Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Movie News

  • ‘SHANG-CHI’ Eviscerates Labor Day Box Office Record, Now Targeting $85M+ Opening Weekend

    ‘SHANG-CHI’ Eviscerates Labor Day Box Office Record, Now Targeting $85M+ Opening Weekend

    Marvel Studios Shang-Chi and The Legends of The Ten Rings is on pace to potentially double early opening weekend box office predictions, destroying the previous Labor Day record along the way. Good word of mouth and return viewers have pushed the predictions, which were originally set around $45M range, to an expected $85M or more for the long 4-day weekend. The film has already surpassed the opening weekend take for The Suicide Squad and now has Black Widow in its sights.

    Shang-Chi took in a combined $29.6M between Thursday night previews and Friday’s full day. With it being a holiday weekend in the U.S., even one where audiences traditionally don’t flock to theaters, the buzz around the film could lead to some pretty impressive numbers Saturday and, especially, Sunday, given that people don’t have to head back to work on Monday.

    The origin story has been equally popular with fans and critics, holding at 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, where it has a 98% audience score. That score lines up nicely with the the A grade from Cinemascore. All this comes at a time when studios are divided between exclusive theatrical and hybrid releases. Shang-Chi’s success (it’s still possible it could beat pandemic box office champ F9’s opening take) will be a significant data point in the discussion about how to proceed for the remainder of 2021 and early 2022 as the Delta variant surges around world will impact theaters.

    Source: THR

  • The Russo Brothers Negotiating Their Return to Marvel Studios

    The Russo Brothers Negotiating Their Return to Marvel Studios

    Two years after they completed an incredible 6-year run in the MCU, Joe and Anthony Russo have entered into negotiations to return to Marvel Studios. The Russos struck gold for Marvel Studios with 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier and completed the Captain America trilogy with 2016’s Captain America: Civil War before moving on to helm the 2-part conclusion to the Infinity Saga in 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War and 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. The tandem made it clear that they had planned to take a break from the MCU but now, according to The Wall Street Journal, they’ve begun planning their return.

    As exciting as that sounds, however, it is worth noting that negotiations with the directing duo recently reached an impasse in the wake of Scarlett Johansson’s lawsuit against Disney following the hybrid release of Black Widow. WSJ reports that the uncertainty about how films will be distributed and how the talent will be paid in the new landscape carved out by COVID has become a speed bump in the Russos’ return.

    In 2019, the brothers made no bones about the project that would be most apt to entice them to return: Secret Wars. With Loki openly teasing a multiversal war and the multiverse breaking open in Spider-Man: No Way Home, a Secret Wars film seems like more and more of a sure thing. Indeed, I’ve heard on several occasions-ranging from 2018 to just a few months ago-that an adaptation of Secret Wars is on the big board at Marvel Studios.

    As both studios and creatives navigate these uncharted waters, it’s no surprise that one side or the other (or both) would have concerns about how to share the financial pie. There’s still not enough of a sample size to prove whether or not Disney’s Premier Access strategy, which they employed with Black Widow, can work; on the other hand, it’s hard to imagine large studios continuing to sit on films for years while waiting for the COVID pandemic to “end.” Given the Russos passion for Marvel Comics and their past successes with adapting comic book story lines, let’s all hope Disney can find a way to bring them back into the fold.

    Source: The Wall Street Journal

  • EXCLUSIVE: Why Abomination Was Redesigned For ‘SHANG-CHI’

    EXCLUSIVE: Why Abomination Was Redesigned For ‘SHANG-CHI’

    One of the biggest surprises in an MCU trailer has to be the shot of Abomination fighting Wong in a cage match in one of the trailers of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The appearance sent fans into a frenzy not just by the mere appearances and odd pairing of both characters but also the new comic faithful design of Emil Blonsky.

    Producer Jonathan Schwartz gave us a simple answer when asked why they decided to redesign the character after more than 10 years of absence.

    It felt time to update him a little bit and give him a refresh. We just like the new design better.

    The MCU has slowly leaned towards more audacious comic accurate designs over the years for the better. It’s always odd to watch comic book films from more than a decade ago and see how embarrassed the makers were of the source material’s design and aesthetics. As the MCU tackles crazier comic concepts, their designs get better and better. As Banner would put it, this new Abomination look is an absolute win.

  • ‘SHANG-CHI’ Director Destin Daniel Cretton Wants to Make a Sequel

    ‘SHANG-CHI’ Director Destin Daniel Cretton Wants to Make a Sequel

    Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings officially releases today after a long wait due to delays from the COVID-19 pandemic. While somewhat under the radar compared to other MCU films on the horizon, the film has been met with high praise form critics across the board and is even eying a Labor Day weekend box office record.

