‘No matter how you slice or dice the calendar, there is no question that the summer of 2016 thus far has been a bit of a bummer’, commented box-office analyst Paul Dergarabedian in reference to this year’s slumping box-office figures. And indeed, with US profits being down by 14% between 1st -14th May in comparison to the same period last year, this year’s summer cinema has been more of a drizzle rather than a storm of success.
Dergarabedian went on to state that the decline in profits is a result of an array of failing sequels. Follow-ups include Divergent’s sequel Allegiant and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle’s sequel, Out of the Shadows. Allegiant grossed $110.6m worldwide – down massively on the profits of the series’ previous installments – while Out of the Shadows made only $65.6m in its opening three days. Similarly, the sequel to Alice in Wonderland, staring the much-discussed Johnny Depp, Alice Through the Looking Glass, reeled in just $26.9m upon opening, a whole 77% less than its original counter-part.
However, the figures are perhaps deceiving: last year saw various blockbuster hits like Jurassic World, Fast and Furious 7 and Minions, leading to a surge in ticket sales. 2015 was thus, a record-breaking year in terms of global box-office sales.
Furthermore, as the US release of one this year’s most anticipated films, Finding Dory, has just broken the record for the most successful opening weekend for an animated film in US box-office history – with the film not reaching UK cinemas until 29th July – the underwhelming ticket sales could still be set to make waves yet.
Words by Juliette Rowsell