Hollywood's Summer Mission: Make Money

Hollywood is on a mission this summer.

The mission: to prove it can still make films that draw crowds. Big box office crowds, reports CBS Sunday Morning contributor Jerry Bowen.

"I think what sets this summer apart is that it really needs to prove a lot," says Paul Dergarabedian, a researcher who tracks ticket sales for the movie industry.

"This is sort of a make or break summer," he adds. "After the slump of 2005, 2006 has to perform well. Otherwise, it's not just a blip on the radar screen. It becomes a trend. I don't think that's gonna happen this year. I think this year's crop of films looks really good."

This year the bet is that big budget films like "Mission Impossible 3," "The Da Vinci Code" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" will float a fleet of boats, raising bottom lines from May to the end of August.

But, the 2006 summer movie lineup has its detractors who say this year's crop is akin to a rerun.

"There's a lot of recycled material. A lot of retread, sequels, remakes," David Ansen, film critic for Newsweek, says.

"The creative community isn't that creative you know? And partly because it's really, you know, a corporate community. And it's increasingly concerned with the bottom line," Ansen says.

So what's the bottom line on the summer films? Kicking off the season this weekend: Tom Cruise is up against super villain Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Mission: Impossible 3."

Ansen believes the sequel will provide a "good time" to viewers. "It offers relentless action, some clever moments, and a good villain."

There's the "Pirates of the Caribbean" sequel, "Dead Man's Chest" with Johnny Depp.

"'Pirates,' I think, is probably gonna be one of the big hits of the summer. Johnny Depp just created a sensation with his character. It might in fact be a sequel that's even better than the first," Ansen thinks.

The "X-Men" franchise returns for a third time with "The Last Stand" and "Superman Returns," the first new Superman movie in nearly 20 years.

"'Superman Returns' I think is one of the big question marks of the summer," Ansen says. "It's so identified with the late Christopher Reeve. And they've got an unknown playing the part. It might be a huge hit. And it might be one of the big disappointments of the summer."

There are lots of questions. Can Meryl Streep work her legendary magic in "The Devil Wears Prada"?

Will radio's "Prairie Home Companion" translate to the big screen?
Why are so many people looking forward to "The Da Vinci Code?

"People are very curious about this film," Ansen says, referring to "The Da Vinci Code." "Everyone's read the book, which of course can hurt the movie, because it won't have that suspense. You know what happens."

And then there are the remakes.

There's that nasty kid in "The Omen," an update of the 1970 antichrist child.

That party boat, "The Poseidon," turns things upside down again.

And director Michael Mann finds virtue in "Miami Vice."

"From what I hear, he's not just doing a remake of the old TV show," Ansen says of Mann. "You know, nobody's gonna be wearing pastel. I'm looking forward to it just because it's Michael Mann."

Hollywood is hoping that audiences are looking forward to this season's movies. Forty percent of box office revenue comes in during this 18 week summer season. But the irony is what's drawing audiences more and more to the theaters is less a creative film than a catchy ad or movie trailer.

"Increasingly, people in the industry will tell you that the real art of Hollywood and the real creativity is the marketing. That it's even more important than the film making. Which, for a critic and a movie goer, is really depressing news," Ansen laments.

Not so depressing perhaps: the summer slate of big star comedies. There's Jack Black in "Nacho Libre," the story of a Mexican cook who moonlights as a wrestler.

"'Nacho Libre' is one that I'm actually quite looking forward to. It could be awful. It could be wonderful. Who knows? And it's got Jack Black in tights," Ansen says.

Adam Sandler stars in "Click", with the remote that controls life.

There's Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn in the romantic comedy "The Break Up."

And Will Ferrell in the race car comedy "Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby."

If it's cars you fancy, there's "Cars" from animation giant Pixar.

"You can't not look forward to a Pixar movie. They've got the most amazing track record," Ansen says.

From DreamWorks Animation there's "Over The Hedge" where wildlife critters romp in suburbia.

And borrowing the technology used in "Polar Express," Robert Zemeckis and Steven Spielberg have created "Monster House" where the neighborhood kids are on to the threat long before the grownups understand.

Al Gore spells out the threat of global warming in the documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth" and "Wordplay" puzzles on crossword puzzles.

There'll be small films on the big screen, too. "Little Miss Sunshine" was a hit at the Sundance film festival.

"It's a very off beat, quirky road movie, with a terrific cast, about this completely dysfunctional family trying to bring their daughter to a beauty contest," Ansen remarks.

For something really off beat, there's "Brothers Of The Head."

"It's about conjoined twins who form a 70s punk rock band. And it's shot as a mock documentary. But not played for laughs. Played for real emotions," Ansen says.

Finally, one of Ansen's favorites reaches the big screen this summer: "Half Nelson," starring Ryan Gosling, who, Ansen says, "proves himself to be one of the best young actors of his generation."

Last year an alarming number of moviegoers stayed away from theaters in a summer of discontent over high ticket prices and inferior films.

Will it be any different this time? Will the studios be saved by an ensemble of super heroes, animated stars and comic actors?

Will America's fickle movie fans still love Hollywood in September?