Ranked: Every Summer Movie Season Since 1980 – Part 2 of 3 (UPDATED)

We continue our comparison of the best summer movie seasons since 1980. Join us as we compare every summer movie season since 1980! (Part 2 of 3)

Back in 2014 I created an algorithm to compare summer movie seasons. The purpose of this algorithm is to determine which summer movie seasons were the best, and which have been the worse. But a lot has changed in the movie landscape since 2014. While studios saw increased business and interest in their big-budget summer movies during the end of the 2010 decade, the impact of the pandemic and explosion of streaming options have had a negative impact on what had been traditionally the most exciting part of the year for those of us who watch films. I was interested to see just how significant the decline had been over the last three years, and to do so I decided to input those years into my summer movie algorithm.

Over the next week or so I will release my ranking of every summer movie season from 1980 to today (that’s 43 years of movies!). Hollywood had to do its fair share of experimenting over the years to determine what types of films would be most successful, and audience taste has certainly changed quicker than studios could catch up. As a result, some summer movie seasons have been better than others. We’ve reviewed them all for you and ranked them from worst to best. Check back later for Part 3 and 3!

Part 1 = #43 to #27 

Part 2 = #26 to #11

Part 3 = #10-1

To rank the summer movie seasons, I created an algorithm that utilizes several criteria. The algorithm looked at 4 criteria to determine how to rank the summer movie seasons:

1. Average Quality of the Movies Released
2. Quantity of Movies Released
3. Variety of Movies Released (Genres)
4. Popularity of Movies Released (Box Office Data)

Here is a diagram that explains all of the data that is listed below:

Now that we have all this data, let’s put it to good use! Here’s our ranking of summer movie seasons, continuing from Part 1, ranking from worst to best….

#27 – 1994

The summer of 1994 was full of underwhelming movie experiences. Sure, Hollywood tried to cater to contemporary tastes, but nothing really clicked. Forrest Gump and The Lion King are well-loved, but everything else is mostly forgettable.

 Studs:

• Maverick – May 1994 – $101m (67%)
• The Flintstones – May 1994 – $130m (22%)
• Speed – June 1994 – $121m (93%)
• The Lion King – June 1994 – $422m (90%)
• Forrest Gump – July 1994 – $329m (71%)
• True Lies – July 1994 – $146m (72%)
• The Mask – July 1994 – $119m (77%)
• Clear and Present Danger – August 1994 – $122m (82%)

Duds:

• Beverly Hills Cop III – May 1994 – $42m ($50m) (46%)
• Renaissance Man – June 1994 – $24m ($40m) (17%)
• City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly’s Gold – June 1994 – $43m ($40m) (19%)
• Wolf – June 1994 – $65m ($70m) (61%)
• Wyatt Earp – June 1994 – $25m ($63m) (42%)
• Baby’s Day Out – July 1994 – $16m ($50m) (21%)
• The Shadow – July 1994 – $31m ($40m) (35%)

Notables:

The Crow (82%), Angels in the Outfield (35%), The Client (80%)

#26 – 2011

2011 was a year lacking summer hits. With only three “Blockbusters” and thirteen flops, this year didn’t really captivate audiences too much. There were four superhero films that you would usually expect to have done well, but that wasn’t the case this year. The two released by Marvel didn’t do well enough to end up among the “Studs”. The two not released by Marvel both ended up as flops. Pixar released their worst film to date. That, if anything, should make you want to forget about this year. But it does have higher than average quality and a lot of quantity….so that’s…..something? 

Studs:

• The Hangover: Part 2 – May 2011 – $254m (35%)
• Transformers: Dark of the Moon – June 2011 – $352m (36%)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 – June 2011 – $381m (96%)

Duds:

• Priest – May 2011 – $29m ($60m) (16%)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides – May 2011 – $241m ($250m) (33%)
• The Tree of Life – May 2011 – $35m ($13m) (84%)
• X-Men: First Class – June 2011 – $146m ($160m) (87%)
• Green Lantern – June 2011 – $116m ($200m) (26%)
• Cars 2 – June 2011 – $191m ($200m) (39%)
• Zookeeper – July 2011 – $80m ($80m) (14%)
• Cowboys and Aliens – July 2011 – $100m ($168m) (44%)
• The Change-Up – August 2011 – $37m ($52m) (25%)
• Final Destination 5 – August 2011 – $42m ($40m) (61%)
• Conan the Barbarian – August 2011 – $21m ($90m) (24%)
• Fright Night – August 2011 – $18m ($30m) (72%)
• Columbiana – August 2011 – $36m ($40m) (27%)

