2024-08-25 23:00:00
Summer is meant for playing… and going to the movies. Once again this year, movie theaters have been very busy during the summer thanks in particular to the success of family animated films Inside Out 2 and Despicable Me 4 and the blockbuster Deadpool & Wolverine. Here are the hits and misses of the summer at the box office:
The Hits
Inside Out 2
It is undoubtedly the summer’s success at the box office. Released in mid-June, the latest production from Pixar has garnered over $1.6 billion at the global box office, making it the highest-grossing animated film in cinema history. Inside Out 2 has also been the most popular film of the summer in Quebec theaters, with ticket sales of over $10 million in the province’s box office.
Deadpool & Wolverine
Courtesy 20th Century Studios / Marvel Studios
The second film to cross the symbolic billion-dollar mark at the global box office this summer, the new Marvel Studios blockbuster has met expectations on screen, as well as at the box office. In less than a month in theaters, the film directed by Montrealer Shawn Levy has already amassed over $1.2 billion in theaters worldwide, and its earnings are far from over.
Despicable Me 4
PHOTO PROVIDED BY UNIVERSAL PICTURES CANADA
Animated films have been in high demand at the cinemas. Released a few weeks after Inside Out 2, the 4th installment of the Despicable Me saga has also enjoyed a great success, earning nearly $900 million at the global box office – including $6 million in Quebec.
Tornadoes
Universal Pictures
If the success of Deadpool & Wolverine was somewhat predictable, the success of Tornadoes took everyone by surprise. Well-received by critics, this very effective sequel to the disaster movie Tornado, released in 1996, exceeded expectations at the global box office by earning nearly $336 million in just five weeks in theaters.
Quebec Cinema
TVA FILMS
Fueled by the success of films like Our Belle-Sœurs by René Richard Cyr and 1995 by Ricardo Trogi, Quebec cinema had a dream summer at the box office. Released in the province on July 12, Our Belle-Sœurs has just crossed the $3 million mark at the box office, while 1995, which premiered two weeks later, has to date collected more than $2 million.
The Flops
Horizon: An American Saga
Photo provided by Warner Bros.
Kevin Costner bet big on this ambitious Western about the American West, produced with a budget of $100 million, a significant portion of which came out of his own pocket. But unfortunately for him, he lost everything. The film’s results at the global box office (a mere $34 million) were disastrous enough for Warner Bros. to decide to cancel the theatrical release of its sequel.
Borderlands
Photo by Katalin Vermes provided by Lionsgate
Even though fans had been waiting for years for this film adaptation of the video game of the same name, it flopped in theaters, earning barely $20 million at the global box office. For a film with a production budget exceeding $100 million, this is a true disaster.
Trap
Photo provided by Warner Bros. Pictures
It seems far away, the time when films by director M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable) drew large audiences to theaters. Released in the middle of summer, his latest thriller, Trap, had to settle for a meager $63 million at the global box office.
Future Trends in Box Office Performance
As the summer box office wraps up, the successes and failures of this season offer a glimpse into emerging trends in the film industry. Animated family films continue to dominate, with big titles like Sens dessus dessous 2 achieving unprecedented box office success, becoming the highest-grossing animated film in history. This trend points to an increasing appetite for family-friendly content that combines heartfelt storytelling with stunning visuals, suggesting studios might focus on developing more animated features in the coming years.
The resurgence of superhero films, particularly with Deadpool & Wolverine crossing the billion-dollar threshold, indicates that audiences remain invested in comic book narratives. As the demand for superhero stories shows no signs of waning, studios may explore more unconventional heroes and unique storytelling approaches to keep audiences engaged.
Simultaneously, the success of localized content, such as Quebec’s Nos Belles-Sœurs, suggests that films that resonate culturally with audiences can achieve considerable success. This opens the door for a broader diversity in storytelling, where regional filmmakers could tap into local narratives that appeal to their markets while grabbing the attention of international audiences.
On the flip side, box office flops like Horizon: une saga américaine and Borderlands highlight a growing risk associated with big-budget productions without a strong narrative or established fanbase. This trend may lead studios to adopt a more cautious approach in project development, focusing on quality over quantity, and placing importance on market analysis before greenlighting high-budget films.
Overall, as audiences demand more variety and depth in their cinematic experiences, the film industry may pivot towards creating content that not only entertains but also resonates on a personal and cultural level, setting the stage for an exciting evolution of the cinematic landscape.