Review of 2015 from January to August

A couple of months ago we released our top picks for the first half of the year but, with the summer season finishing, we’ll give an overview of the year’s films from a commercial and critical perspective.

Film: Taken 3
Director: Olivier Megaton
Starring: Liam Neeson, Forest Whitaker, Famke Janssen, Maggie Grace, Dougray Scott
IMDb/RT: 6.1/10 – 9%
Budget: $48 million
Opening weekend: $39 million
Box-office: $325 million
Summary: The second highest grossing outing in the series is thankfully the last. There’s been growth since Taken ($226 million) but less than Taken 3 ($376 million).

Film: Blackhat
Director: Michael Mann
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Leehom Wang, Ritchie Coster, Holt McCallany, Viola Davis
IMDb/RT: 5.4/10 – 34%
Budget: $70 million
Opening weekend: $4 million
Box-office: $18 million
Summary: The star of Thor ($644 million) and Rush ($90 million) and the director of Heat ($187 million) and Collateral ($217 million) should have been a match-up to enjoy but somehow Blackhat flopped.

Film: The Wedding Ringer
Director: Jeremy Garelick
Starring: Kevin Hart, Josh Gad, Kaley Cuco Sweeting, Alan Richson, Jorge Garcia
IMDb/RT: 6.7 – 27%
Budget: $23 million
Opening weekend: $20 million
Box-office: $79 million
Summary: A slip up in comparison to Kevin Hart’s 2014 hit Ride Along ($154 million).

Film: Mortdecai
Director: David Koepp
Starring: Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, Olivia Munn, Paul Bettany
IMDb/RT: 5.5/10 – 12%
Budget: $60 million
Opening weekend: $4 million
Box-office: $30 million
Summary: This disastrous caper is proof of former superstar Johnny Depp’s dwindling popularity outside of Pirates.

Film: Jupiter Ascending
Directors: Andy and Lana Wachowski
Starring: Mila Kunis, Channing Tatum, Eddie Redmayne, Sean Bean, Terry Gilliam
IMDb/RT: 5.5/10 – 25%
Budget: $176 million
Opening weekend: $18 million
Box-office: $182 million
Summary: This effort from the creators of The Matrix ($463 million) suffered from its release delays and ridiculously overpriced budget.

Film: Fifty Shades of Grey
Director: Sam Taylor Johnson
Starring: Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Eloise Mumford, Jennifer Ehle, Marcia Gay Harden
IMDb/RT: 4.2/10 – 25%
Budget: $40 million
Opening weekend: $85 million
Box-office: $570 million
Summary: Being critically reviled didn’t get in the way of this erotic drama.

Film: Kingsman: The Secret Service
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Starring: Taron Egerton, Colin Firth, Samuel L Jackson, Sophie Cookson, Mark Strong
IMDb/RT: 7.8/10 – 75%
Budget: $81 million
Opening weekend: $35 million
Box-office: $406 million
Summary: The spy thriller from Kick-Ass ($96 million) Vaughn turned out to be his most acclaimed and profitable yet, even out grossing the likes of The Bourne Legacy ($276 million).

Film: Focus
Director: Glenn Ficara, John Requa
Starring: Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Rodrigo Santoro, Gerald McRaney, BD Wong
IMDb/RT: 6.6/10 – 57%
Budget: $50 million
Opening weekend: $19 million
Box-office: $159 million
Summary: A strong performance from Smith renews his popularity after the mediocre After Earth ($243 million).

Film: Chappie
Director: Neill Blompkamp
Starring: Sharlto Copley, Dev Patel, Hugh Jackman, Sigourney Weaver, Die Antwoord
IMDb/RT: 7.0/10 – 30%
Budget: $49 million
Opening weekend: $13 million
Box-office: $102 million
Summary: A let down in comparison to Blomkamp’s more lucrative works – District 9 ($210 million) or Elysium ($286 million).

Film: Cinderella
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Starring: Lily James, Cate Blanchett, Richard Madden, Stellan Skarsgard, Helena Bonham Carter
IMDb/RT: 7.1/10 – 85%
Budget: $95 million
Opening weekend: $68 million
Box-office: $542 million
Summary: Branagh’s lavish take on the period fantasy romance has successfully found a new following for the fairy tale.

Film: Insurgent
Director: Robert Schwentke
Starring: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort, Kate Winslet
IMDb/RT: 6.4/10 – 30%
Budget: $110 million
Opening weekend: $53 million
Box-office: $295 million
Summary: The Divergent series has quickly turned out to be the inferior of The Hunger Games.

Film: Home
Director: Tim Johnson
Starring: Jim Parsons, Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez, Matt Jones, Steve Martin
IMDb/RT: 6.7/10 – 45%
Budget: $135 million
Opening weekend: $52 million
Box-office: $387 million
Summary: Dreamworks are struggling to stand out with their new properties in a market dominated by the likes of Warner Bros’ The Lego Movie or Disney’s Frozen.

Film: Get Hard
Director: Etan Cohen
Starring: Will Ferrell, Kevin Hart, Alison Brie, Tip Harris, Craig T Nelson
IMDb/RT: 6.1/10 – 29%
Budget: $40 million
Opening weekend: $34 million
Box-office: $106 million
Summary: The combination of these celebrated comics ought to have been special but didn’t come close.

Film: Furious 7
Director: James Wan
Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Jason Statham
IMDb/RT: 7.4/10 – 81%
Budget: $190 million
Opening weekend: $147 million
Box-office: $1.512 billion
Summary: The blockbuster sequel made seven times more than the original did 14 years ago ($207 million) but the series might not have much room to grow into for film eight.

