Boxoffice Pro - February 2020

ecoming the studio’s second-biggest hit
of the year behind another Tom Cruise
sequel, Top Gun: Maverick.
No Time to Die
United Artists | April 10
Daniel Craig’s (likely) last outing as
James Bond comes during the franchise’s
biggest transition in years, as
United Artists takes over domestic
theatrical distribution from Sony. (Universal
will be taking over international
distribution). Danny Boyle was originally
tapped to direct the 25th installment
in the Bond franchise before being
replaced by Beasts of No Nation director
Cary Joji Fukunaga last year. A lot is
riding on this installment to perform
well at the box office, and early tracking
suggests it will certainly not disappoint.
Black Widow
Disney | May 1
Ten years after making her feature-film
debut in Iron Man 2, Scarlett Johansson’s
superhero super-spy Black Widow
gets her own solo film. You may have
heard that Marvel’s films make a ton of
money, and fans have been waiting on
this particular film for a while. Joining
Johansson are “Stranger Things” star
David Harbour, up-and-coming “It girl”
Florence Pugh (Little Women), and Oscar
winner Rachel Weisz. Black Widow
hits theaters the first weekend in May,
which has proven to be a lucrative release
window for eight previous Marvel
films, among them the first Avengers.
Fast & Furious 9
Universal | May 22
Universal’s surprisingly enduring franchise
returns for its ninth chapter, not
counting last year’s spin-off, Hobbs &
Shaw. While we don’t expect this entry
to hit the same peaks at the domestic
box office as earlier episodes, it should
still be a solid earner for Universal—
particularly overseas. An increased presence
of immersive-seating theaters in the
United States might also give this title
an extra boost in premium ticket sales.
Wonder Woman 1984
Warner Bros. | June 5
Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins
and stars Gal Gadot and Chris Pine
reunite for Wonder Woman 1984.
Despite an opening weekend gross
($103.2 million) that put it solidly
in the middle of the DC Extended
Universe pack, Wonder Woman’s strong
hold eventually made it the highestgrossing
DCEU film to date and the
third-highest-grossing film of 2017,
with $412.5 million. Hopes for 1984,
then, are high, especially considering
how early glimpses of the film have been
burning it up on social media.
Soul
Disney | June 19
Pixar’s second original film of the year
is this musically inspired release set, at
least partially, in New York City’s jazz
scene. Jamie Foxx voices the animated
lead, and Tina Fey, Questlove, Phylicia
Rashad, and Daveed Diggs co-star. Curiously,
the film’s original score will be
composed by Nine Inch Nails members
(and celebrated film composers) Trent
Reznor and Atticus Ross.
Top Gun: Maverick
Paramount | June 26
Paramount is bringing back another
iconic ’80s film for a new chapter with
Top Gun: Maverick. Although we’ve
seen I.P. struggles at other studios (Fox’s
Independence Day: Resurgence, Sony’s
Charlie’s Angels, Paramount’s Terminator:
Dark Fate), we’re expecting the
long-awaited Top Gun sequel to deliver
at the box office to a new generation of
fans. If successful, Tom Cruise’s run of
hits with Paramount’s Mission: Impossible
franchise might have company
heading into the new decade.
Minions: The Rise of Gru
Universal | July 3
Animation stalwart Illumination returns
to the big screen in 2020 with Minions:
The Rise of Gru, the latest entry in their
billion-dollar Despicable Me franchise. The
last two Illumination films, Dr. Seuss’ The
Grinch (2018) and The Secret Life of Pets 2
(2019) earned domestic totals of $270.6
million and $158.2 million, respectively.
Minions, of which Rise of Gru is a direct
sequel, earned $336 million domestically
and a mind-boggling $823.3 million
internationally, making it the fifth-highest
worldwide grosser of 2015.
Tenet
Warner Bros. | July 17
Director Christopher Nolan reteams
with regular collaborator Warner Bros.
for Tenet, starring BlacKkKlansman’s
John David Washington. As is typical
with Nolan films, details on Tenet are
scarce in the months leading up to
release. From the trailer, there appear
to be time travel and espionage components.
The film comes out mid-July,
which in the past has served as a lucrative
date for Nolan films. His Batman
trilogy hit theaters then, as did 2010’s
Inception (domestic total $292.5 million)
and 2017’s Dunkirk (domestic total $190
million), both of which, like Tenet, are
original stories that appear to be skewed
toward a more adult audience.
76 / FEBRUARY 2020