Next summer, Sony Pictures releases the third installment in what is easily the highest grossing franchise of all time: Spider-Man. This summer, they’ll have to make due with un-costumed stars like Tom Hanks, Robin Williams, Will Ferrell, and Adam Sandler to drive their profit margin.
The Da Vinci Code is probably Sony’s highest profile summer release, after that it’s a toss up. Is America sick of Adam Sandler bit? Will “Curb Your Enthusiasm” style improve work in a feature length movie? Can Sony make inroads into the lucrative computer animated movie genre?
Find out exactly what Sony Pictures has in store for you in Cinema Blend's Summer 2006 Sony Preview below. Click each movie title for more information and images.
R.V.
Release Date: April 28
Synopsis: An overworked executive, Bob Munro (Robin Williams), persuades his wife and children to give up their Hawaiian vacation for some "family bonding" on a cross-country RV trip. But it's all a ruse. Bob has other, more career-oriented reasons on his mind than spending quality time with his family in the Rocky Mountains. Through a series of misadventures, including constant run-ins with an overly friendly troupe of full-time RV'ers, Bob inadvertently learns the true meaning of family.
The Da Vinci Code
Release Date: May 19
Synopsis: While in Paris on business, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) receives an urgent late-night phone call: the elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum. Near the body, police have found a baffling cipher. While working to solve the enigmatic riddle, Langdon is stunned to discover it leads to a trail of clues hidden in the works of Da Vinci -- clues visible for all to see -- yet ingeniously disguised by the painter.
Click
Release Date: June 23
Synopsis: A workaholic architect, who has been overlooking his family in favor of his career, comes across a universal remote that allows him to perform TiVo-like functions on his life, such as pausing events or fast-forwarding over them. When the remote begins creating its own memory and choosing what to fast-forward over, the man sees how much of his personal life has passed him by and realizes the importance of spending more time with his family.
Little Man
Release Date: July 5
Synopsis: In the hilarious comedy Little Man, Shawn Wayans plays a man so anxious to become a father that he mistakes a short-statured, baby-faced thief on the run, played by Marlon Wayans, for an abandoned toddler. He and his wife, played by Kerry Washington, take the "baby" into their home and care for him. The "baby's" partner-in-crime in a jewelry store heist, played by Tracy Morgan, tries to break him out and recover a stolen diamond.
Monster House
Release Date: July 21
Synopsis: An exciting and hilarious thrill-ride tale about three kids who must do battle with a mysterious house that threatens anyone who crosses its path. It’s computer animated, using the same motion picture technology used to create the popular (and somewhat creepy) Robert Zemeckis holiday movie The Polar Express.
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Booby
Release Date: August 4
Synopsis: The film tells the story of NASCAR stock car racing sensation Ricky Bobby (Will Ferrell) whose "win at all costs" approach has made him a national hero. He and his loyal racing partner, childhood friend Cal Naughton Jr. (John C. Reilly), are a fearless duo -- dubbed "Thunder" and "Lightning" by their fans for their ability to finish so many races in the #1 and #2 positions, with Cal always in second place. When a flamboyant French Formula One driver, Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen), challenges the "Thunder" and "Lightning" for the supremacy of NASCAR, Ricky Bobby must face his own demons and fight Girard for the right to be known as racing's top driver.
Zoom
Release Date: August 11
Synopsis: Social outcast Summer Jones (Mara) is ushered away by her mysterious father (Allen) to a new school. She learns that her dad is secretly a superhero, and she's been brought to the academy where she, along with other kids, can develop her special talents. Soon into her training, Summer discovers that an enemy of the academy is plotting against the school ... and her.
Crossover
Release Date: August 25
Synopsis: A naturally talented basketball player, Noah Cruise is determined to become a doctor using his basketball scholarship to UCLA pre-med, rather than succumb to the lure of former sports agent Vaughn and go for the NBA. His best friend, the buddy that took the fall for him and did the time for an assault charge, Tech, also an outstanding basketball player, has less lofty ambitions: he wants to get his GED and win an underground street ball game against his arrogant rival, Jewelz. Their lives change drastically when they both fall in love with two local girls, Vanessa Lilly and Eboni Jackson, and take fateful trip out to L.A. together.
