Ever since the advent of "Star Wars" in 1977, the concept of the summer blockbuster officially landed in North America. After more than thirty years of development, the North American film market had gradually matured, giving rise to the concepts of the spring season, summer season, fall season, holiday season, and winter season. Among these, the summer season's box office frenzy was undoubtedly the centerpiece of the entire year.
The reason was simple: summer was inherently the most beautiful month of the year. After enduring a long and dreary winter, people couldn't wait to leave indoors, embrace the brilliant sunlight outdoors, shed their heavy and cumbersome winter clothes, and don swimsuits to rush to the beach for surfing, swimming, playing in the water, and sunbathing. They temporarily set aside life's burdens and pressures, freeing themselves to truly enjoy a rare vacation. And for students who had finished their studies, embracing summer break, they threw themselves into every minute, reveling without restraint.
Every year, summer was a time for pure enjoyment.
Thanks to the advantages of weather and holidays, the summer season undoubtedly became a critical time for major businesses. Every July, the discount season was filled with crowds, and similarly, the North American film market was no different. Now, the summer box office could account for fifty to sixty percent of the entire year's box office, making the summer season a battleground where every film company had to put forth its best effort.
The summer season officially began in the second week of May and lasted until the first week of September. In the United States, the second Friday in May was Arbor Day, and the first Monday in September was Labor Day. So, strictly speaking, the start of the summer season was marked by Arbor Day and ended with Labor Day.
During this period, almost every week featured top-tier commercial blockbusters with budgets exceeding $100M. Sometimes, even a single weekend could offer three to four highly anticipated films. The competition was fierce, to say the least. Describing it as a battle where each film fought for its life was not an exaggeration; it was an all-out war!
Hence, how to choose a release date, avoid major competitors, select direct competitors, and identify indirect competitors were all complex considerations. The power struggles among major film companies were fierce, with sparks flying at every turn. This year's summer season was a perfect illustration of this.
In the past few years, comic book adaptations like "Spider-Man", "Batman Begins", "X-Men", and "Iron Man" had achieved tremendous success. Even though there were failures like "Catwoman", "Watchmen", "Constantine", and "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" during the same period, it couldn't deter major film companies from banking on comic book adaptations.
Not to mention that last year, Disney acquired Marvel and was set to build the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. The profound impact this would have on the entire film market remained uncertain. Just focusing on this year's summer season, there were a total of four comic book adaptations that had garnered attention throughout the North American market.
These four productions were Paramount's "Thor" and "Captain America", Warner Bros.' "Green Lantern", and 20th Century Fox's "X-Men: First Class". In addition to these, Paramount and DreamWorks' collaborative project "Transformers: Dark of the Moon", to some extent, belonged to the same genre, even though it wasn't a superhero comic adaptation.
Between these five productions, there would undoubtedly be an intense battle. They all fell under the same genre, theme, and even style. The film market had its limits, and everyone was vying for a slice of the same pie. If some films did exceptionally well, others would naturally fare worse. Therefore, the scheduling of release dates became even more critical:
Who would premiere first? Was the first screening the winning move? What if a film failed both critically and at the box office? Would it affect subsequent releases? While May marked the beginning of the summer season, the true peak of the summer box office was in June and July. So, who could dominate this prime period? August, on the other hand, was a relatively low-profile period. Releasing a film then, would it suffer from a lack of market enthusiasm? May might be the kickoff month, but as the pioneer, it was unknown how well the market would recover after the spring season. Could it potentially be a trap?
Moreover, the most crucial point was that this year's summer season wasn't just limited to these five major productions. "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides", "Super 8", "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2", "Rise of the Planet of the Apes", "Cars 2", "The Hangover Part II", "Kung Fu Panda 2", and other films were all lurking, ready to pounce. Several of these films were considered strong contenders for the year-end box office crown. Even "Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol", originally slated for a summer release, had been pushed back to a Christmas release after careful consideration.
That was the nature of the summer season. No film was safe. Anyone could become a dark horse, and anyone could be cannon fodder. The slightest lapse in judgment could result in the $200M investment going down the drain. Even top players like Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures were not exempt.
It was precisely against this backdrop that the showdown between "Thor" and "Fast 5" was about to unfold. How could people resist?
