By Chris Kavan - 06/16/16 at 06:47 AM CT
There hasn't really been a true "blockbuster" yet this summer. Despite some big movies making it to the top of the box office: X-Men: Apocalypse, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows and The Conjuring 2 - not one of those really made the kind of impact that is going to be talked about. Plus you have major missteps from the likes of Alice Through the Looking Glass and Warcraft. But all that is about to chance as this weekend an animated sequel to a beloved Pixar film should make some major waves and we should be looking at, finally, a true blockbuster. If you aren't in the family animated move, don't worry, Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson are here to itch your funny bone. All in all, we should be looking at a much better weekend than we have seen in awhile.
FINDING DORY For years now, Pixar has been king of the animated hill. Pretty much every film they release (with very few exceptions) has been gold, racking up hundreds of millions (and the occasional billion) across the globe. This year, Disney has already seen on animated film break the $1 billion mark (Zootopia) and I think it's a pretty good bet to say that Finding Dory is going to be their second. It's a sequel to the very well-received 2003 film, Finding Nemo. This time around the story focuses on the forgetful Tang fish Dory (voiced once again by Ellen DeGeneres) as she begins to get a few clues to her life back. This leads Dory, Marlin (Albert Brooks) and Nemo (Hayden Rolence) to the Monterrey Marine Life Institute where they meet a whole bunch of new friends - including those voiced by the likes of Ed O'Neill, Diane Keaton, Eugene Levy and Idris Elba. But more important, she discovers her parents. Could this lead to the biggest animated opening of all time? It's tough to say how big this will open, but is should be a monster. I admit, Finding Nemo is far from my favorite Pixar film, but for most people, this is high on the list and seeing the characters back again is like welcoming back an old friend. Certainly many Pixar films deserve sequels (still waiting on The Incredibles 2 and Wreck-It Ralph 2 you guys) and I would watch this over Cars 2 any day. We'll see how high this goes, but I'm expecting the weekend to be dominated by this sequel.
The film with the greatest tag line of the year: "Saving the world takes a little Hart and a big Johnson" - Central Intelligence unites comedian Kevin Hart with action icon Dwayne Johnson on a comedy crime caper. It seems Johnson was a bit of a bullied, overweight student in high school and Hart was one of the few people to try to help him. Years later, Johnson drops the weight, adds a lot of muscle and, oh year, joins the CIA. Hart, on the other hand, becomes a regular accountant. After a short reunion, the two find themselves caught up in a conspiracy where violence and hilarity ensue. The trailers make this look pretty funny - granted, who knows if they just took out all the best parts and the rest of the film is crap, but based on their past performances, this should do decent business, even in the face of Finding Dory. I don't think it will be the highest-grossing film for either actor, but it should do well enough that it could even spawn its own sequel some day.
As I said, the weekend should be dominated by Finding Dory - we'll see if it takes the crown for the best opening of 2016 or the best animated opening of all time. I'll be back Sunday when the numbers come in.
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