***The bottom of this article has been updated on 8/24/15 to reflect up-to-date grosses.***
I realize it's a little late in the year to be posting predictions, but I made this list at the beginning of the year and luckily for me, most of the movies I picked haven't come out yet. First things first, it's hardly a preposterous claim to say that 2015 will undoubtedly be the highest earning year yet. Sequels are tearing it up in the box office and, while I miss the days that original films were common and not an exception, I'm not one to turn down a follow up to some of my favorite franchises. Below are my top ten picks for highest-grossing film of the year, along with the current standings.
I realize it's a little late in the year to be posting predictions, but I made this list at the beginning of the year and luckily for me, most of the movies I picked haven't come out yet. First things first, it's hardly a preposterous claim to say that 2015 will undoubtedly be the highest earning year yet. Sequels are tearing it up in the box office and, while I miss the days that original films were common and not an exception, I'm not one to turn down a follow up to some of my favorite franchises. Below are my top ten picks for highest-grossing film of the year, along with the current standings.
The Mission: Impossible films have always been solid earners. The last one took in close to $700 million, but it was also considered by many to be the best film in the series. I've pegged Rogue Nation a little lower than that for a couple of reasons. Franchise fatigue is always a factor, and anytime you see "5" in the title, you're bound to roll your eyes a bit. I'm doubting that they'll be able to generate a follow up on the level of Ghost Protocol, and while Ethan Hunt is an admirable hero, he doesn't have the trans-generational pull that Bond has, and Tom Cruise's eccentric life outside of the films has done its fair share to alienate fans over the years. He still has enough of a following that he's only generated one flop in the last decade, and that was Rock of Ages which was significantly outside of his usual genre.
I give Rogue Nation the #10 spot with $615 million.
Rogue Nation his theaters July 31st.
I give Rogue Nation the #10 spot with $615 million.
Rogue Nation his theaters July 31st.
I may have missed my mark significantly with this one, but I hadn't expected a franchise low 26% approval rating when I made my estimates. With a six year gap since Salvation, and the return of Schwarzenegger, I expected a much higher turnout than the attempted Christian Bale reboot. I still haven't made it out to see Genisys, and I'll be honest that I'm not in much of a hurry to do so.
I gave Terminator 5 the #9 spot with $627 million.
Genisys hit theaters July 1st and currently sits at a franchise-low $277 million.
I gave Terminator 5 the #9 spot with $627 million.
Genisys hit theaters July 1st and currently sits at a franchise-low $277 million.
I'll be honest, I still haven't seen either Despicable Me movie....however I did make it out to see Minions, and I finally understand the recent societal obsession with these crazy yellow freaks. While I wasn't aware of the characters or plot of these movies when I made my prediction, I was definitely aware of the numbers these were pulling in. Nothing hits $970 million without making its way onto my radar. Minions has held up to its predecessor very well on the daily numbers, despite only half of all audiences giving it a positive rating. It looks like Minions may make out a little better than I expected, despite being a spin off and not part of the original series.
I gave Minions the #8 spot with $720 million.
Minions opened July 10th and has currently grossed $625.8 million.
I gave Minions the #8 spot with $720 million.
Minions opened July 10th and has currently grossed $625.8 million.
Every "Top Ten" list needs one gamble, and I took that with Pan. While neither the writer nor director have particularly inspiring resumes, I'm relying on Hugh Jackman and Amanda Seyfried to work some magic on this. Neither of them has put out an unsuccessful movie in recent memory, and Jackman has a large younger fanbase due to his legendary role as the Wolverine. Peter Pan has a trans-generation pull that is guaranteed to draw crowds of all ages, and this is the first live action big budget production since 2003's Peter Pan.
I give Pan the #7 spot with $815 million.
Pan debuts October 9th.
I give Pan the #7 spot with $815 million.
Pan debuts October 9th.
The Hunger Games movies are guaranteed winners, and this final installment is bound to end up somewhere in the top ten. After Catching Fire's $864 million dollar gross, many expected the third movie to break 1 billion, myself included. However, negative reviews and poor word-of-mouth kept it to only $752 million and some change. If Mockingjay follows the precedent set by Deathly Hallows and Breaking Dawn, then it should spike significantly in both ratings and income. Final installments of popular YA adaptations tend to be the highest grossing films in the series. And when it comes to splitting the final installment, both Harry Potter and Twilight saw the denouement attract far more attention than the rising action.
I give Mockingjay: Part 2 the #6 spot with $915 million.
Mockingjay hits theaters November 20th.
I give Mockingjay: Part 2 the #6 spot with $915 million.
Mockingjay hits theaters November 20th.
