Welcome to Episode #48 of the Zacks Market Edge Podcast.

Every week, host and Zacks stock strategist, Tracey Ryniec, will be joined by guests to discuss the hottest investing topics in stocks, bonds and ETFs and how it impacts your life.

In this episode, Tracey is joined by Kevin Matras, Vice President of Zacks, Head of the Research Wizard Division and editor of the Options Trader service.

Summer is officially over, the kids are back at school, and Tracey and Kevin take a look at the summer box office results and how it impacted the movie studios.

It was a summer of big tent pole movies, some good and some bad, and the return of the horror genre to big profits.

These Studios Won the Summer Box Office

Disney (DIS) ruled the summer box office with over a billion dollars in ticket sales. It had big hits with Captain America: Civil War, Finding Dory and Pete’s Dragon. But that hasn’t helped the stock, which has slid off its 2015 highs.

What do Tracey and Kevin think of Disney heading into the end of the year? Can the shares turn around?

Time Warner’s (TWX) Warner Brothers came in second with 9 movies that did well, including Conjuring 2 which saw over $300 million at the box office on a $40 million budget.

It also had a big hit with the low budget Me Before You, based on a bestselling novel. It was one of the few romantic dramas out over the summer. It brought in $194 million worldwide. Not too shabby considering it didn’t have a single super hero in it.

It’s expected to grow earnings by the double digits this year, one of the few media stocks forecast to do so.

Comcast’s Universal (CMCSA) hit all the right notes with its big hit Secret Life of Pets and with the latest Purge installment, which brought in $105 million.

A Different Tale for These Studios

Lionsgate (LGF) was out of the big movie game this summer now that its Twilight, Hunger Games and Divergent series have run their course, although Divergent still may find itself on television. It was relegated to the Specialty Films genre this summer. But it did have a big late summer hit, partnering with CBS Films, with the Texas thriller Hell or High Water.

Lionsgate recently expanded it to 1300 screens. It’s made $16.5 million at the box office.

One of the summer’s losers was Paramount, owned by Viacom (VIAB). Although it had a modest hit in Star Trek Beyond, it also made Ben-Hur and found the audience wasn’t clicking as much as was hoped with its Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sequel.

Do Kevin and Tracey like any of these media stocks?

If so, which ones?

Or do they think investors should steer clear of all of them?

Tune into this week’s podcast to find out.

And if you’re a hardcore movie fan, you can check out Tracey and Kevin’s 2015 media stocks podcast.

Did Tracey and Kevin predict last year’s Oscar winners?

Comcast: https://www.zacks.com/stock/quote/CMCSA?cid=cs-soundcloud-ft-pod

Viacom: https://www.zacks.com/stock/quote/VIAB?cid=cs-soundcloud-ft-pod

Time Warner: https://www.zacks.com/stock/quote/TWX?cid=cs-soundcloud-ft-pod

Lions Gate: https://www.zacks.com/stock/quote/LGF?cid=cs-soundcloud-ft-pod

Disney: https://www.zacks.com/stock/quote/DIS?cid=cs-soundcloud-ft-pod

Follow us on StockTwits: stocktwits.com/ZacksResearch

Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ZacksResearch

Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ZacksInvestmentResearch