Welcome to the third of four parts of an Analysis of every major film release of 2017.
Following up on last year’s project, I’m back with a look at the films of 2017. And as usual, I will be breaking it down by quarters and then an overall review. The change this year, however, is they will not be all coming out in one week. I realized I was doing a disservice to the films later in the year, so this year will work as follows:
- 1st Quarter (January, February, March) – Saturday, Dec. 31
- 1st Quarter Review – Sunday, Jan. 1
- 2nd Quarter (April, May, June) – Saturday, March 25
- 2nd Quarter Review – Sunday, March 26
- 3rd Quarter (July, August, September) – June 24
- 3rd Quarter Review – Sunday, June 25
- 4th Quarter (October, November, December) – Saturday, Sept. 30
- 4th Quarter Review – Sunday, Oct. 1
There are some clear, “What in the world were they thinking?” projects coming out this year, and there are some that I think will surprise all of us.
Hopefully you enjoy this as it is a huge undertaking each year, but one I enjoy doing.
Please note that titles and release dates can change at any time, none of these are written in stone.
July
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Release Date: July 7, 2017
A young Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland), who made his sensational debut in Captain America: Civil War, begins to navigate his newfound identity as the web-slinging super hero in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Thrilled by his experience with the Avengers, Peter returns home, where he lives with his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), under the watchful eye of his new mentor Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.). Peter tries to fall back into his normal daily routine – distracted by thoughts of proving himself to be more than just your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man – but when the Vulture (Michael Keaton) emerges as a new villain, everything that Peter holds most important will be threatened.
Analysis: It’s going to do well, the only question is just how well.
War for the Planet of the Apes
Release Date: July 14, 2017
In War for the Planet of the Apes, the third chapter of the critically acclaimed blockbuster franchise, Caesar and his apes are forced into a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by a ruthless Colonel. After the apes suffer unimaginable losses, Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his own mythic quest to avenge his kind. As the journey finally brings them face to face, Caesar and the Colonel are pitted against each other in an epic battle that will determine the fate of both their species and the future of the planet.
Analysis: These films don’t do huge business, but they do well. Sure to continue with this one.
Wish Upon
Release Date: July 14, 2017
Twelve years after discovering her mother’s suicide, 17-year-old CLARE SHANNON (Joey King) is bullied in high school, embarrassed by her manic, hoarder father JONATHAN (Ryan Phillippe) and ignored by her longtime crush. All that changes when her father comes home with an old music box whose inscription promises to grant its owner seven wishes.
While Clare is initially skeptical of this magic box, she can’t help but be seduced by its dark powers, and is thrilled as her life radically improves with each wish. Clare finally has the life she’s always wanted and everything seems perfect – until the people closest to her begin dying in violent and elaborate ways after each wish. Clare realizes that she must get rid of the box, but finds herself unable and unwilling to part with her new-and-improved life – leading her down a dark and dangerous path.
Be careful what you wish for…
Analysis: Horror films are almost guaranteed to make money as will this one.
Dunkirk
Release Date: July 21, 2017
Allied soldiers from Britain, Belgium, Canada, and France are surrounded by the German Army on the beaches of Dunkirk and evacuated in Operation Dynamo between 26 May and 4 June 1940, during the early stages of the Second World War.
Analysis: Christopher Nolan surprises the box office constantly, but with a grim war film? Not sure.
Girls Trip
Release Date: July 21, 2017
When four lifelong friends – Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith and Tiffany Haddish – travel to New Orleans for the annual Essence Festival, sisterhoods are rekindled, wild sides are rediscovered, and there’s enough dancing,
drinking, brawling and romancing to make the Big Easy blush.
Analysis: One good weekend and it’ll be done.
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
Release Date: July 21, 2017
In the 28th century, Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) are a team of special operatives charged with maintaining order throughout the human territories. Under assignment from the Minister of Defense, the two embark on a mission to the astonishing city of Alpha—an ever-expanding metropolis where species from all over the universe have converged over centuries to share knowledge, intelligence and cultures with each other. There is a mystery at the center of Alpha, a dark force which threatens the peaceful existence of the City of a Thousand Planets, and Valerian and Laureline must race to identify the marauding menace and safeguard not just Alpha, but the future of the universe.
Analysis: Expect this one to do well in the foreign markets, Europe especially, but the U.S. may be a wash.
Atomic Blonde
Release Date: July 28, 2017
The crown jewel of Her Majesty’s Secret Intelligence Service, Agent Lorraine Broughton (Theron) is equal parts spycraft, sensuality and savagery, willing to deploy any of her skills to stay alive on her impossible mission. Sent alone into Berlin to deliver a priceless dossier out of the destabilized city, she partners with embedded station chief David Percival (James McAvoy) to navigate her way through the deadliest game of spies.
