2014 Box-Office Predictions ($90-$115 million)

30. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Paramount, 9/8)- $90 million
Ninja Turtles is a beloved franchise who have experienced a resurgence with their Nickelodeon show.  However hype is almost nonexistent for this movie and many fans of the comics and various cartoons have been critical of the little information that has come out.  It seems to try to be appealing to fans of the 1987 cartoon while making changes to the franchise.  It will probably earn fans of the current series, families may see this more than adult fans.  There is a definite attempt at Transformers, but it will probably be closer to G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra.  There are many other superhero movies this year (notably Guardians of the Galaxy also in August) that this will be lost in the shuffle.

29. The Neighbors (Universal, 5/8)- $90 million

There have already been three trailers that have all been well received and show a lot of great jokes.  This is clearly building buzz off of the success of Seth Rogen's This is the End.  It also features rising star Dave Franco, Rose Byrne (who starred in Bridesmaids which was a huge hit the same weekend in 2011) and Zac Efron who has been waiting for a break-out film role.  This should play well with younger audiences but has a broad enough appeal for older crowds too.  If it is really funny it could get close to Bridesmaids' total, but I am anticipating at least a little under $100 million.

28. Need for Speed (Disney, 3/14)- $95 million
The video game is popular and Aaron Paul has his fan base, but a transition from TV to film is difficult.  Video game movies never do well, Prince of Persia is probably the best it will do.  This is definitely looking to go after the Fast and Furious crowd, but that franchise only improved once it moved away from cars.  Should be decent for March, but not as much as Dreamworks was hoping.


27. Night at the Museum 3 (Fox, 12/19)- $95 million
The original movie was an incredible success.  The sequel experienced a significant drop three years after that.  This will also definitely earn less as five years have passed since the sequel received middling success.  Stiller also underperformed last december with Secret Life of Walter Mitty.  There is also competition with Annie.  I am sure that Fox is hoping for at least this to get close to Chipwrecked or Anchorman 2, but this will definitely be the final film of the franchise.

26. Hercules: The Thracian Wars (Paramount, 7/25)- $100 million
Dwayne Johnson is not a sure thing, but in big action movies he is as sure as it gets anymore.  Teaming him with Brett Ratner in a Hercules movie should play well with general audiences and fans of The Scorpion King.  The failure of The Legend of Hercules could help this, but also potentially hurt it as that movie's poor reception could effect this one.  It will not be a huge hit, but there are enough familiar aspects to make this cross $100 million.

25. Maleficent (Disney, 5/30)- $100 million
Disney is hoping for this to earn close to Alice in Wonderland or Oz: The Great and Powerful, but dark fairy tale retellings have been doing increasingly worse.  Sleeping Beauty is not a popular brand and Angelina Jolie is not a relevant movie star anymore.  If Snow White and the Huntsman made $155 million domestically this should do lower than that as that featured Kristen Stewart.  It won't be as bad as Jack the Giant Slayer, but this does also have the potential to be this year's annual Disney bomb (Mars Needs Moms, John Carter and Lone Ranger).  I think that Disney's marketing will save it, but I may be overestimated it too.

24. Noah (Paramount, 3/28)- $100 million
There are enough elements to make this a success.  Big spectacle, disaster and a Biblical story.  However this may hurt from being either too religious or not religious enough.  Russell Crowe is not a huge star anymore, but this should do business close to Robin Hood.  There is enough hype surrounding this that people will see it right away, but its quality will affect on whether or not people return.

23. Get on Up (Universal, 8/1)- $105 million
Released around the same time as The Butler and features cast members from The Help and 42.  James Robinson is an important cultural figure and if this movie is a good drama and has impressive musical scenes it could be one of the few biopics to do well.  Oscar buzz will help this and Chadwick Boseman is the star to make this work.  I am trying to anticipate a surprise success which is tough, but this should surprise.

22. Gone Girl (Fox, 10/3)- $110 million
There is already a lot of buzz around this one.  Bestselling book, David Fincher and post-comeback Ben Affleck will help this to be a hit.  If it lives up to expectations and becomes an Oscar player it could do even better than this.  This is dependent on quality, but should make back its budget.

21 Rio 2 (Fox, 4/11)- $115 million
The original Rio did well, but the movie was not a huge hit and has mainly been forgotten.  Should do well with families who have a lack of options, but there are other movies that have more box-office potential.  Should do a bit better than Epic, but won't be a new Ice Age.

Best of Disney Animated Features (33-24)

33. The Aristocats (1970)
Even when Disney has a mid-range movie, it is still considered a classic.  Definitely not among the studio's best, but a very likable movie.  The story is built on a loose, but strong foundation of a family of cats going on a journey to find their way home and meeting some colorful new friends.  It has its dull moments like many Disney movies from this period, but not as much as others.  The musical sequences are high energy and the characters are likable.

32. Treasure Planet (2002)
It seems that either you love this movie or you don't.  When looking at it critically it really is somewhere in the middle.  It is an uneven movie, with some intrusive comic relief and a lack of focus.  Still, it is creative, adventurous and sincere.  The relationships and characterization among the leads is really sweet and surprisingly mature.  The action scenes are exciting and well paced.  I love this movie and it is worth discovering.  It is one of the best adaptations of Treasure Island.  I describe it further in this review (not my best review, but still make some good points, if I do say so myself).

