8 Box Office Implications From June 2016 Films

So what have we learned from the recent goings-on at the box office? In a nutshell, sequels and prequels are by no means guaranteed to earn anything like as much as previous instalments. That said, fans will happily shell out for more of the same provided that the right ingredients and execution are in place.

The Captain America movies are a case in point: The First Avenger’s $370 million take is the second-lowest for the MCU behind only The Incredible Hulk; The Winter Soldier, bolstered by excellent reviews and a canny release date, made over $700 million in 2014; and Civil War sailed past a billion this past weekend.

Meanwhile, Alice In Wonderland was a huge hit despite middling reviews. enjoying fortunate timing, opening as it did shortly after James Cameron’s Avatar saw a brief 3D bump. But a long wait between films, the drop-off for 3D in general, and a sense that we’ve seen it all before have all taken their toll, and Through the Looking Glass is suffering as a result. (Johnny Depp’s current tabloid woes can’t help either.)

A more general take-home, perhaps, is that movie audiences shouldn’t be taken for granted, particularly in an age where social media platforms can spread the word on a stinker almost instantly. But by and large, make good films and the people will come, regardless of genre or rating – ‘the Deadpool effect’, as it were.