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  • ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ on its Way to Become Tom Cruise’s Biggest Worldwide Opening Ever

    ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ on its Way to Become Tom Cruise’s Biggest Worldwide Opening Ever

    Tom Cruise has always been a box office draw, and it looks like that isn’t going to change anytime soon. According to early estimates, Top Gun: Maverick is on its way to a weekend opening of $92M to beyond $100M stateside. It also would add up to another $80M internationally, which would put its opening weekend at $180M worldwide.

    The film is being described as a “five-quad” movie that is expected to become an aggressively overperforming title, especially as older men are open to checking the film out. Paramount has taken a smart strategy by promoting the film over the course of the last month, especially when it was previewed at CinemaCon to get exhibitors excited for what’s to come. It also left a splash at the Cannes Film Festival, where Cruise received a surprise Palme D’or.

    The film will also receive the widest release in the United States since The Lion King in 2019. China and Russia aren’t in the mix, which puts its development towards beating the actor’s previous biggest worldwide opening with The Mummy at $172.3M. It’s also considered an award season contender, which echoes similarly how Dune was a “blockbuster release that isn’t quite a blockbuster” in the eyes of the Academy.

    It’s great for Tom Cruise‘s career and most likely will help boost the way they tackle his upcoming Mission: Impossible films in the promotion as well. Cruise has made a career out of single-handily pushing his films in a way that others can’t due to his position which is quite admirable but also highlights the exception rather than the rule. Having his biggest opening weekend with a legacy title like this does bode well for other films to enter the market in a big way.

    Source: Deadline

  • The Morning After Huddle: May 25, 2022

    The Morning After Huddle: May 25, 2022

    Just like an ex-lover who pops up when you’re finally happy and have forgotten about them: baby, I’m back! Thank you to my partner-in-print, Dalbin, for holding down The Huddle yesterday despite some major Colts shade (*stares intensely*). Welcome to another edition of your favorite source for NFL news, The Morning After Huddle.

    Here’s what you need to know:

    • The NFL Scouting Combine is staying in Naptown for 2023 and 2024. As if there was any other decision, Indianapolis will continue to host the event. Commissioner Goodell said Tuesday that the decision to keep the combine in Indy was a nod to how well the city has handled hosting.
    • What’s done in the dark in St. Louis will come to light in Los Angeles. The L.A. Times reports that the league has quietly tapped all 32 teams to help pay a $790 million lawsuit, that was settled last year, regarding the city of St Louis crying foul over the Rams move. The NFL has already taken $7.5 million from each team.
    • Your Key Signings Roundup is back: Kyle Fuller has landed in his home town of Baltimore on a 1-year $9.5 million deal. To the shock of no one, the 49ers have confirmed Jimmy Garoppolo will likely be traded, but his shoulder surgery complicates things. There’s also this tiny thing, called a $25 million+ cap hit, that presents a snag.

    That’s it for today’s Huddle. Come back tomorrow to break down the top news you should know!

    ICYMI: Tuesday – May 24, 2022 Edition

  • ‘Echo’ Head Writer Shares Set Photo With First Look at New Logo

    ‘Echo’ Head Writer Shares Set Photo With First Look at New Logo

    It’s not uncommon that Marvel Studios’ projects go through a variety of logos while they go into development. Initial announcements tend to use a logo strongly inspired by the character’s comic runs before starting to evolve into its own unique design. While we knew long before Hawkeye entered production that the character of Echo (Alaqua Cox) would get her own Disney+ series.

    It wasn’t until Disney+ Day that we got our first look at its logo, which took a very simple design approach that isn’t new with any of the Marvel films. Yet, it looks like production has recently updated that they’ve updated the logo once again, as shared by the series head writer, Marion Dayre, on Twitter. While we don’t see anything from the actual production, we do get the series’ production name Solidarity alongside the new Echo logo.

    The design seems a bit more steeped in what the series represents, and we may hopefully also get that in the eventual updated design for the logo, which has become part of their usual development cycle. The logo showcased above is very likely not going to be used outside of the production.

    Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania had a unique logo design that was hard to decipher at first but was only meant for the production team. So, this design is very likely also following that very rule. Still, it’s always great to get an update, no matter how small it is and there’s a lot of promise to explore a smaller scale story with this series.

    Source: Twitter

  • HBO Max Brazil to Add ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ in July

    HBO Max Brazil to Add ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ in July

    As Spider-Man: No Way Home is not owned by Marvel Studios, its release is quite scattered across the world. If you live in Brazil, you’re in luck if you have an HBO Max subscription, as the film is heading to the Warner Bros.-owned subscription service on July 22nd. Not every release is currently known on the Spider-Man threequel worldwide, but there is the deal that Sony made with Netflix and Disney+. We still haven’t heard any update on how exactly that deal works and when we might expect the MCU films to make their appearance on the Disney-owned service. It’ll likely head to Netflix in those markets that don’t yet have HBO Max access.

