Murphy's Multiverse

Blog

  • ‘Top Gun Maverick’ Beats Out ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’s Second Weekend With Record Hold

    ‘Top Gun Maverick’ Beats Out ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’s Second Weekend With Record Hold

    Top Gun Maverick is a one-in-a-lifetime film at the box office it seems, as the film has returned for its second weekend with a massive push. The film has made $290M in the United States with a worldwide gross of $548.6M already. A big part of that is that the ticket sales for the film in its second weekend are powerful with only a 32% drop from its Memorial Day weekend. As of now, it’s the smallest second-weekend decline for a film that opened to more than $100M worldwide.

    It’s beating the usual expectations of frontloading, even if earlier predictions expected it going in, as they usually drop around 50%. With this record hold, the film has become Tom Cruise‘s highest-grossing film ever at the domestic box office as it passes War of the Worlds from 2005, which stood strong at $243M. The film also didn’t face any challenge this weekend as only the limited release of David Cronenberg‘s latest body horror film, Crimes of the Future, found its way into theaters with $1.1M.

    Top Gun does seem poised for a potential $1 billion release. The film pulled in a higher second weekend than even Spider-Man: No Way Home at around $84.5M. What would be interesting is to see if people came in for a second helping this weekend before the release of Jurassic World: Dominion and it could face a bigger drop by then. but if it keeps up this record hold, it will definitely hold on tight to the top spot at the worldwide box office.

    Is this the end of superhero films? Not really, as Doctor Strange is performing incredible we’ll even after a stark drop in its second weekend while No Way Home got the added “Christmas” follow-up weekend influencing its drop. So, these two franchises existing comfortably next to each other would redefine and reinvigorate the box office. Plus, Top Gun Maverick was eleased at the perfect time and is reaching an audience that generally has distanced itself from theaters, especially during the pandemic. For now, we can only theorize and will see just how far this film’s legs will carry it.

    Source: Variety, Twitter

  • ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Passes $900M Worldwide

    ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Passes $900M Worldwide

    Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has been a popular discussion point regarding its harsh drop in its second weekend at around 67%. Yet, the film is proving that it has quite the legs to keep going as the film has now officially passed $900M worldwide. It still held strong as Top Gun: Maverick had one of the smallest drops at the box office for a film with over $100M, highlighting the film’s rather unique standing in the current climate. Films generally with such frontloading drop around 50% It’s highlighting more that it’s the exception rather than the rule.

    Yet, we are here to discuss Doctor Strange‘s success at the box office. While the film is very unlikely to pass a billion at this rate, it does seem like it’ll end in the mid-$900M range. As of now, the film is already at $909.4M with a domestic release standing at $388.7M. At this rate,e it’ll beat Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2‘s 389.8M and Spider-Man: Far From Home‘s $390.5M. It should pass the $400M mark which we haven’T seen in a long time domestically.

    The film is also facing a smaller drop than The Batman and Captain America Civil War in its fifth weekend, which highlights that the film was probably the most frontloaded we’ve seen in a while. Some of the hype surrounding the film gave it an Avengers-style momentum but it’s horror elements may have caught audiences by surprise given its B+ score. Even with that word-of-mouth score, the film has had some strong legs, which isn’t uncommon for the horror genre. Plus, as a sequel, it has left its predecessor that already strongly performed at $676M in the dust and adds weight to a third addition passing a billion.

    Source: Variety, Twitter

  • Ms. Marvel Will Learn to “Tell Her Own Story”

    Ms. Marvel Will Learn to “Tell Her Own Story”

    The initial trailer for Ms. Marvel teased a much lighter experience for a Marvel Studios Disney+ show. It’s also following one of its darkest as Moon Knight kicked off 2022 before passing the torch to the young heroine. Still, it looks like there might be something a bit darker ahead for the young heroine as revealed during the official press event for the Disney+ series.

    The cast and crew had a bit of a challenge not giving away any story beats, but found a way to hint at where the story is heading, highlighting Kamala Khan’s self-discovery at the core of the story and the weight of learnign to be her own heroine rather than just emulating those she looks up to.

    In searching for her identity, Kamala Khan is going to go on this journey to reconnect with her family, to understand why it’s so important to tell her own story and craft that story and to feel she could be that superhero she could always be, but it would be her being the superhero instead of emulating someone else.

