Hollywood Expects This to Be the Least Profitable Summer in a Decade

If you’ve got franchise fatigue, you’re hardly alone. Recent box-office predictions suggest that this is not to be a summer of beaucoup bucks, with the Los Angeles Times reporting that studios are expecting to make as much as 10% less between May and September than they did last year — a drop from $4.45 billion to $4 billion. The horror!

The glut of remakes, sequels and prequels is pointed to as part of the problem. “Some of the tent poles are just not as strong this year,” says Chris Aronson, head of domestic distribution at 20th Century Fox. “‘Pirates of the Caribbean’? It’s the fifth one. ‘Transformers’? It’s the fifth one.” Next week’s “Alien: Covenant” is another sequel, with “Cars 3,” “The Mummy,” “Despicable Me 3” and more all on the way.

Not that moviegoers are displeased with every sequel: “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” has made more than $500 million worldwide in less than 10 days, while “The Fate of the Furious” (the eighth installment in the automotive franchise) has amassed more than $1 billion. Whether the center continues to hold remains to be seen, but it’s a near-certainty that the fat cats lining their pockets will continue to pump out similar fare for as long as they can.

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