The Summer of Movies
Photo by Myke Simon on Unsplash
The summer of 2023 saw many new blockbusters hit the big screen. While some films have found success beyond expectations, others have fallen short.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Mario and Luigi encounter a magical new world when they’re transported through a mysterious pipe and must rescue Princess Peach. The brothers are separated and their thrilling adventure begins.
The film is predicted to hit $1.5B eventually and is officially one of the few animated films to reach $1B globally, according to Screenrant.
Fast X
In Fast Five Dante (played by Jason Mamoa) witnessed Dom Tatto (played by Vin Diesel) and his crew take down drug kinpin, and Dante’s father, Hernán Reyes. Now, Dante is out for revenge and Dom must confront his most lethal opponent yet.
The 10th film in the Fast and Furious franchise was the most expensive film with a $340M budget, according to Collider. The film has raked in over $700M globally but has fallen short of expectations since the film should have earned around 2.5 times its budget (at least $850M).
The Little Mermaid
Ariel (Halle Bailey), the youngest of King Triton’s daughters, wants to know more about life beyond the sea. When she visits land, she falls for the charming Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) and makes a deal with Ursula (Melissa McCarthy), the evil sea witch, in order to experience life above water.
The long-awaited live-action remake earned $177M in the U.S. at the end of its first month which is close to what Disney’s 2019 live-action remake Aladdin made, Collider reported. The movie earned nearly $3M worldwide and is now available on Disney+, raking in an astounding 16M views during its first five days on the platform.
Joy Ride
Joy Ride follows lawyer Audrey (Ashley Park), as she tries to close a deal with a Chinese company. Her friend Lolo (played by Sherry Cola) joins her and Lolo’s cousin Deadeye (Sabrina Wu). They meet up with Audrey’s college roommate Kat (Stephanie Hsu) and the four friends embark on a hilarious once-in-a-lifetime journey through China. Along the way, they learn about what it means to love yourself and the true power of friendship.
Joy Ride did not perform as expected at the box office. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the movie earned $5.9M, about two to four million dollars less than expected.
Barbie
It’s the best day ever (every day) in Barbieland until stereotypical Barbie (played by Margot Robbie) begins having unBarbielike thoughts, in the form of existential life questions. In order to understand herself, find the answers to her existential questions, and fix her now-flat feet, she must head to the human world. Ken (played by Ryan Gosling) comes along for the ride. Discovering harsh truths and making new friends along the way, Barbie and Ken embark on the adventure of a lifetime.
The star of the movie, Margot Robbie, may have predicted the film would pass the billion-dollar mark but Warner Bros. projected the film would gross $75M opening weekend. Barbie had the biggest opening weekend for a movie directed by a woman, became Warner Bros. Pictures’ biggest-selling movie for a Monday, and grossed over $1B globally within three weeks at the box office.
Oppenheimer
Oppenheimer is a historical drama based on the real-life story of the scientist who led the Manhattan Project, J. Robert Oppenheimer (played by Cillian Murphy). The Manhattan Project created the atomic bomb used against Japan during WWII.
The film grossed about $30.5M more than the expected $50M during its first weekend and continues to have strong sales, according to Dexerto. Oppenheimer is currently Christopher Nolan’s fourth most successful film and has grossed over $2B so far.
“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One”
In a race around the world, Ethan Hunt (played by Tom Cruise) and the IMF team attempt to locate a terrifying new weapon, which, in the wrong hands, could control the future and threaten the whole world. During the film, Hunt thinks about the importance of the mission and how he got to this point in his life.
The film grossed $54.6M in its first weekend and will need to earn around $600M to beat its production budget of $290M. The film was nominated for the Most Anticipated Film from Hollywood Critics Association Midseason Awards and is expected be released on blu-ray, DVD and more on October 10, 2023.
Haunted Mansion
Gabbie, played by Rosario Dawson, is a single mother who moves into her dream home. When Gabbie and her son, Travis, discover the house is haunted, they enlist the help of a tour guide, priest, psychic, and historian to rid the mansion of the supernatural squatters.
The film received poor reviews, The New York Times reported. Despite its star-studded cast (Rosario Dawson, Chase Dillon, LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito, among others), the movie had some roadblocks, such as competing with blockbuster hits such as the Barbenheimer duo and being the first big-budget movie to come out during the Hollywood actors’ strike. It has grossed over $101.3B globally as of the second week of September.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael try to fit in with the human world and win the heart of NYC. With the help of their new friend and high school news reporter, April O’Neil, the brothers take on a mysterious crime syndicate. Soon, an army of mutants is unleashed, and being accepted as normal teenagers isn’t their only challenge.
This movie won the Truly Moving Picture award from Heartland Film. While the film surpassed $100M at the box office within three weeks of release, it grossed less than previous franchise films so far.
Meg 2: The Trench
Jonas Taylor and a research team dive into the deepest depths of the ocean where chaos ensues, thanks to a mining operation that threatens their mission. Prehistoric sharks, environmental plunderers, and more threaten them as they engage in a heart-racing battle for survival.
According to Collider, the film was a hit overseas and grossed $316M in an astonishing 16 days.
The Equalizer 3
Robert McCall, a retired black ops soldier played by Denzel Washington, trades in his peaceful days living in southern Italy to protect his new friends and fight the mafia.
In its first weekend, the film earned $60M globally and set a new record for the franchise. The newest film might bring in the highest lifetime earnings of the Equalizer films since the first Equalizer film made $101M domestically and $192M worldwide in 2014 while the second made $102M in the U.S. and $191M globally in 2018, according to Collider.
The Nun II
The year is 1956 and priests are being violently murdered in France. Sister Irene (played by Taissa Farmiga) investigates with the help of new friend and newbie nun, Debra.
As the first film in the Conjuring series to be released after COVID-19 and the sequel to The Nun (which was released in 2018 and grossed $365.6M worldwide), the film was expected to earn about $30-33M in previews, according to Variety. The film surpassed expectations, earning about $32.6M in the U.S. and $52.7M globally, for a grand total of $85.3M, screendaily reported. This makes it the second-largest opening for a Conjuring film, behind The Nun, which earned $365.6M globally.