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Podcasts Take Two
On the Lot: Hollywood hoping Jurassic saves the summer
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Jun 8, 2015
Listen • 7:08
On the Lot: Hollywood hoping Jurassic saves the summer
Expectations were high that this summer's crop of movies would set Hollywood box office records. But, so far, the numbers are barely above last summer's dismal showing
The latest dino-epic set domestic and global box office records
Hollywood is hoping the latest Jurassic movie will save an otherwise tepid summer box office.
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Universal
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Expectations were high that this summer's crop of movies would set Hollywood box office records. But, so far, the numbers are barely above last summer's dismal showing

Last summer was, by all accounts, a bust for Hollywood. But movie execs, and the people who run movie theaters had high hopes for this summer season.  So far, things haven't lived up to expectations.

Melissa McCarthy's "Spy" did $30 million this weekend, but overall, the box office numbers are tepid.  George Clooney's "Tomorrowland" flopped over the Memorial Day weekend. Even the summer's first big hit, "Avengers: Age of Ultron" has failed to keep up with the previous Avengers release. Ticket sales this summer are up less than 3% over last year. And the summer of 2014 was the worst for ticket sales in a generation.

Still, emotions run hot in Hollywood, and there is reason to believe things may not be so bleak. The much-anticipated "Jurassic World" opens later this week. It's followed by a string of possible blockbusters including "Minions," the sequel to "Despicable Me." Also in the wings, the fifth "Mission: Impossible," Pixar's "Inside Out," and the movie about gaming, "Pixels."

Maybe it's just a case of expectations being set to high. But don't cry for Hollywood executives. Even conservative prognosticators expect the industry to pull in $4.5 billion in sales before the summer season ends.