In this post, I will focus on Paramount Pictures, the studio that made people like Sonic again. Besides that, the studio is well known for Star Trek, Indiana Jones, Forrest Gump, Mission: Impossible, Titanic, Transformers, and Iron Man. Some of the best films of all time were made by Paramount like Rear Window, Sunset Boulevard, Psycho, Once Upon a Time in the West, and the Godfather. Most recently, they are well known for Rocketman, Crawl, Dora and the Lost City of Gold, and Sonic the Hedgehog.
The Current Situation of Paramount Pictures
There was a time when Paramount dominated the box office. They had hits like Transformers and Iron Man that got people to see their films in theaters. Ever since Paramount turned 100 in 2012, Paramount has only been on a downward spiral. While it has gotten a little better, they still aren’t the studio other major film studios look up to. However, assuming big movies can start to release in theaters again in 2021, there may be hope for Paramount in 2021. But before we look into 2021, let’s look into 2020.
2020
Like a Boss - The year started with Like A Boss. However, it’s performance isn’t good like a boss. The performance was more like the person who got fired a month after they started working, as Like A Boss only made $30M on a budget of $29M, which makes this film a bomb. $29M seems a lot for a film like this. If the budget was $10M instead of $29M, the film’s performance would be fine, but that’s not what happened.
The Rhythm Section - Just when things were looking really bad for Paramount, this happened. The Rhythm Section only made a measly $6M on a budget of $50M. It broke records in the worst way possible. The film only made $2.8M on opening weekend, the worst for any film playing in over 3,000 theaters. It had the largest third weekend drop in history, losing 97% of its theaters. This film cost Paramount $40M. Thank goodness a blue hedgehog came to save Paramount a few weeks after this disaster.
Sonic the Hedgehog - It’s a good thing Paramount released this film in February instead of March. There were rumors that the film would again be delayed to March, but fortunately, that wasn’t true. With the redesign being more faithful to the video game character, people wanted this film to succeed. And succeed it did. The film made $146M domestically and $319M worldwide on a budget of $95M, making this film a commercial and critical success and guaranteeing the film a sequel. Though if the pandemic didn’t happen, I’d think it would’ve made as much as $160M DOM and $340M WW. It's great that Paramount has a new franchise to rely on. They deserve the success.
The Lovebirds - It was one of the first films to shelve its theatrical release. Paramount sold the film to Netflix. To be fair, I doubt this film would’ve been a major success at the box office anyways. Under normal circumstances, I think the film would’ve made $20M on a budget of $16M, which would’ve been an underperformance.
The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run - It’s weird that Rumble was able to keep its theatrical release yet The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run, the third film in a film franchise that has been proven to be successful both times and one of ViacomCBS’ biggest properties, is being dumped onto a “revamped” CBS All Access. I get that ViacomCBS needs something to get people on board with CBS All Access, but Paramount is going to miss the opportunity of making more money off of a theatrical release of Sponge on the Run. This had a weird release schedule. It came out on August 14 in theaters only in Canada and China. It was released on Netflix on November 5 everywhere else except America. As for an American release, it doesn’t come out until early 2021 on CBS All Access or Paramount+. This is probably the worst decision that Paramount made during the pandemic. Either Sponge on the Run should’ve released in all territories in 2020 (maybe release in America on CBS All Access in December 2020) or in all territories in 2021. Under normal circumstances, I’d say this film would’ve made $180M DOM and $340M WW, which would’ve benefitted Paramount a lot more.
The Trial of the Chicago 7 - Oooh. A political film that was going to be released before the 2020 election. Interesting. Paramount sold the film to Netflix, which I don’t think was a bad decision. I don’t think it would’ve done amazing at the box office. Under normal circumstances, I’d say it would’ve made $60M on a budget of $35M.
Love and Monsters - It sucks to see a film like this lose its theatrical release. It seems like a good film that could’ve started a new franchise for Paramount. Under normal circumstances, I’d say this film would’ve made $100M on a budget of $30M.
Spell - This film was dumped onto VOD, and that may have been a good call. The film didn’t have good reviews, and I doubt the box office performance would’ve been that great anyways. Under normal circumstances, I think the film would’ve made $10M.
2021
The next year is coming, and it’s time to look at what Paramount has in store for everyone next year. I’ll try to keep it short (with a basic description of each one if necessary and how well it might do). The numbers I have won’t be accurate, so take it with a grain of salt.
