You guys may have had fun during March Madness over on the Sports page, but here on the A&E page, I really couldn’t have cared less. But I’m striking back with a vengeance now with what I’m calling May Madness.
Okay, so it’s not an original title. Whatever. My point is, the movie industry really lights up every May (and December, of course… but I’ll save that obligatory article for next semester) with releases that not only determine your summer movie-going future, but also decide which studios will manage to stay in the black for the year.
If you’ve been living in a cave that has no television or radio, then maybe you don’t know about the Big Three. But educated film connoisseurs know that “Spider-Man 3,” “Shrek the Third,” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” will all premiere at American multiplexes this month.
Spidey comes up to bat first, with a release date of May 4. The Ogre and Jack Sparrow follow with release dates of May 18 and May 25, respectively.
In the past, when they’ve been released in separate years, each of these franchises has dominated, breaking records and receiving generally favorable reviews. But when released within weeks of each other, there’s a solid chance these Goliaths could cancel each other out. If you’re wondering which prospective box office giant will come out on top, you’re not alone. Anything could happen in this cinematic battle of the titans.
Don’t hold me to it, but it’s likely that “Pirates” will completely overshadow “Shrek.” It’s been three years since the last “Shrek” film, and I don’t think I’m overstepping my boundaries to say that the “Pirates” franchise has completely stolen away “Shrek’s” key demographic.
Not only that, but the trailers for “Shrek” have looked lackluster at best, leaving people wondering if they really want to see another chapter in the life of Shrek, Fiona and Donkey. On the flip side, the “Pirates” trailers are not only awesome, but completely unnecessary thanks to the cliffhanger at the end of “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.” Disney will have no problem getting butts in seats for this one.
The big question is: will either “Shrek” or “Pirates” unseat “Spider-Man 3” at the box office? Like “Shrek,” it’s been three years since we’ve seen everybody’s favorite webslinger in action. I don’t know about you guys, but for me, absence has only made my heart grow fonder. The promotional materials for “Spider-Man 3” look phenomenal. Each trailer has continually topped itself, whetting audiences’ appetite for what will undoubtedly be one wild ride. (Can you tell which franchise I’m rooting for yet?) With the added promise of fan-adored comic book characters like Gwen Stacy (Bryce Dallas Howard), Sandman (Thomas Hayden Church), and Venom (Topher Grace) being thrown into the mix, I really don’t see a way “Spider-Man 3” couldn’t do at least a little damage at the box office.
The problem with all of this speculation is that these three future blockbusters aren’t the only highly anticipated films coming out this summer. Summer 2007 will also be host to “Knocked Up” (June 1), “Ocean’s 13” and “Hostel Part II” (June 8), “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer” (June 15), “Evan Almighty” (June 22), “Live Free or Die Hard” (June 27), “Ratatouille” (June 29), “Transformers: The Movie” (July 4), “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” (July 13), “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry” and “Hairspray” (July 20), “The Simpsons Movie (July 27), “The Bourne Ultimatum” (August 3), and “Rush Hour 3” (August 10). Seriously.
Again I feel the need to reiterate that any one of these films, when released away from the others, has the potential to shatter records and hold on to that coveted number one spot at the box office. But over the span of three months? Audiences are definitely in for one of the most fun summers in cinematic history. Start saving up for ticket money now.