Notables: 

Bridesmaids (90%), Thor (77%), Midnight in Paris (93%), Kung Fu Panda 2 (81%), Super 8 (82%), Mr. Popper’s Penguins (48%), Bad Teacher (45%), Horrible Bosses (69%), Captain America: The First Avenger (79%), Friends With Benefits (70%), Crazy Stupid Love (78%), The Smurfs (22%), Rise of the Planet of the Apes (82%), The Help (76%), The Debt (77%)

#25 – 2008

2008 started off the world domination of Marvel Studios with Iron Man, Pixar came out with another hit (WALL-E), Dreamworks Animation showed that it wasn’t that far behind (Kung Fu Panda), and The Dark Knight needs no introduction. So why is this year not higher on this list? There are a lot of flops. From the cringe-worthy (Don’t Mess With the Zohan, The Love Guru, Meet Dave), to the franchise-ruining (The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull), to the downright terrible (Babylon A.D., The Happening). This is one of those years where the misses drown out the hits.

Studs:

• Iron Man – May 2008 – $318m (93%)
• Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – May 2008 – $317m (78%)
• Sex and the City – May 2008 – $150m (50%)
• Kung Fu Panda – June 2008 – $215m (87%)
• WALL-E – June 2008 – $223m (96%)
• Hancock – July 2008 – $227m (41%)
• The Dark Knight – July 2008 – $533m (94%)

Duds:

• Speed Racer – May 2008 – $43m ($120m) (39%)
• The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian – May 2008 – $141m ($225m) (67%)
• The Happening – June 2008 – $64m ($60m) (17%)
• The Incredible Hulk – June 2008 – $134m ($137m) (67%)
• The Love Guru – June 2008 – $32m ($62m) (14%)
• Hellboy 2: The Golden Army – July 2008 – $75m ($82m) (87%)
• Meet Dave – July 2008 – $11m ($60m) (19%)
• Space Chimps – July 2008 – $37m ($30m) (34%)
• X-Files: I Want to Believe – July 2008 – $20m ($35m) (32%)
• The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor – August 2008 – $102m ($175m) (13%)
• Death Race – August 2008 – $36m ($64m) (43%)
• Babylon A.D. – August 2008 – $22m ($45m) (6%)

Notables:

What Happens in Vegas (27%), The Strangers (45%), Don’t Mess With the Zohan (37%), Get Smart (51%), Wanted (71%), Journey to the Center of the Earth (61%), Mamma Mia! (54%), Step Brothers (55%), Pineapple Express (68%), Tropic Thunder (83%), The House Bunny (41%)

#24 – 2009

This year gave us one of the most loves Pixar films to date (Up), and a well-loved reboot (Star Trek) but it also gave us some forgettable additions to some popular franchises (Terminator, Transformers, Ice Age), and saw some missteps by filmmakers who had been reliable up to this point (Public Enemies, Angels & Demons, Funny People).  

Studs

• X-Men Origins: Wolverine – May 2009 – $179m (38%)
• Star Trek – May 2009 – $257m (95%)
• Night at the Museum – Battle of the Smithsonian – May 2009 – $177m (44%)
• Up – May 2009 – $293m (98%)
• The Hangover – June 2009 – $277m (79%)
• The Proposal – June 2009 – $163m (44%)
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen – June 2009 – $402m (19%)
• Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs – July 2009 – $196m (45%)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – July 2009 – $301m (84%)

Duds:

• Angels & Demons – May 2009 – $133m ($150m) (37%)
• Terminator: Salvation – May 2009 – $125m ($200m) (33%)
• Land of the Lost – June 2009 – $49m ($100m) (26%)
• Imagine That – June 2009 – $16m ($55m) (40%)
• The Taking of Pelham 123 – June 2009 – $65m ($110m) (51%)
• Year One – June 2009 – $43m ($60m) (14%)
• Public Enemies – July 2009 – $97m ($102m) (68%)
• G-Force – July 2009 – $119m ($150m) (22%)
• Aliens in the Attic – July 2009 – $25m ($45m) (31%)
• Funny People – July 2009 – $51m ($72m) (68%)
• G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra – August 2009 – $150m ($175m) (35%)

