The summer of 2015 brought with it a wide variety of blockbuster hits. The period from May to September brought many record-breaking hits that kept McLean residents going back to the movie theaters for even more. Already, four films from 2015 (including three from summer 2015) have broken records and have been deemed as one of the top 10 highest-grossing films of all time.
Topping off this list of four films is Jurassic World, a continuation of the original Jurassic Park franchise which was directed by Steven Spielberg. This time, Spielberg returned as an executive producer to create this action-packed movie starring Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard.
“I was personally dissatisfied [with Jurassic World]. [While] it was exciting and the dinosaurs gave me a completely new thrill, there were some parts that I felt did not make any sense,” said sophomore Andy Choe.
Jurassic World topped records in its romp to the top, becoming the third highest grossing movie of all time with over $1.6 billion at the box office. It had a massive opening and reached $200 million in receipts faster than any other film. Its total gross is only $1 billion and $600 million behind that of James Cameron’s Avatar and The Titanic respectively.
However, many other movies also came out this summer including Avengers: Age of Ultron, the sequel to The Avengers. Starring a variety of Marvel stars including Chris Hemsworth, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, and Scarlett Johansson, the sequel was also quite popular but not nearly as popular as the original film.
“It was obvious the action scenes were made very well. The movie was fun and exciting and I was thrilled to see both the Iron-Man and the Hulk,” Choe said.
Action movies were not the only popular movies at the theaters this summer; animated kid films like Inside Out and Minions were both critically lauded and loved by audiences. While Inside Out had a broader message, Minions was considered a fun film featuring the often derided characters from the Despicable Me franchise.
“Inside Out had great animations. The characters, who were different emotions, were very intriguing. It definitely showed me that happiness is not always all it’s cracked up to be. And, who doesn’t love a Pixar movie?” said sophomore Smritee Thapa.
Many summer films are still playing at local theaters today. The record breaking summer of 2015 has not bypassed McLean. It is clear that not only have McLean students enjoyed their summer movies but have felt deep personal connections with them as well.
