, cosmetics, hand soap, tires, Windex, toothpaste, aspirin, spark plugs, plastics, diapers, and corn chips ala Doritos, Cheetos, and Fritos. How can we survive on Earth without any of these products? Especially the Doritos? Can you really imagine traveling to Walmart, Target, Kmart, CVS, Publix, Kroger, and every vending machine in the world and not being able to find a single bag of Doritos? You'd die. In Interstellar, they don't want that to happen so they have to find alternatives, and thanks to the wormhole discovery, they're able to transcend space in a fraction of the time it would take without it. Matter of fact, without the wormhole, they would die before they got out of our solar system. Fascinating!
     Plenty of innovative movies have been set in space such as Star Wars, Star Trek, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Gravity, and even though they provide inspiration, Interstellar is something not yet seen. Gravity was innovative in letting audiences feel what its like to orbit the Earth (minus the G's), but didn't go any further into space, 2001 was made before modern CG technology, and Star Wars and Trek are space operas. Interstellar is using real space travel, physics, and reality concepts, and with todays CG technology, Interstellar should be unlike anything we've seen. Gravity stayed contained with Earth's orbit, yet looked breath-takingly real; imagine Interstellar, that's going even further into the cosmos. We've seen time and time before that audiences love innovation and originality. In a sea of sequels, reboots, and remakes, original movies are a gasp of fresh air. If Interstellar's marketing can distinguish itself as that, it'll have no problem bringing in audiences. Much of movie was also filmed in IMAX, so that just adds to experience.

     The cast is also an A. Matthew McConaughey headlines, and he's hot off winning his first Oscar, and has lately been delivering acclaimed role after acclaimed role. Interstellar also stars Anne Hathaway, who won an Oscar a few years ago and is a household name, Jessica Chastain, whos been nominated 2 times since 2011, Casey Affleck, Topher Grace, John Lithgow, Matt Damon, and the legendary Michael Caine, among others. All you're missing is Morgan Freeman and Marion Cotillard. Now a star-studded, Oscar-heavy cast doesn't always guarantee butts in the seats, see: The Counselor, but it doesn't help if your movie is also ebola of cinema. When you combine a good movie with a good cast, great things usually happen. See: American Hustle. Expect it here as well. 

     The fact that this is a Christopher Nolan movie also raises potential - and expectations. Because of Nolan's recent success, high-quality product is expected of him, and fanboys worry if this ambitious product could be an ambitious bust. But by what I've seen and heard so far of Interstellar, I think there's a better chance of Chipotle switching to an all-seafood menu, than Interstellar being a  fail.  Inception opened in 2010, featured an all-star cast, and an innovative concept, and went on to shock everyone and gross $825 million worldwide. A similar situation could be in store for Interstellar, but Nolan's name alone won't get it there. Warner and Paramount have to hook audiences with their marketing. Highlight the emotion, but dazzle us with shots of sexy Saturn. But, at the same time, Nolan's name will produce an awareness boost that a typical director doesn't have the luxury of.
      Marketing so far has been hot. TV spots have been airing since September, trailers have been well viewed online and in theaters, IMAX is being highlighted, and they're letting audiences know this is sort of Gravity Plus. Awarness is high, tracking is solid, and they show Saturn in every clip. All these factors can only help.

     Interstellar also has a prime release date: holiday season and Oscar season. It will have the Thanksgiving, Veterans Day, and Christmas season to buoy the gross. Interstellar will have to deal with the typical adult-targeting Oscar-hopeful competition, and there looks to be some good ones this year, but Interstellar still can set itself apart from the rest thanks to its concept.
    For it's budget, Interstellar is also putting emotion alongside spectacle, instead of giving it the backseat, which blockbusters typically tend to do. It's not just females that like emotion, we all do, since emotions is something we all feel every day. Having to leave your family behind to go transcend space? Having to deal with elements and worlds never before set foot on? Having to deal with the possible ending of the world? A world without Doritos? Yeah, this movie is gonna be hard-hitting. Even though it's a movie with wormholes and dried-up crops, it still has a human element, which is key.
    Early buzz has been good for Interstellar. Some critics and early viewers have gone as far as saying this movie will be one remembered for generations, like Jurassic Park, Jaws, and Forrest Gump. That's likely hyperbole, it's still pretty early, but the stars are still aligning for this to be a critical darling. Interstellar, though a blockbuster tentpole, will still rely on word-of-mouth to get the audiences coming. There's some big name stars and a big name director, but it's still not based on existing material, and the concept is still not a normal one. I personally believe Interstellar will open 60 million, but I think it's legs will chug on into the holidays. IMAX will be Interstellar's top hook to keep people coming through the fall.
    Interstellar may not be the "generational" event that some are hyping, but it should still be nothing short of (inter) stellar. Pun intended. Much of the movie was filmed with real IMAX cameras, and Warner Brothers has secured an exclusive IMAX deal, so that'll hopefully loft grosses for the studio, and put the audience in an immersive experience we may have never seen before on screen in modern times. It's still hard to predict this movie. It could finish with $250 million domestic and $800 million worldwide, or $150 million domestic and $400 million worldwide, or $400 million domestic and $1 billion worldwide, we just don't know.
    Either way, Interstellar looks to be shaping up to be a big discovery: a discovery for moviegoers and cinema. A reason why we go to the movies. Hollywood is not a fan of taking risks, but they took one here, and it as of now looks very well looks to be paying off. Let's see if it can be sustained. Interstellar starts next month. Order your tickets and stockpile your Doritos. Stay tuned to the news, because a new big discovery may have been made, and you don't want to miss it.

How 'Guardians' and 'Turtles' Have Changed Us

      On August 1, we were introduced to Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Groot. On August 1, we were also introduced to a new way the Hollywood scheduling game will be played. Before the release, even days before, people were skeptical of Guardians' potential. "Marvel's first flop?" "Will audiences connect with the characters?" "Will Guardians damage the Marvel brand?" "Are the characters too silly?" All these and more were asked until Guardians' midnight numbers rolled in. Groot and co. ended up grossing $94.3 million over the weekend: beating the undoubtedly more popular Spiderman and X-Men and falling only $1 million behind Captain America, which already opened to a surprising high. Yeah, so what, right? Plenty of movies have already opened to $94 million or higher: 31 to be exact, so why is Guardians so special? Well because Guardians, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have changed the game for the future.

