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  • ‘Indiana Jones 5’ Heading to a Soft $65M Domestic Opening Weekend

    ‘Indiana Jones 5’ Heading to a Soft $65M Domestic Opening Weekend

    Indiana Jones is a household name and while it’s a franchise that has way more breaks between releases than others, the nostalgia factor alone would seem like the perfect draw for audiences. Yet, it seems that even Harrison Ford’s return to the iconic role isn’t going to be putting a lot of butts in the cinemas. As of now, the film seems to be heading to a $65M opening weekend in 4,500 theaters.

    Globally, it’s not looking too much larger as it’s heading towards $80M with a potential total of $150M worldwide. Now, that isn’t a terrible start mind you but the issue lies in the fact that the film costs around $295M. That is excluding marketing and promotion costs, which makes it the most expensive entry in the franchise. So, the film has a long shot at turning a profit.

    It’s also set to open below Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which pulled in $100M in May of 2008. That film went on to make $790M globally and remains the highest-grossing entry of the franchise. James Mangold is taking over from Steven Spielberg with Dial of Destiny, but it seems a mixed reception from critics due to a risky Cannes showcase that may be backfiring on Disney and Lucasfilm.

    The film could still make a decent amount but it would need to make at least 600M to cover its production budget with another 200M minimum to cover its marketing budget, which might be far more expensive than we think. So, it’s a high gamble from Disney and who knows if they’ll be willing to do the same. This lower opening also continues to highlight that what some are trying to call superhero fatigue is affecting the entire blockbuster scene. Did theaters overestimate how ready audiences are set to return?

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Prey’ Director Joins ‘Stranger Things’ Final Season

    ‘Prey’ Director Joins ‘Stranger Things’ Final Season

    While Stranger Things’ final season is still on hold until the writer’s strike ends, it looks like some plans are still being put into motion. As first reported by One TAke News, Dan Trachtenberg who famously directed the Predator prequel Prey and 10 Cloverfield Lane, will join the upcoming fifth season as a director. While it’s unclear what episode he is set to tackle or even if he’s going to tackle multiple going in.

    This isn’t his first TV work, as he also was the one who directed the pilot episode for Amazon’s The Boys, and also worked on Netflix’s Black Mirror: Playtest. He’s the second bit of news we got from Netflix recently, as during their TUDUM event it was confirmed that Terminator alum Linda Hamilton is also joining the cast of the sequel. Sadly, it seems like Arnold Schwarzenegger is going to stick to Fubar for now.

    It’ll be interesting to see what exactly their plans are for the final season. While each season paid tribute to different horror genres, such as The Blob in Season 3. Perhaps after teasing the Freddy Krueger influences in its latest season, they might go all-in on a 90s slasher-inspired season. Hamilton joining would be a fun hint at them playing around with a new type of horror.

    Source: One Take News, Empire

  • Evan Peters Joins ‘Tron 3’

    Evan Peters Joins ‘Tron 3’

    Evan Peters is heading to the grid. The Hollywood Reporter announced on Wednesday that the actor, who is coming off Netflix’s Dahmer, will star in Tron: Ares. Peters joins the previously announce Jared Leto, who will play Ares, the manifestation of the program. According to the trade, it’s currently unknown exactly what character Peters will play; they did note, however, the script calls for a “soldier” on the grid, that happens to be an “awkward gamer” in real life.

    Tron: Ares, which is the third film in the Tron franchise, has been in the works for a long, long time. The first Tron film, which starred Jeff Bridges, was released in 1982 and focused on Bridges’ video game designer Kevin Flynn who is transported inside his creation. The sequel, Tron: Legacy, came out in 2010 and starred Garrett Hedlund, as Flynn’s son, and Olivia Wilde. The film also brought back Bridges, but the it failed to secure the box office the studio had hoped for. Still, a third film was planned, and over a decade later, it’s finally in the works.

    Updating…

    Source: THR.

  • ‘Secret Invasion’ Outpacing ‘Ms. Marvel’s Viewership

    ‘Secret Invasion’ Outpacing ‘Ms. Marvel’s Viewership

    There’s always been a lot of discussions surrounding what makes a show successful on Disney+. We have very little insight outside of third-party analysis like Samba sharing various viewership numbers from the first five days. Marvel Studios’ latest show, Secret Invasion, has been released and it looks like the show has outpaced Ms. Marvel’s initial release.

    According to Samba TV, the show has been watched by 994K US households within its first five days. That is, as they point out, above Ms. Marvel’s 775K but below the last Diseny+ series, She-Hulk which pulled in around 1.5M. While the difference is big when compared to the sitcom that released last year, it does make sense given that there’s no major character name in the title and it’s more subtle marketing strategy.

    It’s easy to point to the AI drama surrounding its opening title to be a reason it has lower viewership, but we tend to overanalyze these types of discussions in the offline world. Plus, Ms. Marvel is a showing of how not every Marvel show is going to be a massive multi-million release in its first five days; especially as this is just an estimate based on external data. It’s an easy connection point but not hard to say if it truly is a causality; similar to how we underestimate how few know about Ezra Miller’s history when it comes to The Flash’s box office.

