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THE GALAXY — Making any major feature film is expensive, time exhaustive and complicated. With all of the resources being poured into various projects, directors, writers and actors are under heavy pressure to produce results for their studios. Some films, however, have even more riding on them and are expected to be huge hits for a host of reasons. Here are three upcoming summer blockbusters that will face immense pressure to succeed in the box office.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
The back story
Despite its lucrative run in the box office, the third installment of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man series starring Tobey Maguire as the web-slinger was an unmitigated disaster in many ways. While critics were unkind to the film, the reaction from Spider-Man fans was even worse. Fan favorites such as Gwen Stacy and the villainous Venom made brief and cringe-worthy appearances in the film. Negotiations for further films with Maguire as the lead character and Raimi as the director fell through in large part due to the sloppy “Spider-Man 3.”
Not long after it was announced that there would not be a Spider-Man 4, Sony Pictures announced that a reboot was in the works. Coming off the heels of a very profitable trilogy, the move seemed to many as a simple money grab ploy by the studio. Those associated with the new project promised that it would be a fresh take on the famous superhero with further details about the character’s origins and the mysterious disappearance of his parents. When “The Amazing Spider-Man” was released, fans received basically the exact same story that they received from Raimi’s origin tale, with Gwen Stacy being swapped in for Mary Jane Watson. However, the film was well-received by critics and turned out to be very successful in the box office in large part because of the palpable chemistry between its two lead characters, Andrew Garfield (Peter Parker/Spider-Man) and Emma Stone (Gwen Stacy).
Why it’s under pressure to succeed
While “The Amazing Spider-Man” was much better than it had any right to be, it was not without its flaws. Although the romantic chemistry was terrific between Garfield and Stone, there was a surprising lack of action sequences and showcasing of the superhero’s abilities. The CGI for the main villain, The Lizard, was about as odd as his criminal intentions (he’s really going to turn everybody in New York into lizards?). As previously noted, though, potentially the film’s biggest problem was that it did not add much to the Maguire flicks. Without being a fresh take on the story, it is very arguable that the film series has not yet justified its existence.
“The Amazing Spider-Man 2” will have its work cut out for it to convince viewers that the franchise is needed and fresh. This is particularly true since Sony has recently announced its ambitious goals of releasing multiple sequels and even spin-offs. If the film is successful, it can potentially be worth billions to the studio.
Early reaction
As my colleague, John Clyde, observes, the first few glimpses of “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” are encouraging. It looks as though the film is following through on the plotline about Peter’s parents that was merely hinted at in the first one. It also appears that there will be loads more action than the first film while still developing the strong chemistry between Stone and Garfield. However, Clyde and I share the same concern for the second installment that the multiple villains may make the movie bloated like “Spider-Man 3.”
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
The back story
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have been around for a long time. As Rob Lammie shows, the characters have been around since the 1980s when they starred in their own comic book. A few years later, the foursome started their assent to pop culture giants when they starred in their own Saturday morning cartoon. In the cartoon version, Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael became the kung-fu fighting, pizza-loving, colored-bandanna-wearing, wise-cracking characters millions of kids would know and love.
With the immense popularity of the cartoon, the turtles were depicted in three live action movies with the third (and most forgettable) film being released in 1993. Recently, there has been newfound interest by the rising generation in the characters with Nickelodeon producing a cartoon series with the characters. This new excitement over the characters has in part spawned the development of another live-action film. Over 20 years since the final live-action film was released, Michael Bay, director of the “Transformers” flicks, has been pegged to tackle the film adaptation of another classic ’80s cartoon series.
Why it’s under pressure to succeed
Making a film adaptation of any well-beloved cartoon, novel or comic book can be a daunting task. Many adults who grew up in the 1980s look upon the Ninja Turtles with a deep sense of fondness, and it is not uncommon to see grown men sporting shirts depicting the shelled heroes. As such, any filmmaker charged with bringing the group back to the big screen will endure a lot of scrutiny from die-hard fans.
While loyal fan bases can be loud and potentially aggravating, a bigger concern for those involved in making the new TMNT is that Paramount Pictures has invested a whopping $125 million into the project. To merely crack even, the film will have to have a strong showing at the box office. With so many resources put into the film, Paramount Pictures chose Bay in large part due to his propensity for producing box office smashes.
Early reaction
While Bay’s take on “Transformers” has been incredibly lucrative, the films have been polarizing among fans of the original series. Also, the first three “Transformers” have generally been panned by critics (as a side note, however, almost everybody can agree that it’s a welcome development that the fourth will not star Shia LaBeouf). The first trailer for the new Ninja Turtles film has likewise been met with mixed reactions. Still, the trailer generated an incredible 31.4 million views in its first week on YouTube. While the quality of the film will not be known until it is released, it seems very plausible that it will garner hundreds of millions of dollars for its studio.
Guardians of the Galaxy
The back story
As far back as 2010, president of Marvel, Kevin Feige, hinted that the “Guardians of the Galaxy” would receive its own film adaptation. The announcement surprised many Marvel fans because the comic, while having a devoted following, has never been a mainstream staple well-known by the general public.
The film depicts an American space pilot, Peter Quill, who has “obtained” (stolen) a magical and potentially dangerous orb that puts him in the deadly sights of the evil Ronan. In his attempt to run from Ronan, Quill joins forces with a host of strange characters and misfits from across the galaxy, including a human tree and a genetically enhanced raccoon. Although Quill’s desire is at first preservation, he eventually discovers that it is up to him and his newfound allies to save the galaxy.
Why it’s under pressure to succeed
Thus far, producers have played it relatively safe with Marvel adaptations and only produced films starring characters well-recognized by the general public. This approach has led to mega hits such as the “Iron Man” trilogy, the “Spider-Man” trilogy (and subsequent reboot) and “The Avengers.” While many of these films have received generally positive reviews, the sheer popularity of the title characters is probably the main driving force behind huge box office sales. The “Guardians of the Galaxy” will not have that same luxury.
Despite the risk, Walt Disney Pictures (which is producing the film) appears to have gone all in with the project. The film has a star-studded ensemble cast with Chris Pratt, Vin Diesel, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Benicio Del Toro, John C. Reilly and Glenn Close portraying main characters. Multiple reports also suggest that the budget for the film is somewhere in the ballpark of $150 million. For the most part, everything Marvel has been associated with has turned into box office gold, but it will take a considerable amount of magic to make a profit out of this project.
Early reaction
Since airing its first trailer during "Jimmy Kimmel Live," the “Guardians of the Galaxy” has generated a lot of buzz on the Internet and Twitter, with most of the reactions being overwhelmingly positive. Many of the fans of the comic were elated at seeing some of their favorite characters represented in film. More importantly, many fans who had never heard of the comics before seemed interested in the quirky and unique story and odd heroes. To date, the trailer has been viewed almost 15.5 million times on YouTube. How many of those who viewed the trailer will actually see the full film in theaters is unknown and will largely determine whether this sizable risk for Marvel will pay off. Dylan Cannon is a regular contributor to KSL.com and OK.com and is a movie nerd. He is happy that his daughter thinks he is secretly Spider-Man and he can be reached at dylancannon86@gmail.com or via Twitter @DylanCannon11.