     What makes Guardians' $94 million opening so impressive, other than it was it an original and unknown franchise, was that it did it in August. August in the past has mainly been seen as a dumping ground for Hollywood movies that were too good for September, but not sexy enough for the prime out-of-school days. Before Guardians, the highest opening for August was Bourne Ultimatum with $69 million. Even with inflation, it falls short of Guardians. Next up was 2001's Rush Hour 2 with $67 million. In terms of attendance, Rush Hour 2 still holds the crown. But that doesn't diminish Guardians' success. What's even more impressive is that a little, already hated by the internet movie called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, was able to post the 4th best August opening of all time with $65.5 million the next weekend. Back-to-back weekends of over $170 million from the top 12 movies. No one saw it coming. This August is the first to gross $1 billion in sales, and saved summer 2014 from being a complete disaster. It was still a disaster, but not complete! This is also the first time in the modern era that August has beaten July, and that an August movie has finished #1 for the summer. 

     Guardians and Turtles have shown that you can still have a blockbuster opening in August; and not only opening, but also legs. Guardians, Turtles, Let's Be Cops, and other releases last month have been legging it out better than most of the bulimic May-July releases. Guardians is already the highest grossing movie of the year and will eventually reach $300 million. Turtles still has a shot at $200 million, and Let's Be Cops had a soft opening, but will finish higher than other higher-profile summer comedies Sex Tape, A Million Ways to Die, Blended, and Think Like A Man 2. Already, studios are starting to flood August 2015, '16, '17 and beyond will higher profile movies. The previous problem has been studios trying to cram everything in May-July, mainly May, but thanks to the success of Guardians and Turtles, August has been given new hope.

     Guardians' success also means more assemble movies, and Turtles' means more 80 and 90's nostalgia. Guardians gave Marvel new confidence, and now they have announced Inhumans. Sony has now put Sinister Six back on track, and Fox has something up their sleeve with their Fantastic Four and X-Men franchises. Warner may also be exploring the possibilities of assembles outside of Justice League. Del Toro's dreamed Justice League Dark could also possibly get off the ground. Turtles, that Saved By the Bell special, a Full House revival: the 80's and 90's is about to take back over, and deservedly so. But thanks the success of Turtles, one 90's franchise has just struck a July 2016 date: Power Rangers. That's right, they're bringing back Power Rangers. The possible reboot had been announced before Turtles was released, but after Hollywood saw decades-old Turtles shocking success, Lionsgate quickly found a date. With so many great things to come out of the 90's, don't be surprised to soon hear more announcements. Animaniacs? Doug? Seinfeld: The S#8t They Didn't Show? We'll see.

     October and April have also been seeing massive success lately, and March is now a certified powerhouse month, so hopefully this will lead to movies being more spread out in the future. One of the most shocking date announcements is Batman vs Superman being released in March, instead of the traditional summer. This movie is arguably the most anticipated of 2016, and is with Avengers 2  for near future movies, but it just screamed summer. But, this is a good thing. Warner Brothers has confidence that people will still see the two most popular heros, no matter the month, and they're correct. Does this mean the end of the summer season and beginning of the spread out 12-month fiscal year? No. Summer's still crammed, and for the most part, any movie with a budget of $150 million or higher is still finding home there, but it does mean that thanks to some newfound confidence, and breakout movies, these films will have more room to breathe. What if Guardians had underperformed, or even performed at expectations? What if Turtles had flopped like the internet was waiting for, or what if it had a modest, typical opening of $30-40 million? Hollywood still hasn't completely learned their lesson, and August may still stay 2nd-tier for a while, but Guardians and Turtles have broken some stigmas and given the studios confidence, showing they had a bigger impact other than their numbers on the 2014 box office calendar.

Why 'Frozen' Has Put Us In A New Ice Age

     Are you tired of "Let it Go"? Too bad. You haven't seen Frozen yet? You live under a rock. What is your girlfriend, kid, and maybe even boyfriend going to dress as for Halloween? Elsa. Frozen and its associates have taken the world by storm. If you tell someone that Frozen is the biggest animated phenomenon since 2004, they may laugh at you, but it's true.

     What was that 2004 phenom? Shrek 2. Even ten years later, Shrek 2 remains the highest grossing animated film domestically at $441 million. Adjusted, Shrek 2 raked in $565 million - without 3D, making Shrek 2 likely the 2nd or 3rd biggest film of the 2000's decade. Ten years later, it's Frozen's turn. Frozen is the biggest animated movie since 2010's Toy Story 3. Frozen won't pass the domestic gross of TS3, but it doesn't need to to solidify its cultural status.

     While Toy Story 3 was the biggest animated movie in six years, it didn't have the impact that Frozen has had. Toy Story 3 had the luxury of 1 and 2 and was mainly huge in theaters, video, and merchandising. Frozen is not a sequel with 15 years of built-up goodwill, and has a few more categories that it gets to claim. From its stratospheric box office gross to its two Oscar wins to its staggering Youtube views, you just can't stop the Elsa blizzard. Looks like you just gotta freeze.

     Soundtrack. Frozen's soundtrack is pulling an Adele. It is the longest running #1 animated soundtrack in history and has been #1 on the Billboard 200 for 10 non-consecutive weeks, and shows no signs of slowing down soon. "Let it Go" has also peaked at #5 on the Billboard 100. Youtube. Frozen is a viral sensation. Firefighters, little girls, college students, violinists, soccer moms, African tribes, choirs, parody makers, celebrities, news anchors, and maybe even prisoners have been caught singing "Let It Go" and have made covers. The official "Let It Go" video has nearly 200 million views, the sing-a-long adds another 50 million, and the Demi Lovato version nets 137 million. Altogether, videos about "Let it Go" alone have generated over 500 million views. Just "Let it Go". Still not on the level of "Gangnam Style", but what other movie has pulled 500 million views and hundreds of covers for one song? None. Just Frozen.

     Home video. Frozen sold 3.2 million DVD's and Blu-rays in its first day of release; something that hasn't been done in a decade. For comparison, Toy Story 3 sold 3.8 million in its first week. The digital download is also the fastest selling of all time. Merchandise. Frozen's merchandising potential is seemingly unlimited. Who does synergy better than Disney? Furniture, plush toys, dolls, apparel, school supplies, snacks, Frozen on Ice, Frozen on Broadway, Lego Frozen, Disney Channel and ABC, Disney World and Disneyland appearances, games and apps, soundtracks, animated shorts, Olaf Christmas specials, costumes, it just doesn't end. The Anna and Elsa costumes will undoubtedly be the #1 costumes this upcoming Halloween, whether you're 6 or 26. There have also been reports of parents shelling out hundreds on Ebay for sold-out Frozen dolls to give to their daughters. Disney is trying it's best to keep Disney Stores stocked. Frozen merchandise sales are poised to surpass ticket sales (if it hasn't already).

     Even cosplay, fan-fiction, and conspiracy theories are becoming Frozen obsessive. If you didn't know, children don't really participate in those, so this shows how teens, young adults, and adults are embracing it as well. Was Olaf responsible for Stonehenge? Is Anna rigging the NBA? Is Elsa melting glaciers? Somewhere, someone thinks so.

