Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Film

  • Sony Pictures Avoiding Theatrical Release Until Pandemic Ends, May Affect ‘Spider-Man 3’ Release

    Sony Pictures Avoiding Theatrical Release Until Pandemic Ends, May Affect ‘Spider-Man 3’ Release

    It has been a trying year for most industries. Hollywood especially wasn’t able to produce any new films or shows. At the same time, none of the current releases were going to be available in cinemas due to the lockdown. Even as Tenet tried to reignite cinemas worldwide, it hasn’t been an easy path as numbers are still rising. The pandemic has changed quite a lot, and uncertainty is still the biggest challenge for many. Most production studies are forced to continuously delay their films, halt productions or just outright cancel them.

    They are doing their best to keep productions going while also ensure their crew’s safety. Jurassic World: Dominion was the first to test out the necessary safety precautions. Even Sony is having trouble with the current situation. Sony Pictures Entertainment Chairman Tony Vinciquerra confirmed at a conference that they are taking a more cautious approach.

    What we won’t do is make the mistake of putting a very, very expensive $200 million movie out in the market unless we’re sure that theaters are open and operating at significant capacity.

    The statement makes sense. Tenet was an expensive production that only pulled in $20.1 million in its opening weekend in the States. Internationally it made around $150 million, which is nowhere near what the film needs to make to even break-even. Most films pull in most of their income within the opening weekend, so it will be difficult to say if the movie will even make its money back. Sony’s decision makes sense from a production standpoint as Morbius and Ghostbusters: Afterlife has all been postponed into 2021.

    This could also affect Spider-Man 3′s December release. With the constant delays, 2021 will be a crowded market. Most big releases will end up cannibalizing each other. So, it is difficult to say if most films next year will even manage to break even, similar to what Tenet is facing. So, it is likely that the next MCU installment of the popular webhead will be postponed into 2022. They haven’t even started production, so it would be difficult to rush out production by then. Especially if you consider that they could still face random delays if COVID numbers spike.

    To some degree, I believe that most production companies are accepting the loss that is 2020. So, as Sony is doing, the focus is to minimize the damage so future productions aren’t affected negatively. We will see how long this delay strategy will last. It would seem realistic that films like Spider-Man 3 slated for 2021 will also be delayed. To be honest, Marvel Studios had the best approach. They simply just pushed every production back so they aren’t constantly juggling new release dates. Only question remains if Black Widow will still keep its November release.

    Source: The Wrap via Comic Book Resources

  • ‘Tenet’ Labor Day Weekend Opening Whelms at $20.2M

    ‘Tenet’ Labor Day Weekend Opening Whelms at $20.2M

    Two weeks ago, we found out how the international opening of Tenet may have reawakened cinemas. The film was aimed to renew life into cinemas even though we are still facing a worldwide pandemic. It was the hope that the film would offer some form of normalcy. Every studio had their eyes on the film’s Box Office to know if they can stick to their remaining 2020 releases. At the time, it did make a respectable $53 million in 40 markets excluding China. We have been waiting for some kind of sign of how the U.S. market may perform. The country is still hit the hardest by the pandemic, so it was a big question mark as cinemas tried to reopen.

    According to Forbes, the five-day Labor Day weekend saw the film debut with $20.2 million. This puts Christopher Nolan‘s new sci-fi epic at the lower end of expectations. Still, there is hope that it would increase at a slower pace. As such, all eyes are on how it held in its second week. This could potentially tease if this film will see a rise in Box Office numbers alongside the increase in opening cinemas. We could see a change in the classic frontloaded model. As Forbes points out, The New Mutants drop by 58% after its opening may indicate that the new normal isn’t quite what we expected.

    Internationally, Tenet opened to an underwhelming $30 million. Ironically, most of Nolan‘s films usually performed around $50 million in that market, so it may perform similarly to those films even with the current pandemic. Only Interstellar broke the $100 million mark when it released back in 2014. The film’s overall reception is also at a B CinemaScore, so it makes people to question if the danger of visiting a cinema is worth the risk. It may take some massive audience-pleaser to change people’s minds. Perhaps October releases Wonder Woman 1984 or Death on the Nile may persuade audiences. Still, it is up to the people to prioritize their own health if it is worth it. VOD and Disney’s Premium Access strategy might still be the best and safest option for most.

