Free book for boys and reluctant readers
Flynn’s Log is free on the following devices
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Reading is important
Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him. –Maya Angelou
Most adults would agree that reading is important, but many kids detest reading. Video games, devices, and TV are preferred entertainment and escape. They provide instant gratification. Reading takes time. For some kids, reading isn’t engaging.
I had this same problem with my son, so I solved the problem.
The classic stories I remember enjoying as a kid don’t interest my son and his immediate attention span. If he doesn’t enjoy the story from page one, he will not read further.
So how did I get my son to read?
I showed him how much fun it is to get sucked into a story.
Your book is amazing I can’t stop reading it – Joseph Young via twitter
Contemporary and Classic titles alike don’t interest many kids. Don’t worry, the love of reading is learned. We need a starting point. We need that one book that is just as engaging on the first read as the fifth, just like a really great movie that kids want to see again and again. A positive association with reading will make kids want to read more.
A love of reading is cited as the number one indicator of future success. My son didn’t have the desire to read. He didn’t care about the books I chose to read to him, and was overwhelmed with the selection at the library. I want my son to succeed, so I had to do something. Since we struggled to find books he cared to read, I wrote one. An epic saga about the things he loves. I put it in a world he loves and addressed the issues he faces in his life.
I just love your books I’ve been reading them over and over again. -Carson via twitter
But it’s a video game book
Don’t worry; it’s not a book about video games, nor is it a game strategy book. Flynn’s Log is a hero’s journey that takes place inside the Minecraft world that today’s kids know and love. The protagonist, Flynn, naturally flows through Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (builds shelter and tools, learns what to eat and discovers a digital friend) and faces questions about his destiny. He learns important life lessons about friendship, integrity, and trust. Flynn’s Log is good for kids without being boring.
Thank you so so much for the free ebook. My son loves Minecraft now with this book I can get him to read to me. – Jennifer Wilkins
Start your son or daughter on journey today, reading Flynn’s Log 1: Rescue Island. Free on available these devices and apps.
Flynn’s Log is free on the following devices
Choose your device
KindleiPad/iPod/iPhoneGoogle Play (Android Tablets)nookkoboRead Online
US$8.99 Paperback
Why is Flynn’s Log 1 Free?
My son loves reading — finally. If you have experience with a reluctant reader then I know your pain and I want to help. I’ve seen thousands of kids transform with this book. My readers, who don’t usually read books during the summer, couldn’t put Flynn’s Log 1 down.
Good book I thought I would never read a book on my summer but I feel I’m gonna finish it soon – Multigamer 47 via twitter
Let this book change your kid’s life too. You have nothing to lose and an avid reader to gain.
Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.
–Frederick Douglas
I am giving away Flynn’s Log 1 free because I want to give you a risk-free way to hook your reluctant reader.
Please and I mean PLEASE, WRITE MORE! I absolutely love it! They’re outstanding books.
-Devon123321 via twitter
What are Books for Boys?
I spend lots of time with teachers and parents. I hear parents ask, “How do I get my son to read? Do you have books for boys?”
I wrote the Flynn’s Log series for my son, and this book is interesting for boys. However, the series is a non-stop read for both boys and girls, especially those who are interested in Minecraft.
The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.
—Dr. Seuss
What are you waiting for?
You have nothing to lose!
Flynn’s Log is free on the following devices
Choose your device
KindleiPad/iPod/iPhoneGoogle Play (Android Tablets)nookkoboRead Online
US$8.99 Paperback
News for Parents of Reluctant Readers
Get Reluctant Reader Book News from Stone Marshall
How Avengers & Guardians Can Communicate in Infinity War
Everyone is waiting to see the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy share the screen in Avengers: Infinity War, but not many had thought about how they will communicate. Thankfully, James Gunn has the answer. Gunn has become a staple in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Marvel Studios seemingly appointing him to the position of ruler of the cosmos. So far, he’s crafted the first two Guardians of the Galaxy films and will return to do another, but he’s also in charge of setting the stage for the future of the Marvel Cosmic Universe.
This will all come in the aftermath of Infinity War, where the cosmic story of the Guardians will cross paths with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. The thought of so many Marvel heroes together has been the source of much anticipation, with Zoe Saldana teasing the space encounter. Because of the excitement, it has often been overlooked that many of the Guardians do not speak English, but Gunn appears to have revealed how the two teams will communicate.