Notables:

Bruno (68%), The Ugly Truth (13%), Julie & Julia (85%), District 9 (90%), The Hurt Locker (97%), The Time Traveller’s Wife (37%), Inglorious Basterds (88%), The Final Destination (29%)

#23 – 2012

Besides Avengers, 2012 was a year of underperforming films. Nothing else seemed to live up to expectations. The large number of flops and low ratings among those flops are proof that audiences weren’t very impressed. It also has the most flops of any year. Move on to the next one…  

Studs:

• Marvel’s The Avengers – May 2012 – $623m (92%)
• Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted – June 2012 – $216m (79%)
• Brave – June 2012 – $237m (78%)
• Ted – June 2012 – $218m (68%)
• The Amazing Spider-Man – July 2012 – $262m (73%)
• The Dark Knight Rises – July 2012 – $448m (88%)

Duds:

• Dark Shadows – May 2012 – $79m ($150m) (37%)
• The Dictator – May 2012 – $59m ($65m) (57%)
• Battleship – May 2012 – $65m ($209m) (34%)
• Men in Black 3 – May 2012 – $179m ($215) (70%)
• Snow White and the Huntsman – June 2012 – $155m ($170m) (48%)
• Rock of Ages – June 2012 – $38m ($70m) (41%)
• Prometheus – June 2012 – $126m ($125m) (73%)
• That’s My Boy – June 2012 – $36m ($67m) (20%)
• Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter – June 2012 – $37m ($67m) (35%)
• Savages – July 2012 – $47m ($45m) (51%)
• The Watch – July 2012 – $34m ($55m) (17%)
• Total Recall – August 2012 – $58m ($125m) (30%)
• The Bourne Legacy – August 2012 – $113m ($125) (55%)
• The Expendables II – August 2012 – $85m ($100m) (65%)
• ParaNorman – August 2012 – $56m ($60m) (87%)
• Premium Rush – August 2012 – $20m ($35m) (76%)

Notables:

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (78%), Moonrise Kingdom (94%), Magic Mike (80%), Madea’s Witness Protection (21%), Ice Age: Continental Drift (37%), Hope Springs (74%), Lawless (67%)

#22 – 2001

2001 may not win any awards due to the quality of its films, but it certainly gave audiences a lot to see. Because of the large quantity, there’s also a lot of variety. The Mummy Returns, Rush Hour 2, American Pie 2, and Dr. Dolittle 2 were all successful additions to franchises at the time, and a Jurassic Park film is always going to be a special summer movie experience. The Fast and Furious franchise started here, and so did Shrek. However, the quality of the films of 2001 was actually quite low in the grand scheme (no films above 90%!), and so it slid down the rankings. 

Studs:

• The Mummy Returns – May 2001 – $202m (47%)
• Shrek – May 2001 – $267m (89%)
• Pearl Harbor – May 2001 – $198m (25%)
• Jurassic Park III – July 2001 – $181m (49%)
• Planet of the Apes – July 2001 – $180m (45%)
• Rush Hour 2 – August 2001 – $226m (52%)

Duds:

• Angel Eyes – May 2001 – $24m ($38m) (33%)
• Atlantis: The Lost Empire – June 2001 – $84m ($90m) (49%)
• Evolution – June 2001 – $38m ($80m) (43%)
• Swordfish – June 2001 – $69m ($80m) (26%)
• Artificial Intelligence: AI – June 2001 – $78m ($90m) (73%)
• Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within – June 2001 – $32m ($137m) (44%)
• Osmosis Jones – August 2001 – $13m ($70m) (55%)
• Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – August 2001 – $25m ($70m) (29%)
• Ghosts of Mars – August 2001 – $8m ($28m) (21%)

Notables:

A Knight’s Tale (58%), Moulin Rouge (76%), The Animal (30%), Dr. Dolittle 2 (42%), The Fast and the Furious (53%), Cats & Dogs (54%), Scary Movie 2 (15%), Legally Blonde (68%), The Score (73%), America’s Sweethearts (31%), The Princess Diaries (25%), American Pie 2 (52%), The Others (83%), Rat Race (44%), Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (53%)

#21 – 2014

2014 has had an unusual number of high-rated summer releases (5 above 90%), yet it still left us wanting more. It had the fewest releases of any film year since 2007, a lot of flops, and a lack of variety among the hits. Perhaps the production studios let up a little bit this year in order to focus on 2015, which saw a lot of high-profile films released. Still, it was a decent summer for movies. 

