By Chris Kavan - 06/03/11 at 10:27 AM CT
In keeping with tradition, if you're into summer blockbusters, once again there is one major film going up against two quiet dramas. I have a feeling I know which movie is going to wind up with the biggest gross.
1) That would be X-Men: First Class - a prequel of sorts to the existing trilogy. This is Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr working together before an ideological clash drives them apart and ultimately makes them enemies. James McEvoy and Michael Fassbinder are our two main characters, but they've managed to bring along some friends including Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique, January Jones as Emma Frost, Lucas Till as Havok, Nicholas Hoult as Beast, Zoë Kravitz as Angel Salvadore and Jason Flemyng as Azazel (amongst many others). While the cast may be lacking the punch of a really big name, I actually have a feeling using some lesser-known names could be a boon. Plus it makes it more of an ensemble without having to gravitate around any one person.
2) If you're looking for something outside the typical blockbuster mold, you're also in luck this week. Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer and Mélanie Laurent lead the cast in Beginners in which a son (McGregor) finds out his father (Plummer) not only has cancer, but is involved in a relationship with a younger male lover. It sounds like a prequel to Death at a Funeral - but looks to lean more towards the drama side of things than comedy. Still, there are some heavy hitters involved, but to me it sounds like it has pretty limited appeal.
3) Finally there is the coming-of-age Submarine. This film gives off that quirky Wes Anderson vibe as a teenager looks to not only lose his virginity but keep his mother away from an ex-lover who has come back into her life. It has been gaining a steam thanks to a bunch of festival showings and it's something I'll check out in the future, just not in the theaters.
That's the skinny on the top films being releases. Come Sunday we'll see if the X-Men can perform as well as its predecessors.