Film: The Avengers: Age of Ultron
Director: Joss Whedon
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, James Spader
IMDb/RT: 7.8/10 – 74%
Budget: $280 million
Opening weekend: $191 million
Box-office: $1.401 billion
Summary: A slight slip up from 2012’s Avengers Assemble ($1.520 billion), the sequel still delivered the goods for the fans.

Film: Pitch Perfect 2
Director: Elizabeth Banks
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow, Hailee Steinfeld, Elizabeth Banks
IMDb/RT: 6.7 – 67%
Budget: $29 million
Opening weekend: $69 million
Box-office: $285 million
Summary: Pitch Perfect is quickly rivaling Jump Street and Bridesmaids to be the best comedy of the decade so far, while growing from the original’s $115 million.

Film: Mad Max: Fury Road
Director: George Miller
Starring: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Rosie Huntington Whitely, Zoe Kravitz, Nicholas Hoult
IMDb/RT: 8.3/10 – 98%
Budget: $150 million
Opening weekend: $45 million
Box-office: $374 million
Summary: A stunningly successful return from the road warrior.

Film: Tomorrowland
Director: Brad Bird
Starring: Britt Robertson, George Clooney, Raffey Cassidy, Tim McGraw, Hugh Laurie
IMDb/RT: 6.6/10 – 50%
Budget: $190 million
Opening weekend: $33 million
Box-office: $208 million
Summary: While it polarized critics, concealing many secrets during marketing may have been the financial downfall of the underrated sci-fi adventure and another disappointment for Disney after John Carter ($284 million) and The Lone Ranger ($260 million).

Film: San Andreas
Director: Brad Peyton
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Carla Gugino, Alexandra Daddario, Ioan Gruffudd, Paul Giamatti
IMDb/RT: 6.4/10 – 50%
Budget: $110 million
Opening weekend: $55 million
Box-office: $469 million
Summary: The disaster thriller was a success but not a 2012 ($769 million) style smash hit.

Film: Spy
Director: Paul Feig
Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, Rose Byrne, Miranda Hart, Jude Law
IMDb/RT: 7.3/10 – 94%
Budget: $65 million
Opening weekend: $29 million
Box-office: $236 million
Summary: After striking big with Bridesmaids ($288 million) and The Heat ($229 million), Paul Feig is continuing to put himself on a good track for the Ghost Busters reboot.

Film: Jurassic World
Director: Colin Trevorrow
Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Irrfan Khan, Omar Sy, Vincent D’Onofrio
IMDb/RT: 7.3/10 – 71%
Budget: $150 million
Opening weekend: $208 million
Box-office: $1.642 billion
Summary: With a sequel coming in 2018, the franchise (dormant for fourteen years) is now set for big things.

Film: Inside Out
Directors: Pete Docter, Ronaldo Del Carmen
Starring: Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Richard Kind, Bill Hader, Kyle MacLachlan
IMDb/RT: 8.6/10 – 98%
Budget: $175 million
Opening weekend: $90 million
Box-office: $701 million
Summary: Inside Out has become Pixar’s third biggest original feature.

Film: Ted 2
Director: Seth MacFarlane
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Seth MacFarlane, Amanda Seyfried, Giovanni Ribisi, Patrick Stewart
IMDb/RT: 6.6/10 – 46%
Budget: $68 million
Opening weekend: $33.5 million
Box-office: $180 million
Summary: A very disappointing follow up to 2012’s Ted ($549 million). After the mediocre performance of MacFarlane’s western A Million Ways to Die in the West ($86 million), there’s increasing doubt in the Family Guy creator’s popularity.

Film: Terminator Genisys
Director: Alan Taylor
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney, Jason Clarke, JK Simmons
IMDb/RT: 6.9/10 – 26%
Budget: $155 million
Opening weekend: $27 million
Box-office: $352 million
Summary: While it was a healthy opening but the franchise has long lost its previously stellar hype. Still not an improvement on 2009’s Terminator Salvation ($371 million).

Film: Magic Mike XXL
Director: Gregory Jacobs
Starring: Channing Tatum, Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello, Amber Heard, Jada Pinkett Smith
IMDb/RT: 6.3/10 – 65%
Budget: $14 million
Opening weekend: $123 million
Box-office: $117 million
Summary: The progressive stripper comedy sequel has decreased from Steven Soderbergh’s 2012 original ($167 million) and other raunchy blockbusters have been more profitable – for example Fifty Shades of Grey ($569 million) – but it’s still an impressive tally.

Film: Minions
Directors: Pierre Coffin, Kyle Balda
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Pierre Coffin, Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton, Geoffrey Rush
IMDb/RT: 6.7/10 – 54%
Budget: $74 million
Opening weekend: $115 million
Box-office: $1.004 billion
Summary: This triumphant spin off managed to surpass and compete with the previous instalments of the beloved Despicable Me franchise ($543 million – $970 million).

Film: Ant-Man
Director: Peyton Reed
Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, Michael Pena, Michael Douglas
IMDb/RT: 7.8/10 – 79%
Budget: $130 million
Opening weekend: $57 million
Box-office: $363 million
Summary: It’s an underperformance in comparison to Marvel’s fellow Phase 2 superhero flicks such as Iron Man 3 ($1215 million), Thor: The Dark World ($644 million), Captain America: The Winter Soldier ($714 million) or Guardians of the Galaxy ($774 million) but is a worthy reception for the kings of summer blockbusters.

