2. Transformers: Age Of Extinction (Estimated Gross: $1bn)
After previously declaring he was done with the franchise, Michael Bay returns to deliver his fourth installment of robot-based chaos. The three previous movies have combined to gross almost $2.7bn despite poor reviews, and the 'critic-proof' franchise will once again look to cross the billion-dollar threshold. With the strength of the brand, the promise of a new story in the same universe, a bankable lead in Mark Wahlberg and the 3D premium, look for Age of Extinction to at least trouble ten figures. There's no other way to put it; despite obvious shortcomings in the script and character departments, audiences love the Transformers. And if you like seeing alien robots that can turn into vehicles beat the crap out of each other, then these are the movies for you. It also helps that the franchise has an excellent track record at the box office; each year there has been a Transformers movie released, it has been one of the year's five highest-grossing movies both domestically and worldwide. Box office returns have also increased with each release; Transformers made $709.7m, Revenge of the Fallen took $836.3m while Dark of the Moon's $1.12bn make it the sixth highest-grossing movie of all time. Age of Extinction likely won't match that total, but with a new take on the material and a three-year absence from screens a billion seems well within reach, especially with a June 27 release date that makes Dawn of the Planet of the Apes the only real challenge to Transformers' box office dominance through the whole of July.
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