Analysis: Really not sure on this one. No way it’ll be gigantic, but it could bring in a healthy amount.
The Emoji Movie
Release Date: July 28, 2017
The Emoji Movie unlocks the never-before-seen secret world inside your smartphone. Hidden within the messaging app is Textopolis, a bustling city where all your favorite emojis live, hoping to be selected by the phone’s user. In this world, each emoji has only one facial expression – except for Gene (T.J. Miller), an exuberant emoji who was born without a filter and is bursting with multiple expressions. Determined to become “normal” like the other emojis, Gene enlists the help of his handy best friend Hi-5 (James Corden) and the notorious code breaker emoji Jailbreak (Anna Faris). Together, they embark on an epic “app-venture” through the apps on the phone, each its own wild and fun world, to find the Code that will fix Gene. But when a greater danger threatens the phone, the fate of all emojis depends on these three unlikely friends who must save their world before it’s deleted forever.
Analysis: I haven’t heard one person express interest let alone excitement for this movie.
August
The Dark Tower
Release Date: August 4, 2017
Stephen King’s The Dark Tower, the ambitious story from one of the world’s most-celebrated authors, makes its long-awaited launch to the big screen, starring Idris Elba as Roland Deschain and Matthew McConaughey as the Man in Black. Sharing an ancient vendetta, they must fight to the death in this epic battle over the fate of the All-World Universe.
Analysis: This film has been in development for ages with different people attached here and there. Now, how will it do? I really don’t know. This is a tough one to call.
Detroit
Release Date: August 4, 2017
From the Academy Award winning director of THE HURT LOCKER and ZERO DARK THIRTY, DETROIT tells the gripping story of one of the darkest moments during the civil unrest that rocked Detroit in the summer of ‘67.
Analysis: It looks good, I know I’ll want to see it, but I don’t expect much from it at the box office.
Kidnap
Release Date: August 4, 2017
Single mother Karla McCoy lives a perfect life with her young son Frankie. One day, upon entering a local park, Karla sees her son suddenly being abducted out of the blue by a kidnapper. To save Frankie from being taken, Karla goes out on a mission to demand people in the city to help rescue her son.
Analysis: This film has been floating around for a while, it looks pretty paint-by-the-numbers. Don’t count me in.
Annabelle: Creation
Release Date: August 11, 2017
Several years after the tragic death of their little girl, a dollmaker and his wife welcome a nun and several girls from a shuttered orphanage into their home, soon becoming the target of the dollmaker’s possessed creation, Annabelle.
Analysis: These never do huge numbers, but they do more than enough to be profitable. More power to them.
The Glass Castle
Release Date: August 11, 2017
Chronicling the adventures of an eccentric, resilient and tight-knit family, THE GLASS CASTLE is a remarkable story of unconditional love. Oscar winner Brie Larson brings Jeannette Walls’s best-selling memoir to life as a young woman who, influenced by the joyfully wild nature of her deeply dysfunctional father (Woody Harrelson), found the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms.
Analysis: The acting prowess in this is off the charts, but… eh. Just doesn’t look that thrilling.
The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature
Release Date: August 11, 2017
Surly Squirrel (Will Arnett) and the gang are back. We are once again in Oakton where the evil mayor has decided to bulldoze Liberty Park and build a dangerous amusement park in its place. Surly and his ragtag group of animal friends band together to save their home, defeat the mayor, and take back the park.
Analysis: Never saw the original, no plans to see this one.
The Hitman’s Bodyguard
Release Date: August 18, 2017
The world’s top protection agent [Ryan Reynolds] is called upon to guard the life of his mortal enemy, one of the world’s most notorious hitmen [Samuel L. Jackson]. The relentless bodyguard and manipulative assassin have been on the opposite end of the bullet for years and are thrown together for a wildly outrageous 24 hours. During their raucous and hilarious adventure from England to the Hague, they encounter high-speed car chases, outlandish boat escapades and a merciless Eastern European dictator [Gary Oldman] who is out for blood. Salma Hayek joins the mayhem as Jackson’s equally notorious wife.
Analysis: I like everyone in this movie, but it just isn’t clicking with me at all.
