Multiple blockbuster movies were released this summer, but which did the students here at Rockbridge see? The Prowler ran a poll asking students which of the 14 biggest movies they saw this summer. We received 106 responses, here are the results:
Only one student saw “28 Years Later.” Two students saw “Elio” and two saw “Smurfs.” Three watched “Freakier Friday” and three saw “The Naked Gun.” “F1: The Movie” had four students in the theater along with four watching “Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning” and “The Bad Guys 2.” Six watched “Thunderbolts*.” Seven saw “Lilo and Stitch (Live-Action).” Ten students watched “Fantastic Four: First Steps.” Eleven people saw “Jurassic World: Rebirth.” Twelve people saw “Superman”, and a whopping 20 students saw “How to Train Your Dragon (Live-Action)” in theaters. However, 29 students said they didn’t watch any of these movies.
With these results, we can see what entices students to go to the theaters. The movie with the most attention from students was “How to Train Your Dragon (Live-Action)” released on June 13. It makes sense that this would be the most popular among this generation because it’s a remake of a movie from their childhood. Kids who grew up with the original “How to Train Your Dragon” movies are driven by nostalgia to go and see this new one. The reviews from students back this up, with many saying the movie brought back memories from their childhood and they were glad that not much was changed from the original.
Released on June 2, “Jurassic World: Rebirth,” the seventh movie in the “Jurassic Park” franchise, was the school’s most disliked movie with 50 percent of the reviews we received being negative. Students said that it was not worth it, boring, and one even claimed they fell asleep during the movie.
“Superman” released on July 11 was the most popular non-sequel or shot for shot remake. I would attribute its success to the anticipation from fans wanting a better Superman movie than Zach Snyder’s “Man of Steel.” Many students compared the two and said they enjoyed the hopeful themes of “Superman” over the darker tone of the Snyder films.
“Elio” released on June 2 and “F1: The Movie” released June 27 are the only films on this list that do not come from a pre-established IP (Intellectual Property). Even still, “F1: The Movie” is based on the extremely popular Formula 1 racing league. It seems that every year there are less and less original films and more using beloved movies or popular franchises as their selling point.
The largest percentage of students polled said they didn’t go to the theaters at all this summer. The combination of raised ticket prices (now eight dollars at RC theaters) and the rise of streaming services has led to decreased theater viewership. Overall, even with less interest in theaters, it seems that students really enjoyed this summer’s movie releases.