    Sony’s release strategy on streaming has been smart, as they don’t carry any of the costs without setting up one, but still enjoy the licensing fees from offering them to others. While Warner Bros., Disney, Peacock, and Netflix fight over the dominance in the market, Sony is making its cash mostly through offering its library to them. It’s a great strategy in an already crowded market that is reaching its limits.

    The only drawback is that it becomes quite the question mark where and when we can expect specific releases. If there’s no overall deal, like Netflix and Disney+, it strongly depends on local market contracts. For now, it feels like a free-for-all though we’ll likely see a shift within the market as time goes on and some overall deals are finalized with the main subscription services cementing themselves within the market.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ To Have the Widest Release in North America of All Time

    ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ To Have the Widest Release in North America of All Time

    There’s been a lot of discussion regarding the current trends of Hollywood blockbusters dominating cinemas. Yet, it looks like another big release is going to be present across the entire United States with Top Gun: Maverick set to become the all-time widest opening in the United States. It’s now set to release in 4,732 theaters, which beast 2019’s Lion King held the record at 4,725. To put it into comparison, this year’s biggest releases so far included Doctor Strange in the Mutliverse of Madness at 4,534 and The Batman at 4,417.

    A wide release highlights the expectations set by Skydance Media and Paramount Pictures in what the film has to offer. The hype has been great, especially with its overwhelmingly positive reviews. Of course, it’s been a while since the first Top Gun found its way into theaters back in 1986, but Tom Cruise has always been quite the box office draw, the Mission: Impossible franchise is certainly a testament to that.

    Current predictions do see the film releasing between $98M to $125M, which has been growing steadily as we near its release later this week. For now, there’s a chance it might go beyond those expectations especially as they widen its release in the United States. There’s no word if the European and other international markets will also see an expansion.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Cobra Kai’ Season 5 to Introduce a New Sensei

    ‘Cobra Kai’ Season 5 to Introduce a New Sensei

    According to Deadline, Alicia Hannah-Kim has joined the series as a South Korean Sensei named Kim Da-Eun who is a part of Terry Silver’s (Thomas Ian Griffith) plans to quickly grow the Cobra Kai franchise. Along with the addition of Hannah-Kim, Season 4 newbie Dupree Young, who portrays Kenny Payne, has been upgraded to a series regular for Season 5.

    Given how the end of Season 4 played out, with Martin Kove’s John Creese being arrested, it seems likely Da- Eun will play a leading alongside Silver. We know that Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) has already brought in his former enemy, Chozen (Yuji Okumoto), to help out Miyagi-Do as William Zabka’s Johnny Lawrence took off to Mexico in search of Miguel (Xolo Maridueña). Da-Eun looks to be filling the shoes of Creese for Cobra Kai. Whether or not Da-Eun becomes another victim of Silver remains to be seen.

    Hannah-Kim recently appeared in HBO Max’s Minx as Wendy Mah. She has also appeared in Freeform’s Alone Together and ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy. As for Payne, outside of Cobra Kai, he has appeared in Nickelodeon’s Cousins for Life.

    The fifth season of Cobra Kai wrapped production back in December. The creator of Cobra Kai, Josh Heald, has previously teased that the series would run for six seasons. As of this writing, Netflix has not confirmed the sixth season, but scripts are already being written.

    Season 5 of Cobra Kai hits Netflix on Sept. 9th.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Star Wars: The Acolyte’ to Take Inspiration From Martial Arts Films

    ‘Star Wars: The Acolyte’ to Take Inspiration From Martial Arts Films

    Russian Doll’s Leslye Headland got a chance to sit down with Vanity Fair to talk about the future for Star Wars fans with her new series, The Acolyte. We’ve been anxiously awaiting an update on what to expect from the series. The new interview gave us a tease of how she’s approaching the series by highlighting the advice she got from The Mandalorian‘s Jon Favreau.

    Jon Favreau said that when you’re working in this world, you want to go back to what George was inspired by. There were Westerns and then of course, Akira Kurosawa samurai films, and the fact that he originally offered Obi-Wan Kenobi to Toshiro Mifune …

    Leslye Headland

    Hearing that there are many ways to approach the series, it seems that she focused on martial arts films as how she’ll approach the series. Headland highlights some of the inspirations that she is taking with her while working on this series.

    So I actually went more toward martial arts films, and storylines that are a little bit more personal and less global and galactic. Those warriors were on missions that were deeply personal, with people feeling wronged and having to make it right. Wuxia Films and martial arts films from King Hu and the Shaw Brothers, like Come Drink With Me and Touch Of Zen. They’re monks that are also martial arts heroes.