Logan Lucky
Release Date: August 18, 2017
Trying to reverse a family curse, brothers Jimmy (Channing Tatum) and Clyde Logan (Adam Driver) set out to execute an elaborate robbery during the legendary Coca-Cola 600 race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. The production shot at Charlotte Motor Speedway during the actual NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 and the Bank of America 500, as well as at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Analysis: This movie won’t do much at the box office… but I will watch the hell out of it. Amazing cast, great director, amusing concept. I’m in.
All Saints
Release Date: August 25, 2017
ALL SAINTS is based on the inspiring true story of salesman-turned-pastor Michael Spurlock (John Corbett), the tiny church he was ordered to shut down, and a group of refugees from Southeast Asia. Together, they risked everything to plant seeds for a future that might just save them all.
Analysis: Religious films have done big business the past few years. Shouldn’t change with this one.
Birth of the Dragon
Release Date: August 25, 2017
Set against the backdrop of 1960s San Francisco, BIRTH OF THE DRAGON is a modern take on the classic movies that Bruce Lee was known for. It takes its inspiration from the epic and still controversial showdown between an up-and-coming Bruce Lee and kung fu master Wong Jack Man – a battle that gave birth to a legend.
Analysis: It’s a Blumhouse film. Translation: It was made for $12 and is almost guaranteed to be profitable. Man I love them.
Crown Heights
Release Date: August 25, 2017
In 1980, police in Brooklyn, N.Y., charge teenage immigrant Colin Warner with murder. Convicted for a crime he didn’t commit, Colin spends years in prison while his friend Carl King fights for the young man’s freedom.
Analysis: Won’t do huge business, but still looks interesting.
Polaroid
Release Date: August 25, 2017
Polaroid is styled in the vein of The Ring and Final Destination and centers on a high school loner, Bird Fitcher, who stumbles upon a vintage Polaroid camera. Bird soon learns that the camera houses a terrible secret: whoever has their picture taken by it meets a tragic and violent end. The girl and her friends must survive one more night as they race to solve the mystery of the haunted Polaroid before it kills them all.
Analysis: We’re still doing the haunted object genre, huh? Eh… okay.
Tulip Fever
Release Date: August 25, 2017
A 17th century romance in which an artist falls for a married young woman while he’s commissioned to paint her portrait. The two invest in the risky tulip market in hopes to build a future together.
Analysis: Great cast. I’m in. Won’t do anything at the box office.
September
Renegades
Release Date: September 1, 2017
RENEGADES is about a team of Navy SEALs on assignment in war-torn Europe who discover a treasure of gold at the bottom of a lake — rumored to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars. In an effort to help the locals, they go rogue and engineer a heist to retrieve the gold and return it to its rightful owners. But in a deadly turn of events, they are detected by the enemy and left with only 10 hours to carry out their mission. The film stars J.K. Simmons (Whiplash) & Sullivan Stapleton (300: Rise of an Empire), is directed by Steven Quale (Final Destination 5 and Into the Storm) and is an original story written by Richard Wenk & Luc Besson (Takenand Lucy).
Analysis: Looks like a home viewing watch to me.
Unlocked
Release Date: September 1, 2017
A CIA interrogator is lured into a ruse that puts London at risk of a biological attack.
Analysis: Completed two years ago, I’m not sure this is the best time to release this one.
Leap!
Release Date: September 1, 2017
Paris, 1884. A orphaned girl arrives in Paris from Brittany. Félicie Milliner is 11 and has no money but one big, passionate dream: to become a dancer. With nothing left to lose, Félicie takes a big risk: she ‘borrows’ a spoiled brats identity and enters the Opera Ballet School. But how long can she be someone else? Mentored by the tough and mysterious cleaner, Odette , Félicie learns that talent is not enough – it takes hard work to be better than her ruthless, conniving fellow students. That and friendship. Felicie’s inventive, exhausting and charismatic best friend Victor also has a dream: becoming a famous inventor. Together, they both encourage each other to reach for the stars.
Analysis: Another delayed release. That always makes me nervous. Doesn’t strike me as very promising.
Home Again
Release Date: September 8, 2017
HOME AGAIN stars Reese Witherspoon (“Big Little Lies,” Wild, Walk The Line, Sweet Home Alabama) as Alice Kinney in a modern romantic comedy. Recently separated from her husband, (Michael Sheen), Alice decides to start over by moving back to her hometown of Los Angeles with her two young daughters. During a night out on her 40th birthday, Alice meets three aspiring filmmakers who happen to be in need of a place to live. Alice agrees to let the guys stay in her guest house temporarily, but the arrangement ends up unfolding in unexpected ways. Alice’s unlikely new family and new romance comes to a crashing halt when her ex-husband shows up, suitcase in hand. HOME AGAIN is a story of love, friendship, and the families we create. And one very big life lesson: Starting over is not for beginners.