     Lastly, the box office. Back in October, the average prediction for Frozen was $200 million domestic and $400 million overseas. Turns out...everyone was wrong. Frozen is now the highest grossing animated movie of all time worldwide and #6 overall. It is currently sitting at $1.2 billion, with Asia being a huge surprise contributor. South Korea, China, and Japan all gave Frozen a surprisingly warm welcome (no pun intended). Any day now, Frozen will cross $400 million domestic, becoming the 19th overall and 4th animated movie ever to do so. Frozen is also the 2nd biggest PG-rated movie ever, the 7th biggest overall of this decade so far, and the 2nd biggest animated of the 2010's so far, in North America. No one saw this coming, and the way Frozen was able to survive in mainstream theaters for five months (in dollar theaters now) shows how amazing of a reception the movie has received. 

     When I saw Frozen in theaters, a little girl walked in wearing Elsa's snow dress. I have never seen someone dress up to a movie before (I don't do midnights) and it was very aww-ing. That same girl also sang along. This has to have happened all across the country. I've overheard many people talking about Frozen in conversations and friends have asked me about it.

     If you think Frozen's pop-cultural impact is overrated, you're in a small, small, small minority. From 6 year old girls to 50 year old male news anchors, people just can't let go of Frozen. We haven't seen an animated movie phenomenon like this in a decade and Frozen deserves it all. There have even been reports that Anna and Elsa are soon going to be inducted into the Disney Princesses. Is there a Frozen 2 on the horizon? Many fans actually don't want a sequel because they don't want the charm of the original to be ruined, but when Frozen 2 is announced, it will be welcomed with open arms anyway. If it is not released in 2016, which is pretty likely it's not, don't expect it before 2018 based on Disney's current schedule. No telling when the Frozen train will slow down, but it's good to see the world coming together for something like this. Like Shrek, Pixar, and Despicable Me, Frozen had the perfect formula to make it happen. Now let's make like Olaf and bring back Summer, because the cold weather has to go.

A Game of Hollywood Chicken 2

    I didn't think I'd have to write another one of these for a while, but here I am, writing another. And who better it involve than Warner Bros and Disney? It's not often that you see films targeting the same demographics open on the same day, but it does happen. Last year we had Furious 6 and Hangover 3. One prevailed, while the other obviously suffered. Now that that battle is over, another "foot" measuring contest has begun in Hollywood. Captain America 3 and Batman vs Superman (neither titles are official) are currently both set to bow on May 6, 2016. No, don't reach for your glasses, and no don't refresh the page, you read correct. Two superhero movies are currently playing chicken. They're not a week apart, even 2 days apart, no they're on the same damn day.

      In my opinion, both studios have a right to claim this spot, but then again they don't. "Marvel untitled film" was put in the spot last year, but Warner Brothers put an actual movie there first. So who stays? Currently, both studios say they're not backing down. The Marvelites argue that Cap should get the rightful spot because "Marvel was there first", but why didn't they just announce a movie there to begin with? This eeny-meeny-miny-moe culture with studios and dates is ridiculous. There's an "untitled Fox/Dreamworks/Blue Sky animation" set for December 21, 2018. WHY? Release dates are competitive, but you can't just slap your untitled and unconfirmed movie anywhere and call it your weekend. No. But at the same time, why is Warner Bros even making this a thing? A Marvel film has opened the first weekend of May every year since 2002, excluding '04-'06 . Warner has never released a DC Comics film in May, so why start now? June and July have been goldmines for WB and DC. To movie buffs, the 3rd Friday in July is "WB day", as they always release a tent-pole on that weekend. So why choose May? Why choose "Marvel day"?

     This date war is pretty amusing, considering both studios have so much to lose. Neither film is invincible. While Winter Soldier and Avengers 2 will propel Cap's popularity even further by the time Cap 3 comes around, Batman vs Superman seems like more of the event film. Fans have been waiting for these two heroes to share screen time since the invention of the wheel. Batman vs Superman will also include Wonder Woman for the first time, and will serve as the precursor to Justice League. The potential here is huge, maybe $400+ million domestic huge, and Cap's goodwill shouldn't be able to match it. At the same time, even though it may not be as big as BvS's, Cap 3 will have an audience. If these films stay in the same date, Cap 3 will put a dent in Batman vs Superman. Man of Steel was a mixed bag in reception and BvS will have to deal with a rebooted Batman universe, while Winter Soldier's word-of-mouth and reviews have been stellar. If Avengers 2 lives up to the hype, and "Avengers effect" keeps growing, then Cap 3 could cause even more damage than BvS would cause.

     Hardcore fans have also seemed to be pleased with most everything Marvel has been doing so far with Cap, Avengers and the MCU, while Man of Steel and BvS got and have been getting mixed receptions with the castings of Ben Affleck as Batman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, director Zack Snyder, and how WB has been handling their DC properties lately. (You watch the CW, right? Just check your TV guide, it's there somewhere.)

     WB has found success in mid-summer and Winter Soldier proved that Marvel can open big in April or anywhere (and no, April is not "summer" now, please stop with this). What if Warner gave the spot up to Disney, but then opened Batman vs Superman a week after Cap 3? What if Cap 3 just took April again? What if both left May? What if both just leave 2016 and never come out? Eh, okay.

     I'm personally excited for both movies and I think both have potential for $300 million or more domestic and $800 million worldwide, so what's the best solution? Initially, I felt that Warner should just give the date up and move to July 22, 2016, but they have now scheduled King Arthur for that date. The King is no match for the Bat, but I don't see WB shifting that unless production problems arise. No, DC-ers, I don't want BvS to move because Cap 3 will be "better" or "more hyped" or whatever, but because that date was wide open, and it's successful for WB. That July date would've provided BvS with less competition as late-July and August are weaker than May and early-June, so putting unknown King Arthur there instead is a dumb move, in my opinion. The first Captain America opened in July, so it's possible that Cap 3 just goes there as well and lets BvS take on that (eventually) crowded May schedule, but another, surprise surprise, "Marvel untitled" is currently sitting at July 8. That could be moved, but chances again are low. Spring could really work for Cap 3, which would make Cap 3 the event movie of the Spring, and allow Disney a head start on the Superman/Batman, Spiderman, and X-Men competition. November 2016 is also a possibility for either film, but December is not. A long, and I mean long, awaited film called Avatar 2 will be hitting a theater near you. Even though the Holiday season can provide great legs, the likelihood of either movie opening that far out is very slim. 12 months in the year is just not enough apparently.

