The top global box office hit of 2022 will finally hit Disney Plus next month. Via Empire, Disney has revealed that Avatar: The Way of Water will be available on their streaming service on June 7th.
James Cameron‘s long awaited sequel raked in over $2.3B worldwide in 2022, earnings the top spot at the box office over a competitive field including Top Gun: Maverick and Jurassic Park: Dominion which both totalled over $1B.
The film has been available as digital media since March 28th but this marks the first time audiences will be able to watch it at home for no additional cost.
Don’t call it a remake. 20th Century Studios White Men Can’t Jump might share the name and premise of the 1992 Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson classic but it is unabashedly its own film. Jack Harlow‘s washed-up white dude, Jeremy, and Sinqua Walls‘ Kamal are still hustling on the streetball circuit of L.A. but the 2023 film is much more of a modern retelling than a remake. Infused with 21st-century sensibilities, the new film works as a wonderful homage to the 1992 original while comfortably and confidently forging its own path.
After retelling another 1990s classic, House Party, director Calmatic dipped into the retelling well again for White Men Can’t Jump, just his second feature film. Known for his work as a director of music videos for stars such as Lamar Kendrick, Lil Nas X, Pharrell Williams and more, Calmatic saw the opportunity to bring an important part of the music industry to the project: sampling. Rather than attempting to remake a beloved film, Calmatic paid homage to the film by taking some of its best bits and making them their own, new thing.
“I got a hip-hop background, right? And so, I don’t like to say, like, we re-made a movie. I feel like we sampled a movie, right?“, explained Calmatic during the global press event for Hulu’s White Men Can’t Jump. Calmatic extended the music analogy much further, saying “We took a couple of elements; you know what I’m sayin’? We chopped it up. We changed the pitch; you know what I’m sayin’? We reversed it a little bit. And then we put a whole new bassline, a whole new set of drums on it to make it feel current. And so, I feel like that’s what this is, right? This is, like, a dope flip, you know what I mean? So, I think, you know, they say things that are classic are things that are new that feel familiar.“
For Calmatic, it was a balancing act of sampling the bits of the 1992 film that worked so well with allowing the 2023 film to find its own footing. “So, I think we had a bunch of new elements, new characters, new storyline,” he explained, “but we had to have some of those elements, some of those locations that are familiar to everyone, you know, kinda, you know, associates with the original film. So, Venice Beach, we had to keep Venice Beach in there, you know what I’m sayin’? We had to have, you know, the guy skating down the boardwalk, you know what I mean? We had to do this in Watts, you know what I’m sayin’? That court is iconic. That bridge, the Watts Towers, like, we had to keep that. And then, obviously the big, you know, flamethrower scene. That was the original location from the “I’m gonna go get my gun,” you know what I’m sayin’?“, said Calmatic, referencing the classic bit from Marques Johnson‘s Raymond.
What’s clear is that while fans of the 1992 film will find those rhyming samples entertaining, Calmatic has made a film that doesn’t require any association with its namesake. That Hulu’s White Men Can’t Jump can both stand on the shoulders of the classic and stand on its own is quite an accomplishment. White Men Can’t Jump debuts on Hulu May 19th.
With principal photography on Superman: Legacy set to kick off in just eight months, writer/director James Gunn has begun the process of casting. A series of trade reports have provided some insight into a list of potential frontrunners for some of the 2025 film’s key roles while also giving some more details about what to expect from the all-new, all-different DCU’s first feature film.
Casting Kal-El
It’s not unfair to say that whoever Gunn chooses for his Kal-El could make or break not only Superman: Legacy but also the fledgling DCU. Fortunately, Gunn has an uncanny knack for nailing key castings. Despite a list of monster names having auditioned for the Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy, Gunn famously fought to have Chris Pratt in the role despite the star flubbing his audition. Dave Bautista probably owes his now acclaimed acting career to Gunn, Karen Gillan became a star as Nebula and Chukwudi Iwuji put together one of Marvel Studios’ best villainous turns as the High Evolutionary in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Gunn knows talent and given he also knows Superman: Legacy inside and out, he knows exactly what he’s looking for in the next actor to wear the symbol of the House of El and according to the Hollywood trades, he’s getting close to finding his leading man.
THR reports that after viewing audition tapes for the role of Clark Kent, DC Studios is preparing to screen test a handful of frontrunners. Topping that list are Pearl and House of Cards star David Corenswet and X-Men alum Nicholas Hoult, while Euphoria star Jacob Elordi and Andrew Richardson seem to have been among a larger group of earlier contenders that has since been thinned out.