    While audiences are still just beginning to experience the phenomenal film that is Shang-Chi (read our review here), it seems like it’s never too early to start talking about a sequel. Writer and director Destin Daniel Cretton, when asked by Chicago’s the Big Reviewski if he would want to make another Shang-Chi film, said, simply enough:

    Yes, I would.

    He goes on to say that making Shang-Chi was an “extraordinarily positive experience.” While we likely won’t know for certain for some time, it’s probably a safe bet to guess that Marvel Studios will keep going after the success and creativity Shang-Chi achieved for any sequels or future projects.

    Source: The Big Reviewski

  • EXCLUSIVE: Why The Classic MI6 Characters Aren’t in ‘SHANG-CHI’

    EXCLUSIVE: Why The Classic MI6 Characters Aren’t in ‘SHANG-CHI’


    Early last year, I shared the news that Marvel Comics characters Leiko Wu, Black Jack Tarr and Clive Reston, MI6 operatives and allies of Shang-Chi from the Master of Kung Fu comics, were set to be included in Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings. As those of you that have seen the movie will know, none of those characters appear in the film and there is no mention of MI6, the British Secret Intelligence service who, in the comics, was after Shang-Chi’s father.

    Our own Charles Villanueva was able to talk to executive producer Jonathan Schwartz and asked if those characters were a part of the early development process of Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings.

    Not really. I think that very early on we decided that we wanted to move Shang-Chi in kind of a different direction and surrounding him with that cohort just never really felt quite right. It would’ve meant kind of loading the movie up with British Caucasian characters rather than having a movie that is primarily, or almost entirely, Asian or Asian-American characters, and that version just felt more exciting, fresher and cooler.

    As integral as those characters were to Shang-Chi’s development in the comics, their absence was certainly not noticeable in the film. Marvel Studios did an incredible job of creating an entirely new world for the character to inhabit and new characters to help shape and guide him along the way. With Kevin Feige indicating they already have plans for a sequel, it’s possible that we might see MI6 pop up there or in a potential Ten Rings project. As Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings proved (Abomination and Wong were certainly not on anyone’s list of characters expected in this film), characters can show up any place at any time.

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘CAPTAIN MARVEL’ Producer Teases Ronan the Accuser’s Possible Return

    EXCLUSIVE: ‘CAPTAIN MARVEL’ Producer Teases Ronan the Accuser’s Possible Return

    Jonathan Schwartz has been involved in the MCU for over a decade, having served as an assistant to Kevin Feige before tackling the role of producer in a number of Marvel productions. Before Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, he was involved in projects that deal more with the cosmic side of the MCU, having produced both Guardians of the Galaxy volumes and Captain Marvel‘s debut feature. Having similar settings means that there are a few characters that appeared on both IPs, one of the most notable being Ronan The Accuser. This makes Schwartz, a member of Marvel Studios’ Parliament, the studio’s creative committee, a voice to be heard when regarding the Kree warlord.

    We saw Ronan’s apparent death in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy with the character being brought back in Captain Marvel as that movie’s plot was set 20 years earlier. Being a fan favorite it’s fair to say many would like to see Ronan returning in all his glory. We asked about that possibility and Schwartz had this to say:

    I’m a big fan of Ronan. I’m a big fan of Lee [Pace]. And I would say “Never say never.”

    With all current Marvel storylines having moved past the point of Ronan’s death, it might be fair to assume that if he does make a comeback, it won’t be the same Ronan we met in 2014. But with Marvel Studios introducing the Multiverse in their projects, with What If…? opening the door for many characters to return to the MCU after being killed off in the main timeline, Ronan should indeed be on the top of the list of characters that could return in order to fulfill their comic book potential on the big (or small) screen.

  • ‘GUARDIANS’ Producer on James Gunn’s Return to Vol. 3

    ‘GUARDIANS’ Producer on James Gunn’s Return to Vol. 3

    The Guardians of The Galaxy is one of those obscure groups of characters from the comics that many didn’t really have a clue about but found success thanks to the way James Gunn handled their story, managing to turn an unknown property into a billion-dollar franchise. But the future of that franchise became uncertain when Gunn was embroiled in a scandal regarding decade-old tweets and then later fired for them. However, it wasn’t all bleak as Gunn managed to find his way back to where he started when he was rehired a year later.

    Producer on both Guardians films and the upcoming Shang-Chi film, Jonathan Schwartz, recently sat down for an interview with our very own Charles Villanueva where he expressed how important and happy he was to have Gunn back for the third and final film in the trilogy.

