While hardly the most distressing aspect of our times, a summer season without blockbuster movies seems rather peculiar. For nearly half a century, or at least since “Jaws” scared America off the beaches in 1975, summer was when Hollywood released its biggest films. With cinemas largely shuttered, viewers will have to content themselves with hits from summers past.
For those grazing cable, “The Dark Knight Rises” (7 p.m., AMC, TV-14) was released in July 2012 and starred Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway and Tom Hardy. The comic book superhero effort, directed by Christopher Nolan, was generally well-received and praised for its brooding, cerebral quality.
Like many summer films, it was a huge hit, grossing more than $1 billion worldwide and was the third-highest grossing film of 2012.
Sometimes a “date” movie comes along that gets couples and fans of three-hanky romances to buy tickets and return for repeat viewings. Released in July 1990, the supernatural romance “Ghost” (9:35 p.m., Sho2) starred Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze as a devoted couple separated by his murder and reunited (in a fashion) by entities both living (Whoopi Goldberg) and dead (Vincent Schiavelli). The highest-grossing film of the year, “Ghost” probably inspired more women to take up pottery than any art class, and had the world singing the 1965 Righteous Brothers hit “Unchained Melody.”
A 1991 summer smash starring Belgian martial arts star Jean-Claude Van Damme as twins(!), “Double Impact” (8 p.m., TMCX) pretty much defines the kind of silly summer movie you really don’t have to think about after leaving the multiplex.
Not every summer release with a familiar title and big stars catches fire. Released in June 2004, the remake of “The Stepford Wives” (8 p.m., TMC), starring Nicole Kidman, was plagued by rumors of rifts on the set, mediocre box office and dreadful reviews.
Although comic book movies are generally expected to make a lot of money, films are a crapshoot. Even those with a cast of familiar faces. Sometimes, it takes a hit to show the “experts” that an audience has been underserved and different stories deserve to be told.
Released in July of 2017, “Girls Trip” (7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., FXX, TV-MA) was not a blockbuster on the level of “The Dark Knight,” but it’s clearly the kind of hit that filmmakers love. It grossed more than $140 million, nearly seven times its modest budget. A tale of a group of friends traveling to New Orleans to attend the Essence Music Festival, “Trip” stars Regina Hall (“Ally McBeal”), Queen Latifah (“Living Single),” Tiffany Haddish (“The Carmichael Show”) and Jada Pinkett Smith (“A Different World”). The movie showcased Haddish’s rising star and was included in Time magazine’s roundup of the top 10 films of 2017. It was the first film written by a black woman to gross more than $100 million.
You’d think the smash “Aquaman” (10 p.m., HBO Family) would be a summer release, but it was released Dec. 21, 2018. Maybe somebody thought it had Oscar potential!
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— A patient suffers dementia on “Chicago Med” (8 p.m., NBC, r, TV-14).
— A friend deceives Severide on “Chicago Fire” (9 p.m., NBC, r, TV-14).
— An opioid epidemic on “Chicago P.D.” (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
— “Corporate” (10:30 p.m., Comedy Central, TV-14) returns for its third and final season.
CULT CHOICE
A crime family adjusts to changes in postwar New York in the 1972 drama “The Godfather” (7:15 p.m., IFC, TV-MA).
SERIES NOTES
“Tough as Nails” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … A wedding feast with 45 courses on “MasterChef” (8 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14) … Date night on “United We Fall” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) … Clarke finds a new foe on “The 100” (8 p.m., r, CW, TV-14) … Food qualms on “The Goldbergs” (8:30 p.m., ABC, r, TV-PG).
“Game On!” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … “Ultimate Tag” (9 p.m., Fox, TV-PG) … Old grudges on “The Conners” (9 p.m., ABC, r, TV-14) … All seems lost on “Bulletproof” (9 p.m., CW, TV-14) … Cookies crumble on “American Housewife” (9:30 p.m., ABC, r, TV-PG) … A kidnapped agent needs extraction on “SEAL Team” (10 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) … Time unravels on “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” (10 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
LATE NIGHT
Jim Gaffigan appears on “Conan” (11 p.m., TBS) … Jimmy Fallon welcomes Cameron Diaz, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Kygo featuring One Republic on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC).
