Sloppy seconds: Every remake and sequel coming this summer
The summer of 2018 delivered a crowded slate of sequels and remakes that tested audience appetite for familiar franchises. The original preview captured the skepticism toward long-delayed entries and gender-swapped reboots, and several of those titles went on to shape studio strategies in the years that followed.
Box Office Standouts from the 2018 Summer Slate
Incredibles 2 became Pixar’s highest-grossing film domestically at the time with $608.6 million. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Mission: Impossible – Fallout both crossed or approached the billion-dollar mark worldwide, while Deadpool 2 and Ocean’s 8 returned strong profits relative to their budgets. These results showed that summer audiences still rewarded established properties when the execution felt fresh.
Critical Reception Highlights
Incredibles 2 earned strong reviews for its animation and humor and picked up multiple award nominations. Mission: Impossible – Fallout drew praise for its stunts and set pieces. Solo received mixed notices overall, though critics singled out the cast chemistry and visual design as highlights. The spread of scores illustrated how technical ambition and franchise fatigue could coexist in the same release window.
Long-Term Franchise Impact
Deadpool 2’s performance helped clear the path for the character’s later integration into the MCU with Deadpool & Wolverine. Bad Boys for Life arrived in January 2020 and grossed $426.5 million worldwide, which directly greenlit Bad Boys: Ride or Die in 2024. Incredibles 2 also paved the way for the eventual announcement of Incredibles 3. The summer slate proved that commercial momentum could carry franchises across release cycles.
Underperformers and Lessons Learned
Solo became the first Star Wars film widely labeled a box-office disappointment both domestically and globally, finishing around $393 million worldwide. Several remakes, including The Hustle and SuperFly, posted limited commercial returns and reinforced studio caution about gender-swapped or culturally updated properties without clear hooks. The results informed later decisions about which legacy titles merited investment.
Overboard (May 4)
The remake underperformed at the box office as the original preview predicted. Audiences largely passed on the update to the 1987 comedy classic, and the film faded quickly from conversation.
Deadpool 2 (May 18)
Despite earlier doubts about repeat appeal, the sequel outgrossed the original with $786 million worldwide. Josh Brolin and Zazie Beetz added new texture to the R-rated formula, and the film’s success helped keep the franchise viable for future entries.
Solo: A Star Wars Story (May 25)
Reshoots and production turmoil preceded a rare financial miss for the Star Wars brand. The film finished well below break-even expectations, and Donald Glover’s Lando remained one of the few elements critics and audiences consistently praised.
Ocean’s 8 (June 8)
The gender-swapped heist film grossed nearly $298 million worldwide on a $70 million budget. Cate Blanchett and the ensemble delivered the slick, stylish entertainment the preview anticipated, proving that not every remake in this vein had to fail commercially.
Incredibles 2 (June 15)
The long-awaited sequel grossed over $1.24 billion worldwide and set multiple animated box office records. The film balanced family-friendly action with pointed commentary on superhero fatigue, and its success confirmed that Pixar could still command summer dominance.
SuperFly (June 15)
Director X’s feature debut and the supporting turns from Jason Mitchell and Michael Kenneth Williams could not overcome limited marketing reach. The blaxploitation remake posted modest returns and quickly moved to home video.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (June 22)
Despite mixed reviews, the dinosaur sequel became one of the highest-grossing films of 2018 with $1.31 billion worldwide. The spectacle-driven approach carried the franchise forward even as critics questioned narrative logic.
Sicario: Day of the Soldado (June 29)
Taylor Sheridan returned to write the follow-up, and the film maintained the series’ tense procedural tone without the original creative team. It found a receptive audience among viewers who wanted more grounded thriller fare.
The Hustle (June 29)
The gender-swapped remake of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels struggled to replicate the original’s comic timing. Rebel Wilson and Anne Hathaway could not match the chemistry of Steve Martin and Michael Caine, and the film underperformed relative to its budget.
The First Purge (July 4)
The prequel leaned into topical satire through its marketing, yet the core premise remained familiar. The film performed adequately for the franchise but did little to expand its thematic reach.
Ant-Man and the Wasp (July 6)
Following the scale of Infinity War, the smaller stakes offered a palate cleanser. The film grossed $622.7 million worldwide and kept the Marvel summer machine running without overextending its premise.
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (July 13)
The third entry leaned into tropical settings and guest voices, but the formula showed diminishing returns. The series continued to serve as reliable family entertainment without breaking new ground.
Puzzle (July 13)
Kelly Macdonald and Irrfan Khan anchored the quiet remake of the Argentine original. The film found a modest arthouse audience drawn to its character-driven story of a middle-aged puzzle enthusiast.
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (July 20)
The musical sequel leaned on flashbacks and ensemble cameos, and Pierce Brosnan’s vocals remained a talking point. Singalong screenings turned the film into an event for fans who wanted the ABBA catalog in a theatrical setting.
The Equalizer 2 (July 20)
Denzel Washington carried the mid-tier neo-noir sequel, and Eminem’s supporting role drew curiosity. The film performed solidly for the genre and kept the franchise alive for potential further entries.
Mission: Impossible – Fallout (July 27)
Henry Cavill’s mustache and the set-piece choreography delivered franchise-high box office with $791 million worldwide. The stunts earned widespread praise and reinforced Tom Cruise’s commitment to practical action filmmaking.
Christopher Robin (August 3)
The live-action Winnie the Pooh film struck a nostalgic chord with audiences. While Disney’s slate of legacy properties drew fatigue elsewhere, this entry offered a gentler tone that resonated during the summer blockbuster season.
Papillon (August 24)
Charlie Hunnam and Rami Malek took on the roles originated by Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman. The remake could not match the original’s rugged intensity, and the true story’s earlier telling on screen remained the more enduring version.
Looking back, the 2018 summer slate demonstrated both the commercial power and creative limits of sequels and remakes. Some titles exceeded expectations and extended their franchises, while others exposed the risks of relying on brand recognition alone. The season ultimately reinforced that audiences reward execution over familiarity when studios take the right calculated chances.