    Source: Forbes

  • ‘Dune’ Teasers Offer Closer Look at Timothée Chalamet and Jason Momoa’s Characters

    ‘Dune’ Teasers Offer Closer Look at Timothée Chalamet and Jason Momoa’s Characters

    Tomorrow is finally the official release of the first Dune trailer. We have been antsy until Denis Villeneuve’s next film would finally be revealed. The science-fiction film will adapt to the iconic book series by Frank Herbert. We are only a day away from the official first look at the film. Legendary used this chance to build up some hype with a few teaser trailers. They showcase the faces of the film’s massive cast with an ominous voiceover.

    The end of the teaser, however, offers a good look at Timothée Chalamet‘s Paul Atreides facing the desert sand. There is a good chance this sequence is shortly before he is confronted by the Arrakis sandworms. We got our first tease of them two weeks ago with the Empire covers so maybe we get at least one of them in motion once the full trailer is released.

    That is not all, as Jason Momoa also shared the teaser. Yet, his teaser ends differently with a nice surprise. It offers acloser look at his character, Duncan Idaho.

    The tradition of creating teaser trailers for the trailers is a fascinating one. It’s just marketing for more marketing. Still, they sometimes offer those small glimpses that get us excited for the actual full reveal. The wait has already been quite a long one, so I think we will somehow manage for another day before we get our first look at the desert lands of Arrakis in motion.

  • ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ Eyeing Q1 2021 Production Start

    ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ Eyeing Q1 2021 Production Start

    Unlike most superhero films, the Shazam franchise has to stick to a much stricter schedule. Its cast of main characters is very young. Every year they don’t film, they will age quite rapidly. It doesn’t make director David F. Sandberg‘s job any easier. Especially the current pandemic made this issue even more apparent. So far, we only know the title of the sequel Shazam! Fury of the Gods. There was no mention of when they would start filming and how far along the script was. Luckily, actor Zachary Levi offered an update during an interview on Dan Fogler‘s 4D Xperience.

    They announced that we were gonna do a sequel pretty much right after we premiered. They knew we were tracking well enough, they were happy enough with the numbers. So they have been steadily and earnestly working on the script for the sequel and I think Q1 of next year is the idea.

    The film is slated for November 4th, 2022. So, starting filming early next year makes sense. It gives them enough time to also take delays or reshoots into account. Shazam! is also effects-heavy, so it will give them time to get them perfect. He does also confirm that anything can change given the current situation. With the 2022 release, we also don’t know if they will jump directly into filming the third installment. It hasn’t been renewed yet but it would make sense not to waste any time. Levi did point out that this sequel was a priority for the studio, so the third Shazam! film might already be on their radar.

    Source: YouTube via Comic Book

  • New ‘Black Widow’ Image Teases Showdown with Taskmaster

    New ‘Black Widow’ Image Teases Showdown with Taskmaster

    There has been a drought when it comes to Marvel Studios news. Ever since Black Widow got delayed, we’ve been just waiting for any sign of life. It has finally arrived as Empire released an exclusive image that teases a stand-off between Natasha and Taskmaster. This is our first look at the movie since the last trailer was released five months ago. It was still set to release in May at the time.

    black-widow-exclusive-oct

    Is it much? No, not really but it is something. One of the highlights is the tease of Taskmaster throughout the trailers. Even after the delay, we have no idea who is playing Tony Masters. We did get a look at him using various abilities from iconic Avengers. So far, we know that he copied Captain America, Hawkeye, and Black Panther but who knows what else they are hiding from us.

    There is still something we can take from this image. We get our first real look at Taskmaster’s back which seems to include some strange metal backpack. This could be a jet pack like we saw in the Marvel’s Avengers game, or just where he keeps his weapons. Also, going by Natasha’s outfit, this is during their first fight on the bridge. Cannot wait to see this in action, as Natasha slowly realizes that her adversary is copying her every movie. I hope this is just the beginning for the character and we get much more of Taskmaster moving forward.

