Entertainment

The Flash’ Grosses $55 Million in the First Three Days

Published

1 year ago

2023-06-19

According to studio estimations, DC and Warner Bros.’ long-awaited superhero film “The Flash” grossed $55 million in its first three days in North American theaters.

Though a big increase over DC’s previous movie, the “Shazam!” sequel, and enough for a first-place start, it’s nevertheless muted by superhero standards, where $100 million premiere weekends are nearly usual. Pixar had its lowest three-day opening ever this weekend with a $29.5 million debut for “Elemental.”

Overall, it was a busy weekend at the multiplex. Along with “The Flash” and “Elemental,” the horror-comedy “The Blackening” debuted. Wes Anderson’s spectacular “Asteroid City” garnered $720,000 from just six theatres and the distinction of having the highest per-theater average ($132,211) since the pandemic began.

More obstacles awaited “The Flash” than market conditions. Along with “The Flash” and “Elemental,” the horror-comedy “The Blackening” debuted. It has frequently made news in the previous year, not because of the film itself, but because of its star, Ezra Miller’s, off-screen problems, which have included arrests, unpredictable behaviour, and claims of misconduct.

Miller has apologized and stated that he and his wife are receiving mental health therapy. Except for the premiere, they also declined to participate in the usual press tour.

Michael Keaton as Batman in The Flash

The studio’s leadership remained optimistic about the $200 million film’s release, confident in its quality and significance to future DC Studios plots. The film establishes the universe, allowing Michael Keaton’s Batman to reappear in a film that also included Ben Affleck’s Batman.

Analysts predicted that “The Flash” would earn at least $70 million in its first three days, despite playing at 4,234 sites across the country. It is now expected to earn $64 million in its first four weeks, including Monday’s Juneteenth holiday. It made $75 million internationally, giving it a $139 million global start.

“I think Warners did a fantastic job of dealing with the situation they had,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. “It’s a fascinating case study of what can happen when the title character of a major motion picture is embroiled in public controversies.” However, it is difficult to reverse engineer it to determine what effect it may have had.”

Another impediment was that some of the key promotional sources — late night talk shows — were still closed due to the Writers Strike. Also, knowing that DC is having a huge reset, fans may have decided to move on and wait.

Critics were split, although the film received a 67% on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite some “breezily clever and entertaining” moments, the AP’s Jocelyn Noveck said in her review that “the final act bogs down in what feels like an endless, generic CGI battle and a kitchen-sink resolution.”

Audiences polled for CinemaScore only awarded the film a B, which has historically not been good news for word-of-mouth and longevity.

However, there is a bit of a break in the schedule before the next major movie, “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” which releases on June 30. The biggest releases next week are the R-rated Jennifer Lawrence comedy “No Hard Feelings” and the nationwide expansion of “Asteroid City.”

“Elemental” receives positive reviews

“Elemental” came in second with an estimated $29.5 million from 4,035 North American sites, a new low for Pixar’s three-day openers. Previously, the honour belonged to “The Good Dinosaur” and “Onward,” both of which debuted at $39 million.” Pixar’s previous lows were “The Good Dinosaur” and “Onward,” both of which debuted at $39 million.

“Elemental” received positive reviews from reviewers (76% on Rotten Tomatoes) and audiences (A CinemaScore). According to the Associated Press’ Jake Coyle, it’s “probably in the lower half” of the Pixar canon, but because it’s “sincere and clever, with a splash of dazzle,” it “comes closer to rekindling some of the old Pixar magic than some recent entries.” “Elemental” grossed $44.5 million worldwide, including $15 million from 17 international regions.

“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” came in third place with $27.8 million in its third weekend. Sony anticipates that its domestic total will have reached $285 million by Monday.

It’s probable that Spider-Man’s powerful holding power — backed by positive reviews and word of mouth — ate into “Elemental’s” premiere, according to Dergarabedian. Both are rated PG-13.

“Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” fell 67% in its second weekend, adding $20 million to finish fourth. “The Little Mermaid” finished fifth in its fourth weekend with $11.6 million.

The Blackening grossed $6 million

“The Blackening” was the other big release this weekend, providing some counter programming to the bigger branded releases with an original horror-comedy about a bunch of Black friends who get together for a weekend away and end up on the run from a killer.

