Green Book Is Still Hitting Box Office Milestones

Green Book Is Still Hitting Box Office Milestones

A little less than a month ago, Best Picture winner Green Book crossed the $200 million milestone at the worldwide box office, racking up quite a bit of green to go with all that gold. Peter Farrelly’s film didn’t stop there though, as Tony Lip and Dr. Don Shirley continued to cruise at the box office. Now Green Book has passed another box office milestone. The winner of three Oscars, including Best Picture, has now made over $300 million worldwide.

Over this past weekend, Green Book’s impressive run pushed it over the $300 million mark, and the film’s worldwide total now stands at $304 million through Sunday, according to Deadline. The $23 million-price tagged film has earned $84.48 million of that total in North America, where it is now in its 20th week in release and still landed in the top 20 despite being available on home video.

Credit for that is in no small part due to the film’s Oscar wins and status as Best Picture. People have sought out the film that earned the industry’s highest honor, and Green Book has enjoyed the highest post-Academy Awards bump since The King’s Speech. Those golden statues aren’t just for bragging rights, they can confer real monetary benefits.

Green Book, a film about two characters traversing the American South in the 1960s, has proven especially appealing to foreign audiences, and this past weekend added another $4.5 million from the 62 overseas markets where it is playing. To date a whopping $219.6 million of the film’s $304 million box office has come from international ticket sales.

The biggest of those international markets, China, has really showed up for Green Book with $70.7 of the film’s box office coming from there alone. That’s the best performance for an original release Best Picture winner in the country, topping Titanic. The release window for Green Book has been extended in the Middle Kingdom until the end of the month so it will continue to add to its total there.

Other major contributors to Green Book’s $300 million feat are Japan with $14.6 million, France with $14 million, Germany with $13.5 million and the United Kingdom with $12.9 million. Notably, in all of those markets, the film didn’t open until 2019, while it has been out since November domestically.

So despite the various controversies surrounding the film, the divided critical reaction and the many people who were unhappy with its Best Picture win, Green Book has continued to prove the power of its crowd-pleasing narrative at the box office. Love it or hate it, Green Book is at least an Oscar movie that people actually saw.

Green Book is now available on Digital, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD. Check out our 2019 release schedule to see all the biggest movies headed to theaters this year and stay tuned to CinemaBlend for all your movie news.

Why Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Wanted To Put The 'God' Back In Godzilla

Why Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Wanted To Put The 'God' Back In Godzilla

At the end of 2014’s Godzilla, after the titular beast has prevailed over the MUTOs and saved what was left of San Francisco, the news reports declare him King of the Monsters and query if he is the savior of the city. The idea of Godzilla as a savior is apt for the sequel, Godzilla: King of the Monsters. The film’s director, Michael Dougherty, really wanted the film to put the ‘god’ back in Godzilla, as he explained:

Myself and my writing partner, Zach Shields, we kept saying that we wanted to put the 'god' back in Godzilla. By that, I mean, the way that I always saw the creatures growing up. I didn't see men in rubber suits. I saw ancient, powerful, mythic creatures. To me, these creatures were intelligent beings fighting out old grudges. They were the equivalent of dragons and giants, and all the creatures you read about in mythology and the Bible. That's what they were. That's sort of element that we wanted to add to the film.

By saying they wanted to put the ‘god’ back into Godzilla, Mike Dougherty meant that he and Zach Shields saw Godzilla a certain way and they wanted to bring their vision for the character to life in the film. The way that they saw Godzilla and the Titans was not as cheap movie monsters or the result of a science experiments gone awry, but like dragons, giants, the Old Ones or any other mythological beasts and creatures so wondrous and magnificent that they defy comprehension.

As he told Total Film Magazine, Mike Dougherty wanted Godzilla and the other Titans to feel ancient and unknowable, mythic and biblical, with a power and scale that is truly godlike. Like gods, these are creatures whose motivations and machinations take place on a higher plane beyond our understanding, and when they clash, looking to settle scores millennia in the making, the result is truly apocalyptic, like something out of the Bible.

Mike Dougherty has really leaned into that biblical feel with the film, and not long ago he even tweeted a new image out from the film accompanied by a verse from the Book of Job. This sort of ancient, god-like feel really sets Godzilla 2's Titans apart from the monster in Cloverfield or the Kaiju in Pacific Rim.

This element may have been lacking in the previous MonsterVerse movies, although I would argue Kong: Skull Island did some work to expand the mythology, but Mike Dougherty really wanted to bring it to the fore in Godzilla: King of the Monsters. And although we have yet to see the film, he appears to have done just that based on the trailers.

This word is often overused, but the trailers for Godzilla: King of the Monsters have felt truly epic, and I think a big part of that is because of what Mike Dougherty talked about, putting the ‘god’ back in Godzilla. The trailers have talked about the leviathans known as Titans being the planet’s original inhabitants and the images of their battle has looked like something out of the end times, with one side fighting to protect humanity and another looking to destroy it.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters roars into theaters on May 31. Check out our 2019 release schedule to keep track of all this year’s biggest movies.

Shazam! Box Office: DC's Latest Is Off To An Impressive Start

Shazam! Box Office: DC's Latest Is Off To An Impressive Start

Things weren't looking so good for the DC Extended Universe after the release of Zack Snyder's Justice League. Not only did it receive a rather serious thrashing from critics, but it also failed to meet box office expectations. Fortunately, however, the franchise has been on a much better path ever since. Released last December, James Wan's Aquaman has become the most successful DC Comics adaptation ever made, and now David F. Sandberg's Shazam! is off to a fantastic start as well. Check out its numbers, as well as the rest of the Top 10, below, and join me after for analysis!

The numbers aren't exactly record-shattering, but after its third day in wide release Shazam! is definitely in a good place, and Warner Bros. must surely be happy about the performance. Early estimates suggested that the film wouldn't only make $40-$50 million during its opening weekend, and it was able to not only clear that bar, but add a few extra million on top of it. Add in the fact that it's one of the less expensive modern day superhero blockbusters - made for a reported $100 million - and you have the makings of a legitimate winner in the DC Comics realm.

What surely helped in a major way with this one is just the buzz that the film has received. The studio clearly knew they had a winner with this one, and thanks to a whole lot of early screenings Shazam! has been riding high on positive word of mouth for quite a while now. It's received the second highest Rotten Tomatoes score of any DC Extended Universe title, with its 91% only just a little below the 93% earned by Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman back in 2017. On top of that, audiences are also showing some very real appreciation for it, as CinemaScore is reporting an "A" grade for the release - which makes a whole lot of sense when you consider what a crowd-pleaser the feature is.

Adding to the good news is that Shazam! is also off to a wonderful start in foreign territories as well. The movie is now out in most places, and ticket sales from abroad have already significantly bolstered the worldwide box office totals. To date it has made $102 million abroad, which brings its global total to $158.8 million. When you factor in publicity and advertising costs, it still probably has to make a bit more money before it gets to be called profitable, but this is a great place for the film to be after just three days. It's technically the slowest start for a DC Extended Universe title, but the previous film with that distinction was Aquaman, and we know how things turned out with that.

Perhaps part of the reason why Shazam! didn't open bigger is because it had some real competition at the box office, as Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer's Pet Sematary also put up some legitimate numbers this past weekend. Critics (61% on Rotten Tomatoes) and audiences ("C+" on CinemaScore) didn't respond to it quite as well as the big new superhero release, but the $25 million it brought it is nothing to shake a stick at. Not only did the horror film only cost $21 million to make, but it actually had the second best opening ever for a Stephen King adaptation - which is a pretty big deal when you consider how popular King is, and how many movies have been made based on his books. Obviously it came nowhere close to Andres Muschietti's IT, which pulled in a shocking $123.4 million during its first three days back in September 2017, but it made enough to take the second place spot away from Mikael Hafstrom's 1408, which made $20.6 million back in 2007. It's also doing pretty well in foreign territories, having made $17.3 million outside of North America so far.

