Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Across the Spider-Verse

  • Animation Wins the Weekend as ‘The Flash’ Drops by 72%

    Animation Wins the Weekend as ‘The Flash’ Drops by 72%

    Ouch! It looks like The Flash isn’t doing so well as it dropped by 72% in its second weekend. DC’s biggest release of the year is not performing as “the best superhero movie” would, as it’s been completely overtaken by two animated projects. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse continues to show its legs and overtook the film while Elemental is only slightly behind. No Hard Feelings shows that R-rated projects still have some energy in them.

    The Flash overall pulled in $15.3M over the weekend, which is a sharp decline in its second weekend. As such, the film is only behind Morbius with the second-worst drop of any superhero film. As such, even bad performers Black Adam and Shazam! Fury of the Gods had better holds in its second weekend, the latter dropping around 69% on an even smaller opening. As such, the film may have passed $200M, but it’s unclear if it’ll even reach $300M at this rate.

    Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse returned to the top spot with $19.3M and already passed $560M globally. Has a decent chance of probably ending its total run at around $700M. Elemental even showed that a bad opening doesn’t mean the film could make up for it. It dropped only 37% which might not quite help with its $200M budget but if it keeps the pacing it could at least try to balance it out as much as possible. As of now, it placed second with $18.5M and stands at $121M.

    Jennifer Lawrence made her grand return to theaters with the raunchy No Hard Feelings, which opened pretty decent. $15M is a good start and better than some other R-rated comedies though won’t compete with Cocaine Bear. The big surprise is that not a single film managed to pass $30M this summer weekend, which is bizarre considering just how stacked the summer was going in. Either we’re seeing people become very selective about what they watch, or the box office still has quite a time to go before it heals.

    Source: Variety, Twitter, The Numbers

  • ‘The Flash’ Stumbles to a 70%+ Drop in its Second Weekend

    ‘The Flash’ Stumbles to a 70%+ Drop in its Second Weekend

    The Flash may be far removed from what Zack Snyder once started, but it seems it’s about to overtake Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’s box office drop. After a soft opening in its first weekend at $55.7M, far below initial expectations, the film is seemingly on its way to a heavy drop that’ll be likely above 70%. If you have a strong opening you might be able to balance it out, but this isn’t the case. As such, the film is dropping to third place after opening to $4.5M on Friday, which is an 81% drop.

    That drop is quite a bit higher than that of Green Latnern back in 2011, which only made around $116M and it’s unclear if this film will face a similar fate. It’s not looking good for the film to make enough money to make up its $200M+ production budget. Whiles some are liking this to be a sign of superhero fatigue, The Flash isn’t the only film that has lost quite a bit of momentum, and perhaps expectations for blockbusters generally have risen.

    Transformers: Rise of the Beasts proves that fact after a sharp 66% drop in its second weekend, but things are looking up a bit as the third is going a bit softer than initially expected. The film will drop around 45% and could still push the film to pass Bumblebee and Transformers: The Last Knight’s overall domestic box office gross.

    The big surprise though is Elemental is holding on. After the worst opening weekend for a Pixar film, its A CinemaScore is proving useful with a strong hold. It’ll likely only drop around 40% in its second weekend, which would push it further but it is still not likely to take the top spot. At the moment, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is showing a stronger hold and has a good chance at retaking the top spot with a $18.2M weekend.

    The big release of the week, No Hard Feelings is doing pretty good. It pulled in $6.25M on Friday (incl. Thursday previews) putting it at the top spot for at least a day. It’s projected to make around $12M but it seems likely that the debut will land somewhere around $15M. It did take the day and while it’ll lose momentum it’s still not too bad of a showcase. Comedies sadly generally seem to be struggling at the box office, as many other films like The Machine, Bros, and Easter Sunday struggling with that R-rating.

    Source: Variety

  • Animators Speak Out on Turbulent Production on ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’

    Animators Speak Out on Turbulent Production on ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’

    For some time now, people have used the Spider-Verse films as a showcase of what happens if you respect animators and those working don’t the project. It has commonly been used as a point of comparison between how major studios utilize their VFX houses for live-action adaptations. Yet, it seems that there was a lot more happening behind the scenes than one might’ve assumed initially.

    Supposedly, while Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse cost only $150M to produce, it seems like things were quite messy and costly in the long run. Multiple crew members, who range from artists to production executives, have come out to share what has happened across the many years working on the film in a new article by Vulture. And, it seems that it wasn’t pretty.

    Around 100 artists have supposedly had to “flee the movie” before it was finished, as they share that the film sprinted in the last three years. One of the reasons is seemingly due to one of its producers, Phil Lord of LEGO Movies fame, having a hard time conceptualizing 3-D animation and seemingly prefers to edit with fully rendered work. This means, they finished an entire project and then end up having to scrap big chunks of it due to this editing style. Usually, these kinds of stages happen early on in production, but it seems they pretty much had to change elements that were already finished.