Studs:

• The Amazing Spider-Man 2 – May 2014 – $202m (53%)
• Godzilla – May 2014 – $200m (73%)
• X-Men: Days of Future Past – May 2014 – $233m (91%)
• Maleficent – May 2014 – $238m (48%)
• Transformers: Age of Extinction – June 2014 – $244m (18%)
• Dawn of the Planet of the Apes – July 2014 – $205m (90%)
• Guardians of the Galaxy – August 2014 – $284m (92%)

Duds:

• Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return – May 2014 – $8m ($70m) (16%)
• Blended – May 2014 – $46m ($45m) (14%)
• A Million Days to Die in the West – $42m ($40m) (33%)
• Edge of Tomorrow – June 2014 – $100m ($178m) (90%)
• Deliver Us From Evil – July 2014 – $30m ($30m) (27%)
• Sex Tape – July 2014 – $38m ($40m) (18%)
• Hercules – July 2014 – $71m ($100m) (60%)
• Into The Storm – August 2014 – $43m ($50m) (21%)
• The Expendables 3 – August 2014 – $34m ($100m) (34%)
• Sin City: A Dame to Kill For – August 2014 – $12m ($65m) (46%)

Notables:

Neighbors (73%), The Fault in Our Stars (80%), 22 Jump Street (84%), How to Train Your Dragon 2 (92%), Think Like a Man Too (25%), Earth to Echo (48%), Tammy (24%), The Purge: Anarchy (58%), Lucy (66%), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (20%), The Giver (33%)

#20 – 2015

2015 was supposed to be a high-water mark for the 2010’s. Age of Ultron and Jurassic World were very highly anticipated, but failed to live up to their lofty expectations. We did have some impressive surprises (Mad Max, Rogue Nation, Inside Out). However, there were some really bad flops which kind of cancelled out those hits. It also didn’t help that all of the hits were sequels or spin-offs except for Inside Out and San Andreas. All together, 2015 is a mixed bag.

Studs:

• The Avengers: Age of Ultron – May 2015 – $1.405b (75%)
• Mad Max: Fury Road – May 2015 – $378m (97%)
• Pitch Perfect 2 – May 2015 – $287m (66%)
• San Andreas – May 2015 – $474m (48%)
• Jurassic World – June 2015 – $1.67b (71%)
• Inside Out – June 2015 – $857m (98%)
• Terminator: Genisys – July 2015 – $440m (25%)
• Minions – July 2015 – $1.15b (56%)
• Ant-Man – July 2015 – $519m (81%)
• Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation – July 2015 – $682m (93%)

Duds:

• Tomorrowland – May 2015 – $209m ($190m)(49%)
• Entourage – June 2015 – $49.3 ($39m) (33%)
• Self/Less – July 2015 – $30m ($26m) (19%)
• The Fantastic Four – August 2015 – $168m ($120m)(9%)
• The Man From U.N.C.L.E. – $109m ($75m) August 2015 (67%)
• American Ultra – August 2015 $27m ($28m)(43%)

Notables:

Poltergeist (31%), Ted 2 (46%), Spy (94%), Magic Mike XXL (63%), Trainwreck (85%), Paper Towns (56%), Pixels (16%), Vacation (26%), The Gift (93%), Straight Outta Compton (87%)

#19 – 2013

2013 had the second most flops of any year, and a mediocre average movie rating, and features two of the biggest flops in the 2010’s (Lone Ranger, R.I.P.D). However, it does have a LOT of films to choose from (the most of any year so far), so at least everyone could find something that they liked. That quantity of films pushed it higher in the rankings than it probably should have been based on the actual product available.  

