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  • ‘Wakanda Forever’ Repeats the Original ‘Black Panther’s Box Office Record

    ‘Wakanda Forever’ Repeats the Original ‘Black Panther’s Box Office Record

    Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has kept its position at the top of the box office, as the film has finally crossed $400M to do so. What stands out though is that while it’s a rough weekend for the box office, this marks Ryan Coogler as the first director to have two of his films stand at the top spot for five weeks consecutively; that back-to-back releases. The film did luck out with Wakanda Forever having no true competition until Avatar: The Way of Water that’ll release next weekend.

    One thing is clear though, Wakanda Forever is not going to scratch the $700M domestic or the $1.3B global from the original Black Panther in 2018. While some corners of the internet are calling it a flop, the film is far from it. Its success is quite commendable if you also consider it lost its main draw, the title star Chadwick Boseman, and a movie market that is simply not what it once was. Only in 2022 can a film that’s going to pass $800M be considered a flop of any kind; a fate cursed upon Thor: Love and Thunder just a few months back. As of now, Wakanda Forever stands at an impressive $767.8M and is the sixth-highest grossing movie of 2022.

    The big question on everyone’s mind is: what is going on? The weekend pulled in $38.5M and marks the second worst of the entire year followed by the soft opening back in January at around $35M. Sadly, with no real releases throughout the last few weeks, there’s simply no momentum or reason for people to go to the theater. We’ve seen some standout successes this year that still managed to revive the box office, such as Marvel Studios’ three massive openings, The Batman and Top Gun: Maverick‘s impressive legs, Jurassic World still showing its dominance, and even a Minion movie almost crossing a billion.

    Yet, the fall release schedule has been abysmal with minor releases and barely anything to draw audiences in. Black Adam did not reignite the spark that Warner Bros. hoped it could when it’s saving measures led to it only releasing two films for the rest of the quarter. Smaller releases did quite well like Violent Night‘s impressive hold at the second spot but Disney couldn’t give it a boost with its undermarketed Strange World animated film. Devotion went on to proof that Top Gun Maverick was more a lightning in a bottle rather than the new norm. There’s hope that the packed schedule for 2023 could bring some more life back into theaters, but 2022’s only remaining hope is Avatar: The Way of Water.

    Source: Twitter, Variety

  • Zoë Saldaña Discusses the Changes to Neytiri in ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’

    Zoë Saldaña Discusses the Changes to Neytiri in ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’

    While it’s been 13 years in the real world from the release of Avatar to its sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, there’s also been a significant passage of time experienced by the characters who inhabit the fictional world of Pandora. In Avatar: The Way of Water, a decade has passed since the events of the first film and that means a great deal has changed for main characters Sully and Neytiri. So much changed, in fact, that director James Cameron wrote what star Sam Worthington called “Avatar 1.5” in order to prepare the cast by sharing with them the experiences their characters had during that decade.

    For star Zoë Saldaña, who has had 3 children in the time between films, the changes in her personal life are mirrored in her character, Neytiri, a fierce and fearless Na’vi warrior who now has children of her own. During the global press junket for Avatar: The Way of Water, Saldaña talked about the changes to her character and how they reflect her personal growth since 2009.

    Neytiri and I, in a way, we’ve lived parallel lives. There is, there’s a level of fearlessness and rebellion that I have, as I guess as a person, that Neytiri had as herself. And I, we were able to sort of find kindred in that. You know, but the leap of falling in love with something outside of you, that challenges you to see something that you’ve never seen before, that has always been her dilemma. To surrender to that, and then to bring forward, you know, fruits of that love, and… but that presents the challenge for her. Because forcing her to grow, it’s forcing her to love something that she’s been taught to hate. And it’s, you know, it’s hard, it’s really, really hard.

    Zoë Saldaña

    Saldaña continued on about the role that fear plays in the life of a parent and how that helped her find a connection with where Neytiri was on her journey in Avatar: The Way of Water.

    Also fear. In my personal life, when I became a parent, fear entered my realm. The fear of losing something that you love so much, you know? And you just spend a great deal of your time creating these hypothetical scenarios that just unimaginable. When I read, you know, the second script, that was her, that was Neytiri. But I didn’t see it then. I see it now.