    Subsequently, their backlog started to pile on as time went by. It’s no wonder the film was postponed by more than a year from its initial April 2022 release. At the time, it was “pandemic-related delays” but it seems there’s more to that after all. Seems that Phil Lord’s partner, Christopher Miller was surprisingly absent throughout most of the production. Lord seemingly overshadowed even the trio of directors involved with the project.

    Of course, Sony executives have disputed the claim with producer Amy Pascal pointing out that “over a thousand” were involved and losing 100 isn’t too surprising. Though she did confirm that the project went through various major overhauls when it came to its visuals and narrative. Going as far as executive Vice President of Sony Pictures Imageworks, Michelle Grady, stating “It really does happen on every film,” which casts a darker shadow over their other work especially with Pascal’s stating: “Welcome to making a movie.”

    Though, it should be pointed out that one stated it was a harsh experience but one that is “extraordinarily rewarding” it’s still not a good sign that what VFX and gaming industries are going through also affects animation. We’ll have to see if the WGA strike might be a big milestone to push for better experiences of employees in these creative environments but it also is a sign not to point the finger at a single scapegoat and take a look at the bigger picture.

    Source: Vulture

  • ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ Nabs Biggest Opening Day of 2023

    ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ Nabs Biggest Opening Day of 2023

    You read that correctly, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has opened to $51.7M on opening day, which makes it the biggest of 2023. Yes, it outgrossed Super Mario Bros.’ $31.7M Wednesday and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3‘s $48.1M. It’s not yet clear if this is a bit of a frontloading due to the animated film’s growing popularity since the release of Into the Spider-Verse, but it makes the third-best opening day for any Spider-Man movie. Only Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3 at $59.8M and Spider-Man: No Way Home’s $121.9M are ahead of it.

    That’s not all, as it is also the third highest animated opening ever only beaten by the Pixar film Incredibles 2 at $71.2M and Finding Dory’s $54.7M. Either way, it is Sony Pictures Animation’s biggest opening day ever and about to become its biggest opening weekend. If the film does end up being a frontloaded film it might land at $113.5M but has a chance that strong word-of-mouth might push it towards $125M.

    As of now, 93% are positive with 82% recommending the film according to PostTrak, which is already a good sign. It also nabbed an A CinemaScore, which isn’t quite No Way Home’s A+ but still the score that gives superhero films strong legs moving forward. Even if the film ends up frontloaded, it’s still quite an accomplishment in just how big of a jump it is from the first film which highlights that films that don’t make the biggest mark on the box office have the potential to grow exponentially.

    The only other major release here is The Boogyman, which pulled around $11.5M, which is slightly behind its initial tracking. The counterprogram was a smart placement even with a PG-13 rating, but it seems all eyes are on Across the Spider-Verse for the weekend. The curious case will be how the films perform internationally, as The Little Mermaid wasn’t quite the performer some may hope outside of the States.

    Source: Deadline, Deadline, Twitter

  • ‘Across the Spider-Verse’ Co-director Joaquim Dos Santos Says the Sequel is “Five Films in One”

    ‘Across the Spider-Verse’ Co-director Joaquim Dos Santos Says the Sequel is “Five Films in One”

    Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is one of the year’s most anticipated films. The sequel to 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse has high standards to live up to given how beloved and nearly universally praised its predecessor was and the team of creatives behind the it knew they couldn’t get away with “more of the same.” To that end, the film is set to take Miles Morales,voiced one again by Shameik Moore, on a trip that co-writer Phil Lord says “goes hard.” What story did Lord and co-writer Christopher Miller concoct that lead Moore to proclaim that the sequel’s story “tops the first”? Nothing short of a cross-dimensioal adventure set to take Miles to FIVE different universes.

    Our contract with the audience is to bring them something they’ve never seen before

    Christopher Miller

    As opposed to the much criticized dimension hopping in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, each of Across the Spider-Verse ‘s alternate dimensions is a “robust place” according to Co-director Joaquim Dos Santos. “We’ve made five films in one,” continued Dos Santos, referring to the five different universes Miles and audiences will visit in the project. One of those universes, a 2099 universe set in Nueva York, is home to Oscar Isaac‘s Miguel O’Hara, who serves as a prickly companion of Miles and Gwen Stacey, whose Earth-65 will be explored as well. Across the Spider-Verse will also visit Mumbatten, home to Spider-Man Pavitr Prabhakar, New London, home to the rad Spider-Punk, and another dimension that’s remaining top secret for the time being.

