Summer Always Comes Early to Multiplexes
BY DENNIS KING
Traditionally, summer officially arrives at the dawning of Memorial Day weekend, this year on May 28th.
But by Hollywood’s unofficial calendar, summer always comes much earlier, usually while spring crocuses are still in bloom. The summer months constitute one of the movie business’s most lucrative seasons (along with the Christmas holidays), when each weekend is anchored by at least one big-budget, big-star, high-concept “tent pole” movie that casts a wide shadow across box offices nationwide.
So studios are shameless about fudging the start of the summer blockbuster season, which this year appears to begin on April 2.
That’s when “Clash of the Titans,” the first big summer action movie blasts its way into the nation’s multiplexes ahead of the competition.
Directed by Louis Leterrier (“The Incredible Hulk,” “Transporter 2”), this piece of cinematic Greek mythology features Sam Worthington as Perseus, born a god but raised as a man, who sets off on an epic battle with Ralph Fiennes’ evil Hades. Liam Neeson appears as the all-powerful Zeus. The thing comes with the promise of a 3-D version and a teen-friendly PG-13 rating.
Next, on April 30th, summer continues apace with a new and umpteenth incarnation of “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” with the cadaverous Jackie Earle Haley as disfigured serial killer Freddy Krueger.
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