Robin Bissell's The Best Of Enemies was the only other big title to hit theaters this weekend, though it had a relatively small wide release with only 1,705 theaters showing it. Still, with the star power of Taraji P. Henson and Sam Rockwell, and a powerful true story to tell, the movie managed to take sixth place over all, and make $4.5 million in its initial release. That's not too shabby when you consider the $10 million budget. It won't ultimately be as big as The Upside, which made $107.6 million for STX Entertainment earlier this year, but it may still wind up making some money for the studio.

Beyond the new releases, unfortunately, there wasn't a ton of good news for Hollywood this time around. After winning the box office last week with a disappointing $45 million take, Tim Burton's Dumbo fell by 60.4 percent in its second Friday-to-Saturday stretch. As of now it $213.7 million globally, which seems like a lot, but that number doesn't look so great when you consider that it was made with a $170 million budget. It's going to be seriously tough for the film to be ultimately considered profitable - but the good news for Disney is that they still have Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's Captain Marvel performing exceptionally, having crossed the $1 billion milestone earlier this week.

Jordan Peele's Us is also starting to fade a bit, but at this point ever dollar the movie makes is pure profit. Made for just $20 million, the horror hit has already brought in $216.6 million worldwide, which is only just a big short of the $255.4 million that Get Out made when it was released in 2017. That's absolutely remarkable.

Next week we will once again be seeing a lot of variety hitting the big screen nationwide, with Neil Marshall's Hellboy, Tina Gordon Chism's Little, Laika's Missing Link, and Jenny Gage's After all arriving in wide release. Collectively they should all do a pretty nice job shaking up the Top 10, so be sure to tune in next Sunday to see how it all turns out.

Chris Pratt Is ‘Really Proud’ Of Disney For Rehiring James Gunn

Chris Pratt Is ‘Really Proud’ Of Disney For Rehiring James Gunn

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been on a serious roll in Phase Three, as every single blockbuster has been a critical and box office hit. The last decade of filmmaking will come to a head when Avengers: Endgame arrives in theaters, and the reviews and early reception are overwhelmingly positive. As the current phase of movies comes to a close we must look to the future, including James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

The Guardians threequel was originally set to be one of the first installments in Marvel's Phase Four. But James Gunn was fired this past July, after controversial tweets from a decade ago resurfaced and Disney attempted to distance itself from the writer/director. The House of Mouse recently did an about-face, signing Gunn back on to complete Guardians 3 following his DC debut, The Suicide Squad. Chris Pratt recently responded to Gunn's reinstatement, saying:

I was so thrilled, so excited. I think it’s the right move, I really stand behind it. I’m really proud of Disney for hiring James back and ultimately thrilled for not only us, but also for the fans. I think it’s going to wrap up the trilogy in the best way.

Despite originally not wanting to audition for Star-Lord, it looks like Chris Pratt couldn't imagine Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 without the full crew. This obviously includes James Gunn, who puts everything from his music taste, to his dance moves, to his sense of humor into the beloved Marvel franchise.

Chris Pratt's comments to People echoes the the sentiments of most Marvel fans. The Guardians of the Galaxy franchise is arguably the MCU's most director-driven property, and the threequel seemed all but impossible without James Gunn's perspective. What's more, he had completed a draft of Guardians 3's script shortly before being fired, and that script was necessary in order to keep the story and maintain the cast.

Of course, Star-Lord's support of James Gunn shouldn't come as much of a surprise. Shortly after his departure, the Guardians of the Galaxy cast penned a letter in support of the director, signed by the all the starring actors. This includes Chris Pratt, who kept the secret of Gunn's pending reinstatement as he took questions about the Marvel drama.

Related: Sean Gunn Explains Why Brother James Wasn’t At The Avengers: Endgame Premiere

There were a number of months between James Gunn's firing and reinstatement, with production on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 put on indefinite hold following his departure. This opened Gunn open to take on projects like The Suicide Squad, so it's unclear exactly when the Guardians threequel will arrive in theaters. But hopefully those answers will come once Marvel revealed its post-Endgame plans.

Despite fading to dust in Avengers: Infinity War's horrifying twist ending, Chris Pratt's Star-Lord is expected to (somehow) appear in Avengers: Endgame when it hits theaters on April 26th. In the meantime, fill out CinemaBlend's Endgame death pool, and check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Samuel L. Jackson Reveals Why Nick Fury Hasn't Brought Up Captain Marvel Before

Samuel L. Jackson Reveals Why Nick Fury Hasn't Brought Up Captain Marvel Before

While all hope seemed lost following the end of Avengers: Infinity War, the post-credits scene gave us all hope when Nick Fury was able to get a message off to Captain Marvel. While this made fans very excited for the upcoming, and now soon to release Captain Marvel movie, it did raise one question. "You're calling her NOW?" It seemed like there had been some times in the past that a hero like Carol Danvers would have been useful, but Samuel L. Jackson says all those other problems the Earth has seen were no big deal compared to this one. According to Jackson...

She said only in emergencies. Other emergencies could be handled by the people who were present. It’s just an alien invasion, that’s something that could be handled. Half the population wasn’t dying and flicking off and doing whatever. We finally have an emergency that I feel warrants her presence. This is unprecedented. How are you gonna fight that? I can’t fight that. If I’m not here, I need to find someone to come here who can handle it. All those people are ineffective. They’re great for normal, everyday world disaster. But intergalactic badass who has all the Infinity Stones needs a bit more.

Clearly, Nick Fury has a very specific definition of "emergency" and even alien invasions and A.I. gone mad doesn't actually qualify. It certainly makes some sense. Fury's plan to create "The Avenger Initiative" comes at a point after the events of Captain Marvel so clearly, Fury isn't looking to call in his new friend at the first sign of something normal humans can't handle. He's planning on using others for those problems.

At the end of Avengers: Infinity War, it doesn't seem that Nick Fury is really clear on exactly what is going on, but he knows that Earth's Mightiest Heroes are dealing with it, and when people start to turn to dust, he knows they've failed. At that point, the only option left is to grab your pager.

Samuel L. Jackson's opinion on why he never called Danvers before isn't the only one that makes sense. Director Anna Boden tells IGN that Fury likely didn't want to reveal her existence to the world unless it was necessary. Her co-director Ryan Fleck says Fury was probably considering pushing the panic button ion the first Avengers, but eventually decided against it.

By the time things escalate to the actual alien invasion, if the Avengers can't do the job, it's probably not going to matter too much.

On the plus side, Fury was right, and the Avengers were able to handle all threats prior to Infinity War. If the Earth had been invaded by aliens, Fury probably would have really wished he'd used that pager.

Expect said pager to play a small role in Captain Marvel, as we'll probably learn where it came from. Assuming it works, we'll see the results of pressing that button when Avengers: Endgame comes out in a couple months.

Fantastic Four’s Box Office Bomb Contributed To Gambit’s Delays

Fantastic Four’s Box Office Bomb Contributed To Gambit’s Delays

Before superhero movies were everywhere, 20th Century Fox and Bryan Singer brought X-Men to theaters back in the year 2000. That franchise is still going strong today, with Dark Phoenix and The New Mutants set to arrive in theaters, despite Fox's upcoming merger with Disney. But Fox has had some missteps along the way, including Josh Trank's already infamous Fantastic Four movie. The comic book adaptation was a critical and financial flop, barely recouping its budget while being panned by audiences and critics alike.

While Fox has let the Deadpool franchise flourish and continued the main X-Men franchise, there is a certain flick that has sat in development hell for years: Channing Tatum's Gambit movie. The fan favorite character's solo movie has been pushed back a number of times, and the Fox/Disney merger makes its fate all the more precarious. Rupert Wyatt was poised to direct the project at one point, but he recently revealed that the failure of The Fantastic Four negatively affected the film's potential budget. As he put it:

I was very close with Channing Tatum and his producing partner Reid Carolin, and I was on the script with him and Josh Zetumer as a writer. We were close, I believe 10 weeks away. It simply came down to budget. There was not enough. You know all too well about the politics of the business. Fantastic Four had been released by Fox a month before and had not gone well for them, so our budget was slashed quite considerably.

