The Summer of 2016 hasn’t exactly been a resounding success, with mediocre box office leaving a trail of supposed blockbusters in its wake.
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Studios are hopeful that their fall lineups can pick up some of the slack. Fandango recently ran a poll of the most anticipated fall releases (via USA Today), and newest Harry Potter spinoff Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them is at the top of the list.
Fantastic Beasts is a prequel to the events seen in the core Harry Potter franchise and focuses on the stateside world of magic. It has a talented cast led by Eddie Redmayne (Newt Scamander), Ezra Miller (Credence), and Colin Farrell (Percival Graves), and hits theatres later this year on November 18th.
“All of this excitement around the Harry Potter universe is feeding into Fantastic Beasts,” says Erik Davis, Fandango.com managing editor. “It’s all about timing and Harry Potter’s world is clicking with great, calculated timing right now.”
Next up on the list is Denzel Washinton and Chris Pratt’s remake of The Magnificent Seven, which is being helmed by Antoine Fuqua. Washington and Fuqua are frequent collaborators and have previously worked together on The Equalizer and Training Day. Right behind them resides the Sorcerer Supreme himself, Doctor Strange, who ranks at No.3 on the list. The trippy trailers have given fans much to look forward to in Benedict Cumberbatch’s debut as the good Doctor, and many are interested to see just what the world of magic looks like in the Marvel Universe.
No.4 on the list is Emily Blunt’s The Girl on the Train, which hits theatres on October 7th, and that is followed by the No. 5 ranked Moana. The new animated film stars Dwayne The Rock Johnson and comes from the same people who made Disney’s megahit Frozen, so much is expected from the new film when it opens on November 23rd. After Moana sits established names like Renee Zellweger and Colin Firth in Bridget Jones’s Baby (No. 6), Ben Affleck and Anna Kendrick in The Accountant (No. 7), Tom Cruise in Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (No. 8), and Tom Hanks in Inferno (No. 9).
“Big names in these roles sell a lot of tickets, especially with an adult audience passing on their love of these characters to a new generation,” Davis says.
Rounding out the top ten is Kevin Hart with his newest comedy special What Now? which Davis expected to do quite well when it releases on October 14th.
“Kevin Hart is one of the biggest stars in the world right now,” Davis says. “People love his movies, but they also love his stand-up.”