    What will be interesting is to see if the viewership numbers rise over the coming weeks, especially with how the series focuses on twists and turns throughout its six-episode season. Shows like Apple TV+ have different metrics, why The Crowded Room opening to 192K households over three days could be a success for that streamer but detrimental to others. A lot of Marvel shows saw viewership rise throughout its multiple episodes and could do the same here as word-of-mouth kicks off from what happens in the latest episodes but only time will tell.

    Source: Twitter, The Direct, Twitter (Crowded Room)

  • BREAKING: James Gunn Has Found His Superman and Lois Lane

    BREAKING: James Gunn Has Found His Superman and Lois Lane

    The wait has finally come to an end. Superman Legacy director James Gunn has seemingly found his leading duo. After weeks of testing, even going as far as last week to having various duos in costume to enact scenes for the film, Gunn has seemingly settled on who David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan to become the leading pair in the first true DC Cinematic Universe film directed and written by the co-CEO of DC Studios.

    Corenswet is taking on a major role for this film, as he’ll not only be in the shadow of Snyderverse’s Henry Cavill but also have to set up the entire DC Cinematic Universe. All their plans ride on the success of this film and it’s no wonder that they went all out to ensure that they have the right duo together to show what this new franchise is all about.

    Corenswet is most known for his break-out role as Ryan Murphy in The Politician. He also has worked on projects like Pearl, We Own This City, and is about to be seen in the Twister sequel, Twisters. Brosnahan has quite the career with her work on projects like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Blacklist, House of Cards, and is currently filming The Amateur. So, they definitely are bringing something new to the table and will hopefully get a good look at them in costume before production starts.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘Infinity Train’ Creator Working on ‘Among Us’ Animated Series

    ‘Infinity Train’ Creator Working on ‘Among Us’ Animated Series

    Sus. Looks like the popular game Among Us is heading to CBS Studios in the form of a new animated series. CBS Eye Animation Productions is working together with INnersloth, the developers behind the game, to bring the iconic whodunnit to the small screens.

    Not just that, but they already have a showrunner involved as Owen Dennis is attached as executive producer, who famously created the iconic Infinity Train series. The following logline has been shared:

    Members of your crew have been replaced by an alien shapeshifter intent on causing confusion, sabotaging the ship, and killing everyone. Root out the ‘Impostor’ or fall victim to its murderous designs.

    Big Mouth and Star Trek: Lower Decks‘ production company Titmouse is the main animation studio behind the series. Among Us was originally released in 2018 and managed to pick up speed during the pandemic, as many friends used the game as a way to hang out with their friends throughout the lockdown. It’ll be interesting to see how they bring this simple concept.

    Source: Variety

  • Phoebe Waller-Bridge Wants Her New ‘Tomb Raider’ Series to be “Dangerous”

    Phoebe Waller-Bridge Wants Her New ‘Tomb Raider’ Series to be “Dangerous”

    Before the writer’s strike, Indiana Jones star Phoebe Waller-Bridge was busy working on a new Tomb Raider series. While she is standing in solidarity with them, she still got a chance to share her own excitement of tackling a character that is near and dear to her heart. She does, however, confirm that she did not remain much of a gamer in her youth, as she gamed herself “into the ground”.

    My parents were very smart because they didn’t actually limit me. They could sense that I was going to just game myself into the ground, and I did. I packed the PlayStation away, and I was like, ‘I’ve got to not do that because I’ve got to write and read and do other stuff.’

    Phoebe Waller-Bridge

    Still, the one thing that always stuck with her was the character of Lara Croft. Something about her just stuck with her even if she regrets the way she “changed when they realized that they could market her as a sex symbol.” Still, she wants to use her chance to explore the character in a new way with the upcoming TV series.

    There’s room to do something really quite dangerous. And if I can do something dangerous and exciting with Tomb Raider, I already have an audience of people who love Lara and hopefully will continue to. And that is a very unusual position to be in. It’s the old Trojan horse.

    Phoebe Waller-Bridge

    A “dangerous and exciting” take on Tomb Raider is definitely fitting given how we spend our childhood taking on dinosaurs. So, we definitely want to relieve that thrill that we had when we were kids, but there’s definitely a challenge in another adaptation of Lara Croft. Many still hold true to the iconic version portrayed by Angeline Jolie. So, there’s quite a bit of pressure on whoever will take on the task.

    Source: Vanity Fair

  • You Get a Captain Marvel, You Get a Captain Marvel…Samuel L. Jackson Reveals the MCU’s New Approach to the Shared Moniker

    You Get a Captain Marvel, You Get a Captain Marvel…Samuel L. Jackson Reveals the MCU’s New Approach to the Shared Moniker

    Across the decades, the House of Ideas has churned out multiple Captains Marvel. The Kree hero Mar-Vell, Monica Rambeau, Genis-Vell, Phyla-Vell, Noh-Varr, Carol Danvers and even a weird Skrull/Mar-Vell hybrid have all been known as Captain Marvel in the pages of Marvel Comics. The MCU has shown no interest in following the lineage laid out in those pages and has chosen instead to blaze its own trail, leapfrogging 5 Captains to get to Carol and revealing that on Earth-838, Maria Rambeau became Captain Marvel. Now it appears that much like the comics, the moniker of Captain Marvel is going to be shared by more than just those two characters.

