To most of us, summers mean barbecues, brews and lazy days spent poolside. But in the film business, this time of year is anything but relaxing. Ever since 1996, when Warner Bros. kicked Memorial Day to the curb and released Twister on an unprecedented May 10, the summer cinema season has begun roaring earlier.
The strategy behind movie release dates is an imprecise science at best, but it’s clear summer is a time when the industry can aim for the whole family, so the competition is fierce.
Studios need the weeks between May and early September to rake in a sizable portion of their revenues. And, to all of us paying attention, the power of those ubiquitous PR campaigns is evident for months beforehand. Despite overall box office being down over previous years, summer is still a relative boom time.
But what makes a flick worthy of summer? Sure, the season always sees art-house films peppered throughout, but to qualify for the summer season, a flick must be big in concept, marketing and execution. That in mind, we run down the kahunas of summer 2013 and analyze which ones will make the grade.
Iron Man 3 (May 3)
Let the games begin with a blockbuster that could rival the 2012 mega-hit The Avengers from Disney, which dropped this same frame last summer and raked in $1.5 billion globally—with $200 million-plus of that earned just in its opening weekend. Robert Downey Jr. pocketed a whopping $50 million for his part—from Disney's standpoint, this was money well spent, assuming it further fuels anticipation for the latest installment of his mammoth Iron Man franchise. Word of mouth is already huge, what with new villain, the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley); Gwyneth Paltrow’s Pepper Potts getting to suit up; some 13 TV spots in rotation, including a late-release trailer that teases at the apparent system failure of Tony Stark’s tech-heavy armor; and Downey hinting that his Iron Man days could be over after 3—ahead of Avengers 2 and Iron Man 4.
SSN Insight: Tie-ins, promos and contests, oh my: the IM3 supercool Marvel Lego Super Heroes posters, which pave the way for an all-platform videogame; a hookup with kid fave Subway for Iron Man cards that can score participants deals and prizes; a children’s novelization; a trailer trivia sweepstakes; and yet another partnership with Audi on several groundbreaking models, including a seven-speed, V10-available roadster sure to drive motorheads mad. If this doesn’t have a lock on summer, nothing does.
The Great Gatsby (May 10)
The book is beloved, and a myriad of stage and screen versions have come and gone. The novel's fan base who would welcome any incarnation of the Fitzgerald masterpiece. This one, however, is helmed by Baz Luhrmann, who knows a thing or two about cinematic spectacles and planned from the get-go to update F. Scott Fitzgerald’s masterpiece, and he ups the ante with 3-D filming. Marketing has been purposeful, with additional visibility coming from a “VIP Getaway Sweepstakes” hawked daily on Good Morning America/Yahoo! And soon after the film’s U.S. debut, it kicks off the celebrated Cannes Film Festival.
SSN Insight: Okay, so literature—classic though it may be—and period piece do not scream “summer hit.” But throw in hitmaker Leonardo DiCaprio as the eponymous gent; rising-star Carey Mulligan, who won the part after Johannson pulled out and tells Vogue her Daisy Buchanan is “like a Kardashian”; Miuccia Prada and Brooks Brothers’ custom fashions; a Jay-Z score with tunes from the likes of Jay, Florence + the Machine, Beyoncé, Will.I.Am, Lana Del Rey, Gotye and Jack White; and Jake Gyllenhaal voicing the tie-in audiobook … and suddenly younger moviegoers are paying attention.
Peeples (May 10)
Haven’t heard of Peeples? How ’bout this: Tyler Perry Presents Peeples. The prolific, can’t-miss producer (screenwriter, songwriter, playwright, actor, director…) and his go-to studio, Lionsgate, are releasing their 12th flick. Taking the number 20 slot on Forbes’ World’s Most Powerful Celebrities list, Perry has created an empire, his cinematic efforts ringing up more than a half-billion dollars. He’s been called the male Oprah more than once; he went public about the sexual abuse he suffered as a child in a teary sit-down with her, finally opening the topic for discussion among men. And on the big screen, he’s carved a niche with audiences by shining a tender, touching and humorous light on the African-American experience. Peeples, with first-time director Tina Gordon Chism at the helm, is more of the same—and, as a box-office watcher, that’s not a bad thing.
