by Stone Marshall | May 16, 2017 | Awesome Book News, Free, Intro, Minecraft News, Minecraft questions, news, parent-news, State of Stone, Stone Marshall Books, Stone Marshall Minecraft Adventures, Uncategorized |
HELLBOY TO GET HORROR REBOOT? WE’VE SEEN STRANGER THINGS
(Photo by Universal, Curtis Baker/Netflix courtesy Everett Collection)
This week’s biggest and most surprising news was sort of a confluence of two stories from earlier in the year. First, there was the Twitter announcement from director Guillermo Del Toro in February that, “Hellboy 3 Sorry to report: Spoke w all parties. Must report that 100% the sequel will not happen. And that is to be the final thing about it.” Note that Del Toro was speaking specifically about a sequel to the two Hellboy movies that he directed, starring Ron Perlman. Also, earlier this year, David Harbour (Stranger Things) was in contention for the role of Cable in Deadpool 2, suggesting he was interested in starring in a comic book movie — that role eventually went to Josh Brolin instead. Put all of that together, and it leads to this week’s news of a Hellboy reboot starring David Harbour and directed by Neil Marshall (The Descent, the Blackwater and Watchers on the Wall episodes of Game of Thrones.) The new movie, possibly titled Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen, will be from Millennium Films, the company best known for mid-level budget action movies like The Expendables and Olympus Has Fallen. The Hellboy reboot was described by its new screenwriter as, “a darker, more gruesome version of Hellboy… walk[ing] a razor’s edge between horror and comic book movie.”
Fresh Developments
1. CLIFF CURTIS CAST IN THE AVATAR SEQUELS AS “REEF PEOPLE” LEADER
(Photo by Fox Searchlight)
Even those who never saw James Cameron’s 2009 hit Avatar are likely to know it involved blue aliens that looked like a cross between deer and elves (i.e. the Na’vi). Cameron has been talking about his sequels for years and years now, including the detail that the story would be moving to Pandora’s oceans. This week, Fox and Cameron revealed their first new cast member, confirming the new setting. Prolific character actor Cliff Curtis, currently starring on AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead, has signed on to play “Tonowari, the leader of the Metkayina reef people clan.” What we don’t know from that description is whether the “reef people” are also Na’vi, another Pandoran race, or a little bit of both. 20th Century Fox has scheduled the four Avatar sequels for December dates in 2020, 2021, 2024, and 2025, starting with Avatar 2 on December 18, 2020.
2. HUGH BONNEVILLE TO PORTRAY ROALD DAHL IN BIOPIC
(Photo by Laurie Sparham/Weinstein Company courtesy Everett Collection)
The works of British children’s authors have inspired a number of big screen adaptations, but their lives themselves have also provided some rich material. Some notable examples include Finding Neverland (Peter Pan creator J.M. Barrie), Shadowlands (Narnia creator C.S. Lewis), Saving Mr. Banks (Mary Poppins creator P.L. Travers), and Miss Potter (Peter Rabbit creator Beatrix Potter). Another prolific British author was Roald Dahl, whom we can thank for Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Witches, Matilda, and last year’s The BFG. Well, it’s finally Dahl’s turn to receive a (shared) biopic, and the actor who has landed the role is Hugh Bonneville. Downton Abbey fans will know Bonneville for portraying Lord Robert Crawley, the 7th Earl of Grantham. The currently untitled biopic will tell “a bittersweet, comedic story focusing on Dahl’s marriage to actress Patricia Neal, [as] the story moves between New York, England and Los Angeles in the early 1960s, a time when Dahl struggled to write some of his most famous works and Neal returned to acting with Hud.”
3. BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH AND JAKE GYLLENHAAL MEET UP IN RIO
(Photo by Jason Smith, John Nacion / Everett Collection)
Italian director Luca Guadagnino has yet to have a hit in the USA, but after his debut in 2010 (I Am Love), he has continued to attract actors that suggest it might just happen for him soon. For example, Guadagnino’s 2016 film, A Bigger Splash, featured the talents of Tilda Swinton, Dakota Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes. If negotiations work out for his fourth film, titled Rio (not to be confused with the 2011 animated hit of the same name), Guardagnino will be assisted by Benedict Cumberbatch and Jake Gyllenhaal. Gyllenhaal will play a financial reporter who travels to Rio de Janeiro to visit a wealthy friend (Benedict Cumberbath), only to find himself sucked into a plot to fake his friend’s death. Like many of the films covered in this week’s Ketchup, Rio is making the news now in advance of being sold to various international markets at next week’s Cannes Film Festival.
