Weekend Preview 2015: 'Jurassic World' to Break June Record; 'Me and Earl and the Dying Girl' Opens
This weekend Universal will unveil one of the most anticipated films of the year while Fox Searchlight will release one of the most acclaimed Indie features. Meanwhile, "San Andreas," "Spy" and "Entourage" will continue at the box office.
"Jurassic World" - It has been 14 years since the last "Jurassic Park" film was released and this year Universal will try to capture new audiences as well as fans of the old trilogy. The new film, starring Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, takes place 22 years after the events of "Jurassic Park." Isla Nublar now features a fully functioning dinosaur theme park, Jurassic World, as originally envisioned by John Hammond. However, after 10 years of operation, visitor rates decline and, in order to fulfill a corporate mandate, a new attraction is created to re-spark visitors' interest, which backfires horribly. Universal has given the feature a huge marketing campaign and has played on the nostalgia of the old films using the main theme that everyone has come to associate the franchise with. Universal is also making sure to promote the film to new audiences emphasizing Pratt, who is very popular with younger audiences.
According to early box office predictions, the film could easily open with $120 million and possibly break the June record. However, there is currently a review embargo and that could affect the film if reviews are not good.
"Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" - Fox Searchlight will release the Sundance Film Festival winner after a huge success on the festival circuit. The film directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon tells the story of a High school student, Greg, who spends most of his time making parodies of classic movies with his co-worker Earl. However, he finds his outlook forever altered after befriending a classmate who has just been diagnosed with cancer. The movie premiered at Sundance where it scored great reviews and went on to win the Grand Jury and Audience Awards. That was the third time in a row that the Grand Jury Prize film also took home the audience award.
"Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" is being released with a strong marketing push and will open in 14 theaters. Fox Searchlight hopes the film can play to the same audiences that made "Little Miss Sunshine," "The Way, Way Back," "Juno" and "Sideways" hits. However, it could also play to audiences who enjoyed "The Fault in Our Stars."
Other films opening this week include "The Wolfpack," which won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance for Best Documentary. Magnolia will release the movie in theaters and later will expand it to demand platforms.
Meanwhile, Emerging Films will release "Soaked in Bleach" and FIP will unveil "11th Hour." Strand will release "Set Fire to Stars" starring Elijah Wood while Abramorama will take out "Live from New York!."
A number of holdovers will continue to play including Dwayne Johnson's "San Andreas," Melissa McCarthy's "Spy" and "Insidious: Chapter 3." "Entourage" will try to regain fire while "Mad Max: Fury Road" will continue its successful run.
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