In the movie business, summer time in particular is always about the numbers. Longer days, pleasant weather and vacation time means big box office figures. With this being the general rule of thumb, summer is where movie studios firmly plant their tentpoles – which means Universal are putting a whole lot of stock in the next Judd Apatow movie, Train Wreck, as it is now set for release on July 24th, 2015.
2015 is shaping up to be no ordinary summer, though. Of course, there is the usual raft of enormous sequels on the release slate – including Bourne 5, Kung Fu Panda 3, Mission: Impossible 5, Terminator 5, Star Wars: Episode 7 and Jurassic World. Then there’s a few re-boots – including Mad Max: Fury Road and The Fantastic Four. But, what makes 2015 so remarkable is the impending cinematic battle between Disney and Warner Bros (and, by extension, Marvel and DC Comics), as the former unleashes both Avengers: Age Of Ultron and Ant-Man, and the latter deposits Batman Vs. Superman.
Universal, on the other hand, are banking on the inevitable superhero/franchise/sequel fatigue among summer-time movie-goers, and will provide this welcome breath of fresh comedic air, in the shape of Amy Schumer. Though specific plot details have yet to be released, the film will apparently tell the tale of a somewhat unstable woman, trying to rebuild her life. Written by Schumer herself, Judd Apatow will produce and direct.
Though it seems to be a bold move, wedging an Apatow production into the July release slate of any year, not least directly between Batman Vs. Superman and Ant-Man, it actually makes a lot of sense. In addition to the advantage of offering something different amongst all the capes and explosions, Universal will be trying to recreate the lightning bolt that was 2011’s Bridesmaids. Written by comics Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, Apatow shaped and produced that Paul Feig directed movie, and helped guide it to a $228 million worldwide box office haul after its June release date. Can he reproduce that success with Amy Schumer’s Train Wreck? Only time will tell.
