Summer doesn't actually begin until we're most of the way through June, but the summer movie season used to always begin during the Memorial Day Weekend at the end of May. In recent years, however, studios have simply had too many big tentpole projects to fit between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and the "summer movie season" has slowly begun to creep earlier and earlier in the year.
Well, we've got some news for you folks. The summer movie season is pretty much already here. We get our first big comic book movie of the year on coming up with Logan, and from there on out it's pretty much blockbuster after blockbuster until the end of July. Even if we count the first weekend of May as the normal time for summer movies, there are still several big films between now and then.
March 3 - Logan
As previously mentioned, the highly anticipated Logan is our start to the big budget movie fest on Friday, March 3. The movie is looking to be massive. The fact that it will be Hugh Jackman's farewell to the role that made him a star would be big enough. However, based on early reviews, the movie isn't just big, it's also really good. There's even been discussion that the movie could be Oscar worthy. Lots of people will be talking about this one, though it's not clear for how long, since the next big movie comes out just a week later.
March 10 - Kong: Skull Island
And when we say "big movie," we emphasize the "big." Kong: Skull Island brings back the giant ape who has been a major Hollywood player for decades. With a cast that includes the likes of Brie Larson and Tom Hiddleston, we can't wait to see what this fresh take on King Kong will bring. It's also the next chapter in an eventual plan for King Kong vs. Godzilla. So it has that going for it too. Every time King Kong comes to the screen is an event, and this is no exception.
March 17 - Beauty and the Beast
Of every major tentpole feature being released this year, it's possible that none are more anticipated than Beauty and the Beast. It's pre-selling tickets on par with your average superhero movie, which means this one is already destined to have a massive opening weekend. Everything we've seen implies that fans of the animated version are going to love the live-action production, and any newcomers may fall in love with Beauty and the Beast the way so many of us did back in the 1990s.
March 24 - Power Rangers
And speaking of things that were hot in the 90s, a week after Beauty and the Beast makes its bow, the Power Rangers will follow. While the new film looks to be taking itself a bit more seriously than the original TV series, fans will surely flock to this one just to see what they're doing with the beloved property. The success of this one is far from guaranteed, but the hope is certainly that it will hit as big as any other movie in March.
March 31 - Ghost In the Shell
Finally, wrapping up what somehow became 90s nostalgia month is the live-action adaptation of Japanese manga and anime franchise Ghost in the Shell. While Power Rangers is clearly trying to go in a new direction from the original series, the film version of Ghost in the Shell looks to be trying to capture everything people loved about the anime movie. The only downside is that if the movie turns out to be good, people will probably only become more upset with the decision to cast Scarlett Johansson in the movie.
April 14 - The Fate of the Furious
While March is stacked with sure-fire box office winners, at least for one weekend, April isn't nearly as clear. Most weekends have movies that might become big successes, but the only one we can be absolutely sure about is the latest Fast & Furious movie. The last one in the franchise became one of the highest-grossing movies of all time. This fact may be the reason that so many big movies are hitting in March instead of April; they're all afraid The Fate of the Furious will run them down at the box office.
