There will be winners and there will be losers during a summer box office season so let’s separate the men from the boys. These films will be judged on how well they were received by critics but also on shear amount of box office gross. There will be movies your expecting but also some that you’re not. So let’s get started!
5. Pitch Perfect 2
A sequel to 2012’s hit Pitch Perfect movie, Pitch Perfect 2 sees the return of Fat Amy, Beca and the rest band to gain back their title as the best singing group around. While not wildly critically successful, this film did make a major killing at the box office. A sequel, Pitch Perfect 3, is scheduled for July 21, 2017 and will again be written by Kay Cannon.
Total Box Office Gross: $285 million
4. Minions
Ahhh… our loveable little friends the Minions. They are looking mighty wealthy at the end of the summer despite less that favourable reviews overall, and breezed past the takings of movies in their parent franchise Despicable Me. Its gigantic billion dollar gross has made it the 18th highest-grossing film of all time and the 3rd highest-grossing animated film (behind Frozen at number one and Toy Story 3 at number 2). The performances of villains Sandra Bullock and Jon Hamm were praised by critics and Universal can certainly be happy with this standalone movie. Despicable Me 3 comes out June 30, 2017.
Total Box Office Gross: $1.044 billion
3. Inside Out
Another animated movie makes the list this year in the form of Disney’s Inside Out. Touching, funny, clever and relevant Inside Out may not have made as much as Minions but it is by far the superior film. There is simply so much raw potential with Inside Out and if any movie of 2015 deserves a sequel then it’s this. Unfortunately, the studio have stated that there are currently no plans in the works for an Inside Out 2 picture. I guess we waited for Finding Dory so perhaps it’s going to be another 12 years for Inside Out‘s sequel? Pixar always seem to deliver on quality though. From the makers of Wreck It Ralph indeed.
Total Box Office Gross: $735.8 million
2. Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron
Admit it, you knew Avengers: Age of Ultron would be on here. Considered a failure by Marvel bosses (apparently) their complaint was that it didn’t gross enough (!) and couldn’t surpass Avengers Assemble either in total profit or in critical response. That’s not to say that Avengers: Age of Ultron didn’t do well. It got well over the billion dollar mark and had a generally positive reviews from critics and fans. The culmination of Phase 2 was a little messy but with Marvel Studio’s Creative Committee now disbanded it could be the start of a new age for the company.
Total Box Office Gross: $1.4 billion
1. Jurassic World
A surprise winner, Jurassic World broke numerous records on release and its success is largely attributed to an injection of variety into a superhero dominated blockbuster market. Even the distributer Universal were shocked by its popularity and a sequel was quickly announced for 2018. The movie also acted to cement Chris Pratt as an action star after following on the 2014 hit Guardians of the Galaxy. Could we be seeing him play Indiana Jones sometime soon? Jurassic World probably wont hold onto its records for long as Star Wars: The Force Awakens releases this December. Till then though, this monster movie is box office king.
Total Box Office Gross: $1.65 billion
All these numbers actually led to this year being the 2nd largest box office gross in history, domestically in the US! Which of these box office hits did you like the most? Was there a movie you loved that isn’t listed here? Tell us in the comments below! We also did a countdown of the biggest box office bombs of the summer so if you enjoyed this why not head on over? For more movie, TV and gaming news stick right here on TiCGN!