Coming 2 America - It’s a comedy film directed by Craig Brewer and is the sequel to Coming to America. I know this will be the second film that Paramount will release in 2021, but it’s the only one (for now) going to be streaming. It lost its theatrical release in favor of being released on Prime Video. Under normal circumstances, I’d say this film would’ve made $110M DOM and $260M WW, less than the original, but probably would’ve been a hit for Paramount.
DISCLAIMER - This editorial will most likely not adapt based on future delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I’m detailing the current situation as it is as of November 24, 2020. I’m assuming that everything should be fine enough for The United States vs. Billie Holiday to release theatrically on February 26, 2021.
The United States vs. Billie Holiday
It’s a biographical drama film directed by Lee Daniels and is based on the life of Billie Holiday. Maybe I just don’t know how iconic Billie Holiday is, but I don’t see this film doing better than Paramount’s other music biopic, Rocketman. I’d say this film makes $80M DOM and $180M WW.
A Quiet Place Part II
It’s a horror film directed by John Krasinski and is the sequel to A Quiet Place. I think this film will do better than the first film and become a franchise for Paramount to rely on. I’d say this makes $200M DOM and $360M WW.
Rumble
It’s a Paramount Animation sports comedy film directed by Hamish Grieve. This is the movie that supposedly deserves an exclusively theatrical release and not The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run. Okay, Paramount. This film doesn’t look that great, but that doesn’t mean the film will actually be bad (we’ll see). I’d say this film will make $60M DOM and 140M WW, which is a little better than Wonder Park. As long as the film is on a budget of $60M or less (unlike the $100M that Wonder Park somehow costs), that should make this film a moderate success for Paramount.
Infinite
It’s a science fiction action film directed by Antoine Fuqua. Not much is known about the film except the plot, which is about a man that discovers that his hallucinations are visions of his past lives. I can see this doing well for Paramount and possibly start a new franchise for Paramount. I’d say this film makes $120M DOM and $250M WW, which should be a success (as long as Paramount didn’t spend any more than $120M).
Top Gun: Maverick
It’s an action drama film directed by Joseph Kosinski and is the sequel to Top Gun. What’s seen in trailers looks amazing. I’d say this makes $210M DOM and $500M WW. Not as much as Tom Cruise’s recent Mission: Impossible films, but still a major success for Paramount.
The Tomorrow War
It’s a military science fiction action film directed by Chris McKay. Not much is known except that it stars Chris Pratt and the plot, which is about sending soldiers from past wars to fight a futuristic war that humanity is losing. Chris Pratt has gotten a lot of star power in recent years, so I could see him being able to draw people to this film. I’d say this film makes $160M DOM and $330M WW, being another successful film for Paramount.
PAW Patrol: The Movie
It’s a family adventure comedy film directed by Cal Brunker from Nickelodeon Movies. The last time a Nick Jr. property was adapted for the silver screen, it only made $121M on a budget of $49M and it was called Dora and the Lost City of Gold. I doubt this film would surpass Dora’s performance. I’d say this film makes $50M DOM and $100M WW.
Jackass 4
It’s an adult comedy film directed by Jeff Tremaine and is the fourth film in the mainline Jackass series. It’s been awhile since audiences have gotten a Jackass film, so the seven year gap from Bad Grandpa and this installment could hurt Jackass 4. I’d say this film makes $70M DOM and $140M WW.
My Little Pony
It’s a film that’s part of the My Little Pony franchise. The 2010 series was a success, but it’s unknown whether the cast from that film will return for this one (most likely not). Even the 2017 film didn’t do so well, only making $61M WW, but that may be due to how it looks too similar to the show. If this new My Little Pony is different enough to feel like it deserves to be on the big screen compared to the 2017 film, I think it can do slightly better. I’d say the film makes $40M DOM and $80M WW.
Snake Eyes
It’s a superhero film directed by Robert Schwentke and is part of the GI Joe franchise. It’s meant to be the prequel to the first one, but they could easily retcon that, similar to Bumblebee retconning the first Transformers. If this movie can somehow be good like Bumblebee, I’d say the film makes $110M DOM and $360M WW, and the GI Joe film franchise has a good future. If not, I don’t think Paramount should bother with the franchise for a long time.