4. ARYA STARK AND THE WITCH CONFIRMED AS WOLFSBANE AND MAGIK IN THE NEW MUTANTS
(Photo by Dee Cercone, James Atoa / Everett Collection)
Blogs, websites, and columns about film development (like this one) sometimes cover news years ahead of time, but we can’t necessarily presume everyone will remember every detail. Consider, for example, the news from March of last year about the rumored casting of two of the leads in next year’s X-Men spinoff, The New Mutants (4/13/18), to be directed by Josh Boone (The Fault in Our Stars). As it turns out, that story was on the money, but the official announcement didn’t happen until this week. Maisie Williams, best known as Arya Stark from Game of Thrones, has been cast as Rahne Sinclair, AKA Wolfsbane, a Scottish teenager with the ability to turn into a wolf (and a halfway werewolf form too). Anya Taylor-Joy, the star of last year’s The Witch (and this year’s Split) has been cast as Illyana Rasputin, AKA Magik, the little sister of Colossus, who can teleport, use magic, and also has a really big sword. As The Hollywood Reporter reports, “Fox is making serious efforts to find ethnically appropriate actors, conducting wide searches for a Native American to play Moonstar and a South American for Sunspot.” The other New Mutants will be Cannonball and Warlock, but apparently, not founding member (in the comics), Karma.
5. PETER DINKLAGE TO STAR IN “TATTOO” DRAMA, MY DINNER WITH HERVE
(Photo by MGM courtesy Everett Collection)
If you’ve been following film development news long enough, you may be familiar with a biopic called My Dinner with Herve, which refers to 1970s actor Herve Villechaize. Villechaize (who was also a dwarf) was basically known for two roles: the villain Nick Nack in the James Bond movie The Man with the Golden Gun and (more famously) Tattoo on the ABC TV show Fantasy Island. Villechaize also struggled with personal demons, ending his own life in 1993. It’s not yet known how much My Dinner with Herve will explore the latter, but we now know that Villechaize will be portrayed by Peter Dinklage, AKA Tyrion Lannister from Game of Thrones. Jamie Dornan (Fifty Shades of Grey) will costar with Dinklage as a struggling journalist who finds himself spending a wild night with Villechaize, partying at locations all over Los Angeles. HBO Films is producing, but the company may also seek a theatrical release.
6. MARGOT ROBBIE TO PRODUCE AND STAR IN 1930S DUST BOWL THRILLER DREAMLAND
(Photo by Frank Masi/Paramount Pictures courtesy Everett Collection)
Australian actress Margot Robbie is probably best known for starring as Harley Quinn in last year’s Suicide Squad and Jane in The Legend of Tarzan, but in the near future, she’ll be starring in three biopics (I, Tonya; Goodbye Christopher Robin; and Mary Queen of Scots), and she also voiced a role in next year’s animated version of Peter Rabbit. On top of all that Robbie is also taking control of her own agency by becoming a producer, and the latest film project she’s producing for herself as a starring vehicle is called Dreamland. Set during the “Dust Bowl” devastation of Depression Era America, Dreamland is a bank robber thriller about “a 15-year-old boy on his quest to capture a fugitive bank robber (Robbie) and collect the bounty on her head, all with the goal of saving his family farm from foreclosure.” Director Miles Joris-Peyrafitte is reportedly, “hoping to bring a balance of nostalgic beauty and gritty realism to the proceedings as well as a balance between a sense of romanticism and a sense of violence.”