Analysis: Another delayed release. That always makes me nervous. Doesn’t strike me as very promising.
It
Release Date: September 8, 2017
When children begin to disappear in the town of Derry, Maine, a group of young kids are faced with their biggest fears when they square off against an evil clown named Pennywise, whose history of murder and violence dates back for centuries.
Analysis: Here’s the problem… who, beyond people that read movie websites, knows this is the first of two parts? Going to be interesting to see how audiences react to that.
All I See is You
Release Date: September 15, 2017
The plot tells the story of a blind woman (portrayed by Blake Lively) and her husband (Jason Clarke). When her sight unexpectedly returns, she begins to discover the previously unseen and disturbing details about themselves, their marriage and their lives.
Analysis: Delayed release and no trailer yet… yeah. This isn’t going to go well.
American Assassin
Release Date: September 15, 2017
AMERICAN ASSASSIN follows the rise of Mitch Rapp (Dylan O’Brien), a CIA black ops recruit under the instruction of Cold War veteran Stan Hurley (Michael Keaton). The pair is then enlisted by CIA Deputy Director Irene Kennedy (Sanaa Lathan) to investigate a wave of apparently random attacks on both military and civilian targets. Together the three discover a pattern in the violence leading them to a joint mission with a lethal Turkish agent (Shiva Negar) to stop a mysterious operative (Taylor Kitsch) intent on starting a World War in the Middle East.
Analysis: I had zero interest in seeing this until I saw Keaton in it. I swear I will watch anything he stars in lately. That being said, I don’t see much in the future for box office on it.
Friend Request
Release Date: September 22, 2017
Enjoying college life as a popular student, Laura shares everything with her more than 800 friends on Facebook. But one day, after accepting a friend request from a social outcast named Marina, Laura’s life is cursed, and her closest friends begin dying cruel deaths. Before her time is up, Laura must solve the mystery behind Marina and her Facebook profile, in order to break the deadly spell.
Analysis: It was released in April 2016 in the U.K., not sure why it took the U.S. so long to get it.
Kingsman The Golden Circle
Release Date: September 22, 2017
“Kingsman: The Secret Service” introduced the world to Kingsman – an independent, international intelligence agency operating at the highest level of discretion, whose ultimate goal is to keep the world safe. In “Kingsman: The Golden Circle,” our heroes face a new challenge. When their headquarters are destroyed and the world is held hostage, their journey leads them to the discovery of an allied spy organization in the US called Statesman, dating back to the day they were both founded. In a new adventure that tests their agents’ strength and wits to the limit, these two elite secret organizations band together to defeat a ruthless common enemy, in order to save the world, something that’s becoming a bit of a habit for Eggsy…
Analysis: I love the first movie, but there is just something about this trailer that concerns me. It feels like it’s going the route of “That worked in the first movie, lets do lots of that.” I’m hopeful, but cautious at the same time.
The LEGO Ninjago Movie
Release Date: September 22, 2017
In this big-screen NINJAGO adventure, the battle for NINJAGO City calls to action young Master Builder Lloyd, aka the Green Ninja, along with his friends, who are all secret ninja warriors. Led by Master Wu, as wise-cracking as he is wise, they must defeat evil warlord Garmadon, The Worst Guy Ever, who also happens to be Lloyd’s dad. Pitting mech against mech and father against son, the epic showdown will test this fierce but undisciplined team of modern-day ninjas who must learn to check their egos and pull together to unleash their inner power of Spinjitzu.
Analysis: People love LEGO movies. Expect it to do well.
American Made
Release Date: September 29, 2017
In Universal Pictures’ American Made, Tom Cruise reunites with his Edge of Tomorrow director, Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Mr. and Mrs. Smith), in this international escapade based on the outrageous (and real) exploits of a hustler and pilot unexpectedly recruited by the CIA to run one of the biggest covert operations in U.S. history.
Analysis: Zero interest.
Flatliners
Release Date: September 29, 2017
In Flatliners, five medical students, obsessed by the mystery of what lies beyond the confines of life, embark on a daring and dangerous experiment: by stopping their hearts for short periods of time, each triggers a near-death experience – giving them a firsthand account of the afterlife. But as their experiments become increasingly dangerous, they are each haunted by the sins of their pasts, brought on by the paranormal consequences of trespassing to the other side.
Analysis: See above… or my more detailed post on this.
Samson
Release Date: September 29, 2017
Can’t find any details on this yet.