SSN Insight: Peeples just happens to be a summer release, but iPerry has proven he’s a man for any season.
Star Trek: Into Darkness (May 17)
J.J. Abrams shepherds the 12th film in the iconic franchise, reuniting with much of his 2009 Star Trek cast, including Zachary Quinto, Chris Pine, Karl Urban and Zoe Saldana, among others. Details have been appropriately sketchy, leaving devotees wanting and wondering. But high-profile teasers dropped during the Super Bowl, the MTV Movie Awards and, the final one, on iTunes, which set off ripples of anticipation with its depiction of an epic face-off between Captain Kirk and über-badass John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch). Some promos include: Easter eggs to ignite the viral spin on social media; an iPad app allows users to unlock over-and-above content in advance of the film; and Star Trek: The Video Game, voiced by the film’s stars.
SSN Insight: Sometimes it’s all about the buzz—and this one's is loud. Abrams’ 2009 foray garnered a relatively tame $390 million globally, but it left Trekkies salivating for more. That goodwill could shine a blindingly bright light on Darkness.
Epic (May 24)
What if you were tiny and mighty enough to partake in the lush world beneath our feet, to join in the confluence of bugs and flora and be instrumental in their eternal push-pull? Following Disney/Pixar’s genre-bending, girl-power Brave comes this, well, epic tale of a little girl’s battle for good over evil. This one comes by way of 20th Century Fox Animation and CGI leader Blue Sky Studios and widely expounds on William Joyce’s delightful children’s book The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs. Oscar-winning director Chris Wedge, who cofounded Blue Sky and helmed both Ice Age and Robots, wrangles an all-star voice cast, including Amanda Seyfried, Colin Farrell, Josh Hutcherson, Beyoncé Knowles, Pitbull and Steven Tyler.
SSN Insight: Wedge calls Epic a “a gigantic action-adventure movie.” But beyond that, its stunningly lush, wondrous environs appeals to the kid in all of us, as everyone at one time has wondered about the micro-universe under our feet. Memorial Day weekend is a perfect time to find out.
Fast & Furious 6 (May 24)
In mid-April, theater owners at CinemaCon voted this the summer flick most likely to succeed. Do they know something the rest of us don't? The films are monumentally popular with adrenaline junkies, collectively grossing upwards of $1.5 billion and one of the first franchises to grow an audience with a truly multicultural cast, including Dwayne Johnson, Tyrese Gibson, Vin Diesel, Ludacris, Sung Kang and Michelle Rodriguez—the latter back after fan outcry over her apparent death in the fourth installment. Suffice it to say 6 ups the ante on exotic locales, butt-kicking and high-octane mean machines. Justin Lin helms his fourth in the series.
SSN Insight: So, 6 hasn’t even opened, but a release date for 7 was just revealed at CinemaCon: July 11, 2014, in the shadow of X-Men: Days of Future Past and Hercules. Studio confidence is, shall we say, high.
The Hangover, Part III (May 24)
The Wolfpack is back, baby, to wreak havoc on Sin City once again. Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis rejoin forces with franchise director Todd Phillips and many of the beloved supporting misfits for their “epic finale”—their third Memorial Day opening. Despite some hoo-ha over Warner Bros.’ lackluster social-media engagement, nearly 90,000 Tweets were sent and the film jumped a staggering 15 percent on Facebook’s “Like” count following the first trailer and posters.
SSN Insight: With the first two installments responsible for a joint half-billion dollars, the shenanigans of III are sure to plenty of laughs and box-office gold.
After Earth (June 7)
Just as the hubbub over Tom Cruise’s Oblivion fades, along comes king of summer Will Smith and his tween heartthrob/son Jaden—coincidentally bestowed the Teen Choice Award for Best Summer Movie Star—to take on the apocalypse, under the direction of M. Night Shyamalan. This is their second father-son teaming since Jaden’s debut film, The Pursuit of Happyness, in 2006. The film finds the Smiths (aka Cypher and Kitai Raige) on a mission to Earth 1,000 years after humanity has abandoned the planet. Cataclysmic events ensue, dad is wounded and son is left to prove his mettle and help them return home—amid jaw-dropping visuals, of course. Viral trailers have been teasing fans for months, and there’s a stunning interactive companion book, After Earth: United Ranger Corps Survival Manual.
