Pass the popcorn, the summer movie season is here and all the spectacle and air-conditioned respite it offers audiences. Summer at the movies has long been synonymous with blockbusters and franchises that are easy to spend a few hours with. For the most part, 2019 is no different.
You want superheroes? You鈥檝e got 鈥淪pider-Man: Far From Home鈥� and 鈥淒ark Phoenix鈥� on the horizon. Or sequels? There鈥檚 鈥淭oy Story 4,鈥� 鈥淛ohn Wick: Chapter 3 鈥� Parabellum,鈥� 鈥滸odzilla: King of the Monsters,鈥� 鈥漈he Secret Life of Pets 2,鈥� and even a 鈥淔ast & Furious鈥� spin-off, 鈥淗obbs & Shaw.鈥� How about a reboot with a casting twist? Look no further than the 鈥淒irty Rotten Scoundrels鈥� update 鈥淭he Hustle,鈥� with Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson, or 鈥淢en In Black: International,鈥� with Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth. Biopics? 鈥淩ocketman鈥� is coming and 鈥淏rian Banks鈥� too. A literary adaptation? There鈥檚 鈥淭he Sun Is Also a Star鈥� and 鈥淲here鈥檇 You Go Bernadette?鈥� Or a remake of an animated classic? Disney has you covered with two: 鈥淎laddin鈥� and 鈥淭he Lion King.鈥�
But there is also a world of original films that will add fresh stories, unique perspectives, depth and diversity to the mix. And they鈥檙e not all indies either. Some studios are making big gestures, with original horrors, comedies and major releases from auteurs: Quentin Tarantino has his 1969 Manson-era Los Angeles film 鈥淥nce Upon a Time in Hollywood,鈥� which Sony will release; and Danny Boyle has 鈥淵esterday,鈥� coming from Universal.
鈥淵esterday,鈥� while a fresh conceit, does have a big recognizable selling point: It鈥檚 about the music of The Beatles and what happens when everyone in the world forgets that they ever existed 鈥� except one struggling musician.
Boyle laughed that the songs are 鈥渂oth the enabler and the destroyer. Because if you get them wrong, it鈥檚 terrible, there鈥檚 nothing worse. If you get them right, it gives you an advantage.鈥�
He even made the bold choice to cast a relatively unknown actor in the lead role.
鈥淎ny studio is going to prefer one of the leading men if you can get it,鈥� Boyle said. 鈥淏ut there鈥檚 a natural inhibitor here: They鈥檝e got to be able to play Beatles songs.鈥�
The one who stood out in a sea of 鈥淵esterday鈥� auditions was Himesh Patel, who Boyle said made them sound new.
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鈥淚t鈥檚 not cheap making a Beatles movie. The Beatles songs cost money. But (the studio) saw the audition and they bought into him,鈥� Boyle said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a lovely discovery. He has a modern sense of humour.鈥�
It鈥檚 not the only big original movie coming out this summer featuring a South Asian lead, either. There鈥檚 the Bruce Springsteen-soundtracked film 鈥淏linded by the Light,鈥� from 鈥淏end It Like Beckham鈥� director Gurinder Chadha , the Uber driver who gets in over his head comedy 鈥淪tuber,鈥� with Kumail Nanjiani, and Mindy Kaling鈥檚 鈥淟ate Night,鈥� in which she plays a diversity hire on a late night talk show writing staff.
There鈥檚 also diversity in the independent realm with two notable and highly personal visions manifested in Lulu Wang鈥檚 鈥淭he Farewell,鈥� with Awkwafina, and 鈥淭he Last Black Man in San Francisco,鈥� both A24 releases.
Wang鈥檚 semi-autobiographical film about a Chinese-American family who decides to keep their Chinese grandmother鈥檚 terminal illness from her, was a breakout at the Sundance Film Festival.
鈥淭o have an entire film of Asian faces and then have it predominantly be not English language, but to still have it be American financed and distributed and marketed as a US production is not the usual,鈥� Wang said.
鈥淭he Last Black Man in San Francisco鈥� is another exciting discovery from newcomer Jimmie Fails who wrote and stars in this story about gentrification and loving a home that鈥檚 no longer yours.
鈥淚 love that company,鈥� Fails said of A24. 鈥淭hey give young, new voices a platform.鈥�
Another outfit taking gambles on new stories is Annapurna, which backed Olivia Wilde鈥檚 directorial debut 鈥淏ooksmart,鈥� a sure-to-be breakout about two high school overachievers and devoted good girls who decide to go to a party one night.
Focus Features is releasing Jim Jarmusch鈥檚 star-studded zombie-comedy, 鈥淭he Dead Don鈥檛 Die,鈥� with Bill Murray and Adam Driver, and Neon has 鈥淲ild Rose,鈥� about an Irish mother of two youngsters, recently released from prison, who dreams of being a country music star.
Some found luck with Netflix, like Amy Poehler with 鈥淲ine Country,鈥� which is based on a real trip she took with Maya Rudolph, Tina Fey, Rachel Dratch and others. In the film, the group of friends gets together in Napa to celebrate a 50th birthday.
鈥淭here are just not enough representations of long female relationships,鈥� Poehler said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e obsessed with the beginnings and endings of things and there鈥檚 so much to tell in the middle.鈥�
The film will be getting a limited theatrical run, too, but she likes that audiences will have the option to watch it with wine and then just roll into bed if they want.
鈥淭he summer can be a land of opportunity for films that offer an antidote to the overwhelming onslaught of blockbusters that are the stock in trade of the industry鈥檚 biggest season,鈥� said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore.
Of course it鈥檚 usually the franchises that earn the most. Last summer the top five films were all sequels and accounted for over 40 per cent of the overall summer box office. The last time a non-animated original topped the summer box office was in 1998 with 鈥淪aving Private Ryan.鈥� And this year needs all the help it can get, even with the 鈥淎vengers: Endgame鈥� boost, the year is still down 13.3% .
But the originals have a chance to provide upside. There鈥檚 rarely the kind of grassroots-level buzz as when something truly fresh comes along.
鈥淟ast summer was a great example of how original and fresh concepts were big drivers during the summer months with 鈥楾he Meg,鈥� 鈥楥razy Rich Asians,鈥� 鈥楤ook Club,鈥� 鈥楾ag鈥� as well as the documentary 鈥榃on鈥檛 You Be My Neighbour?鈥� all performing better than expected at the box office,鈥� noted Dergarabedian.
And it鈥檚 something that creators and studios are fighting to preserve.
鈥淧eople like original content and are excited when there are good original movies. I think they also like big franchises but I think there鈥檚 room for both,鈥� said Seth Rogen, who produced two original films this summer with 鈥淟ong Shot鈥� and the sixth graders go wild film 鈥淕ood Boys.鈥� 鈥漇tudios have an appetite for both.鈥�
Plus, Boyle hopes that even with all the possibilities on television and streaming that there鈥檚 still specialness to going to the theatres to see something new.
鈥淭elevision is endless time, in a way,鈥� Boyle said. 鈥淏ut movies, you go and you give two hours of your time to one thing, and you鈥檙e not going to be distracted. You sit there and you go, take me somewhere and transform me. It鈥檚 wonderful to be able to do that. The spotlight is so much more precious.鈥�
鈥� AP Entertainment Reporter Ryan Pearson contributed from Las Vegas.
Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press
