2019 is going to be a big year for studios, as consolidating is bound to occur. In the meantime, one studio continues its dominance while others try to play catch-up with several possible big hits.
Here is the 2019 preview for each studio:
Lionsgate
Lionsgate is looking to have a few hits on its' hands this year. At least it looks better than 2018 by the way. They have two surefire hits at least. One is Tyler Perry's A Madea Family Funeral (March 1). Delayed from last summer, the film promises to be Perry's final turn as his cross-dress character. That will definitely bring out a strong crowd. The other is John Wick: Chapter 3 (May 17). The previous John Wick earned nearly $175 million worldwide and strong positive reception. Don't be surprised if this installment improves on its predecessor.
Other possible hits include Cold Pursuit (February 8). Neeson is usually a strong draw at the box office, and opening against a family film should provide strong counter-programming. In April, the studio will be trying out a H***boy reboot, which could go either way. Over Thanksgiving, the studio teams up with The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson for his star-studded murder mystery Knives Out (November 27), which could be a wild card.
Toss-ups to possible flops include Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron's comedy Flarsky (June 7), romantic drama Five Feet Apart (March 22) and Gerard Butler action threequel Angel has Fallen (August 23). Unknowns include Roland Emmerich's action thriller Midway (November 8), horror flick Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (August 9), and two Pantelion flicks (No Manches Frida 2 on March 15 and My Boyfriend's Meds on August 30).
STX
Coming off a big win last week with The Upside ($20 million opening), one has to wonder if STX will look good the rest of the year. Right now, I'm seeing mixed signals. They have one possible strong hit, but its' not been scheduled. Bad Moms spin-off Bad Dads might make it to the schedule later this year.
Besides that, they have a couple of possible mid-majors. Taraji P. Henson and Sam Rockwell star in drama The Best of Enemies (April 5), while the Russo Brothers produce 17 Bridges. The crime thriller stars Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman and could be a mid-range summer hit when it opens July 12.
Other than that, unknowns include Diane Keaton stars in dance comedy Poms (May 12), and their first try at animation, an adaptation of Uglydolls (May 3). The latter includes a strong voice cast of musical talent such as Kelly Clarkson and Blake Shelton, but opening a week ahead of another family film will prove to be difficult.
Paramount
Paramount continues to play last place among the major studios, and it doesn't look like they will combine for a big year this year either. That isn't to say they have possible hits here and there, but there's nothing that looks like Mission: Impossible - Fallout ($220 million) on the schedule.
The ones that look like safe bets include Elton John biopic Rocketman (May 31), Taraji P. Henson comedy What Men Want (February 8) and a new Terminator movie (November 1).
Toss-ups include three family films. Animated film Wonder Park (March 15), TV series adaptation Dora the Explorer (which I'm not sure anyone wanted, August 2), and video game adaptation Sonic the Hedgehog (which could go either way, November 8). Also a toss-up is a remake of horror flick Pet Sematary (April 5), as well as Tiffany Haddish's Limited Partners (June 28).
Looking on the downside are Blake Lively action flick Rhythm Section (February 22), Ang Lee's Gemini Man (October 4), and horror fantasy Are You Afraid of the Dark? (October 11).
Fox
Fox is about to be acquired by Disney within the next few months, which means most of their films this year will probably revert to Disney's control by mid-year. In the meantime, Fox's 2019 films look like they could match last year's line-up.
The surefire hits include X-Men: Dark Phoenix (June 7) and a third Kingsman movie (November 15). A more horror-based superhero flick, New Mutants, also finally releases August 2. I wouldn't call it a surefire, but it should do AOK unless its' not good. Faith-based flick Breakthrough (April 17) looks to successfully hook the faith-based crowd in another mid-major hit.
On the toss-up side, you have Blue Sky Studios' Spies in Disguise (September 13), book adaptation Call of the Wild (December 25), an untitled James Mangold film (June 28), and the Amy Adams/Joe Wright thriller The Woman in the Window (October 4). Finally, Alita: Battle Angel reaches the big screen after a few delays on February 14, and may or may not find success in a less-crowded slot.
Towards the downside, their first film this year will be Joe Cornish's The Kid Who Would Be King (January 25), which doesn't look like its tracking promisingly. Dog movie The Art of Racing in the Rain opens September 27, and doesn't look like it will be a big hit either. Finally, Brad Pitt's sci-fi flick Ad Astra (May 24) and Dave Bautista comedy Stuber (July 12) both look unknown at this point.
Sony
Sony had a great year last year, and that momentum should continue into 2019 (Escape Room is doing well, while A Dog's Way Home is not so much). There's two likely blockbusters on their slate. Spider-Man: Far From Home (July 5) will likely be a big opener over 4th of July, and a sequel to Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (December 13) could once again be a breakout hit after its' predecessor neared $1 billion worldwide.
Other possible hits include Quentin Tarantino's star-studded latest, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (July 26), which has made many anticipated lists, Fred Rogers' biography A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (October 18), and faith-based film Overcomer (August 23) from the Kendrick Brothers.
Toss-ups include a reboot of Charlie's Angels (November 1), a sequel to The Angry Birds Movie (August 16), a star-studded adaptation of Little Women (December 25), and reboot Men in Black International (June 14).
A remake of The Grudge (June 21) could go either way, as could horror flick Brightburn (May 24). Sony is also releasing a long-awaited sequel to Zombieland (October 11), but it probably won't appeal outside its fanbase. Meanwhile, their first two releases are basically unknowns. Action flick Miss Bala (February 1) will probably get sucker-punched over Super Bowl Weekend, while Tom Hanks war drama Greyhound (March 22) may or may not thrive in a crowded March. Finally, Sony Animation releases foreign animated title Wish Dragon (July 26), which will probably get lost in the midst of a crowded summer.
