Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Joseph Aberl

  • ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Faces Harsh Second Friday Drop at the Box Office

    ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Faces Harsh Second Friday Drop at the Box Office

    The numbers are in and Thor: Love and Thunder has faced quite the harsh drop going into its second weekend. Reports have stated that the latest Marvel film has plunged by around 80% after a bombastic opening last weekend. The domestic box office is showing its fangs with pretty much every production with one exception, Top Gun: Maverick, has faced similar drops. Even Minions: The Rise of Gru faced a harsh 70% drop on its second Friday.

    This marks the second highest drop for any Marvel film, as it’s around 2% ahead of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which fell from a $91M Friday. The current drop is closer to what Black Widow faced when it was released last year on June 29th and November’s Eternals (75%). So, the film is likely to wrap up around $45M and pull in $233M in its first ten days.

    Any other franchise, as Forbes’ Scott Mendelsohn points out, this would be a strong second weekend but it is simply a record for a Marvel production. The question is if it’ll avoid the $100M loser club after opening to $144M. It’ll likely pass $500M worldwide by tomorrow but with some key markets also slowing down, anything can go for now. Even Jurassic World: Dominion saw a 73% drop and it had an A- CinemaScore while critics weren’t thrilled with the project.

    Is this the “end of Marvel” as many like to call any non-record breaking box office opening for their films? Not really, as it continues a trend we’re still seeing throughout the pandemic with bigger blockbusters. $13.8M is lower than Minions’ second weekend at $14.43M but that isn’t an indicator. Frontloading has become a new norm and the B+ Cinemascore simply points to people enjoying their first watch, but in no hurry to do so again.

    What works in its favor is that there’s no real competition moving forward outside of late July’s DC League of Super-Pets which likely is going to focus on a much younger crowd. Even with a 1.35x multiplier, the film would still end up around $315M which is around the same as Thor: Ragnarok. The only risk factor is the Disney+ release but Doctor Strange didn’t slow down too much still pulling in $34M after its release. That film faced the same CinemaScore and 45 digital release window but still managed to leg out to $950M.

    Most films in this era for Marvel have had harsh drops and the pandemic is still an issue for some. So, people are much more selective about what film they’ll watch or spend money on. Korea has seen Top Gun take back the top spot where it’s been performing exceptionally well like in many other markets. While the film won’t pass The Batman at this rate, it’s a good sign such different projects can pull in very different numbers.

    Source: Forbes, Forbes (Minions), The Numbers

  • RUMOR: Marvel Studios May Announce ‘Fantastic Four’ Cast and Director at D23, Eyeing 2024 Release

    RUMOR: Marvel Studios May Announce ‘Fantastic Four’ Cast and Director at D23, Eyeing 2024 Release

    With D23 and San Diego Comic-Con on the horizon, rumors are going crazy with what exactly Marvel Studios has planned for the future. Phase 4 has been surprisingly been controversial as everyone is trying to find their footing in a post-Endgame world. Yet, it seems D23 will give us a clearer picture.

    According to DisInsider’s latest Rumor of the Week, they not only hinted that The Thing may appear in She-Hulk but also Marvel Studios’ D23 plans. They share that Kevin Feige and his team might unveil the film’s cast during the Disney-owned event.

    That is not all, as they also teased a director announcement after Jon Watts famously left the project to take a break after Spider-Man: No Way Home. They may be eyeing a 2024 release for the film, which means they’d have to start production sooner than later.

    It’s still a rumor and have to take it with a grain of salt, but D23 does seem like a perfect time to tease the future. SDCC is also their usual Phase announcement event but with a Disney-owned event on the horizon, wouldn’t be too surprising they mix it up.

    Source: YouTube

  • RUMOR: ‘She-Hulk’ May Include a ‘Fantastic Four’ Cameo

    RUMOR: ‘She-Hulk’ May Include a ‘Fantastic Four’ Cameo

    It looks like an old rumor may have gotten a second wind. DisInsider has shared some interesting details for the upcoming release of She-Hulk. While details on the series are still quite scarce outside of its main lead, it seems a member of the Fantastic Four could appear.