    Zoë Saldaña

    Traditionally, actors give their best performances when they can find real-life inspiration for the roles they inhabit. In this case, it sounds like Saldaña and Neytiri have so much in common that they’re almost kindred spirits. That’s good news for fans of the franchise who can look forward to an intense portrayal by Saldaña as she looks to protect her children from those “unimaginable” scenarios she described.

    Avatar: The Way of Water debuts in theaters on December 16th.

  • Crazy MCU Theory Posits That the Ending of ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ Has Already Been Spoiled On Screen in Another Project

    Crazy MCU Theory Posits That the Ending of ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ Has Already Been Spoiled On Screen in Another Project

    Time travel! As Tony Stark warned in Avengers: Endgame, when you mess with time, it tends to mess back. Thanks to Sylvie’s actions at the end of the Season 1 finale of Loki, the heroes of the MCU are about to find out what happens when you come face-to-face with the Master of Time as Jonathan Majors‘ Kang the Conqueror is set to wreak havoc across the Multiverse. Rumors have Kang wiping the floor with the Avengers in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty before facing off against a multiversal team of heroes in Avengers: Secret Wars. While everyone ultimately expects a big win for the good guys, a crazy theory puts forth the idea that fans may have already seen the aftermath of the big battle against Kang!

    The theory comes courtesy of Heavy Spoilers and it packs a pretty meta punch. Rumors of the plot of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty have the Avengers teaming with a version of He Who Remains, a Nathaniel Richards Variant first met in Loki. This Variant, who hasn’t become He Who Remains yet, goes by Nathaniel and eventually helps put together a multiversal team of heroes that take on Kang in Avengers: Secret Wars. According to the theory, once Kang is defeated, Nathaniel will go on to become He Who Remains and create the TVA in order to oversee the Sacred Timeline, just as seen in Season 1 of Loki!

    If that theory were to play out in Avengers: Secret Wars, it would mean that the aftermath of that film will already have been shared with fans years in advance of it occurring on screen! This would mean that the story He Who Remains tells Loki and Sylvie about the peace between realities erupting into an all-out war was only in the past from his perspective and that he was actually describing the events of Avengers: Secret Wars to fans years before they would ever see the film. To quote Marty McFly, “this is heavy.”

    Time travel!

    Source: Heavy Spoilers

  • ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Spends 5th Weekend at No. 1

    ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Spends 5th Weekend at No. 1

    With no other new releases this weekend, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has taken the top spot at the box office yet again. The weekend is heading towards the second lowest box office weekend of the year with an estimated $37.2 million. Depending on how Saturday’s numbers go, the box office could end up being the lowest box office of the year.

    Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which is now in its fifth week, is estimated to take in $11 million after earning $2.8 million on Friday. Along with retaining the top spot, the film officially crossed $400 million at the domestic box office and is currently sitting at $401.55 million. That puts it ahead of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness after 29 days of release; that film, of course, earned $411 million domestically and $955.77 million at the worldwide box office.

    Wakanda Forever should finally lose the top spot next weekend when 20th Century Studios/Disney’s Avatar: The Way of Water finally hits theaters. The film is expected to open to $200 million domestically, although that estimate could change – especially given early reactions have praised the long-awaited sequel.

    Source: Deadline.

  • James Gunn Confirms Superman as a “Priority” for DC Studios Future

    James Gunn Confirms Superman as a “Priority” for DC Studios Future

    As fans continue to move past the chaotic week of news within the world of DC Studios, questions are beginning to arise about what direction the studio will take with its DC heroes on film. The news of Wonder Woman 3 not moving forward and rumors of various sequels to old-guard projects being canceled has led to the thought from some that there’d be a distinct lack of these characters in the future. However, new Co-CEO of DC Studios James Gunn has confirmed at least one of the characters will remain a priority. In a tweet today, Gunn has made the point that Superman will be a marquee part of the relaunch of DC Studios.