    Source: Empire

  • New ‘James Bond: No Time To Die’ Trailer Teases Rami Malek’s Villainous Safin

    New ‘James Bond: No Time To Die’ Trailer Teases Rami Malek’s Villainous Safin

    Many films have been delayed this year, way too many to count. Among them was the hotly anticipated return of Daniel Craig as 007. It is tough to imagine that the last trailer was released last year in December. Crazy to think the film was originally going to release back in April. Now we finally got a brand new trailer. After a long hiatus, we get a closer look at what we can expect for James Bond: No Time to Die. The latest trailer teases quite a bit. We get a lot more of this film’s villain played by Rami Malek.

    This trailer certainly is promising a lot more action and stunts. We get some amazing shots of Ana de Armas taking down some bad guys. Lashana Lynch was a great choice as a younger 00 agent that competes with Bond. Once again we are only getting a glimpse at the plot that may unfold once Bond’s returns into action. The most interesting aspect is that this trailer puts more focus on Malek‘s Safin. There are quite a few theories that he may actually be playing a new version of Dr. No. Joseph Wiseman portrayed the character in the first film adaptation of the franchise back in 1962. Also, this isn’t the first time the modern interpretations renamed these iconic characters. Christoph Waltz‘ was given the name Franz Oberhauser before revealing that he was, in fact, Blofeld all along. It will be interesting to see which direction they may head with his character. He already gives a chilling performance in the trailers alone.

    Source: YouTube

  • Octavio E. Rodriguez Joins ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2’ as Head of Story

    Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2 is probably my most anticipated film. 2022 can’t come soon enough so we finally find out how the story continues after Miles grew into becoming his own version of Spider-Man. Will we see the return of Peter B. Parker or Gwen Stacy? Was the ending tease of Spider-Man 2099 going be followed-up? Will it make me cry in cinemas again? So many questions that require an answer. We haven’t had much news ever since it was announced for 2022. Luckily, animation veteran Octavio E. Rodriguez has joined the production as Head of Story.

    https://twitter.com/octavio991/status/1300277405102174208

    Rodriguez has quite a history in animation. He was the director of multiple episodes of The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants. Worked on a variety of Pixar films as story artists, which include The Incredibles 2 and Coco. He also was a story artist on Star Wars: The Clone Wars. This will not be his first time working on a project involving the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. He also was the storyboard artist for The Spectacular Spider-Man episode Interactions. Hopefully, this means we get a chance of that incarnation of the character appearing in the film.

    Into the Spider-Verse 2 has been teased to expand the already crazy references on Spider-Man history. There were rumors of the original Japanese Spider-Man making an appearance and the various logos used in the first teaser have been analyzed with a magnifying glass at this point. Personally, I do hope we get more returning voice actors from the original cartoons and a crossover with the live-action films. It would be great to see Tom Holland, Tobey Maguire, and Andrew Garfield in the same room. Maybe we see them meet 1994’s Christopher Daniel Barnes and Spectacular’s Josh Keaton, as they exchange their experiences as heroes. One can only dream.

    Source: Twitter, IMDb

  • Timothée Chalamet Talks Filming on Location for’Dune’

    Timothée Chalamet Talks Filming on Location for’Dune’

    We are still waiting for the trailer to release to the latest adaptation of Frank Herbert‘s 600-page epic. Dune is already very promising with an incredible cast and Denis Villeneuve taking over directing duties. The story of Paul Atreides will explore the grand deserts of Arrakis. Timothée Chalamet spoke to Empire about shooting in the Wadi Rum desert and what kind of experience it was.

    “That part of the Wadi Rum is so awe-inspiring, you might as well be getting chased by that cliff in the background. It wasn’t a green-screen or anything. That’s one of the most thrilling parts of the book and the movie. We had the sketches. That was a lesson for me. On a Call Me By Your Name or Beautiful Boy it can be counterintuitive to see the storyboards because then maybe you limit yourself based on a camera angle or whatever. It’s the opposite [here] because, for a sequence with the sandworm chasing you, I could never imagine that.”