Superhero movies may be the most profitable genre in the film world, but they also require the biggest budgets. As such, each new release is a major gamble. Fantastic Four failed to perform at the box office, so it seems Fox kept its purse strings a bit tighter, and didn't want to give Gambit the same type of cash money. Poor Remy Lebeau.

Rupert Wyatt's comments to Comics Beat help to illuminate the myriad delays that have hit Gambit since the potential blockbuster was announced. Channing Tatum has been signed to the project since May of 2014, so moviegoers have been waiting quite a bit of time for the fan favorite X-Man to reappear on the silver screen. Wyatt isn't the only director who has been attached to the project, as Doug Liman also left due to script concerns. The script was presumably being worked on, before the project's development was put officially on hold.

It's unclear if Disney has any interest in bringing Gambit into the MCU, with the House of Mouse expected to acquire the rival studio in a matter of weeks. This puts the fate of Gambit up in the air, as well as where/when exactly The New Mutants will be completed and released. This is a series of events the public has grown accustomed to, although The Fantastic Four's affect on Gambit's budget is an interesting development in the potential film's story.

Gambit has been delayed for years, with three different directors brought on, before eventually departing the ill-fated blockbuster. In addition to Rupert Wyatt and Doug Liman, The Ring director Gore Verbinski was the most recent addition to the trio. Verbinski was set to direct Channing Tatum when Gambit was going to get a December 14th, 2019 release date. The project would be somewhat romantic comedy inspired, and the casting process had even began before Verbinski departed Gambit due to scheduling and creative differences.

From there, Gambit's fate remained unclear. The project got pushed back a number of times since then, although Channing Tatum seemed determined to play the New Orleans mutant one way or another. Most recently, reports indicated Tatum had interest in both directing and starring in the project. Unfortunately, the news stopped there, as Fox's potential projects were put on hold due to the company's impending merger with Disney.

Gambit might never make it to theaters, which will no doubt be a point of contention with the rabid comic book fandom. Gambit became a household name due to the X-Men animated series, and his generations of fans are eager to see the card thrower on the big screen.

Of course, Gambit did appear in live-action once before, although it's a memory the fandom is likely trying to forget. Taylor Kitsch played Remy LeBeau in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the first spinoff in the X-Men franchise. While playing a supporting role and aligning with Hugh Jackman's Logan, the character (and movie) wasn't received well by the fans. As such, Channing Tatum's possible movie offers a welcomed alternative to that characterization. If it ever makes it to theaters, that is.

Overall, it's unclear exactly what Disney is planning to do with Fox's X-Men franchise, once the merger is finalized at last. While the House of Mouse will likely let Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool franchise operate independently, the rest of the mutants likely won't fare the same. Comic fans are eager to see the X-Men finally appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, although it seems unlikely that the same cast will be brought onto the payroll. Dark Phoenix has the potential to be the final installment in the long-running franchise, so potential projects like Gambit are probably the least of the studio's concerns at the moment.

Still, a superhero movie starring Channing Tatum as a fan favorite hero seems like money in the bank, who Disney might end up getting yet another director and moving forward with Gambit. Focusing on one X-Man at a time may help ease them into the MCU, rather than bringing an entire team of characters to an already crowded shared universe. At this point, it's anyone's guess.

Comic book fans are also hoping the Fantastic Four will get their own reboot within the MCU, as that's another team that has been noticeably missing from the larger shared universe. But considering how recently Josh Trank's version was in theaters, it may take moviegoers more time to get the taste of that flop out of their mouths.

The next installment in Fox's X-Men franchise will be Dark Phoenix on June 7th, and Gambit's release date was last set on March 13th, 2020. Be sure to check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Avengers: Endgame Is Already Breaking Records In China

Avengers: Endgame Is Already Breaking Records In China

Last night Avengers: Endgame had its world premiere in Los Angeles and the early response was overwhelmingly positive. The star-studded cast assembled on the red carpet to see the conclusion the highly-anticipated film that marks the end of an era for the MCU for the first time themselves. Soon enough, the rest of the world will get a chance to see Endgame themselves starting with China’s Wednesday debut to the best opening of all time.

Avengers: Endgame has already shattered pre-sale records for the market, with $90 million in early ticket sales, well over 2018’s Infinity War’s $59 million pre-sale total and the previous record holder Monster Hunt 2 almost $60 million. According to The Hollywood Reporter, after Endgame breaks records for making more than $20 million in midnight previews, it could take $270 million during its five-day debut and make around $450 million by the time it leaves Chinese theaters.

The Marvel film also has the luck of having its second weekend overlap with China’s Labor Day, which gives students and workers time off between Wednesday, May 1 and Saturday, May 4. During this time off, fans from all over China will have more time to go see the epic superhero film, instead of having to skip out on work or school in order to catch the fate of their favorite characters.

Endgame is the conclusion to a 22-film journey across 11 years, which started just at China’s box office boom era, also characterized by the success of Avatar in 3D overseas. The movie of course isn’t only set to do well for itself over in China, but very well break some incredible box office records globally. The Avengers film could pass $800 million worldwide after its first weekend alone, which would be the biggest opening ever.

In the United States, Avengers: Endgame is predicted to see a record-breaking debut of $270 million. The film already sold five times as many advance tickets as Infinity War in first week they went on sale. Since Endgame has been clouded in secrecy since the shocking conclusion of Infinity War, it’s no wonder fans want to go out and it see it especially in its first weekend. The fear of spoilers are certainly in high gear since well... the internet exists and when the movie comes out people will be talking about it left and right.

Avengers: Endgame will follow the superheroes who survived the snap, such as the original six, Nebula, Rocket, Ant-Man, War Machine, Okoye and Captain Marvel who must deal with the aftermath of their failed mission to stop Thanos. Endgame certainly will answer questions about the continuation of the Marvel franchise as well when it hits theaters globally this week.

Miss Klaus? See The Originals' Joseph Morgan At His New Movie's Screening

Miss Klaus? See The Originals' Joseph Morgan At His New Movie's Screening

Klaus Mikaelson is gone but not forgotten to fans of The Originals and The Vampire Diaries. Klaus is regularly name-dropped on The CW's current spinoff series Legacies, keeping him fresh in fans' minds. It happened again this week in a big Klaroline way, leading many fans to wistfully wonder what actor Joseph Morgan is up to.

Well, if you'll be in the Southern California area in early April, you may be able to see for yourself. His short film Carousel is working the film festival circuit, and the actor himself teased the the next screening would be April 3 in Beverly Hills:

Joseph Morgan tweeted out a link to the Beverly Hills Film Festival, hoping to see fans there. Morgan directed Carousel, which he also co-wrote and co-starred in alongside Persia White. The two stars are also married, after meeting on the set of The Vampire Diaries, where she played the recurring role of Abby Bennett Wilson.

Here's the film description on the Night Owl Productions site:

Carousel is a story of love, loss and the hope for redemption when a criminal escapes death and gets a second chance at life in more than one way. As we delve into an emotional journey that beckons us to consider how the consequences of our past actions, like a carousel, keep returning to us again, and again, until time runs out.

Check out the trailer:

Carousel has traveled to many film festivals since October 2018, and you can check the site to see if it will be playing anywhere near you, or if it might become available to watch in other ways.

Persia White and Joseph Morgan also produced the comedy Juice Truck, which is listed as playing at the Los Angeles Women's International Film Festival in March 2019.

The Originals Season 5 finale, also the series finale, aired August 1, 2018. So it hasn't even been a full year since the first Vampire Diaries spinoff went off the air. Still, there had been hope that we'd see Joseph Morgan back on screen with the Gone Baby Gone series. He had the role of Patrick Kenzie, the same role Casey Affleck had in the 2007 movie. But in May 2018, Deadline revealed that Fox had passed on the Gone Baby Gone pilot.

If you're looking for other stars of The Originals, Riley Voelkel (Freya Mikaelson) joined The CW's Roswell, New Mexico, which also co-stars Vampire Diaries alum Michael Trevino. And Charles Michael Davis (Marcel Gerard) is a new addition to For the People Season 2 on ABC. Of course, Joseph Morgan's on-screen daughter Danielle Rose Russell (Hope Mikaelson) is now the star of the spinoff Legacies, which just saw the return of another supporting character from The Originals this past week.

