Summer movies worth paying for
There are many flicks to choose from — here’s what’s worth your time and dime
When the workday, better yet the workweek, is done, most of us want to get away from it all, even if only for a couple of hours. The most popular method of escaping from reality is entertainment. But most of it is so darn expensive.
Of the big four diversions — sports events, live theater, live music and movies — that last one is still the biggest bargain. Yet the price of admission keeps going up.
According to the National Association of Theatre Owners, in 2015, an average movie ticket was $8.25; in 2016, $8.65; last year, $8.97.
In 2018, it’ll cost you an average of $9.16 to see your favorite star or franchise.
With the summertime onslaught of all sorts of movies about to hit us, there’s a need for some guidance, some way to figure out where you might get the biggest bang for your buck.
After going through seemingly endless lists of releases scheduled between mid-May and August, here are the top 10 suggestions of films that should engage you and make you happy you saw them, no matter what the cost.
May 18: Deadpool 2 — Former fasttalking mercenary Wade Wilson AKA Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) is back, trying out a new career as a bartender — and travelling through time. The villain is mean-spirited Cable (Josh Brolin).
May 25: Solo: A Star Wars Story — Long before “a long time ago,” young Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) met young Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo) and young Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover). Intergalactic adventures ensued.
June 8: Ocean’s 8 — Danny Ocean’s sister Debbie (Sandra Bullock) gets together a gang of gals — Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, and Helena Bonham Carter among them — to pull off a big New York heist.
June 15: The Incredibles 2 — Pixar and the Parr family are back, but Mr. Incredible has become a homebody while Elastigirl is out saving the world. Here’s hoping that Frozone can find his super suit.
June 22: Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom — There are still plenty of dinosaurs on that island, but when a volcano threatens their existence, our human heroes — Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard and, returning to the franchise, Jeff Goldblum — try to save them.
July 6: Ant-Man and The Wasp — Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) attempts to keep professional and personal lives in balance when he’s asked to team up with the Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) under the guidance of mentor Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas).
July 13: Skyscraper — Massive-armed Dwayne Johnson is the security expert and hero who’s framed for a fire in a skyscraper, then must find the real culprits.
July 27: Mission: Impossible — Fallout — Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and some cohorts must make things right on a mission that, while not exactly impossible, has gone very wrong.
Aug. 3: Christopher Robin — Mixing live action with CGI, the adult Christopher Robin (Ewan McGregor) reunites with his old pal Winnie the Pooh with hopes of finding Pooh’s missing friends.
Aug. 17: The Happy time Murders — It’s a Muppet noir, in which puppet cast-members of a kiddie TV show are being bumped off, and a private detective puppet attempts to solve the crimes.