Summer Time Is Movie Time
The big-budget Gladiator is already in theaters and Battlefield Earth is hitting them Friday. This can mean only one thing: It's the beginning of summer in Hollywood. On Friday's Early Show, Contributor Laurie Hibberd previewed the films of summer.
There will be almost 50 major releases between now and Labor Day. Add in the number of limited and independent films going into release, and that total is about 125.
The studios release so many films this time of year because with the kids out of school, families go to the movies more. In addition, people try to escape the heat by going to air-conditioned theaters.
Disney is getting an early start next week with its computer animated epic Dinosaur, a PG-rated dazzler that they hope will appeal to the whole family.
But the summer kicks into high gear May 24 when Tom Cruise appears in director and action master John Woo's sequel to the 1996 blockbuster Mission Impossible.
In another eagerly awaited sequel, Eddie Murphy returns as the entire Klump family in a follow up to the 1996 film The Nutty Professor.
And Pikachu and the gang hope for another $50-million opening when Pokemon 2000 hits theaters in July.
Also for the kids, DreamWorks releases Chicken Run, a Claymation comedy about five chickens trying to fly the coop.
In what promises to be the most competitive weekend of the year June 30 - July 3, Rocky and Bullwinkle (with Rene Russo, Jason Alexander, and Robert DeNiro) goes up against The Perfect Storm (George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg) and The Patriot, a Revolutionary War epic with Mel Gibson, who collected $25 million for starring.
Other possible blockbusters:
- The Legend of Bagger Vance with Will Smith, Matt Damon, and Charlize Theron, directed by Robert Redford.
- The Cell with Jennifer Lopez
- What Lies Beneath with Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer
- Shaft with Samuel L. Jackson as the nephew of the original cool private eye played by Richard Roundtree.