Film: Trainwreck
Director: Judd Apatow
Starring: Amy Schumer, Bill Hader, Brie Larson, John Cena, Tilda Swinton
Budget: $35 million
Opening weekend: $30 million
Box-office: $123 million
Summary: A traditional fooled-around-and-fell-in-love rom-com might have sank but the presence of rising star Amy Schumer has elevated this to the likes of Apatow’s The 40 Year Old Virgin ($177 million) or Knocked Up ($219 million).

Film: Pixels
Director: Chris Columbus
Starring: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Josh Gad, Michelle Monaghan, Peter Dinklage
IMDb/RT: 5.6/10 – 17%
Budget: $88 million
Opening weekend: $24 million
Box-office: $174 million
Summary: This sci-fi adventure’s financial reception didn’t live up to the premise but a budget half the size of Tomorrowland’s means that it may actually breakeven at the box-office.

Film: Southpaw
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Forest Whitaker, Oona Laurence, Naomie Harris, Rachel McAdams
IMDb/RT: 7.8/10 – 60%
Budget: $25 million
Opening weekend: $17 million
Box-office: $67 million
Summary: This sport drama failed to rekindle the mass popularity of boxing flicks such as Rocky ($225 million).

Film: Paper Towns
Director: Jake Schreir
Starring: Nat Wolff, Cara Delevingne, Halston Sage, Jaz Sinclair, Austin Abrams
IMDb/RT: 6.9/10 – 55%
Budget: $12 million
Opening weekend: $13 million
Box-office: $75 million
Summary: A decent opening for the young adult romantic drama but well off the other John Green adaptation The Fault in Our Stars ($307 million).

Film: Vacation
Directors: Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley
Starring: Ed Helms, Christina Applegate, Leslie Mann, Chris Hemsworth, Chevy Chase
IMDb/RT: 6.3/10 – 26%
Budget: $31 million
Opening weekend: $15 million
Box-office: $69 million
Summary: The comedy reboot of the adored Chevy Chase franchise didn’t inspire a great amount of nostalgia for fans of the originals.

Film: Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg, Alec Baldwin
IMDb/RT: 7.8/10 – 93%
Budget: $150 million
Opening weekend: $56 million
Box-office: $445 million
Summary: The Cruise action vehicle builds off the wobble of Edge of Tomorrow ($369 million). The spy series returned in style and will grow throughout the summer.

Film: Fantastic Four
Director: Josh Trank
Starring: Miles Teller, Michael B Jordan, Jamie Bell, Kate Mara, Toby Kebbell
IMDb/RT: 4.0/10 – 8%
Budget: $120 million
Opening weekend: $26 million
Box-office: $134 million
Summary: A superhero reboot full of hope and promise morphed into the year’s most depressing car crash. It was even a decrease from the 2005 film ($330 million) and its sequel ($289 million).

Film: Straight Outta Compton
Director: F Gary Gray
Starring: O’Shea Jackson Jr, Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Aldis Hodge, Paul Giamatti
IMDb/RT: 8.4/10 – 89%
Budget: $28 million
Opening weekend: $60 million
Box-office: $125 million
Summary: The musical biopic has become one of August’s biggest hits but did smaller numbers than 2002’s Eminem effort 8 Mile ($242 million).

Film: The Man From UNCLE
Director: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Debicki, Hugh Grant
IMDb/RT: 7.6/10 – 67%
Budget: $75 million
Opening weekend: $13 million
Box-office: $57 million
Summary: The star studded spy thriller from the director of the Sherlock Holmes films ($524 million – $545 million) has struggled to find a home with fans.

Jurassic World review

Director: Colin Trevorrow

Starring: Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Pratt, Ty Simpkins, Nick Robinson, Irrfan Khan, Vincent D’Onofrio, Jake Johnson, Lauren Lapkus, Omar Sy, BD Wong, Judy Greer, Andy Buckley, Katie McGrath, Brian Tee

Steven Spielberg was the driving force behind 1993’s Jurassic Park, the adaptation of Michael Chrichton’s techno-thriller novel, but even his presence didn’t rescue the disappointing sequel The Lost World. The franchise went into development hell the further it strayed from the books with various story proposals including Dr Grant investigating dino-related murders. Indie director Colin Trevorrow is behind exhuming a sequel 65 million (or 22) years in the making.

Twenty years after the “InGen Incident” on Isla Nublar, the island has been successfully transformed into a functioning dinosaur theme park experience. As her nephews (Simpkins, Robinson) pay a visit, park manager Claire Dearing (Howard) is set to unveil the latest attraction – a genetically modified creature named the Indominus Rex. Meanwhile, Velociraptor trainer Owen Grady (Pratt) resists the offer from security head Vic Hoskins (D’Onofrio) to weaponise his animals. When the Indominus escapes, Owen and Claire must track it down before it makes its move on the park’s attendees.

Easily the best decision made on this sequel is to properly address what brought its predecessors to a crushing low. Both the second and third instalments purely focus on a group of humans alone in a dino-infested jungle without the wonder of the park itself. The addition of the awe of the original concept in many ways contrasts with and exaggerates the terror.

While Trevorrow’s CV only extends to the indie sci-fi drama Safety Not Guaranteed (a film that nails its depiction of the relationship of its lonely lead protagonists and remains without flashy camerawork), he brings a stunning level of spectacle and visual bombast to the picture with perfect sense of timing and suspense in one of the best indie to mainstream step ups since the Wachowskis released The Matrix.