    If the sky was the limit last time, the sky is now the floor. We’re stepping on it and looking at Jupiter!

    Shameik Moore

    After a long, long wait, fans of the animated adventure can start counting in terms of weeks and days now as Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse‘s June 2nd release date is almost here!

    Source: Empire

  • REPORT: ‘Deadpool’s Karan Soni Voicing Spider-Man India in ‘Across the Spider-Verse’

    REPORT: ‘Deadpool’s Karan Soni Voicing Spider-Man India in ‘Across the Spider-Verse’

    It’s crazy to think how close we are finally to see the next animated entry in the Spider-Verse Saga. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse sees Miles Morales returning once again to take on an unlikely challenge, though this time he’s about to be thrust across the multiverse rather than it coming to visit him.

    We know of quite a few Spider-People that’ll accompany or even fight our unlikely hero with one of the first being the addition of Spider-Man India. Pavitr Prabhakar was one of the first teased when the first ever teaser for the sequel was released back in 2021. Though he wasn’t included directly in the trailer, the signs all hinted at his origin and that it was part of his universe.

    Now, we may even know who’ll be voicing the character, as One Take News has shared that Deadpool‘s Karan Soni will take on the voice of Spider-Man India. This marks another Marvel role for the character, as he famously played the loveable Dopinder, who ends up in quite a few troubles since he befriended Deadpool.

    He’s definitely a great choice for the role, as he has a soft demeanor that would match the character’s iconic comic portrayal. Though, we don’t know if he will be an ally for Miles Morales, who might help him navigate the relentless pursuit of Spider-Man 2099. We saw them fight in his universe, and he may have a bigger role than we know.

    Source: One Take News

  • New ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ Funkos Offer New Look at Scarlet Spider, Vulture and More

    New ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ Funkos Offer New Look at Scarlet Spider, Vulture and More

    While Marvel Studios continues to set the pace at the box office, they aren’t the only Marvel entry set to make a big splash this year. We also have the long-awaited sequel to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse that will continue the story of Miles Morales. This time around he is forced to travel Across the Spider-Verse and no longer have unwelcomed Spider-People on his home turf. As such, we’ll see a variety of new characters during his travel across the multiverse and the latest Funkos offer a glimpse at who he’ll meet along the way.

    We get a few familiar characters that have already been confirmed for some time and even showcased in the recent trailer release for Across the Spider-Verse. Spider-Punk’s Funko even seems to keep the unique art style that will bring him to life in the animated film. We also see Spider-Woman’s design and Spider-Man 2099, who has been hinted as an antagonist in the upcoming film.

    That’s not all, as we also get a good look at Spider-Man India, whose world was hinted at in the first-ever teaser for the film. They are joined by some new characters like Spider-Byte, which seems to be a new take on a digitized version of the iconic hero. There’s also Scarlet Spider, whose design seems to hint at a strong cel-shaded look for when they show up.

    That is not all, as we also got our first villain tease in the Funkos with a character that seems to be a medieval version of Vulture. So far, we only know that Spot is going to be the primary villain nd one of the reasons Miles finds himself stranded throughout the multiverse, but we don’t know yet how many iconic villains that might find their way into this story.

    Overall, these Funkos look great and are certainly must-buys for any collector. They are a great tease on what we can expect and with a film that features the most Spider-Man characters, we may see a lot more Funkos in the near future building up to the film’s release.

    Source: Hollywood Reporter

  • Nicolas Cage Won’t Return as Spider-Man Noir in ‘Across the Spider-Verse’

    Nicolas Cage Won’t Return as Spider-Man Noir in ‘Across the Spider-Verse’

    Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is finally about to get a sequel, which twists the concept of the original. Miles Morales finds himself chased through the multiverse by others of the Spider-Man creed, but the reasoning still remains a mystery. He still has the allies that he met in his first travel before Across the Spider-Verse, but it seems that one member is sadly not returning.

    In an interview with ScreenRant, Nicolas Cage reveals that he did not return to voice the character of Spider-Man Noir in the sequel. There is still a chance they may have animated a cameo for the character, he’ll not have any voice lines going by the statement shared by Cage.

    You’d have to ask Sony. I don’t know what’s going on with that. No one’s spoken to me about that. Ask them. I don’t know. I really don’t. I wish they would. I love Spider-Man Noir, too. I think that’s a great character. Spider-Man’s the coolest superhero. And then you combine that with Cagney and Bogart and Edward G. Robinson, come on, it’s a great character.

    Nicolas Cage

    It’s a shame that we won’t get his quirky take on the character, but there’s a third entry on the horizon that could see his return as well. For now, most of the work went into the first sequel and who knows how things might’ve changed in the production that sees his potential return. There’s also the question if others besides Gwen Stacy and Peter B. Parker will appear at all, as there haven’t been any hints at Kimiko or Spider-Ham returning, at least for now.