After receiving great reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival, Lionsgate and MRC purchased the $5 million film from director Tim Story. “The Blackening” grossed an estimated $6 million in 1,775 theatres.

“This is a fantastic weekend for movie theatres because there’s a depth and breadth of content that’s amazing, but that means they’re sharing the wealth,” Dergarabedian said. “The overall box office was extremely strong.” However, it is creating a highly competitive climate.”

“Asteroid City” was an undeniable highlight of the limited edition. To assist entice crowds, Focus Features set up “Asteroid City” pop-up experiences in theatres in New York and Los Angeles.

“Wes Anderson is the pinnacle of genre film-making.” “He’s the Marvel,” said Lisa Bunnell, president of distribution at Focus. “This is a great shot in the arm for art theatres.”

Next week, “Asteroid City” expands from 6 to around 1,500 theatres.

“After COVID, we’re trying to do things that are out of the box,” Bunnell explained. “We feel like you need a new playbook to get speciality films back on track.”

Comscore estimates ticket sales for Friday through Sunday for US and Canadian theatres. The final domestic data will be provided on Monday.

Entertainment

Gladiator II Rakes in $87 Million in Weekend Debut

Published

6 days ago

2024-11-18

Geoff Brown

Despite not playing in theaters in the United States, Canada, and China until this coming Friday, Gladiator II earned $87 million over the weekend, which is the best foreign opening for a Ridley Scott film to date.

Last week, the picture premiered in 63 countries, including the UK, and grossed $11.4 million from 722 theatres. Particularly impressive was its performance in France, where it raised $10.3 million from 729 outlets.

But this one is a little weaker compared to February’s smash hit sequel, Dune: Part Two, which grossed $97 million worldwide in its opening weekend. At the same time, Deadpool & Wolverine made $233 million for Disney, while Inside Out 2 for Pixar grossed $140 million.

The Fall Guy, an action comedy starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, earned $36.7 million in its opening weekend worldwide, while Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga earned $30 million.

Last Monday, King Charles III attended a screening of Gladiator II in London, capping off a weeks-long worldwide press tour for the film’s cast and production. A Mexican biscuit brand, Rome’s public transportation system, and a German bank VR are just a few multinational brands it has teamed up with to boost its visibility.

In Australia, dessert merchant Oliver Brown offered a special edition of pistachio-heavy puds and drinks dubbed the Emperor’s Collection. The Gladiator II salted caramel latte is available at French Coffee Shop, a business in Paris.

After poor statistics for Venom: The Last Dance and The Rock’s comedy Red One, which premiered worldwide last week, fans hope that Scott’s delayed sequel can lift the global box office for the last month and a half of the year.

Some are predicting a Barbenheimer-style struggle for the top spot in the US box office when Gladiator II and the highly anticipated musical Wicked premiere on the same day, even though double-bill events are unlikely to be very popular.

Gladiator Star Russell Crowe Honored in Rome

Gladiator Star Russell Crowe Honored in Rome

Entertainment

Blizzard’s Remastered Versions Of Warcraft 1 And 2 Are Now Available On PCs.

Published

2 weeks ago

2024-11-13

Salman Ahmad

Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment

(VOR News) – It has been said by Blizzard that it does not intend to remake Warcraft 1 and 2 since the company believes that these games are “just not that fun any longer.”

When the corporation first made this declaration, it has been almost exactly eight years since it was delivered.

However, the firm has only recently made the news that it will be doing precisely that, and as part of the celebrations for Warcraft’s 30th anniversary, both of the remastered versions are now available to play. The celebrations did not start until today.

The public first played Warcraft in 1994.

This game played a significant role in Blizzard’s rise to the top of the competition. In the year that followed, Warcraft 2 was hastily created in order to suit the requirements of the burgeoning fanbase that the first Warcraft had established.

Additionally, the company has just disclosed that they will be remastering the games, and these remasters will contain a variety of additions to the traditional real-time strategic action that is included in the games.

The initial stage of these enhancements to the development process consists of a new collection of hand-drawn pictures that may be toggled on and off in real time. The artistic style of the originals has been said to be completely captured by these photos, according to the assertions made.