Clifford the Big Red Dog
It’s a fantasy comedy film directed by Walt Becker and is based on Clifford the Big Red Dog. There was a leaked photo on what Clifford looks like, and I’m not sure about this. It doesn’t look as abysmal as Sonic’s first design, but it’s still weird. I’d expect this to do similar to Dora and the Lost City of Gold. I’d say this film makes $60M DOM and $110M WW.
Mission: Impossible 7
It’s an action spy film directed by Christopher McQuarrie and is the seventh film in the Mission: Impossible franchise. If it’s anything like Fallout, this could become even bigger than Fallout. I’d say this film makes $240M DOM and $1.07B WW, becoming the first Paramount film since Transformers: Age of Extinction to hit $1B.
Babylon
A while ago, it was reported that Paramount dated a film called Babylon for release on Christmas 2021 with director Damien Chazelle directing. Not much is known except that it takes place during the late 20s, when Hollywood is transitioning from silent films to talkies. Setting a film in Hollywood has been doing well recently, with hits like La La Land and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. If Babylon can capture the charm that one of those films had, I’d say this film makes $120M DOM and $360M WW.
If The Film Needs To Be Rescheduled, Where Should They Move To?
The United States vs. Billie Holiday - Should move from February 26, 2021 to March 26, 2021
A Quiet Place Part II - Should move from April 23, 2021 to June 18, 2021
Rumble - Should move from May 14, 2021 to June 25, 2021
Infinite - Should move from May 28, 2021 to July 2, 2021 (Replacing Top Gun: Maverick)
Top Gun: Maverick - Should move from July 2, 2021 to July 23, 2021 (Replacing The Tomorrow War)
PAW Patrol: The Movie - Should move from August 20, 2021 to September 24, 2021 (Replacing My Little Pony)
The Tomorrow War - Should move from July 23, 2021 to October 1, 2021
Jackass 4 - Should move from September 3, 2021 to October 8, 2021
My Little Pony - Should move from September 24, 2021 to November 5, 2021 (Replacing Clifford the Big Red Dog)
Snake Eyes - Should move from October 22, 2021 to November 24, 2021
Clifford the Big Red Dog - Should move from November 5, 2021 to December 10, 2021
Mission: Impossible 7 - Should move from November 19, 2021 to December 22, 2021
Babylon - Should move from December 25, 2021 to December 23, 2022
Thoughts on 2021 Slate - Assuming these films can make their release date, Paramount is looking to have an amazing year, even if Coming 2 America isn’t getting a theatrical release. A Quiet Place Part II, Top Gun: Maverick, and Mission: Impossible 7 look to be Paramount’s largest films of 2021, and that’s not a bad thing. Infinite, The Tomorrow War, Jackass 4, Snake Eyes, and Babylon look to be smaller films that can still rake in a profit. Assuming these films have a theatrical release and stay in 2021, Paramount is on track to hit $1B domestically, the first time they would do so since 2014. I hope things work out in Paramount’s favor in 2021.
Paramount on Streaming - ViacomCBS currently has CBS All Access is the home of CBS with some Paramount content. Paramount+ is set to launch early 2021, which will include CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, and Paramount content. I think it should be able to perform better than CBS All Access. Paramount may not be as strong of a brand name, it’s still not a bad choice for the revamped CBS All Access.
The Future - The Scream franchise is coming back with Scream (the fifth one). Unlike the first four films, Scream (the fifth one) will now be handled by Paramount. The Paranormal Activity franchise is also coming back with Paranormal Activity 7. Another franchise coming back is Indiana Jones 5. While Disney is distributing the film, Paramount retains studio credit for the film (I think it’s because Disney wants to use the Paramount logo to keep the tradition of having the Paramount logo fade into a mountain or a molehill or something). Paramount Animation is in full swing with the upcoming releases of Luck, Under the Boardwalk, and Spellbound. And that’s just 2022. We’re also getting the Tiger’s Apprentice in 2023. A Dungeons & Dragons film is being made because Paramount wants to cash in on another Hasbro franchise that isn’t Transformers. A sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog is being made, which is great. I hope the success of Sonic the Hedgehog leads to Paramount and Sega working together to release film adaptations of other Sega franchises like Streets of Rage, Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, and Valkyria Chronicles (they may not be as successful as Sonic the Hedgehog, but maybe something is better than nothing). Paramount’s biggest film of the foreseeable future is Mission: Impossible 8, which may be the last Mission: Impossible film (at least starring Tom Cruise).