Summer is almost here – isn’t it? Well, not according to the Gregorian calendar, which indicates the first day of summer, falls on June 21. Hollywood doesn’t pay much attention to such pesky details. As far as the film studios are concerned, summer commences in early May and coincides with the start of blockbuster season.
Last summer’s blockbuster lineup included many successful films that all paled in comparison to the box office champion, “Marvel’s The Avengers.” The film opened May 4 and earned more than $207 million on its opening weekend. Worldwide, the film went on to gross more than $1.5 billion in 2012.
Alas, there is nothing quite like “Marvel’s The Avengers” scheduled for this summer. A sequel to the film is in development, but filming isn’t expected to begin until 2014.
There are plenty of other comic book franchises out there. Last summer, Hollywood offered up “The Dark Knight Rises” and “The Amazing Spider-Man.” This summer, there will be a few heroes returning to the big screen hoping to score a blockbuster win.
Following is a list of this year’s most anticipated summer blockbusters. Only time will tell which ones will go on to become spectacular Hollywood cash cows – and which ones will turn out to be box office bombs. We are workinh hard here at the drive in to bring you a great line up of movies to rock your summer UNDER THE STARS.well….we promise you fun Rocking is up to you…
The Great Gatsby
Release date: May 10
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, Isla Fisher, Jason Clarke and Amitabh Bachchan
Not exactly what one might consider a typical blockbuster blueprint, “The Great Gatsby” follows Fitzgerald-like, would-be writer Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) as he leaves the Midwest and comes to New York City in the spring of 1922.
Carraway finds himself in an era of loosening morals, glittering jazz, bootleg kings, and skyrocketing stocks. He also meets a mysterious, party-giving millionaire, Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio). Spending time with Gatsby, as well as his cousin Daisy (Carey Mulligan), and her husband Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton), Carraway is drawn into the world of the super rich, their illusions, loves and deceits.
watch the trailer:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukgJDXbD89A[/youtube]
Star Trek Into Darkness
Release date: May 17
Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, John Cho, Bruce Greenwood, Simon Pegg, Anton Yelchin, Benedict Cumberbatch, Alice Eve and Peter Weller
Director J.J. Abrams returns for his second voyage with the starship Enterprise, helming “Star Trek Into Darkness.”
Things kick off with a shocking act of terror. The crew of The Enterprise is called back home to Earth. Kirk – as usual – defies regulations – leading his crew on a manhunt. He’s out to see that justice is served – and to settle a personal score.
WATCH THE TRAILER:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAEkuVgt6Aw[/youtube]
Fast and Furious 6
Release date: May 24
Cast: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Jordana Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Sung Kang, Gal Gadot, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Elsa Pataky, Luke Evans and Gina Carano
They just keep coming: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Dwayne Johnson lead the returning cast of all-stars as this global blockbuster franchise built on speed races to its next continent in “Fast and Furious 6.”
Apparently the crew is scattered across the globe and tired of living on the lam. They’re asked to outmatch a criminal outfit on the street level in return for a full pardon.
watch the trailer:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKi5XoeTN0k[/youtube]
After Earth
Release date: May 31
Cast: Will Smith and Jaden Smith
M. Night Shyamalan tackles this science fiction tale about a two people stranded on future Earth.
A crash-landing leaves teenager Kitai Raige (Jaden Smith) and his legendary father Cypher (Will Smith) marooned on Earth 1,000 years after cataclysmic events forced humanity to abandon the planet. With his father badly wounded, Kitai must embark on a perilous journey to signal for help. To do so, he has to face uncharted terrain and evolved predators. If that wasn’t enough, there’s also an unstoppable alien creature that escaped during the crash, and he’s probably not very happy.
watch trailer
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2qdvELqskc[/youtube]
Man of Steel
Release date: June 14
Cast: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Antje Traue, Ayelet Zurer, Christopher Meloni, Russell Crowe, Michael Kelly, Harry Lennix and Richard Schiff
A new round of Superman films will debut this summer.
It’s a safe bet that almost everyone knows the basics of this story: the infant Kal-El, born on Krypton, is sent to Earth by his father so that the child may escape the destruction of his home world. On Earth, Kal-El – renamed Clark Kent by his adoptive parents – learns that he has extraordinary powers.
watch trailer
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVu3gS7iJu4[/youtube]
World War Z
Release date: June 21
Cast: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, Daniella Kertesz, James Badge Dale, Matthew Fox and David Morse
Brad Pitt has been dying to bring this zombie flick to the big screen for years.
Based on the book “World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War” by Max Brooks, the story revolves around United Nations employee Gerry Lane (Pitt), who traverses the world in a race against time to stop a pandemic that is toppling armies and governments and threatening to decimate humanity itself.
watch the trailer
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Jz19cG2NAo[/youtube]
The Lone Ranger
Release date: July 3
Cast: Johnny Depp, Armie Hammer, Tom Wilkinson, William Fichtner, Barry Pepper, James Badge Dale, Ruth Wilson and Helena Bonham Carter
So, Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski didn’t have a “Pirates of the Caribbean” installment ready to shoot, so they decided to resurrect one of Hollywood’s best-known western heroes.
Disney promises “The Lone Ranger” will be a thrilling adventure infused with action and humor. The famed masked hero will be brought to life through new eyes. Native American warrior Tonto (Johnny Depp) recounts the untold tales that transformed John Reid (Armie Hammer), a man of the law, into a legend of justice.
watch trailer
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Zv9fgSrP-0[/youtube]
Pacific Rim
Release date: July 12
Cast: Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day, Ron Perlman, Robert Kazinsky, Max Martini, Clifton Collins, Jr., Burn Gorman, Larry Joe Campbell, Brad William Henke and Diego Klattenhoff
Only Guillermo del Toro could sell this film to Hollywood – and he’s probably the only one who could turn it into a blockbuster, too.
It all boils down to this: Kaiju vs. Jaegers. Kaiju are monstrous creatures (think Godzilla, only cooler and meaner). Legions of them start rising from the depths of the sea. Jaegers are massive robots, controlled simultaneously by two pilots whose minds are locked in a neural bridge, created to save humanity
watch trailer
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-ZcqwvQbas[/youtube]
The Wolverine
Release date: July 26
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Will Yun Lee, Svetlana Khodchenkova, Hiroyuki Sanada, Hal Yamanouchi, Tao Okamoto, Rila Fukushima and Brian Tee
It’s been seven years since “X-Men: The Last Stand” – seven years!
Of course, that wasn’t the last time Jackman portrayed this celebrated comic book character. He starred in “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” in 2009 and made a cameo in “X-Men: First Class” in 2011.
This film is officially intended as a standalone, taking place sometime after the events depicted in “X-Men: The Last Stand.” This story takes Wolverine to modern day Japan. Out of his depth in an unknown world, he must face a host of unexpected and deadly opponents in a life-or-death battle that will leave him forever changed.
watch trailer
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rh1LdTFkm7I[/youtube]