While it was true that every summer season got people excited and wanting to scream in delight, this year was especially intense! Four comic book adaptations featuring superhero movies, the reboot of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series, the conclusion of the "Harry Potter" series, and the "Transformers" series were all present. There was excitement every week, and every week had its major releases.
For the audience, this was a boon. But for film companies, it was a disaster because the competition was fiercer than ever.
The scheduling of comic book adaptations, in particular, faced a multitude of challenges. On the one hand, they needed to avoid direct competition with similar films, steering clear of the predicament where superhero movies consecutively occupied the screens for two weeks, which could easily result in both films suffering. On the other hand, they had to consider other blockbuster films, such as "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides", which was the opponent everyone dreaded. With a budget of $250M, it was undoubtedly the top contender for the year-end championship.
The scheduling battle among major film companies had already begun long before the summer season kicked off in earnest.
In this regard, "Green Lantern" was undoubtedly the most confident. The original comic book was one of DC's most popular characters, rivaling even Superman and Batman in popularity. Warner Bros. had invested a staggering $200M in the film, making it one of the highest-budget productions of the summer. They had secured Martin Campbell, the director who had twice revived the "007" series, to helm the project. Additionally, Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, two popular actors, were cast as the leads. It could be said that this film left no room for failure.
The one with the least confidence was "X-Men: First Class". Five years ago, "X-Men: The Last Stand" had arrived with great force but suffered a comprehensive defeat in both box office and critical acclaim. This setback had pushed producer-director Brett Ratner to take a backseat, and for a while, nobody was willing to let him helm a project. More often than not, he played the role of the "bad boss" overseeing the big picture.
This time, 20th Century Fox had overturned the entire storyline, opting for a complete reboot. They enlisted a slew of relatively unknown fresh faces and pinned their hopes on Matthew Vaughn, who had amazed countless moviegoers with "Kick-Ass" last year, to work his magic.
At the center of everyone's attention for this summer's blockbuster season, Paramount Pictures was riding high. With "Thor", "Captain America", "Transformers: Dark of the Moon", "Super 8", and "Kung Fu Panda 2", all five films were strong contenders. In a head-to-head battle with Warner Bros., who had "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2", "The Hangover Part II", and "Green Lantern", it was a fierce competition. How these two companies scheduled their releases was of utmost importance.
You could glimpse the strategies of each company through their release dates. Warner Bros. had scheduled "Green Lantern" for the third week of June, "Harry Potter" was set for the third week of July, while Paramount had "Transformers" in the first week of July, "Captain America" in the fourth week of July, and "Thor" in the second week of May.
Clearly, "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" was Paramount's ace for the summer, poised to be one of the top contenders for the year-end box office crown. As for the two comic book adaptations, one was set for a direct showdown with "Harry Potter", while the other would open the summer season, followed by a clash with the behemoth "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides". Their box office performance would ultimately be determined by the market.
After the heated release scheduling for the summer season had been announced, the most prominent duel was undoubtedly the back-to-back releases of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" and "Captain America". It was without a doubt the heavyweight showdown of this year's summer season.
In most people's eyes, "Harry Potter" held a clear advantage. It was the ultimate box office bomb that could rival "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides". But what kind of box office performance could "Captain America" deliver? That was also worth anticipating.
Apart from these two, other highly anticipated blockbusters had mostly managed to avoid direct confrontation, with at least one week of buffer between their releases and those of their immediate competitors. However, now, the second major showdown of this year's summer season had arrived, pitting the vanguard of comic book adaptation superhero films against a dark horse that had confidently stepped onto the commercial film stage after breaking free from its B-movie series.
The collision between these two films was met with various opinions: some believed it was an even match, some saw a significant gap in power, and others argued that they were simply incomparable due to their different genres. Nevertheless, the outcome of their battle had already entered the public's field of vision, preheating this year's summer season early on.
Furthermore, hidden behind these two films was the head-to-head encounter between two popular actors, Renly and Natalie. This was the real highlight—an artistic duel between two actors known for their skills through a commercial film? It was truly exhilarating. Of course, the duel between two former roommates, whether it would be a contest of friendship or enmity, added suspense and gossip to fuel the audience's enthusiasm.
As Vanity Fair article emerged, as the rumors of the duel escalated, as media hype continued to heat up, and as the focus continued to ferment and change, people finally realized that summer was upon them!
However, in the eyes of professionals, it was a different scene altogether.