Studs:

• Iron Man 3 – May 2013 – $408m (78%)
• Star Trek Into Darkness – May 2013 – $228m (87%)
• Fast and Furious 6 – May 2013 – $238m (68%)
• Man of Steel – June 2013 – $291m (56%)
• Monsters University – June 2013 – 268m (78%)
• World War Z – June 2013 – $202m (68%)
• Despicable Me 2 – July 2013 – $368m (74%)

Duds:

• The Great Gatsby – May 2013 – $144m ($190m) (49%)
• After Earth – May 2013 – $60m ($113m) (11%)
• The Internship – June 2013 – $44m ($58m) (34%)
• White House Down – June 2013 – $73m ($150m) (50%)
• The Lone Ranger – July 2013 – $89m ($213m) (31%)
• Pacific Rim – July 2013 – $101m ($190m) (72%)
• Turbo – July 2013 – $83m ($135m) (67%)
• RED 2 – July 2013 – $53m ($84m) (42%)
• R.I.P.D. – July 2013 – $33m ($130m) (13%)
• The Smurfs 2 – July 2013 – $71m ($110m) (14%)
• Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters – August 2013 – $68m ($90m) (41%)
• Elysium – August 2013 – $93m ($120m) (68%)
• Kick Ass 2 – August 2013 – $28m ($28m) (29%)
• Paranoia – August 2013 – $7m ($40m) (5%)
• The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones – August 2013 – $31m ($60m) (12%)

Notables:

The Hangover 3 (19%), Epic (64%), Now You See Me (50%), The Purge (38%), This is The End (83%), The Heat (65%), Grown Ups 2 (7%), The Conjuring (86%), Blue Jasmine (91%), The Wolverine (69%), 2 Guns (64%), We’re the Millers (47%), Disney Planes (26%), Lee Daniels’ The Butler (73%), The World’s End (89%)

#18 – 2007

This was the year of threes. The Spider Man, Shrek, Rush Hour, Jason Bourne, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Ocean’s 11 franchisesall released a second sequel. Harry Potter, Fantastic Four, and Die Hard also released a sequel. If you’re a fan of those franchises, 2007 was good to you.

Studs:

• Spider-Man 3 – May 2007 – $336m (63%)
• Shrek the Third – May 2007 – $322m (40%)
• Ratatouille – June 2007 – $206m (96%)
• Transformers – July 2007 – $319m (57%)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – July 2007 – $292m (79%)
• The Simpsons Movie – July 2007 – $183m (90%)
• The Bourne Ultimatum – August 2007 – $227m (94%)

Duds:

• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End – May 2007 – $309m ($300m) (45%)
• Surf’s Up – June 2007 – $58m ($100m) (78%)
• Evan Almighty – June 2007 – $100m ($175m) (23%)
• Sunshine – July 2007 – $3m ($40m) (75%)
• Hot Rod – August 2007 – $13m ($25m) (40%)
• Rush Hour 3 – August 2007 – $140m ($180m) (18%)
• Stardust – August 2007 – $38m ($70m) (76%)
• The Invasion – August 2007 – $15m ($80m) (19%)
• The Last Legion – August 2007 – $5m ($67m) (16%)

Notables:

Knocked Up (90%), Ocean’s Thirteen (70%), Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (37%), 1408 (78%), Live Free or Die Hard (82%), Hairspray (91%), I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (14%), Superbad (88%), Halloween (25%)

#17 – 1986

1986 has a bit of everything. Quality? 4 films with ratings above 90%, 3 above 80%. Quantity? The second most films released in the summer for any year in the 80’s. Variety? Action, Science Fiction, Comedy, Drama, Adventure, Horror, and Family Films are all well represented. Popularity? Well….it’s best to forget about Howard the Duck and Shanghai Surprise.

Studs:

• Cobra – May 1986 – $125m (worldwide) (13%)

• Top Gun – May 1986 – $179m (54%)
• Ferris Bueller’s Day Off – June 1986 – $70m (80%)
• Ruthless People – June 1986 – $71m (94%)
• Back to School – June 1986 – $91m (84%)
• The Karate Kid Part II – June 1986 – $115m (43%)
• Aliens – July 1986 – $85m (98%)
• Stand By Me – August 1986 – $52m (91%)

Duds:

• Invaders From Mars – June 1986 – $5m ($12m) (27%)
• Pirates – July 1986 – $6m ($40m) (25%)
• Big Trouble in Little China – July 1986 – $11m ($20m) (83%)
• Howard the Duck – August 1986 – $16m ($30m) (14%)
• Shanghai Surprise – August 1986 – $2,300,000.00 ($17m) (14%)

Notables:

Short Circuit (57%), Labyrinth (66%), The Fly (91%)

#16 – 1988

So 1988 has a few poorly-received films, but you’ll forget about those when you see the ones that everyone loved. 1988 has 5 films with ratings above 90%. Who Framed Roger Rabbit? was not only an impressive technical achievement, but a very entertaining summer escape. Big made Tom Hanks a star. Bull Durham has been ranked by Sports Illustrated as the #1 sports movie of all time. Oh, and 1988 also gave birth to the modern action film (Die Hard). Thank you 1988.  