7. DANIEL RADCLIFFE TO SHOOT AT PEOPLE, GUNS AKIMBO
(Photo by Jaap Buitendijk/Warner Bros. courtesy Everett Collection)
Another actor who continues to establish a new identity on the big screen is Daniel Radcliffe, the former Harry Potter child star. Last year saw the release of probably the craziest example of his efforts to branch out, in the form of Swiss Army Man, in which he played a corpse with amazing gastrointestinal “powers.” Radcliffe is now attached to star in an action comedy called Guns Akimbo, to be directed by New Zealand’s Jason Lei Howden, who made his debut with the heavy metal comedy Deathgasm. Radcliffe will play a man with a dead-end job who finds himself “enrolled on a dark net website that forces complete strangers to fight in a city-wide game of death so that their gladiatorial battles can be live-streamed worldwide to a fanatical audience.”
8. TOM HANKS TO STAR IN WESTERN NOVEL ADAPTATION NEWS OF THE WORLD
(Photo by Jaap Buitendijk/Walt Disney Studios courtesy Everett Collection)
Tom Hanks has obviously starred in a wide variety of films during his lengthy career, but he has yet to appear in a Western. That’s about to change, as he is now attached to star in a film adaptation of the Paulette Jiles novel News of the World, written by Luke Davies (Lion) for Fox 2000. Hanks will star as Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd, a Texas cowboy in 1870 who “travels from town to town to read the news to locals who would otherwise not know what is going on in the world. While Kidd is sparked up by spreading the word of the passage of the 15th Amendment that gave voting rights to all men, he agrees to escort a 10-year-old white girl to her aunt and uncle in San Antonio after she was rescued from the Kiowa Indian tribe that kidnapped her and killed her family four years earlier. His traveling partner is an ornery youngster who didn’t want to be rescued and brought to her relatives.”
9. JOHNNY DEPP SAYS HELLO TO RICHARD SAYS GOODBYE
In RT’s latest 24 Frames gallery, you can browse through “24 Dicks We Love From Movies and TV” to mark the debut of Amazon’s I Love Dick. Well, Johnny Depp is now attached to star in a dramedy called Richard Says Goodbye, so we might have another to add to the list. This will be the second film from indie director Wayne Roberts, who made his debut last year with the similarly titled Katie Says Goodbye, starring Olivia Cooke, Mireille Enos, James Belushi, and Mary Steenburgen. Depp will star as “a world-weary college professor who is given a life-changing diagnosis and then decides to throw all pretense and conventions to the wind and live his life as boldly and freely as possible. With a biting sense of humor, a reckless streak and a touch of madness, he binges through every vice: smoking, drinking, sex, and hurling blunt insults at anyone who annoys him, giving him more pleasure than he’s had in years.” Johnny Depp previously starred in a similar film, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, based on the novel by Hunter S. Thompson.
Stranger Things Star David Harbour Will Star In A Hellboy Reboot, and More Movie News
by Stone Marshall | May 15, 2017 | Awesome Book News, Free, Intro, Minecraft News, Minecraft questions, news, parent-news, State of Stone, Stone Marshall Book News, Stone Marshall Books, Stone Marshall Minecraft Adventures, Uncategorized |
Box Office: Guardians Vol. 2 Tops Snatched, King Arthur
The Fate of the Furious and The Boss Baby round out the top five.
This weekend two new major new releases disappointed while there were a couple of surprises near the bottom of the top 10.
The rag-tag team of misfits lead the box office for a second straight weekend as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 slipped a reasonable 57% from last weekend to an estimated $63M, bringing its total to $246M after 10 days. By comparison, the original fell 55% in its second weekend so even though sequels tend to front load their grosses, Guardians 2 seems to be holding on better than most. After 10 days the original was at $176M and ended its run at $333M. Following roughly the same trajectory, and realizing the box office at the beginning of the summer is more competitive than at the end of the summer, Guardians 2 could end at around $375-400M.