With the exception of the original film’s Henry Wu (BD Wong), an entirely new cast has been drafted in to replace the likes of Jeff Goldblum and Sam Neill. At the centre of the Jurassic mayhem is the odd-couple pairing of laddish ranger Owen Grady (Chris Pratt, Guardians of the Galaxy) and manager Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard, The Help). The portrayal of the couple came under fire, especially from Buffy creator Joss Whedon who labelled it as “’70s level sexism.” with the free spirited man charming the uptight woman. While Trevorrow unashamedly bases the characters on the leads of 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark, 1980’s Empire Strikes Back or 1984’s Romancing the Stone, there’s just as much of a likeness to classic romances such Whedon/Shakespeare’s verbally sparring lovers Beatrice and Benedick in 2013’s Much Ado About Nothing.

Also at the heart of the action are Dearing’s estranged nephews, played by rising stars Ty Simpkins (Insidious) and Nick Robinson (The Kings of Summer). Gray and Zach have a fractured relationship with each other and their aunt due to their parents’ impending divorce making them engaging if standard chase fodder.

Any and all human villains are traditionally overshadowed by their scaly counterparts in this series and Jurassic World is no exception. Here the duties of the most venerable actor on the call sheet (an honour previously awarded to acting greats such as Richard Attenborough or Pete Postlethwaite) fall to the excellent and criminally underrated Vincent D’Onofrio – last seen as the villain Kingpin in Netflix’s Daredevil. Sadly, this is one of his weaker performances as the militaristic security head Vic Hoskins who fails to conjure menace or believability.

Rounding off the supporting cast is a hilarious Jake Johnson (TV’s New Girl), finally giving a better name to Isla Nublar’s technicians while still maintaining the morbid sense of humour of Samuel L Jackson and Wayne Knight. Seeing as the talent of Omar Sy and Judy Greer are written out into smaller parts, the only other significant lead is Irrfan Khan’s billionaire investor Simon Masrani who never truly contributes a great amount to the plot.

While the dinosaur exhibits do easily outperform their human inferiors, their portrayal isn’t entirely perfect. As terrifying as newbie the Indominus Rex is (as well as being stunningly brought to life by some truly photorealistic effects), the film insists on not updating on any dinosaur knowledge garnered since 1993 – IE denying the accepted fact of feathered dinosaurs.

The film lacks an unforgettable iconic moment such as the shaking water upon the arrival of the T-Rex but Jurassic World strives when its dinosaurs are at their most awesome: the suspense of the jump scare as the Indominus Rex stalks its prey was a delight; a sequence in which Grady leads his velociraptor pack on a chase is stunning; the brutal attack of the ptersaurs on Jurassic World’s main street evokes memories of the gleeful carnage of Gremlins.

Overall tonally different to its predecessors. Much like the geneticists did with the Indominus Rex, Trevorrow and his co-writers Derek Connolly, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver have engineered a new breed of Jurassic Park packed with as much excitement as there is dark humour. On occasion the scripting and characters are clunky and off key but on the whole this is a stupendous thrill ride of a summer popcorn action flick.

9/10

“Monster is a relative term. To a canary, a cat is a monster. We’re just used to being the cat.”

The Best of 2015 – Half way review

In the first sixth months of 2015, we haven’t quite yet found a release worthy of the prestigious 10/10 score but there’s been no shortage of box-office goods with three films already breaching the $1 billion mark with more to come.

Worldwide:

1. Furious 7 – Director: James Wan – Stars: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker – $1,511,636,779
2. The Avengers: Age of Ultron – Joss Whedon – Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson – $1,372,063,254
3. Jurassic World – Colin Trevorrow – Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard – $1,259,873,609
4. Fifty Shades of Grey – Sam Taylor Johnson – Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan – $569,651,467
5. Cinderella – Kenneth Branagh – Lily James, Cate Blanchett – $538,986,777
6. San Andreas – Peyton Reed – Dwayne Johnson, Alexandra Daddario – $441,858,144
7. Kingsman: The Secret Service – Matthew Vaughn – Colin Firth, Taron Egerton – $403,788,617
8. Home – Tim Johnson – Jim Parsons, Rihanna – $367,811,449
9. Mad Max: Fury Road – George Miller – Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron – $356,649,491
10. Taken 3 – Oliver Megaton – Liam Neeson, Forest Whitaker – $325,771,424

US:

1. Jurassic World – Colin Trevorrow – Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard – $514,374,155
2. The Avengers: Age of Ultron – Joss Whedon – Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson – $452,963,254
3. Furious 7 – James Wan – Vin Diesel, Paul Walker – $351,032,910
4. Inside Out – Pete Docter, Ronaldo Del Carmen – $200,844,477
5. Cinderella – Kenneth Branagh – Lily James, Cate Blanchett – $200,286,777
6. Pitch Perfect 2 – Elizabeth Banks – Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson – $181,513,690
7. Home – Tim Johnson – Jim Parsons, Rihanna – $174,901,605
8. Fifty Shades of Grey – Sam Taylor Johnson – Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan – $166,167,230
9. The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water – Paul Tibbitt – $162,994,032
10. Mad Max: Fury Road – George Miller – Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron – $147,594,972

UK:

1. The Avengers: Age of Ultron – Joss Whedon – Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson – £49,096,981
2. Jurassic World – Colin Trevorrow – Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard – £39,216,914
3. Furious 7 – James Wan – Vin Diesel, Paul Walker – £38,399,325
4. Fifty Shades of Grey – Sam Taylor Johnson – Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan – £33,065,566
5. Home – Tim Johnson – Jim Parsons, Rihanna – £24,908,077
6. Cinderella – Kenneth Branagh – Lily James, Cate Blanchett – £20,886,693
7. The Theory of Everything – James Marsh – Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones – £20,446,079
8. Big Hero 6 – Don Hall, Chris Williams – TJ Miller, Maya Rudolph – £19.527,404
9. Pitch Perfect 2 – Elizabeth Banks – Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson – £17,466,588
10. Mad Max: Fury Road – George Miller – Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron – £17,260,896

Here’s our personal top 7 for January to June. To give you a taste of our opinions, 2014’s top picks were Interstellar, Nightcrawler, Boyhood, Guardians of the Galaxy and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

8) Into the Woods

Director: Rob Marshall
Starring: Meryl Streep, Anna Kendrick, James Corden, Emily Blunt, Chris Pine
Budget: $50 million
Box-office: $212.9 million

7) Tomorrowland

Director: Brad Bird
Starring: Britt Robertson, George Clooney, Raffey Cassidy, Pierce Gagnon, Hugh Laurie
Budget: $190 million
Box-office: $202 million

6) Minions

Director: Kyle Balda, Pierre Coffin
Starring: Pierre Coffin, Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton, Geoffrey Rush
Budget: $74 million
Box-office: $141 million

5) The Theory of Everything

Director: James Marsh
Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Charlie Cox, Simon McBurney, David Thewlis
Budget: $15 million
Box-office: $121.2 million

4) Still Alice

Directors: Richard Glatzer, Wash Westmoreland
Starring: Julianne Moore, Kristen Stewart, Alec Baldwin, Hunter Parrish, Kate Bosworth
Budget: $5 million
Box-office: $41.8 million

3) Selma

Director: Ava DuVernay
Starring: David Oyelowo, Carmen Ejogo, Tom Wilkinson, Oprah Winfrey, Tim Roth
Budget: $20 million
Box-office: $66.8 million

2) The Avengers: Age of Ultron

Director: Joss Whedon
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Elizabeth Olsen, Jeremy Renner
Budget: $280 million
Box-office: $1.3 billion

1) Jurassic World

Director: Colin Trevorrow
Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Irrfan Khan, Jake Johnson, Vincent D’Onofrio
Budget: $150 million
Box-office: $1,2 billion

Tom Holland is the new Spider-Man

Tobey Maguire had an impressive five year run playing Spider-Man from 2002 to 2007 in three films directed by Sam Raimi. Following him was Andrew Garfield who starred in two films of two years from 2012 to 2014 under the supervision of Marc Webb. The latest pairing of director and star to be bringing Spidey to the screen have just been revealed.

Nineteen year old Brit Tom Holland will take on the role of Peter Parker in the new reboot for the Marvel Cinematic Universe and there’s various pros and cons for the casting. While Garfield was at least a decade over the preferred age for the role, Holland fits the bill for a teen Peter and he impresses in The Impossible and TV’s Wolf Hall. However, considering the other candidates (Asa Butterfield, Nat Wolff, Timothee Chalamet, Liam James) there wasn’t one black actor in the mix. Holland makes his debut as Spider-Man in next year’s Captain America: Civil War.

The director whose been appointed is Jon Watts, who is behind the upcoming thriller Cop Car. He may not seem like the candidate most suited to the job but Marvel made unexpected talents out of newbies such as The Winter Soldier’s Anthony and Joe Russo and underrated filmmakers such as Avengers’ Joss Whedon (Serenity) and Guardians’ James Gunn (Slither) while directing veterans The First Avenger’s Joe Johnston (The Wolfman), The Incredible Hulk’s Louis Leterrier (Red Dragon) or Thor’s Kenneth Branagh (Hamlet).

For the supporting cast, we’d propose rumours about Matthew MacConaughey (Interstellar, Dallas Buyers Club) as Green Goblin or Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones) as Mary Jane Watson – replacing the abandoned Shailene Woodley casting. Or perhaps Vincent D’Onofrio (Jurassic World) will step up from Netflix’s Daredevil to play Kingpin on the big screen.

Civil War also stars Chris Evans (Snowpiercer), Scarlett Johansson (Lucy), Robert Downey Jr (Sherlock Holmes), Elizabeth Olsen (Godzilla), Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker), Anthony Mackie (The Adjustment Bureau), Paul Bettany (A Beautiful Mind), Daniel Bruhl (Rush), William Hurt (Humans) and Martin Freeman (The Hobbit).

Captain America: Civil War – April 29th 2016

Spider-Man – July 28th 2017

Weekend box-office – 20th to 26th of June 2015 – Is it a walk in the (Jurassic) park for Chris Pratt?

Starring Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Richard Attenborough, Steven Spielberg’s 1993 sci-fi smash hit Jurassic Park had everything: critical and fan adoration and box-office phenomenon status with over $1 billion in ticket sales. The sequels however didn’t hit the mark with Spielberg’s 1997 follow up The Lost World taking $618 million and Joe Johnston’s 2001 effort Jurassic Park III receiving $368 million, despite additions such as Pete Postlethwaite and Julianne Moore. Jurassic World has taken an unorthodox approach by ditching the original cast for new blood such as underdog actors Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy), Bryce Dallas Howard (The Help), Jake Johnson (TV’s New Girl) and Vincent D’Onofrio (Netflix’s Daredevil) as well as indie director Colin Trevorrow (Safety Not Guaranteed). Last week we predicted it’d be number one but it hardly seems like to team to bring a record breaking smash hit.