Following a post on Facebook, a fan asked Gunn this question. While at first it may seem obvious considering the history with the Guardians, the question is quite valid since the Avengers (and most of the human race) have yet to encounter different alien races. Based on his response, it appears the Avengers will be getting some upgrades in the form of translators that allow them to understand the various languages spoken by Gamora, Drax, and Rocket – but not Groot.
They all have translators imbedded. They all speak different languages. Not all languages (including Groot) are in the translators.
Gunn has made it very clear that in the cosmic circles in which the Guardians exist, it is common practice for each individual to have translators imbedded in them. This is how Peter can understand his ragtag family and easily explains to the audience why everyone in the entire universe speaks English, when it actually is all being translated to Peter’s perspective (or that of the audience as well).
Something to keep an eye out however may be how exactly this happens. While the initial miscommunication that will spawn from the language barrier could provide a laugh or two, having all the Avengers get translators imbedded in their heads or suits could take some time and resources. The Avengers already rely on earpieces to communicate with one another, so one possible fix could be for one of the many geniuses of the group – whether that be Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Rocket, or T’Challa – having the ability to download the language database from one of the Guardians’ translators and upload the translations through these earpieces. Otherwise, it could be up to them to design and install translators of their own.
This will not change the Guardians at all with each of them already having a translator that can understand the English language, but this will further show the Earth-based heroes just how big and different the rest of the universe is. If the Avengers’ battle with Thanos takes them further into the cosmos, this may not be the only piece of technology that they adapt from the Guardians. After all, they’re the ones with translators, jet packs, protective space suits and helmets ready to go, and many of the Avengers may need to rely on those to survive in space.
Looking Back: Raimi’s ‘Spider-Man 3’ is Still Bad & Goofy 10 Years Later
Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3, released in May of 2007, is one weird movie. It suffers from the curse of the “threequel“, a film with potential that is overwhelmingly disappointing. In my previous editorial in this ongoing Spider-Man retrospective series, I talked about how Spider-Man 2 swings among some of the best sequels in cinema history. If Spider-Man 2 is the Superman II of the Spider-Man series, then Spider-Man 3 is the Superman III of the franchise – but with considerably weirder dance sequences. In the newest edition of our “Looking Back” series, let’s take a look at why Spider-Man 3 begins the series of diminishing returns for Spider-Man movies as one of the most disappointing threequels in modern superhero film history.
It’s very hard for filmmakers to make a good third movie in a trilogy or film series. When you think of most modern film trilogies, it is undoubtedly common to consider the third one the worst. The case is especially strong with superhero movies. It doesn’t matter if it is X-Men: The Last Stand or Blade: Trinity or Batman Forever, the third film all too often disappoints. It might be hard to figure out exactly why filmmakers so often stumble in the third act, especially since most third movies usually come next after two very strong installments. In the specific example of Spider-Man 3, the problem and explanation is a bit more clear: Sam Raimi was forced to make a movie he just didn’t want to make.
When Sam Raimi set out to make Spider-Man 3, he had a very clear idea. As he fleshed out the treatment with his brother Ivan Raimi, Sam wanted to explore the complex nature of being a costumed hero. “The most important thing Peter right now has to learn”, Raimi said in an interview back in 2007, “is that this whole concept of him as him as the hero – he wears this red and blue outfit, with each criminal he brings to justice he’s trying to pay down this debt of guilt he feels about the death of Uncle Ben. He considers himself a hero and a sinless person versus these villains that he nabs. We felt it would be a great thing for him to learn a little less black and white view of life and that he’s not above these people.”
As Raimi began developing the story, he wanted to complete the character arcs for Peter Parker, Mary Jane Watson and Harry Osborn. He also wanted to introduce the Sandman, a character he found to be visually and emotionally compelling. Sandman’s arc would overlap with Peter’s arc, which would center around Peter learning forgiveness. In the comics, the Sandman is a petty criminal. In Raimi’s updated version of the character, he was directly tied to the murder of Uncle Ben, thus challenging Peter’s simplistic view of the event. In Raimi’s original outline for the story, the main focus centered on Peter, Mary Jane, Harry and Sandman. At one point, he also wanted to introduce the Vulture, which he had envisioned Ben Kingsley for the role. It was during these early discussions of the film that the story started to radically change.