     Ironically, this same thing is happening with How to Train Your Dragon 3 and Finding Dory for June 17, 2016, but we'll save that for another day. So, is it likely that Cap and Supes will still be opening on May 6, 2016 come May 5, 2016? No, very unlikely, but stranger things have happened and studios can be stubborn, and I'd imagine Disney and Warner will keep on driving towards each other for as long as possible until one finally takes that swerve of faith, which may be next week, or next year, or maybe never. No matter what happens, just make sure you have no plans for May 6, 2016. You will see what Clark did, you will join them in the Sun, or you will "hail Hydra!"

    

Why The 'Winter Soldier' Makes Marvel A Winner

      Let me start by saying Captain America: The First Avenger sucks. I didn't like it. I don't know why; it seemed like it had heart, but I just loathe it. I was not sold on the character of Captain America, though I do like Chris Evans in the role. Marvel's Avengers brought Cap back, and though I thought he was solid in it and brought team unity, he was nowhere as exciting as Iron Man and Hulk. Here comes Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but it didn't look like Captain America 2, it looked like SHIELD: The Captain America Story. This concerned me. SHIELD was the least exciting thing about Avengers, they have a show on ABC that I don't watch, and I just didn't care to see them yet again so prominently. Well, I'll say again,  I did not enjoy the first Captain America. As it turns out, that was not same for Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Honestly, it didn't even come close.

     Winter Soldier follows the life and times of Captain America/Steve Rogers, Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff, Nick Fury/Nick Fury, and ya boy SHIELD after the attack on New York. Steve is doing fine, Natasha is doing fine, Nick is doing fine, and SHIELD is kicking tail better than ever. Steve has also made a new friend - Sam Wilson aka Falcon. After a mission on an oil tanker (like Captain Phillips with high tech weapons), it is revealed that SHIELD has been compromised. Steve and Natasha get framed and have to go on the run. When they figure out who is really controlling SHIELD and what their plans are, Steve, Natasha, Sam, and a couple other "trustworthies" must try to stop them. Oh, and there's also another small obstacle getting in their way - Bucky Barnes aka the Winter Soldier. Bucky is a longtime friend of Steve, but parishes in the first Captain America. When Steve was recovered by SHIELD, it turns out Bucky was recovered by another significant group of people. He's been brainwashed and altered, and the only thing that goes through his brain is "kill my target". Steve and Bucky run into each other, and not in a normal way, and what follows is great characterization and stylized knife fights.

     I loved most aspects of Winter Soldier, so I'll start by saying the few things I didn't. The early parts of the movie, even though it does a good job at establishing characters, is still pretty slow. The first action sequence on the ship felt like a low-rent episode of 24. The Falcon didn't add much to the movie. This bothered me the most, considering I was really anticipating him. It was good to finally see another super-suited minority hero in the MCU (after War Machine/Rhodey), but he was severely underused. I liked Sam; he was funny and he fit in well with the already established team, but honestly if you cut out all of his scenes, it wouldn't have changed the movie one bit. It felt like once he would get in, he would get right back out. His screen time just flew by (pun intended). Bucky as Winter Soldier provided plenty of outstanding action, but a little more Bucky as Bucky would've been nice as well.

     There was also a lack of danger at times. I had this problem with Avengers too. The characters were hit with the elements: explosions, bullets, falls, punches, and even electrocution, but for the most part, they seemed to walk away unscathed. This makes what they're trying to accomplish feel too easy, especially for Black Widow. Yes shes the best at what she does, but will she ever get a noticeable cut? Falling off your bike in the park does more damage than hurdling through a window? Also, Steve and Natasha were confronted with a flash drive with precious data that they needed to extract. Like most movies, they got through the complex computer security, extracted the complex data, and found where they needed to go pretty easily. Can this plot point ever become a challenge? Also the score was forgettable, considering I've already forgotten it. The last problem I had was that damn shaky cam. It was headache by the first 15 minutes. It became less noticeable as the film went on, but I still wish it wasn't included at all.

     These sound like major complaints that would put the film in the C-range, but it's not like that. My overall feeling on Winter Soldier was that it was well executed. For someone that thinks the first movie is complete doo doo, they really made it easy to enjoy this one. Winter Soldier had a lot more wit than I thought it would, with all the major characters contributing. And speaking of characters, other than than Falcon, they all have great development, especially Steve. Every new complex thing tossed at him brings out a new dimension in his character. The chemistry between the characters, Falcon included, was also very strong. The action scenes and combat were well executed, and you could feel the drama during the fights, giving the action another dimension. The acting was great - Chris Evans is Captain America, the story was coherent, and the effects for the most part looked top notch. Winter Soldier was a lot more enjoyable than Iron Man 3 and Thor 2, which is ironic considering of phase one, First Avenger was the only one I didn't like. Winter Soldier has also done the best job in establishing a base and creating anticipation for Avengers 2. The filmmakers wanted to deliver, and they did, shattering my mid-range expectations. It's hard to call this one out and fault it after being such a big improvement. Here's hoping Captain America 3 is...well you already know - Winter Soldier 2 and not First Avenger 2.

A- -.

The Year Of The SciFi

   2014 came up on us fast. We waved 2013 goodbye and brought in the big 1-4. 2014 is bringing an interesting huddle of movies to the screen. A big player of original movies is sci-fi movies. 2013 wasn't a disaster year for sci-fi, but it damaged its bankability. In my first sci-fi article, I discussed how After Earf, Oblivion, Star Trek Into Darkness, Pacific Rim, and The Host didn't put up the grosses studios and fans were hoping for. It was up to Elysium, Gravity, Ender's Game, and Thor 2 to turn things around. Well Ender came and went quietly, Thor's and Elysium's numbers were respectable, and Gravity was sensational - becoming the highest grossing October movie of all time, by far. All this still wasn't enough to redeem 2013's sci-fi slate.

     There's no point in crying over spilled milk. 2013 is done. 2014 has a fresh upcoming slate of sci-fi adaptions that could turn things around. Robocop, Transendence, Dawn of the Apes, Interstellar, Godzilla, Jupiter Ascending, Divergent, X-Men: Days of Future's Past, Edge of Tomorrow, Transformers: Age of Extinction, Guardians of the Galaxy, Lucy, The Giver, Resident Evil 6, The Maze Runner, and Mockingjay Part 1 are the listed sci-fi classified movies set for release this year. Geez, that's a lot. See, Hollywood isn't being too skeptical.

     X-Men, Transformers, Apes, and Mockingjay will obviously make money, but there still risk in all of these projects. Guardians is a strange concept and it has yet to be seen if it will connect with mainstream audiences, but with the backing of Marvel, an all star cast, and good early reactions, Guardians could be a summer surprise. Half of the internet is still waiting on a trailer, but when it debuts expect a lot of talk, whether good or bad.