    In an interview with Sway’s Universe, Secret Invasion star Samuel L. Jackson, whose Nick Fury is set to appear in November’s The Marvels, indicated that two more characters may be set to take shared ownership of the title of Captain Marvel. “After Secret Invasion, I’m moving on to The Marvels where you got like three different people who are Captain Marvel,” said Jackson. “You got Brie, you got a black Captain Marvel and you got a Muslim Captain Marvel,” continued the actor. Jackson is, of course, referring to Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau and Iman Vellani‘s Kamala Khan, both of whom will share the stage with Brie Larson‘s Carol Danvers in the upcoming film.

    This is certainly the first time we’ve heard of the possibility of these characters sharing the distinction of being called Captain Marvel but it does fall in line with the way the title has been treated in the comics. It also certainly doesn’t preclude any of the characters from having other superhero names as not too many characters have sported the title Captain Marvel for long in the comics. Marvel Studios The Marvels will hit theaters November 11th.

    Source: Sway’s Universe via The Direct

  • ‘Superman: Legacy’ Narrowing Down its Leading Duo & Lex Luthor

    ‘Superman: Legacy’ Narrowing Down its Leading Duo & Lex Luthor

    It looks like James Gunn is still busy trying to find the next Superman and Lois Lane for his next film Superman Legacy. In its second week of screen testings, it seems that he may be slowly narrowing down who he wants in the role, while also potentially reaching out to who would take on the iconic villainous role of Lex Luthor in his newly established DC Cinematic Universe.

    In a new entry of the Heat Vision newsletter from The Hollywood Reporter, they reveal that they have now paired up the potential cast members. Gunn has been busy casting for the feature film with the following pairings: Nicholas Hoult and Rachel Brosnahan, David Corenswet with Emma Mackey, as well as Tom Brittney and Phoebe Dynevor.

    Seems they were given several scenes in makeup and wardrobe as Clark Kent and Lois Lane, but also in costumes as the iconic superhero. He’s trying to make sure that they nail this casting, as their future development for the franchise may hinge on this very development. Surprisingly, this isn’t too dissimilar from how Ryan Reynolds‘ casting as Green Lantern went back in 2011.

    That isn’t all, as it seems he’s also already looking to cast the villainous Lex Luthor for his film. At the moment, it seems that two brothers are being eyed, Alexander and Bill Skarsgard. Even Nicholas Hoult supposedly put himself at one point in the running before fully embracing a chance as Superman, but if he doesn’t get cast there’s still a chance. Gunn is currently hoping to start filming in early 2024.

    Source: Hollywood Reporter

  • James Gunn Calls Out Recent Superhero Movies as “Really Lazy”

    James Gunn Calls Out Recent Superhero Movies as “Really Lazy”

    James Gunn is going to have his hands busy with saving DC’s brand in the views of cinemagoers. The last few years haven’t been kind and going by The Flash’s box office, it’s not looking better. Still, the CEO and director took his time in the Inside of You podcast to bad-mouth other superhero entries. He goes as far to say it’s not quite the issue with volume but more with them being “really lazy.”

    People have gotten really lazy with their superhero stories. And they have gotten to the place where, ‘Oh, it’s a superhero, let’s make a movie about it.’ And then, ‘Oh, let’s make a sequel, because the first one did pretty well,’ and they aren’t thinking about, ‘Why is this story special? What makes this story stand apart from other stories? What is the story at the heart of it all? Why is this character important? What makes this story different that it fills a need for people in theaters to go see?’

    James Gunn

    While one can definitely argue that some films hold up better than others, the question remains what he’s talking about exactly. Marvel’s recent releases were still strong box office performers and seemed to have a hold. The only time a superhero movie really fumbled was Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania but this might be more of a comment on the DC Extended Universe. He mentions that “having very different genres” is a way to solve this which is pretty much how Marvel Studios handled the genre for many years.

    The Flash, Black Adam, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, and more have been showing a lack of interest in this particular brand. And, Gunn’s job moving forward is to ensure that isn’t the case. In the same interview, he goes on to highlight his approach to ensuring it’ll be “as good as it can possibly be.”

    We’re going to be very careful with the product that we put out and making sure everything is as good as it can possibly be.

    James Gunn

    That is a great statement and pretty much just echoes the overall quantity over a quality issue that people claim, but he also stated that The Flash was among the best films he’s seen in the genre. So, the question remains on why he wouldn’t go by that same rule with the latest release if this is a concern of his or is this a push towards what he’ll over with the DCU to be in contrast to the DCEU? We won’t know until Superman Legacy releases. Still, it seems a bit harsh for someone trying to push the genre forward to badmouth it at the same time.

    Source: Variety