Early tracking numbers have come in for one of the most anticipated titles of the summer: Warner Bros. and DC Films' "Wonder Woman," due in theaters on June 2, and they're all over the map.
The majority of independent trackers have set a domestic opening weekend in the $65 million range -- while one outlying service projects a whopping $105 million debut.
No one expects director Patty Jenkins' film to match the $166 million opening for last year's "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" or the $133 million opening for "Suicide Squad," which earned mostly poor reviews and ultimately suboptimal box office results.
But Warner Bros. would be delighted with a debut that came close to the launch of some of Marvel's recent franchises, including 2015's "Ant-Man" ($57 million domestic opening) or last year's "Doctor Strange" ($85 million). That would be a major triumph for a movie fronted by a female superhero, played by relative newcomer Gal Gadot as opposed to more familiar big-screen stars like Paul Rudd or Benedict Cumberbatch.
For "Wonder Woman," the true test is whether it can avoid the steep second-weekend drop that has plagued its recent DC predecessors. All three films in the Zack Snyder-helmed universe have taken a big hit after opening weekend once poor critical reception and word of mouth poisoned moviegoer interest outside of DC's hardcore fans. "BvS," "Squad" and "Man of Steel" have all suffered second-week drop-offs between 65 and 70 percent, with "BvS" having the highest second-week total with a mere $51 million.
Compare that to "Captain America: Civil War" and "Iron Man 3," which kept their drop-offs just under 60 percent by posting $72 million in their second frame.
In addition, the June 2 release slot means "Wonder Woman" will face much stiffer competition after its opening than "BvS" or "Suicide Squad" did. Despite their drop-offs, those films stayed at No. 1 in their second frame as they faced competition like "God's Not Dead 2" and "Sausage Party," neither of which were aimed at a mainstream audience.
"Wonder Woman," meanwhile, will find itself trading paint with Pixar's "Cars 3," which looks to continue the major box office success enjoyed by "Finding Dory" last year, along with Universal's reboot of "The Mummy." With such major competition dividing moviegoers' attention, "Wonder Woman," probably more than any other tentpole release this summer, needs to have strong word of mouth to ensure enduring success throughout June and to restore fans' trust in the direction of the DCEU prior to its first big ensemble feature, "Justice League," which is due out this November.
The good news is that the film got a solid social media push this past weekend after a new trailer for the film was featured at the MTV Movie Awards on Sunday, along with a sneak peek clip aired during Fox's "Gotham." According to comScore, "Wonder Woman" scored 28,000 new conversations on social media this past week, second only to "Dunkirk," which released a new trailer this past week and got a major social media boost from Twitter-savvy One Direction fans anticipating Harry Styles' first major movie appearance.
Warner has been reserved with its advertising for the film so far, but the tracking data shows anticipation is still high regardless, and promotion for the film is expected to ramp up in the coming weeks once "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" has run its course with comic book movie fans.
Much of the marketing department's job has already been done for them, as Wonder Woman had a featured role in "Batman v Superman" last year as part of an effort to increase interest in the character. The cameo worked, as while other elements of the film were heavily criticized, Gadot's portrayal of Themiscyra's greatest champion was better received with critics and fans alike.
"Wonder Woman" will see Gadot return to the titular role to portray the rise of Diana, daughter of Hippolyta, from an Amazonian warrior princess to an internationally-known hero in the patriarchal society that lies beyond the paradise she calls home.
Her introduction to the place she calls Man's World comes in the form of American World War I airman Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), who tells her of the horrors happening outside of Themiscyra. Shocked by the news, Diana decides to leave Themiscyra with Steve and travel to London to bring an early end to the war.
The film also stars Robin Wright, Danny Huston, David Thewlis, and Connie Nielsen. Zack and Deborah Snyder are producing the film with Richard Suckle and Charles Roven.
13 Summer Movie Breakout Stars, From Zendaya to Brenton Thwaites (Photos)
Summer blockbuster season is mostly known for top stars like Chris Pratt and Robert Downey, Jr., but it also gives plenty of young indie actors and Hollywood newcomers a chance to make a big introduction on a worldwide stage. 2017 will be no different, as this year's top blockbusters are filled with roles that will be played by some intriguing actors. Here are the ones you should look out for.
Pom Klementieff ("Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2")
Having cut her teeth working on French indie films, Klementieff added martial arts to her skill set by taking boxing lessons to grab the role of a bodyguard in Spike Lee's remake of the Korean thriller "Oldboy." She may use those skills again in "Guardians 2" as Mantis, a new member of the Guardians with empathic powers. Klementieff looks to be in with Marvel for the long haul, as Mantis is also slated to appear in "Avengers: Infinity War."
