There are many major blockbusters arriving this year, but there are only two that are comfortably expected to sit at the top of the box office charts by the time 2019 ends: Avengers: Endgame and Star Wars: Episode IX. Both will see the end of the current storyline that’s been building up for the last few years and will have to pick up the pieces after an unexpectedly dark predecessor (Infinity War/The Last Jedi).
But if you had to choose one film to come out on top, it seems the best bet would be Endgame. In their latest newsletter, The Hollywood Reporter’s entertainment expert Borys Kit was asked which movie he’d put his money on and firmly came down on the Marvel side, saying that the Star Wars franchise “is on a downswing” due to the backlash against TLJ and the disappointing gross of Solo.
“At this stage, Avengers 4. Not only due to the jaw-dropping cliffhanger that left audiences wanting more, but because of the potential goodbye aspect for some of the actors. Episode IX is, unfortunately, coming when Star Wars is on a downswing, after Last Jedi and Solo. But expect some strong marketing to really build up fan excitement. And it’s all moot to a certain extent anyway. Both movies will be huge. It’s a riff on the popular tagline: No matter who wins or loses, Disney wins it all.”
As Kit points out, both Endgame and Episode IX are Disney releases, so no matter who comes out on top, the House of Mouse will be laughing all the way to the bank. From the marketing strategy so far, though, it does seem that the studio’s favoring Avengers 4. In past years, we’ve gotten the first trailer for the next SW movie a year ahead. However, Episode IX’s promotion’s not expected to begin until after Endgame has come and gone.
It’s possible that this may affect the impact J.J. Abrams’ movie makes when it eventually arrives in December, or perhaps audiences will be so starved for Star Wars content after over a year and a half that they’ll come flooding into theaters anyway. Word of mouth will no doubt help as well, so if IX ends up being more fan-pleasing than the last two entries, then it should avoid a similar backlash.