     Divergent will be trying to capitalize off of The Hunger Games success, kind of like the annoying little sister that wants to be just like the older sister, so she mimics everything she does. Last year was not a good one for young adult adaptions, but Divergent seems to have more going for it than those movies did. Divergent won't be the new Hunger Games, but it should be able to break out enough to gain it's own identity. Maze Runner is in the same boat, though this movie is the bigger risk. Since Maze Runner was pushed back to the Fall, not much has been seen from it so it's hard to gauge anything about it yet.

     Robocop has a lot of work to do. Not only is the title simply ridiculous for 2014, but 80's remakes haven't fared too well lately. Total Recall seems to be right up Robocop's alley; compare the trailers and they'll look exactly alike. There's nothing special about the reboot and Joel Kinneman isn't exactly a household name - even though Gary Oldman and Samuel L Jackson are. Robocop will likely have trouble making noise for the box office. There isn't much reason to be optimistic that Robocop will pass Recall's $58 million haul. Seriously, just title it Iphone-Cop already. Godzilla on the other hand has been making a tidal wave of noise online and so far Gareth Edwards and Warner/Legendary have done a fantastic job of differentiating this from the dreadful 1998 version. It's still a while until May, but Godzilla looks to be tracking to be a sleeper hit of summer.

     Jupiter Ascending includes Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis, two big A-listers, but Kunis' Friends With Benefits and Tatum's White House Down showed that drooling women and men aren't going to automatically show up for them. JA is a strange concept and Warner's marketing will need to go all out to explain to audiences why JA is the event movie it's budget makes it out to be. Warner is risking with JA, and it's up to them if it'll pay off. I'll get more into Interstellar, Guardians, The Giver, and others as the year progresses.

     Science fiction is a genre you can't live without. 2014 has plenty of it and these movies have potential to do things 2013 couldn't. We'll see how the year and these sci-fi movies progress, but so far things look good.

The Mighty '13

    Updated 1/4/14. 2013 has came to close and what a year it was. What looked to be a disaster of a year back in March, with a strong second half it was poised to become the highest grossing ever. We all know the hits and flops of the year - Iron Man 3, Catching Fire, After Earf, Despicable Me 2, Lone Ranger, etc, etc, but do you know the surprises? Plenty of movies this year pulled a 180 on us and did the complete opposite of what they were expected and only a few saw coming.

     By the far biggest surprise of the winter season and possibly the year is Disney's Frozen. Frozen initially looked like a rehash of Tangled with snow, but after 6 weeks of release, it's proven to be much more. Most saw Frozen doing no more than $200 million, around the same range as Tangled - Frozen's total as of now? $289 million, and counting - even after 7 weeks it'll be #1 this weekend, meaning its going to be out welllllll into 2014. Audiences have fallen for Frozen. The Disney princess musical has been attracting grown men just as much as young girls. The soundtrack is also #1 on Itunes. Just to give you an idea of how big Frozen is, it's going to end up the highest grossing original animated move ever and the biggest Disney animation of all time, topping The Lion King (counting out the re-release), which is ironic since TV ads were calling it the best Disney animation since then. Even Despicable Me 2's $367 million haul could be in danger, which is just flat out remarkable for a movie most analysts and movie buffs saw doing $200 million or less, and just remarkable period.

     Gravity defied box office astronomy and has brought us a movie going experience that we really have never experienced. When Gravity finally crashes down, it'll be the highest grossing October movie ever - by over $100 million. Gravity's simple concept wasn't guaranteed to be a success, with most predicting an opening of $30 million or lower. $40 million was considered ballsy. Well, yeah Gravity ended up pulling a jaw-dropping $55 million in it's opening and thanks to its universal reviews and rollercoaster IMAX-esque experience, it held well in the weeks since and is now at $255 million where it has seemed to stall, but with guaranteed awards noms coming up, Gravity still has a few more millions to rake in well into the new year. I knew Gravity would be good, but that good? The last 10 minutes were the most emotionally invested/edge of my seat I've ever been in the theater. Truly life-changing. And with that said, after this I'm going to submit my application to NASA.

     Also a contender for surprise of the year is World War Z. The June Brad Pitt led thriller shut up naysayers fast. Projected to open with $45 million or less by most, Z added to a record breaking June with a $66 million opening, #2 at the time for a movie that didn't open #1 (Frozen now has that #2). Z has finally died off with $202 million and with $540 million worldwide, Z showed that just because you have production problems doesn't mean your movie is destined to be a turd.

     Comedy We're the Miller's was the biggest movie of August and the 2nd biggest comedy of the year, just $9 million shy of The Heat, and with an opening of only $26 million. Millers, the story of a fake family hired to smuggle drugs across the border, looked like a modest hit, but it proved to be more than modest as it had one of the best legs of any of the movies this summer. Most didn't even know Miller's was a thing until the first trailer, so a great run indeed.

     Add The Conjuring to the list, which had phenomenal legs for a horror. Conjuring bucked the trend for horror movies and had steady 40% drops every weekend instead of the usual 60% or bigger. With a worldwide total of $316 million and only a $20 million budget, don't be surprised to get the hell scared out you, literally, again with a sequel.

     A few other better-than-expected surprises were Bad Grandpa (that 2nd weekend drop!), Warm Bodies, Now You See Me, Identity Theft, Great Gatsby, 42, Captain Phillips, and Planes.

     Surprises can go both ways. With its share of "wow that made so much more than I expected!", theres a crop of "wow that sucked, it didn't even make half of what I thought". White House Down is possibly the biggest offender of the year. It had everything going for it - Channing Tatum fresh off a stellar 2012, Jamie Foxx who was hot off Django, a late June release, Roland Emmerich, an appealing concept, a democrat President, a flashy budget, and a cool title. What more did Sony need? Well, Sony definitely didn't need Olympus Has Fallen. Olympus was a cheaper version of Down with cheaper effects, a cheaper star, coming from a cheap B-list studio, yet Olympus went on to pull near $100 million, which makes it a 2013 surprise as well. I'm telling you the trailers looked straight-to-Netflix quality, but the movie was actually badass. Unfortunately, not too many people wanted to see basically the same movie just 3 months later. Down opened to an appalling $24 million, $15 million lower than The Heat which it was projected to beat, and has finished with a weak $73 million. I call that weak considering a total of $150 million or higher was most everyone's expectations. Maybe we'll get a Mount Rushmore Down or Fort Knox Down or Golden Gate Bridge Down, and White House will be redeemed. Can't wait for the Waffle House Down parody. It's coming. I feel it.

     Most expected After Earff, The Lone Ranger, Turbo, Jack the Giant Slayer, Hangover 3, Gangster Squad, RIPD, Scary Movie 5, and Believe to dissapoint, so not really a surprise there.