31. Hercules (1997)
This is such an interesting movie when looking at Disney's entire library, it really is unique.  It tries to follow the Broadway musical format, but rather than going serious like the previous two films it went straight for the laughs.  There is still definitely drama, especially with Eric Goldberg's character of Phil who is both comic relief and caring mentor.  The character of Hades steals the show along with some pretty clever pop culture references.  The visuals in this movie went away from the Disney style with designs from Scarfe, which makes this stand out.  It is interesting that the story seems to take it inspirations from movies such as Superman, Karate Kid and Rocky rather than Greek myths.  All of these disparate elements works but don't necessarily make the most complete film.  It lacks a definite anchor in the main character and story structure.  However this works as a comedy and a pretty touching underdog story.  Time has been kind to this film and it is a good one.

30. Great Mouse Detective (1986)
The third movie in a row from Ron Clements and John Musker on this list.  The strength in this movie is in its two leads: the clever, charming Basil of Baker Street and his hammy nemesis Ratigan.  Disney plays up the arch-rival archetypes well and the animators are clearly having fun with them.  It is a pleasant little comedy that also serves as an exciting adventure.  Even though the clock tower is clearly computer animated you still believe that the characters are there and it remains the most memorable part of the movie.  This was the first time that Disney animation had made a quality product in a long time and was an important step to bigger and better things.

28. Frozen (2013)
This is the most recent Disney animated feature and it is a good one.  There is a huge scale, some interesting twists and great comic relief.  Despite its definite quality, it definitely gives the feeling that it could be better.  The plot is not set up well and follows too many different story lines.  Many of the themes are interesting, but it should have just chosen one to focus on.  Some scenes also seem abrupt.  The chase with the wolves and the Snow Monster are well animated, but the movie does not take its time with them.  Still, this is complaining about a very good movie.  Snow has never looked better on the screen, there is creativity in the trolls and the comic relief character of Olaf is an absolute stand out as the animators find every way to take advantage of him being a snowman.  It is touching, just not as consistent as it could have been.  This has been heavily applauded for subverting the traditional Disney romance, but Disney has already poked fun at themselves in other movies and showcased strong independent female characters.  This movie would have been better if it had trusted itself to tell a story about two sisters, without cramming in love interests.

29. Fantasia 2000 (1999)

Vastly different from 1940's Fantasia, but a very worthy successor.  The weakness of this film is in its packaging.  The live-action scenes with celebrities seem out of place and age the movie.  They are not funny and ruin the flow of the movie, although some segments such as James Earl Jones' work well.  Disney utilizes many different styles of music and animation to tell different stories.  The best shorts are the ones directed by Eric Goldberg: Rhapsody in Blue and Carnival of the Animals.  Other shorts such as Pines of Rome, Pomp and Circumstance, and The Firebird Suite are stunning and creative.  Of course it is always great to see The Sorcerer's Apprentice.  In many ways this is more accessible than the original Fantasia, which has been seen as a tad pretentious.  These cartoons are all story based, don't shy away from humor and take place in a much shorter film.  This movie has unfortunately been forgotten, but it should be rediscovered as it features some amazingly underrated work from Disney animators.

27. Rescuers Down Under (1990)
I ranked the original 1977 Rescuers pretty low, but this is the rare sequel that is leagues above the original.  The scenes with Marahute are some of the best flying scenes ever animated and his relationship with Cody is rather touching.  The side characters are fun as are the leads Bernard and Bianca.  This is a rousing adventure that is only know receiving the credit it very much deserves.  It is a shame that this did not receive a bigger push when it was released, it would be nice to see more movies like it.

26. Mulan (1998)
This movie does a lot of things different from previous Disney movies, primarily with its gender roles.  Unfortunately the movie feels the need to point that out and does not trust itself to be entirely different.  Still the character of Mulan is a strong, admirable lead.  There are many scenes that stand out such as the touching talk from Fa Zou, the silent scene where she steals her father's armor and the battle on the mountain.  The movie is a little disjointed as it tries to cram some unnecessary comic relief and a love story.  But overall this is a great effort from the studio who successfully broke out of the mold.

25. The Jungle Book (1967)
One of the best-loved Disney animated features.  The songs and fun characters have made this a classic and help it hold up for new audiences.  It definitely lags at times and is not the most impressive film from an artistic stand point.  But the character animation and voice work are the selling point.  Baloo, Baghera, Shere Khan, Kaa, King Louie and Colonel Haithi's elephants are great characters to build a film around.

24. Alice in Wonderland (1951)
This is one of Disney's best known films.  These versions of Lewis Caroll's characters have become iconic and remain one of Disney's most popular brand.  Critically and among Disney animators at the time this was not the most popular.  It certainly has its flaws as it does not feel like a complete film.  But much like the Jungle Book, the character animation raises the quality of the film immensely.  The Mad Hatter, Cheshire Cat, White Rabbit, Caterpillar and Queen of Hearts are some of Disney's best wacky characters.  The bright and colorful nonsensical world is also a treat for the eyes with Mary Blair's backgrounds.  It may not be perfect as a whole, but there is certainly great art at play.