The 2005 film Batman Begins, was often held up as a model for how the 2009 Star Trek film could successfully bring back a franchise. And in 2012 it looks like the new crew of the Enterprise will be taking the caped crusader head on as Warner Brothers just announced they will release their next Batman film three weeks after the next Star Trek film.
Batman Returns July 20th 2012
In 2005 Warner Brothers successfully rebooted the Batman franchise with Batman Begins, starring Christian Bale and helmed by Christopher Nolan. And in 2008 they came back with The Dark Knight which brought in $533 Million domestically (and $1 Billion worldwide), making it the highest domestic grossing film not directed by James Cameron (and #5 globally). It has long been assumed that Warner was going to land the next in the series during the Summer of 2012, and today WB made it official by picking July 20th for the release (on regular screens and IMAX), which will be almost exactly four years after The Dark Knight. According to E! Bale will be back under the cowl, under the direction of Nolan. No start date has been set for production and the plot has yet to be locked down. David Goyer is working with Nolan’s brother Jonathan Nolan on a script.
This date will pit Batman, Star Trek and Spider-man together in July 2012. Here is how the mid-summer of 2012 looks so far.
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Summer 2012 film releases |
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| Friday | Film | Studio |
| June 15 | Brave (animated) | Disney/Pixar |
| June 22 | open | |
| June 29 | Untitled Star Trek sequel | Paramount |
| July 3 (Tue) | Untitled Spider-Man reboot | Sony |
| July 6 | open | |
| July 13 | open | |
| July 20 | Untitled Batman sequel | Warner Bros |
It is interesting that Warner Bros. chose July 20th, leaving the 13th open. Apparently they wanted to leave some breathing room between their release and the Spider-man and Star Trek films. Star Trek’s biggest competition for the 4th of July weekend continues to be the Spider-man reboot, although that film is reportedly going to have a lower budget than previous Spider-man films and is starting over with a new Spider-man and new director, with a story focused on Peter Parker’s high school years.
The Star Trek movie went into May 2009 with what looked like serious competition, going up against Wolverine, Angels and Demons, Terminator: Salvation, and Night at the Museum 2. Despite some gloomy early predictions, in the end, Star Trek beat all those films domestically, and all but Angels & Demons globally.
One of the big tests for the next Star Trek film will be how it performs globally compared to other tent pole films, like Batman. In November TrekMovie talked to JJ Abrams about his thoughts on the international performance of Star Trek, and he pointed to how The Dark Knight made significant gains over Batman Begins internationally. Watch it below.
[Source: Box Office Mojo]
Cool… looking forward to another Batman flick, and I’m not too worried about the competition. Given the performance of Trek ’09, they can handle it!
great but I am more interested in going to see Trek XII and Batman 3 than a Spiderman reboot what were they thinking?
enough batman!!!!!!! star trek welcome back!!!!
I really hope someone reconsiders their release date.
Trek, Spider-Man and Batman, my 3 favourite franchises one after the other! Though already quite worried about the Spidey reboot if the casting rumours are to be believed.
I’m not too worried about the Spider-Man reboot — if audiences are anything like *everyone I know*, there’s zero interest there. There was a half-decent origin movie only eight years ago, and the subsequent ones were huge letdowns.
It seems like these big movies always get pushed back and moved around anyway. Hopefully Batman will get pushed to Christmas? ;D
I love Batman. 2012 is going to be a kick-ass year for movies.
DOUBLE-FEATURE!
I have a really bad feeling about Trek going up against Spiderman and Batman…. Move Trek to Christmas where there is less than half the competition of summer and then it can clean up like Avatar did.
When a great movie comes out people tend to do two things:
a) See that movie again.
b) See other movies because they remember what fun it can be.
It looks like 2012 is well on the way to being a great summer for movie lovers.
#9
Christmas 2012 is going to feature “The Hobbit” and the next “Superman”.
So the “Star Trek” sequel would still face stiff competition. So far at least, summer 2012 is still fairly wide open. But it will come down to whether or not J.J Abrams and company will be able to get the movie finished in time for the planned July release. I have my doubts and if the sequel is pushed back, it will be to summer ’13 and not Christmas ’12.
#6
So you didn’t like “Spider Man 2”? That movie is one of the best sequels made. The first movie was good. The second topped it by a mile and the third stunk like a dead skunk inside a hot car trunk.
#9, your advice makes way too much sense for Viacom to take it. :-)
I only wish that they had used the template of Batman Begins (or Casino Royale, another highly successful reboot) when putting together Trek ’09. Don’t sweat the details or condescend to your audience, just keep the spirit of the thing intact and the rewards will follow. Unfortunately, they chose to pander to the popcorn crowd instead. It was a successful strategy this time around, but I think it’ll prove short-sighted.
Spiderman 2 reboot will be poo-poo. You can trust my highly accurate guess for that.
But I fear for NuTrek 2 if it goes up against Batman 3: Th Search For the Next Villain.
