Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Spider-Man: 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

  • ‘Spider-Verse’ Threequel Unlikely to Release Next Year

    ‘Spider-Verse’ Threequel Unlikely to Release Next Year

    Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has opened to much acclaim and is quite a success at the box office. Many saw it as the perfect showcase of what animation and superhero movies are capable of, but a recent announcement has unveiled that things were a bit rough behind-the-scenes.

    In a new report by Vulture, a lot of details on how the crew is overworked were unveiled. Not just that, but they also made quite a point to highlight that Phil Lord was a big part of the production leading to many rewrites and changes even with an almost finished product.

    Yet, the question remained if Beyond the Spider-Verse was even far along, but one of the anonymous animators has pointed out that they aren’t far along enough to even hit the next year’s release that was originally set when the film was split into two parts.

    The only progress that’s been made on the third one is any exploration or tests that were done before the movie was split into two parts.

    It’s definitely realistic that the film won’t be available in 2024. At this point, we don’t know how long the wait might end up being, but here’s hoping that for future developments of the project they’ll take their animation staff into consideration and avoid the issues that are currently being reported.

    Source: Vulture

  • 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

  • ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ Headed for a Huge Opening Weekend Box Office Take

    ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ Headed for a Huge Opening Weekend Box Office Take

    Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has been one of the most anticipated films of 2023 and it looks like that’s going to translate into a monster opening weekend at the box office. With the film’s preview night generating a huge take, it’s now on track to have one of 2023’s best first weekends.

    The sequel to the 2018 hit Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Across the Spider-Verse took in a massive $17.3M which is nearly five times more than its predecessor. It also ranks as the second-highest preview night take for an animated film, falling in line behind the $18.5M Incredibles 2 earned. So far in 2023, only Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has had a better first Thursday but not by much as the James Gunn sendoff took in $17.5M.

    The huge preview night plus the overwhelmingly positive reviews of the film now have it on pace for an opening weekend in the range of $115-$125M, up significantly from the earlier predictions of $75-$90M. For comparison’s sake, Into the Spider-Verse opened to just north of $35M in 2018. With the new film grossing nearly half that much on its first Thursday, this will be a fun film to track!

    Source: Deadline

  • Andy Samberg Reportedly Joins the Cast of ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’

    Andy Samberg Reportedly Joins the Cast of ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’

    One of 2023’s most anticipated films, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, is just over a month away from hitting theaters and news is still emerging about its impressive voice cast. The sequel already boasts an impressive lineup of talent including Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Oscar Isaac, Issa Rae, and Daniel Kaluuya among its stars and now, another big name has been revealed to voice a key character.

    According to One Take News, Andy Samberg provided the voice work for Ben Reilly/Scarlet Spider in the upcoming film. An SNL vet and the star of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Samberg’s role in the film was apparently top secret until very recently while Reilly’s presence in the film has been know for some time.

    Reilly is a controversial character in comic book circles with his origin story being one of the more divisive Spidey stories of all time. It seems unlikely, however, that Across the Spider-Verse will delve too deeply into the Clone Saga as OTN’s report describes Scarlet Spider’s role in the sequel as that of a “secondary supporting character.” That said, there’s a chance the character returns for the third film in the franchise and or even in another animated or live-action film.

    Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse hits theaters on June 2nd.

    Source: OTN

  • Latest ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ Trailer Includes an MCU Reference

    Latest ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ Trailer Includes an MCU Reference

    Sony’s upcoming animated film, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, is one of the most anticipated superhero films of the year. The sequel to the wildly successful 2018 Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse will introduce Miles Morales to a team of Spiders who seek to protect the existence of the Multiverse. And, as the new trailer for the project reveals, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is part of the Multiverse!

    Among those aforementioned Spiders out to protect the Multiverse is the prickly Miguel O’Hara, voiced by Oscar Isaac. As the trailer explains, the network of Spiders was brought together by O’Hara and he does NOT want Miles sniffing around telling him, “you can never be part of this“; however, Miles isn’t the only Spider who isn’t welcome. After bluntly telling Miles to take a hike, O’Hara says “Don’t even get me started on Doctor Strange and the little nerd back on Earth-199999!” in a clear reference to the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home.

    As shocking as this reference to the events of a movie set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe might be to some, it’s important to remember that Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios collaborate on the MCU-set Spider-Man films and that this isn’t the first time one of Sony’s projects shared some connective tissue with the MCU. Spider-Man: Now Way Home‘s post-credit scene revealed that Tom Hardy‘s Eddie Brock was one of the characters to jump to the MCU during the film and while he jumped back, he left a piece of his symbiote behind.

    After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. However, when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders. He must soon redefine what it means to be a hero so he can save the people he loves most.

    Synopsis for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

    There’s no telling what other plans Sony has in store for the Multiverse introduced in their animated Spider-Verse films. The upcoming live-action film, Madame Web, could certainly play with some of the Multiversal themes introduced in these projects and the studio would certainly like to see Spidey star Tom Holland share the screen with Hardy’s Venom at some point. We’ll only have to wait just a bit longer to see if there are any other MCU Easter eggs or references to Sony’s live-action films as Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse hits theaters on June 2nd.

  • Sony to Release ‘Spider-Verse’ Short, “The Spider Within” This June

    Sony to Release ‘Spider-Verse’ Short, “The Spider Within” This June

    Sony Pictures Animation and Sony Pictures Imageworks plan to release a new original short called The Spider Within. The new animation will debut exclusively at the Animation Film Festival just a little more than a week after the June 2nd release of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. The short, which is set in Sony’s animated Spider-Verse, shows a day in the lif of Miles Morales as he struggles to balance teenagehood, friends, and student life as Spider-Man.

    The Spider Within is part of more significant efforts, including a mentoring program that provides high-potential candidates from underrepresented groups access to leadership opportunities. LENS (Leading and Empowering New Storytellers) supports the journey of candidates as they work together with program creators and producers Michelle Raimo Kouyate (Puss In Boots, Silver Linings Playbook) and David Schulenburg (Spider-Ham: Caught in a Ham) to produce a short animation.

    Kouyate and Sculenberg expressed their gratitude for the new pathways created, saying:

    We are very grateful to be part of a studio that is doing meaningful work to give voice to varied groups and to the studio leadership…who gave rise to this program and supported us every step along the way.

    Joint statement from Michelle Raimo Kouyate and David Schulenburg

    Launched last year, LENS is entering its second cycle, allowing this year’s participants to create a short film that aligns with “K-Pop: Demon Hunters,” an animated musical action adventure.

    Source: Variety

  • 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