For all of you asking, I would never comment on who is or isn’t AUDITIONING for a role. That’s the actor’s business only & isn’t something I’d make public unless they did it first after the fact (like @GlennHowerton or @ZacharyLevi having auditioned for Star-Lord & being top…
When the star of your show is an omnipotent, god-like alien, it’s pretty important that he stay grounded. To that end, Gunn’s selection for Lois Lane is nearly as critical as that of Superman. Much like the casting of Sue Storm is essential for Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four, Gunn has to land a star as Lois. Despite being married to a nigh-invulnerable hero, it’s Lois who stands tall as the unshakable center of Superman’s life. Appropriately, Gunn has put together quite a list of stars for the role.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’sRachel Brosnahan, Bridgerton’sPhoebe Dynevor, Sex Education star Emma Mackey and neo scream queen Samara Weaving have reportedly made their way through the early screening process. Brosnahan’s audition seems to have caught Gunn’s eye though multiple reports indicate the Emmy-award-winning actress may be just outside of the age range Warner Bros. Discovery has in mind for their new universe.
The Big Bad
While the trades have casually reported the news that the film’s antagonist will be Lex Luthor, it is the first confirmation that Gunn has chosen Superman’s oldest and most well-known foe to occupy his time in the first film. It’s simultaneously the most and least bold choice Gunn could make.
After checking in with an unknown star of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 on their interest in the role, Gunn is reportedly now meeting with Black actors for the role of “Apex.” While that’s just a code name, it does refer to a very recent iteration of the character who was an extremely powerful human/Martian hybrid.
The reports indicate that the casting process for all three roles is expected to pick up steam after Memorial Day. It would certainly be in DC Studios’ best interest to have the cast of Superman: Legacy introduced on stage in two months at SDCC ’23 and given Gunn’s history with the convention, that wouldn’t be a surprise.
A long time ago, the Transformers franchise under the leadership of Michael “Bayhem” Bay was one of the biggest releases in theaters. Transformers: Dark of the Moon and Age of Extinction went on to make billions at the box office but started to lose momentum with the release of The Last Knight and Bumblebee. While the latter was a fresh take and much closer to what fans hoped to see from this franchise, the franchise definitely lost quite a bit of momentum as it went on.
One could argue that the lack of Transformers branding could also have softened its opening, but it still managed to pull in $465M on a softer $102M production budget. The opening weekend at $21M had many concerned that this franchise might run out of steam, but that doesn’t mean production companies will try to keep a potential billion-dollar franchise dormant for long.
So, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is the next attempt to revitalize the franchise by bringing back Optimus Prime and even introducing the more out-there concept of the Maximals. The promotion has not been shy about showcasing these characters that carry on the introduction of Lockjaw and the dinosaur-based Transformers while also re-introducing the classic characters in familiar designs closer to what Bumblebee offered.
Yet, it seems early projections aren’t looking too optimistic for the franchise return. Pre-sales at the moment are closer to underperformers like recent releases Shazam! Fury of the Gods and Morbius. Plus, the summer market is extremely stuffed (leaving its scars in the earlier quarter of the year) and may lead to quite a few films cannibalizing each other. June is quite a bit stuffed with Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and The Flash, who shared very similar audiences.
As of now, the film is tracked for an opening somewhere between $30M and $40M. That would put it lower than 2017’s Transformers: The Last Knight which opened to $44M. Of course, it’s still an early projection and they might push the marketing quite a bit more the closer we get to release. The only issue is that this VFX-heavy release might be another $200M production investment that may not get paid off.
For now, we’ll have to keep a close eye as projections change but we might be seeing more and more that what some called a “superhero fatigue” is closer to a blockbuster fatigue. There are certain expectations in 2023 that are showing strong patience for streaming offerings due to how it was handled throughout the last few years. Last year seemed less impacted due to a limited release schedule but we’ll have to see how many films actually get lots in the shuffle.
If there was one thing Marvel Studios’ releases were reliable on, it was just how frontloaded most of their projects are. Commonly, the films post-COVID have dropped at least around 55% at the box office but it started to get harsher and harsher as time went on. Even Spider-Man: No Way Home dropped around 68% after a massive opening. No matter if a B or A CinemaScore, it seemed like most of these projects are facing around 65% drops at least.
Finally, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has broken that very course with an impressive hold over its second weekend. The film has pulled in $60.5M in its second weekend, which marks its best second-weekend hold since the pandemic started at 49%. While earlier most suspected around 55%, this marks the film only $5M off from the previous entry and could actually mark a much stronger run moving forward. It’s even $1.7M off from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which had Marvel Studios’ best post-covid opening so far.