US:

1. Jurassic World – Director: Colin Trevorrow – $208.8 million
2. Spy – Paul Feig – $15.6 million
3. San Andreas – Brad Peyton – $10.8 million
4. Insidious Chapter 3 – Leigh Whannell – $7.3 million
5. Pitch Perfect 2 – Elizabeth Banks – $6.4 million

UK:

1. Jurassic World – Colin Trevorrow – £19.4 million
2. Spy – Paul Feig – £1.5 million
3. San Andreas – Brad Peyton – £0.8 million
4. Insidious Chapter 3 – Leigh Whannell – £0.7 million
5. Pitch Perfect 2 – Elizabeth Banks – £0.4 million

While we had expected Jurassic World to be successful, we didn’t anticipate it stealing box-office records from Avengers Assemble and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. At the beginning of the year, we predicted that Age of Ultron, Spectre and Star Wars: The Force Awakens would be the big hitters with Jurassic World, Ant-Man, Terminator 5, Mission Impossible 5 and others lagging behind but this is just one in a series of upsets including the flops of Tomorrowland and Jupiter Ascending and the successes of Furious 7, Mad Max: Fury Road and Fifty Shades of Grey. This week I’ve scored 8/10.

US:

1. Jurassic World – Colin Trevorrow
2. Inside Out – Pete Docter, Ronaldo Del Carmen
3. Dope – Rick Famuyiwa
4. Spy – Paul Feig
5. San Andreas – Brad Peyton

UK:

1. Jurassic World – Colin Trevorrow
2. Mr Holmes – Bill Condon
3. Spy – Paul Feig
4. The Longest Ride – George Tillman Jr
5. Entourage – Doug Ellin

Chris Pratt in Jurassic World, This week’s US and UK number one.

Sam Rockwell in Poltergeist images, Cranston and Paul rumoured for new roles and new Daredevil trailer

“Theeere heeeere!”

Firstly today we have the very first look at the new remake of horror classic Poltergeist, courtesy of producer Sam Raimi (Spider-Man, Evil Dead) and British director Gil Kenan (City of Ember). It’ll depict a family moving into a new home, occupied by evil spirits and will star Sam Rockwell (Moon, Seven Psychopaths, Iron Man 2, The Assassination of Jesse James), Rosemarie DeWitt (The Company Men, Kill the Messenger, Mad Men) and Jared Harris (Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Mad Men, Lincoln, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button).

In 2014, Breaking Bad duo Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul went almost head to head with Godzilla and Need for Speed respectively getting released, the former Japanese beast being the obvious winner. They may be butting heads again as they are both connected with two different roles. Cranston (star of the Best Picture winning Argo) is rumoured for Star Trek 3.

The sequel (after both JJ Abrams and Roberto Orci quit) is on its third director with Justin Lin (Fast and Furious series) now set at the helm and will star Chris Pine (Into the Woods, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit), Zachary Quinto (Heroes), Zoe Saldana (Avatar, Guardians of the Galaxy), Karl Urban (The Lord of the Rings, Dredd), Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead, Mission: Impossible 3), Anton Yelchin (Like Crazy, Fright Night) and John Cho (American Beauty).

Aaron Paul, last seen in biblical epic Exodus: Gods and Kings, may be in the running for the male lead in the first Star Wars spin off. Paul was involved in Star Wars before, playing Luke in Kevin Smith’s New Hope live script read. The subject of the film hasn’t been established but it’ll be directed by Godzilla’s Gareth Edwards and the female lead is in contention between Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything, Like Crazy), Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black) and Rooney Mara (The Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Her).

Finally today we have the first full trailer for Netflix and Marvel’s very first collaboration: Daredevil. This teaser is both surprisingly brilliant and brutal. Showrunner Steven S DeKnight (Spartacus) commands the cast of Charlie Cox (The Theory of Everything, Stardust), Rosario Dawson (Sin City, Trance), Elden Henson (The Hunger Game: Mockingjay), Deborah Ann Woll (True Blood), Ayelet Zurer (Man of Steel, Munich) and Vincent D’Onofrio (Full Metal Jacket, Men in Black, The Judge).

Daredevil – April on Netflix

Star Trek 3 – July 8th 2016

Star Wars spin-off – December 16th

Poltergeist – July 31st

The 2015 Super-Bowl Special – Jurassic World, Terminator 5, Insurgent, Furious 7 and more!

America’s biggest sporting event attracts America’s biggest crowd (around 100 million viewers). The Super-Bowl Sunday’s Phoenix setting saw a showdown between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots but we’re a bit more focused on those movie exclusives showcased inbetween. With this audience, film studios are willing to dish out $8 million per sixty seconds of advertising. Firstly:

Film: Terminator Genisys
Director: Alan Taylor
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney, Jason Clarke, Matt Smith, JK Simmons
Premise: He’s back. In the new timeline, Kyle Reese travel back in time to discover that Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) and T-800 (Schwarzenegger) have long been fighting the machines.
Release: July 3rd

Film: Insurgent
Director: Robert Schwentke
Starring: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Kate Winslet, Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort, Zoe Kravitz, Octavia Spencer
Premise: Divergent’s sequel gets a Matrix-style revamp sees Tris (Woodley) preventing all out chaos in her dystopian future.
Release: March 20th