    Meera Menon

    They do promise that things will get darker, but Kevin Feige highlights that this was what they are trying to do and ensure that “Marvel Studios” being above a logo doesn’t define what it’s going to be like. So, we might expect a few more diverse projects from the studio in the future, as we got a horror-inspired film with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness while Thor: Love and Thunder is seemingly focusing on a more romantic-comedy style. So, it’s goign to be interesting to see how Ms. Marvel‘s story develops and maybe even catches us off-guard.

  • Ugly Sonic Replaced Jar Jar Binks in ‘Chip n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers’

    Ugly Sonic Replaced Jar Jar Binks in ‘Chip n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers’

    It’s always interesting to get a look behind the scenes at how and what may have changed throughout production. The Disney+ Original Chip n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers is filled to the brim with Easter eggs and familiar characters, but it looks like the infamous Ugly Sonic, the original design for Sonic the Hedgehog, cameo almost was carried by another icon that faced similar ridicule back in his day, Star Wars Episode 1: Phantom Menace‘s Jar Jar Binks.

    Storyboard artist Simeon Wilkins took to his personal Instagram account and shared a look at some sequences from the film. In it, he also included the Fan Expo chase sequence but with the original plans of having Jar Jar Binks appear. Sadly, he doesn’t mention what led to him getting replaced with Ugly Sonic, but it’s likely due to them getting the chance to include him as he’s a character owned by Paramount appearing in a Disney film.

    It must’ve been a blast storyboarding this film and pitching ideas on who may appear in what capacity. Who knows how many other characters had to get switched out throughout production due to rights discussions and generally what best fit the story. The film is one of those rare meta films that manages to connect with audiences.

    In a way, it even gave Ugly Sonic his own fanbase after being ridiculed out of a film. It would’ve been nice to see Jar Jar get a bit more positive feedback as Ugly Sonic did but who knows if they might tackle a sequel where he gets his chance to shine.

    Source: Instagram

  • ‘Luke Cage’s Mike Colter Debunks MCU Return Rumors

    ‘Luke Cage’s Mike Colter Debunks MCU Return Rumors

    Just last month, an image surfaced between Mike Colter and Krysten Ritter that included the wording “Big Tease” and the initials of their Marvel characters, Luke Cage and Jessica Jones. There have already been quite a few rumors that Ritter might return in an upcoming project, especially with Charlie Cox‘s return in Spider-Man: No Way Home, but it definitely added some weight to Colter potentially reprising his Luke Cage role as well.

    Yet, in an interview with The View, he revealed that it wasn’t more than just two former colleagues meeting up. While the Instagram post including the reference does add a lot more questions, it does seem they just live “really close to each other” and that’s what led to them bumping into each other.

    You know, we live in a neighborhood really close to each other, and it’s funny, we bumped into each other at a strawberry patch that’s like an hour away, and we just happened to be in the same place hanging out with our kids. And I bumped into another actor who I did not know, who came up to me; we were talking and he’s like, ‘oh, you know Krysten [Ritter’s] here.’ And [I’m like], ‘Krysten?’ I thought they were friends. So then I texted her and she pops up in front of me and we start hanging out and let the kids play… I don’t know what’s happening with Marvel. I, you know, I loved working with her and really don’t know anything other than that. That’s it.”

    Mike Colter

    Mike Colter has been quite busy working on his series Evil, and it does seem like he might not have the time to make a grand MCU return. Yet, we’ve also had many theories in regard to other projects. So, we’ll have to see if he ends up surprising us with a sudden return in a future project.

    Source: Instagram via The Direct

  • ‘Hawkeye’ Composers Already Working on Next Marvel Project

    ‘Hawkeye’ Composers Already Working on Next Marvel Project

    The Hawkeye composers Christophe Beck and Michael Paraskevas have left quite an imprint on the Disney+ series. Not only did it bring an emotional score to what may be Marvel Studios’ most grounded storylines, but they also had the joy of adding a Christmas/Holiday cheer to make it stand out. In a recent interview with BTL News, they revealed that the series was initially going to be darker, but also teased that they’ve already started work on the next Marvel project.

