Farewell Summer 2014! You might not officially end until September 23, but for all intents and purposes Labor Day is the last hurrah of the season. Kids go back to school, public pools shutter their doors, pumpkin spice invades everything, and Movie Blockbusters™ give way to horror films and awards contenders.
It was a strange year for summer movies. No $300 million plus home runs, but no real bombs either. Just a weirdly even-keeled, steady box office. Despite that, there were plenty of lessons to take away from both tent pole action flicks and smaller, more niche summer fare. Of course, these probably weren't the lessons we were MEANT to learn, but whaddya gonna do?