SSN Insight: Shyamalan’s last film, The Last Airbender, was a lackluster summer 2010 performer, but the writer-director’s rep precedes him. Throw in the can’t-lose Smiths, and the sci-fi thrillseekers will be lined up for this futuristic big-screen ride.
The Internship (June 7)
Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson and director Shawn Levy reteam after the 2012 success of The Watch to flesh out Vaughn’s story of two fortysomethings who land a last-ditch internship at Google after the loss of their old-school sales careers. Here's a classic fish-out-of-water tale with a new-generation twist as the normally cloistered Google itself provides synergy, including a long-desired peek at the Mountain View HQ—known for self-driving cars, endless snacks, state-of-the-art gyms, massages, errand concierges and campus bikes—a Google Play YouTube landing for the trailers and a Google+ Hangout for the latest film info and access to the stars. If you loved Vaughn and Wilson as party boys in Wedding Crashers, this is your ticket.
SSN Insight: Summer is prime time for comedies—and this one leads the 2013 pack.
This Is the End (June 12)
It’s a stoner comedy! No, wait, it’s a fight for survival. Wrong again! It’s a newfangled buddy flick that finds real-life pals Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Danny McBride and Craig Robinson playing fake versions of their real-life selves, along with such real-life fake supporting characters as Michael Cera, Mindy Kaling, Rihanna and Emma Watson. They’re partying—hard—at Franco’s housewarming when the apocalypse hits right outside their door. Do they have what it takes to survive? One thing’s for sure: Distributor Sony is betting that audiences have a lot of fun finding out.
SSN Insight: The film, sparked from Rogen, Evan Goldberg and Jason Stone’s 2007 short Jay and Seth vs. the Apocalypse, has seen both title and release date changes. Despite a veritable Rat Pack of Young Hollywood favorites, it remains to be seen if it can bring in a mainstream audience.
Man of Steel (June 14)
April 18 marks 75 years since the Son of Krypton first appeared in Action Comics #1 … and he’s been flying high ever since. Hollywood hasn’t always done right by the iconic do-gooder, but Warner Bros./DC is hoping—after triumphing in some legal wrangling with the families of Superman’s creators—that Zack Snyder, who brought us 300 and The Watchmen, will give him his due, with a storyline by Dark Knight crafters Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer. Early word focuses on Clark Kent’s torment over where he came from and what kind of man he wants to be, and suggests a brooding tenderness not apparent in previous versions. But, just as fans were thinking this version would be action-thin, trailers dropped showing supersize, mind-numbing VFX. Tie-ins include a series of HarperCollins children’s books and a new DC comic; an action figure with the film’s redesigned skintight costume and a lifelike Henry Cavill head; and a partnership with Walmart to sell tickets to an advance screening, a first for this or any retailer.
SSN Insight: Warner Bros. and DC hope to revitalize the Superman series with this film and ramp up to a Marvel size cross-pollination of superheroes with that long-awaited, off-and-on Justice League movie.
Monsters University (June 21)
Computer-animation leader Pixar goes deep on a prequel to 2001’s beloved Monsters Inc. Billy Crystal and John Goodman return as Mike and Sully, and it seems things weren’t always so collegial between the now inseparable Scarers. The likes of Helen Mirren, John Krasinski, Sean Hayes and Nathan Fillion join the all-star cast. Disney’s tie-in Stepford-esque “university” Website—complete with course catalogue, campus map, fraternities and a college store—is so eerily lifelike, you want to apply.
SSN Insight: The movie has been so long in development that its faithful are now grown beyond the movie's demographic. And though social media lurched when a Film Resolution writer caught a continuity glitch between Inc. and University (did Mike and Sully meet in fourth grade … or in college?), that won’t matter a lick to a whole new generation of tykes ready to fall in love.
World War Z (June 21)
Brad Pitt and zombies—nowadays, box-office heat emanates from both. Put ’em together in a post-apocalyptic horror epic based on the chilling Max Brooks novel of first-person zombie sightings, and summer audiences are sure to be on the edge of their seat. However, the movie was pushed back six months, more than one writer was brought in to pen reshoots, and Vulture recently reported that Pitt was so irked with the film’s progress he stopped speaking to director Marc Forster—this after personally seeing to his hire.
