Marcus Theatres Movie Biz Blog: Spring Movie Forecast

Is it spring yet?

Spring is a strange season. For some people it is welcomed relief from the snow and frigid temperatures of winter. For others, it is a time to start seeds for their gardens, time to plan a summer vacation or get ready for outdoor activities. In the movie business, it is kind of an awkward season stuffed between the holiday hits, the excitement of the Oscars and the beginning of the summer movie season. But, that does not mean a movie wasteland.

This year there are plenty of new films out there that will provide moviegoers a cure for their spring fever.

Jack the Giant Slayer turns the old Jack and the Beanstalk story into an action-filled fantasy adventure. Jack continues the trend of taking a familiar story and twisting it in a wickedly different direction, similar to Snow White and the Huntsman, Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters and even Warm Bodies. In this epic story filled with CGI (computer-generated imagery) wonders, Bryan Singer, director of the X-Men series, takes Jack into the fantastic realm of the giants where he fights to save his village and to win the love of a beautiful princess. There may or may not be magic beans involved.

A few years ago, Disney had a huge springtime hit with Alice in Wonderland starring Johnny Depp. This March, Disney does it again with Oz the Great and Powerful. Almost everyone is familiar with the MGM classic, The Wizard of Oz, but what happened before Dorothy went over the rainbow? This new movie, in vibrant 3D, is the story of how Oscar Diggs, a circus magician from Kansas, becomes the great and powerful Wizard in the land of Oz. Best Actor nominee James Franco stars as the magician whose wizardly credentials are questioned by three witches played by Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz and Michelle Williams. Oscar needs to figure out which witches are good and which witches are evil before it is too late to save the people of Oz. Sam Raimi, the director of Evil Dead, Drag Me to Hell and Army of Darkness, might seem an odd choice to direct a Disney movie, but he proved in the Spider-Man series he could bring fantastic characters to life in an amazing way. And, yes, there are Munchkins in the movie!

Speaking of magicians, Steve Carell and Jim Carrey team up in The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, a comedy about a two magicians that split due to the usual – creative differences. The cast also includes Olivia Wilde, Steve Buscemi, Alan Arkin and James Gandolfini. No sleight of hand here, this will be one funny movie with Carell and Carey sharing the screen for the first time.

Tina Fey, fresh from her hilarious stint as host of the Golden Globes, stars in Admission, a comedy about a Princeton admissions officer who meets a young man who might be the child she gave up years before in a secret adoption. Paul Rudd stars as Fey’s colleague and Nat Wolff is the alternative high school student Fey thinks might be her son.

Last spring, The Lorax was a major animated hit. This year, animation is back with The Croods, the story of a prehistoric family on a road trip where they meet some strange and interesting creatures. But, if this is prehistoric times, can there really be roads? More like paths probably.

March ends with a bang when G.I. Joe returns to the big screen in G.I. Joe: Retaliation. Every boy’s favorite 60’s action toy made a splash a few years ago in a high powered, action packed summer movie that was a surprise hit. Originally slated for last summer, G.I. Joe: Retaliation brings back the Joes to fight their mortal enemy, Cobra. Channing Tatum, Dwayne Johnson and Bruce Willis bring on the firepower and wisecracks as they fight threats to eliminate them.

Finally, spring means baseball! Baseball movies come with the season accordingly. 42 is the story of Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play in major league baseball. Chadwick Boseman stars as the legendary hall-of-famer and Harrison Ford plays Branch Rickey, the Brooklyn Dodgers’ executive who signed him.

Between the last snows of winter and the welcome sunshine of summer, there are a lot of films to enjoy this spring at Marcus Theatres. For more information and show times please visit MarcusTheatres.com.

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Follow the Marcus Theatres® Movie Biz Blog to receive the most up-to-date information and behind-the-scenes scoop about the movies you can’t wait to see on the big screen. As the sixth largest theatre circuit in the United States, Marcus Theatres wants to hear your thoughts about the latest in the entertainment world. Visit www.marcustheatres.com and follow the company on Facebook and Twitter (@Marcus_Theatres).