Predicting The 20 Highest Grossing Movies Of 2017
Get ready to eat a lot of popcorn.
After 2016 promised so much and delivered so little (aside from short, sharp punctuations of brilliance), 2017 has a lot to overcome if it wants fans to believe the hype. It's another block-buster heavy year with Hollywood doubling down on major comic book franchises, mega-budgeted sequels and The Rock's career in general, and if the biggest billed titles genuinely do live up to expectations (or at least hopes), then we're in for a hell of a year.
Looking over the list of the biggest likely releases might not be the best tonic for anyone bemoaning the lack of originality in cinema, but 2017 is going to be a golden year for established fandoms. The MCU will grow, Star Wars will return, the DCEU is still launching and no fewer than five billion dollar movies will get sequels. Prepare to eat a lot of popcorn.
But which of the year's blockbusters is likely to win the year? Which will take the most money and which will break that almost mythical billion dollar barrier that is increasingly being considered a normalised level for success amongst the super elite of franchises?
These 20 films will top the box office charts next year...
20. The Dark Tower
Prediction: $550m
The biggest gamble on this list, and the most likely to potentially not come off is the long-anticipated, long-gestating big screen adaptation of Stephen King's fantasy series The Dark Tower.
Why It's Golden
Even with the inevitable trepidation over the preservation of the sanctity of the original, the established fan-base SHOULD see it over the $500m mark fairly comfortably. Stephen King fans are a vociferous lot, after all, and they've been patiently waiting for this one for a decade now.
The cast too are big enough draws to pull in some bank on their own, and even if fantasy is still something of a niche, there's definitely scope for success (especially since Warcraft managed almost $450m).
Will It Be Any Good?
There's got to be hope: Idris Elba is a great pick for a darkly charismatic lead (even if he's toned down a little too much from the source), and Matthew McConaughey as The Man In Black is a great decision. Whether director Nikolaj Arcel is the right man for the job remains to be seen, but he has previous with the excellent Island Of Lost Souls.