After a May loaded with Marvel and Star Wars, June will see some different potential summer blockbusters storm theaters, aiming to give moviegoers a change of pace. Leading them is Warner Bros./Village Roadshow’s “Ocean’s 8,” an all-female spin-off of Steven Soderbergh’s “Ocean’s Trilogy” that is considered one of the riskier wide releases coming out this summer.
This is the second straight year Warner Bros turned to women to bring in big summer bucks. Last year, the studio had the movie of the summer, Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot’s “Wonder Woman,” which grossed $412.5 million during its domestic run and became the flag-bearer in the push for more major films that prominently feature women in the cast and crew.
“Ocean’s 8,” a decidedly different movie, isn’t expected to make nearly as much — as early tracking has its opening weekend set at roughly $30 million against a production budget of $70 million. It was made for much cheaper than “Wonder Woman” — which was produced with more than double the “Ocean’s” budget at $149 million.
Still, a $30 million opening is likely a lower figure than the studio wants (all films in the franchise, starting with 2001’s “Ocean’s Eleven,” topped that number on their respective debuts). WB is probably hoping that tracking trends upwards as the film’s release nears and that moviegoers who have demanded more films with women in typically male roles will turn out for this gender-flipped spinoff of a series known for suave dudes planning heists in exotic locales.
“Ocean’s 8” will have some distance between it and the big blockbusters that come before and after, going against a third-weekend “Solo” on its release, with two weeks until “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” hits theaters, signaling the return of triple-A blockbusters to movie theaters. In between “Ocean’s 8” and “Fallen Kingdom,” Disney will send in the Pixar sequel “Incredibles 2,” which may pull away female audiences depending on the word of mouth, and critical response, for this heist film.
In the place of George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon is a murderer’s row of actresses led by Sandra Bullock, who plays master thief Debbie Ocean. Debbie is the estranged sister of “Ocean’s Eleven” protagonist Danny Ocean, and apparently shares his penchant for stealing untold millions in ridiculous, risky thefts. But while Danny targeted Vegas casinos, Debbie stages a plot to steal a necklace worth over $100 million during the star-studded Met Gala in New York.
Joining Bullock on the cast as Debbie’s crew are Cate Blanchett, Sarah Paulson, Mindy Kaling, Awkwafina, Rihanna, and Helena Bonham Carter. Anne Hathaway, meanwhile, plays Debbie’s target: a starlet named Daphne Kluger who will be wearing the priceless necklace to the gala.
Gary Ross is directing the film from a script he co-wrote with Olivia Milch. Soderbergh is producing the film with Susan Ekins. Watch the trailer below.