Well, looks like the recession’s got nothing on summer box office sales, because this year is shaping up to be a record breaker!
Summer 2009 has managed to churn out a string of consistent hits. According to industry reports:
— The Transformers sequel always was viewed as the season’s top grosser, but almost nobody thought it would rake in as much as it has.
— Paramount’s franchise reboot Star Trek wasn’t seen as a $200 million-plus domestic grosser before its release, given the franchise’s then-moribund state. Although it has rung up less foreign coin (about $125 million) than at home, it has overachieved compared with past Trek movies.
— Before the release of Up, one Wall Street analyst said early clips suggested Disney might have an underachiever on its hands. Turns out the release has been the second-best Pixar performer to date, behind Finding Nemo. And they say nobody knows anything in Hollywood.
— Warner Bros. greenlighted a sequel to The Hangover before the Todd Phillips-helmed comedy even hit theaters, but $200 million-plus? Now that’s a guilt-free hangover.
In fact, the summer season is only in its third month (The season ends with Labor Day) and though some films have underperformed, one has yet to fall flat on its face.
Of course, there is still some time for failure!