    Now, keep in mind that we’ll have to take this with a grain of salt but it is interesting that this rumor has appeared in the pst. According to DisInsider’s Rumor of the Week, they have heard that The Thing may appear in the upcoming Disney+ series.

    That is not all, as they also believe that Jason Segel, who many will remember for his time on How I Met Your Mother, is playing Ben Grimm. They do highlight they aren’t sure if this is connected to the upcoming Fantastic Four film or potentially the multiverse.

    Either way, we’ll have to take it with a grain of salt and who knows if they’ll even introduce him as Ben Grimm or as the stone man himself. With the recent teases of mutants arriving, it’s surprising we haven’t gotten a Fantstic Four one yet so perhaps the time has come.

    Source: YouTube

  • ‘WandaVision’ to ‘Ms. Marvel’: How Marvel Studios Pulled Off the Mutant Long-Con

    ‘WandaVision’ to ‘Ms. Marvel’: How Marvel Studios Pulled Off the Mutant Long-Con

    Here we are, in the middle of Year 2 of Marvel Studios’ Phase 4 rollout. Ms. Marvel has found her way into live-action with Iman Vellani taking on the role of the popular Muslim-American superhero. Earl yon, there were many concerns regarding the changes to her abilities and new direction for the character Plus, it made many wonders if the Inhumans part of her backstory would even get explored as the series seemingly hyperfocused on her connection to the wider MCU. Well, the final episode revealed that they are taking quite a different direction.

    Finally, ever since Disney acquired 20th Century Fox, the X-Men and Mutants have long been awaited in the franchise. While we’re seeing an “it wasn’t that bad” nostalgia making the rounds, there have been many theories on when exactly we’ll see the revelation of the mutants existing in the MCU. Little did we know, it would involve a character that was famously a NuHuman in the comics.

    What makes it stand out is that Marvel Studios played quite the long con with this revelation. Everyone had two very specific projects in mind that would lead to their arrival. The first was the assumption that WandaVision, especially with its House of M influences, would do a twist that unleashes the mutant gene throughout the world. Yet, nothing came of it. The series was surrounded by quite a few fan theories that didn’t turn out to be true, such as the arrival of Mephisto.

    So, everyone’s next best bet was the release of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Not only was Patrick Stewart‘s return as Professor X teased but also the concept of the multiverse taking centerstage. In a surprisingly personal storyline for Wanda and Strange, we do get our first official mutant in the MCU, but it is part of another dimension without any real hint on how he might tie into the world. The only thing is that his arrival is tied together with a familiar sound bit, the iconic X-Men ’97 theme song.

    While some would simply point out this being introduced for the sake of nostalgia, it actually turns out to play a key role in Marvel Studios’ strategy. They took the long route around and instead of just rushing them out, they keep their focus on what they had mapped out long before the purchase was even finalized. Yet, they also set the ideas that would slowly connect the pieces as necessary were actually set in the projects that people were annoyed didn’t flat out confirm it.

    WandaVision already introduced the concept of an inherent gene that is unlocked through an external source, in Wanda’s case the Mind Stone. It stands out that there is an implication that she’s used her hex powers long before they were truly unlocked and it simply sped up something that was already in her genetics. So, we technically already got the hint that she’s very likely a mutant even if it’s not directly spelled out.

    So, we have the base concept hinted at and all we really need is a true indicator. Luckily, Doctor Strange introduced us to the MCU’s leitmotif for the mutants. Instead of inventing a new one that some might not truly connect with the concept, they used elements from one that was quite popular back in the day. It’s not purely for nostalgic reasons, but it also is easy for many viewers to make the connections. So, Professor X’s arrival with that leitmotif sets up the first use of the wording “mutation” within the MCU in Ms. Marvel.

    No matter how you feel about Phase 4, Marvel Studios has slowly left the small details that would eventually build up to the grand confirmation. Mutants are coming and it’s not a coincidence that many different elements played a role throughout Phase 4. The only question now remains on what exactly may be the next step for their arrival. While we still don’t have an announcement for an X-Men film, the rumors surrounding Namor’s arrival in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is possibly another step in their introduction, as he was known as “the first mutant” in the comics due to debuting in 1939. So, perhaps the puzzle pieces were always there.

