Summer 2013 Winners and Losers: A Mid-Term Report

In Hollywood, the summer movie season runs from May to August, a glorious four-month period of blockbusters and would-be blockbusters. So that means today is the official midpoint of the 2013 Summer Movie Season. What better time to reveal the first half of the season’s Winners and Losers. Let’s get to it, shall we?

Winner

Tony Stark – The first film of the summer is poised to be the season’s #1 hit. Iron Man 3 has already raced past the $400 million mark domestically and played more like a sequel to last summer’s #1 The Avengers than it did as a continuation of Iron Man 2.

Winner

Female Driven Films – Two titles that appealed more to females have posted impressive results – May’s The Great Gatsby debuted to $50 million and the Melissa McCarthy/Sandra Bullock comedy The Heat grossed nearly $40 million in its first weekend. With a dearth of movies catering towards the female audience in the summer, those that do have come up big.

Loser

Tyler Perry – Pics that Perry involves himself with usually are dependable hits, but May’s Peeples was an exception. It’s only grossed a pathetic $9 million.

Winner

The Fast and Furious Franchise – This series shows no signs of letting up. The sixth installment has amassed a terrific $233 million domestic gross at press time and the seventh will be out next summer.

Loser

The Wolf Pack – Moviegoers seem to have had it with the Hangover franchise. The third flick stands at $110 million, well below the first two which both grossed over $250 million.

Loser

Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson – They had the comedy blockbuster of the summer… in 2005 with Wedding Crashers. Lightning did not strike twice with The Internship, which has grossed only $41 million.

Winner

Ethan Hawke – He has the critical indie hit of the summer with Before Midnight, but it’s his well-marketed thriller The Purge that shocked everyone with an amazing $34 million opening.

Winner

Now You See Me – Ironically, no one saw the magic-themed caper pic breaking through on the level it did. Its current gross stands at $104 million.

Loser

Will Smith (and M. Night Shyamalan) – No summer blockbuster this time around for Mr. Smith. After Earth has grossed only $58 million. The film marks another dud for director M. Night Shyamalan as well.

Winner

Zombies – After a lot of bad buzz regarding cost overruns, World War Z is performing way better than expectations, with a very solid $66 million opening and a pretty soft drop in its second weekend.

Loser

White House Action Flicks – It wasn’t the case in the spring when Olympus Has Fallen was a surprise hit. This season, however, the similarly plotted White House Down starring Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx landed with a thud in its opening weekend, with only $24 million.

Winner

Pixar – Aren’t they always? Their prequel Monsters University has done a robust $171 million in 10 days and continues the streak of Pixar mega-grossers.

Winner

Superman – The franchise has been reinvigorated. Despite mixed reviews, Man of Steel posted a soaring $125 million opening and looks to fly past the $300 million mark.

Winner

Kirk and Spock – At first, Star Trek Into Darkness had a somewhat disappointing opening but has had strong legs since. It may not quite match the $257 million take of the 2009 original, but it should come close (it currently is at $220M).

Winner

This is the End – The comedy featuring an all-star cast including Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, James Franco, and many others received positive critical reaction and looks to flirt with the $100 million mark – a very respectable haul.

And there you have it… let’s see how the last two months of the season shake out. I’ll be watching!