Battle of the summer sequels shapes up
It's sequel time, people, and no franchise is safe.
"Pirates" has made a pile of dough in the United States - $104 million as of Wednesday, according to Box Office Mojo - but foreign markets are what's putting this movie over the top. The same is true for "Fast Five." The Vin Diesel-starring car-stunt-blow-things-up-picture has a foreign gross nearly twice its domestic haul.
Other big movie sequels coming this summer are:
"Transformers: Dark of the Moon" - The "Transformers" series has done well overseas and the second film earned more than the first.
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" - Harry, Hermione and Ron do big numbers in the U.S. and in foreign markets. The final film in the series will likely be no different (if you wanted to put your money on biggest movie of the summer, maybe you should start here).
"X-Men: First Class" looks better than its predecessor, "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," but it would be hard to look much worse. Technically a prequel to Bryan Singer's "X-Men," the cast features a big roster of hot talent, including James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, January Jones, Rose Byrne, Jennifer Lawrence and Kevin Bacon. With a slew of good-looking promo spots out already, expect anticipation to keep building.
"Kung Fu Panda 2" looks as silly as the first, but never underestimate a summer family movie that follows a successful first film. Plus, this movie will be released in 3D and that means extra grossing power.
If "Kung Fu Panda 2" can get beat in the family entertainment department, "Cars 2" is the movie to do it. Successful original? Check. (Mostly) returning cast? Check. 3D earning power? Check. Pixar? Check.
What do you think will be the biggest sequel of the summer? Let us know in the comments.