There are no two bigger months at theaters. While the Summer may provide box office swing, both box office and Oscars dominate the final two months of the year with November likely the biggest of them all. This year, a number of top notch films will compete for audience dollars and critics’ appreciation going into the final weeks of pre-Oscar wrangling. This November features one of the most impressive line-ups Oscar has seen in some time, with many of them strong contenders for one or multiple nominations.

June 7, 2013

The Internship

Premise: From IMDb: “Two salesmen whose careers have been torpedoed by the digital age find their way into a coveted internship at Google, where they must compete with a group of young, tech-savvy geniuses for a shot at employment.”
Box Office Prospects: $45 M
Expectations: Weak. Two actors who haven’t collectively or independently sold a movie to audiences with much success band together for a movie that almost feels 5 years out of date. And facing stiff competition from Memorial Day holdovers After Earth and Now You See Me, I can see the film easily getting lost in the shuffle.
Oscar Prospects: None.

The Purge

Premise: From IMDb: “If on one night every year, you could commit any crime without facing consequences, what would you do? Over the course of a single night, a family will be tested to see how far they will go to protect themselves when the vicious outside world breaks into their home.”
Box Office Prospects: $50 M
Expectations: Unknown. The novelty of the concept should help bolster its first-week opening, possibly even topping fellow June 7 releasing The Internship. And with no viable horror options for the last several weeks, there me be ample opportunity.
Oscar Prospects: None.

June 14, 2013

Man of Steel

Premise: From IMDb: “A young journalist is forced to confront his secret extraterrestrial heritage when Earth is invaded by members of his race.”
Box Office Prospects: $250 M
Expectations: Strong. The first in what Warner Bros. hopes will be the beginnings of the next big Marvel-like superhero team-up The Justice League, early reviews have been positive, but after the abysmal Superman Returns, that won’t be difficult. Whether Zack Snyder can direct a good movie or not will finally be tested when not directing within his design niche. Of course, the maligned Superman Returns still made over $200 million at the box office, so a strong performance is expected.
Oscar Prospects: As with most Summer blockbusters, the film is likely only going to compete in the sound and visual effects categories with others depending on how much the film appeals to critics and Academy members.

This Is the End

Premise: From IMDb: “While attending a party at James Franco’s house, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel and many other celebrities are faced with the apocalypse.”
Box Office Prospects: $40 M
Expectations: Weak. Whether the concept works or not, there’s little doubt that the James Franco comedy will get lost in the Summer season and fail to live up to anyone’s expectations.
Oscar Prospects: None.

The Bling Ring

Premise: From IMDb: “Inspired by actual events, a group of fame-obsessed teenagers use the internet to track celebrities’ whereabouts in order to rob their homes.”
Box Office Prospects: $3 M
Expectations: Weak. You can put recognizable faces in an indie film, but you cannot make it a success. With Sofia Coppola struggling to remain relevant after a string of flops, the film will have to be a lot better than its disappointing trailer to outperform her last film.
Oscar Prospects: After Lost in Translation, everyone though Coppola might follow in her father’s footsteps. It appears she has done so, but she’s following her father’s late-career trajectory, not his 1970’s work.

June 21, 2013

Monsters University

Premise: From IMDb: “A look at the relationship between Mike and Sulley during their days at Monsters University — when they weren’t necessarily the best of friends.”
Box Office Prospects: $300 M
Expectations: Strong. Expect big things in the first sequel from Pixar since the phenomenal box office performance of Toy Story 3. If it’s half as good as that film and better than Monsters, Inc., it will do quite well.
Oscar Prospects: A Best Animated Feature nomination is guaranteed. An Oscar depends on what else it competes against, which might not be much. And if Brave can triumph over the superior Wreck-It Ralph, University can easily do the same. Nominations in Original Score, Original Song and the sound categories are also possible and a few of them likely.

World War Z

Premise: From IMDb: “United Nations employee Gerry Lane traverses the world in a race against time to stop the Zombie pandemic that is toppling armies and governments, and threatening to decimate humanity itself.”
Box Office Prospects: $75 M
Expectations: Unknown. The trailers seem to have sparked equal amounts of praise and derision and the “fast zombie” film has never really caught on with wide audiences. However, with the Earth’s destruction and Brad Pitt in the lead, it could be a hit. I’m going to suggest that with all of the other blockbusters in release or releasing, it will end up doing good, but not sensational business.
Oscar Prospects: It’s very unlikely to be much of an Oscar contender even in the effects-friendly sound and visual effects categories. Best Visual Effects is probably its best shot and with all that is coming out this year, I doubt it will get a nomination.

June 28, 2013

The Heat

Premise: From IMDb: “Uptight FBI special agent Sarah Ashburn is paired with testy Boston cop Shannon Mullins in order to take down a ruthless drug lord. The hitch: neither woman has ever had a partner — or a friend for that matter.”
Box Office Prospects: $150 M
Expectations: Above Average. I’d like to say this will be a runaway hit, but Melissa McCarthy’s last film wasn’t terribly great and it’s been a long time since Sandra Bullock was in a comedy, but from the director of Bridesmaids, pairing these two comedy powerhouses could result in some smashing business.
Oscar Prospects: None.

White House Down

Premise: From IMDb: “While on a tour of the White House with his young daughter, a Capitol policeman springs into action to save his child and protect the president from a heavily armed group of paramilitary invaders.”
Box Office Prospects: $150 M
Expectations: Solid. Apart from an uncharacteristicly bad performance for his special effects spectacular 10,000 BC director Roland Emmerich consistently generates $100 million-plus features, most of which manage to zoom past $150 million easily. With the trailer playing up the explosive elements and featuring newly minted box office star Channing Tatum and popular actor Jamie Foxx as the POTUS, I see little reason not to believe the film will do very well.
Oscar Prospects: Although 2012 boasted some of the year’s best visual effects, the film was ultimately left off the Best Visual Effects list. That doesn’t mean White House Down will miss that or the sound categories, but with the increased competition, the film would have to be touted as the year’s best, not “one of the.”

Byzantium

Premise: From IMDb: “Residents of a coastal town learn, with deathly consequences, the secret shared by the two mysterious women who have sought shelter at a local resort.”
Box Office Prospects: $6 M
Expectations: Unknown. The premise doesn’t seem like the type that would do boffo box office business, but strong word of mouth from critics and audiences could help the film do better than expected.
Oscar Prospects: Although there has been light chatter about the film since it was announced, nothing seems to stand out as Oscar caliber about the film from the little there is to read. Strong word from critics could help.

I’m So Excited

Premise: From IMDb: “When it appears as though the end is in sight, the pilots, flight crew, and passengers of a plane heading to Mexico City look to forget the anguish of the moment and face the greatest danger, which we carry within ourselves.”
Box Office Prospects: $7 M
Expectations: Solid. Pedro Almodovar has a strong following, but not one that has tremendous cross-over appeal. Still, for a foreign language film director, Almodovar’s films consistently perform on the high end of indie expectations.
Oscar Prospects: The film hasn’t been getting rave notices so far and while Almodovar is beloved in his home country, this film just doesn’t sound like Oscar material.