The superhero film genre got off to a violent and entertaining start this year. Sportsbettingdime.com predicted that Captain America: Civil War would be the highest grossing film of 2016, but surprise hit Deadpoolcould be chopping that prediction into chimichangas.
Deadpool came out guns-a-blazing, raking in $282.1 million globally on its first weekend, the biggest R-rated opening of all time. It’s safe to say that Fox/Marvel Studio executives are tickled “red and black” with how well their meager investment of $58 million has cashed in.
Is there another comic book hit on the silver screen horizon this year? There are still at least five (maybe six) more adaptations coming our way in 2016, and both Marvel and DC fans have something to look forward to.
On that note, it's time rank which superhero films are positioned to give our favorite “Merc with the Mouth” a run for his spandex at the box office.
- Captain America: Civil War - May 6 - Worldwide box office prediction: $1.5 billion
- Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice - March 25 - Worldwide box office prediction: $1.4 billion
- Suicide Squad - August 5 - Worldwide box office prediction: $845 million
- X-Men Apocalypse - May 27 - Worldwide box office prediction: $820 million
- Doctor Strange - November 4 - Worldwide box office prediction: $600 million
- Gambit - Tentatively scheduled for October 7, 2016
Captain America: Civil War is one of the most highly anticipated films of the year. It's basically the next Avengers flick; not only will Chris Evans be reprising his role as the titular character, but Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, and Jeremy Renner are back as Iron Man, Black Widow, and Hawkeye (respectively). All the Avengers movies have scooped up dough with a Hulk-sized ladle. Thanks to its PG-13 rating, Civil War should be able to surpass Deadpooljust based on the fact that parents can bring their kids.
Although people are talking (good and bad) about Batman v. Superman, it’s troubling to hear Warner Brothers express concernsover how audiences will respond to its darker and more “story driven” film. But if the early reviews are positive, expect the big bucks to roll in.
Don’t sleep on Suicide Squad. Based on the colorful and fun flavor of the early trailers, it could be a surprise hit. (Never underestimate the power of the uber-popular Harley Quinn, played by Margot Robbie.) The success of Batman v. Superman – which is part of the same universe – could be a bellwether for the villainous vanguard.
Another X-Men film directed by Bryan Singer – X-Men: Apocalypse – rounds out Marvel's prequel trilogy. The film will most likely do decent numbers in May, but 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past didn’t come close to the box office numbers of 2013's Superman: Man of Steel. For whatever reason, no matter how good the films are, the mutants have never been able to reach Iron Man or even Spider-Man type dollars.
Not much is known about Doctor Strange, other than that Benedict Cumberbatch will be playing the new mystical hero within the Marvel Universe. The voice of Smaug is a proven box-office draw and November seems to be the right time to release it.
That leaves poor ol’ Gambit,which is tentatively scheduled for an October 7th release. There have been some issues behind the scenes, and with cameras not even scheduled to start rolling yet, the X-Men spinoff with Channing Tatum could be pushed into 2017.
