Here we are, creeping up on the end of June. 2016 is almost exactly half over, which means there have been a lot of movies that came out. A review of the first six months of the year shows us that there have been some big box office successes, like Captain America: Civil War and Zootopia. There have also been some pretty big flops, like Warcraft, and the recent Independence Day: Resurgence. This story is not about any of these films.
Instead, we're here to talk about the other movies. The ones that, for whatever reason, just didn't really stick with us. Some of these movies were good. Some were bad. Some of them were profitable, some not so much. They were here, and then they were gone, and it all happened so fast that you didn't really notice.
The Boss
Domestic Box Office:\__$63,077,560
Tomatometer:\__ 22%
Melissa McCarthy is many things, but quiet usually isn't one of them. Yet her most recent solo effort was in theaters and instantly gone without much of an impact. With its modest budget and decent box office take, The Boss would have to qualify as a success, even if critics almost universally panned it. Still, we're likely to remember McCarthy's cameo in a recent summer movie before we remember this one. With the Ghostbusters reboot set for release in a couple of weeks, it's safe to bet that McCarthy will have at least one movie this year that won't be forgotten soon, whatever happens.
Zoolander 2
Domestic Box Office: $28,848,693
Tomatometer: 23%
If you'd asked us at the beginning of the year if we thought Zoolander 2 would be on a list like this, we would have said no. The original film had a cult status that made us think that the sequel would either be an enormous hit, or an earth shattering flop. As it turns out, the downside of being a cult hit is that not a lot of people care, so Zoolander 2 faded away instead of truly flopping. The fact that the movie was pretty bad didn't help, but opening against Deadpool guaranteed that not only would people not see it, they wouldn't even notice.
Gods of Egypt
Domestic Box Office: $31,153,464
Tomatometer: 16%
If there is an undeniable bomb on this list, it's Gods of Egypt. This one was a mess. Still, if I'd been a betting man, I'd have thought that Gods of Egypt could have gone down as one of those "so bad it's good" types of films. It visually assaults your eyes while the rest of the story insults your brain. Maybe this one will be better noticed when friends can gather round and experience it with large quantities of alcohol. Of course, you'll have to be able to find it to do that.
Criminal
Domestic Box Office: $14,708,696
Tomatometer: 32%
Are you an aging, former Hollywood movie star? Are you looking for a way to get back to the limelight? Are you at least as charismatic as Liam Neeson? If you answered yes to at least two of these questions, there's an opportunity for you. In the same way, that the 1990s was dominated by every action hero under the sun doing "Die Hard on an X" movies, the 2010's have all been about turning Hollywood men over 50 into action heroes. Criminal was Kevin Costner's attempt to cash in on the trend. With the absolutely anemic box office, it's unlikely you even noticed this one came out. Don't worry, you really didn't miss much.
The 5th Wave
Domestic Box Office: $34,912,982
Tomatometer: 16%
While The 5th Wave made some changes to the standard dystopian YA formula (this one has space aliens), it apparently wasn't enough to draw The Hunger Games crowd out of the woodwork to support this one. Whether fans are ready to give the genre a rest, or whether Hollywood has scoured their local Barnes & Noble to the point that the books that are left don't actually have any fans, it doesn't appear that anybody is interested in seeing the next chapter of this obvious franchise attempt. The good news is, since everybody forgot about it, nobody will be frustrated by the cliffhanger.
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
Domestic Box Office: $52,853,219
Tomatometer: 51%
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi was trying to follow up on the success of last year's American Sniper as a movie based on a true story of men involved in a recent military conflict, only, because Michael Bay, they had to add more explosions. Critics were split pretty evenly over whether or not it was any good. At the time of its release, the film was a political football. One side called it propaganda, while another tried to use it as an example of failed policy. It was such a big deal then, that it's amazing to have to say that now, everybody seems to have forgotten it.
Hail, Caesar
Domestic Box Office: $30,080,225
Tomatometer: 85%
Not every movie that people forget is a bad one. The newest effort from the Coen Brothers was nearly universally loved by critics. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to get the audience to actually go see it. Even in it's opening weekend, moviegoers were more interested in Kung Fu Panda 3. Star power like George Clooney and Josh Brolin wasn't enough to draw people in. Even some of the most unique filmmakers in the business occasionally make one that doesn't quite resonate with fans. It looks like Hail, Caesar will be joining Burn After Reading in the Coen Brothers' Hall of "Meh."
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
Domestic Box Office: $23,083,334
*Tomatometer: *68%
While most critics gave a passing grade to Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, most also admitted that there just wasn't a lot here, either. Tiny Fey, Margot Robbie and Martin Freeman are perfectly fun enough to spend the film's runtime with, but the movie's more than a little predictable, and while it does everything it tries to do well enough, it's not really going to wow anybody. You won't regret seeing it, but at the same time, it's not the kind of movie that you'll remember for very long after you saw it.
The Finest Hours
*Domestic Box Office: *$27,569,558
Tomatometer: 63%
If it's possible to be the most forgettable film in a year, as if you can be superlatively mediocre, that description might belong to The Finest Hours. The film skated by with a positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but just barely. Chris Pine's performance is fine, but just barely. The rescue mission is exciting... I guess. It just wasn't enough of anything, including bad, to get people to notice. Fourth place on opening weekend. More people saw Star Wars: The Force Awakens for the fifth time.