    Sadly, they wouldn’t give away what exactly the project might be, if Disney+ series or film, but they also hinted that it’s not the only project they’re involved with. It seems they are also working on a Disney film, but can’t talk about either.

    Another project for Marvel we can’t talk about and another Disney film we can’t talk about.

    Christophe Beck

    For now, we can only speculate but there are quite a few projects in the pipeline that could be the perfect match. In the same interview, they’ve also praised the opportunity of tackling this mini-series as the six-episode runtime gave them more flexibility than they’d otherwise not have to fully explore the themes for the entire series instead of just hoping one episode per week can be brought together.

    One of the things I love about these miniseries Marvel is working on is that I had a sense for the entire story. Back in the earlier days, like when I worked on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I was flying by the seat of my pants. They’re cranking out an episode a week for a long time and I just had to improvise. Here, by contrast, I know where it’s going, so I was not surprised by a plot twist later, and I could create a holistic musical universe.

    Christophe Beck

    Both composers have a background working on musical numbers. So, they may be involved with the upcoming Disenchanted film or even the live-action adaptation of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. In regards to Marvel, they also worked on Ant-Man and the Wasp. So, it could be likely he moved on to tackle the third entry, Quantumania. It’s only speculation but it’ll be interesting to see what they are tackling next.

    Source: BTL News

  • ‘Hawkeye’s Initial Tone Was Darker to Focused on Clint Barton’s “Despair”

    ‘Hawkeye’s Initial Tone Was Darker to Focused on Clint Barton’s “Despair”

    Here’s a rather dark and curious revelation but it seems that Hawkeye was initially going to be a much darker show. Christoph Beck and Michael Paraskevas, who composed the Disney+ series, got a chance to sit down and talk about their work on the series. Beck highlighted how he went from WandaVision to tackle Hawkeye, especially how he was excited when Marvel reached out to him to return.

    Well, [I did] WandaVision, the first series out of the gate for Marvel. And of course, Michael was involved as an additional composer. As we wrapped that one, Marvel reached out and told me about this one and that they wanted me involved. I have a very long relationship with Marvel so it was an easy “yes.”

    Christoph Beck

    It was him that brought Paraskevas onboard as he was already in a supporting role in the past, but it was the perfect timing to add him as a partner “after five years.”

    I knew very little about [it] and I actually thought it would be a film noir type of vibe and that this would be reflected in the score. As time went on, it turned out to be a buddy Christmas comedy! And this also felt like the perfect project to finally bring on Michael as a full collaborator, as a partner, after five years. I pitched that to Marvel, and they were very enthusiastic.

    Christoph Beck

    The biggest reveal is that Hawkeye has seemingly gone through quite a few changes, as it seemingly was going to be much darker. While Beck doesn’t give away any details, it does seem that the story was going to focus on Clint Barton’s despair on what happened before evolving into a more joyful “Christmas in New York” story.

    There was a bit of an evolution for what the sound of the score was going to be. At first, it was going to be a darker tone, focused on Hawkeye, his despair around the events of the Avengers, and the dark things he went through in his past. But the show, the story, and therefore the score evolved into something much more playful, especially between Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld. And the idea that this would be a ‘Christmas in New York’ sort of thing, we took.

    Chrisoph Beck

    Beck also confirmed that they would use any chance they could to include some Christmas in their music, especially to make the “superhero type of score” have something special to make it stand out more.

    Whenever there was an opportunity to sprinkle in Christmas magic, we did. Not just the big set pieces we mentioned, but also incorporating classic Christmas textures into what was a more traditional Marvel superhero type of score.

    Christoph Beck

    While it would’ve been interesting to see a darker take on Barton fighting his grief, there is something special with taking the iconic comic that was more light-hearted and adding some Christmas cheer to it. It made the story stand out in a special way and also offered something unique over the Holidays for those hoping to get their Marvel fix.

    Source: BTL News

  • ‘The Boys’ Showrunner on That Marvelous Cameo

    ‘The Boys’ Showrunner on That Marvelous Cameo

    The Boys Season 3 premiere features plenty of noteworthy moments. And while there’s a particular moment that is keeping many talking, there’s also a pretty impressive cameo by a Marvel-ous actor.