Film: Furious 7
Director: James Wan
Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jason Statham, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Djimon Hounsou, Kurt Russell
Premise: Deckard Shaw (Staham) is out for revenge on the gang. Watch the trailer and you may well have found the best stunt of 2015
Release: April 3rd

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Film: Jurassic World
Director: Colin Trevorrow
Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Nick Robinson, Ty Simpkins, Judy Greer, Vincent D’Onofrio, Jake Johnson, Lauran Lapkus, Omar Sy
Premise: The park is finally open but an attempt to breed a new species, Indominus Rex, goes disastrously.
Release: June 12th

Film: Tomorrowland
Director: Brad Bird
Starring: George Clooney, Britt Robertson, Hugh Laurie
Premise: Walt Disney’s vision of a secret metropolis (where science can do the work of miracles) comes to life.
Release: May 22nd

Film: Seventh Son
Director: Sergei Bodrov
Starring: Ben Barnes, Jeff Bridges, Julianne Moore, Kit Harrington, Alicia Vikander, Djimon Hounsou, Olivia Williams, Antje Traue
Premise: Local hermit and magician Gregory (Bridges) recruits the young Thomas (Barnes) to battle the evil Malkin (Moore)
Release: March 27th

Film: Inside Out
Directors: Pete Docter, Ronaldo Del Carmen
Starring: Kaitlyn Dias, Amy Poehler, Mindy Kaling, Bill Hader, Phyllis Smith, Lewis Black, Diane Lane, Kyle MacLachlan
Premise: Pixar explores the literally conflicting emotions inside the head of a young girl as she moves across the country.
Release: July 24th

Various releases (Ant-Man, San Andreas, Chappie, Avengers 2) missed out on cashing in on this advertising goldmine but we still look forward to seeing them soon.

First Jurassic World trailer, Now You See Me sequel gets an official title and new images from Hobbit 3

Heist thriller was the surprise hit of 2013, with a decent critical reception well above expectation at $350 million made from a $75 million budget. Its sequel sees John M Chu succeeding directing duties from Louis Leterrier and his new title has been revealed. Now You See Me: The Second Act seems an appropriate title for the magic themed franchise but the potential third film would need to be titled The Third Act (establishing a Godfather Part II/III aura as oppose to the pitfalls of a gimicky Shrek the Third subtitle.

Mark Ruffalo (Foxcatcher, Zodiac, The Avengers), Jesse Eisenberg (Zombieland, The Social Network), Woody Harrelson (No Country For Old Men, The Hunger Games), Dave Franco (21 Jump Street, Bad Neighbours) and Michael Caine (The Dark Knight, Zulu) return with the new cast members of Lizzy Caplan (Cloverfield, Masters of Sex) and Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter, Horns).

Empire Magazine’s 12-Part Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Special, featuring the Directors Cut (Spielberg, Boyle and more), the twenty five varieties X-Men special and the 301st Greatest Films of All Time (3: The Dark Knight; 2: The Godfather; 1: Empire Strikes Back), concludes in this next issue, a farewell to Middle-Earth guest-edited by Peter Jackson himself. The main feature is the preview of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies and the covers are dedicated one to each army.

The film stars Martin Freeman (Sherlock, Fargo), Ian McKellen (Gods and Monsters, X-Men: Days of Future Past), Cate Blanchett (The Aviator, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Richard Armitage (Captain America: The First Avenger), Evangeline Lilly (Lost, Ant-Man), Orlando Bloom (Pirates of the Caribbean, Kingdom of Heaven), Benedict Cumberbatch (Star Trek Into Darkness, 12 Years a Slave), Lee Pace (Halt and Catch Fire, Guardians of the Galaxy), Luke Evans (The Great Train Robbery, Dracula Untold), James Nesbitt (The Missing, Bloody Sunday), Manu Bennett (Spartacus, Arrow), Sylvester McCoy (Doctor Who), Christopher Lee (Dracula, Hugo) and Hugo Weaving (V For Vendetta, The Matrix, Cloud Atlas) as Elrond.

A short teaser was unveiled earlier in the week but the trailer for sci-fi adventure sequel Jurassic World has been released. This fourth instalment in the classic Spielberg series (slightly soured by the step back of respectable The Lost World and the dreadful third part) is directed by Colin Trevorrow (Safety Not Guaranteed) and stars Bryce Dallas Howard (The Help, 50/50), Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy, The Lego Movie), Nick Robinson (The Kings of Summer), Ty Simpkins (Iron Man 3, Insidious), Omar Sy (Untouchable, X-Men: Days of Future Past), Jake Johnson (New Girl, Drinking Buddies), Judy Greer (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Carrie) and Vincent D’Onofrio (Full Metal Jacket, Men in Black). Check out the first trailer below. While being no Age of Ultron, this is pretty promising stuff – so long as they correctly mix the grander scale with the stripped back chilling thrills. Gotta love the touch with the flare (1:58).

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies – December 12th

Jurassic World – June 12th 2015

Now You See Me: The Second Act – June 10th 2016

First look at Charlie Cox in Marvel’s Daredevil and new posters for Hobbit 3

An additional two posters have now been revealed for Peter “Lord of the Rings” Jackson’s final Middle-Earth adventure, The Battle of the Five Armies. This time, Elf warrior Tauriel and Dwarf prince Thorin take centre stage. The film stars Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Evangeline Lilly, Orlando Bloom, Luke Evans, Benedict Cumberbatch, Lee Pace, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett and Ian McKellen.