Earlier in Legacies Season 1, we got an update on what happened to Klaus in the afterlife. Unfortunately, The Originals finale pretty much ruled out Joseph Morgan's return to the show, unless they want to do the vision/spirit thing.

The Vampire Diaries ended a full two years ago, as of this past March 10, and those stars have also been keeping busy on TV and in some films through 2019. Keep up with everything headed to the big screen this year with our 2019 movie release schedule.

The Russo Brothers Confirm A Major Captain America Theory We Had After Avengers: Endgame

The Russo Brothers Confirm A Major Captain America Theory We Had After Avengers: Endgame

The following story contains spoilers from Avengers: Endgame.

When the latest Marvel Studios movie drew to a close, Captain America (Chris Evans) embarked on one final mission. He agreed to be the one who traveled back in time to return the Infinity Stones from the moments in which they were borrowed, thereby eliminating any multiverses that might have sprung away from the main timeline.

In doing so, this means that Cap had to travel to the remote planet of Vormir to return the Soul Stone. And that should mean that Steve Rogers would encounter – for the first time in decades – the arch-nemesis who helped bury him in the ice way back in 1945: Red Skull. We have seen the Skull in both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, where he stands guard over the pit where a sacrifice must be made to retrieve the Stone. So when ReelBlend sat down with Joe and Anthony Russo to talk Endgame spoilers, we asked if this meant that Cap encountered Red Skull again, and what the rules of Soul Stone returns actually are:

Joe Russo: He would have to encounter Red Skull. And nobody knows what the rules are when you return the Soul Stone.

Anthony Russo: Nobody knows. But knowing Red Skull, he probably has a no-money-back policy.

Captain America’s final trip through time is the biggest gap in storytelling that Avengers: Endgame doesn’t bother to address. Hulk sends Cap back in time using the technology that Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) perfected. And he expects to bring Steve Rogers back… only, that doesn’t happen.

Instead, Bucky (Sebastian Stan) and Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) notice that Old Man Rogers is waiting for him. It turns out, after returning the Stones, Cap decided to go back in time and live his life in full with Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), and choosing not to elaborate on the steps that he took to bring the Stones back.

That leaves a LOT of story left to tell, and Marvel actually has ways to tell it. After all, with Disney+ as a new streaming service, Marvel fans already expect to see new stories branching out from Avengers: Endgame starring Tom Hiddleston as Loki, as well as Stan and Mackie. Why couldn’t Chris Evans choose to keep playing Captain America, just going on adventures in the ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s and beyond?

Also, Marvel Studios easily could bring back the One Shots that they used to include on DVDs and Blu-rays. Who doesn’t want to see a short film that shows Steve encountering Red Skull, one last time?

The Russo brothers confirm that the meeting takes place in their version of the story, but they stop short from telling us when we might ever see it happen. To hear the rest of our conversation with the brothers, where we talk all things SPOILERY for Avengers: Endgame, press play on this bonus segment of the ReelBlend podcast.

As for Avengers: Endgame, that blockbuster is shattering records left and right, passing $2 billion in 11 days. Staggering. Have you seen it yet? What did you think?

To 3D Or Not To 3D: Buy The Right Pokemon Detective Pikachu Ticket

To 3D Or Not To 3D: Buy The Right Pokemon Detective Pikachu Ticket

Whenever there’s a 3D movie presented to the public, it’s a fair assumption that it wants to be the very best, like no one ever was. So when Pokemon Detective Pikachu announced it was going into the third dimension, you could very well imagine that one of its causes, besides entertaining the masses and bringing Pokemon to live action, would be that very prospect.

But as we’ve seen in the past, ambition can be hobbled by slip ups here and there. So we naturally find ourselves asking that big question life likes to hand us from time to time: to 3D or not to 3D? If you want to see what we thought of Pokemon Detective Pikachu, you can pika pika your way over to our official review and read the rundown.

For now though, it’s time to slip on those classic black glasses, pour another round of coffee (extra shot, black as night, thank you so much) and see if Detective Pikachu’s big adventure is worth the extra ticket money, or if you’d be better off buying a coffee to help keep you buzzed through the film.

Taking one look at the trailers for Pokemon Detective Pikachu, you could see that the 3D could be strong with this one. Between the amazing abilities that Pokemon execute in battles and life-saving danger, and the world of Ryme City being so lushly drawn, there was no way that this was going to stay a standard 2D film for long. Putting the right post-conversion job on this film would make Pokemon Detective Pikachu a marvel to behold.

In the screening of Pokemon Detective Pikachu that I attended, there were definitely some flaws in the presentation. However, I’m not so sure they were on the Planning & Effort side of the house, as the visuals held up rather well. The biggest issue I ran into was, surprise surprise, the brightness of the picture. Since that’s a big variable that depends on the location you’re visiting to see a movie like Pokemon Detective Pikachu, I can’t lay that at the feet of the 3D crew; especially when the depth and projection of the film’s enhancements work so well.

While I would have expected more visual assets being thrown off of the screen and into the laps of the audience, Pokemon Detective Pikachu certainly doesn’t let the Before The Window quotient go to waste. There’s some pretty impressive moments of objects being pointed at the screen, and even some good Pokemon attacks that do manage to come at the audience in brief moments. The large battle in the third act particularly uses this aspect of the visual palette well, because there’s Pokemon flying into action, and towards the camera, for all to see.

Pokemon Detective Pikachu has an amazing amount of depth to be portrayed in its picture. From the streets of Ryme City, to the countryside and more natural areas of the film’s visuals, there’s not only clear spatial reasoning between characters and their environments, there’s an extra mile that lets the background go on for what feels like forever. Characters are also perfectly spaced from one another, so there’s no confusion as to who’s operating in which piece of the action.

And now we come to the greatest stumbling block for Pokemon Detective Pikachu. As promised, it was the brightness score that threatens to sink the high of seeing Pokemon on the silver screen, in true 3D glory. Now this ultimately comes down to how well your theater maintains its projectors, both in switching between 2D and 3D screenings, as well as maintaining a healthy bulb life. In the case of my screening of the film, the brightness was turned down way too low, which dulled the colors being presented on the screen more than they would be by just slipping on the glasses. Your mileage may vary on this factor, and it’s suggested you see this 3D presentation in a theater you know to be maintaining their gear.

If your eyes get tired, or your mind gets curious during a 3D film, you’ll want to slip those glasses off and see what the world looks like without the aid of polarized lenses. Which leads to you, the audience, seeing that classic 3D blur that folks have been talking about for ages. Usually, the blur means that the picture is being manipulated to a certain extent, in order to make everything more 3D like; and in the case of Pokemon Detective Pikachu, there’s a real good quotient of blur. Except for some scattered 2D aspects, which tend to be included to help anchor things down or give the eye a break, there’s a lot of blur to the picture. The backgrounds especially benefit from the blur, which more than likely explains the impressive depths of this film’s picture.

One major factor that knocks down the Audience Health score for Pokemon Detective Pikachu is the lack of brightness. When a film is this dim, you start to feel your eyes getting tired, and you might get crankier than a Psyduck without its spa music. But in addition to that piece of the 3D puzzle wearing on the eye, there’s a couple transitions that feel like they wonk out the 3D picture a little extra. A scene involving a commute on a high speed train is an example of where the eye will be confused, as the panning involved in that shot blurs things a little. You won’t get nauseous, but you might need to take your glasses off more than usual.

Pokemon Detective Pikachu is a beautiful movie to look at, with some impressive 3D elements that could be even more impressive if shown correctly. It’s hard to totally judge the 3D component, with a screening that was so dark as the one I encountered, but I’d be willing to say that it’s exciting enough to take a chance and see it in a theater you trust to be up to snuff. But if you end up seeing the film in 2D instead, just make sure the screen you see it on is nice and crisp, because this film deserves as clear a picture as possible.

Be sure to visit our full To 3D Or Not To 3D Archive.

