Summer 2019 Movie Blockbusters

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Superheroes really do have a lot of power. They’ve been able to change the date when a season starts.

On the calendar, summer begins on June 21. In the world of meteorologists, summer months are considered to be June, July and August. For folk in the United States, the unofficial start of summer is Memorial Day (May 27), and for many seasons the movie industry used that holiday weekend to launch its season blockbuster.

Now, with more movies clamoring to be on the summer calendar, movie studios have seemingly pushed the start of summer to April with “Avengers; Endgame” making its debut on April 26.

With the Marvel movie raking in $2.6 billion and counting, it is doubtful any movie released in the next few months will come close to topping it. But that won’t stop sportsbooks, such as BetOnline, from asking what movie might topple the superheroes or at least seriously nip at their superpowerful heels.

There are many money-making contenders hitting movie theaters, including sequels, reboots and the return of a unique yet beloved director:

• “Aladdin” (May 24): A very brave Will Smith steps into the lamp and the role of Genie made famous by Robin Williams in this live-action remake of the Disney animated feature. (IMDB box office prediction: $275 million)
• “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” (May 31): The giant lizard is making a comeback and he’s facing off with Rodan, Mothra and King Ghidorah. Starring Millie Bobby Brown, Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga and Ken Watanabe, let’s hope this movie treats the legendary lizard right. (IMDB box office prediction: $200 million)
• “Rocketman (May 31): Producers are hopeful that an adults who flocked to “Bohemian Rhapsody” will embrace this R-rated movie that tells the whole truth of the prolific and popular Elton John (Taron Egerton). Box office estimates may be low on this one. (IMDB: $175 Million)
• “Dark Phoenix” (June 7) The X-Men are back and after a mission goes south they must face the increasing superpowers of Phoenix (Sophie Turner) who has potential to destroy the universe. Also stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jennifer Lawrence. (IMDB box office prediction: $120 million)
• “The Secret Life of Pets 2” (June 7): Terrier Max (voiced by Patton Oswalt) has difficulty dealing with change, especially Liam, the son of his owner and develops anxiety trying to keep him safe. His furry friends assist but a family trip to a farm isn’t as calming as you’d think. (IMDB: $350 Million)
• “Men in Black: International” (June 14): Taking a break from New Asgard, Chris Hemsworth and Tess Thompson don the black suits and wield the super-cool weapons in this reboot to battle a consortium of alien creatures. (IMDB: $210 Million)
• “Toy Story 4” (June 21): Never underestimate the power of Woody and Buzz – and Pixar when it comes to summer blockbusters. This movie is unexpected, we all thought the series ended with No. 3, so for it to come back, producers must think they have a helluva story to tell . We just hope we don’t need a box of Kleenex. (IMDB: $600 Million)
• “Spider-Man: Far From Home” (July 2): You know you haven’t had enough of Marvel superheroes, especially one that rose from the ashes in “Avengers: Endgame.” Fresh-faced Tom Holland as Spidey heads to Europe and faces a new friend or foe(?) – Mysterio, played by Jake Gyllenhaal. (IMDB: $415 Million)
• “The Lion King” (July 19): OK, this is the one who has potential to, uh, to come in second at the summer box office. The original animated “Lion King” made $968 million worldwide – $2 billion is out of reach. But this reimagining as a CGI-live action feature, with star power voice actors from Donald Glover, Beyonce and James Earl Jones back as Mufasa, tweaks every heart string. (IMDB: $720 Million)
• “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” (Aug. 2): Quentin Tarantino’s film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, playing a fading actor and his stunt double, in 1969 Hollywood as the Manson family is terrorizing the town was well received at Cannes, getting a nearly 10-minute standing ovation. (IMDB: $145 Million)

The bottom line is that the summer season has something for everyone – we didn’t even get to the over-the-top Fast and Furious spin-off “Hobbs & Shaw” (Aug. 2, $295 million) with Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham or “Shaft” (June 14, N/A) starring Richard Roundtree passing the torch to Jessie T. Usher as John Shaft Jr. or the horror reboot“Child’s Play” (June 21, N/A) with the return of Chucky (voiced by Mark Hamill) – but the box office for all these films will pale to “Avengers: Endgame.”