    Source: ScreenRant

  • Sony Releases the First Poster For ‘Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse’

    Sony Releases the First Poster For ‘Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse’

    Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse will feature more than 240 characters and will be set in 6 universes! The second trailer for the new installment in Sony’s Spider-Verse saga featured more than 20 webslingers, and this was just the beginning. The first plot details for the sequel have already confirmed Miles going rogue against the other variants, which we can’t wait to see.

    As explained by director Kemp Powers in an interview with Empire, Miguel O’Hara, voiced by Oscar Isaac, will be the leader of a “band of fighters that are trying to clean up the consequences of the collider explosion at the end of the first movie.” As seen in the trailer, the fighters are obviously variants of Spider-Man who will be part of an organization working against The Spot.

    However, the variants won’t be the main villains of the movie. As confirmed by the film’s producers and director, The Spot will be the villain of both the sequels to Into The Spider-Verse. Powers teased a secret connection between Miles and The Spot, which will be explored in the movie.

    The Spot is an interesting villain because he seems like a joke, but when you really look at his powers, there’s incredible potential. His ability to open portals across dimensions sets him up perfectly for the Spider-Verse. He’s the villain of the next two films… and let’s just say that the Spot and Miles are connected in surprising ways.

    Kemp Powers

    New Poster For ‘Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse’

    Sony Pictures Animation has released the first official poster for Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse. Feast your eyes on it below:

    Spider-Man
    First poster for Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse.

    In case you’re not sure about every single Spidey featured in the post, check out our feature on every notable Spider-Variant in Across The Spider-Verse.

    Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse releases in theaters on June 2, 2023.

    Source: Sony

  • ‘Across The Spider-Verse’ Producers Tease Spider-Man 2099 & The Spot

    ‘Across The Spider-Verse’ Producers Tease Spider-Man 2099 & The Spot

    Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse is one of the most anticipated movies of 2023, and the views on the new trailer surely prove it. The first trailer for 2018’s Into The Spider-Verse gained just around 16M views in 5 years, while the trailer for its sequel amassed nearly 30M views in less than a week.

    While Sony is planning on expanding its slate of live-action films with yet another villain-focused ‘Spider-Man’ movie, its animated section continues to grow the Spider-Verse franchise. The synopsis and first look at the movie look promising, and with all the delays so that the crew would have “more time to make it great”, we know the cape flick won’t disappoint.

    As a part of their 2023 summer preview, Entertainment Weekly released a new still from Sony Pictures Animation’s Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse. Included with the still were more details on the film’s plot, along with an interview with the film’s producers, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.

    Spider-Man
    Miles Morales as Spider-Man (Shameik Moore) in Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation’s SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE.

    According to Miller, a key part of the film’s set-up is having the franchise lead Miles Morales go through all the usual struggles of a teen while also dealing with his additional responsibilities as a hero.

    As he’s growing up, he’s trying to figure out how he can go out and see the world and spread his wings and leave the nest. But he also feels rooted to his home and his family. It’s that push-pull of your life as a teenager, where you’re like, How do I get to be my own person, but also not lose where I came from?

    Christopher Miller

    One of those teenage things on Miles’s plate will be a developing relationship with Gwen Stacey, who he met in the first film. Gwen is also the key to an increased load of those new hero things as well, introducing Miles to a whole slew of characters, including Spider-Woman. EW further revealed that Spider-Woman will be Gwen’s mentor in the film, and will be voiced by Insecure’s Issa Rae. Lord affirms that “a lot of work has gone into making that character look great,” and adds “If you’ve ever been around Issa, she’s such a dynamo of talent and grace, so you just want to make the character look as cool as she is.”

    Spider-Woman isn’t the only spider-person Miles is set to meet in the new film. Chris Miller has confirmed yet again that Oscar Isaac‘s Miguel O’Hara, who appeared in a post-credit scene in the original film and seems to butt heads with Miles in the trailer, will not be the villain of the movie, but just “sort of an antagonist to Miles because they both think that what they’re doing is the right thing”. Rather, as already confirmed by the film’s synopsis, The Spot will be the movie’s main villain. Here’s what Phil Lord had to say about him:

    I like the villains best when they reflect the journeys of the hero — sort of a dark mirror of the protagonist, and I think Spot’s no different. He wants to be seen as legitimate. He’s a character that has a silly costume and is not always seen as the top tier of Spider-Man foes, but like all of us, he wants to be taken seriously.

    Phil Lord

    With The Spot on board as the villain for both this film and the sequel, he’ll certainly have his chance to make an impact on Spider-Man.

    Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse releases in theaters on June 2, 2023.

    Source: EW