Triple Frontier Reviews Are In, Here’s What Critics Are Saying

Triple Frontier Reviews Are In, Here’s What Critics Are Saying

Whatever some famous director's might think of Netflix, the streaming service/film studio has put together a solid list of movie releases over the last few years. From fantasy blockbusters starring Will Smith to Oscar nominated dramas, Netflix has it all. The next big release from Netflix is the Ben Affleck-led Triple Frontier, and while it probably won't win any Oscars, the movie is likely to be worth checking out for everybody who has Netflix, so basically everybody.

Our own Michael Reyes gave Triple Frontier a solid four star score and thinks the movie does a solid job of blending the film's multiple genres into an enjoyably complete film.

As an action film, as well as a dramatic character study, Triple Frontier works as an extremely cohesive combination of two types of stories that usually don’t mesh together well.

At its core, Triple Frontier is the story of group of former vets of the same unit, played by Oscar Isaac, Ben Affleck, Pedro Pascal, Charlie Hunnam, and Garrett Hedlund, decide to go on one last mission strictly for themselves, stealing from a drug kingpin. It's a military/heist movie, something that isn't exactly new to moviegoers, but that doesn't mean it doesn't work.

The review from Entertainment Weekly compares Triple Frontier, directed by J.C. Chandor, to the work of Peter Berg, though it claims Chandor's film has more nuance to it than the frequently nuance free works of Berg...

Chandor films their mission and its male-bonding lead-up using the Peter Berg playbook — you know, lots of backslapping peppered with military jargon. But Triple Frontier isn’t as cheesy and embarrassingly jingoistic as Berg’s films. It’s more ethically murky, especially when the haul they find at the kingpin’s compound turns out to be much, much bigger than they expected.

The biggest thing about Triple Frontier is likely the cast. A movie starring Ben Affleck and Oscar Isaac being a Netflix production is still a big deal, even if the streaming service has had growing success wooing major performers and directors to the platform. Will Smith made Bright with the director of Suicide Squad only a couple years ago and following that we saw the likes of Sandra Bullock, and Alfonso Cuaron join him. Marten Scorsese has directed Robert De Niro for Netflix's upcoming The Irishman, and just typing those words still feels strange.

Understanding how these theatrical release films (Triple Frontier is in theaters for one week starting today before hitting Netflix next week) work on a streaming service is something everybody, from the industry to the viewers, is trying to figure out. For what it's worth, Slashfilm thinks Triple Frontier is a movie made for Netflix.

A film where big, angry men with scruffy facial hair strap on tactical vests and glower their way through one burst of violence to the next. It is, in a sense, the perfect Netflix movie. Something to stream from your bed in the dark after you’ve knocked back one too many beers.

While the majority of reviews for Triple Frontier are positive, it's certainly the case that none are necessarily glowing. Even among those that praise the film, there seems to be a feeling that there could have been more here then we ended up getting. It seems to want to be more than military dudes shooting guns, but doesn't necessarily get there. Although, if military dudes shooting guns is your thing, you'll likely enjoy this version of that.

Of course, there are some who are far from that kind. Variety feels that, in trying to be a smarter action movie, it ends up failing at being anything resembling smart, and ends up trying too hard, reventing it from being the dumb action movie that could have been equally enjoyable.

Yet I’m sorry, there’s a dullness at the core of Triple Frontier. We’ve seen these sorts of situations once too often, done tighter and better, with more surprise. And though Chandor has assembled an ace cast of aging machos, they’re working with stale crumbs of dialogue. The movie made me wish I was watching either a truly heady thriller (which this is not) or a zippier version of The Expendables.

This does go to show how different people can see the same movie in very different ways. One praises the film for being more "ethically murky" complimenting the movie for not simply being military gun porn, while another sort of wishes it had been closer to that, because it misses the mark at being anything more.

There are certainly audiences for both sorts of films, it will be interesting to see if this film, which seems to fall someplace in between will be able to find an audience. At the same time, everybody has Netflix right, so a lot of people could end up watching this one simply because it's new and available. When audiences do flock to Netflix's new releases the movies can see a viewership on par with some blockbusters.

For, THR, the problem with Triple Frontier is something a bit more fundamental. While the movie has an impressive cast, it fails to do anything impressive with them. All of the team members come across as being the same character and lack enough detail to let the audience understand or empathize with them.

Despite the heavy dose of action and numerous tense situations, this Netflix offering has trouble staying in high gear once it gets there and the characterizations remain one dimensional - the men all speak exactly the same way.

Triple Frontier may not be the next Roma, but then few movies will be. It's great that, just like any other theatrical movie studio, Netflix can create a wide variety of movies for a wide variety of audiences. With the massive user base that Netflix has there's a lot of people who like a lot of different movies. Triple Frontier clearly isn't every critic's cup of tea, but it looks like many might still enjoy it. If you're lucky enough to be in the right town you can see it in theaters now, otherwise, it hits Netflix next week.

Sounds Like Die Hard 6 Is Up In The Air After Disney Deal

Sounds Like Die Hard 6 Is Up In The Air After Disney Deal

The Disney/Fox deal has left plenty of questions on the table. One question that hasn't come up as often as, say, Will The X-Men Join The MCU? is What Will Happen With Die Hard 6? The movie got as far as a title, McClane, and early news that Bruce Willis would return, along with a new actor playing a younger John McClane.

The first five Die Hard movies were distributed by 20th Century Fox. Now Fox titles are owned by Disney. So when Die Hard 6 producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura was asked if they had a start date yet for McClane, he added Disney to his answer:

I wish, not yet. I don’t know what’s going to happen there. It’s really up to them because obviously now they’re owned by Disney. My sense is that we won’t know much about it for a while while they debate whatever they’re debating. I don’t know enough about their plans really to have any point of view. They like our script.

"They" like the script -- that's a good sign, even if the specifics of "they" weren't discussed in his chat with /FILM. There's been a lot of talk about the script in the past year. Bruce Willis talked about checking out the script a year ago. Shortly after that, reports came out claiming The Conjuring writers Chad and Carey Hayes were hired to write the next Die Hard script.

In September, Lorenzo Di Bonaventura told Empire the movie's title would be McClane, saying "We want you to get invested in John McClane more than ever before." At the time, he confirmed McClane would bounce back and forth between older present day McClane, played by Bruce Willis, and a younger McClane to be cast in his 20s. The film was previously being eyed as Die Hard: Year One.

In late January, Film Stories UK talked to Lorenzo Di Bonaventura and he told the site McClane was still moving forward with Len Wiseman (Live Free or Die Hard) attached to direct. But as of March 20, 21st Century Fox is part of The Walt Disney Company. There's a lot to sort through in the transition, including layoffs and release date changes.

Hope is not lost for Die Hard 6/McClane, but it just seems to be in limbo, along with many other films. It was already in limbo as the script was developed. Based on Lorenzo Di Bonaventura's latest comments, it sounds like they've landed on a script they like, it's just a matter of who is now in charge of moving the project forward and deciding what stays and what goes. As he hinted, we may not know much about it for a while as The Powers That Be sift through the many Disney/Fox projects in development.

As we wait to see whether Mickey Mouse kills off John McClane or helps get him back on screen soon, keep up with what we do know is coming to theaters this year with our 2019 movie release date schedule.

The Cool Fight Scene That Had To Be Cut From Godzilla: King Of The Monsters

The Cool Fight Scene That Had To Be Cut From Godzilla: King Of The Monsters

Successful blockbuster action flicks are often the result of a miraculous balancing act. With Godzilla: King of the Monsters, the filmmakers were tasked with showing off the legendary Kaiju in a refreshingly terrifying light and bringing in King Ghidorah, Mothra and Rodan for him to clash with. Oh, not to mention the ensemble of humans to bounce between as well.

By the looks of early reactions to King of the Monsters, the new Godzilla manages to offer up an exciting new entry to the long-running mythos. However, not everything originally in the script will make it to the big screen this weekend. During CinemaBlend’s exclusive interview with Millie Bobby Brown, the young actress revealed one cut scene she was sad to see not make the theatrical release. In her words:

Oh yeah. There was this full fight montage that I had done. It was a fighting, full-on MMA on this guy, this man-guy. [It was] cool. They cut it! So bummed out about it. … By the way, I never got to see it, but I would have loved to see it, too. And I’m sure everybody else would.