What makes this so significant is that it’s even lower than Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings‘ 54% drop, which was the last before the films started dropping more and more. It also marks a turning point from Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s drop at around 70% earlier this year; a film that seemingly ran out of steam after a record-breaking opening for the trilogy. In a way, it further highlights that this is less a superhero fatigue but rather a more selective audience due to quick accessibility via streaming.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever had a similar A CinemaScore to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 but still faced a 62.9% drop. The film still managed to make around $854M at the box office after a powerful $181M opening weekend. Guardians 3 had a weaker softer opening but is set to leg out, which is far more important for Marvel Studios at the moment. If they faced Quantumania developments moving forward, we could discuss fatigue being a key factor at play.
While some will point to this being the last hurrah by James Gunn and a much better showcase of DC Studios’ future, it also marks a turning point for Marvel moving forward. If The Marvels doesn’t capitalize on this development and they can continue back to building A CinemaScores with their offerings, they may see a much more positive development once again. While it’s hard to say where the film will land, it already passed $528M worldwide and has a chance of breaking the $900M mark. The power of its word-of-mouth will push it forward.
With the passing of the social media embargo for Universal’s latest installment in the Fast & The Furious franchise, Fast X, but expiring yesterday, journalists and critics who attended early screenings of the film began rolling out their opinions. Though the first wave of reactions indicate that Fast X may be a bit disappointing to fans of the high-octane franchise, most everyone agrees that a new addition stole the show.
Jason Momoa joined the franchise as Dante Reyes, the son of Fast 5 Hernan Reyes who was killed by Dwayne Johnson‘s Hobbs. And while he might be playing Reyes, it sounds like Momoa is really just letting all his Momoaness out in Fast X. Forbes critic Simon Thompson says Momoa’s “perilous peacocking” stands out in the “stupidly entertaining” sequel.
#FastX belongs to Jason Momoa and his decadent bad guy, Dante Reyes. Fierce and flamboyant, his perilous peacocking adds a sharp edge and some refreshing dark humor. The rest is ludicrousness with clunky elements but it is stupidly entertaining. What the Fast were you expecting? pic.twitter.com/9Xeuj2In7z
Cinema Blend’s Eric Rosenberg compared Momoa’s Reyes to the Joker, calling him ” a gleeful psychopath” and part of the reason the film gets the franchise “back on track.”
io9 veteran critic Germain Lussier joined in singing Momoa’s praises, saying his performance is “God-level.” However, Lussier was much less impressed with Fast X, calling it “the worst” film in the series.
#FastX is the worst Fast yet. Yes, including [insert your least fave here]. The action is fun but it's the 1st film to not up the ante from the last one & the trademark notion of "Family" is an afterthought.
Insider correspondent Kirsten Acuna hints at a potentially divisive film while also hyping it up as Universal’s Infinity War.
Caught #FastX last week! It’s a wild, non-stop action thrill ride that delivers the most shocking ending of the franchise, so far. Not perfect (end may divide fans), but it’s been growing on me & I can’t wait to see it again. Universal's def trying to make this its Infinity War. pic.twitter.com/0EWbLNezOi
Though she enjoyed the film, Acuna also noted that Fast X is a mid-tier Fast franchise entry while also boarding the Momoa praise train.
As far as how it compares to the rest of the franchise? I need another watch to solidify where I’d place it. Think it may be right in the middle of the franchise or a little higher in my ranking. The original, Fast Five, and Furious 7, are still better.
Given Momoa’s charismatic Reyes is drawing such rave reviews and the film is likely to continue to ludicrous, over-the-top action fans have embraced, Fast X is likely to be a hit when it opens in theaters May 19th!
Tim Burton is set on bringing a classic franchise back to the silver screen with his work on a Beetlejuice sequel. The cast has been growing quite a bit as of late, as the film has already started production. It’s unclear if the script was finished in advance given the WGA strike but we’ll have to see if anything changes. That still isn’t stopping the return of adding to its cast with some heavy hitters. Michael Keaton is back in the titular role and is joined by Jenna Ortega, who will play the daughter of Winona Ryder’s character, who is also returning.
As of now, the cast has also added Catherine O’Hara alongside Justin Theroux and Monica Belluci. Yet, that isn’t all as the news has just dropped that Willem Dafoe has seemingly also joined the production. The exact details on his character are scarce, but he may be playing a law enforcement officer in the afterlife, but it’s unclear if he has that role or simply is a cop that may be living.