While Raimi was overseeing the script written by Spider-Man 2 scribe Alvin Sargent, the film’s producer Avi Arad (who held the rights to the movies at the time) was pushing for Venom to be included in the film’s narrative (due to fan pressure). Raimi has always been very critical of Venom, citing the character’s “lack of humanity” as a reason why he always disliked him. Arad argued Venom had a big fanbase among the Spider-Man faithful, constantly pushing for his inclusion in the story. Raimi eventually relented, including Eddie Brock, Jr. in the screenplay. Raimi’s version was an amalgamation of different versions of Brock, making him more of a mirror for Peter by giving him a similar job and love interest. Arad also pushed for Raimi to include Gwen Stacy in the screenplay, which started to balloon the narrative of the story very quickly.
At one point, Sargent literally contemplated splitting the screenplay into two, but cited that he couldn’t create a “successful intermediate climax” to bridge the two movies. This is where I feel Spider-Man 3 started to fall apart at the webs. When Raimi initially started developing the film, he knew exactly the kind of story he wanted to tell. As a result of Arad’s interference (and the studio siding more with Arad than Raimi), Raimi was shoehorned into telling a story he wasn’t wholly comfortable with telling. The film itself was, at the time, criticized for being overstuffed with characters while lacking the appropriate narrative cohesion to interweave all of the different plot threads and characters.
This is why Kevin Feige is such an integral part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He is the guiding hand of every film, a steady presence with comic book knowledge and a foot firmly in the film world. He is the perfect combination of comic book aficionado and film producer. Avi Arad, however, is none of those things. He’s the atypical Hollywood producer, pushing Venom not because he truly liked the character, but because he knew it would excite the fans. He didn’t trust his director, even though he proved himself two times before. He stuck his webs into Raimi’s business, and the end result is a movie clearly at war with itself.
If Arad had not insisted upon using Venom, Spider-Man 3 may have been a better movie. It certainly would have been a different movie. However, even if you disregard the Eddie Brock/Gwen Stacy subplot, the other existing storylines still lack a certain subtlety and nuance. In preparation to review these films, I revisited all of them. As the “Editor’s Cut” of Spider-Man 3 was surprisingly released last month, I decided to revisit the film watching that version. I discovered the Editor’s Cut isn’t all that much different than the final film. The only changes include small omissions, like the scene where Peter tries to give Aunt May back her wedding ring. Christopher Young’s score is re-inserted into the film as a whole. The Editor’s Cut is actually shorter than the theatrical release, which is probably a wise decision taking the film into account as a whole.
The biggest change in the film is the removal of the scene featuring James Franco’s Harry Osborn and the family butler, Bernard. In the version that was released theatrically, Peter goes to Harry asking for help to save MJ, who has been captured by Sandman and Venom. Harry rejects Peter’s request. In a later scene, Bernard tells Harry that he tended to his father’s wounds the night he died, and there was “no question” he died by the blade of his own glider. The awkward scene is baffling and cringe-inducing in and of itself, and begs such questions as “How was Bernard able to tell he was gutted by his own glider?” and “Why was Bernard tending to his wounds and why didn’t he just take him to the damn hospital?” Regardless, it’s a bad scene. The Editor’s Cut thankfully removes the scene.
In this alternate version of the film, when Peter goes to Harry he still rejects him, but when he leaves he finds a photograph of himself with Peter and MJ and tears run down his cheeks. It’s a small moment, but it is effective. It also makes Harry’s eventual return and sacrifice hold so much more thematic significance because he never gets told the truth about what happened to his father, but he helps his friends anyway. When Harry dies, he dies a hero in the Editor’s Cut. In the theatrical cut, he dies like someone who just literally got spoonfed something and he decided it was time to stop acting like a petulant child.
