海角大神

Who knew summer could start in April? Hollywood just helped itself to a chunk of the springtime calendar with the blockbuster 鈥淔ast Five鈥� 鈥� the latest sequel in the cars 鈥檔鈥� stars franchise.

With 鈥淔ast Five鈥� earning a surprise $83 million at the weekend box office, the summer season just expanded by at least a week. That鈥檚 because this Friday鈥檚 鈥�Thor,鈥� directed by Kenneth Branagh, was supposed to be the 鈥渙fficial鈥� debut of summer popcorn flicks.

Of course, this is all industry mumbo jumbo because normal people know that summer doesn鈥檛 start until, well, maybe Memorial Day weekend, right? But the 1996 freaky-weather hit 鈥淭wister鈥� arrived on May 10, and that turned Most of May into summertime real estate, as far as movies are concerned. 鈥淪pider-Man鈥� in 2002 cemented the trend, when it broke the $100 million mark its opening weekend in May.

This Tinseltown tinkering matters because as Hollywood.com box-office expert Paul Dergarabedian points out, 鈥淪ummertime is when studios make about 40 percent of their revenues.鈥� They will do anything they can to expand the attendance and buzz associated with warmer weather and blockbuster movies, he says.

Last weekend鈥檚 manna from moviegoing heaven also helps reverse a downturn in the box office, which last month was off 20 percent compared with a year ago, he points out. And as theater owners fret about the impact of the studios鈥� decision to digitally stream movies directly to consumers after only a 60-day theatrical release window, 鈥渢his is good news for everyone,鈥� says Mr. Dergarabedian.

鈥淭his shows that with the right movie, nothing will keep people from heading out to the theater the minute a movie opens,鈥� says Rob Weiner, visual and performing-arts librarian at Texas Tech University in Lubbock.

鈥淧eople want to go out and see films that have a sense of fun, fast pacing, and are just pure escapism,鈥� he says, adding that the film industry still relies on 鈥渢ried-and-true formulas,鈥� of which 鈥淔ast鈥� is one.鈥� The blockbuster summer may be a tad early this year, but with all the problems people are facing, action films could be just what the public needs.

While the moviegoing experience will undoubtedly change in the digital era, Mr. Weiner applauds anything that supports theater owners.

鈥淕oing to the movies still proves to be a unique experience that you can鈥檛 get from home theaters or streaming on computers,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t is an event unto itself. There is nothing like watching a movie with an audience.鈥�

While 鈥淔ast Five鈥� doesn鈥檛 draw from the Marvel or DC stable of characters, the movie expands what鈥檚 already a surplus of superhero films this summer, points out Brad Ricca, who is working on a book about superheroes for St. Martin鈥檚 Press.

鈥淭he characters aren鈥檛 real,鈥� he says, 鈥渂ut they鈥檙e just as oversized as Thor or Captain America,鈥� he points out.

Many decry the lack of imagination driving the proliferation of sequels. This summer alone marks the return of a number of high-profile franchises, from 鈥�Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides鈥� to 鈥淗arry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,鈥� 鈥�Kung Fu Panda 2,鈥� and 鈥�The Hangover Part II.鈥� But, says Mr. Ricca, successful franchises help secure the financial footing of the studios, making them 鈥渕ore likely to try out smaller, less effects-driven films.鈥