THE US SUMMER BOX OFFICE REALLY SUCKS

There were SOME films this US summer season that made some pretty sweet bank. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 performed better in its opening than the first installment. Wonder Woman finally took the female-led superhero film bull by the horns and Spider-Man: Homecoming managed to overcome a cynical audience, tired of the needless retreads of the 'Spidey' property in recent years (mostly with diminishing returns). Comic book films show no sign of going away anytime soon. Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk also took an admiral bow, hardly chewing up the box office though it did perform well enough  - for a riskier venture. 

Unfortunately, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword was a massive flop and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, Baywatch, Pirates of the Caribbean 5, The Mummy  and Transformers 5 joined it as major underperformers. Though most of these were utterly terrible, Baywatch and The Mummy I'm looking at you - Luc Besson's Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets at least had originality and dazzling visuals to boot. 

The saddest tale of the summer - The Dark Tower  - let out a mournful sigh as it died a brutal critical and commercial death. It's hoped that Andy Muschietti's strong adaption of Stephen King's classic IT, will make a bigger splash on its opening (estimated to be $60 million) and recoup some cash for Warner Bros. emptying coffers.

The other big releases of the year, Blade Runner 2049, Thor: Ragnarok, Justice League and Star Wars: The Last Jedi are seemingly all potential box office ass-kickers but some of the biggest flops this year were also regarded as that, prior to their release. No doubt the studios are nervous - no longer does a beefy franchise and brand recognition equal cash on the barrel head.