Second place belonged to the leading ladies of Snatched. The R-rated comedy starring Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn opened to a so-so $17.5M, according to estimates, from 3,501 theaters for a per screen average of $4,999. Critics were not kind as it currently sits at 36% positive on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences didn’t seem too pleased either as it got a B CinemaScore. It doesn’t appear the counterprogramming to the male dominated summer blockbusters worked in this case. However, with a production budget around $40M, it will likely make back its money unlike…
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword which tanked this weekend grossing only an estimated $14.7M from 3,702 theaters for a per screen average of $3,971. Its production budget was in the $175M vicinity and while a lot of films these days make up their money overseas, King Arthur is dying there too as it opened to $29M from 51 markets this weekend. Critics liked this one even less as it stands at 28% positive on Rotten Tomatoes, yet audiences liked it a bit more as it got a B+ CinemaScore. Still, this one is in the running for biggest bomb of the year and it’s only the second week of May.
Holdovers, all with relatively small drops, took the next four places on the charts. Landing in fourth place was the multicultural crew of The Fate of the Furious which took in an estimated $5.3M in its fifth go around, bringing its cume up to $215M. In fifth place was The Boss Baby which added an estimated $4.6M to its coffers, bringing its total up to $162M after seven weeks. 2017s reigning champ fell to sixth place this weekend as Beauty and the Beast added another $3.86M, according to estimates, to its gargantuan total, bringing its cume up to $493M after nine weeks. Does it have enough left in the tank to become only the eighth film to hit the magical $500M mark? I’m gonna say yes. And in seventh place was How to be a Latin Lover which took in an estimated $3.75M bringing its total up to $26M after three weeks.
There was s surprise entry in the top 10 as the unheralded Lowriders ended in eighth place this weekend with an estimated $2.4M from only 295 theaters for a per screen average of $8,810, second best in the top 10. A PG-13 drama about lowrider car culture with virtually no stars managed to do some pretty good business. Ninth place belonged to the disappointing thriller The Circle which added an estimated $1.7M to its bank, bringing the total up to only $18.9M… which is virtually the same total as the final film in the top 10, the biggest Bollywood hit of all time, Baahubali 2: The Conclusion which made $1.5M from only 375 theaters this weekend, bringing its total to $18.93M. If I told you a few weeks ago that a Bollywood film that had a 167 minute running time and never play in more than 425 theaters would outgross a film starring Tom Hanks and Emma Watson, would you have believed me? Also, I never would have said it because I never would have imagined it happening.
The top ten films grossed an estimated $118M which was down 3.7% from last year when Captain America: Civil War remained at number one with $72.6M; and down 32.5% from 2015 when the ladies of Pitch Perfect 2 opened in the top spot with $69.2M.
Box Office: Guardians Vol. 2 Tops Snatched, King Arthur
by Stone Marshall | May 15, 2017 | Awesome Book News, Free, Intro, news, parent-news, State of Stone, Stone Marshall Books |
Harry Styles’ solo album might be the most anticipated debut this side of the millennium. Following years as the bullseye in the global behemoth that was One Direction, the singer is taking center stage with a self-titled effort that’s a classic cocktail of psychedelia, Britpop, and balladry. If it was a color, it would be the baby blue of Jimi Hendrix’s Fender Stratocaster or the soft pink of Mick Jagger’s suit when he performed on “Top Of The Pops” in 1971. It’s rock and it’s roll, but it’s also soft and sensitive. Produced by Jeff Bhasker (Kanye West, Fun.) it’s a record that could force the position of mainstream radio by ushering in a reprise of proper music — ensembles, verse-chorus-verse, rich instrumentation, or, basically, Adele’s bag of tricks.
Despite the red herring of lead single ‘Sign Of The Times’ (it clocks in at just under six minutes in length), the album is a short shrift 40 minutes and contains ten songs that are largely about women. Unlike Robbie Williams and Justin Timberlake before him, there’s a deepened millennial sensibility to being a leading man. Harry is a sensitive soul; A post-Drake phenomenon; A serious pop performer with enviable vocal chops and a gifted ability to convey a song’s emotional heft. He oozes class, ease and a sense of import without thrusting forth from the hips, or wreaking of a self-satisfied sense of boyband emancipation. Both respectful of his past and nervous for his future, “Harry Styles,” the album, looks both ways.
