By Chad W. Shreeves

With Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga crashing in the wasteland that was Memorial Day weekend in theaters, a lot have taken to social media to talk about their worries for the future of the box office in coming weeks.

And there is some to be worried about. Furiosa is just the latest in a string of films this year to all release significantly under projections and expectations. And there are a variety of reasons for that, it will be addressed in another post later this week.

But what other movies coming this summer could potentially rescue the traditionally strong summer box office? Let’s take a look.

Inside Out 2

Why it’ll be big: The original Inside Out is among one of Pixar’s greatest achievements. It’s a lighthearted animated comedy filled with deep emotions (pun intended) that was an absolute delight for both children and adults. And a new story focusing on puberty and young adulthood, and the pressures it brings, seems like the perfect next step for this franchise. Coupled with returning stars Amy Poehler and Phyllis Smith, Pixar could have a critical and audience smash hit on their hands.

What to be worried about: There is still a lot of anti-Disney sentiment out there. Even taking away the political backlash, there’s a lot of people still hesitant about anything with the Disney brand on it after the past two years of middling to poor performances. That and the fact most audiences have gotten used to watching Pixar films on Disney+ could dissuade families away from it.

Bad Boys: Ride or Die

Why It’ll Be Big: The Bad Boys franchise has been a consistent earner for Sony. Since the 90s this Will Smith/Martin Lawrence combo has worked for them three times over. With the last entry, Bad Boys For Life, performing way over expectations, there’s no reason to think this film, which reunites the duo with the directors of the third installment, can’t do the same thing. And with an opening projection of $50+ million already, this cop/action comedy film could well overperform.

What to be worried about: There’s still a question of, if post Oscars-slap, audiences have forgiven Will Smith for his actions. There are going to be some that will not see this movie for that very reason, the question is just how many. There’s also not as much buzz and anticipation in the social media circuit as the last film in the series, which could be diluting the potential there.

Despicable Me 4

Why it’ll be big: The Despicable Me franchise has been one of the most resilient in Universal’s entire catalog. Movies like Despicable Me 3 endured a massive hit of negative reviews and online commentary. And even a simultaneous release on Peacock led Minions: The Rise of Gru to $940 million worldwide. Children and families love this franchise. Do not be surprised if more families turn out for this film than Inside Out 2.

What to be worried about: There is a hint of “minion fatigue” among general audiences, with some claiming this franchise is well past its shelf life. The cynical movie punditry universe may have moved on, but it’s still questionable on how the not-online film world, many of whom are young families, are going to react to this newest installment.

Alien: Romulus

Why it’ll be big: Director Fede Alvarez has grown a reputation in the past decade of pulse pounding, exciting horror films. And returning the Alien franchise to its roots in horror does feel like a match made in heaven. The Alien faithful have all had a huge response to the trailer, and it seems to be doing well online. On top of all that, there have been some surprising horror hits this year with movies like Immaculate and The First Omen all surpassing expectations. This will lead the horror fandom to go see more of them.

What to be worried about: A hard R rated horror film, coupled with a franchise that has been dormant for years (and still following up a very divisive entry last time), seems to scream that Romulus is going to run into the same issues that Furiosa did. It could be another movie that is well received and manages to crash and burn due to audience disinterest.

Deadpool and Wolverine

Why it’ll be big: The past two Deadpool movies were huge successes in their own right. Factoring in a hugely anticipated return by Hugh Jackman as Wolverine and bringing the antihero into the MCU seems to be a massive recipe for success. It’s also one of the most talked about films of the summer, and is already smashing records on ticketing sites two months ahead of the movie’s premiere.

What to be worried about: It’s going to have a gigantic opening weekend, that’s without any question, but there is some room for concern. So far Marvel has been very light on story details for the film. And with much of the film’s buzz seeming to be around a parade of cameos and jokes (many at Disney’s own expense) and this could be a movie that gets old very quickly and dies out after the first couple weekends.

Those are the films that have the potential to be the big winners of the summer box office, and could reverse the conversation about the future of summer blockbusters. There’s also a good chance a film not on this list will break through and become one of the most talked about movies of the year.

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