海角大神

The summer movie season is here and with it comes films that are labeled with Hollywood鈥檚 various terms for a continuation of a story 鈥� sequels, reboots, remakes.

Some of the most high-profile of this fare includes 鈥淐aptain America: Civil War,鈥� a new 鈥淕hostbusters鈥� film, an 鈥淚ndependence Day鈥� sequel, and a new 鈥淭eenage Mutant Ninja Turtles鈥� movie.聽

But also on the scene are some films that are coming out in wide release and are based on original ideas. Unlike independent movies, which come out in limited release and are often based on original stories, these films come from new ideas but head to the multiplex to stand alongside such properties like the BFG as Tarzan.聽

Some of these movies include 鈥淧opstar: Never Stop Never Stopping,鈥� a comedy film starring Andy Samberg, which is now in theaters and the longevity of which at the box office remains to be seen; 鈥淐entral Intelligence,鈥� another comedy which stars Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson and which will be released on June 17; and 鈥淭he Shallows,鈥� a movie about a woman trying to escape a shark which stars Blake Lively.聽It will be released June 29.

Can movies that don鈥檛 come as part of a recognizable franchise or ongoing story find audiences during the high-pressure summer film season?聽

Thomas Schatz, author and media professor at The University of Texas at Austin, says it鈥檚 a difficult environment. It can be done, however. One sequel that is arriving this summer is 鈥淣ow You See Me 2,鈥� which stars Mark Ruffalo, Lizzy Caplan, Jesse Eisenberg, and Daniel Radcliffe and is a continuation of the story first told in the original 2013 movie. The first movie, which came out in May of that year as part of the blockbuster season, was based on an original story, yet attracted enough moviegoers to become a hit.聽

鈥淟et's hope there's at least one quirky breakout movie [like that] in any capacity [this summer],鈥� Professor Schatz says of 鈥淣ow.鈥� He notes that the horror movie 鈥淭he Conjuring,鈥� which came out the same summer as "Now" and was based only on the life story of its protagonists, also became a hit. 鈥淐onjuring鈥� was then followed by a spin-off film, 2014鈥檚 鈥淎nnabelle,鈥� and 鈥淭he Conjuring 2鈥� arrives this summer.

鈥淭hat first 鈥楥onjuring鈥� movie was surprisingly successful and good,鈥� he says. 鈥淎nd now it's just another franchise.鈥�

Animation studio Pixar has become renowned for its output, with their films usually succeeding both at the box office and with critics. The studio has now added more sequels to its slate than it did in the past, however. While last summer saw Pixar release the original story 鈥淚nside Out,鈥� this summer will see the release of the 鈥淔inding Nemo鈥� sequel 鈥淔inding Dory.鈥�

鈥淟et's just say it's not surprising that 鈥� Pixar 鈥� ha[s] come around to the summer franchise mentality along with everybody else,鈥� Schatz says. 鈥淭here's simply no getting around it.鈥�

Is summer the best time to try to release a big film that doesn鈥檛 come with some kind of recognition attached for potential moviegoers?聽

Now any time of the year can be blockbuster time, says Schatz. 鈥淲hat used to be these dead zones between blockbuster seasons have pretty well gone away,鈥� he says. Disney鈥檚 live-action take on 鈥淭he Jungle Book鈥� became a big hit after being released this past April, while the first 鈥淗unger Games鈥� film kicked off a franchise after succeeding at the box office in March. These used to be quieter months in the blockbuster movie industry.聽

鈥淚 no longer think there are as many weeks where you can sneak a film in,鈥� Schatz says. That comparatively quieter time of year, however, could be the key for these films. 鈥淎t the same time, you know, clearly, the deck is not stacked so heavily in those offseasons as it is in the summer,鈥� he says.