This is a bummer! It would have been a treat to see the 15-year-old Stranger Things star show off some badass MMA skills in the Godzilla movie. The actress likely had to go through some intense training in order to pull off a scene that may never see the light of day.

Here’s hoping the bonus features allows Millie Bobby Brown and fans to see her take on this “man-guy” she speaks of. Movies such as this one have big scenes cut all the time. Her big fight sequence was likely taken out to make room for more action between Godzilla and the titans he goes up against.

The lost scene does have us thinking about who exactly Millie Bobby Brown’s Madison Russell is. What 15-year-old knows MMA? As far as we know, her character is the daughter of Vera Farmiga’s Dr. Emma Russell, who is a paleobiologist involved in research on Kaiju creatures and Kyle Chandler’s Dr. Mark Russell, a former Anthrozoologist. Perhaps this is her particular family talent?

The film’s script may have originally developed Madison’s character further by showing off her MMA skills but there wasn’t enough room in the film to fit everything. Brown is also among an ensemble including Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins, Charles Dance, O’Shea Jackson and Thomas Middleditch. So, there were a ton of performances to fit in.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters follows the events of 2014’s reboot as the mighty Godzilla must face-off against three ancient super-species in order to restore balance on Earth and reign at the “king of the monsters”. The movie hits theaters this Friday, May 31.

Alien Had To Change Its Terrifying Eggs To Not Resemble Lady Parts

Alien Had To Change Its Terrifying Eggs To Not Resemble Lady Parts

Sci-fi has been a popular genre in filmmaking since it was first introduced, and still finds a way to captivate moviegoers. Aside from blockbusters like Star Wars and Star Trek, one of the most popular sci-fi properties also contains elements of horror: the Alien franchise. Xenomorphs have terrified generations of moviegoers, with the most recent installment being 2017's Alien: Covenant. Every facet of the Xenomorphs are scary, even before their born. Because we all know what happens when you get too close to an alien egg.

Eggs in the Alien franchise are nearly as iconic as the full grown Xenomorphs themselves, as they've been known to scare audiences and take the life of various characters. Facehuggers live inside the pods, and they hatch and immediately begin thirsting for blood. But it turns out the eggs' appearance needed to be altered for the original 1979 Ridley Scott film. According to art director Roger Christian, they originally looked a bit too much like female genitalia. As he explains it:

The first ones he did looked much more like a woman’s private parts, and the producers all worried. Giger said, ‘Well, if it’s a cross, then it’s religious, and people don’t worry about that.’

Well, that's not a problem you hear about everyday. It looks like the eggs in the Aliens franchises could have looked much different than the ones that eventually became iconic and nightmare-inducing. They were actually going to resemble lady parts, so much so that it worried the film's producers.

Roger Christian's comments to EW show how much things change during the development stages of major blockbusters. While the Alien franchise wasn't the beloved horror staple it is now, special care was taken to create the visuals of the sci-fi world for the first groundbreaking movie. That includes the Xenomorph eggs, and their penchant for bloody murder. But they looked too much like female genitalia, and adjustments were made at the behest of production.

What makes this story so hilarious is that Roger Christian maintains that offending religious moviegoers was less of a concern than having visuals that resembled the female form. The Xenomorph eggs must have been seriously phallic (yonic?) in order to illicit that type of strong reaction. One can only imagine the eggs looked like, and how their appearance altered the birthing of facehuggers.

The eggs have been a recurring presence in the Alien franchise, including a few years ago with Covenant. They typically bring a sense of unease to each blockbuster, as the action temporarily slows to display them in their eerie glory. But that breather usually ends tragically, as facehuggers fly out of the eggs and murder the nearest victim.

The future of the Alien franchise is unclear, as Alien: Covenant failed to deliver a box office or critically. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

The Russo Brothers Had To Lie To Avengers: Endgame Actors For The Final Scenes

The Russo Brothers Had To Lie To Avengers: Endgame Actors For The Final Scenes

Spoilers ahead for Avengers: Endgame. If you haven't seen it, look away.

Avengers: Endgame has been in theaters for nearly two weeks, and moviegoers haven't stopped discussing and dissecting every frame of The Russo Brothers' masterful blockbuster. The co-directors managed to do the impossible, crafting a complicated emotional story that had a a ton of connections to the greater MCU. And it's a story that included the epic death and funeral of Tony Stark.

Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man has been the heart and soul of the MCU since its inception, and the character went out in a truly epic way. The final moments of Avengers: Endgame showed Tony Stark's funeral, complete with some surprise cameos. But it turns out that The Russo Brothers had to lie to the talent in order to keep the secrets of Tony's fate under wraps. As Joe Russo recently explained:

90 percent of those actors showed up and they had no idea what they were doing. They thought they were there for the wedding, so we had to tell them 'Here's what's happening in the story...' because again, we're just trying to protect information. People that don't have information, it makes it easier for them to not spill the beans accidentally.

Marvel Studios is known for its secrecy, and stakes were especially high for Avengers: Endgame. The blockbuster was the cumulation of 22 movies, so The Russo Brothers went to great length to keep the film's spoilers under wraps. Even from the cast.

Tony Stark's death was an emotionally devastating aspect of Endgame, and the OG MCU hero was given the respect he deserved after wielding the new Infinity Gauntlet, and snapping past-Thanos and his forces out of existence. The Russo Brothers added the "I am Iron Man" line very late into the film's process, while the funeral scene was exactly what moviegoers needed in the moment.

Related: The Russo Brothers Suggest How Long Avengers: Endgame Spoilers Should Be Protected

The funeral was a who's who of MCU characters, but that also meant a ton of actors who had the potential to spoil Tony's fate. In their same conversation with EW Radio, Anthony Russo spoke to the excitement of filming with such a great ensemble, while also be worried about Endgame's contents being kept under wraps. As he tell it,

It was an interesting day because getting all of those actors together at one level is very celebratory and joyful but it was for a difficult reason in this scene. And also, the story point in the scene was one of the biggest secrets in the movie so we had to be very, very quiet about it.

Talk about a twist. It must have been quite the pivot in emotions going from a wedding to a funeral, but The Russo Brothers had to do everything they could to guard the secrets of their Avengers movies. And it's an effort that has paid off, as both Infinity War and Endgame delivered countless plot twists, and made an insane amount of money at the box office.

It should be interesting to see how the MCU continues on without Tony Stark. Spider-Man: Far From Home looks it'll address just that, and is set to arrive shortly.

Avengers: Endgame is out now, and Spider-Man: Far From Home will hit theaters on July 2nd. In the meantime, check out out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Shazam! Director Points Out A Joker Easter Egg Some Fans Missed

Shazam! Director Points Out A Joker Easter Egg Some Fans Missed

Shazam! just topped the box office for a second week in a row. How many of this weekend's fans were repeat viewers, watching a second or even third time to try and catch all of the Easter eggs? Director David F. Sandberg is doing his part to get even more fans into seats to see the DC movie. When a fan pointed out a key little nugget in the background of a scene, Sandberg shared it as an argument for people to go back and watch Shazam! again:

Since David F. Sandberg seemed fine with this fan sharing a screenshot of his movie, here's a larger shot of the Easter egg in question, visible in the top right corner:

Yes, that ACE Chemicals logo ties to the Gotham storyline, specifically the Joker. According to the DC story, the Joker fell into a vat of chemical solution at ACE and transformed into the villain we know and love to hate today.

The ACE logo was shown during Shazam!'s warehouse scene, when Billy and Freddy tried to figure out the extent of Billy's new powers. Some fans replied to the original tweet saying they missed this particular Easter egg when watching the movie.

Another tie to the DCEU is where the empty warehouse was filmed. According to ScreenRant, they used the Hearn Generating Station outside of Toronto -- the same location used for ACE Chemicals during Suicide Squad.

Since David F. Sandberg pointed out the Easter egg himself, he probably hoped some fans would put the pieces together, even if it took multiple viewings. The director has been sharing little Easter eggs for the past year, long before the movie even opened -- including nods to Man of Steel, and a copy of The Daily Planet in Freddy's room, with a report on Lex Luthor.

