Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Eternals

  • Marvel Studios’ ‘Eternals’ Pulled From Release in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait

    Marvel Studios’ ‘Eternals’ Pulled From Release in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait

    Marvel Studios’ Eternals is no longer releasing in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait or Qatar. Per The Hollywood Reporter, the film was banned from being released in the three countries do the inclusion of a same-sex couple in the film.

    Eternals was originally slated to hit theaters in the Gulf Region on Nov. 11, shortly after its release in the United States. However, the film has been quietly removed from appearing on websites in the three countries. Interestingly, though, it is still showing as coming soon in the United Arab Emirates.

    The ban comes as Disney was given a series of edit requests to make on Eternals to adhere to the local censors. Disney, however, refused to comply with the requests, resulting in the film being pulled from release. While not on the record, it’s thought one of the requests was to cut the on-screen kiss between Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry) and his on-screen husband Ben (Haaz Sleiman).

    Phastos, of course, is the first gay superhero to appear within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which makes the on-screen kiss between the two characters monumental. Unfortunately, though, because homosexuality is still illegal across the Gulf, the depiction of it in the film was always going to ruffle some feathers.

    Eternals hits theaters tomorrow. It is directed by Chloé Zhao and stars an ensemble cast including Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lia McHugh, Lauren Ridloff, Barry Keoghan, Don Lee, Harish Patel, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek and Angelina Jolie. 

    Source: THR

  • ‘Eternals’ Eyeing a $150M Worldwide Box Office Opening

    ‘Eternals’ Eyeing a $150M Worldwide Box Office Opening

    After the mixed reception, there was some concern that it might hamper Eternals box office performance. Early predictions had it at potentially breaking the $100M mark while the critical reception led to that going towards a prediction between $67M and $92M. As we’ve finally entered the week, we’re starting o get a better grasp of its potential box office performance. According to Variety, the box office is currently set to hit $75M+ with some even seeing it surpass the $85M mark. To give a comparison, it could potentially become Marvel Studios’ highest-earning film of 2021 if it passes Black Widow‘s $80M (excluding its Disney+ Premier Access income).

    Venom: Let There Be Carnage still holding on to the $90M record for the year, which it could still potentially surpass if fan reception shows a more positive development. Shang-Chi also managed to beat early expectations by quite a bit as it was believed to only hit around $30M but ended up with $70M. So, there’s still a chance that it might surprise us and garner quite a bit more and potentially surpass the $100M mark that everyone has been chasing throughout the year.

    Internationally, the film might potentially make $150M globally. In addition to the domestic predictions, it might add around $75M in international markets. It opened in South Korea to the top spot with the second-best opening day during the pandemic with $2.6M. The inclusion of Train to Busan‘s Ma Dong-seok has made the market a potential strong international player. So, it looks like it might pass Shang-Chi‘s international performance and potentially might develop similar to Black Widow. As the week continues, we’ll get a clearer picture of where the box office is heading.

    Source: Variety, Deadline

  • Chloé Zhao Shares Heartfelt Message to Celebrate ‘Eternals’ Release

    Chloé Zhao Shares Heartfelt Message to Celebrate ‘Eternals’ Release

    It almost seems like an eternity that Eternals was going to release in theaters before the pandemic hit. After all that time, only a few more days before we can sit in theaters and witness Chloé Zhao‘s vision of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s history. Now that the release is finally here, Zhao took to her personal Instagram account to share her excitement over its release. Not only that, but she also gives her thanks to Marvel Studios, the cast, and the crew who helped her bring this project to life while sharing a beautiful poster created by Liza Shumska.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CV0TZxkrSV3/

    With Eternals finally releasing, there’s a lot of hope that it may turn into a new franchise that expands the MCU in new and creative ways. Producer Nate Moore has hinted that there’s no guarantee that they’ll develop sequels of this specific film, but there’s a chance that they might explore their stories in spinoffs. Of course, if Zhao is interested, she may still return for a potential sequel as she seems to truly care for this project and her work with Marvel Studios. It would be great to see what she can do after her learnings from the first film together with the studio and further explore the concepts of Eternals, Deviants, and the Celestials.

    Source: Instagram

  • ‘Eternals’ Script at One Point Included 12 Main Characters

    ‘Eternals’ Script at One Point Included 12 Main Characters

    We are only a few days away before Marvel Studios’ next entry, Eternals, finally makes its way to the silver screen. It’ll introduce the world to ten new and unlikely heroes that are part of the titular alien race. They come to Earth to battle the Celestials and nudge humanity into their development. Chloé Zhao had no easy task ahead of her introducing ten characters in one film, but it looks like there were more at one point, as she points out in an interview with Fandom:

    There was 12 characters when I first read it; 12 Eternals. We had to let two go along the way.

    Chloé Zhao

    Luckily, our very own Charles Murphy has the answer to who the two cut characters were. In his piece, he originally released on That Hashtag Show, the characters of Zuras and Elysius were mentioned. It’s unclear how big their role was, but they were scrapped once Zhao tackled the script. It made sense to cut down as a dozen is quite the challenge to adapt. She even goes on to share how she approaches giving each of the current ten members a time to shine.