Read on for a track-by-track:
1. “Meet Me In The Hallway”
“2…3…” Styles verbally counts into his opening track to add a sense of unveiling; a sense that he’s come prepared; a sense that this is no longer a rehearsal. When Styles was younger, he told Rolling Stone, he was exposed to Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side Of The Moon.” This track does possess some Floydian tendencies with a psychedelic acoustic guitar strum that recalls the likes of “San Tropez” on “Meddle.” In fact, Styles’ album artwork wouldn’t look out of place on a shelf next to some Floyd vinyl. You imagine it’s been crafted to look, feel and sound like an instant British rock classic, preened to slide alongside your prized records library. As Styles sings about walking the streets all day and being left in some cold, random hallway, he kicks off proceedings with a plea to an ex: “I gotta get better/And maybe we’ll work it out,” he sings, dreamily.
2. “Sign Of The Times”
You already know this one. It’s an apocalyptic overture that conversely began its life in the least apocalyptic of settings, within the serene paradise of Jamaica. Allegedly it was written in three hours. The music video, which arrived earlier this week, paints Styles as a walking-on-water Jesus figure, while also confusing him with another Harry (Potter) as he flies over British seaside cliffs. Arguably it’s his answer to Robbie Williams’ “Angels.” With a running time of six minutes, however, it’s unlikely to become a karaoke favorite. A musing on the end-of-world Armageddon we are living in, he welcomes us to “the final show, I hope you’re wearing your best clothes,” over lofty piano chords before lift-off on a chorus that seems aching to channel Bowie’s “All The Young Dudes” but probably lands somewhere around Starsailor’s “Silence Is Easy” or “Just Looking” by The Stereophonics. The post-Britpop force is strong in Styles.
3. “Carolina”
Unlike “Sign Of The Times,” you can feel a waft of relaxed Jamaican island life immediately on this jauntier, guitar-driven, rhythmic affair, which, true to title, is about a girl in Carolina (North or South is not specified). “She’s a good girl, she’s such a good girl/She feels so good,” sings Styles. Despite its simplicity, the way he wraps his voice around the phrasing completely eradicates any of that cloying awkward clumsiness possessed by Ed Sheeran – the competition for this kind of thing. The production searches for the funky weirdness possessed by Beck on “Midnite Vultures” or “Odelay” (think: “Peaches And Cream” from the former). With a breakdown that nods to The Beatles’ “A Day In The Life,” Styles’ attempts at the classic canon of British songwriting means he sometimes falls into the kitschier territory of Britpop also-rans such as Space and Kula Shaker. However, any Britpop fan knows that Space and Kula Shaker are not to be sniffed at.
4. ” Two Ghosts”
Apparently Nicholas Sparks’ novels inspired much of the songwriting on this debut, and it’s very easy to imagine an extended hyper emotional scene from “The Notebook” in the background while listening to Styles unwind this tragic, mystifying tale. “We’re not who we used to be / We’re just two ghosts standing in the place of you and me,” he coos. “Trying to remember how it feels to have a heartbeat…” Blimey. The slide guitar and country-folk leanings will place you in the heart of Styles’ second home of Laurel Canyon, among the company of David Crosby, Neil Young, and Joni Mitchell. There, I said it.
5. “Sweet Creature”
The third song to be released ahead of the album, “Sweet Creature” attempts to ape the sort of picked-out acoustic strums of a “Hey There Delilah” by Plain White T’s, “Norwegian Wood”‘ by The Beatles or Fleetwood Mac’s “Never Going Back Again.” This particular track was entirely self-penned by Styles in collaboration with Kid Harpoon [Florence & The Machine, Jessie Ware]. He croons, “We don’t know where we’re going but we know we belong” over warm guitars, like he’s serenading his lady while realizing he’s lost his way on one of London’s many grassy heaths as the sun begins to set. The level of earnestness and honesty here is mimicked in the way he holds himself onstage right now. Styles’ hair, his suits and the caressing of his microphone will no doubt lend odes such as this one added swoon factor.
6. “Only Angel”
It’s the halfway point and all has changed! Suddenly the album bites back with raging rock riffs, Styles springing to life while being given temporary bail from the prison that is his aching heart. Owing a lot of his current poise to a certain Rolling Stone, he wears the soul claps and ‘woo-hoo’s of “Only Angel” as though he’s the lost child of Jagger himself. Styles’ vocal leaps and yelps, pounding with liberated, natural sex appeal. ‘Only Angel’ is a reminder to all listeners that this is a chocolate box of an album. It’s just not obvious at first what’s contained under each layer but everyone’s tastes will be attended to.