     Beautiful Creatures, The Host, and City of Bones weren't expected to be the next Hunger Games and Twilight, but they should've at least been able to become the new something. None did well enough to justify a franchise and with Twilight finished and minus Hunger Games, it makes you wonder if the young adult genre has lost it. At least they still have Barnes N Noble. With Maze Runner, Vampire Academy, Divergent, and The Giver, 2014 has a lot to prove or Hollywood will be leaving young adults adaption-less soon after.

     Can we nominate a month? Yes. And I nominate February. February 2013 was dreadful. The worst grossing and attended in over 10 plus years. This is even more disappointing considering February 2012 set a gross record and was the 4th best attended ever. January wasn't special either and if it wasn't for a strong 2012 Christmas slate, it would've been equally ugly. At least we had June.

     Another disappointing fact is that Thor: The Dark World and Star Trek Into Darkness won't be occupying the domestic top 10. Both looked to dominate based on the success of their predecessors, but it wasn't enough after all. Trek was stuck between Iron Man 3 and Furious 6, couldn't break out of its niche audience, and Paramount didn't do a good job showing audiences who saw Star Trek in 2009 why they should come back after a 4 year wait and secret villain. Into Darkness' gross of $228 million domestic and $467 worldwide is pretty dang good, but everyone seemed to be expecting a little more. Ehh, actually a lot more...Thor 2 started off well thanks to the Marvel brand, but couldn't hang on due to competition and lukewarm reception. Good thing overseas loves Marvel as Thor has picked up $627 million worldwide.

     2013 like every year had its hits and misses, but eye-openers is one 2013 had plenty of. From Gravity shattering Fall records to Hangover 3 completely dropping the ball to Frozen seeming to please pretty much everyone, 2013 was a year for the calendar. Since 2014 seems to have a line up full of "eh's", there's a chance those "eh's" will surprise and put 2014 on the map, but for now 2013 is truly the year no one saw coming.

Like Fire and Ice

      Thanksgiving weekend was a big one for females, and not because of TJ Maxx, Macy's, Khol's, and DSW Black Friday deals. Frozen and Catching Fire, both with female leads, amassed over $200 million by themselves over the 5-day Thanksgiving weekend. It has been a common myth in Hollywood that females can't carry a big movie by themselves, but that myth has been busted (pun intended). Frozen is Disney's adaption of the "Snow Queen" and has surpassed all expectations. Over the 5-day weekend, Frozen earned a staggering $93 million, which ranks 1st all time for Thanksgiving, and for the the 3-day it raked in $67.3 million which is 2nd all time - behind Catching Fire. Frozen also ranks 2nd all time for a movie that did not open at #1. Tangled, Frozen's counterpart, only raked in $68.7 million over the 5-day back in 2010. 

     Both of Frozen's main characters are female - Anna and Elsa. Having two females in a lead role is uncommon; even Tangled only had one. With highly positive reviews and little competition over the holiday season, Frozen can give Pixar's Monsters University a run for its money for 2nd biggest animated film of the year and top 10 all time. Frozen's polled audience was only 57 percent female, as opposed to 70-80 percent for Twilight. This shows that even with multiple female leads, men will still show up.

     If you don't know who Katniss is by now, then add that to your list of 99 problems. Catching Fire is doing what Harry Potter did last decade. Catching Fire ignited $74.1 million over the 3-day weekend and $110 million over the 5-day, both which rank 1st all time. Catching Fire's second weekend is also 4th all time. You could argue many people buy tickets for Hunger Games to see the arena battle scenes, but that's not the the main focus. Katniss Everdeen is "Hunger Games" and if more people are showing up for her than for the boy wizard Harry, then how can you say a female cant lead? Sure you have her love triangle co-stars, but it's Katniss' story, and she's the badass. Peeta and Gale do what she tells them to do.

     Wonder Woman is the most popular female superhero and one of the most popular in general, but Warner Brothers still hasn't given her the greenlight. Why? You could say they can't find a star or director, which is false. You could say the source material is too tricky and complex, which is false. You could say because Warner is afraid, which is true. Here we are about to get a 4th version of Batman, 3rd version of Superman, 2nd version of Spiderman, and more Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor sequels to come, but Diana has yet to see the green screen. Marvel has said they're looking into a female-led movie, but that none is in their current plans. There are plenty of self-righteous and sexist people in the world; it's a naive thought that the average male would refuse to see a Wonder Woman movie because she's not a man. Wouldn't men rather see a woman in a tight-fitting costume than a man anyway? Yes. Catwoman and Elektra did not fail because of their female stars, but because they were truly awful movies - with 9 and 10 percent on Rotten Tomatoes respectively, compared to the big names which land on average in the 70's and 80's. Anyone who studies movies could tell you that.

     We have plenty of movies where females co-lead with a man; when will we just let them do their own thing instead? Frozen and Catching Fire weren't affected. And you can look at past movies; Angelina Jolie's Salt was more successful than Tom Cruise's Jack Reacher, Sandra Bullock carried most of Gravity on her own, Bridesmaids and The Heat which had all female leads out-grossed recent comedies from Adam Sandler, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Will Ferrell, Zach Galafinakis, and Sacha Baron Cohen - male Hollywood comedy heavyweights. Brave, Zero Dark Thirty, Snow White and the Huntsman, The Help, Bad Teacher, Black Swan, and Princess and the Frog are all recent action, comedy, and drama movies with female leads that audiences, both male and female, showed up for. Romantic comedies and dramas star women because they are made for women, but its time let women entertain us men too. 

     Hollywood is taking small steps forward. Melissa McCarthy has an endless number of comedies coming up, an all female Expendable's spin-off is in the works, and more females such as Kathryn Bigelow, Angelina Jolie, and Melissa McCarthy are directing bigger name movies, but until we can at least get a Wonder Woman solo movie with the same budget and focus as the big boys, not much has changed. With Catching Fire and Frozen paving the way, hopefully Hollywood will start getting the memo. Just remember, even Shaquille O'Neal has gotten to play a superhero...

