Reasons for this vary, from a growing audience preference for streaming services to escalating ticket prices to simply a lack of interest in the films on offer.
Casting an eye over this summer’s crop of potential crowd-pleasers, it is more difficult than ever to predict which ones will strike a chord with audiences, and which may fall on deaf ears.
It is with no small degree of trepidation, therefore, that we look forward to 10 coming tentpole releases that have the best chance of scoring big at the box office (opening dates are for Hong Kong).
1. Despicable Me 4
One of the surest bets this summer is the sixth outing for those irrepressible yellow tykes, the minions, whose big-screen outings to date – in two stand-alone adventures and three previous Despicable Me entries – have earned more than US$4.5 billion worldwide.
Steve Carell once again lends his voice to master criminal Gru, who is put into witness protection – together with his wife (Kristen Wiig), three adopted children, a newborn baby and his personal army of diminutive underlings – after a vengeful rival (voiced by Will Ferrell) escapes from prison. (Opens on June 29)
2. Inside Out 2
Following a string of underperforming original titles, Pixar heads back to the well for a sequel to its commercially and critically acclaimed 2015 film Inside Out.
Maya Hawke and Ayo Edebiri are among the notable voice cast additions. (Opens on July 11)
3. Twisters
Man of the moment Glen Powell (Anyone But You) and Daisy Edgar-Jones – rumoured to be playing the daughter of Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt’s characters from the first film – take centre stage as a pair of rival storm chasers who are forced to work together when faced with the ultimate tornado. (Opens on July 17)
4. Deadpool & Wolverine
There is every reason to suspect that this long-teased team-up between Ryan Reynolds’ “merc with a mouth” and Hugh Jackman’s adamantine-clawed mutant superhero could be the biggest hit of the summer, and boy does Marvel hope so.
The opportunity to finally bring two of their hottest heroes into the franchise proper – one suspects by employing multiverse logic – might just save their day. (Opens on July 24)
5. Borderlands
6. Trap
Director M. Night Shyamalan unveils his second film of the year after producing his daughter Ishana’s directorial debut, The Watchers.
In Trap, Josh Hartnett stars as a notorious serial killer known as The Butcher who, on a rare day off, takes his teenage daughter (Ariel Donoghue) to a pop concert, where he discovers that the entire event is an elaborate ruse designed to catch him.
Shyamalan’s eldest daughter, Saleka, plays pop star Lady Raven, and provides the original Bollywood-infused musical numbers that accompany the unfolding mayhem. (Opens on August 8)
7. Alien: Romulus
Set between the events of the first two films, this new story focuses on a team of young colonists who make a terrifying discovery while exploring a derelict space station.
8. Blink Twice
Kravitz, who also co-wrote the screenplay with E.T. Feigenbaum, has assembled a stellar ensemble cast that includes Christian Slater, Geena Davis, Kyle MacLachlan and Adria Arjona. (Opens on August 22)
9. They Listen
As of now, absolutely nothing is known about the plot of Chris Weitz’s coming horror movie, but that does not mean there is nothing to be excited about.
10. The Crow
In the years since, The Crow has developed a passionate cult following, and those fans were united in their displeasure at the news of a coming remake.
The casting of Bill Skarsgard as the supernatural superhero is a genuinely intriguing proposition, but director Rupert Sanders is decidedly less so.