Here Are Fandango's Picks for the Most Anticipated Movies of 2017

A few weeks back, marketing tech firm Amobee helped me put together a list of the most anticipated movies of 2017 by measuring the volume and sentiment of social chatter about the planned titles. Here's what that list looked like: Amobee's Most Anticipated Movies of 2017 10. Logan 9. Thor: Ragnorak 8. Beauty and the Beast 7. Star Wars: Episode VIII 6. Fifty Shades Darker 5. Baywatch 4. Guardians of the Galaxy 3. Wonder Woman 2. Justice League 1. Spider-Man: Homecoming The list, as I noted, is pretty heavy on superheroes of all stripes, including not one but four Marvel movies (though Logan isn't part of the Marvel Studios Cinematic Universe) as well as two entries from DC Comics and its parent company Warner Bros. The next Star Wars movie is on there, though it is surprisingly low on the list. The remaining three films consist of two adaptations—the live-action Beauty and the Beast and the big-screen version of Baywatch—and a sequel, Fifty Shades Darker. Now, online ticket seller Fandango is out with its own list, which was compiled using a survey of moviegoers, a methodology that has its own set of issues. Still, while similar on a number of fronts, the list exposes some interesting takeaways of its own. Fandango's Most Anticipated Movies of 2017 10. Despicable Me 3 9. Logan 8. Fifty Shades Darker 7. The Fate Of The Furious 6. Justice League 5. Spider-Man: Homecoming 4. Wonder Woman 3. Beauty and The Beast 2. Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 1. Star Wars: Episode VIII You'll note that eight of the titles appear on both lists. But it's a little less superhero-centric, with just five movies instead of Amobee's seven. Let's look first at which movies are unique to Fandango's list: The Fate of the Furious This is the movie they really should have titled F8. Either way, this is the improbably eighth movie in the Fast and the Furious franchise, which keeps on providing Vin Diesel with a steady paycheck. It's the first after the death of series star Paul Walker, and while his absence only gets a small mention in the first trailer, the movie does promise lots of insane car-based stunts and plenty of macho tough talk. Oh, and a healthy amount of Charlize Theron being cooly manipulative while wearing a bluetooth earpiece. So, it as that going for it… Despicable Me 3 This is the only appearance on either list of what could be referred to as a kids' movie. That's likely reflective of the ticket-buying power of parents (or at least, that some of those parents were willing to answer a survey) and adds at least a bit of cinematic diversity to the lineup. What's surprising about the first trailer is that while we get an extended sequence focusing on the movie's '80s-loving new villain, the beloved Minions don't show up until the very end. Maybe that's a result of them being a tad overexposed after their 2015 solo movie. So, which movies from Amobee's list didn't make Fandango's cut? Thor: Ragnorak disappears, but let's be honest, it was a bit surprising it showed up to begin, with given the lackluster second movie and there being no marketing elements to date for the third. And Baywatch is a no-show on Fandango's list, which doesn't speak well to public sentiment for the Zac Efron/The Rock-starring comedy that got an actually pretty decent first trailer. Moving on to what the lists have in common: Star Wars: Episode VIII's place at the top of Fandango's list is quite different from its seventh-place finish on Amobee's. That is likely due to the difference in methodology. Where Amobee looked at the content that has been created to date, Fandango is measuring signaled intention and interest. So, it scores higher with Fandango because people are just kind of generally looking forward to it at this point. But because there haven't been any trailers, posters or formal press activities (discounting small comments made by cast and crew), there hasn't been as much fan-generated content for the movie. Star Wars and Spider-Man: Homecoming essentially swap places on the lists, which can't be welcome news for Sony as it tries for its third Spider-Man franchise in 15 years. Fifty Shades Darker moves down a couple notches, and Justice League falls four places, while Logan moves up one spot. It remains to be seen which list will more accurately predict 2017's ticket champions. It's a fair bet that while many of these titles will ultimately appear on the year's top 10 grossing movie list, there's also bound to be one—if not more—surprising bombs that the public say they're looking forward to but ultimately don't turn out for. That's what I refer to as the Scott Pilgrim Effect for movies that generate lots of buzz and anticipation but fail to connect with general audiences. And it's likely there will be at least one movie that isn't on either of these lists that comes out of the woodwork to surprise and steal a slot. Now, all we have to do is live through 2017 to find out.

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Here Are Fandango's Picks for the Most Anticipated Movies of 2017

How do they compare to Amobee's list?

Chris Thilk

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Chris Thilk