While several April titles look appealing, only release gets our full attention...again.
Story by Matt Cummings
For a year that's supposed to be the highest-grossing in the history of cinema, February and March 2015 did nothing to help that expectation. In fact, both have turned out to be something close to disasters, with March delivering the lowest box office since 1997 ($461.9m). Even Cinderella's very nice $156m monthly haul wasn't enough to offset Chappie's scant $30m, or Run All Night's $24m). Home and Get Hard could turn in decent money by April's end, but none of that is guaranteed. So, it's with a bit of sheepishness that we present you yet another month with very few - ok, only ONE - film that we know could singlehandedly keep April alive. And while there's potentially appealing stories about corporate greed (Ex Machina), a comedy about growing old (While We're Young), and a drama about a man on the FBI's most wanted list (True Story), we'll keep this month's list purposely short.
April 3rd Furious 7 Plot: Deckard Shaw seeks revenge against Dominic Toretto and his family for the death of his brother.(IMDB) Director:James Wan Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson Why We're Interested: Duh. Fast cars, exotic locations, women in bikinis. What's not to like? In all seriousness, this one is going to be hard to watch, not because of the unrealistic but totally awesome stunts, but because this is Actor Paul Walker's last film. Killed in a car accident in 2013, all of Hollywood held their breath while the heads at Universal and Wan desperately tried to finish Furious 7 with some sense of ending for Walker. We expect the experience to be everything the series has been so far - loud, funny, and entirely predictable - and a bit sad as there will be a finality to Walker's character Brian O'Conner. Whether that will be in a violent death that could elevate the series to new heights or the predictable drive off into the sunset, we'll just have to wait and see. The addition of Jason Statham as Deckard Shaw should also be memorable. Watch the trailer for Furious 7: How Long Will Furious 7 Lead?
Much like last April 2014's debate we had about Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the only question worth discussing here is not IF Furious 7 impresses, but for how long. Numbers are already pointing to a $130-150m opening weekend, and with nothing except small dramas and comedies to opposed it, Furious 7 could rule all month, especially if fans find Walker's story appealing. This is the only guaranteed winner out there this month, so enjoy it if that's your thing. Otherwise, listen to our podcast Inside the Bucket for things we're watching that you shouldn't miss. But don't wait too long: there's a little film called Avengers: Age of Ultron with a May 3rd release.
Be sure to add these to your Movies To-Do List:
Which films are you looking forward to this month? Comment below and join the conversation!
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