'Catching Fire' Is Ready To Roast Cinemas

    One of the biggest surprises of 2012 was the success of The Hunger Games. Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Hunger Games broke all kinds of records - from biggest Spring opening to fourth biggest Saturday to sixth biggest opening of all time (3rd at the time of release). When it was all said and done, Hunger Games ended with a $408 million total - and $691 million worldwide, which ranks 14th all time domestic and #1 for a movie from an independent studio - and that is without 3D. By the end of 2012, Hunger Games shocked the world and had out-grossed known popular franchises James Bond, Spider Man, Twilight, Pixar, and Lord of the Rings. Back in 2011 if you called this then you deserve a million dollars, a supermodel girlfriend/boyfriend, a black Ferrari, and your own private island, because you were as bold as Bear Grylls and didn't collapse under pressure from being called an idiot (or worse) and accusations of knowing nothing about box office, and maybe even life. Go, you. One special thing Games had was great legs - no I'm not talking about Lawrence's, but the fact that the movie was able to stick around for so long. Young adult novel movies such as Twilight and Harry Potter, usually open hefty, then fall heftier the next weekend. Hunger Games had a huge curiosity factor which led to the masses coming weekend after weekend and Games being #1 in America for 4 weeks, the first time that has happened since January 2010.
     Now 20 months later, Catching Fire, is set to light Regal's and AMC's everywhere on fire. Catching Fire will be no surprise as everyone and their mother knows it's going to be a monster. Now the debate has gone from "will Hunger Games be a success?" to "how much freaking money will Catching Fire bring in this weekend!?" The answer is "a lot." Emphasis on a lot. Box office analysts and anyone who has a poster of JLaw and/or the Mockingjay on their walls is predicting $160-$180 million for the weekend, with predictions as high as $200 million. Yes, that's a 2. Catching Fire only needs $174.2 million to claim the second biggest opening of all time, and that looks very feasible. Even if it opens to the low end of many projections that's still the 4th or 5th biggest opening of all time. Again, without 3D.

     The big argument now is will Catching Fire be able to stay at the box office party for long? Or will it have too many drinks on opening weekend and stumble the rest of the way? Judging by the fact that Catching Fire is a sequel and is a based off a YA adaption, opening weekend will be so big it'll have its own gravitational pull, but the next weekend will suffer a steep drop, and the week after, and the week after...or will it? If you haven't seen the reviews for Catching Fire yet, they're pretty positive, with many of them raves. The movie currently holds a 93% on RT, which is rare for a blockbuster. That number can go down by Friday, but don't expect it to be by much. With reviews this good, this may incline some people that CF is worth seeing, even if they don't know what the heck it's about. Good reviews don't guarantee butts in the seats and don't guarantee small drops in the subsequent weeks, but they sure don't hurt the movie.
     Another complaint (even by me at one point) has been that CF looks like a carbon-copy of the Hunger Games and doesn't have the curiosity factor luxury of the first. While CF still doesn't have the same curiosity, I've realized the carbon-copy argument has little weight. CF is holding its own with its refreshing visuals, bigger scale, and new characters - though Lionsgate could have marketed them better. And guess what else? No-more-shakey-cam! Go ahead and go wild like I know you already are. The performances in the movie also seem to be getting a lot of praise.
     Also, even though CF will behave like a sequel, it will have Thanksgiving break and even Christmas break to provide some cushion. The biggest challenge for CF is to get back its non-fan audience. Many people saw Hunger Games because it was new and fresh and the buzz came out of the blue. "It was cool seeing Katniss on the screen last year, but why do I need to shell out $11 to see her again?" Though a growing fan base will help offset this a little, in order for CF to get back over $400 million, the curiosity needs to come back. Let's hope Lionsgate's marketing team got the memo.
     I won't know for myself until I see it, but apparently Catching Fire is the event of the year (as with Iron Man 3) and looks to possibly be the biggest movie from now until May 2015. It's still up in the air whether Catching Fire can defy box office logic and make it past $400 million, which would make it only the third franchise (Star Wars and Batman) to have more than one movie above the mark. I personally believe CF will miss $400 million, but not by much. It doesn't matter whether or not Catching Fire reaches that milestone - it's already a success for Lionsgate, Lawrence, and the fans who just want a good adaption, and is poised to end at least #2 for 2013 when it's said and done; it will challenge Iron Man 3 for #1. Expect a nice increase for a top five finish worldwide. It's possible CF could fall below Despicable Me 2, but that's almost as likely as Katniss deciding not to do the games instead because shes scared. We'll see in a few days how big and how masterful Catching Fire really is, but expect for your local theater to be a lot busier than your local Walmart or interstate highway at 5 o'clock this weekend. CF is now committing arson in Brazil and looks to start Wednesday and Friday worldwide, in glorious, but non-surcharging 2D. Rated PG-13 and 146 minutes (yes, that's over 2 1/2 hours).

'Gravity' Still Won't Let Go

     Do you know what it feels like to float in space? With no sound, no air, no protection from uv rays, space junk, and no gravity? Do you know what it's like to sit and watch the Earth rotate and orbit while seemingly floating in the empty black void known as the universe while millions of little white dots stand stationary in the background? Of course you dont...like you've been in space before, pshht sit down. Well thank Warner Brothers and physics for Gravity because even though it isn't the real thing, it's darn close.

     Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity, which stars the talented Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, is not a movie, it's an experience. Yes you've probably heard that 20 times and it's likely been trademarked by now, but I don't care. It's true. Gravity in IMAX and 3D took the movie to a whole new level and has made Gravity a must see in theaters. Sure the movie will still be amazing on Redbox, Netflix, HBO, and cable with commercials included, but seeing Gravity on the silver screen is like no other.

     Gravity is about astronauts Ryan Stone (Bullock) and Matthew Kowalski (Clooney) who are doing work on the Hubble Telescope when a destroyed satellite and all its 20,000+ mph debris glory ends up heading their way. Before they can make it back to the shuttle, they are caught in the crossfire. The collision ends up leaving Stone and Kowalski drifting into dark space, and without any communication from NASA they must figure out how to now survive in airless, soundless, space.

     You could say mother Earth should be nominated for Best Supporting Actress, and it's true. The special effects in Gravity are some of the most realistic and accurate I've ever seen. Earth looked so realistic it was scary. The space suits, the shuttle, the debris, the Sun, the Moon, everything. It's so immersive that you feel like you are the one drifting thousands of kilometers above Earth. You see the Aurora's, lights from metropolitan areas, land masses, oceans, the sunrise over the rim of the Earth, I even spotted a hurricane; it's unreal. The sound is also top notch. If you haven't taken 7th grade science than you may not be aware that there is no sound in space. So how do you hear the explosions you ask? Well, you don't. Well, it's kinda-sort of. Cuaron, wanting to keep the movie realistic, has came up with an innovative way for us to hear the sounds - keeping the movie suspenseful and frighting. The soundtrack also gives us a break from the loud foghorns and drums that come included free in every summer blockbuster and instead gives us more angelic yet frightening tunes that match the scenes more perfectly than a sorority girl with Lilly Pulitzer.