  • First ‘Madame Web’ Set Photos Hint at Early 2000s NYC

    First ‘Madame Web’ Set Photos Hint at Early 2000s NYC

    We just recently heard that production has already started on Sony’s Madame Web film. Sydney Sweeney revealed it in a brief interview and right after, it seems we already got our first look at the set. It seems that Sony is turning Boston into New York City of the early 200s0s as shared by Boston’s Kevin Slane. It’s certainly an interesting choice and could be our first hint at where the project is going, most certainly given the connection between Tobey Maguire‘s Spider-Man having released around that time.

    There’s no confirmation that this is definitely going to tie together, but it’s definitely something interesting to note given the time period. Madame Web has a close connection to the Spider-Verse and it would be a fun way to mix up what we’d initially expect from the Sony film. With hints that Marvel Studios is potentially involved as well, they may be using this opportunity to pull in the characters they’d want to include in a potential multiverse-focused Avengers storyline.

    If they do manage to tease a connection similar to Morbius, who knows if this might connect to those films. Aaron Taylor-Johnson has also taken on the role of Kraven the Hunter which may tie in some way or another to whatever Sony has planned. The post-credit sequence confirmed Vulture is stuck in another dimension and Venom also exists within that timeline, but there are still many questions surrounding how it might all tie together. We can only speculate for now.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Marcel the Shell With Shoes On’ Director to Adapt Live-Action ‘Lilo & Stitch’

    ‘Marcel the Shell With Shoes On’ Director to Adapt Live-Action ‘Lilo & Stitch’

    Now, this is quite the surprising reveal but it seems that Dean Fleischer-Camp already has set his next major project after the critical darling that is Marcel The Shell With Shoes On. Deadline has revealed that he’s attached to direct the live-action adaption of the popular animated film Lilo & Stitch. Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich are producing the project with Ryan Halprin set to executive produce. There is no word if the film is currently going to be a theatrical one or even land on Disney+.

    Chris Kekianiokalani Bright is currently in negotiations to write the film’s script that retell the story of the human girl Lilo who finds herself an adorable pet, who she names Stitch. The fact that he’s actually a creature that was engineered to destroy everything in its path and is also a fugitive from the space’s equivalent of the police. This will be the first live-action film for Fleischer-Camp who has hit it big with his work on the A24 film.

    It’s definitely going to be interesting to see how they tackle this project and his background in animation is likely going to help with bringing Stitch to life. This film marks the latest addition to the family of live-action reboots for Disney classics, which have been quite successful for the studio. As deals are finalizing, we may get some casting announcements sooner than later.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Passes $200M Internationally

    ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Passes $200M Internationally

    Thor: Love and Thunder has been an interesting release, as it was welcomed with some more mixed arms by viewers. While Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness also faced a similar fate, mostly due to its horror roots, the B+ CinemaScore didn’t stop it from reaching creeping closely to $950M. Now, Thor: Love and Thunder may not have opened to thunderous applause, its box office numbers are certainly impressive.

    Just a few days into its first week after a strong international and domestic opening weekend; only missing the third-highest grossing opening weekend of the year by a million. Now, the film has already passed $200M worldwide after pulling in $16.4M. It now stands at $203.5M domestically

    The film opened to a $2.9M bow in France, which was one of the last to release and is an impressive +53% ahead of Thor: Ragnarok‘s release. Only slightly behind Jurassic World Dominion, as we saw domestically as well. Korea is seemingly the one market that has slowed down quite a bit given it got a worse ranking there, which is surprising given its strong standing with previous entries.

    The film is likely to pass $200M domestically by Friday, which sets it up for a strong weekend that could be on the lowe rend of Marvel’s recent high drops. Still, it seems its overall weekend to day seven is on the lower spectrum of the multiplier. A big drop is expected in the second weekend around the 60%+ but leg it out throughout the rest of the summer.

    Even Minions: the Rise of Gru faced a surprising harsh drop in its second weekend with only Top Gun: Maverick defying all expectations. It already pulled in $178.9M and has passed F9‘s $173M. So, it’ll be interesting what the weekend has planned for the latest Marvel venture.

