Read on to learn why 2015 could be the most profitable year for Hollywood ever.
Story by Matt Cummings
With 2014 in the books - and a new slate of films already being released - we're continuing a tradition here at SJF by looking forward to the big movie questions of 2015. And while last year provided us with entertaining answers to the questions we posed back in January, 2015 looks to not only have just as many, but could be the most profitable year ever. Without any fanfare whatsoever, we now present the Big Movie Questions of 2015.
Who will make more money: Avengers or Star Wars?
It's a foregone conclusion that 2015 will be one of the biggest years for the box office ever. With interesting titles throughout the year, it's clear that Hollywood has saved its collective mojo for one big push. But there's always a top dog, someone who makes the most money after a fierce competition. Think 2012's Avengers vs. The Dark Knight Rises. This year, it's the follow-up Age of Ultron vs. Star Wars: The Force Awakens. While we think Ultron has the time (May 4), it will ultimately be Star Wars' award to win, even though its December 18th release date won't give it much time to make its money. For both of these, we expect very crowded theaters and multiple screens showing 3D, 2D, and 24/24fps screenings, with perhaps vying for the highest-grossing film ever (which still belongs to Avatar at $767m).
Which films will be the most disappointing of 2015?
This is a general question we ask every year, as more than a few movies come our way that fail to match our expectations. This can be a part of the worst films of the year, but we find there's a clear distinction between one and the other. Our early money is on Mad Max: Fury Road, a franchise we love but sadly a victim of a prolonged shooting schedule and a general air of negativity on set. Depending on how Director James Wan handles Paul Walker's departure in Furious 7, this one might not meet people's desire for a emotional sendoff. These days, any film by Sony Pictures could easily fall into this category, or go right to the 'worst' list. Read our question below on this beleaguered company to see just what they have (or don't have) in the pipeline.
Will Fast 7 send Paul Walker off in style?
It's safe to say that franchise who loses one of their top stars to tragedy during filming is bound to struggle. Such has been the case with Furious 7, which was supposed to be released in Summer 2014 before they lost Paul Walker in a fiery car crash. Since then, we've heard about issues on set, as Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson struggled to get this film reshot for a 2015. Now, with photography complete and the film in the final processes, we have to wonder what sort of send-off Walker will get. Will he simply retire to a quiet life, or be killed off by Jason Staitham's character, who's seeking revenge for the death of his brother in Fast 6. While we'd like to see the dangers of the team's new life demonstrated with a death, we think it's unlikely Universal will step up to deliver one. However, if they have the guts to do so, we think the series could enter new territory, making its heroes appear to be more human than perhaps they initially planned. Either way, it's an emotional story that's sure to be front and center when the Furious 7 is released on April 3rd.
Who will win the animation battle?
Another returning question, this year's slate of animated films promises to be another winner. The Peanuts, Minions, The Good Dinosaur, and Hotel Transylvania 2 are just some of the ones that could make an impact. Based on the images and recent trailer from Peanuts, it looks like the warmth and love that made it such an enduring franchise could be back, but will audiences see a bullied Charlie Brown as a sympathetic figure, or the victim of the PC world in which we live? But Despicable Me 2 was a top film in 2013 due entirely to the Minions. Add in those movies which mix live action with animation - like Pixels and Paddington - and you have solid choices nearly all year long. We hope there's at least another LEGO Movie and Mr. Peabody and Sherman in this lot..
Which big films represent the biggest risks for 2015?
With every certainty, there's five risks surrounding it. In 2014, that risk paid off in Guardians of the Galaxy, elevating the Marvel brand like few films did in 2014. As 2015 arrives, we think there's at least two films that deserve to be on our watchlist: Mad Max - Fury Road and Ant-Man. For Mad Max, it's more about time than the compelling trailers we've seen. With so much destruction planned by Director George Miller - who incidentally helmed all three Mel Gibson releases - we're wondering if such an iconic film franchise from the 1980's can resurrect itself. Given the history of previous projects (300: Rise of an Empire and Sin City: A Dame to Kill For), we're inclined to add a lot of risk here. If there could be a bigger risk, it might be Marvel's Ant-Man. With news that Director Edgar Wright had been axed from writing credits - which means enough of the script was changed that WGA allowed the removal - and a teaser trailer that failed to impress anyone, we feel that Marvel could be simply going through the motions with this one rather than giving it their all. Speaking of the trailer, it's clear that several action sequences borrows heavily from the Comic-Con footage shown before Edgar's departure. Therefore, we're not really sure if we're watching a compelling entrance for Hank Pym or a comedy sequence starring Paul Rudd. Either way, add a big 'risk' to this one.
Are audiences' wallets ready for the biggest year of films in...like...forever?
