Blockbuster Bets: 5 Fall Movies That Could Hit Big
by EG
Directed by Ridley Scott, starring Matt Damon and based on a popular novel by Andy Weir, this one seems to have quite a few ingredients in the recipe for a big success. Damon plays an astronaut who is stranded on Mars and must use his wits to survive. The huge success of Gravity in 2013 proved that audiences have a taste for realistic-ish astronaut-in-peril movies, and neither Damon nor Scott is a stranger to break-out hits. The Martian hits theatres on October 2.
The Hunger Games: Mocking Jay - Part 2
The first part of the adaptation of the final book in the Hunger Games trilogy took in far less money than the first two films in the franchise, but that's not to say it wasn't a big hit. Even if there's some Hunger Games fatigue going on, there's no chance that this final installment in the franchise is going to disappoint at the box office. Mocking Jay Part 2 debuts on November 2.
Pan
Movies based on Peter Pan have been hit-or-miss propositions over the years, but this one has a few things going for it - principally Hugh Jackman, who draws big audiences fairly consistently. Jackman plays the pirate Blackbeard in this prequel-of-sorts in which we learn how and why Peter Pan and Captain Hook dislike each other so much. Pan premieres on October 9.
This one may be a long shot to hit it big, but it has the potential to break out. Based on the true story of a mountain-climbing disaster in 1996 that claimed the lives of eight climbers, this dramatization stars Jake Gyllenhall, Jason Clark, Robin Wright and Keira Knightley. It debuts on September 18, and it faces competition from a young-adult actioner and a crime drama featuring Jonny Depp in makeup that renders him unrecognizable - so its prospects are good.
The second Pixar film of the year - the first one was Inside Out - this one is sure to be successful, even if it somehow turns out to be disappointing by Pixar standards. It's about a lovable, lost dinosaur who must find his way home with the help of a feisty little caveboy. Debuting on November 25, The Good Dinosaur will be the last chance for audiences to see a new Pixar movie until next summer, when the Finding Nemo sequel Finding Dory comes to theatres.