Five Films To Break A $Billion (2017).

​Following on with our annual tradition, this is the third instalment in two years on predicting what films in the looming 365 days will be a box office smash.
 
2015 had five films that toppled the 10-figure sum which would have been great if we chose those five – SPOLIER – we didn’t. Last year, only three films hit the billion-dollar mark so there’s no way we could have succeeded (we got one right).
 
However, in 2017, we are certain we have found five films that will deliver the big bucks. Do you agree with our picks…? 

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Beauty and the Beast
An adaptation of the Disney fairy-tale about a monstrous prince and a young woman who fall in love.
Director: Bill Condon
Stars: Emma Watson, Ewan McGregor, Dan Stevens
 
Our first prediction is Disney’s live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast. Disney had an incredible 2016 at the box office with Zootropolis and Finding Dory and we can’t seem them slowing down this year either. To strengthen our argument too, The Jungle Book (live-action) was only 20 million short of the $billion total last year too. Surely this one has it in the bag?

Spider-Man: Homecoming
A young Peter Parker/Spider-Man begins to navigate his newfound identity as the web-slinging superhero.
Director: Jon Watts
Stars: Tom Holland, Donald Glover, Marisa Tomei, Michael Keaton
 
Our Spidey-senses are telling us this could be sixth time lucky! Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man and Andrew Garfield’s masked-hero both had films that the 800 million mark. All five films lingered around that mark, but we think the third incarnation of Peter Parker in 10 years could be the one to finally push through the barrier. Tom Holland was highly praised in Civil War so we are hoping the momentum will be carried through here.

Dunkirk
Allied soldiers from Belgium, the British Empire and France are surrounded by the German army and evacuated during a fierce battle in World War II.
Director: Christopher Nolan
Stars: Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance
 
We chose this film for three reasons. Firstly, Dunkirk means the return of Christopher Nolan after three years out so his fans will be chomping at the bit! Also, two of leads have a tremendous fan base. Tom hardy and Harry Styles fans alone will pack out cinemas worldwide. This is an outsider chance of the billion dollars, but there’s evidence to suggest a great return at the box office.

Blade Runner 2049
Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K, unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what's left of society into chaos.
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Stars: Ana de Armas, Ryan Gosling, Jared Leto
 
This is another outsider we think, but it certainly has enough to get the $billion. It has been decades since the first cult hit and with Ryan Gosling at the helm, we are sure this will boom at the box office. In addition, with Denis Villeneuve directing, the movie will always be a visual masterpiece. Denis’ Arrival, Prisoners and Sicario have all been aesthetically pleasing and a narrative joy the last few years. We are sure that Blade Runner 2049 will be no different.

​Star Wars: Episode 8
Having taken her first steps into a larger world in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), Rey continues her epic journey with Finn, Poe and Luke Skywalker in the next chapter of the saga.
Director: Rian Johnson
Stars: Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega
 
Let’s be honest, this is a given, right? The Force Awakens racked up more than $2 billion just over a year ago so surely Episode 8 will follow-suit. In addition, the sad news about Carrie Fisher could impact the movie’s revenue as fans would like to know how they will honour her character. Plus, the narrative alone will be intriguing. If this doesn’t hit the 10-figure mark, we’ll eat our hat!