The James Bond movies continue to prove that franchise fatigue only comes from mediocre franchises. Technically the 26th installment in the Bond franchise, Eon considers the two they didn't produce to have never happened and counts 24, this movie has no signs of being poorly received. I'm way behind the times and still haven't even seen Skyfall, but most critics consider it to be the best 007 movie of all time, and it's certainly the highest grossing. For that reason alone, I doubt Spectre can show it up. However, they certainly aim to try. Returning the most successful Bond actor of all time, as well as the same writing and directing team from Skyfall, Spectre is sure not to be a disappointment.
I give Spectre the #5 spot with $985 million.
Bond 26 hits theaters November 6th.
I give Spectre the #5 spot with $985 million.
Bond 26 hits theaters November 6th.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is showing no signs of slowing down, and while Age of Ultron didn't match its predecessor, it beat my expectations slightly, and still peaked as the 5th highest grossing film of all time, before being beat by Jurassic World. The critics didn't love it as much as the first, but the first was a pioneer. No other film to date had brought together such a beloved team of superheroes in a cross-over event of that magnitude.
I gave Ultron the #4 spot with $1.371 billion.
Avengers 2 currently sits at $1.394 billion and is the 6th highest grossing film of all time.
I gave Ultron the #4 spot with $1.371 billion.
Avengers 2 currently sits at $1.394 billion and is the 6th highest grossing film of all time.
At the time I picked it, Jurassic World was a gamble, a gamble that paid off big time. While Jurassic World wasn't as good as I expected it to be, record-breaking rainfall across the United States made up for it and drew crowds that smashed the previous opening weekend records. World reached out across the great divide and appealed to both fans of the original trilogy as well as today's youth and has set the franchise up for a hopeful future.
I gave it the #3 spot with $1.452 billion.
World has currently surpassed my prediction and is sitting as the 4th highest grossing film of all time with $1.513 billion.
I gave it the #3 spot with $1.452 billion.
World has currently surpassed my prediction and is sitting as the 4th highest grossing film of all time with $1.513 billion.
Everyone expected Furious 7 to be big, but no one expected it to be this big. Well, maybe a few people, my self included. We saw it with Dark Knight, and I knew we'd see it with Furious 7. When a beloved actor dies, the fans come out of the woodwork. I'm not saying that to take anything away from the film itself. Clearly it was good, Rotten Tomatoes gave it 81%. But while the last two were both climbing successes, realistically, this movie should have ended up in the $800-900 million dollar range. Paul Walker's death definitely drew out crowds not just opening weekend, but over time, and added nearly $700 million to its already vast expectations.
I gave Furious 7 the #2 spot with $1.515 billion.
It peaked as the 4th highest grossing movie of all time before being beat by Jurassic World and currently sits at $1.511 billion.
I gave Furious 7 the #2 spot with $1.515 billion.
It peaked as the 4th highest grossing movie of all time before being beat by Jurassic World and currently sits at $1.511 billion.
Star Wars 7, need I say more? When J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot took over Star Trek, they created not only the two highest grossing films of the series, but also two of the most highly praised. Now that they've got their hands on the most beloved franchise of all time, they're already getting praise and the movie isn't even out. Dropping the green screen and breaking out the full sized models and sets was a start. Then they brought back all of the original cast. Then they released a trailer that smashed Youtube viewership records. When Episode 1 premiered after a 16 year dry-spell, it grossed over $900 million and was the second highest grossing film of all time, behind James Cameron's Titanic. Episode 1 is considered the worst film in the series. Episode 7 could be a nightmare and still smash $1 billion without blinking, but let's be real. It's going to be amazing and draw in a whole new generation of devoted fans. I don't believe that it will beat Avatar, solely because Avatar had the greatest visual effects the world has ever seen. The movie itself will be far better than Avatar.
I give The Force Awakens $2.12 billion.
Episode VII will hit theaters December 18th.
I give The Force Awakens $2.12 billion.
Episode VII will hit theaters December 18th.
So in summary I have: The current gross of my picks is:
The current Top 10 is:
- Star Wars 7 $2,120,000,000 Comes out 12/8
- Furious 7 $1,515,000,000 $1,511,726,205
- Jurassic World $1,452,000,000 $1,622,868,000
- Avengers 2 $1,371,000,000 $1,401,213,387
- Spectre $985,000,000 Comes out 11/6
- Hunger Games 4 $915,000,000 Comes out 11/20
- Pan $815,000,000 Comes out 10/9
- Minions $720,000,000 $989,365,000
- Terminator 5 $627,000,000 $353,100,000
- Mission: Impossible 5 $615,000,000 $438,563,000
The current Top 10 is:
- Jurassic World $1,622,868,000
- Furious 7 $1,511,726,205
- Avengers 2 $1,401,213,387
- Minions $989,365,000
- Inside Out $677,358,415
- Fifty Shades of Grey $569,651,467
- Cinderella $542,273,466
- San Andreas $468,720,454
- Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation $438,563,000
- Kingsman: The Secret Service $406,737,128