7. “Kiwi”
Like something of a one-two punch, “Kiwi” picks up from “Only Angel’”s amped-up guitar grooves, bettering the banger that’s just lodged itself in your hips. The lyrics seem weirdly like a new take on the concept for Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean”: “This girl is crazy / I think I’m losing it,” he confesses, before chiming, “I’m having your baby / It’s none of your business.” Tongue-in-cheek perhaps, it’s nevertheless delivered with gravelly tones that suggest Styles isn’t messing around. There’s also a distinct mid ’90s Britpop appeal to “Kiwi.” One track that reminds of Kula Shaker could be a fluke. Two is definitely not coincidence.
8. “Ever Since New York”
The second song to debut on “Saturday Night Live,” ever since its unveiling the world has been wondering to whom it’s addressed — while largely pointing to former flame Taylor Swift. “Choose your words ’cause there’s no antidote,” he sings, vaguely, perhaps nodding to Swift’s own songwriting (many have surmised that songs such as “Out Of The Woods” and, er, “Style” are about Styles). The song is pure rock troubadour. Think: a young Ryan Adams singing about forlorn swimming pools and talking to walls. “Tell me something I don’t already know,” Styles pines, longingly questioning the loss of a love.
9. “Woman”
“Shall we just search romantic comedies on Netflix and see what we find?” says a voice at the start of this track. Like Frank Ocean on “Super Rich Kids,” Styles seems to borrow from Elton John’s “Benny And The Jets,” seemingly interpolating those same R&B piano stabs. The track also possesses hints of Electric Light Orchestra’s “Evil Woman.” “Selfish I know but I don’t wanna see you with him,” Styles sings, scorning another old flame. “I hope you can see the shape I’ve been in while he’s touching your skin.” Ouch.
10. “From The Dining Table”
We began in the hallway and end at the dining table. What have we learned during our stay in Styles-land? His lyrics are so clouded in mystery (likely to avoid endless gossip column inches) that it’s hard to say precisely. Sonically, however, “From The Dining Table” works as a coda, bringing us back to that warm acoustic confessional style that almost veers into Laura Marling territory. “Fell back to sleep I got drunk by noon / I haven’t felt this cool… Even my phone misses your call by the way…” You’re put in the mental state of a global superstar who still gets painfully dejected by the object of his desire. By the time Styles nears the album’s end and blurts out the line, “Maybe one day you’ll call me and tell me you’re sorry, too” you’re rooting for him to receive some kind of karmic vindication.
Harry Styles’ Solo Album: A Track-by-Track Breakdown
by Stone Marshall | May 14, 2017 | Awesome Book News, Free, Intro, Minecraft News, Minecraft questions, news, parent-news, State of Stone, Stone Marshall Book News, Stone Marshall Books, Stone Marshall Minecraft Adventures, Uncategorized |
By Alex Osborn King Arthur: Legend of the Sword bombed in its opening weekend, placing third at the domestic box office with an estimated $14.7 million.
As noted by Variety, director Guy Ritchie’s fantasy drama, starring Charlie Hunnam, is this summer’s first box office flop and has a long way to go before recouping its hefty production budget of $175 million. Read IGN’s King Arthur: Legend of the Sword review, or watch the video below, to find out why the film’s “incessant desire to be clever and funny, go too far and become off-putting.”
Leading the box office for its second consecutive week is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which earned an estimated $63 million. With a $145 million debut last weekend, the domestic total for director James Gunn’s sci-fi sequel is nearing $250 million.
Just ahead of King Arthur: Legend of the Sword in second place is Snatched. Fox’s R-rated comedy, starring Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn, debuted to an estimated $17.5 million. Meanwhile, Lowriders, the Ricardo de Montreuil-directed drama about a teenage graffiti artist, played by Gabriel Chavarria, had a limited release this weekend, placing eighth with $2.4 million.
