Summer Movie Preview: Sink or Swim

Thursday, 05 May 2011 | by Pat's Picks

The St. Petersburg Times asks will they sink or swim in its very good preview of this summer’s big blockbusters. Hollywood, says the Times, has been “drowning in red ink” recently—this year’s box office numbers are currently running about 15 percent behind 2010’s. The hope is that “Green Lantern, Capt. Jack Sparrow, the Hangover guys and Harry Potter” can steer the industry to calmer waters.

The Times starts off its preview with Thor, which opens this Friday, and needs to make at least $145 million to be considered a success. Will it? Writes the Times: “Marvel superheroes have a spotty track record (Daredevil and The Punisher, anyone?). Thor is a company cornerstone but he isn’t Spider-Man or Iron Man. Expect ticket sales somewhere between X-Men and either Hulk flick.”

Interesting the paper predicts the Hangover sequel will sink, missing its $277 million watermark: Another depraved, lost weekend for Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis, this time in Bangkok, making their Las Vegas misadventures seem like a Sunday school outing.