    With no surprise, I give Gravity an A+, 5/5, 100, 4 stars, 2 thumbs, and 10 toes. (Don't roll you eyes and be like "oh please". Unlike you, I'm not impossible to please). Back when everyone was laughing at the Gravity trailer when Man Of Steel was released, I was intrigued. Getting lost in space? Well how could they make a movie out of that? I now know how and it was flawless. Gravity took five years to make, but it was a five years far from wasted. Alfonso Cuaron put his passion into the movie and from the detail of the Earth to the cockpits, it was well done.

     Sandra Bullock was outstanding. She gave off an array of emotions, and even without the IMAX or 3D, you feel every one. The last 10 minutes of Gravity (no not the credits) were the most nerve racking, intense, thrilling, and emotionally draining 10 minutes I have ever seen. Gravity may not be a masterpiece, but we rarely get them anymore, at least in my opinion. Winning "Best Picture" doesn't make you a masterpiece; heck, I liked Argo less the second time. Gravity doesn't have to be one though. It's easily one of the best, visually stunning, and most entertaining movies I have ever witnessed. Gravity achieved what very few movies have - made me feel like it was more than a movie. With Gravity, I never once thought to myself "this is just a movie" because I was so immersed. I felt the rollercoaster ride that Sandra was experiencing.

     Yeah, whatever, I know it sounds weird, but watch this movie in 3D on the biggest screen possible and you'll be doing this too. I've only seen three 3D movies and I loathe the gimmick, but it was no gimmick with Gravity. Whether you do IMAX or not, this movie needs to be in your plans. Alfonso, Sandra, George, Warner, and the hundreds of people who spent their precious time on this movie deserve a quick clap; they put together something special, not just an easy money maker. Gravity has now broken the October opening record and with the universal reviews and amazing audience reception, Gravity is prepped to have a longggg life in theaters well into 2014. And it is well deserved. To me, it's possibly the best I've seen on screen, to some it's one of the best, to some it's just great popcorn fun, and to some it sucked, but either way this is a rare movie that blends summer blockbuster action with fall awards story perfectly. With a dash of 3D, it is not a movie, it is an amazing, technical, thrilling, emotional, and immersive experience. You won't want to let go.

October's Very Own

     October is a great month hands down. It's my birthday, football is in full force, the weather is perfect (at least where I am), Halloween (or Halloweek if you're in college), basketball begins, it's National Pizza Month, it's my birthday, and many other reasons. October isn't one of the stronger movie months, usually finishing in the bottom 3rd, but that doesn't mean October can't deliver. This year, October does look like it will deliver. And no I'm not saying that because it's National Pizza Month.

     Gravity, Runner Runner, Carrie, Captain Phillips, Machete Kills, 12 Years A Slave, The Fifth Estate, The Counselor, Escape Plan, Jackass: Bad Grandpa, and Romeo and Juliet are the wide releases, and Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2 will be in its second week. On paper, it looks like the only thing these movies have going for them is their cool names, but this year is a special bunch.

     For the first time in a long time, Carrie (10/18) is the only major horror of the month, which is very odd for October. We should be on Saw 10 by now. It's also the first time in what feels like forever that a Paranormal Activity movie isn't opening, though don't worry, we'll get two PA's next year. Yay. With Carrie the only option to scare the masses, the masses should show up. Usually remakes like this don't blow the box office away, but Carrie should benefit of being the lone scarer of the fall and do at least above average. Also benefiting from the absence of its genre is Cloudy 2 (9/27). Though technically a September movie, it will play like an October one. Though this is nothing new for the month of October, Cloudy 2 will be the only family friendly affair, so it should have an easy time sticking around for a while.

     This October is also looking insanely strong to make some noise in awards season. The only major awards contender last year was Argo, but this year Gravity, 12 Years, Counselor, and Captain Phillips are looking like major candidates. Gravity (10/4) is being called by some critics "the best movie of the decade". That's not too farfetched considering it's only been this decade for 3 years, and again it's critics saying this, not Warner Bros' marketing team. Gravity undoubtedly will earn a Best Effects nom, and Best Picture, Director, Cinematography, and Actor/Actress are still possible. Sandra Bullock and George Clooney are the only two actors in the entire movie so all eyes will be on their performances. Just watch the trailer and you'll see why this should end up an awards juggernaut. The movie is also being called a "thrill ride" and hey audiences love rides, right? This has a strong chance of becoming October's #1 movie, especially if awards season is good to it.

     The concept of Captain Phillips (10/11) is a little more relatable, but that won't matter when it comes to awards; good thing Captain Phillips is already getting raves as well. The general consensus so far is "Tom Hanks is back and it's a thrill ride." The noms that Phillips could receive other than Best Director and maybe Cinematography aren't clear, but it's still looking to be a strong general contender and perfect fall thrill for audiences. These types of roles and voicing toys is what Hanks was born for, so if a Best Actor nom slips his way, you better cheer him on. I personally don't believe awards winners can be called so far in advance, but apparently 12 Years A Slave (10/18) is already the frontrunner to win Best Picture. 12 Years has been screened at film festivals and it's apparently left people in awe. "Strong", "brutal", "eye opening", "intense", and "almost too much to sit through" are words describing it. 12 Years doesn't have the more mainstream elements that Django did so how audiences handle it is yet to be seen, because apparently it's raw, but again this won't matter with awards. Whether 12 Years makes $100 million or $10 million, it's looking to create major noise this year. We'll have to wait until March to see if it really does win, but judging by reactions so far, don't be too surprised if it does.

     Counselor (10/25) is an awards dark horse. Coming from famed director Ridley Scott, Counselor contains an all star cast, though that also doesn't matter with awards. Based on the subject matter, it'll take a little push to get general audiences on board, but this gritty, rough, stylish action and acting is what awards voters love. This is likely to win Best Makeup more than anything else, but hey a win is a win. We'll see in a month though what that RT score is looking like. Machete Kills (10/11), Escape Plan (10/18), and Bad Grandpa (10/25) won't be around for long, but they should provide the nonsense B-movie fun that we all know and love. They will pretty much be must sees once they appear in your Netflix queue. Runner Runner (10/4), though starring the talented Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake, may be a Redbox must see, but maybe it's just me. Audiences will either love it or hate it, but hopefully it will provide some respectable grosses to the October total. Fifth Estate (10/18) early on looked to be an awards contender, but after the TIFF, that's pretty much a deep sleep dream. Considering the subject matter, this may also be a toughie to get general audiences on board. If you've wanted to see Benedict Cumberbatch with blonde hair though, this is the movie of the fall for you. Not much can be said about Romeo and Juliet (10/11). If you miss it though, don't worry, it should make its cable debut on the CW in two years.

     People usually sleep through October to get ready for the winter season, but this October is one to actually stay awake for. With a respectable slate of movies and my birthday (the 5th), keep every Friday (and the first Saturday) in October circled on your calendars.