June 2005 Forecast
By Marty Doskins
June 3, 2005
BoxOfficeProphets.com

In the words of Casey Kasem, "And the hits just keep coming." As usual, the studios are loading up this summer with the big blockbusters. They are making sure to appeal to as many different audiences as possible, bringing in the big bucks. This month, there are a lot of films that are staying away from an R-rating. If parents bring their kids, that’s more cash at the box office.

And now, on to my Top 10 for June.

1. Batman Begins

Fans of the Batman films have had to wait a long time for this one to finally make it to theaters. They’ve suffered through the numerous rumors about who would portray the Caped Crusader, what the story was going to be, and if it would ever get made at all. These questions and more will all be answered in the middle of the month. This film has a built-in audience and it will definitely show in receipt numbers. Warner Bros will be very happy.

2. Mr. & Mrs. Smith

Any publicity is good publicity. At least that's the saying. With the pending divorce of Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston always in the news, this movie often gets mentioned along with a short clip. And I think that with people seeing this story every day, they will want to see what the fuss is all about. Will they be able to see Angelina Jolie working her way into Brad's heart? Were the love scenes really worth it? People will come out in droves to find out for themselves.

3. Cinderella Man

Director Ron Howard is at the helm of another bigger than life story. This time he takes on the history of the boxing world. The story may not be very well known, but the cast and Howard definitely are. In addition to the well-known director, Russell Crowe and Renee Zellweger star in this film. Advertising has been going full-force for a while now so this film is definitely has public awareness. This probably isn't a very good choice for families, but that won't stop this movie from landing near the top of this month's list.

4. Bewitched

There were teaser trailers for this film before anything was even shot for the film. Remember seeing a woman on a broom flying through the sky with a man hanging below? It was Will Ferrell’s voice, but you couldn't see any faces. Of course, we now know that Nicole Kidman did join the cast. I think showing this so long ago was enough to pique the interest of moviegoers.

5. Lords of Dogtown

A while ago, the documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys showed us the real life story of the beginnings of skateboarding. Now, one of the Z-Boys is taking us "behind the scenes" by showing us what the documentary footage missed. If the studio hadn’t really been pushing this one for many weeks, I think this one would've fallen by the wayside, just like the documentary. However, I think this one has caught the public's eye and they will get drawn in to theaters.

6. The Perfect Man

Hilary Duff continues to stay out on her own away from the people at Disney that brought her to her current level of stardom. It should be interesting to see if she'll continue to stay popular. I think that if she uses a combination of film and music, it should work for her. She’ll definitely drag along some of her Lizzy McGuire fans to this romantic comedy, which is the only on in the Top 10 this month.

7. Herbie: Fully Loaded

Disney is counting on Lindsay Lohan to draw in the younger crowd one more time. I think this movie might be the case of parents dragging their kids along to the theater instead of the other way around. Kids won't be familiar with Herbie, but their parents probably will. The nostalgia factor will kick in and you end up with entry number seven on the June list.

8. The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl in 3-D

You’re definitely going to bring in the Spy Kids crowd with this film. Not only with the 3-D experience, but just the basic premise of kids being heroes. Any other month, this would've been a number four or five pick, but with the top loaded summer season, it drops a few notches.

9. George A. Romero's Land of the Dead

HORROR FANS UNITE! It seems that having Wes Craven's name attached to the title of a film isn't as influential as it used to be. However, George Romero still has the power at the box office. I think he’s made sure to always have quality and appealing films so viewers know that they’ll enjoy one of his projects. Like usual, high opening weekend with a quick drop-off.

10. The Honeymooners

Ralph Kramden and Ed Norton remake? Think again.

Michael Bentley's June Preview
John Hamann's June Preview
Dan Krovich's June Preview
John Seal's June Preview