The film is eyeing a September 2024 release, which was Marvel Studios’ original release date for Blade. Though that film halted pre-production due to the strike, it’s not a good showcase that this film is moving forward. It’s also funny to see some typecasting for this film as Ortega continues to gather all gothic franchises under her belt after her recent breakout hit Wednesday. It’ll be interesting to see her dynamic opposite Ryder.
Netflix is doing its thing again, as it has decided not to move forward with the supernatural detective series, Lockwood & Co. for a second season. The series was based on Jonathan Stroud’s young adult novels and had Joe Cornish bringing the series to life that hit Netflix earlier this year in January. Ruby Stokes took on the leading role of ghost hunter Lucy Carlyle, who ends up establishing her own ghost-busting agency.
While some will discuss why Netflix would once again cancel a series, it seems the viewing numbers just weren’t there to justify another season investment. It does seem like Complete Friction, who was behind the project, is not done working with Netflix and they already have a number of projects in development. They stated that working on Lockwood & Co was “one of the most rewarding experiences of our careers” and were grateful for what they were able to accomplish with the series adaptation.
With heavy hearts, we announce that ‘Lockwood & Co.’ will not be returning for a second series. Making this show was one of the most rewarding experiences of our careers and we will forever treasure it. Being trusted by the supremely talented Jonathan Stroud to adapt his outstanding series of books was an honour and a privilege. Working with him as closely as we did across the development, production and release of Lockwood & Co has made him a friend, and part of the Complete Fiction family, for life.
There was quite some fanfare for the project online, but sadly it seems that it was not up to Netflix’s very strict expectations of how a series should perform. There is uncertainty about how many projects really could live up to that measure, especially given the lack of promotion some of these series get. The higher the budget, the bigger the expectation and it’s getting difficult for some shows to build up an audience with a trailer and a poster shortly before release at times.
You can always count on Vin Diesel’s enthusiasm to keep a franchise going even as everyone else expects it to wrap up. Originally, The Fast Saga was announced to wrap up with its upcoming eleventh film as production started on Fast X which would set up the final entry. There has been speculation these two films are more of a “Part 1” and “Part 2” deal, but it seems that Diesel has expanded upon his idea.
On the red carpet for Fast X, the franchise’s main star has seemingly confirmed that the last entry is no longer setting up the final part but rather is the first of a three-part finale. So, it seems we are getting a trilogy to wrap up the mainline Fast Saga even if there’s a good chance he may just expand upon it if this is his way of promoting a new entry into the car-driven action franchise.
JUST IN: On the red carpet for #FastX in Rome, Vin Diesel just seemingly confirmed that FAST X is not part one of a two-part finale — it is part one of a three-part finale! Looks like we're getting a Fast trilogy… pic.twitter.com/QkiqSgMaH1
It’s certainly a bizarre move as they made quite a big deal out of wrapping it up with these upcoming two films. There’s no word if director Louis Letterier will also return for the sequels after the fallout that occurred on production with original Fast X director Justin Lin. The film already has to make up a lot of money for the delays that occurred due to Lin’s exit and who knows how long this franchise will keep the engine going.
Netflix’s One Piece series recently gave us a massive update from the manga creator, Eiichiro Oda. Not only did he confirm the eight-episode count but also went out of his way to highlight his involvement with the project being more than just giving away the rights. He has the final say on when the project releases and while we’re still waiting, some small details keep finding their way online to keep us well-fed until the next official batch drops.
It looks like yesterday’s drop wasn’t everything, as a new set photo has found its way online through @OP_Netflix_Fan. This time around, we get a good look at the cadets that work on the various Marine ships. What stands out is that they have shorter sleeves, which is a bit more reminiscent of one of the designs the Marines have in the One Piece manga. It’s unclear if they purposefully are only giving the cadets shorter sleeves as a way to make an easier distinction of what rank each Marine has.
— ONE PIECE NETFLIX FAN (@OP_Netflix_Fan) May 12, 2023
It’s great to see more of the Marines, as this is our first real look at them on a ship. There’s a chance this might be part of Garp’s ship that was teased in some of the earlier set leaks. Though, this could also just be a regular Marine ship which is also quite prominent throughout the manga’s long tenure. We can only speculate for now, but it’s great to know that the Marines will have different layers and this might be our first tease at what two prominent characters from the East Blue Saga will be wearing, especially with the tease that they will integrate elements from the saga’s Cover Story.
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