SSN Insight: Pitt made a surprise appearance in front of Paramount's rollout of its slate at this year's CinemaCon where the reaction to Z’s sneak peeks was over the top. Whether it was Pitt or the movie that wowed the crowd, only long-term box office will reveal.
The Heat (June 28)
A female buddy cop movie? Perhaps the time has come—or that’s what 20th Century Fox is betting on by casting real-life Miss Congeniality Sandra Bullock and funnylady Melissa McCarthy as a by-the book FBI agent and a forget-the-book Boston cop. Hot on the heels of Identity Thief with Jason Bateman, McCarthy is this close to typecasting herself as the wackadoodle big girl, but for now she’s wearing it well. Extra goodwill is due the movie’s powers-that-be for the advance screening they arranged for Boston-area law enforcement.
SSN Insight: The cinematic territory is well trodden, but the stars' likability factor is through the roof, and their chemistry is undeniable. Should haul in big laughs.
White House Down (June 28)
Channing Tatum. Need we say more? He teamed with The Rock and Bruce Willis in March for GI Joe: Retaliation and scored the second-largest Easter opening ever. Now he saves Mr. President (Jamie Foxx) himself. All that’s missing is the white horse. Disaster-movie king Roland Emmerich—of 2012, Independence Day and more than a billion in global box office—directs.
SSN Insight: So what if White House’s Columbia and Olympus Has Fallen’s FilmDistrict moved their flag-waving thrillers so they wouldn’t face off, despite the former being about a domestic terrorist threat and the latter being about extremist North Koreans? People’s Sexiest Man Alive is on a roll, and he commands serious appeal to both male and female audiences. Sony will likely be smiling after this opening weekend.
Despicable Me 2 (July 3)
Perhaps in the past weeks, you’ve eyed your local skies and seen it: Universal’s Despicablimp, the only movie marketing stunt to have its own Command Center, where you can share photographic evidence, score prizes and screenings or even win a ride. Yes, the push for the sequel to the behemoth Despicable Me—as in half-billion dollars since summer 2010—is on, touting cool cars, gadgets, weapons, the lovably gruff Gru and his too-cute-for-words Minions. Steve Carell, Russell Brand and Miranda Cosgrove are among the voices returning, joined by the likes of Al Pacino and Kristen Wiig. Already, part three is set for 2015, and a spinoff, The Minions, hits in December 2014, with Sandra Bullock as the villain.
SSN Insight: Universal and its can’t-miss animation studio, Illumination, are certainly confident in their defining franchise, placing it on Fourth of July movie weekend. All marketing hooks aside, this is all but guaranteed to be a huge performer.
The Lone Ranger (July 3)
A massive film built on massive hopes, from tent-pole kings Jerry Bruckheimer and Gore Verbinski, the team that joined mega-forces with Johnny Depp to bring us the $1.25 billion-plus grossing Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. This retelling of the classic frontier saga moves erstwhile sidekick Tonto (Depp) front-and-center alongside Armie Hammer’s eponymous hero. CinemaCon theater owners were delighted to see Disney trotting out the stars to stir up word of mouth. Alas, the film has been beset by talk of scene rewrites, production delays and budget overruns, having climbed back up from a reportedly lowered $215 million. Oscar winner Hans Zimmer took over the score in December, despite some buzz over the prospect of Jack White at the musical helm.
SSN Insight: With the John Carter debacle now in the studio’s rearview, suits are hoping for a cinematic “Hi-yo, Silver!” And though it doesn’t appear Lone Ranger will make phase one of the much-anticipated Disney Infinity character-bonanza videogame and figurines, it’s slated for a later rollout should the film perform up to snuff.
Grown Ups 2 (July 12)
Adam Sandler’s first sequel reunites him with old-school buds Kevin James, Chris Rock and David Spade (Rob Schneider had to sit this one out) for some more pastoral summertime hijinks. Droves of teen boys helped the first flick garner almost $300 million, and the addition of young bloods Taylor Lautner, Andy Samberg and Patrick Schwarzenegger in 2 should reel in the female quotient as well this time.
SSN Insight: Oscar-schmoscar. With lifetime box-office grosses in the neighborhood of $2 billion, Razzie Award champ Sandler can laugh all the way to the bank. The tweens and teens couldn’t love him more and neither could Sony.