Rounding out this weekend’s top five are The Fate of the Furious and The Boss Baby, which earned an estimated $5.3 million and $4.6 million, respectively.
Here are this weekend’s Top 10 North American box office estimates via comScore:
1. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 $63 million
2. Snatched $17.5 million
3. King Arthur: Legend of the Sword $14.7 million
4. The Fate of the Furious $5.3 million
5. The Boss Baby $4.6 million
6. Beauty and the Beast $3.9 million
7. How to Be a Latin Lover $3.8 million
8. Lowriders $2.4 million
9. The Circle $1.7 million
10. MET Opera: Der Rosenkavalier $1.7 million
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword Is This Summer’s First Box Office Bomb
by Stone Marshall | May 14, 2017 | Awesome Book News, Free, Intro, Minecraft News, Minecraft questions, news, parent-news, State of Stone, Stone Marshall Book News, Stone Marshall Books, Stone Marshall Club, Stone Marshall Minecraft Adventures |
“King Arthur: Legend of the Sword” is a massive flop; let the pointing (and wagging) of fingers commence!
The project from Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow landed with a thud after earning only $14.7 million domestically during its opening weekend off an estimated $175 million production budget, not to mention marketing costs. Not even overseas grosses — which have propped up big-budget films, not in the least limited to “Pacific Rim” and “Warcraft” that would have been considered bombs otherwise — could save “Arthur,” which brought in $29.1 million internationally this weekend. Audiences have received the movie relatively well, earning it a B+ CinemaScore, but the same cannot be said for critics, who sliced and diced the picture down to a 27% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The weekend tallies and critical and audience consensus are the result of a years-in-the-making story, eventually directed by Guy Ritchie and starring Charlie Hunnam. So how did the big-budget film become what could be remembered as the biggest flop of the summer, or even the entire year?
Was the IP too tired? The legend of King Arthur is one that has been told and retold in various forms, not unlike many of the superhero movies that dominate the modern-day box office. But this flop feeds the narrative that Warner Bros. is banking too much on reviving stale ideas after misfires including “Pan,” “The Legend of Tarzan,” and, most recently, “Chips.” Still, Ritchie has made good money off an old idea with his take on Sherlock Holmes in 2009 and its sequel in 2011, which both grossed over $500 million worldwide. Ritchie addressed the idea in an interview with Variety’s Kris Tapley.
“It didn’t occur to me that it was a dusty or unexciting title,” Ritchie said. “To me, I fancy the challenge of — a bit like ‘Sherlock Holmes’ — I thought, ‘Oh, I’m familiar with that. I think I can do something with that.’”
Did the delays kill buzz? When Ritchie signed onto “Arthur” in 2014, he attached himself to a script by Joby Harold that was conceived as the first part in a six-film series set in one contained universe. Three years later, the film was finally released.
“King Arthur” was originally slated for a July 22, 2016 release, which ended up belonging to Paramount’s “Star Trek Beyond.” Warner Bros. released the low-budget supernatural horror film “Lights Out” instead, which was a surprise hit. “Arthur” was pushed to a Feb. 17, 2017 release, only to be pushed again to March 24, and then finally to its ultimate date of May 12. If IP already causes rumblings of being tired, delaying a film’s release several times might only hinder potential excitement.
Did recasting get in the way? Starting in 2011, years prior to Ritchie’s involvement, Warner Bros. was adapting an Arthur-based project with director David Dobkin called “Arthur and Lancelot.” At the time, Kit Harington and Joel Kinnaman were attached to star, and later Colin Farrell was thought to bring the star power necessary to see the project through. Neither iteration was brought to production.
When Ritchie reignited talks of reviving the property, Idris Elba’s name was floated to play a Merlin-esque character. Neither the actor nor his character made the 2017 release.
Does Charlie Hunnam lack star power? Charlie Hunnam is a relatively untested star. Although he toplined “Pacific Rim,” the actor is most well-known for “Sons of Anarchy,” which ran for seven seasons on FX. Whenever a film tanks, the star shares some of the responsibility. But Hunnam’s role in “Arthur’s” lack of draw seems more like a small piece of a large puzzle.