    Leslye Headland

    The projects mentioned certainly sets up a great concept. Most of Star Wars inspirations were from westerns and samurai films. We’ve seen some influences from martial art films, but never a project that was built around the concept. So, here’s hoping we get some great action and drama that these iconic films are known for.

    Source: Vanity Fair

  • ‘The Acolyte’ to Explore the Rise of the Sith During the High Republic

    ‘The Acolyte’ to Explore the Rise of the Sith During the High Republic

    Russian Doll‘s Leslye Headland will head into a galaxy far far away with the new Star Wars series Acolyte. We’ve learned that the series takes place long before the prequel trilogy with around 100 years stated. Now, in an interview with Vanity Fair, Headland offered some more details on how the storyline will explore how the Sith grew in power before the events of the Prequels. Headland highlights a quote from Mace Windu that inspired her to take on the story:

    In the prequels, Mace Windu says: ‘There’s no way that the Sith could have reemerged without us knowing about it.’ And Yoda says, ‘Hard to see, the dark side is. He acknowledges that this is a part of the Force that has been dormant, or at least hidden from them, for so long. What I immediately wondered about this particular period was: Who is practicing it

    Leslye Headland

    She also teases that the title has many significant references to where the story heads, such as pointing to someone that is closer to the dark side of the Force. So, we may be seeing the rise of the Sith, with Amandla Stenberg set to play the leading role. Though the wording also hints at someone who assists a religious leader in a ritual. So, we might see the padawan that supported Palpatine’s rise to power. Many also hope that perhaps we meet Darth Sidious, who has been teased briefly in an iconic sequence from the prequels.

    Source: Vanity Fair

  • Netflix’s ‘That 90’s Show’ Adds Another ‘That 70’s Show’ Alumni

    Netflix’s ‘That 90’s Show’ Adds Another ‘That 70’s Show’ Alumni

    Tommy Chong is officially returning as Leo for That 90’s Show. The actor confirmed his return during a recent appearance on The Dark Mark Show. “They gave me a call and I did my part,” he confirmed. “They never gave me any instructions, so I don’t know if I’m supposed to be talking about it or not. I really don’t give a s— to tell you the truth. I’ve got a big mouth. That’s what I’m known for…I’m back as Leo.”

    Chong is the latest cast member from That 70’s Show to be confirmed. It was recently announced that Topher Grace, Laura Prepon, Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, and Wilmer Valderrama are returning for guest appearances. They’ll join series leads, Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp, who are reprising their roles as Red and Kitty Forman.

    The spinoff series will focus on Leia Forman (Callie Haverda), the daughter of Eric (Grace) and Donna (Prepon), as she visits her grandparents during the summer of 1995. Much like her parents, she’ll find herself forming bonds with a new generation of Point Place kids under the watchful eye of Red and Kitty.

    Over the course of its run, Chong appeared as Leo in 65 episodes of That 70’s Show as a hippy stoner who built a close relationship with Hyde after employing him at the Foto Hut. Danny Masterson is not expected to reprise his role as Hyde in That 90’s Show.

    That 90’s Show was ordered straight to series by Netflix with a 10-episode count. The creators of That 70’s Show, Bonnie Turner and Terry Turner, have boarded the series as writers and executive producers alongside their daughter Linsey Turner. Gregg Mettler, who also worked on That 70’s Show, is also on board as a writer, executive producer, and showrunner.

    Source: The Dark Mark Show via Variety

  • ‘Madame Web’: Celeste O’Connor is the Latest to Get Caught in Sony’s web

    ‘Madame Web’: Celeste O’Connor is the Latest to Get Caught in Sony’s web

    The Ghostbusters: Afterlife actress is set to join Sony’s Madame Web. She’ll star alongside Dakota Johnson and Sydney Sweeney in the film. Johnson, of course, is expected to portray Madame Web, while the roles of Sweeney and O’Connor are currently unknown.

    The film is Sony’s latest Spider-Man offshoot and will mark the first film to be headlined by a female character within the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters. While details are sparse regarding Madame Web, it is thought the film will be an origin story for the clairvoyant character, whose psychic abilities allow her to see within the spider world. 

    O’Connor is steadily building an impressive resume. Following Ghostbusters: Afterlife, the young actor can next be seen in Zach Braff’s A Good Person from MGM. O’Connor can currently be seen in Paramount+’s The In Between where she stars alongside Joey King.

    Madame Web is being directed by S.J. Clarkson (Jessica Jones) from a script by Morbius writers Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless. Kerem Sanga, who write First Girl I Loved, took an earlier pass at the script prior to Sazama and Sharpless.

    Madame Web will hit theaters on July 7th, 2023.

    Source: Deadline.