    This shouldn’t come as any bit of a surprise. Superman is one the most recognizable characters in fictional media and it’d be wildly foolish to not have him as a centerpiece. The big question will be whether or not it will be the Henry Cavill take on Clark Kent. After his return for the post-credits of Black Adam, many assumed him to be a lock for a probable sequel to Man of Steel. However, it seems that it may not yet be that far in the works. And with the turnover at the WarnerMedia subsidiary, it’s not out of the realm of possibilities that James Gunn and Peter Safran take the character of Superman in a different direction.

    Ultimately, it will come down to a decision of prioritizing a true fresh start for DC in the cinematic landscape or holding onto at least one (fairly well received) remnant of the under-utilized previous generation. Either way it certainly will be an interesting story to follow.

    Source: Twitter.

  • ‘Avatar’ Producer Confirms ‘Avatar 5’ Will Indeed Head to Earth

    ‘Avatar’ Producer Confirms ‘Avatar 5’ Will Indeed Head to Earth

    James Cameron, the creator and director of the Avatar franchise, recently teased the possibility of the fifth film in the franchise taking place, at least in part, on Earth. While Cameron’s tease was a little light on detail, his longtime creative partner, producer Jon Landau, was a little more forthcoming about how Avatar 5 would include a trip to Earth.

    In an interview with i09, Landau explained that a portion of the plot will involve Zoë Saldaña‘s Neytiri headed to the third rock from the sun. “In movie five there is a section of the story where we go to Earth,” said Landau, “and we go to it to open people’s eyes, open Neytiri’s eyes, to what exists on Earth.” Earth, of course, is the home planet of the RDA, the Research Development Administration, which serves as the main antagonist of 2009’s Avatar as the come to strip Pandora of its natural resources.

    As Landau explains, part of Neytiri’s journey there is to come to understand that there’s more to Earth than the RDA. “Earth is not just represented by the RDA”, he pointed out. “Just like you’re defined by the choices you make in life, not all humans are bad. Not all Na’vi are good. And that’s the case here on Earth. And we want to expose Neytiri to that.”

    Avatar 5 is currently slated for a December 22nd, 2028 release and there’s obviously a lot of story to tell between now and then. Given Cameron’s commitment to the franchise and his continued desire to push the limits of what’s possible in the realm of visual effects, it’s fun to think about what advances might be developed in the next 6 years and what kind of spectacle Avatar 5 might end up being!

    Avatar: The Way of Water premieres December 16th!

    Source: iO9

  • ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Producer Talks the Film’s Core Themes

    ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Producer Talks the Film’s Core Themes

    Oscar-winning producer Jon Landau has long been a partner of director James Cameron in bringing both cutting-edge technology and well-crafted stories to the big screen. The two partnered up for Avatar and Titanic, which sit at #1 and #3, respectively, on the all-time box office list and both films have stayed with audiences because they had relevant stories to tell. 13 years after Avatar was released, its direct sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, is about to hit theaters across the globe and while it’s already being praised for its technological advancements, Landau believes there’s a whole lot more going on in the film than just fancy VFX.

    As part of the global press junket for Avatar: The Way of Water, Landau expressed what he was looking forward to in the film and why the time was right for the long-awaited sequel:

    Well the excitement are the themes that Jim writes into his stories. You know, themes are what you leave the theatre with, and this movie has heart, has emotion, and it also has, you know, a message again about our world, not just the environment, about people, about accepting people for their differences. In the movie Jim wrote in the line, (Speaks Na’vi), ‘I see you.’ And we want people to know that they’re seen, and that to see others that same way.

    Jon Landau

    The film will see the Na’vi encounter a new tribe who look to be very similar to themselves but who also have evolved quite differently. Footage has shown the Na’vi coming to understand that the new tribe, which inhabits coastal regions of Pandora, aren’t quite as familiar as they might think. In this way, Landau’s comments become a little clearer. While fans have come to know the Sully family, they’re not the only ones on the planet whose way of life is jeopardized. Perhaps Avatar: The Way of Water will partly focus on these tribes putting aside their differences and uniting to save their world, a theme which is always relevant.

    Avatar: The Way of Water hits theaters across the globe on December 16th.

