Why ‘Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny’ Will Easily Be This Summer's Biggest Blockbuster
The fedora, the whip and the Man himself is back for more adventure this summer. We think this could be the perfect timing for his comeback.
Fifteen years after his last big screen outing, Harrison Ford returns to one of his most iconic roles as Disney and LucasFilm gear up for the release of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Last week at the Star Wars Celebration in London, England, the companies released a new poster and trailer for what I believe will be a serious contender for the summer box office crown even with some factors working against it.
Last year, I did a similar editorial in regards to my excitement and belief that Top Gun Maverick would live up to the hype despite its numerous COVID and production delays. After that film more than surpassed the hype and then some, I am making another bold prediction about the fifth Indy instalment following a similar path. Joining Ford in the cast are Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Antonio Banderas, Toby Jones, Boyd Holbrook, Mads Mikkelsen and John Rhys-Davis reprising his role as Sallah. After directing the last four movies, Steven Spielberg hands the directing chair over to James Mangold.
Although plot details remain low key, Dial of Destiny takes place in 1969 amidst the height of the Space Race. Indy finds himself in the midst of a changing world and is joined by his goddaughter Helena Shaw(Waller-Bridge) as they try to stop former Nazi Jürgen Voller from using the Apollo Moon Landing mission for his own financial gain.
Why do I think this may be the biggest blockbuster of the summer and follow in Maverick’s footsteps? The first reason is the IP of course. The Indiana Jones movies helped redefine the action genre in the 80s with its mix of stunt work, exotic locales, a likeable and charming lead, a visionary director known for giving audiences what they want and even mixes of fantasy and science fiction. Much like Tom Cruise, Ford is a Hollywood legend whose charisma, action skills, comedic timing and dramatic talents have allowed for a successful career over the last half century. As Indy, he gets to perfectly show off everything he built his career on and the trailer for this seems to show that he has not lost his touch. Having introduced himself to a new generation by reprising Han Solo in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner 2049, the time is right to have Ford put on the iconic hat and jacket one more time despite turning 80 last July.
The director is another reason why this may be something special. Although filling Spielberg’s shoes is a mighty task for any filmmaker, Mangold has proven to be a more than competent helmer able to tackle many genres. After his breakthrough with the police drama CopLand in 1997, he has successfully done movies that range from thrillers(Identity), westerns(3:10 to Yuma), Oscar bait biopics(Walk the Line, Ford V Ferrari) and action (Knight and Day). Mangold’s stock rose in 2017 after directing Logan which was meant to be Hugh Jackman’s swan song as Wolverine. That movie showed he could blend big budget filmmaking with his style of character driven drama and that could be good news for Destiny if this is indeed Ford’s last hurrah.
Of course, there is also some signs of caution to take into consideration that may hold the film back. Dial apparently has an extremely high budget of $295 million meaning it will need to come close to the billion dollar mark worldwide if it wants to be deemed a profitable success. Although the previous Indiana Jones movies were huge blockbusters, the highest grossing film 2008’s Kingdom of the Crystal Skull grossed $790 million worldwide. Also, despite its success, that film got a very mixed reaction from fans and some may be much more hesitant to be excited about this new one. Finally, there is the competition. Aside from pleasing audiences, Maverick benefited from a smaller than usual summer lineup that generally underwhelmed moviegoers. Dial of Destiny will no doubt dominate during its Independence Day weekend opening but films like Across The Spider-Verse, Elemental, The Flash and The Little Mermaid will likely still be doing strong business and then Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1, Oppenheimer and Barbie will be nipping at its heels meaning that having the legs of Cruise’s fighter pilots is likely not going to happen.
All that being said, the new trailer seems to deliver everything fans love about Indy and the pairing of Ford and Mangold looks to deliver an old school throwback to summer films of the past as audiences are craving broadly appealing tentpoles that are lighter on CGI and make good use of stunts and practical effects. Disney is also feeling good about the movie having it premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival in France this May, a slot that has done wonders for past blockbusters. Despite some challenges, the odds look good for Dr. Jones to become one of this season’s best and most popular blockbusters