Studs:

• Willow – May 1988 – $57m (48%)
• Crocodile Dundee 2 – May 1988 – $109m (11%)
• Big – June 1988 – $114m (97%)
• Who Framed Roger Rabbit? – June 1988 – $154m (98%)
• Coming to America – June 1988 – $128m (68%)
• Bull Durham – June 1988 – $50m (97%)
• Die Hard – July 1988 – $81m (92%)
• A Fish Called Wanda – July 1988 – $63m (93%)
• Cocktail – July 1988 – $78m (5%)

Duds:

• Rambo III – May 1988 – $53m ($58m) (36%)
• Caddyshack II – July 1988 – $11m ($22m) (4%)
• The Blob – August 1988 – $8m ($19m) (61%)

Notables:

None

#15 – 1998

1998 is the apex of 90’s movie technology. The message seemed to have been “Go Big or Go Home”, and that’s just what Hollywood did. There were not one, but two end-of-days asteroid epics, a monster Spielberg hit, and another well-loved Disney animated classic. Even the Jim Carrey comedy went big.  

 Studs:

• Deep Impact – May 1998 – $140m (37%)
• Godzilla – May 1998 – $136m (25%)
• The Truman Show – June 1998 – $125m (94%)
• Mulan – June 1998 – $120m (86%)
• Doctor Dolittle – June 1998 – $144m (32%)
• Armageddon – July 1998 – $201m (39%)
• There’s Something About Mary – July 1998 – $176m (83%)
• Saving Private Ryan – July 1998 – $216m (93%)

Duds:

• Quest for Camelot – May 1998 – $22m ($40m) (36%)
• Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas – May 1998 – $10m ($18m) (50%)
• Six Days, Seven Nights – June 1998 – $74m ($80m) (36%)
• Out of Sight – June 1998 – $37m ($48m) (93%)
• Lethal Weapon 4 – July 1998 – $130m ($140m) (52%)
• The Negotiator – July 1998 – $44m ($50m) (75%)
• Snake Eyes – August 1998 – $55m ($73m) (40%)
• The Avengers – August 1998 – $23m ($60m) (5%)

Notables:

The Horse Whisperer (73%), Hope Floats (24%), The X Files: Fight the Future (64%), Small Soldiers (47%), The Mask of Zorro (83%)

#14 – 2019

The quality of 2019’s films may be middle of the pack, but what sets 2019 apart is that it was the highest-grossing summer movie season EVER. That means everyone was out seeing movies in the summer of 2019. That speaks to the year’s wide variety of films and exhibition of popular franchises. Everyone was curious what a live-action Aladdin and CGI Lion King would look like, and marvel’s Spider-Man: Far From Home really continued the franchise’s hit streak. We even got a freakin’ Quentin Tarantino movie! (We’ll ignore the year’s few misses, which are actually REALLY bad).

Studs

• Pokemon: Detective Pikachu – May 2019 – $433m (68%)
• John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum – May 2019 – $327m (89%)
• Aladdin – May 2019 – $1,015m (57%)
• The Secret Life of Pets 2 – May 2019 – $446m (60%)
• Godzilla: King of the Monsters – May 2019 – $387m (42%)
• Men in Black: International – June 2019 – $254m (23%)
• Toy Story 4 – June 2019 – $1,037m (97%)
• Spider-Home: Far From Home – June 2019 – $1,132m (90%)
• The Lion King – July 2019 – $1,663m (52%)
• Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood – July 2019 – $375m (85%)
• Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw – July 2019 – $760m (68%)

Duds

• Tolkien – May 2019 – $9m ($20m) (51%)
• Dark Phoenix – May 2019 – $252m ($200m) (22%)
• Shaft – June 2019 – $21m ($35m) (34%)
• Anna – June 2019 – $31m ($30m) (33%)
• Playmobil: The Movie – August 2019 – $16m ($75m) (18%)
• The Kitchen – August 2019 – $16m ($38m) (23%)