Spiderman reboot. Whatever.
Alright! Trek, Batman and Spiderman in one summer! And all of it just before the world ends in Dec. 2012!
New Batman AND Star Trek? Bring ’em!
@ryanhuyton
Nah, I didn’t care for Spidey 2. Don’t know why, it just didn’t do it for me…
Im not sure what the Spiderman re-boot will actually turn out, maybe good, and then it might stink, but just the name Spiderman holds a LOT of box office weight dont forget. And Batman 3…well it will almost be a sure fire hit either way and cant even compare in potential box office with Star Treks 09s competition Wolverine, A&D, Terminator and Night at the Museum 2, its in a league all its own. I fear 2012 is going to be much stiffer competition for Star Trek than 09 was, or even 11 could have been. But Im keeping my fingers crossed!
Trek, Batman, and Spiderman. Possibly Hobbit, Bond, and Superman.
2012 is going to be an awesome year for films!
Does any one remember the 1989 Batman? I still enjoy that one a lot and Jack Nicholson was the best Joker, although my sentimental favorite will always be Cesar Romero… I miss his laugh.
Star Trek will have tons more flare than those other movies!
#20
Yes. I enjoyed the 1989 movie as well. Classic. Michael Keaton was great as Batman/Bruce Wayne and Jack Nicholson was great as the Joker as well. I enjoyed Caesar Romero as well. Its too bad the old Batman series will never be released on dvd because of inter-studio bickering. At least the old movie is on Blu Ray which looks great but exposes the flaws.
Isn’t anyone gunna’ reboot “Ishtar?”
And it truly is time fur’ a new Leprechaun series. Oh, and let’s not us furget ta’ do “Leonard Part 7″…
I hope they give ‘Batzman 3: Tha’ Search Fur’ Plot’ a good try… hard ta’ top tha’ first Nolan two films…
Unless…
“I am not an ordinary Batman… I am a vampire Batman!” Finally- a chic flick superhero! And all tha’ teenie lasses flock ta’ tha’ theatre…
Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…
I really hope Paramount locked in IMAX screens before Spider-man picked its date. Otherwise, it’s gonna be screwed.
13 “you can trust my highly accurate guess for that”
THX, sounds like your “spidey-sense is tingling”!
Something’s tingling, Harry.
SPOILER ALERT!!!
Bale will not be able to reprise his role as Batman due to all the growling from TDK and Terminator. He is being recast and rumor has it that the Cookie Monster is the front runner for the part.
You heard it here first. Now to take care of that tingling.
My guess is the Spiderman reboot will push its release date back to a different day. Star Trek and Batman will generation too much interest leaving Spiderman little room
“The Dark Knight which brought in $1 Billion worldwide, making it the highest grossing film not directed by James Cameron.”
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) $1,129,219,252
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006) $1,060,332,628
regarding summer 12 – theres also The Avengers May 4th (way off Trek) but theres also Wolverine 2 yet to be confirmed (cant see it being anything other than summer 2012) and maybe X Men First Class (although id be suprised if they release 2 X Men films in the same year let alone the same summer so maybe that will be 2011 or 2013)
and Indy 5 will have to be made sooner rather than later so maybe they will get fast tracked to summer 2012…and then theres Battlestar Galactica that may start up soon as Singers dropped out of directing First Class…plus Ghostbusters 3 might look dead but that might get fast tracked to summmer 2012 too..
im guessing Nolans Superman will be out xmas 2012 or summer 2013 (75th anniversary)
#27. Spider-man isn’t going to move. It’s going to be more successful than Trek 2 will be and picked one of the biggest holidays to open around.
CHRISTIAN BALE: Yarrrrrrgagagag Blarg! Gutta gutta gutta glug! (coughs hairballl…. errrrrr, I mean “batball.”) Yarrrrrrrggggg!
CHRISTOPHER NOLAN: Good take! You really tackled that line “Gotham is not your city… it is all of ours’ city. Now I’m taking this rain gutter and shoving it voraciously up your skinny rear, Riddler! Riddle me this, the itsy bitys batsy shoved up the shower spout…”
THX: Something is tingling in me every time Bale says a line… pass the Pepto.
BND: Awwwwwwk! He’s just speaking all ratty ta’ hide his Bruce Wayne identity! And he’s got a P51 still stuck up his bom from “Empire of the Sun.”
Anyways…
Heys! I just gots me a brilliant idear aboot’ how cable channels can further ruin films they show!
Take, fur’ example, tha’ Rambo films and cut them inta’ 35 minute “episodes” (tha’ other 25 minutes bein’ commercials aboot’ butt medicine) and then they cans broadcast them as a tv series five times a week! They could begin wit’ “Last time… on Rambo, we saw the opening credits” and end wit’ “Next time… on Rambo we see him eat a Deere… a John Deere tractor…”
Why, iffa’ they did it wit’ tha’ Starry Trek films, tha’ first one could fill a whole 22 episode first season!