I feel like that change and the effect it has, while small, is a microcosmic example of why Spider-Man 3 doesn’t live up to its predecessors. As I discussed in my Spider-Man 2 editorial, that movie is chock full of emotional moments that are handled with nuanced ease. They resonate because they are authentic and minimalistic in execution. Any nuance or subtlety is, for the most part, lost in Spider-Man 3. Even Harry’s arc, which involves him becoming the New Goblin for one battle with Peter before he temporarily loses his memory, is very poorly handled. The exact purpose of why he even bothers to lose his memory in the confines of the film’s narrative is beyond me, especially when only a couple scenes later Willem Dafoe comes back from glider blade heaven to remind him of what Peter did. It feels like wasted material, where a more streamlined version of the story could’ve focused on Harry’s constant pursuit of Peter while he has to fend off Eddie Brock on the professional side and Flint Marko on the superhero side.
The only aspect of the film’s narrative that works in my mind is the one actually belonging to Flint Marko, aka Sandman. Thomas Haden Church was a brilliant casting choice, and with his green and black striped shirt he embodies Sandman perfectly. He’s more than just a petty criminal here, thanks to Raimi’s interest in the character. Raimi continues his tradition of giving the Spidey series sympathetic villains. Marko is motivated by his quest to steal money to pay for his daughter’s surgeries, so she can be healthy again. It’s a perfectly solid motivation and arc, and Church is brilliant at the quieter moments and just as compelling in the more villainous ones. The “Birth of Sandman” scene is without question the most effective moment, echoing monster movies of yesteryear with a hauntingly beautiful score by Christopher Young.
Unfortunately, even the film’s most successful story thread is left unresolved. In one of the film’s climactic scenes, Peter forgives Marko for the death of his uncle and he literally transforms into sand and whisks off into the wind. We have no idea if Marko acquired the appropriate funds for his daughter’s healthcare, or if she’s even going to live. Oh, and Marko is still a wanted felon, so good job there Spider-Man on letting him go. That doesn’t even delve into the film’s sillier moments either. In one respect, I can understand Raimi’s decision to turn Peter Parker into a nerdier version of who he was. In the film, the Venom symbiote amplifies aggression in its hosts. Peter Parker is not exactly an aggressive guy to begin with, and his idea of aggression would probably equate to him wearing eye-liner and flicking back his bangs.
In a way, it almost feels like Raimi is mocking the whole Venom storyline in Spider-Man 3. Peter Parker’s infamous Saturday Night Fever strut is memorably hilarious, but also strangely out-of-character for a film series that had, to that point, taken itself fairly seriously. Even worse, Peter takes Gwen to a nightclub where Mary Jane is working. Peter starts playing the piano and does a dance number taken straight out of The Mask. It’s an incredibly goofy scene, but it is somewhat indicative of Raimi’s approach that the darkest the film gets (besides Peter thinking he killed Sandman) is Peter accidentally hitting Mary Jane. Peter isn’t forced to snap Venom’s neck, like Superman killing Zod in Man of Steel. He doesn’t even let Sandman die at the end of the movie, like how Batman didn’t save Ra’s al Ghul in Batman Begins. The critical apex of the film is Peter accidentally pushing Mary Jane to the ground. While that’s obviously an awful moment, it pales in comparison to how Raimi could’ve handled Peter’s darker side. It feels like this is how Raimi perceives Peter at his “darkest”, and the Venom symbiote concept, and it is a fairly silly one.
Who knows if Spider-Man 3 would have been a better movie if Sam Raimi was able to tell the story he originally wanted to tell. If Harry’s subplot is any indication, it possibly still would’ve been somewhat of a letdown. Raimi clearly felt exhausted by the time he got around to making Spider-Man 3, and it shows. For seven years, all Raimi did was make Spider-Man movies. Creative fatigue was going to hit sooner or later. Couple that with someone as persuasive and formidable as Avi Arad making demands and you have a recipe for a film that has some good moments, but is uneven and downright goofy at times. It’s a shame, because like most third films Spider-Man 3 could’ve been something special. Instead, it was just another lackluster threequel in a long line of disappointing third chapters. Later this week, the “Looking Back” series examines Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man movies. Unfortunately, it doesn’t get better from here.
So what do you think? Is Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3 genuinely bad, or just misunderstood?
Looking Back: Raimi’s ‘Spider-Man 3’ is Still Bad & Goofy 10 Years Later
Spider-Man: Homecoming Reaches No. 1, But It’s Still Behind Spider-Man 3
Spider-Man: Homecoming opened on Friday, and it was a big hit, though it did not set a new opening-weekend record for the series. According to Entertainment Weekly, the film pulled in $117 million in the US, which was in line with estimates, but it’s below the $151 million that 2007’s Spider-Man 3 made.
