Hollywood is betting these 8 blockbusters will dominate 2018

Sam Allery, Section Editor

Bring on the sequels.

2018 is here, and so are its movies. Like years prior, superhero movies and big budget sequels/spin-offs will dominate this year in cinema. From the Avengers to Creed, dozens of films coming out this year could generate big bucks at the box office and even bigger social media buzz.

One of the most anticipated movies of the year is Black Panther.

Coming to theaters on February 16th, the latest Marvel movie is expected to be the most successful movie of the winter season. The film follows Chadwick Boseman’s King T’Challa as he takes his place as the king of Wakanda.

The movie can attribute its high anticipation to other Marvel movies. Black Panther has already appeared in the movie Captain America: Civil War, which was one of the most successful movies of 2016. Other returning characters include Andy Serkis as Ulysses Klaw (first appeared in Avengers: Age of Ultron) and Everett Ross (Civil War). The film will also have a pivotal role in setting up Avengers: Infinity War.

Black Panther is expected to make a lot of money at the box office. It has already broken the record for pre-sale tickets by a Marvel movie. And as with other Marvel movies, Black Panther should receive good reviews. This movie will probably be the top movie of the first few months of the year.

On May 4, the most anticipated movie of 2018 will be released: Avengers: Infinity War. Starring dozens of actors including Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans, this movie is sure to earn at least a billion dollars at the box office.

This movie is the culmination of every Marvel Studios movie (from Iron Man to Black Panther). Pitting the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy against the villainous Thanos, never before have this many superheroes been assembled in one movie.

As stated earlier, Infinity War should make a lot of money. The first two Avengers movies combined made three billion dollars worldwide, meaning that this movie should do just as well. For reviews, high praise is expected. The previous Avengers movies have all received a “Certified Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes and this movie should be no different.

Another highly anticipated sequel coming out in May is Deadpool 2. After the original Deadpool became one of the most successful R-rated movies ever, the sequel was immediately green lit. Ryan Reynolds, T.J. Miller, Morena Baccarin, and the rest of the main characters from the first movie are set to reprise their roles.

Set to make his debut in this movie is the popular Marvel character Cable (played by Josh Brolin), and he will only add to the gory yet fun atmosphere of the film. After the worldwide success of Deadpool, this movie is expected to keep the R-rating and low production budget.

Everything about the original Deadpool should repeat in this movie’s reception. The formula clearly works to make a movie that gets good reviews and lots of money at the box office. This sequel could even sell more tickets now that the public knows how funny these movies can be.

The most intriguing spin-off of the year is most likely Solo: A Star Wars Story. Due on May 25th, Solo follows a young Han Solo before the events of A New Hope. The story is rumored to include several important moments in the Star Wars myth like Han meeting Lando Calrissian and the famed Kessel Run.

The movie’s star-studded cast should draw audiences to theaters. Donald Glover is playing a young version of Calrissian and Woody Harrelson is playing a character named Beckett. Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) plays Qi’Ra, a character that fans don’t know much about yet.

Like other Star Wars movies, this one should achieve a lot of commercial success. Of the nine Star Wars movies released, eight of them were the top grossing movie of the year, so expect it to make plenty of money. However, reviews haven’t been so consistent in the franchise, and after the Solo movie had trouble with its directors, it might receive some subpar reviews.

The most anticipated family movie of the year is The Incredibles 2. Just 14 years after the original movie, The Incredibles 2 hits theaters on June 15th. Most of the cast is set to return, like Samuel L. Jackson as Frozone and Craig T. Nelson as Mr. Incredible, but the character Dash had to be recast since the original actor is too old to play a child’s voice (Spencer Fox was replaced by Huck Milner).

The movie pits the Incredibles against the Underminer, the same villain that made a very brief appearance at the end of the Incredibles. And considering that the director (Brad Bird) stated that he would only return to the sequel if he could make a story as good as the original, fans should expect the same fun humor and action that they saw in The Incredibles.

This movie may be one of the year’s best bets to be a success. Pixar can always be counted on to make an enjoyable family movie, so the reviews should be excellent, and  fans of the original (as well as a new generation) will flock to  theaters to see it.

Another blockbuster sequel due in the summer is Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. After the incredible box office success of Jurassic World, it’s not a surprise that this sequel is arriving in June. Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard are reprising their roles from the first film, and  Jeff Goldblum is returning to the franchise for the first time in 21 years.

After the titular theme park failed in the first movie, the main characters will return to Isla Nublar for the third time, but now it’s to save the dinosaurs from the erupting volcano on the island. The characters will no doubt meet some new creatures as well as encounter the T-Rex that plagued Jeff Goldblum’s Ian Malcolm in the first movie.

This is another movie that will make a huge splash at the box office. The first one broke box office records that still stand today. However, this franchise is famous for subpar sequels and good reviews are far from guaranteed for this film.

There are a few blockbusters due in the fall as well. One such film is X-Men: Dark Phoenix. This will be the seventh film with a complete X-Men team. All of the stars from X-Men: Apocalypse are set to reprise their roles.

This anticipated sequel is mostly a remake from an older X-Men movie, X-Men: The Last Stand. After The Last Stand received poor reviews and was slammed by fans for butchering the beloved comic book, the franchise was due to give the movie another go.

X-Men movies are never guaranteed successes. This film should be successful at the box office, but probably not movie of the year. And as for reviews, all the studio can hope for is that is is an improvement on the last Dark Phoenix movie they made.

Finally, Wreck-It-Ralph 2 (November 21) will be one of the most successful family movies of the fall. The original movie became one of the top family movies of 2012, so it’s no surprise that they made a sequel. This sequel will only build on the star-studded cast of the first film with the additions of Kristen Bell and Taraji P. Henson.

The film’s plot gives a modern update to the original, with Ralph heading to the internet. Characters like Jane Lynch’s Calhoun and Sarah Silverman’s Venellope will also be returning in the sequel.

With Disney bringing their usual writers to the table, good reviews are expected for this movie. And the well known cast and enjoyable humor will bring families to the theater in a relatively slow box office month.

While these films are sure to get some buzz, dozens of more blockbusters will be released this year.

Chadwick Boseman stars in Black Panther which opens February 18, 2018.  The film is the first blockbuster superhero film to feature a non-white lead.  (Marvel Entertainment)