“ONE Shocking Summer” read a recent cover-story in Entertainment Weekly, doing a post-mortem on this year’s crop of so-called ‘summer movies’ – so called because they come out in summer in the US and Europe, though of course we only get them from September to December.
It has indeed been a summer of surprises – though only if you believe the studios’ publicity machine, which hypes every ‘big’ film into a surefire blockbuster. Many of the big titles flopped (in relation to their cost), and the hits came from unexpected sources, though nothing scored as big as last year’s Spider-Man; all in all, the numbers disappointed. Here’s a brief rundown of what happened in the past three months – and of course a preview of what’s coming to Cyprus in the next three months. You have been warned.
HITS
Finding Nemo: The latest cartoon from Pixar Studios – set under the sea, where a father fish looks for his lost offspring – disappointed some fans, who grumbled it was too family-friendly after previous Pixars like Toy Story and A Bug’s Life. But that also made it the studio’s biggest-ever hit – and, at $340 million in the US, the most successful animated film of all time.
Pirates of The Caribbean: The summer’s big surprise, a fairly unpromising project – based on a Disneyland ride, for goodness sake – that turned out to be a hit, fuelled by a super-flamboyant Johnny Depp performance.
Bruce Almighty: Jim Carrey does his thing, as an ordinary guy who (literally) gets to play God. Result? $240 million.
The Italian Job: A hit, especially considering its (relatively) low budget. Unlikely to repeat that success in the UK, however, where memories of the original Job are a little longer.
Seabiscuit: Every summer there’s one film that plays better to an older crowd; last year it was Big Fat Greek Wedding, this year a true story about a famous racehorse of the 30s. Not a massive hit (yet), but it’s still packing them in.
MISSES
The Hulk: The summer’s most intriguing flop. Nobody believed director Ang Lee when he said he was going to turn the Green Giant into a tragic hero – but he did, and the result was far too talky and humourless for the comic-book crowd. Probably worth seeing – just don’t go on a Saturday night.
Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle: Massively hyped, but apparently the Girl Power vibe was a turn-off for the all-important young male audience. Result? Flop!
Lara Croft 2: the Cradle of Life: To quote Entertainment Weekly: “If the studio had spent a few bucks on polling, it might have discovered that despite its $131 million gross, nobody who went to the first Tomb Raider walked out saying ‘Can’t wait for part two!’.”
Terminator 3: Not a flop per se, but nowhere near the impact of the first two instalments. Maybe Arnie can repeal it by law when he becomes Governor.
Bad Boys II and Legally Blonde 2: Unnecessary sequels, seen by enough people to (just about) break even – and already forgotten by all of them.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Gigli, Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas and Hollywood Homicide: Dead in the water.
