June 2023 box office preview: ‘Indiana Jones’ and superhero sequels will boost 2nd month of summer
Somehow, we got through May with two mega-blockbusters and another franchise entry that didn’t do so badly. With the start of June, many kids across the nation can look forward to the summer break, which helps drive up business for family movies, of which there are three animated flicks. Others to look forward to include a new “Indiana Jones” and multiple superhero sequels. Read on for Gold Derby’s June 2023 box office preview.
“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” (Lucasfilm/Disney) – June 30
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Harrison Ford returns as one of his most popular characters, Indiana Jones, in what is very likely to be his last movie in the franchise, this one directed by James Mangold (“Ford v Ferrari”) and co-starring Phoebe Waller-Bridge (“Fleabag”) as Indy’s god-daughter, who also gets involved in the action. Not a ton is known about the plot, other than the fact it involves a literal “Dial of Destiny” that everyone is trying to get their hands on. The movie premiered at the Cannes Film Festival (just like 2008’s “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”), but it didn’t exactly receive the raves some may have been expecting. Even so, it’s been 15 years since Ford’s last foray as the character, and this films signifies the end of an era that will convince fans to ignore the reviews and go see if Mangold stuck the landing for themselves. One shouldn’t be surprised if this opens over $100 million in the weekend before the 4th of July and ends up as one of the biggest movies of the summer.
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“The Flash” (Warner Bros.) – June 16
Long in development and delayed many times is this new DCEU movie starring the troubled Ezra Miller as the DC Universe’s Scarlet Speedster, and possibly one of the last vestiges of the “Snyderverse” (along with December’s “Aquaman” sequel). Aside from Miller’s troubles, the movie offers many other reasons to go see it, but the return of Michael Keaton’s Batman for the first time since Tim Burton’s “Batman Returns” in 1992 is going to be a big one for sure, as should other characters like Supergirl. For many, those last two factors should balance out the concern and uncertainty about Miller’s future in the DCEU to deliver an opening close to $100 million.
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (Sony) – June 2
What could very well be the breakout hit of the summer is the sequel to the Oscar-winning animated blockbuster, “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” which made $190.2 million domestic in its holiday release in 2018 and roughly the same overseas. This one brings back Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore), Spider-Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld) and Jake Johnson’s Peter B. Parker, but more importantly, it introduces popular Spider-characters voiced by Oscar Isaac and Issa Rae. There’s a good chance this will open with $90 million or more as one of the more anticipated sequels this summer. (Look for more about this in the weekend preview on Wednesday.)
“Elemental” (Disney) – June 16
The latest Disney-Pixar movie to hit theaters after last year’s underwhelming “Lightyear” is an original movie written and directed by Peter Sohn (“The Good Dinosaur”) set in a world made up of elements: earth, air, fire, water, etc., telling a love tale of opposites elements attracting. Pixar has been having trouble as of late, mainly due to Disney sending many of its movies to its streaming service. On top of that, this is going up against “The Flash,” gearing itself as counter-programming for a family audience, so it could make $40 to 50 million opening weekend but have decent legs with schools being out for the rest of its run.
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“Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” (Paramount) – June 9
Six years after Michael Bay’s last “Transformers” movie and a little over four years since the “Bumblebee” spin-off, Paramount revives the popular Hasbro toy franchise with a new movie directed by Steven Caple Jr. (“Creed II”). Introducing the popular “Beast Wars” robots to the franchise should entice the fans, and the trailers have looked good with lots of Transformers action, which should lead to an opening between $50 and 60 million.
“Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken” (Universal) – June 30
The third animated movie of the month comes from DreamWorks Animation, and it’s released right before the 4th of July against “Indiana Jones,” which might not have much interest to younger kids. It features the voice of Lana Condor (voicing the title character), Will Forte, Jane Fonda, Toni Collette and more, and it’s about a shy teen who comes from a royal family of sea krakens, and yes, I also immediately thought that this seems to share a lot with Disney’s “The Little Mermaid.” It might not be a huge animated release, but probably will be good for $25 to 30 million its opening weekend.
“No Hard Feelings” (Sony) – June 23
Jennifer Lawrence makes her return to comedy with this raunchy R-rated film from filmmaker Gene Stupnitsky and John Phillips (“The Office,” “Good Boys”) that hopes to bring the Oscar-winning actor back to her former glory after a few misfires (and the great Apple movie, “Causeway”). She plays a slacker who needs a money to buy a new car who agrees to school a wealthy couple’s son in the ways of love. Just imagine a much raunchier version of that premise, and with Universal’s “Strays” moved to August, it will be one of the few comedies geared towards a demographic who are already in the J-Law camp from her starring in the “Hunger Games” movies. This should be able to make $25 million or more with its main competition being the June 16 openers.