    Source: Box Office Pro, Twitter, Forbes

  • Wild ‘Fantastic Four’s Director Rumors Debunked

    Wild ‘Fantastic Four’s Director Rumors Debunked

    It’s been a wild day, as quite a few rumors have made their way online as of late. Among them was who exactly is going to be spearheading the Fantastic Four movie. After Jon Watts left the project to focus on his Star Wars Disney+ series, many wondered who could fill his shoes. Suddenly, directing icon Steven Spielberg became a wildly rumored choice for the film with some even stating that Marvel Studios reached out.

    Now, Variety’s Adam B. Vary has put out a quick tweet debunking those wild rumors and highlighting that they have never been true. So, it seems we’re still without a clear indicator of who exactly is going to take over the project and give us the third attempt at a live-action adaptation of the Fantastic Four.

    https://twitter.com/adambvary/status/1547641254011293696

    UPDATING

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Ms. Marvel’ Head Writer Clarifies What Happens in the Post-Credit Sequence

    ‘Ms. Marvel’ Head Writer Clarifies What Happens in the Post-Credit Sequence

    The following article will include spoilers on the post-credit sequences of Ms. Marvel. So, only continue at your own risk.

    Ms. Marvel‘s post-credit sequence may be among the Disney+ series’ best, especially given how it offers a curious segway into the upcoming The Marvels while also keeping things a bit confusing to let Nia DaCosta put the pieces together as she needs it. Luckily, Ms. Marvel’s head writer confirmed one thing: that wasn’t Kamala Khan transforming into Brie Larson‘s Carol Danvers but rather them switching places.

    Kamala doesn’t turn into Carol. […] It’s an important distinction, just because in the comic books, that’s something that [Kamala] does —  she can change the way she looks and she looks like Carol Danvers in Issue 1 of the comic book. She’s not turning into Carol [on the show]. That’s Carol Danvers standing in Kamala’s bedroom.

    Bisha K. Ali

    It definitely had many wondering what exactly happened, as it opened up many questions about how they swapped places, how it connects to her bangle, and the reveal of her potentially having the mutant gene. At this point, there are a lot of possibilities going into the The Marvels and how they might tackle her relationship with Carol. Who knows how she’ll be meeting her idol who found out she has a room filled with posters of her face plastered across them.

    Source: Variety

  • Ms. Marvel Creator Reveals The [SPOILER] Disney+ Reveal Was Their Original Plan in the Comics

    Ms. Marvel Creator Reveals The [SPOILER] Disney+ Reveal Was Their Original Plan in the Comics

    If you haven’t yet missed out on the latest episode of Ms. Marvel, it’s about time you do so before continuing to read up on the big reveal from the finale.

    The latest episode of Ms. Marvel has arrived with a bombshell of a revelation. Towards the end of the episode, Kamala Khan’s friend uses the wording “mutation” with the theme song that’ll be used in X-Men ’97. As it turns out, it seems that was the initial idea when they were creating Ms. Marvel as revealed by one of her co-creators, Sana Amanat.

    Here’s a really important thing that people do not know – when we were thinking about the character of Kamala back, back, back in the day in 2012, 2013, when [G.] Willow [Wilson, comic book writer] and myself were ideating, we originally wanted to make her a mutant. That was the whole intention, to be able to do that.” In the series, they were able to get back to that initial idea. “Is she a mutant, question mark?

    Sana Amanat

    It’s not surprising that they considered it, especially with how the Terrigen bomb concept was introduced for a new race, the NuHumans which technically were a new generation of Inhumans. She goes on to highlight what their main focus always was when it came to her character in the Disney+ service, which she helped produce.

    The bigger story really is the origin of Kamala, and everyone has been just trying to pin down what she is. We leaned into that – it’s like, we’re not going to give you that answer, because when you’re telling a story about identity, everyone is so obsessed with labelling people and putting them in a box. I think that’s the journey of this entire season – she’s been looking for that box, even though she doesn’t need it.

    Sana Amanat

    The fact they managed to pull off their initial plans in the series is a nice touch, which brings their ideas full circle. Especially in how they added elements to make the name and even her logo part of her cultural background rather than purely inspired by Captain Marvel. If they get a chance to further explore it, it’ll be interesting to see where her character goes.

    Source: Empire