The best of Hollywood yet to come

By Troy Ribeiro

We are in the second half of the year, and there are nearly 62 major films releasing before the year ends. Reasons ranging from budget to critical content to release date can affect a films ticket pricing as well as box-office fate. Smart PR, meanwhile, uses every trick in the book to whet audience appetite for the film in question, as we have been seeing for some of the most high-profile films lately.

 

August and September are considered as "Dump Months" which, according to film industry parlance, is the time when studios feel there are lowered commercial and critical expectations for most new releases.

The big season for Hollywood films has always been the year-end, from October to December. There has been a growing impact of Hollywood at the Indian box-office, with English films regularly ruling roost. Even this year, "Avengers: Endgame" is the biggest hit at the Indian box-office so far. Having amassed a monstrous Rs 365.5 crore haul, it remains number one at the Indian box-office, above all Hindi releases so far.

"The Lion King" and "Spider-Man: Far From Home" (which incidentally has already crossed the Rs 100-crore mark at the Indian box-office) are other big Hollywood hits in the domestic market.

The reasons why Hollywood is making such a significant impact is obvious. First, big films are now routinely released in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu languages apart from the original English. Technical advancements have moved on beyond 3D projections. Also, fans can now watch their favourite superhero films in 4DX (aided by sensory impacts in sync with what is happening on the screen) or on Imax screens. All these have increased the market of films.

Worldwide, very little of Hollywood churns out is actually owing to star power. Special effects and exploring new content have been the winning tricks for Hollywood films for a while now. It will continue to be so over the next few months.

Here is the IANS recommendations among Hollywood films to release from now till September:

ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD
Auteur Quentin Tarantino has always intrigued viewers. This film featuring Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie appears to be a perfect, period-cult-crime drama set against the backdrop of the Charles Manson murders that rocked California in the late 1960s.

FAST & FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS AND SHAW
Projected as a money spinner, this action adventure thriller is a spin-off on "The Fast And The Furious" franchise centred on two principle characters from the original series -- Dwayne Johnson as Luke Hobbs and Jason Statham as Deckard Shaw.

ABOMINABLE
This computer-animated adventure film produced by Dreamworks Animation and Pearl Studio, is the story of teenager Yi who, along with her mischievous friends, Jin and Peng, encounter Yeti, a young magical creature, and embark upon an epic quest to reunite it with its family.

THE GOLDFINCH
Based on the award-winning novel of the same name, the film starring Nicole Kidman and Luke Kleintank, is a coming-of-age drama that follows the life of the young Theodore Decker, who survives a terrorist attack. He is then patronised by a wealthy Upper East Side family and how he soon descends into a life of crime involving in art forgery, forms the crux of this narrative.

IT CHAPTER 2
This Stephen King-based, creeps-inducing production, is the sequel to the 2017 supernatural horror film that had viewers pinning for more. The original film, followed the disappearance of seven-year old Georgie. "Chapter 2" takes place 27 years later, where Georgie's brother and his friends known as "The Losers Club" are determined to solve the mystery.

October to December is considered the best period for film business. Distributors concentrate on films they expect to be the biggest critical and/or commercial successes. Hence it is a period of increased spending on entertainment generally. Films to look out for during this period are:

THE JOKER
Going by the trailers, this caper helmed by Todd Phillips promises a dark tale inspired by Alan Moore's graphic novel "The Killing Joke". Joaquim Phoenix plays the failed stand-up comedian turned psychotic anarchist.

FORD V/S FERRARI
This film is for automobile enthusiasts. The film starring Matt Damon and Christian Bale, assures great motor racing sequences. Set in the 1960s, it follows Ford's attempt to break Ferrari's dominance in the most prestigious car-race.

CATS
This musical fantasy is simply favourable because it is helmed by Tom Hooper who had earlier given us Les Miserables. The film is based on the musical of the same name, which in turn was based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot.

A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD
If biological dramas are what appeal to you then, this film is something you need to look forward to. The director brings to life, the tale of an award-winning cynical journalist, Lloyd Vogel, of how his perspective on life transforms after his encounter with a beloved television icon Fred Rogers. Tom Hanks portrays Rogers whereas Matthew Rhys plays Vogel.

1917
Directed by award winning Director Sam Mendes, this upcoming war drama, features George Mackay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Colin Firth, Mark Strong, Benedict Cumberbatch, Richard Madden and Andrew Scott. It shows us how two British soldiers experience one harrowing day while fighting in World War I.