'The Amazing Spider-Man 2' Leads the Summer's First Weekend Releases
On May 2, the summer movie season kicks off with a number of highly-anticipated releases. Here's a list of what's coming out in theaters this weekend.
"The Amazing Spider-Man 2" - The latest installment to "Spider-Man" reunites Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone and Sally Field with a new cast that includes Chris Cooper, Dane Dahaan, Jaime Foxx and Paul Giamatti. The new film continues the story of Peter Parker, who runs into the mysterious company Oscorp, which sends out a slew of supervillains against him, impacting his life. Sony has high expectations for the opening weekend and the movie is currently tracking to open near $100 million, which would be about $40 million higher than the original 2012 film.
However, "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" could suffer from poor reviews; it currently has a 66 percent aggregate score on Rotten Tomatoes. In 2007, "Spider-Man 3" broke records opening with $151 million, but ended up being the lowest grossing film in the series. The reason was because like the upcoming "Amazing Spider-Man 2" it was released on the opening summer weekend and that meant that not everyone was out of school. Additionally, the film scored mixed reviews and fans were discouraged, which lead to poor word of mouth. The new installment is already getting a lot of criticism for its lack of a plot, packing in too many villains and for being pure action. These were some of the same criticisms that affected the 2007 installment and which ultimately caused Sony to reboot the franchise. It will be interesting to see how fan boys respond to the movie and if it ends up being a success.
"Belle" - The period film returns to theaters after being absent for a number of months. Directed by Amma Asante and starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Matthew Goode, Sara Gadopn, Tom Wilkinson, Sam Reid and Emily Watson, the film tells the story of an illegitimate mixed race daughter of a Royal Navy Admiral who is raised by her aristocratic great-uncle. The film is the latest in a line of movies trying to breathe new life into the genre following Joe Wright's visually stunning and stagey "Anna Karenina" and Ralph Fiennes' subtle "The Invisible Woman."
"Belle" brings in racial issues that are hardly seen in these movies and blends them in with the typical romance. The film is also the fourth in a line of civil rights films seen throughout the past months. Last year saw the release of "Fruitvale Station," "Lee Daniel's The Butler" and the Oscar-winning film "12 Years a Slave." Distributor Fox Searchlight hopes to have the same success these three films had last year. The movie comes off a successful festival run and currently has good reviews with a 73 percent aggregate score on Rotten Tomatoes. Fox Searchlight plans on releasing the film in four theaters and later expanding the movie nationwide.
"Walk of Shame" - Focus Features is opening the film, which stars Elizabeth Banks and James Marsden, in limited release. However, there has been no promotion or marketing for the movie. The film tells the story of a reporter who dreams of becoming a news anchor. However, her dream is compromised after a one-night stand leaves her stranded in downtown L.A. without a phone, car, ID or money -- and only eight hours to make it to the most important job interview of her life. The film is likely to become the third consecutive Focus film to bomb since the company went under new management. This year Focus Features has already released "That Awkward Moment" and "Bad Words," both of which underperformed. "Walk of Shame" lacks the buzz and press to really get audiences excited for the release and is likely fade away in theaters. The movie opens in 50 theaters, but based on the opening weekend, Focus will decide how much more to expand it.