Jon Bass ("Baywatch")
Jon Bass gets to hang out with the hottest lifeguards on the planet, including Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Zac Efron, Alexandra Daddario and Kelly Rohrbach, on whom he has an obvious crush in the movie. Also this year, he starred as Phil Hirschkopf in Oscar-nominated film "Loving," so this might be his breakout year.
Annabelle Wallis ("King Arthur: Legend of the Sword" and "The Mummy")
Wallis is starring in two huge movies coming out in the next couple months: "The Mummy" alongside Tom Cruise and "King Arthur: Legend of the Sword" with Charlie Hunnam. Previously, she's had little roles in "X-Men: First Class," "Annabelle" and "The Brothers Grimsby," but she apparently has a major role in "The Mummy."
Brenton Thwaites ("Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales")
Thwaites stars as Henry, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley's son, in the fifth "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie. The handsome Australian, who tries to free his father Will Turner from the Flying Dutchman, also currently has five projects in development, including "Office Uprising" and "Ghosts of War." Think you've seen him before? He starred as Prince Phillip in 2014's "Maleficent."
Amandla Stenberg ("Everything, Everything")
The young actress may be best known for playing the young Rue in the original "Hunger Games," but she steps into a starring role in this adaptation of a YA best-seller about a teenager who lives a very sheltered life thanks to severe allergies to just about everything.
Demetrius Shipp, Jr. ("All Eyes On Me")
Shipp will play the late rap legend Tupac Shakur in the biopic "All Eyes On Me" opposite Jamal Woolard, who will play The Notorious B.I.G. after previously playing him eight years ago in the film, "Notorious.
Jaeden Lieberher ("The Book of Henry")
Speaking of characters with photosensitivity, Jaeden Lieberher played one last summer in the critically acclaimed indie sci-fi flick "Midnight Special." This year, he will play a prodigy who comes up with an elaborate plan to rescue his best friend from her abusive stepfather, who is also the head of their town's police department. If you're interested in seeing the remake of "It," you should give this film a look, as Lieberher will also appear as one of the kids trying to defeat Pennywise the Clown.
Isabela Moner ("Transformers: The Last Knight")
Moner is making the leap from tween star on Nickelodeon's "100 Things To Do Before High School" to leading lady opposite Mark Wahlberg in Michael Bay's mega-franchise. She will play Izabella, a tomboy who befriends a small, damaged Autobot named Sqweeks after losing her parents during the battle in Chicago in "Dark of the Moon."
Zendaya ("Spider-Man: Homecoming")
Zendaya Coleman went from Disney Channel star to singer to starring in one of the biggest franchises in Hollywood. Playing a character named Michelle, she is supposed to be one of Tom Holland's classmates. She will also star in the upcoming "The Greatest Showman" costarring Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron -- and early footage looks mesmerizing.
Amiah Miller ("War for the Planet of the Apes")
As the war between apes and humans reaches a brutal climax, Miller will play Nova, a young girl who lost her parents in the war and gets adopted by an orangutan who serves as one of Caesar's closest advisers. What makes Miller's role especially interesting is that Nova also appeared in the original "Planet of the Apes" as a mute, wild human encounter by Charlton Heston's character after he crash lands amongst the apes.
Fionn Whitehead ("Dunkirk")
Whitehead makes his film debut in Christopher Nolan's "Dunkirk," starring Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh, Mark Rylance, Cillian Murphy and Harry Styles -- not bad company for your first feature. Nolan told Entertainment Weekly that he needed to find someone very new to showcase how young and inexperienced the soldiers on the beaches of Dunkirk, France were. He later found Whitehead, who only had a three-part ITV miniseries to his name.
Tom Taylor ("The Dark Tower")
Newcomer Tom Taylor was cast in the key role of Jake Chambers in "The Dark Tower," a young boy whom Idris Elba's Gunslinger encounters on the hunt for the man in black (Matthew McConaughey), and he is one of the key players in Roland's pursuit of the Dark Tower. Before this, he's mainly done TV series.
Patrick Schwarzenegger ("Midnight Sun")
That's right. Arnold's son is entering showbiz, though his first leading role is definitely no Terminator. Schwarzenegger will star opposite Bella Thorne in "Midnight Sun," a romantic film about a teen girl with a life-threatening sensitivity to sunlight who forms a romance with a long-time crush while keeping her condition a secret from him. Schwarzenegger had bit roles in "Stuck In Love" and "Grown Ups 2" before going to USC to get a business degree.
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TheWrap Summer Movie Preview 2017: This year's blockbusters could be a launch pad for these dozen up-and-coming actors
Summer blockbuster season is mostly known for top stars like Chris Pratt and Robert Downey, Jr., but it also gives plenty of young indie actors and Hollywood newcomers a chance to make a big introduction on a worldwide stage. 2017 will be no different, as this year's top blockbusters are filled with roles that will be played by some intriguing actors. Here are the ones you should look out for.