Universal
With 20 films on the calendar this year, Universal will try to make up ground from not having a Jurassic World movie on the calendar. However, its' looking like its' going to be challenging for the studio to match its $1.77 billion gross from 2018.
Overall, their biggest movie this year will likely be animated sequel The Secret Life of Pets 2 (June 6). It's hard to bet against Illumination Entertainment, as they have churned out hit after hit. With that in mind, Pets will easily earn over $200 million stateside, if not $300 million if its' good. 2019 will bring in DreamWorks Animation to the equation for Universal, and they will release the final installment, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (February 22). While it won't be nearly as big as Pets, it should still be a solid performer in the early months of the year. September brings a second DWA film called Abominable (September 27), but it's not looking to have the same commercial appeal.
Beyond animation, their safest bet is Fast and Furious spin-off Hobbs and Shaw (August 2). It might not be the $1 billion grosser the previous two Furious entries were, but it looks to still be a strong performer. Look for maybe $750 million worldwide out of this one.
Besides that, Jordan Peele follows up on the huge hit Get Out with an eerie film called Us (March 22). The year kicks off for the studio with M. Night Shyalaman's superhero team-up Glass (January 18) which should be a solid performer. Broadway adaptation Cats (December 20) boasts a star-studded cast and should pull in solid numbers over the holidays.
Universal has four more horror flicks set, most of them are untitled (sequel Happy Death Day 2U is an exception on February 14, and might be a minor hit). If some of them remain on the calendar, they could all be hits. Meanwhile, two untitled comedies are set for June 28 and November 8, and are currently unknowns.
On the more downside, dog sequel A Dog's Journey (May 17) will probably not be nearly as successful as A Dog's Purpose from two years ago. 12-year old R-rated comedy (not a great combination) Good Boys (August 16) doesn't look too promising, and action thriller The Hunt (September 27) also doesn't look to be a breakout.
Other unknowns include Comedy Little (April 12, which looks like 13 Going on 30), Paul Feig's holiday comedy Last Christmas (November 15), and Sam Mendes' World War I drama 1917 (December 25).
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. is really hoping to step up their game in the race against Disney this year, and they might just succeed. There's plenty of potent hits on their calendar this year.
Leading the charge is two DC films, Shazam! (April 5) and Joker (October 4). Both films will likely build on the $1 billion success of Aquaman from last year. There's also a highly-anticipated sequel with It: Chapter Two (September 6), which could build on the first film's $650 million worldwide gross. Two Conjuring Universe films, The Curse of La Llarona (April 19) and an untitled film (July 3) should both be solid success stories. And The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part (February 8) is shaping up to be a major year-start success.
Toss-ups include Detective Pikachu (May 10), which will bring the lucrative Pokemon franchise to the big screen. The reason why I list it as a toss-up is that it could flop if it's not well-received. Godzilla: King of the Monsters (May 31) will attempt to build on the success of 2014's Godzilla, but its' received mixed tracking reactions so far. Meanwhile, Rebel Wilson will attempt to lead a romantic comedy with Isn't It Romantic? (February 13), which could be a solid hit for the date night crowd.
Towards the downside, a new Shaft movie (June 14) looks to bring in the fanbase of the 2000 original, and may not succeed in a crowded June. Two Melissa McCarthy films hit the big screen towards the end of the year. Christmas comedy Margie Claus (November 15) and sci-fi flick Super Intelligence (December 25). McCarthy's not as strong of a draw as she used to, so both could be either hits or misses.
Unknowns right now include book adaptation The Sun is Also a Star (May 17), comic book adaptation The Kitchen (September 20), crime thriller The Goldfinch (October 11) and older audience comedy The Good Liar (November 15).
Disney
Coming off a record $3 billion year, Disney looks to continue their dominance with what looks like surefire hits pretty much at every turn.
Let's start with the blockbusters. The top spot for Disney in 2019 will likely go to either Avengers: Endgame (April 26) or Star Wars: Episode IX (December 20). Both films are likely to earn at least $600 million domestically and both are prime candidates to earn at least $1.5 billion worldwide. Two animated features could join them in the $1 billion club. Six years after America was singing its songs, Frozen 2 opens ahead of Thanksgiving (November 22). The highly-anticipated sequel looks to come close to its' predecessors' $1.27 billion worldwide final gross.
On a bit more of a shaky scale, Toy Story 4 finally comes in on June 21. Toy Story 3 was the first animated movie to earn over $1 billion, and its' follow-up could do the same. But even if it falls short, it will still be a big hit. Meanwhile, Marvel kicks off the year with Captain Marvel (March 8), which is generating superb buzz. It could even approach Black Panther's $200 million opening if it can keep its' momentum going.
In addition to that, Disney has three live-action remakes in store for this year. The biggest of the bunch will probably be The Lion King (July 19), which remains one of the most popular animated films of the past three decades. Aladdin (May 24) will hope to be a huge hit over Memorial Day Weekend, and should also benefit from the nostalgia factor. Dumbo (March 29) benefits from having Tim Burton as director. It won't be nearly as big as the other two, but the strong marketing effort plus the familiarity behind the 1941 original should still generate very good numbers.
The only films on Disney's schedule that will probably be box office misses are book adaptation Artemis Fowl (August 9) and Disneynature's latest, Penguins (April 17).
And that's about it. As we go through 2019, we shall see what hits and what misses. Of course, stay tuned throughout the year for regular updates on the box office. :)