Still, it was a big showing for Tom Holland’s debut as Spider-Man in a standalone film (he had a small part in Captain America: Civil War). Homecoming‘s opening weekend domestic figures are above The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ($91.6 million), Wonder Woman ($103 million), Logan ($88 million), and Doctor Strange ($85 million).
In terms of its international performance, Homecoming made $140 million from foreign markets, boosting its global haul to $257 million after just one weekend.
Homecoming also stars Michael Keaton as the villain, Vulture, and Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man. GameSpot’s Randolph Ramsay said in his review, “Spider-Man: Homecoming gets everything right about this beloved Marvel character, which after the Batman and Robin-like awfulness of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, comes as a huge relief.”
Rounding out the top five movies at the US box office this weekend were Despicable Me 3 ($34 million), Baby Driver ($12.7 million), Wonder Woman ($10.1 million), and Transformers: The Last Knight ($6.3 million).
The July 7-9 US box office figures follow below, as rounded up and compiled by EW.
- Spider-Man: Homecoming – $117 million
- Despicable Me 3 – $34 million
- Baby Driver – $12.7 million
- Wonder Woman – $10.1 million
- Transformers: The Last Knight – $6.3 million
- Cars 3 – $5.6 million
- The House – $4.8 million
- The Big Sick – $3.7 million
- 47 Meters Down – $2.8 million
- The Beguiled – $2.1 million
Spider-Man: Homecoming Reaches No. 1, But It’s Still Behind Spider-Man 3
‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ Suits Up With $140M Overseas; ‘Despicable 3’ Nabs China Records – International Box Office
UPDATE, WRITETHRU after 9:20 AM post: The top two movies at the international box office are essentially neck-and-neck this weekend, with Sony’s debut of Spider-Man: Homecoming landing just ahead of Illumination/Universal’s Despicable Me 3. The rebooted story of Peter Parker caught $140M in its web, versus $139M for last week’s champ DM3. Both films had big, record-setting sessions in varying states of play.
Among the benchmarks, Homecoming had the highest launch of the Spider-Man franchise (in like-for-like markets and at today’s rates), and DM3 is now the Gru-viest opening weekend ever for an animated movie in China. It also pushed the Despicable Me franchise across the $3B mark worldwide.
Swinging into 56 overseas markets, Sony’s Homecoming set a new bar for Peter Parker on 23,400 screens — and there is joy on the Culver City lot today. The Jon Watts-directed film landed No. 1 starts in 50 of 56 offshore plays and still has 38% of rollout ahead, including in such key hubs as China, Japan, France, Germany and Spain. Combined with domestic, the global launch total is $257M
In the same set of markets that opened this session, and at current exchange rates, the Tom Holland-starrer is tracking ahead of Marvel cousin Guardians Of The Galaxy 2 (+20%); previous incarnation The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (+30%) and rival superhero Wonder Woman (+59%).
The Sony/Marvel mash-up came in well above pre-weekend predictions which topped out at $110M before folks started to become more bullish in the past few days. With today’s estimate, sources are pointing to emerging markets which helped bolster the major plays like Korea, Mexico, Brazil, the UK and Russia.
Even without China and Japan, Asia was a huge launch with $61.3M and Korea the only major in the mix. And it was major. SMH netted a $25.8M 5-day there for the 3rd biggest opening ever for a Hollywood film.
Likewise, Latin America was strong with $32.4M led by Mexico ($12M) and Brazil ($9.1M). In the latter, SMH is the biggest opening of all time for the month of July.
In IMAX, SMH grabbed $18M from 669 screens for the 2nd biggest global opening for a Sony title in the format. The international portion is $7M from 277 screens for IMAX’s top bow of all time with a Sony pic.
Of the reboot’s performance, Sony’s President of Worldwide Marketing and Distribution, Josh Greenstein, tells Deadline, “We couldn’t be more thrilled about Spider-Man’s triumphant return to the box office.” For Sony and creative partners at Marvel, this is “a giant win” and the studio is certainly welcoming it after a fair bit of time in the doldrums.