A question we usually don't have enough confidence in asking, 2015 is filled with so many quality releases that it could be hard to pick only one per month that could appeal. Just looking at the doldrum months of January (Paddington), February (Kingsman: The Secret Service), August (Criminal), and September (Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials) and you'll find the landscape to be very different than in year's past. Films like these would have found more desirable months, telling us that 2015 is simply filled with too many good choices. The question is, can audiences' wallets and purses handle such a flood? And these are just the typical slow months, when smaller films appear hoping to lure moviegoers to take a chance. Each of these look appealing enough to attract a wide audience and could dominate the entire month if they get the formula right. This one will take awhile to answer, but in many ways it's them most interesting of the lot.
What will be worse: Ant-man or Fantastic Four?
As we've lamented about Ant-Man, we've been seriously worried about it and FF for awhile, as both have gone through issues that usually spell doom for its chances. The departure of a director just weeks before shooting? Not good. Casting unpopular leads in a franchise that's going through it own reboot? Also not fantastic. Perhaps our ultimate choice should rely on breed, and if that's the case we're selling Fantastic Four. Add to it that mother ship Marvel Comics has decided to terminate their FF books just in time for its August 7th premiere, and you have all the makings of a truly awful film in the making.
Will we return to Jurassic World?
If there's something we learned in 2014, it's that franchises which take too long between appearances almost never produce a successful installment. This happened to the good 300: Rise of an Empire and the awful Sin City: A Dame to Kill For - neither were accepted by moviegoers, as it forced them to refresh their memories before paying money to see the followup. For Jurassic Park, a series whose last release was 14 years ago, they have even more to prove. Live-looking animals were what made JP unique; now, they're everywhere (see Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Guardians of the Galaxy). Jurassic World needs to elevate the game by returning to basics: give us a great story with memorable sequences of dinosaurs run amok, and maybe moviegoers will return. It's a long shot but a makeable one if all the pieces fit into place. We're encouraged by the very good trailer, so maybe it will surprise us.
Can The Terminator and Arnold Schwarzenegger give him a much-needed comeback?
You would have thought that his Sabotage stellar supporting cast - including Mirelle Enos, Terrance Howard, and Olivia Williams - and excellent director David Ayer would have taken the terse drama into box office glory. But its failure was epic, adding to the growing list of Arnold films to fail domestically. Whatever the reason, there does appear to be an atrophy associated with the name, and the appearance of yet another Terminator film isn't helping. Like Jurassic World, does Genysis have another story to tell that somehow utilizes Schwarzenegger as anything other than what we've already seen?
Is Hollywood finally getting the idea of spreading out its releases?
We're not quite sure Hollywood hear us last year, when we complained about May being filled with too many blockbusters, leaving six weeks between August's Guardians of the Galaxy and September's The Equalizer. It looks like more of the same, but this time it's some months which do better than others. Speaking of August and September, these months are filled with at least 6 interesting films not including Fantastic Four (which we couldn't care less about): The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Sinister 2, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Destiny. And that's just the ones we're particularly interested in because of our love for those genres. Whether the summer will see a repeat of 2014 is anyone's guess, but it's one we'll be keeping an eye on.
What will Sony Pictures look like by the end of 2015?
Needless to say, Sony Pictures is in trouble, and we don't just mean the hack which saw every email and plan exposed, including an odd ending for the upcoming SPECTRE. The problem is, Sony was in trouble prior to the breech, licking their wounds after The Amazing Spider-man 2 performed so poorly at the box office, far below Sony's and Hollywood's expectations. With talk recently of lending Spider-man back to Marvel to complete Avengers: Infinity War and several plans to expand that universe abandoned (Sinister Six and a female team-up among them), we wonder if Sony can survive to the end of 2015 in its current form. Think we're being overly-dramatic? Take a look at the 'major' films they have planned through December: Chappie, Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2, Hotel Transylvania 2, SPECTRE. That is not a set of films to hang your hat on, thus all the talk of Sony selling its entertainment division seems more likely than ever.
An Epic Year Ahead?
With so many potentially good films on the way, 2015 could set new records recently established in 2013, perhaps making it the most successful year in terms of box office. Not only one but two billion dollar experiences are on the way, with long lines at the popcorn stands to follow. The question will be whether audiences can afford $240 for the year (one film per month per couple), something Hollywood might not have predicted when they announced the most impressive slate of films in recent memory.. We hope that the slow start we saw last year doesn't repeat through January-March, but anything is possible. Whichever way it works out, we'll be here to report the results.
Got thoughts on these, or do you have different questions than ours? Comment below and join the conversation!
Discuss this story with fellow SJF fans on Facebook. On Twitter, follow us at @SandwichJohnFilms, and follow author Matt Cummings at @mfc90125.
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