Finally today, we’ve at last got our hands on the first official stills from Marvel’s Netfilx-based adaptation of Daredevil. The cast includes Charlie Cox (Stardust, Broadwalk Empire) as blinded hero Matthew Murdock, Rosario Dawson (Trance, Sin City) as secretive nurse Claire Temple, Elden Henson (Cast Away) as lawyer Foggy Nelson and Vincent D’Onofrio (Full Metal Jacket, The Judge) as crime Kingpin Wilson Fisk.

Daredevil – 2015

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies – December 12th

San Diego Comic-Con 2014 – Pre-convention roundup of posters for Mad Max, Ant-Man, Jurassic World and many more

We’ve been gone for some time but we are finally back just in time for the 2014 SDCC, this summer’s greatest movie themed event. Of coarse the major announcements begins on the 24th but due to time delay we don’t have any of the big confirmations, exclusive footage or celebrity guests the convention is famed for but the movie industry press are on the scene tracking down all of the awesome new stuff on display. First up we’ve got the very first poster for Chappie, a sci-fi thriller from the brilliant mind of South African Neill Blomkamp (District 9, Elysium) that depicts the titular android/child prodigy. It stars Hugh Jackman (The Wolverine, Les Miserables), Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), Sigourney Weaver (Aliens, Avatar) and Sharlto Copley (Maleficent, District 9). March 6th 2015

Secondly we’ve got the all new banner for Agent 47, the highly anticipated adaptation of video game smash hit Hitman. Rupert Friend (The Young Victoria) plays the iconic bald assassin alongside Ciaran Hinds (Road to Perdition) and Zachary Quinto (Star Trek Into Darkness) while debut director Aleksander Bach helms. March 20th 2015

It may not be expecting the biggest gross but apocalyptic reboot Mad Max: Fury Road is shaping up to be one of 2015’s biggest releases. The Road Warrior’s George Miller directs the stellar cast of Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises, Bronson), Charlize Theron (Monster, Prometheus) and Nicholas Hoult (X-Men: Days of Future Past, Warm Bodies). May 15th 2015

It’s hard to imagine a film more tailor made for the SDCC fans than Warcraft. Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code) helms the adaptation of the fantasy gaming phenomenon with the cast of Dominic Cooper (Captain America: The First Avenger, The Devil’s Double), Ben Foster (3:10 to Yuma, Lone Survivor), Paula Patton (2 Guns, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol) and Toby Kebbell (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, RocknRolla). March 11th 2016

We got the big reveal of Zack Snyder’s reinvention of Batman earlier this year but the 300/Watchmen/Man of Steel director has given an all new look at Batfleck in the first close up ahead of the release of Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. DC aren’t set to present any kind of panel but we could expect some major surprise announcements. Dawn of Justice stars Ben Affleck, Jesse Eisenberg, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jason Momoa, Gal Gadot, Ray Fisher, Holly Hunter, Scoot McNairy, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane and Laurence Fishburne. April 19th 2016

When the SDCC schedule was announced a few weeks ago the clear frontrunner for the most popular panel was Marvel. We’re hoping that Kevin Feige’s team could shed light on those seven unconfirmed projects, Avengers 2 (more on that later) and the sci-fi adventure Ant-Man, which got its first awesome poster. Peyton Reed (Yes Man) recently replaced The World’s End’s Edgar Wright as director with the cast of Paul Rudd (Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy), Corey Stoll (House of Cards), Evangeline Lilly (The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug), Michael Pena (Shooter) and Michael Douglas (Wall Street). July 17th 2015

Transformers: Age of Extinction is well on its way to both $1 billion and becoming this year’s highest grossing films but the most likely candidate for surpassing it is the third (of four) instalment of the ever phenomenal The Hunger Games. The first part of the adaptation of Mockingjay is directed by Francis Lawrence (I am Legend) and stars Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, Julianne Moore, Woody Harrelson, Jena Malone, Josh Hutcherson, Willow Shields, Sam Clafin, Elizabeth Banks, Jeffrey Wright, Natalie Dormer with Donald Sutherland as President Snow as well as one of the final performances of Philip Seymour Hoffman. 21st November

Possibly the coolest of all of these SDCC posters is the stunning teaser for Jurassic World. Thanks to this, we can confirm the presence of the velociraptors and there seems to be some kind of underground exhibit of the park opening its doors to the left while the cranes suggest that the centre is still being built. Indie director Colin Trevorrow (Safety Not Guaranteed) helms the cast of Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Nick Robinson, Ty Simpkins, Judy Greer and Vincent D’Onofrio. June 12th 2015

Seeing as we may not get a trailer till this autumn, it’s a great relief to finally have something tangible from the production of the final instalment of Peter Jackson’s Middle Earth sextet. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies will star Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Luke Evans, Evangeline Lilly, Luke Evans, Orlando Bloom, Lee Pace, Manu Bennett with Benedict Cumberbatch as Smaug and Hugo Weaving, Christopher Lee, Sylvester McCoy, Ian McKellen and Cate Blanchett as The White Council. December 12th

Finally we’ve got the day’s biggest news as we return to Marvel for some awesome concept posters for Joss Whedon’s mega sequel The Avengers: Age of Ultron. While these have been presenting themselves as standalone posters they’ll likely combine into one great banner (get it?) once Thor and The Hulk get their one sheets. Age of Ultron will star Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, James Spader, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Aaron Taylor Johnson, Hayley Atwell, Thomas Kretschmann, Cobie Smulders, Samuel L Jackson and Andy Serkis. 24th April 2015

Expect much more Comic Con coverage from us across the weekend. Bye for now!