School may be out for most of the summer moviegoing season, but there’s still plenty of math involved — and we’re not just talking about those eye-popping box-office figures. Luckily, Vulture’s already done some of the advanced-level coursework to determine the formula for each of this year’s big summer movies: For example, which other films have to be added together to get you Battleship? In the case of Magic Mike, what gets subtracted (other than shirts)? Can you work out the elaborate multiplication tables that result in The Avengers? When it comes to summer movies, let Vulture turn your math problems into math solutions. (And if you have your own formulas, feel free to share them in the comments! Just remember to show your work.)
Battleship =
Transformers
- swimsuit model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley
+ swimsuit model Brooklyn Decker
x Friday Night Lights
- Kyle Chandler
+ Liam Neeson
Rock of Ages =
Poison, Warrant, and Whitesnake
x a half-off wig sale at Spencer Gifts
/ Auto-tune
The Amazing Spider-Man =
Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man movies
x (500) Days of Summer
- pie
+ appealing, down-to-earth, naturalistic romance
x a reptilian villain made entirely from unnatural CG
x Mirror’s Edge
Magic Mike =
Saturday Night Fever
x Step Up 3-D
- minus 1 D
x Flashdance
- welding
+ Design Within Reach
x Boogie Nights
/ Showgirls
- tear-away cop, doctor, and fireman uniforms
x Steven Soderbergh’s favorite color, chicken-broth yellow
The Avengers =
Iron Man 2
- Jon Favreau
x Thor
- dutch angles
x The Incredible Hulk
- Edward Norton
x Captain America
- skinny Chris Evans
+ Jeremy Renner, you guys
+ “It’s me, Jeremy Renner.â€
+ “Include me.â€
The Dark Knight Rises =
The Dark Knight
- Heath Ledger
x Catwoman
/ Michelle Pfeiffer
x Tom Hardy
- Tom Hardy’s face
x “What did he say?â€
/ “Shhhh.â€
Snow White and the Huntsman =
Mirror Mirror
x 0
+ Lord of the Rings
x Alice in Wonderland
/ a six-figure milk budget