    I actually cannot wait to see the behind-the-scenes for this film. It must’ve been difficult to film in the desert’s heat. Empire also released the following images that show off the amazing costumes that probably didn’t make acting in the desert heat any less easy.

    Dune looks extremely promising and Villeneuve‘s track record is nothing to scoff at. I cannot wait to see the Arrakis sandworms in action and the drama that unfolds as the prospect of war hangs over everyone’s heads. The way Chalamet teases the desert sequences already makes for a promising visual feast once the film releases. the images that have been released so far already look amazing. I cannot wait to see the novel’s adaptation once it releases this November.

    Source: Empire

  • ‘Tenet’ Reawakens Cinemas with $53M+ International Opening Weekend

    ‘Tenet’ Reawakens Cinemas with $53M+ International Opening Weekend

    Tenet was the film everyone was hoping to revive cinemas. It constantly got delayed before sticking to an August release. Some international markets have seen a recovery with cinemas opening throughout August. China has rebounded immensely with its locally-produced film The Eight Hundred making more than $200 million. This looked like a good sign that cinemas could spark Box Office numbers and keep the market afloat after months of lockdown. The international numbers are in and it is looking good that Christopher Nolan was so focused on it remaining a cinema release.

    The film now has opened in 40 markets including Canada. It has now made around $54 million in its opening weekend. Keep in mind that the film hasn’t opened in China yet, which is the second-largest market. While these numbers aren’t record-breaking, it is still a massive start in these uncertain times. Warner Bros. Pictures Group chairman Toby Emmerich gave the following statement regarding its opening numbers.

    We are off to a fantastic start internationally and couldn’t be more pleased. Christopher Nolan has once again delivered an event worthy motion picture that demands to be seen on the big screen, and we are thrilled that audiences across the globe are getting the opportunity to see Tenet.

    This could be a sign that cinemas will be able to recuperate after lockdown measures have been lowered. Some markets are hit harder than others, so these will easily fluctuate. The film cost $200 million to make. So, to break-even, it would need to make at least $400 million. This does not include various marketing costs that were also affected by the pandemic. We will see how it performs in China, but the odds are it will draw some attention in the empty market. Right now, the focus will remain on international markets as the U.S. is still trying to recover. Tenet will be the benchmark for others in the industry. It will determine if films like Wonder Woman 1984 or Black Widow will stick to their 2020 release dates.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes’ Postponed to October 2021

    ‘G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes’ Postponed to October 2021

    It’s already been seven years since G.I. Joe: Retaliation was released. Cobra took out many key members of the Joes. Those remaining were on their own in their war to take down Cobra Commander. While the film was a continuation of Rise of Cobra, it replaced most of the cast. Dwayne Johnson, D.J. Cotrona, Adrianne Palicki, Ray Stevenson, and Bruce Willis took over as the core Joe team. As the film wasn’t a major Box Office success, we thought that was the end of the iconic cartoon’s live-action adaptation. Suddenly, they announced that a spin-off focusing on Snake Eyes was being developed.

    Originally, the film was slated to release this October. As everything has been delayed, the film will now officially be delayed for an entire year. Now, it is slated to release on October 22nd, 2021. While the wait will be much longer, it does mean they have enough time to make up for the lost time. Director Robert Schwentke can focus on editing, as they try to reboot the series with this brand new film. Interesting to note, the original tweet has been deleted.

    screenshot_20200829_165356

    The film will have quite a cast. We will see a lot of iconic characters from the cartoon make an appearance, such as Samara Weaving as Scarlett, Iko Uwais playing Hard Master, Andrew Koji taking over as Storm Shadow, and Ursula Corbero as The Baroness. The main focus will be the rise of Snake Eyes but it is uncertain if he will don his iconic uniform in the film. Hopefully, the spin-off will take some inspiration from classic Akira Kurosawa films. The first image they revealed from the film did give off those vibes, so it will be something to keep an eye out for.

    Source: Comic Book