Notables: 

The Hustle (13%), Rocketman (89%), Child’s Play (63%), Yesterday (64%), Annabelle Comes Home (64%), Midsommar (83%). Crawl (84%), Angry Birds Movie 2 (73%), Dora and the Lost City of Gold (85%), Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (77%), Good Boys (80%), Angel Has Fallen (39%)

#13 – 1983

Besides Star Wars Episode 6, 1983 is let down by its sequels. Superman III is one of the biggest franchise-killers of all time. Smokey and the Bandit was never any good to begin with, so another sequel is an understandable failure. A Pink Panther film without Sellers? What were they thinking? Luckily, 1983 has a number of solid hits. War Games, Trading Places, Octopussy, Vacation, and Mr. Mom were all very enjoyable summer movies.

Studs

• Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi – May 1983 – $309m (78%)
• War Games – June 1983 – $74m (92%)
• Trading Places – June 1983 – $90m (88%)
• Octopussy – June 1983 – $68m (42%)
• Superman III – June 1983 – $59m (26%)
• Staying Alive – July 1983 – $63m (0%)
• Mr. Mom – July 1983 – $64m (85%)
• Vacation – July 1983 – $61m (95%)
• Risky Business – August 1983 – $63m (96%)

Duds

• Krull – July 1983 – $16m ($27m) (33%)
• Smokey and the Bandit III – August 1983 – $7m ($9m) (20%)
• Curse of the Pink Panther – August 1983 – $3m (Unknown) (29%)

Notables:

None

#12 – 1987

Robocop, Predator, and The Untouchables are probably the standouts, but there is a good supporting cast with Full Metal Jacket, Spaceballs, Dirty Dancing, and Beverly Hills Cop II. There are some significant missteps, but their lack-of-popularity meant that audiences saw through their facades to begin with. 1987 was a good summer to go to the movies. 

Studs:

• Beverly Hills Cop II – May 1987 – $153m (46%)
• The Untouchables – June 1987 – $76m (80%)
• Predator – June 1987 – $59m (78%)
• The Witches of Eastwick – June 1987 – $63m (73%)
• Dragnet – June 1987 – $57m (46%)
• Robocop – July 1987 – $53m (88%)
• La Bamba – July 1987 – $54m (96%)
• The Living Daylights – July 1987 – $51m (75%)
• Stakeout – August 1987 – $65m (87%)
• Dirty Dancing – August 1987 – $63m (72%)

Duds

• Ishtar – May 1987 – $14m ($40m) (26%)
• Superman IV – The Quest for Peace – July 1987 – $11m ($17m) (12%)
• Jaws 4: The Revenge – July 1987 – $15m ($23m) (0%)
• Masters of the Universe – August 1987 – $17m ($22m) (17%)

Notables:

Spaceballs (54%), The Lost Boys (75%), Roxanne (88%), Full Metal Jacket (94%)

#11 – 1982

1982 has one film with a perfect score (Mad Max 2) and one with the worst possible score (Megaforce). Luckily, everyone remembers Mad Max 2 and no one remembers Megaforce. 1982 is a year of legendary summer releases. Spielberg’s megahit E.T. is perhaps the ultimate summer movie, and Wrath of Khan is as good as Star Trek movies ever got. Disney blew away audiences with Tron, and The Thing and Poltergeist gave horror fans something to cheer about. Even one of the studs, Blade Runner, ended up being one of the most highly-regarded sci-fi films of all time.

         Studs:

• Annie – May 1982 – $57m (50%)
• Rocky 3 – May 1982 – $125m (61%)
• Poltergeist – June 1982 – $74m (87%)
• Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan – June 1982 – $79m (90%)
• E.T. The Extraterrestrial – June 1982 – $485m (98%)
• The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas – July 1982 – $69m (56%)
• An Officer and a Gentleman – July 1982 – $129m (81%)

Duds:

• Grease 2 – June 1982 – $4,600,000.00 ($13m) (22%)
• Blade Runner – June 1982 – $32m ($28m) (91%)
• Megaforce – June 1982 – $5,600,000.00 ($18m) (0%)

Notables:

The Thing (80%), Firefox (42%), Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (100%), Tron (70%), Fast Times at Ridgemont High (79%), Friday the 13th Part 3 (13%)

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