As you probably know by now, Shazam! had originally hoped for a cameo from the DCEU's current Superman, Henry Cavill, but scheduling issues got in the way. Shazam! still managed to include a version of its intended scene, in honor of superhero-obsessed Freddy. You might consider the Shazam! director's own cameo in the movie an Easter egg, since it's not at all obvious.

Shazam! is a movie that lends itself to repeat viewing, and also post-viewing research. For example, here's some help deciphering the end credits scene. And don't forget how all of this ties into Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's Black Adam movie, which he said would start filming in about a year. The producers said they will probably move pretty quickly on a sequel to Shazam! and not just because of fan demand.

Shazam! is owning April so far, but don't forget (as if you would) Avengers: Endgame is coming April 26. Keep up with everything headed to the big screen with our 2019 movie release date schedule.

Shazam! Star Zachary Levi Is Proud Of The Movie’s Diversity

Shazam! Star Zachary Levi Is Proud Of The Movie’s Diversity

There are a lot of things that anyone involved in the production of Warner Bros’ Shazam! can signal as being proud of. With its deft mix of horror and comedic tones, as well as its continued revitalization of the DC Comics canon’s film branch, the movie has been well received by critics and fans alike, and one of the film’s stars, Zachary Levi, knows it as well as anyone!

But when it comes to what he’s particularly proud of in director David F. Sandberg’s comic caper, it’s the wide breadth of diversity that’s on display in the film. Zachary Levi explained his position in the following remarks during a recent interview:

And such an incredibly diverse and beautiful rainbow of diversity in that family, ethnically, but also one kid being disabled and all of them being foster kids. I have never in my life seen a movie, even not something that I haven't been a part of, that is so inclusive of so many groups of people that have not felt included. So I was like, 'This is gold. I'm so stoked. I'm so stoked that this is the heartbeat of what this movie is.' So it's an honor. It genuinely, is an honor. And it's been so cool being on social media and seeing so many people who have felt that, and felt seen, finally. Foster kids or people who were in the foster system, are now adults and out of it, or kids that are in right now. And them feeling seen.

At the heart of Shazam! is the story of the foster family, with its children of various ages coming from various ethnic backgrounds, and in the case of Jack Dylan Grazer’s Freddy Freeman, possessing a physical disability. Rather than showcasing a uniform example of diversity, the casting of the various family members was a truer portrait of diversity than most films get to show, and it’s clearly exciting for Zachary Levi to see that this is something that’s helped moviegoers identify with the film.

What’s even better is the fact that when you look at the marketing for Shazam!, it doesn’t oversell the idea of the family’s diversity as a marketing point. Which only makes the big spoilery reveal in the film’s third act all the more exciting, as the efforts that went into that particular scene’s production also required the same sort of diverse casting of characters, but on another level.

During his talk with Comicbook.com, Zachary Levi continued to praise the progressive portrayal of Billy Batson and his foster family in Shazam!, with his ultimate point being the following:

If we can do anything in this world, I hope that we can always be, again, looking at people and saying to them, even just in the way we treat them, 'I see you. I see you and I value you. And you're worthy of living the life that you're living.'

As Shazam! is looking to be fast tracked for a sequel in the near future, that message of acceptance, value and representation is likely to continue in the DCEU. Should that be the case, the comic franchise will only rise in personal value, as its efforts to reach out to a more diverse crowd of moviegoers will have been more than worth their inclusion the first time around.

Shazam! is currently in theaters, but if you’ve already seen it and would like to try out a new adventure at the movies, feel free to use our 2019 release schedule to help guide the way.

How Much The Live Action Aladdin Could Make Opening Weekend

How Much The Live Action Aladdin Could Make Opening Weekend

One of the pillars of Disney’s absurdly stacked 2019 theatrical slate is the live-action remakes of the studio’s animated classics. The first of this year’s remakes, Dumbo, just hit theaters at the end of March and now we can begin to look ahead at the next one on the docket, May’s Aladdin. Although Dumbo may be an exception, past live-action remakes have proven especially lucrative for Disney. So, will Aladdin too enjoy Cave of Wonders-like riches at the box office?

The early tracking is in for director Guy Ritchie’s remake of the beloved 1992 film and if one of Disney’s wishes was for Aladdin to have a big opening weekend, that wish looks like it may be granted. Opening over the long Memorial Day weekend, Aladdin is tracking at a three-day weekend between $70 million and $95 million and a four-day between $85 million and a huge $115 million according to Box Office Pro.

After Dumbo’s somewhat lackluster debut a couple of weeks back, a big opening for Aladdin could get these live-action remakes back in the win column. Dumbo opened below expectations to $45.9 million, which is on the lower end of Disney’s recent live-action remakes, eclipsing only Pete’s Dragon and Alice Through the Looking Glass. Yet Dumbo faced mixed reviews. Plus, as a remake of a much older film, it doesn’t have quite the same nostalgic potency of something like Aladdin, which hails from the much-heralded Disney Renaissance.

This long-range tracking for the three and four-day weekend is very broad and could see Aladdin swing either way with the result being tens of millions of dollars difference. An opening weekend on the low end of tracking at $70 million would put Aladdin behind only Alice in Wonderland, The Jungle Book and the absolutely massive Beauty and the Beast, which opened to $174.7 million.

Based on the current tracking, Aladdin definitely wouldn’t take that top spot (The Lion King is coming for that), but it could overperform and surpass The Jungle Book’s $103.2 million opening to snag the third-highest opening weekend for a Disney live-action remake. Either way, it looks like Aladdin should land in the upper echelon of this category.

The original Aladdin opened back in November of 1992 and earned $19.2 million in its first wide weekend and went on to become that year’s biggest film at the box office, with a domestic haul of $217.4 million or $473 million in today’s dollars. That success is indicative of the love for the film and the nostalgic power it has over those who grew up with it. That bodes well for the film, as this tracking suggests.

However, nostalgia is a double-edged sword and the early marketing for Aladdin was met with concern at how Will Smith’s Genie looked, the visuals and the portrayal of Jafar. Following Robin Williams’ iconic performance --even 27 years later -- is no easy thing. The most recent full trailer assuaged some of these concerns, but bringing back Alan Menken to do the music alone may not be enough to win over the most particular of fans.

So it will be interesting to see how the marketing affects this tracking between now and the film’s release. On the competition front, Aladdin opens two weeks after Detective Pikachu and two weeks before The Secret Life of Pets 2, those films being the most obvious competition for the family-friendly dollar.

The Memorial Day weekend is a huge one for moviegoing and although not necessarily competing for the same audience, Aladdin does have some interesting competition opening opposite it. The sci-fi epic Ad Astra starring Brad Pitt opens that weekend, as does the R-rated superhero film Brightburn and the directorial debut of Olivia Wilde, Booksmart. That’s a heck of a lineup, so forget cookouts and go hang out in the theater that weekend.

Aladdin shows us a whole new world when it opens on May 24. Check out our 2019 release schedule to see all of the movies you can look forward to the rest of this year.

Godzilla: King Of Monsters Director Teases Idea For An Avengers Crossover

Godzilla: King Of Monsters Director Teases Idea For An Avengers Crossover

We are only about one month away from the release of Avengers: Endgame and the end of this iteration of the MCU as we know it. Though the plot is being treated like a military-grade secret, it's likely that the Avengers will be in need of a new villain by the time the rumored three hour runtime is complete. There are plenty of villains to choose from, but director Michael Dougherty presented a really cool option: Godzilla.

Michael Dougherty is the director of the upcoming Godzilla: King of the Monsters, which will be hitting theaters in May. The sequel will find Godzilla going head-to-head against Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah in a battle to decide who is the alpha Titan of planet Earth. Having three of Godzilla's most iconic monster foes in one movie must not have been enough for Dougherty because he'd like to see Godzilla go to town on the Avengers.

And it's not such a crazy idea! There's actually some real history in the comics to support this, something that Mike Dougherty knows well. The director took to social media posting a picture of a comic book in which the Avengers had to fight Godzilla. Dougherty wrote that this movie would "make the world a better place" and I'd have to agree with him.