    In a new interview with Variety, The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke explained how Charlize Theron became involved with the project. According to Kripke, Theron was approached about The Boys by producer Seth Rogen, who she had just worked with on The Long Shot. Despite the cameo being small, the scene still required Theron to come in for a costume fitting.

    “I actually feel kind of bad about it, because I’m sure he positioned it like, ‘Hey, do us a favor, pop on camera and it’s a cameo.’ Then the next call is our costume designer, ‘OK, you need to come in and we need to design this super suit.’ She shows up on a whole big day of shooting with several camera crews and everything. But she was such an immensely great sport and is so funny. I mean, obviously she’s in comedies, but watching her work up close and in person, the level with which she commits to the most ridiculous dialogue that anyone has ever said, it’s absurd. The heart and soul with which she delivers it is so funny and stunning. We were really lucky to have her.”

    Eric Kripke

    Interestingly enough, Kripke wasn’t aware of her appearance as Clea in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. While he believes the show approached the actress first regarding the cameo, Kripke was thrilled to see Theron pop up while watching Multiverse of Madness. “I was in the theater watching ‘Doctor Strange’ with my kids and then that cameo came up and I was like, ‘Yes!’ Anything we can do to draw a line between us and Marvel is a good day.”

    While her role in The Boys was a minor one, Theron looks to have an exciting future within the Marvel Cinematic Universe following Multiverse of Madness. For now, fans can watch Theron’s cameo as Stormfront in The Boys on Prime Video, with Multiverse of Madness set to hit Disney+ later this month.

    Source: Variety.

  • ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Tops Box Office for Second Weekend

    ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Tops Box Office for Second Weekend

    Top Gun: Maverick continues to soar at the box office.

    The Tom Cruise-led movie is on track to pull in $84.5 million in its second outing. That comes after an impressive $25 million Friday. Even more impressive, however, is that the film only saw a projected 33% drop from its opening weekend. With the movie performing so well, Top Gun: Maverick added an additional 19 cinemas in North America for its second weekend, which is notable as the film already earned the widest domestic opening last weekend with 4,732 North American cinemas.

    Maverick‘s 33% decline is a stunning achievement, it also makes for the smallest drop in domestic box office history for a film that opened above $100 million. It is almost unheard of for films to see such a small drop. In fact, Cruise’s s last blockbuster, 2018’s Mission: Impossible – Fallout, saw a 42.5% drop in its second outing.

    Paramount is expecting Maverick to expand its domestic haul to $290 million by Sunday. It is already Cruise’s biggest film ever at the domestic box office, pulling ahead of 2005’s War of the Worlds. That film pulled in $243.3 million throughout its time in theaters. Maverick should continue to preform well at the box office until Jurassic World: Dominion debuts next weekend.

    As for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, as Cruise’s Maverick continues to dominate at the box office, the Marvel Studios sequel looks to expand its domestic gross to $388.6 million through Sunday. That will make it Disney’s ninth highest grossing Marvel Studios production, pulling ahead of 2017’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

    Source: Variety.

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘Ms. Marvel’ Co-Creator Wants Thomas Edison For Season 2

    EXCLUSIVE: ‘Ms. Marvel’ Co-Creator Wants Thomas Edison For Season 2

    Seemingly missing from this season of Ms. Marvel is the infamous avian foe of Kamala Khan, a bipedal, talking parrot that also happens to be the clone of Thomas Edison. In the comics, Edison plays a big part in Kamala Khan’s early superhero days as the first supervillain she comes across.

    In an exclusive interview with Ms. Marvel co-creator and show producer Sana Amanat, we asked about the possibility of seeing this wacky character in the MCU and if he would even work believably.

    I think so! I think it could work. We’ll find a way to work it in. Give me a Season 2. We’ll see [laughs].

    This year in the MCU alone has seen all kinds of wacky characters in live-action. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness saw a dead Doctor Strange come to life and a bovine sorceress fight Scarlet Witch. Moon Knight had a talking bipedal crocodile and hippopotamus. With how far the MCU has come, a bird clone of Thomas Edison isn’t much of a step too far. Should a Season 2 for Ms. Marvel be greenlit, Thomas Edison would be at the top of a list of characters that we’d like to see.