Was it the recutting? Ritchie’s original cut of “King Arthur” was three and a half hours long. The final product clocks in at two hours and six minutes, which some critics, including Variety’s Peter Debruge, have identified as feeling more characteristic of Ritchie than a sprawling Arthurian epic.
“I was desperate that it would be an entertaining three and a half hours,” Ritchie told the Ringer’s Sean Fennessey. “Two hours into it, I knew I was in trouble.”
But Ritchie defended his process of trying to make the “worthy, extended version” before chopping it down to a movie that fits within his own oeuvre. “If I went to the studio and said, ‘This scene is going to cost me $3 million and it’s going to be ten seconds long,’ it’s very hard to get your nut around that,” Ritchie said.
So what? Despite this catastrophic flop, Ritchie has a potential reputation rehab project in place with Disney’s live-action “Aladdin.” The studio has had nary a miss recently with remakes of “Jungle Book” and “Beauty and the Beast” each topping $1 billion worldwide. Warner Bros., too, has several shots at redemption with titles including “Wonder Woman” and “Dunkirk” in the summer pipeline and “It” hitting theaters in early fall. But while the residual effects of “King Arthur’s” financial losses have yet to be seen on a grand scale, the jab of earning title of “summer’s first big flop” can only be felt once a year
‘King Arthur’ Bombs: Why Guy Ritchie’s Latest Was a Royal Miss
by Stone Marshall | May 13, 2017 | Awesome Book News, Free, Intro, Minecraft News, Minecraft questions, news, Stone Marshall Book News |
The DCEU has not been without controversy and Diane Lane may have accidentally added to that by saying Justice League won’t be better than The Avengers. Warner Bros. has made a big push to get the DCEU off the ground and running, and one of the biggest ways to jump start the universe has been the formation of the Justice League before each character gets a solo movie. This strategy allows for Justice League to come out years before and capitalize on the boom in comic book movies, which can be largely equated to the success of The Avengers.
However, even though studio executives and most people agree it is in everyone’s best interest to see all comic book movies succeed, there is another section of fans that have divided the genre into a Marvel vs DC fight. This has caused somewhat venomous factions that believe only their side is good and think every Marvel or DC film – depending on their stance – needs to be better than any other film from the other side. But, the DCEU’s Diane Lane doesn’t think Justice League will ultimately be better than Avengers.
This statement came about during an interview Lane – who plays Martha Kent in the DCEU – had on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen After Show. The interview allowed for fans to call in and when one asked if she had any Justice League spoilers and if she thought it will be a better movie than 2012’s The Avengers, Lane had a quick response that is sure to be divisive saying, “No and no. [laughs] Short but honest. I hate to disappoint.”
First things first, this is simply Lane’s opinion and not necessarily a jab at the quality of the film that will mark Zack Snyder’s third entry in the universe. Also, there is no telling how big or small of a role Lane has in the movie to truly know how much she knows about the overall direction, and she has most likely yet to see anything close to a finished cut of the movie. She could simply be a big fan of The Avengers and understand how highly regarded the film is for many.
Even with her saying she hates to disappoint, that too may very well not be an indicator of the film’s quality since she may be referring to being unable to divulge spoilers. Justice League has high expectations to meet – possibly the highest for any DCEU film – so she could simply be tempering said expectations so everyone can come out loving the film and not slightly disappointed that it didn’t meet every ridiculously lofty expectation. Even if Justice League doesn’t wind up being better than The Avengers, there is nothing wrong with that. Not every movie can be the best film ever made – not to say Avengers is – so the goal here should be producing the best Justice League movie.
The comparisons to Avengers have stuck with Justice League ever since it was announced. Both movies will bring together various heroes in a team-up fashion. Avengers was a true kick starter for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Justice League wants to have a similar response without question. Those similarities aside, the build up to each has been quite different. Avengers saw all of the characters previously introduced in better received films, while Justice League is marching forward with an established divisive past. Hopefully when the dust settles on Lane’s statements and the release of Justice League, both Marvel and DC will have their own successful team-up movies.
Diane Lane: Justice League Won’t Be Better Than The Avengers