Specifically, Blizzard has implemented “modern controls” for Warcraft 1, which include the option to move with a right click, the ability to pick bounding boxes, and a faster progression rate.

These features are all present in the Warcraft game.

The alterations that have been made include these, however they are not the only ones. It is important to note that these changes have been introduced in addition to the user interface and user experience enhancements that have been implemented throughout both games.

Tool tips, health bars, mission decision screens, and increased unit selection are some of the enhancements that have been introduced in this version of the game. As an additional feature, the multiplayer mode that was included in the first version of Warcraft 2 is still included in the remastered version of the game.

As an additional point of interest, each and every one of the legacy custom maps is entirely compatible with the new edition and may be played in the same capacity.

Despite the fact that there is currently no information regarding whether or not Warcraft 1 Remastered and Warcraft 2 Remastered will eventually be made available on other markets, both of these remastered versions of the game are currently available for purchase on Battle.net for personal computers at prices of $9.99 and $14.99, respectively.

Both of these versions of the game are remastered versions of the original game. A Battle Chest bundle is also available for purchase, and it can be purchased for the price of $39.99. All of the titles that have been remastered are included in this bundle, in addition to Blizzard’s Warcraft 3: Reforged, which has been met with a considerable deal of criticism.

Blizzard has been making continual efforts to improve the game ever since it was first made available to the public in the year 2020.

This is despite the fact that the game was met with poor reviews practically immediately after it was released. An entirely new upgrade, version 2.0, is currently being made available to all gamers without delay.

One of the numerous enhancements to the quality of life that are included in this is “much, much more,” in addition to a wide range of options for personalizing the hockey experience within the game and a new ladder.

In addition to the high-definition versions of all of the older Warcraft assets, these upgrades also include new environments and lighting, a redesigned user interface, and a variety of other enhancements.

SOURCE: EG

Entertainment

Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 Returns Without Kevin Costner

Published

2 weeks ago

2024-11-11

Geoff Brown

Yellowstone is finally returning for the second half of its fifth season without Kevin Costner

Yellowstone will finally return for the second half of its fifth season. We have a lot to speak about, such as recalling what is going on in this program, Kevin Costner’s departure, and whether or not season 5, part 2, will truly end Yellowstone.

Season 5 Part 1 ended on a cliffhanger—we could be in for a full-fledged Dutton family civil war—and we’ve been waiting for nearly two years.

A quick recap: nothing changes from how this program usually goes, except it’s a little more intense. Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) despised Jamie Dutton. Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) despised Beth Dutton.

That has always been the case since childhood trauma, but now things have escalated. Their father, John Dutton (Kevin Costner), is now Montana’s Governor, and Jamie, who should be his top legal thinker, is played by a group of local businessmen known as Market Equities.

Anyway, Jamie and Beth are attempting to kill each other, and John appears to be leaning toward Beth’s side.

Given Kevin Costner’s public exit from the program, part 2 of season 5 will be especially noteworthy. Long story short, he departed to make his Horizon films and never returned.

So, how will Yellowstone pick up the tale without John? That much is unknown, which adds to the season’s appeal!

Of course, our other characters continue to do what they do. Rip (Cole Hauser) is doing his Rip thing. Kayce (Luke Grimes) oversees the ranch. His wife, Monica (Kelsey Asbille), is still grieving the loss of their unborn son.

But we do have some high stakes to pick up—and they will begin on Sunday, November 10th, whether Kevin Costner appears on screen or not.

Another twist: While we believed season 5 would conclude the Yellowstone story, part 2 is in the works.

There have also been suggestions that Yellowstone could return for a sixth season, starring Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly as Rip and Beth. Hmm, certainly!

Yellowstone’s fifth season, part 2, will air each episode of the truncated half-season on Sunday nights at 8:00 PM EST.

The episodes will then be shown on linear TV, Hulu with Live TV, or the Paramount Network website and app for those with a cable subscription. The premiere will also re-air on CBS at 10:00 p.m. EST.

Yellowstone season 5, part 2, will consist of six episodes, the first of which is currently accessible to watch and stream. That implies the series might end with five more episodes of Western family drama.