Call Teds Turdner- I gotta’ pinch this!
Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…
Wouldn’t it be cool for Jason and Grant from ‘Ghost Hunters’ to make a cameo in Ghostbusters 3? They’re standing out front of a badly haunted house as Bill Murray and Dan Akryod arrive and say “Step aside boys, the men have arrived.”
regarding the The Dark Knights significant gains over Batman Begins …the same happened to several sequels – Matrix 2, T2, Rambo 2, Austin Powers 2, Pirates 2, New Moon
the signs are good for Trek 2…as ST09 really is similar to the first installments of those above in that the first was somewhat of an unknown quanity or a ‘sleeper’ (ok i know there had been Trek movies b4 but it was a relaunch of a done franchise and it wasnt really expected to do as well as it did)
I am as much excited about the new Batman as about the new Star Trek. With Nolan again on the directors chair i am sure it will be a great movie. With JJ on the directors chair only one thing is sure…lens flaaaare….siiigh
Philpot
Yes that is correct. I was mixing the domestic and global rankings there. I added a clarification there that TDK was highest *domestic* grossing film not directed by James Cameron
Sounds like another no win scenario.
#35 Boborci you dont believe in the no win scenario do you? ;]
Bob Orci… just add some space sex, a blue cat-like character digitally rendered, make a redshirt “an offer he can’t refuse”, have Harrison Ford just shoot Whiplash from Irony Man 2, and Kirk say “Rosebud” as in tha’ end we see such a tattoo on Yoeman Rand’s thigh… Oh, and Clint Eastwood askin’ Spock ta’ “Make me gay.” and Spock drops his pants (fur’ tha’ ladies) and… You gots Starry Trek 2: The Laughs of Coin… “coins” as in what ye’ paid ta’ see Antonio Banderas say “It iz very cold… in space.”…. instant Oscar winner…
Oh, I kidz cuz’ I loves… ST 09 wuz’ aces! Very fun! Make it so fun agains!
and Starry Trek 2 has a “heavy burden.” Maybe a sci-fi novel can be stolen idears from… When ye’ gets ta’ Starry Trek 5, just leave Sybok outta’ it…
Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…
Could be a good month…so far away though…
I know I’m in the minority…or maybe all alone…but I didn’t care for “The Dark Knight” at all and I have no interest in another Christian Bale Batman movie.
I also don’t yet care about the Spiderman reboot, but that could change once more details come out.
Trek 2012 all the way!
#39 – I don’t think you are alone, but the minority is very small.
as for the Spiderman reboot, I think you are probably in the vast majority.
#39,40
Well, I for one am looking forward to “Batman 3”. Both “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight” are classics, with TDK improving upon BB. Can Christopher Nolan continue the trend? We’ll just have to wait and see.
it’s 2 years from now like I freaking care
I am not worried at all about the Spiderman reboot. We’ve all known and loved Toby and Kirsten for the last few years, so I highly doubt that it will do well. I’m pretty sure Trek will come out on top.
As for Batman, I’m not too worried. 3 weeks is enough time for Trek to conquer. No, it’s not the 4 month run that Avatar had in the winter, but I’m pretty sure it’ll still do extremely well. A bunch of my friends are just now seeing it and loving it, so it’s spreading almost like a viral video. I predict this next one will do no less than $500 million.
Move Star Trek to mid to late May. This is not rocket science. They could own the tail end of May after Avengers dies down.
I have zero interest in Spider-Boy, so three weeks between Trek 2012 and Batman Begins 3 is perfectly fine with me. The intervening weeks will probably be occupied by another sophomoric comedy like Hangover 2 and another over-the-top musical like Hairspray 2.
i think before it all comes to pass….you will see the spiderman reboot get moved. It will at least get moved to a normal thursday/friday start date. As dailys come back and negative buzz builds for the spidey reboot….the studio will rethink it’s tuesday release date.
It’s not Spider-Man or Batman that Star Trek needs to worry about…It’s THE AVENGERS that’ll put butts in seats. Seeing Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, and the Hulk all together in one film is gonna be amazing.
#11 The next Superman movie will be released in 2013, marking the Man of Steel’s 75th anniversary.
48
Let’s hope this time the villian ISN”T Lex Luthor!! Brainiac would be good!
Star Trek was less successful globally than Night at the Museum 2.
See here:
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?view2=worldwide&yr=2009&p=.htm;;I
I come from Germany and Star Trek is there more popular than in other European countries. Nevertheless I don’t think it has much of a chance against Spider-Man and Batman. Those movies will take a lot of viewers away from Star Trek. Most people I know would rather see a Batman or Spider-Man movie, than a Star Trek movie.
I think it would be better, if they would show Star Trek earlier in February or March. The competition in those months are usually much weaker. Star Trek made only 33 % of it gross outside the USA and Canada. 50 % and more is usual for big blockbuster movies. I don’t see that percentage change with much competition.