This summer’s movie release slate sees notably fewer direct conflicts between films. Most major releases have at least two weeks distance between each other and will have time to make their fortunes as the biggest show in theaters. But some degree of competition is inevitable, so how will these films stand against tough competition?
“Pokemon: Detective Pikachu” vs. “Avengers: Endgame” (May 10)
Nothing is going to stop “Avengers” from becoming the biggest summer hit of all time and smashing all the records “Infinity War” earned last year. But “Endgame” could face a challenge in its third weekend: Warner Bros.’ “Pokemon: Detective Pikachu” has been gathering buzz, especially among nostalgic millennials, and could stake out a $600-700 million global run.
“Aladdin” vs. “Godzilla: King of Monsters” vs. “Rocketman” (May 31)
The end of May will see three very different films compete against each other, and there’s no guarantee any of them will be a hit. For all its domination, Memorial Day weekend has been a source of disappointment for Disney, and buzz hasn’t been strong for this year’s studio entry: an “Aladdin” remake starring Will Smith. Warner Bros. counter-programs with “Godzilla: King of Monsters” with kaiju blowing stuff up. And both face off against the second weekend of Paramount’s “Rocketman” which will try to do with Elton John what “Bohemian Rhapsody” did with Queen.
“Men in Black: International” vs. “Dark Phoenix” (June 14)
Mid-June will see the arrival of this season’s two riskiest blockbusters. Buzz over Fox’s final “X-Men” film, “Dark Phoenix,” has been tepid at best, and beating the $543 million global run of “X-Men: Apocalypse” is not looking likely. A week after “Dark Phoenix” comes Sony’s “Men in Black” spinoff, sans Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. In their place is “Thor: Ragnarok” duo Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson, whose chemistry will be the key selling point.
“Stuber” vs. “21 Bridges” vs. “Spider-Man: Far From Home” (July 12)
Sony could very well see the money deluge for “Avengers” overflow into its coffers with the Marvel Studios release, “Spider-Man: Far From Home.” Expect the film to dominate the long July 4 weekend — but it faces competition in its second week from STX’s thriller “21 Bridges” with Chadwick Boseman Fox’s action comedy “Stuber” with Kumail Nanjiani and Dave Bautista.
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” vs. “The Lion King” (July 26)
While you can Disney’s latest live-action remake to dominate when it opens July 19, holding a second weekend may be challenging since he faces Quentin Tarantino’s star-heavy period film “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” (The auteur’s last summer film, 2009’a “Inglourious Basterds,” managed to gross $321 million worldwide.