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“The Boogeyman” (20th Century) – June 2
Co-written by “A Quiet Place” writers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods with Mark Heyman (“Black Swan”), this horror film from Rob Savage (“Host”) stars Chris Messina (recently seen in “Air”) as a therapist and single father of two girls (Sophie Thatcher from “Yellowjackets” and Vivien Lyra Blair) who is visited by a stranger (David Dastmalchian) warning of a malevolent presence. Spoiler: He ain’t kidding! Reviews have generally been mixed and original horror i.e. a non-sequel can be a tough sell, though both M3gan and Smile have proven there’s an appetite for the genre, which should help this make $15 million or more its opening weekend. (Again, we’ll have more about this in Wednesday’s weekend preview.)
“The Blackening” (Lionsgate) – June 16
Tim Story (“Barbershop,” “Drive Along”) directs this horror-comedy that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, featuring a group of African-American characters gathering at a cabin in a remote area where they find a board game from which the movie gets its title. No one should underestimate the appeal of comedy and horror to black audiences, something Story knows well from directing “Barbershop,” “Think Like a Man” and the “Ride Along” movies. “Tyler Perry’s Boo! A Made Halloween” grossed $73.2 million in 2016, and the “Scary Movie” franchise was the brainchild of the Wayans family, and those also did huge business. “The Blackening” might not offer enough of a draw to open that big, but one shouldn’t be surprised if it opens with $13 to 15 million against two stronger summer movies.
“Asteroid City” (Focus) – June 16 (limited), June 23 (wide)
The latest movie from popular auteur Wes Anderson brings a characteristically large ensemble cast into a story that has remained a mystery until its debut at the Cannes Film Festival last week (to better reviews than the other movies mentioned above). The IMDb synopsis reads, “The itinerary of a Junior Stargazer convention is spectacularly disrupted by world-changing events,” but whatever it’s about, it brings the likes of Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Hong Chau, Steve Carell and Bryan Cranston into Anderson’s stable, an ensemble that has helped give the filmmaker a fairly diehard fanbase. That said, Anderson’s highest-grossing movie is 2014’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” which also won four Oscars, and his last movie, “The French Dispatch,” only made $16.1 million, so it might be too early to tell how this one will fare.
“Past Lives” (A24) – June 2 (limited), June 23 (wide)
Also opening in a few cities than expanding across the country is Celine Song’s moving drama about two childhood friends from South Korea, separated when they’re both very young, but who touch base once every 12 years to get reacquainted. Starring Greta Lee, Teo Yoo and John Magaro, the poignant character drama premiered at Sundance to rave reviews, and it’s likely to be in the Oscar conversation after finding its audience.
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There aren’t as many limited releases this month, maybe since so many movies are shifting to wide releases, as noted above. Here they are:
“Lynch/Oz” (Janus Films) – June 2
Documentary filmmaker Alexandre O. Philippe (“78/52: Hitchcock’s Shower Scene”) takes on another cinematic topic, dealing with filmmaker David Lynch’s obsession with the 1939 “The Wizard of Oz” movie.
“Mending the Line” (Blue Fox Entertainment) – June 9
Fresh from “Succession,” Brian Cox stars as a vet who teaches Sinqua Walls’ wounded Marine – Walls also played a Marine in Clint Eastwood’s “The 15:17 to Paris,” oddly – how to fly fish in this drama directed by Joshua Caldwell.
“Blue Jean” (Magnolia) – June 9
Georgia Oakley’s British period drama stars Rosy McEwen as a gym teacher trying to hide her sexual identity as the British government tries to pass an anti-gay law in 1988.
“Daliland” (Magnolia) – June 9
This new biopic from Mary Harron (“American Psycho”) stars Sir Ben Kingsley as eccentric abstract artist Salvador Dali, though it mainly focuses on Christopher Briney’s James, a young gallery assistant hired to aid the aging genius in 1973. (It also stars Ezra MIller, as the young Dali but only in a brief flashback.)
“God Is a Bullet” (VVS Films) – June 23
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau from “Game of Thrones” stars in Nick Cassevetes’ crime-thriller as a detective whose ex-wife is murdered and daughter kidnapped by a satanic, forcing him to seek the aid of Maika Monroe. It’s adapted from Boston Teran’s novel.
“Every Body” (Focus) – June 30
This new doc from Oscar-nominated filmmaker Julie Cohen (“RBG”) deals with the stories of three intersex individuals who decide to come out as their true selves. This will premiere at this year’s Tribeca Festival, which regularly delivers terrific docs.
That’s it for this month’s preview, but don’t forget that you can check in every Wednesday for updates on the weekend ahead at the box office.
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