Over the past 12 months, fans of film have been treated to a feast of high profile movies such as Spectre, Jurassic World, Mad Max: Fury Road, and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2. With Star Wars: The Force Awakens rounding up 2015, it is fair to say that this has been a good year for cinema, especially if you like your blockbuster franchises.
But what does 2016 have in store? What are the most anticipated movies and which films will perform best at the box office? While cinema connoisseurs will be counting down the days to certain releases, numerous investors are bound to be waiting with bated breath too.
After all, the industry is enjoying a resurgence according to Chris Beauchamp, Senior Market Analyst at market experts IG said: “Big names have really revived interest in the cinema and confounded expectations that actually it would continue to lose ground to other forms of entertainment.”
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Playground arguments over who would win between Batman and Superman may finally be settled as these esteemed superheroes come together for what is set to be a cinematic experience of epic proportions.
Even though Christian Bale has handed over the keys of the Batmobile to Ben Affleck, there is every chance that Dawn of Justice could surpass the previous Caped Crusader’s box office performances.
As for Superman, well 2013’s Man of Steel raked in $668 million, while big screen debuts for Wonder Women and Aquaman as well as cameos from Cyborg and the Flash will undoubtedly boost audience appeal and set the foundations in place for future offerings from this franchise.
The Jungle Book
How can you improve on a classic like The Jungle Book? Well, at the Disney D23 Expo in 2015, a sneak peak of this awe-inspiring CGI live-action adaptation stunned audiences and astonished critics.
Talking animals and catchy musical numbers were enough to propel the original to iconic status, but the 2016 remake will benefit from Hollywood voices including Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Scarlett Johansson, Idris Elba, and Christopher Walken, all under the masterful direction of Jon Favreau.
If Cinderella’s $542 million box performance in 2015 is anything to go by, then The Jungle Book will surely be one of Disney’s biggest and best films of next year.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
When it comes to film franchises, they don’t get much more impressive than Harry Potter. The series achieved $7.7 billion at the worldwide box office and another $2+ billion in home entertainment. Five of the eight movies also topped $900+ million, while the last release brought in a whopping $1.3 billion.
Therefore, a spinoff of J.K. Rowling’s boy wizard franchise has got cinema success written all over it. Although it won’t be released until late 2016, you can expect fans of the magical creatures that live within Harry Potter’s universe to be in ‘full countdown mode’ long before .
Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne plays the film’s lead Newt Scamander, while other cast members such as Katherine Waterston and Colin Farrell will boost the appeal of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them further.
