Summer Movie Guide 2010: Eight Burning Questions

By Thomas Leupp , Hollywood.com Staff | Friday, May 07, 2010

The 2010 Summer Movie Season: Eight Burning Questions

Hollywood's annual Summer Movie Season begins this week in suitably grandiose fashion, as Iron Man 2, the year’s most anticipated action film, debuts on the largest number of screens in movie history. And while Jon Favreau’s $180 million superhero sequel is all but guaranteed to break box-office records, it represents one of the few sure things in a season plagued by uncertainty.

Here are some of the biggest questions we’ll be looking to answer as the summer movie season unfolds:

Is 3D already played out?

When handed a golden goose, the instinct of the typical Hollywood studio exec is to not only kill the precious creature, but to repeatedly gang-rape its lifeless corpse. Consumer backlash over the recent spate of overpriced ersatz-3D offerings has led some to wonder if the enhanced format is already endangered. But How to Train Your Dragon's lengthy reign near the top of the box-office rankings proves that folks still dig 3D, so long as it's the real deal. It also helps if the movie doesn't suck. Look for this summer's animated releases, Shrek Forever After, Toy Story 3, and Despicable Me, to keep the 3D flame alight.

Is Jake Gyllenhaal a viable action star?

The Spider-Man and Batman franchise honchos certainly didn’t think so -- Gyllenhaal was famously passed over for roles in both of those high-profile comic book sagas. If anyone can give the Brokeback Mountain star an action-hero makeover, it’s Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who pulled off a similar feat in 1996 when he cast an oddball indie star, Nicolas Cage, as the lead in The Rock.

Is the comic book era ebbing?

Life is still good for Iron Man, Wolverine, Batman, and the rest of the A-list residents of the comic book universe, but their less prominent counterparts haven't fared nearly so well of late. Recent fanboy-approved adaptations of Kick-Ass and The Losers underwhelmed at the box office, and January's Legion, though branded a success, didn't earn nearly enough to warrant the "franchise" label. And 2009's Watchmen ranks among the most spectacular disappointments in recent memory. Can summer releases Jonah Hex and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World buck the discouraging trend? If not, the days of studios snapping up the rights to any publication with a picture and a word balloon may be over.

Does Tom Cruise still matter?

The memories of his scientology-fueled public image meltdown having sufficiently receded from the collective consciousness, Cruise hopes to reclaim his lost megastar status this summer with the action thriller Knight and Day. But buzz on the film, which reunites him with Vanilla Sky co-star Cameron Diaz (because who could forget that magical pairing?), is indifferent at best, and -- forgive me for being glib -- Cruise’s last starring vehicle, 2008’s WWII thriller Valkyrie, didn’t exactly blitzkrieg the box-office. If Knight and Day doesn’t perform, the budget -- and by extension, the fate -- of Mission: Impossible IV could hang in the balance.

Will Eclipse eclipse New Moon?

No one’s ever gone broke betting on the voraciousness of Twilight fans, but New Moon’s worldwide box-office tally of $710 million is a awfully daunting mark to overcome. Eclipse’s bottom line will no doubt get a boost from higher ticket prices for 3D showings, but its foreign gross -- responsible for over half of New Moon's earnings -- could be hampered somewhat by the film's June 30 global release date, smack-dab in the middle of the 2010 World Cup. Tweens may not care about the competition, but their soccer-obsessed parents almost certainly will.

Is Shrek really finished?

Oh, if only that were true. Shrek Forever After may be billed as the last theatrical installment of Dreamworks' blockbuster animated franchise -- and even that claim sounds dubious -- but the profitable green ogre and his bankable circle of friends will undoubtedly live on in various spin-offs and straight-to-video toss-offs. I mean, what else is Mike Myers going to do, resurrect Austin Powers for another tired cash-grab? Oh wait, he just might. F**k me.

Where are the chick flicks?

Each summer, the major studios traditionally offer up a few bits of so-called "counter-programming" to complement the usual array of testosterone-soaked action flicks and male-oriented comedies. In 2009, Ghost of Girlfriends Past, The Proposal, The Ugly Truth, Julie & Julia, and The Time Traveler's Wife all were geared toward the fairer sex. This year, aside from a certain perimenopausal monolith that invades at the end of May, there are just two studio releases aimed at women who are old enough to vote: Julia Roberts' Eat, Pray, Love and Drew Barrymore's Going the Distance.

Can M. Night Shyamalan rebound?

Film critics may risk losing one of their favorite punching bags if M. Night Shyamalan’s latest film, The Last Airbender, can’t break the writer-director’s extended streak of flops. The live-action adaptation of the popular children’s animated series represents a make-or-break moment for Shyamalan, who leaves his wheelhouse -- the supernatural thriller genre -- for the first time. With Airbender, he at least has the advantage of working with an established franchise; on the other hand, he’s still saddled with the formidable handicap of an M. Night Shyamalan script. It'll be an uphill battle.