Summer movies in crisis in Los Angeles

In Los Angeles, times are tough and getting tougher, and as the summer movie season’s first half launches on Friday with X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Hollywood is banking on escapist fare and fantasy flicks to cheer recession-weary audiences. Following Wolverine comes the big-budget reboot of Star Trek, conspiracy-minded Angels & Demons and action-packed Terminator Salvation. And the summer’s stars are A-list too, from Tom Hanks to Will Ferrell to Jennifer Aniston. Why all the hype around Hollywood’s summer that starts in May and runs through August? Those four months can rake-in up to 40% of annual ticket sales, so if summer tanks from the start, Hollywood dips into its own financial funk. But one star says he’s not feeling any pressure from appearing in the first big film: Hugh Wolverine Jackman. “Whatever (launch) date it is, I’d want it to do well,” Jackman said about his new X-Men movie. “I probably put more credence into that — whether people have a great time — than how well it does at the box office. I’m a big believer that money and box office will take care” of themselves. Despite an unfinished version of the movie that leaked online, Wolverine — in which Jackman plays a “mutant” battling bad guys with his retractable claws — is expected to boost box office in an already strong year as fans look to escape the hum-drum of everyday life. Year-to-date, the US box office stands at $3.06 billion, which is up 17.4% from the year before, according to box office tracker Media by Numbers. Of course, Wolverine is not the only game in Tinseltown. It opens Friday against romance Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, starring Matthew McConaughey as a Scrooge-like womaniser visited by ghosts that help him renew his love for a childhood sweetheart. Also that first big weekend is animated adventure Battle for Terra, about a peaceful alien planet invaded by humans.