    It’s great to have him back. It’s super exciting. I’m a huge fan of James. It would have felt very weird to try and do a Guardians movie without him because he is such an important voice when it comes to putting those movies together and I think you feel that when you watch them. They feel so specific to James and to what he wants to do as a director. So I’m very, very pleased and excited that he’s able to come back for Vol. 3 and complete that trilogy.”

    It’s safe to assume that the entire fandom shares the same sentiment with Schwartz. Gunn recently achieved the same kind of success he did with Guardians when his own twisted vision of DC’s Task Force X, The Suicide Squad, came out last month to incredible reviews. To have him be absent for the group of misfits that put him on the mainstream map would have been a travesty.

  • ‘SHAZAM: FURY OF THE GODS’ Has Wrapped Filming

    ‘SHAZAM: FURY OF THE GODS’ Has Wrapped Filming

    The Shazamily is returning with both the cast and director picking up their respective roles for another electrifying ride through the DCEU. It was announced last year at DC Fandome that the next film in the franchise would be titled Shazam: Fury of The Gods, leading many to wonder just what gods they’d be facing since they’d all been killed by Ares centuries ago.

    While the second Shazam film isn’t set to release until 2023, director David Sandberg announced yesterday that filming has wrapped. This has left quite a large gap of time in between the end of production and release allowing for some speculation to begin.

    https://twitter.com/ponysmasher/status/1432850458566176773?s=20

    With filming having already concluded and release so far out, what could occupy all that time aside from post-production? Possibly pre-production on a third film. One of the biggest issues the films face is with its actors. The cast is mostly made up of child actors who’ve all began to sprout up quite fast in the past years. The issue they need to avoid here is most likely the child actors outgrowing the actors who play their powered-up counterparts. With all this time in between, With how much time they have in between releases, they could easily get cameras rolling sometime in 2022 following post-production on Fury of the Gods.

    Shazam: Fury of the Gods is currently set to release on June 2nd, 2023 with Zachary Levi set to return as Captain Marvel. The film will see the family up against the daughters of Atlas with Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu set to play two of the older sisters, Hespera and Kalypso.

    SOURCE: Twitter

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘POWER PACK’ No Longer In Active Development

    EXCLUSIVE: ‘POWER PACK’ No Longer In Active Development

    Once upon a time, Marvel Studios was looking at several obscure comic properties to bring to the big screen, in an attempt to kickstart some financial backing for the newly-founded studio. One of those properties was Shang-Chi, which comes out later this week in theaters, and Power Pack.

    We spoke with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings producer Jonathan Schwartz about Power Pack, a project he was coincidentally attached to produce at some point in the past decade, and its current status.

    It’s one of those things we look at and talk about every once in a while. We’ll probably get there eventually but it’s not something super active at the moment.

    For the uninitiated, Power Pack is a superhero team made up of pre-teen siblings with powerful cosmic abilities who’d go on crazy cosmic adventures together. The property has been in and out of development throughout the years, with the most recent iteration being the one Schwartz was attached to.

    With so many unique things in development, it is pretty surprising to know that Power Pack is currently not in Marvel Studios’ sights at the moment. Power Pack feels like a property that would be served really well in animation, similar to What If…?. Let’s cross our fingers they finally do something with it because that is a bankable property.

  • ‘SHANG-CHI’ Eyeing $50M Domestic, $90M Global Opening

    ‘SHANG-CHI’ Eyeing $50M Domestic, $90M Global Opening

    As fans continue to waver on how comfortable they feel heading to theaters, Marvel Studios newest origin story, Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings, looks to be on track to set a Labor Day weekend box office record with a projected $45-50 million dollar U.S. opening weekend. The film received rave reviews from critics (you can read our review RIGHT HERE) and is on track to add another $40-45 million globally. A $45M domestic box office would top the recently released and well-loved The Suicide Squad.

    Box office projections are not an exact science and are even cloudier now as the Delta variant continues to surge; however, it seems that Disney is going to strike it rich over the usually dead Labor Day weekend. While Shang-Chi won’t be putting up pre-pandemic numbers or even Black Widow numbers (which also premiered day-and-date on Disney Plus via Premier Acess), it seems sure to surpass the current Labor Day weekend record of $37M, held by the 2007 Halloween reboot. It also seems like the film is set to kick off a strong run atop the box office, as competition for the top spot will remain relatively weak over the next 3 weeks. Projections used advance ticket sales as part of their calculations and while those are nowhere near as strong as they were for Black Widow, it’s possible that word of mouth and walk-ins over the long weekend could push the film closer to a $100M global launch.

    Source: Deadline