Winners and Losers of The Summer Movie Season

The summer movie season is all but in the books, and while there were those major studio films that succeeded as expected, there was also some that were a major disappointment. So as the fall movie and network television season starts to roll in, I’d like to take a look back at this summer’s winners and losers at the movies.

Winners

Straight Out of Compton: Who would have thought that a rap group that was vilified in mainstream media for popularizing gangster rap and who hasn’t put out music in more than 30 years would have a hit movie in 2015? The story was beautifully written and the visual aesthetics of the film fit perfectly with Compton, California in the late 80’s – early 90’s. Straight out of Compton was by far the winner of the summer.

Mad Max: Fury Road: Partially due to its early summer release in June and with the success of late summer releases like The Avengers: Age of Ultron and Straight out of Compton, Fury Road flew under the radar as one of the better movies this summer. The film was basically one long chase scene and director, George Miller pulled it off. It’s close to pulling in $400 million globally. So it’s safe to say this franchise has been successfully revived.

The Avengers: Age of Ultron: Although Age of Ultron wasn’t better than the first Avengers movie, it was still a great film nonetheless. The movie encompasses everything you’ve grown to love in a superhero flick with its outstanding action sequences and top of the line digital effects. So while the franchise gears up for its two-part sequel set for a 2018 and 2019 release, it’s safe to say that this franchise’s train will continue. All aboard!

Losers

Fantastic Four: The film was made on a $130 million budget and only made $26 million during its opening weekend. So that in its self speaks volumes on how much of a disappointment this movie was. The plot and short running time made me feel like I was watching a network television show rather than a big budget studio movie. It definitely didn’t live up to any of the expectations Fox had for the film.

Terminator Genisys: This was undoubtedly one of the worst films of the saga. And there was nothing the platinum blonde – mother of dragons could do to change that. In fact, many critics cited Emilia Clarke’s casting as Sarah Connor as one of the downfalls of the movie. Along with that and the fact that there was a very confusing storyline, there was little to like about the fifth installment of Terminator. This franchise is slowing digressing. And with Schwarzenegger pushing 100 years-old, it might be time to put a fork in the franchise.

Tomorrowland: According to reports, Disney spent close to $330 million on the making and marketing of the film. So compare that to the reported $200 million it earned and it looks like a major studio bust for Disney. The movie was applauded for its visuals, but critics and moviegoers were critical of its perplexed storyline. I personally don’t think it was the right time to release this type of sci-fi film. A fall release during Christmas would have served the movie better. This was a substantial loss financially for Disney, but I’m sure they’ll bounce back.

So what are some of your winners and losers of this summer’s movie season?