The comic book in reference is back during the late '70s when Marvel had the licensing rights to Godzilla. Occasionally during the issues it released, Godzilla would encounter Marvel superheroes, in one case going up against the Avengers. The heroes are called in to stop one of Godzilla's rampages.

It's not too hard to see why Dougherty would be 100% down for this crossover. The Avengers are arguably the biggest box office success in history, and a movie where they meet Godzilla would be filled with enough spectacle to make your eyes bleed. I don't know how the Avengers could ever beat Godzilla, but I also don't know how they will reverse half the universe getting erased either.

Even though an Avengers and Godzilla crossover is just an impossible dream right now (movie rights are owned by different studios), it's not like there isn't plenty to look forward to from both franchises. Endgame is just right around the corner, and the movie is already projected to shatter box office records.

Meanwhile, Godzilla doesn't have a shortage of foes to beat as he fights his arch-nemesis King Ghidorah in King of the Monsters. The trailers have teased that this is the effects-heavy, big budget monster brawl that fans have ben waiting years for and it looks like a very entertaining movie.

You can catch Avengers: Endgame on April 26, while Godzilla: King of the Monsters will follow about a little over a month later on May 31.

J.K. Rowling, George Lucas And 4 Other Creators Who Retconned Movies After They Were Released

J.K. Rowling, George Lucas And 4 Other Creators Who Retconned Movies After They Were Released

Warning: spoilers for several properties, like the Fantastic Beasts and Avengers franchises, are in play.

Telling a basic story requires three things: a beginning, a middle, and an end. Sounds pretty simple, but it’s the characters we meet, the relationships they form, and the events they live through or partake in that really put the meat in the sandwich we call a story. And much like a sandwich artist, it takes the right amount of skill to know when you’ve finished your masterpiece, or when it needs a little more work.

However, there have been times when story creators made pretty big reversals to stuff they’d established earlier in their respective canons. We’ve seen it a lot with J.K. Rowling lately, as she’s expanded the lore of her Wizarding World on whims as of late. She’s not the first, and nor will she be the last person to revisit their own worlds of fiction, with a red pen and some big ideas in mind, as you’ll see in the following list of hugest shifts made to pre-existing material, and the folks behind them.

Let's start with the writer who got this list off the ground...

J.K. Rowling

We didn't know a ton about Professor Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series of novels and films, but we did know he had two siblings, a friend named Gellert Grindelwald, and a life full of adventures from his younger years. Slowly but surely, J.K. Rowling has started filling in more of that story, with some rather interesting and contradictory results.

Not only was Dumbledore outed as being gay once the series of books had been completed, with nary a hint or trace of any sort of romance for the venerable Hogwarts headmaster existing in those books, but it was then decided that Grindelwald was the intense object of his affection. That intensity is another change that Rowling has made in the wake of the latest film, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. Though it should be noted that film had its fair share of surprises, as it decided to throw another Dumbledore sibling into the works, and we'll see how that storyline plays out in Fantastic Beasts 3.

The Russo Brothers

Alongside writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, Joe and Anthony Russo have had the run of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and plotted its fate up to their final film in the universe, Avengers: Endgame. But the details that came out after the film had dropped, as well as within the film itself, have made some of the most recent history of the series feel a little weird. Most importantly is the whole plot twist that now instead of Captain America and Sharon Carter being a cute one-off romance that now seems like a creepy moment between uncle and niece.

Not to mention, that Hulk’s damage to his arm is permanent, despite no further mention of it being made throughout the rest of Avengers: Endgame whatsoever. (I guess we're just supposed to compare' Hulk's damage to Thanos'?) Most revealing of all these off screen changes was the fact that in between the release of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, major characters like Shuri and Aunt May were dusted off screen.

There was always bound to be some random, off camera folks who were sent away in Thanos’ Decimation, but with characters so notable suffering that very fate, it was a bit of a shock to find out that those we thought were safe turned out to be dusted through interviews and trailers released after the fact.

Sylvester Stallone

Looking to end the Rocky series on a high note, creator/star Sylvester Stallone cooked up the scenario to end all scenarios with Rocky V. Taking one last fight, the underdog-turned-champion Rocky Balboa would risk his whole life on this final bout, as he was diagnosed with permanent brain damage and advised never to fight again.

And yet, despite making that decision to take Rocky out of the ring, it would only take 16 years for it to be undone in the name of progress. With 2006’s Rocky Balboa, Stallone basically said that with the medical advancements that had taken place between the films, Rocky was eventually cleared to box again and it wasn’t that serious in the first place.

Though if we’re being honest, Sylvester Stallone’s own version of the perfect Rocky franchise continuity sees only Rocky and Rocky Balboa still standing, as he believed the films to be perfect bookends to one another. So that’s another thing to keep in mind when untangling the twisty nature of the Rocky franchise.

Sam Raimi

With his interpretation of the Spider-Man mythos, and David Koepp’s pen helping do the lifting on the story end, director Sam Raimi’s 2002 debut of Peter Parker’s big screen adventures set the tone for his career as a crimefighter. And it included one of the saddest moments of his entire life: the death of his uncle Ben.

In the version of events we saw in Spider-Man, a random thug holds up a wrestling promoter that Peter found himself cheated by. But as Peter didn’t stop this thug from getting away, they eventually tried to steal Uncle Ben’s car, killing him in the process. However Sam Raimi, along with co-writers Ivan Raimi and Alvin Sargent, changed one of the most crucial moments in Peter Parker’s genesis as a superhero, when it came time to write the story for Spider-Man 3.

Now, instead of a random thug, the man who killed Uncle Ben was Flint Marko, better known as the villainous Sandman. Only, Sandman wasn’t too much of a villain, as he was only stealing to support his sick daughter, and Uncle Ben’s death was a total accident. While it doesn’t alter Peter’s character all that much, it’s still one of those things that consciously undoes the pre-existing lore so much, you can see how much disarray the franchise was already in with its third of a proposed seven entry series.

Chris Morgan

While the Fast and Furious series has never been known for its economy of story, there is one event that was so pivotal to a fan-favorite character that it had to be shuffled down the timeline into later films. Killing Han Lue may have felt like the right story beat for Chris Morgan’s script to The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift to undertake, but in order for actor Sung Kang’s character to have more adventures with the Torretto crime family, a lot of explaining would need to be done.

In particular, that film’s slot as the third film in the chronological release order is betrayed by the fact the film’s events were eventually rewritten by Chris Morgan to take place between Fast and Furious 6 and Furious 7. Even more baffling is how instead of the Yakuza (or a rival racer) killing Han, Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw was the person behind that heinous murder.

Were Deckard to have stayed a villain in the Fast and Furious series, this might not have been a problem.  With this character being turned into such a hero his whole entire family has been spun off into a new franchise, there are some who are less than forgiving for Chris Morgan’s big switcharoo; which may explain one reason he’s no longer the main writer on the series’ next installment, Fast 9.

George Lucas

It really feels like there’s a precedent with retconning characters named Han. Though out of these two instances, it’s no question that George Lucas’ massive change to the Star Wars universe is the one with the greater impact.

While the original trilogy’s theatrical version saw Han Solo shoot rival Greedo before he had the chance to get the drop on him, the special editions of the film’s 20th anniversary played out rather differently. This time around, the pivotal moment that proved Han to be a badass without remorse saw his murder of Greedo as a result of the luck of the draw, as they both shot simultaneously.

There were plenty more changes that Lucas would implement through not only the special editions of 1997, but also the prequel trilogy he would eventually embark on as a result. Yet out of everything that would change as a result of George Lucas revisiting the Star Wars galaxy, Han Solo’s status as a rogue being reduced to a lucky bastard is one the fans still have a problem accepting to this very day.

They may not be pretty, but these examples of creators retconning their creations into something different than initially intended are prime reminders that any fictional canon can be meddled with at any time. Nothing is ever final, until those who have the power to say so let them be. Remember that the next time you see an ending, whether you agree with it or not, and take comfort that fans and creators both can interpret events in their own special way, with neither owing any fealty to the other.