    Some characters don’t need the most screen time, it’s about what they do with the screen time. They have to be memorable. And when we looked at these 10 unique individuals, we thought about how they represent 10 aspects of human nature. They’ve been here for so long, who they become today is a big part of who we are. And so it was actually equally important that they remain memorable. All 10 of them had the same weight; not necessarily screen time, but the weight.

    Chloé Zhao

    It’s certainly a great approach to ensure that none of the characters are left behind in the limited time a film offers. Sadly, the director doesn’t give away what exactly their role was in the story. Here’s hoping that we might get a glimpse once the film drops and if there’s a set-up that could bring in these characters later on.

    Source: Fandom

  • Kit Harrington is “Ready to Rock” The Black Knight Outfit

    Kit Harrington is “Ready to Rock” The Black Knight Outfit

    When it was revealed that Kit Harrington was cast as Dane Whitman in Marvel Studios Eternals, fans loved the idea of Jon Snow swinging another famous fictional sword and claim his birthright, this time as the Black Knight. Harrington’s casting certainly seems like one with a long future in mind, and according to an interview with Comicbook.com, the actor is ready to don the gear of the Black Knight, whichever version that is.

    “I’m ready to rock any outfit. Whatever you want to put me in, you put me in, ” said Harrington when asked if he would be willing to sport one of Whitman’s more modern comic looks that featured a leather bomber jacket and an Ebony Blade that resembled a lightsaber more than not.

    Just when Harrington’s Whitman will make that jump remains to be seen, but according to the actor, Whitman’s journey may not be as similar to Snow’s as we all think…and that’s what he drew him to the role:

    It’s the first time Marvel have spoken to me about any character. And this character, obviously there’s a lot you can read on the internet about who he is or what his background is. As far as this movie goes, he’s a human who’s in love with Sersi and represents humanity. You know, as far as any future goes, I can’t really comment on that, but I don’t think there’s any… I actually think there’s quite a big difference between him and Jon Snow. There’s not a lot of similarity there, which if there had been too much, I probably wouldn’t have been interested.

    Harrington’s doing a great job dissembling here as it’s highly unlikely an actor of his caliber signed on with Marvel Studios without knowing what’s next but it’s good to know he has an idea of what interests him about the character so that when he does take those next steps, he’ll be invested in him.

    Eternals opens in theaters this weekend!

  • ‘Eternals’ Dominating Pre-Sales in South Korea, Currently Ahead of ‘Black Widow’

    ‘Eternals’ Dominating Pre-Sales in South Korea, Currently Ahead of ‘Black Widow’

    It’s Eternals release week! Fans from across the world will be heading to cinemas to see the Marvel Studios epic on Wednesday. They will be eager to see the film for themselves as executive producer Nate Moore said the studio wanted to “take some chances and give audiences something that feels completely new.” It will be interesting to see audience and box office reactions this week as it releases to the wider population. While the local predictions softened after its critical reception, it looks like ticket sales from South Korea are hitting a high and crushing the competition. 

    According to data from the Korean Film Council seen by K-Odyssey, Eternals had sold 200,000 pre-sold tickets in South Korea two days ahead of its release. The film accounted for 78.8% of all tickets sold, while Dune was at 8.6% and Venom: Let There Be Carnage at 2.3% at the time of the data being noted. Eternals pre-sales also outpace Marvel Studios’ Black Widow by 30, 000 at the equivalent moment in its release schedule. South Korean actor Ma Dong-Seok, who is also known as Don Lee, stars as Gilgamesh, one of the Eternals in the film and is the first actor from South Korea to take a major role in a Marvel Studios film. There’s a chance his inclusion might be one of the film’s selling points. 

    As the film releases this week, box office and audience reactions will be interesting to contrast with critics’ reviews who have remained somewhat divided by the film. Still, with the studio trying big swings at new things, it isn’t completely unheard of for critics and fans to be slightly out of sync with their perception of how well these new attempts land. At the very least, it seems fans will have a whole range of new characters to love and some thematic thoughts to consider! 

    Source: Korean Film Council via K-Odyssey

  • ‘Eternals’ Early Box Office Predictions Soften, Now Eyeing $96M Opening Weekend

    ‘Eternals’ Early Box Office Predictions Soften, Now Eyeing $96M Opening Weekend

    All eyes were on Eternals after the first critic reviews found their way online. It was met with a positive to mixed reception, which sometimes may hamper the early predictions. Well, it seems that it may do exactly that as early predictions have softened in the last few days. Earlier this month, it was eyeing around 110M at the highest. It was shortly after the film managed to outsell Black Widow and Shang-Chi on its first day, which put it on a trajectory for a large opening weekend. Now, the numbers are still strong but there’s a question mark if it’ll pass the $100M mark.

    As of now, the three-day prognosis has the film heading towards a box office opening bewteen $67M and $92M. It’s dropped by around 12% since the last prediction. They highlight that the mixed critical reception is why they revised the model and could lead to a potential slowdown in pre-sales. Yet, the film had a strong early push which could potentially make up for it.