  • DC’s Scrapped ‘Batman Beyond’ Film Featured the Return of Another Burtonverse Icon

    DC’s Scrapped ‘Batman Beyond’ Film Featured the Return of Another Burtonverse Icon

    Amid the wreckage created by THR’s bombshell report that Wonder Woman 3, Man of Steel 2 and a Black Adam sequel were all falling apart under the newly minted DC Studios label came word that a Michael Keaton-led Batman Beyond film had also been in the works. The film, which was set to spin out of the events of The Flash, was being written by Christina Hodson (The Flash, Birds of Prey) but development on it was halted once James Gunn and Peter Safran took over.

    A new report from THR has now added a little more detail to what Hodson had in mind and how things fell apart. According to the report, Hodson was given the green light to develop the script prior to the hires of Gunn and Safran. Just a couple of weeks after they came on the scene, probably just enough time for the two of them to get the lay of the land, they asked Hodson to put down her pen.

    Integral to Hodson’s pitch, it seems, was the return of Selina Kyle/Catwoman, who appeared in the Burtonverse sequel Batman Returns in 1992. The Batman Beyond film would have seen Catwoman “resuscitate” a romance with Keaton’s Bruce Wayne which was left open-ended at best in the 1992 film. It’s highly probable that had the film gone forward, the studio would have approached Michelle Pfeiffer, whose performance as Catwoman in Batman Returns was genuinely iconic, to reprise the role. With the film being scrapped, fans will never know if she’d have returned.

    Source: Heat Vision

  • Walter Hamada’s Original DCEU Plan for Henry Cavill’s Superman Revealed

    Walter Hamada’s Original DCEU Plan for Henry Cavill’s Superman Revealed

    Marvel Studios has been busy developing their own Multiverse Saga with Kang the Conqueror at its core, but it seems that DC had their own multiversal plans beyond just The Flash‘s upcoming release. While Walter Hamada is no longer involved with DC or Warner Bros, it seems his original plan was to develop a Crisis on Infinite Earths film but have Henry Cavill‘s Superman slowly build up that storyline through breadcrumbs in various movies.

    It seems likely that The Flash was going to unleash the multiveerse unto the DC Extended Universe with Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton‘s versions of Batman’s existing simultaneously. Ironically, it seems that Dwayne Johnson‘s own plans to make Black Adam a Superman rival and forcefully bringing Cavill back in the role may have also derailed those plans somewhat. Though, it’s uncertain just how far they mapped out the concept and if they were trying to test the waters.

    The idea to not give Superman a sequel but rather use him for cameos is curious–pretty much the Nick Fury for the DCEU. It may have also been a decision based around Cavill‘s booked schedule with The Witcher (ironic given recent developments) and the Enola Holmes movies. Once a Warhammer 40K or World of Warcraft project picks up any steam, he’ll likely throw his hat into the ring for those as well. So, even if he won’t truly return as Superman, there are many franchises that’ll definitely catch his attention.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘Peaky Blinders’ Creator Worked on the ‘Man of Steel’ Sequel Pitch

    ‘Peaky Blinders’ Creator Worked on the ‘Man of Steel’ Sequel Pitch

    Well, it looks like after all these rumors we finally know who was the one working on a potential sequel to Man of Steel. In Hollywood Reporter’s weekly Heat Vision blog, they’ve shared that their sources unveiled the news that Peaky Blinders and See creator Steven Knight was involved in pitching the Superman sequel. It seems that this pitch was initially made before James Gunn and Peter Safran joined the newly formed DC Studios to spearhead the franchise moving forward.

    There are sadly no details on what exactly the story was going to focus on, but it seems that Warner Bros. executives weren’t thrilled and “gave notes” that has become a common element. There’s also uncertainty if they even hired someone else to rewrite the project afterwards but it definitely was their dream to bring back Henry Cavill while it was still under Walter Hamada‘s supervision.

    The creator behind Peaky Blinders definitely is an interesting choice to bring the franchise back to life, and it would’ve been great to see what his original plans may have been. There are many questions if they would’ve stuck to the vision introduced by Zack Snyder, or try to go for a more hopeful version that is closer to how the character works in the comics. Either way, we may have a very different version at some pint in the future going by recent events.

    Source: Hollywood Reporter