summer movies

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10 Summer 'Blockbusters' That Flopped

'Ishtar,' 'Battlefield Earth,' and 'Evan Almighty' were all supposed to hit it big at the box office

(Newser) - After a summer devoid of the big screen last year, moviegoers are flocking back to theaters, though Scott Mendelson noted in his May preview in Forbes that most of the films being released this season are "smaller in scale and not aiming for blowout status. The hope is for...

One Big Question About Independence Day Sequel: Why?

 Independence Day: 
 Another Lame Sequel 
MOVIE REVIEW
Jun 24, 2016 11:56 AM CDT

Independence Day: Another Lame Sequel

It needs Will Smith: critics

(Newser) - Why make a sequel to Roland Emmerich's Independence Day? Critics can't quite come up with an answer that doesn't include dollar signs. The concept of Independence Day: Resurgence : Humans have been preparing for a repeat war with aliens for 20 years—but so have the aliens. Here'...

Magic Mike XXL Doesn't Need a Plot: It's Hot

This more intimate sequel is all about the women: critics

(Newser) - Mike is single again and ready to reunite with his stripper pals for one last hurrah at a stripper convention in Magic Mike XXL. We all know the ladies loved the original flick, but does this one maintain the fire? Here's what critics are saying:
  • Its "plot can
...

Lawless Less Than Flawless
 Lawless Less Than Flawless 
movie review
Aug 31, 2012 1:47 PM CDT

Lawless Less Than Flawless

Prohibition-era tale has great cast, tangled story

(Newser) - Critics are weighing in on one of the last big summer movies, Lawless, which interprets the true story of the Bondurant Brothers, who were bootleggers/gangsters in the Prohibition era. Reviews are mixed—65% approval at Rotten Tomatoes —but most critics seem to put it in the good-but-not-great category.
  • Writing
...

Worst Summer Blockbusters Ever

Sorry, Transformers fans

(Newser) - The summer blockbuster: proof that, when it comes to movies, budget is often inversely proportional to quality. In Time , Everett Rosenfeld and Gilbert Cruz reflect on the worst of the worst:
  1. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: Director Michael Bay’s only priority: explosions.
  2. Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace:
...

Why This Summer's Box Office Sucked

Inception, Toy Story among the few standouts

(Newser) - As summer officially winds to a close, the sad state of the summer box office becomes official: From the first weekend of May through Labor Day, about 552 million headed to multiplexes. That's the lowest figure since 1997, reports the New York Times in a look at the lessons that...

The Best Summer Blockbusters
 The Best Summer Blockbusters 
May 16, 2010 5:07 AM CDT

The Best Summer Blockbusters

'Jaws' takes top honors, but some surprises make the list

(Newser) - Summer is all about the beach and blockbusters, and Time Out New York set out on a big mission: To rank the 30 best. It set a few restrictions—films had to hit theaters between May and August, had to gross more than $100 million globally, and couldn't be surprise...

Overwrought G.I. Joe 'Everything You Could Want'

(Newser) - Most critics—who didn't have access to advance screenings, normally a huge red flag—agree that G.I. Joe: the Rise of Cobra isn’t anything but a popcorn flick. For some, that’s enough. For others, not so much.
  • "It’s all put together with such verve and
...

Studios Sweating August Releases

(Newser) - Studios used to spending August releasing movies from slightly out in left field, free from the pressure of early summer blockbusters, are finding this year more stressful than usual, the New York Times reports. A soft four weeks has put releases such as Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds under pressure to...

What Hollywood Learned This Summer
 What Hollywood 
 Learned This Summer 
analysis
Jul 9, 2009 10:11 AM CDT

What Hollywood Learned This Summer

(Newser) - Hollywood is in the middle of an illuminating summer. The season started strong, with Star Trek, The Hangover, and Up, before things seriously cooled off, reports the Los Angeles Times. Some big releases await, but here are some of the lessons learned so far:
  • Playability has eclipsed marketability: Films with
...

This Summer's Top Trailers
 This Summer's Top Trailers 
Jul 8, 2009 1:38 PM CDT

This Summer's Top Trailers

(Newser) - Summer may not always yield the best movies, but it never fails to deliver the year’s best trailers. Wired celebrates this sacred art by picking out the trailers that managed to throw the most hype onto the screen in 3 minutes or less. We’ve helpfully compiled them in...

IMAX Dismisses Gripes About Screen Size

Company focuses on digital quality, cheaper installation

(Newser) - IMAX execs are shrugging off a recent burst of complaints that most of its screens aren't as huge as customers expect, according to the Hollywood Reporter. After a Parks and Recreation actor twittered indignantly that the screen in the theater where he saw the IMAX version of Star Trek was...

Wolverine Bites Into $87M Box Office
 Wolverine 
 Bites Into 
 $87M Box 
 Office 
BOX OFFICE ROUNDUP
May 3, 2009 2:41 PM CDT

Wolverine Bites Into $87M Box Office

(Newser) - Wolverine tore the box office apart this weekend, clawing in $87 million, USA Today reports. Though that’s less than the debuts of last summer’s opener (Iron Man, $98.6 million) and the top-grossing X-Men film (The Last Stand, $102 million), it still bodes well for a blockbuster season....

10 Most Promising Summer Blockbusters

Blockbusters that will make the summer even hotter

(Newser) - In Hollywood, May flowers don’t bring Pilgrims; they bring summer blockbusters. The Wall Street Journal takes a look at the season’s most promising flicks:
  • May 21: Christian Bale stars in Terminator Salvation, a prequel that tries to hew closer to the first two hit films instead of taking
...

Summer's Film Fare: Prequels
 Summer's Film Fare: Prequels 
Apr 24, 2009 3:55 PM CDT

Summer's Film Fare: Prequels

Hollywood faces challenges of reviving classics

(Newser) - Hollywood’s set for a summer of prequels, with the backstories of Star Trek, X-Men, and Terminator ripe for the telling. But how do you make a film exciting when everyone knows how it turns out? “We didn’t want to fall into the trap of the first three...

Warner Bros. Bumps Up Harry Potter Release

Summer date timed to blast competition

(Newser) - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will be hitting theaters two days earlier than planned, E! reports. The studio is bumping the film forward with an unusual Wednesday opening on July 15, in hopes the mid-week premier will be equivalent to two debut weekends. "Every day the kids are...

He's a Star, Other Summer Movie Lessons

(Newser) - With this summer’s movie crop about to bear fruit, New York tells us what lessons we’ll be able to glean. Highlights:
  • Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a star: So charming in the romantic comedy 500 Days of Summer, audiences will “completely forgive his role in GI Joe: The Rise
...

17 Stories