    One could also argue that the first Marvel Studios film to not become an instant critical darling may garner quite an audience. Even Box Office Pro highlights that the MCU as a brand might be review-proof at this point. So, the first film to go against the grain might garner quite a bit of additional attention by fans and viewers. Eternals also is quite a different take on a classic Marvel film which may caught some wanting more from the previously-released Dune. If you are interested, you can check our review of the film here.

    Source: Box Office Pro

  • ‘Eternals’ Barry Keoghan Teases Druig’s Darker Side

    ‘Eternals’ Barry Keoghan Teases Druig’s Darker Side

    Eternals is set to take a new stab at what it means to be a Marvel Cinematic Universe film. In it, we’ll meet the titular alien race and its many members. With ten new characters taking center stage, there are bound to be some members that might break conventions. Among them is the character of Druig, who is played by Barry Keoghan, who has quite a dark history in the comics. ComicBookMovies.com got the chance to sit down with the actor to discuss his potential darker future. In a way, he teased we might get a glimpse of that side in the upcoming film.

    Yeah, I think so. I don’t want to put any ideas out there. I definitely think he’ll take a stand. He finds it hard not to interfere and stuff. It’s for the right reasons. He has some valid points to interfere and he’s doing it for good reasons, but yeah, maybe he does. Maybe he does. I’ve got no idea!

    Barry Keoghan

    In the comics, Druig has gone by many names since his introduction in 1977. He even was called Satan by some, as each member of the Eternals becomes representative or confused with deities of old. At one point, he even worked for the KGB where he learned to love torturing people. So, it wouldn’t be too surprised if we learn he had a hand in some of the darker moments of history.

    The trailers also highlight that the Eternals are not allowed to influence human history after they give them the initial push to evolve. We get a few teases of Druig’s role in the film and the shots do give him a sinister “watcher” vibe as what looks like Pompeii is burning. There’s also the strange village he is in, which might have a deeper meaning as the story continues. I doubt he’s truly an antagonist but he may represent a darker side of this group. He also highlights he’d love a Loki team-up, which adds to the darker future of the character.

    Source: ComicBookMovie

  • Marvel Studios Wanted to “Take Some Chances” With ‘Eternals’

    Marvel Studios Wanted to “Take Some Chances” With ‘Eternals’

    Marvel Studios’ upcoming film Eternals will explore a new aspect of the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe. For the first time, we’ll start at its beginnings and explore how the universe we’ve come to love sparked into existence. Indie director Chloé Zhao took over the reins of this ambitious project and it looks like they’ve tried their hands at a project unlike any other. In an interview with Toronto Sun, Marvel Studios producer Nate Moore highlighted this very fact, as he pointed out:

    It’s our most ambitious first film. Because of that we wanted to take a big swing. We wanted to take some chances and give audiences something that feels completely new

    Nate Moore

    It certainly is an ambitious project if you consider it introduces an ensemble cast of ten aliens that explore 7,000 years of MCU history. Of course, the ambition to break their own norm may also reflect in the highly debated Rotten Tomatoes score, which currently sits lower than that of Thor: The Dark World with 60%. It’s not uncommon for new ventures like these to become controversial due to their “love it or hate it” nature.

    In a way, the galactic direction for director Zhao also creates a new approach. Her work on The Rider and Nomadland showed a more down-to-earth approach to storytelling. It’s great to see Marvel Studios take a unique approach and even if it’s not a critic pleaser, there’s a chance the project will garner quite a bit of love from viewers for trying out something new.

    Source: Toronto Sun, Rotten Tomatoes

  • ‘Eternals’ Sequels Not a Guarantee for Marvel Studios

    ‘Eternals’ Sequels Not a Guarantee for Marvel Studios

    Marvel Studios has built up a collection of trilogies with their iconic heroes. Some ended their runs long before the Infinity Saga ended while others are only just continuing. Thor: Love and Thunder is their first attempt at going beyond the classic trilogy concept. So, with new entries on the horizon, it seemed like a logical next step is to build new franchises.

    Recent rumors already hinted at a Shang-Chi sequel, but there’s also the upcoming Eternals film. With a cast of ten main characters that spans 7,000 years of Marvel Cinematic Universe history, it seems like it’s made for a sequel. Yet. producer Nate Moore hints that there’s no guarantee we’ll get any sequels.

    It’s not something that is a must-have. Obviously, we have ideas of where we could go, but there isn’t a hard and fast rule where we have to have three of these things and this is the first.

    Nate Moore

    While some may make a connection with the recent discussions surrounding its Rotten Tomatoes score, it’s most likely a question of if the Eternals as such are going to have their own franchise or live on through others. Plus, it’s great for Marvel Studios to also give some films their unique voice and let them stand on their own. Not every new entry requires a trilogy or full franchise. Especially a project with 10+ protagonists that could expand into their own storylines separate from the group. It may become like an Avengers project in reverse, where we then continue our stories with the various members.

    Source: Toronto Sun