5 Summer Movie Blockbusters: Which Will Sizzle and Which Will Sink?

The animated feature The Secret Lives of Pets should knock the fish tale from the top spot at the box office when it opens this weekend but, when considering it’s overall gross, will Finding Dory’s accumulated (as of this writing) worldwide gross of $563,794,830 and possibility of “beating Shrek 2’s $441m domestic total to become the biggest animated feature ever in North America” be too much for any other summer blockbusters to touch? Perhaps, but we’ve got five still-to-be-released heavy hitters ready to take their best shot.

Early buzz: This film has already jumped through more than its share of hoops, including backlash to the all-female cast concept and the fact that the movie trailer became the most disliked in the history of Youtube. One person who claims to have seen the final version of the film trashed the movie, but whether they’re serious or just trying to play the Internet remains to be seen. On the other hand there’s a whole generation who grew up in the 1980s, many of whom will gladly pay up at theatres to absorb this nostalgia – including yours truly.

Summer’s biggest blockbuster?: Not likely. Even if you believe any press is good press, the initial backlash combined with the nostalgia kick probably won’t be enough to propel Ghostbusters to the top of the summer blockbuster list. That said, director Paul Feig’s past hits include Bridesmaids and Spy – not the biggest films of their respective years by any means but certainly ones that earned lots of laughs and thumbs up from audiences. That may be Ghostbusters’ best-case scenario.

The other newsworthy story is sad one, as actor Anton Yelchin, who played Chekov in the films, was tragically killed at age 27 on June 19.

Summer’s biggest blockbuster?: The previous two Star Trek reboot movies did big box office numbers, with the second installment, Star Trek Into Darkness, tallying more than $467 million worldwide – almost one hundred million more than its predecessor Star Trek. Both films were also released in May. Will Star Trek Beyond, with the later release date and riding the wave of success of the previous two films, pull in an extra hundred million to top Finding Dory? If it does, that’ll definitely be worth jotting down in the captain’s log.

Early buzz: With Matt Damon back there’s a renewed interest in the Bourne franchise, which dropped off the box office cliff big time with Jeremy Renner in the lead role as Aaron Cross in the last flick, The Bourne Legacy (more on that below). It’s enough to get any Bourne fan pumped about the upcoming release.

Summer’s biggest blockbuster?: The Bourne franchise was steadily climbing at the box office, peaking at $442,824,138 worldwide for Damon’s last installment, The Bourne Ultimatum, in 2007. Jeremy Renner’s Bourne Legacy dropped to $276 million in 2012 so there’s no reason to doubt that the jolt Damon brings when he returns to the franchise won’t translate into box office receipts. Whether it can best Finding Dory is another question altogether. Is Damon’s return enough to push the film over the top? Doubtful, but if it does it wouldn’t be the first time Jason Bourne has defied expectations.

Early buzz: Filmed largely in Toronto, photos and videos of the production popped up like weeds on social media for months. Jared Leto as The Joker is one of the principal curiosities surrounding the film and the awesome trailers, costumes and action sequences released so far have only served to stoke the already fervent fan interest.

Summer’s biggest blockbuster?: Struggling to duplicate the success of the Marvel Universe, DC Comics was poised to make a huge cinematic splash with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice earlier this year. And while it did top out at an almost $873 million worldwide gross, the film was ravaged by critics. Suicide Squad, with its hard edge, anti-hero bent, high-octane action and Jared Leto’s debut as the Clown Prince of Crime looks like it could do what Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman couldn’t: bring in the box office receipts and the critical praise. Suicide Squad has the best chance of beating Finding Dory to become the biggest summer blockbuster of 2016.

Early buzz: There isn’t much, and that’s the problem. For all of its action and epic feel, not much has been made about the film. That doesn’t bode well for the box office.

Summer’s biggest blockbuster?: Not at all. Younger generations don’t have any attachment or nostalgia for Charlton Heston’s Ben-Hur and it’s not similar enough to that version to compel boomers to hop into their chariots and rush out to see it. It’s a long shot but it could prove a critical success, though there’s also the chance it could quickly fade away into the cinematic ether with movies like Noah, which we forget even existed soon enough.