Pacific Rim (July 12)
It’s going to be a big summer for Warner Bros., as the studio follows its high-profile early-season releases with an apocalyptic popcorn flick produced and financed by Legendary Entertainment that emanated from anywhere but central casting. Fantasy-fiction maestro Guillermo del Toro pits giant robots called Jaegers against swarms of invading gargantuan creatures known as Kaiju (Japanese for, yes, giant monster)—and calls upon a cast of relative unknowns to save humanity. This year’s fanboy haven WonderCon brought the reveal of a graphic-novel prequel penned by del Toro and creator Travis Beacham, with cover art by revered comics illustrator Alex Ross.
SSN Insight: Test screenings and advance word is purportedly strong, as both Beacham and del Toro are both already inked for the sequel.
Turbo (July 17)
Due in part to the disappointing returns on Rise of the Guardians last November, DreamWorks Animation recently laid off 350 of its 2,200 staffers. The Croods’ rousing reception in March to the tune of $400-plus million global cheered the company's spirits and sparked plans for a sequel for the lovable cave family. Now comes this Wednesday-opening adventure of a snail who dreams of defying nature and zoomig fast enough to compete in the Indy. Ryan Reynolds is the eponymous mollusk, with Paul Giamatti, Samuel L. Jackson, Snoop Dogg and Maya Rudolph voicing his cohorts. Promos include a synergistic linkup with Firestone on a chance to win a sortie to the 2013 Indy 500; and, in hopes of a long-life tie-in, Netflix continues its march into original programming by pairing with DWA on the companion animated series Turbo: F.A.S.T. (Fast Action Stunt Team).
SSN Insight: This high-concept kiddie tale is exactly what summer family audiences crave. Kids plus animation plus summer equals a match made in Hollywood heaven.
R.I.P.D. (July 19)
Ryan Reynolds is dead! But shed no tears, because after the killed-in-action SWAT officer wafts up to heaven, he’s recruited by hard-ass gatekeeper Mary-Louise Parker into the Rest in Peace Department and partnered up with Jeff Bridges (Zach Galifianakis had to drop out due to the ubiquitous scheduling conflict), who once took names as a Wild West gunslinger. Together they hand out payback to the evil undead … while appearing to mortals as an old Chinese guy and a smokin’ hot babe. Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi (Aeon Flux, Clash of the Titans) wrote the Universal sci-fi comedy based on the Peter Lenkov graphic novel and directed by Robert Schwentke (RED, The Time Traveler’s Wife).
SSN Insight: A nice twist on the buddy cop genre and said to be deadly funny. Sequel, anyone?
The Wolverine (July 26)
As 20th Century Fox drops summer’s only other Marvel release against Disney’s Iron Man 3, one wonders which superhero will rule the summer box office. Hugh Jackman is ripped perfection in his sixth turn as the clawed, flawed omnipotent title character, and fans are ready for Logan to soar solo. Once said to be a prequel to the X-Men trio, Wolverine actually, according to an Empire interview with director James Mangold (Knight and Day, Walk the Line), takes place afterwards. Christopher McQuarrie finally takes credit for the screenplay—along with Mark Bomback and Scott Frank—after toiling on the franchise behind the scenes with Bryan Singer.
SSN Insight: Given that the opening-day haul of the first Iron Man matched almost dollar for dollar the debut of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, this is destined to be a box-office battle royale.
300: Rise of an Empire (Aug. 2)
Warner Bros.’ prequel/sequel to the 2006 half-billion grossing 300 delves deeper into the bloody, brawny world of Bronze Age Greece and Persia. Rising to the top here are returnee Rodrigo Santoro’s Xerxes, Sullivan Stapleton’s Athenian general Themistokles and Eva Green’s ravishing Persian leader, Artemisia—and word is the latter two, though mortal enemies, steam up the screen quite palpably. While Man of Steel duties kept him from captaining the ship, original director Zack Snyder did co-pen the script and Israeli commercial filmmaker Noam Murro—relatively unproven as a feature director—takes over the helm.
SSN Insight: Though USA Today ran some stills, the film has had a slew of name changes, the CinemaCon trailer was a work in progress, and it’s been six years since 300. One wonders whether the appetite for a sequel is still keen among fanboys.
Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (Aug. 7)
Continuing the ancient Greece theme, this sequel to Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, which grossed more than $225 million globally, finds young Perseus (Logan Lerman)—aka the son of Poseidon—on a crusade to retrieve the storied Golden Fleece and save his posse’s Camp Half-Blood. Relatively old guard Pierce Brosnan and Uma Thurman aren’t returning due to other obligations, but youngblood buds Brandon T. Jackson and Alexandra Daddario are back. Previous director Chris Columbus produces, and the film remains close to his heart, but the directing baton has passed to kid-movie prince Thor Freudenthal (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Hotel for Dogs).
SSN Insight: Fox had high hopes for the bestselling Percy Jackson to be their Harry Potter, but the first film didn’t exactly break box office records.This time around, they’ve tempered expectations, and they're still banking onthe series of five fantasy adventures, overflowing with monsters, mythology and machinations. The books have won their author Rick Riordan legions of fans—who may turn out in enough numbers to score a pleasing hit for Fox.
Planes (Aug. 9)
This long-awaited spinoff of the nearly $1 billion worldwide grosser Cars franchise is the first in a planned trilogy. But where Cars was from the esteemed Pixar, Planes is brought to us by direct-to-DVD house DisneyToon. Indeed, Planes was originally conceived as a direct-to-DVD spinoff, but when über-animator and producer John Lasseter and his esteemed brain trust saw the film, they deemed it worthy enough for theatrical. High praise indeed. Dane Cook is a lowly crop duster in Propwash Junction with dreams of soaring into the flight record books. A-list voices include Anthony Edwards and Val Kilmer as F-18 fighter jets Bravo and Echo (ahem, Top Gun, people?), along with John Cleese, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Gabriel Iglesias, Brad Garrett, Teri Hatcher and more. Tie-ins include a high-flying videogame available exclusively on Nintendo platforms.
SSN Insight: For better or worse, little ones have been waiting to board Planes since they were, well, little. How good it is almost doesn’t matter.
Kick-Ass 2: Balls to the Wall (Aug. 16)
The sequel to the $100 million-grossing 2010 nerdfest from the Mark Millar/John Romita Jr. adventure comic brings more of the same—and that’s just what the fanboys want. The eponymous Everyteen superhero, Hit Girl, archenemy Red Mist (Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Chloë Grace Moretz and Christopher Mintz-Plasse, respectively) are joined by nefarious new tights-donners Jim Carrey, Donald Faison and John Leguizamo, among others. Director Jeff Wadlow of the disappointing Never Back Down was reportedly handpicked by the original’s Matthew Vaughn as he was helming X-Men: First Class.
SSN Insight: The Red Band trailer proves the movie earns its R rating every which way, and the audience is decidedly niche. Still, for those who fit the bill, it’s the ideal do-gooding summer escapism.
The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (Aug. 23)
Sony takes on the first cinematic rendering of massively popular Cassandra Clare young-adult fantasy series, wherein ordinary teenager Clary (Lily Collins, daughter of rocker Phil) finds herself beset by zombies, werewolves and demons—oh, my! Harold Zwart (The Karate Kid, Pink Panther 2) directs. Tie-ins include three companion tomes—a behind-the-scenes photo essay, an introduction to the books’ mystical Shadowhunters and a special paperback edition of City of Bones.
SSN Insight: If the response to past YA literary franchises—Harry Potter, Twilight, Hunger Games, et al.)—is any indication, The Mortal Instruments movies will live to tell. Constantin Films is developing Clare’s prequel series, Infernal Devices.
One Direction: This Is Us (Aug. 30)
Labor Day is typically a sleepy movie weekend and an end-of-summer dumping ground for studios. Past years have brought us the arguably unwatchable All About Steve, Shark Night 3-D, Knock Off and 2012’s monumental dud Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure. But teen-idol worship may rule Labor Day this year. Miley did it, Justin followed, and now the U.K. boy band One Direction are getting their big-screen due. Remember, the top-40 reality-TV phenoms formed in 2010 on Simon Cowell’s X Factor (where they only placed third) and skyrocketed to success through social media. By June 2012, they were sitting atop a $50 million empire.
SSN Insight: The movie’s official poster is made up of fan photos, the product of a massive viral campaign. The movie may come and go, but it’s sure going to have a big sendoff.