Offshore exits are still being gathered, but the general consensus is that the movie will continue to play amid some more serious offerings, and notably has captured a broad audience. That includes men and women under 25, plus the core Marvel base and a big swath of family business — particularly in Latin America where markets like Mexico and Brazil scored strong numbers propelled by the all-audience component (see more below).
Meanwhile, Despicable Me 3‘s $139M in 60 markets this frame was bolstered by a record-breaking start in China. The threequel now has an offshore cume of $298.4M and a global haul tallying $447.6M.
In the Middle Kingdom, Gru, Dru and the gang made off with $66M (RMB 453M), setting records for the biggest opening weekend and biggest opening day for an animated movie. IMAX can also claim those records in China with a full $4M frame on 417 screens, eclipsing Kung Fu Panda 3 for the PROC’s biggest animated bow in the format. (DM3 will have some time to itself in China as the last Hollywood entry before the — unofficial — blackout that’s expected to run til at least the middle of August. Spider-Man is not yet dated, but will likely land in late summer.)
Looking at the like-for-like markets and at today’s exchanges, DM3 is running ahead of all comps, including Minions ($295M), The Secret Life Of Pets ($219M), Finding Dory ($210M), Despicable Me 2 ($195M), Zootopia ($175M), Frozen ($141M), Ice Age 4 ($202M) and Toy Story 3 ($186M).
This week, DM3 adds Indonesia. Also expanding is Pixar’s Cars 3 in Brazil, Korea, Spain, the UK and Japan. Key markets being added to Spidey’s web this week include France and Germany.
Fox’s War For The Planet Of The Apes will be the new gorilla in the room. Another critically-praised franchise entry, it releases in majors like the UK, Italy, Russia and Spain. In China, New Classics’ fantasy Wukong hits 420 IMAX screens.
Breakdowns on the titles above, as well as others at play internationally, have been updated below.
NEW
SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING
With a $140M debut in 56 markets, Sony’s Spider-Man: Homecoming has topped the launch of all previous pics in the franchise when considering like-for-like plays and at today’s exchange rates.
The last entry, Amazing Spider-Man 2, opened to $97M in like-for-like markets and at today’s exchange rates. Its non-restated ultimate IBO was $506M, led by China, the UK, Korea, Japan and Mexico. China and Japan have yet to open the current film.
Korea is by far the leader on Homecoming this weekend with a 5-day $25.8M start for the 3rd biggest launch of a Hollywood movie ever. SMH dominated at No. 1 with over 80% of the market — its first weekend is already bigger than Transformers: The Last Knight’s total after three frames. Korea is a strong Marvel market, and has done well by Spidey before.
Each of the 11 Asian markets to open this frame did so at No. 1 for $61.3M across the region. India, another solid Spidey hub, roared out of the gate with $6.5M, including previews. Indonesia was worth a very strong $6.9M, and Taiwan weaved $4.8M out of five days.
In Latin America, Mexico led the proceedings with $12M and Brazil was next at $9.1M for the biggest July opening ever. The region was worth $32.4M, pointing to the power of the family pull that SMH exacts. There were No. 1s in 9 plays.
While France and Germany are still to come, the UK led Europe with $11.8M amid strong competition and hot temperatures. A three multiple looks possible here, putting Spidey near the top of the charts for the year so far.
Elsewhere, Russia grossed $7.8M and Australia swung to $7.6M.
One of the softer markets was Italy with $3.1M. That’s not all that surprising given Italy can be a real crap-shoot in the summer as vacations kick in and moviegoing is not top of mind.
Each of the last three Spider-Man titles swung from strength-to-strength internationally, and introducing Tom Holland in Captain America: Civil War teed overseas audiences up for this new standalone spin. Also factoring, Robert Downey Jr’s Tony Stark has been heavily featured in the marketing and the actor participated in specialty stunt interviews overseas.
Holland was tireless in his promotional efforts, traveling everywhere from Mexico to France, the UK, Spain, Singapore, Russia and Korea. Those visits dovetailed with a nuanced and targeted campaign in global markets.
Next up for Peter and pals (and foes) are Germany and France this week.
HOLDOVERS/EXPANSIONS
DESPICABLE ME 3
Illumination/Universal’s threequel has pushed the DM franchise across the $3B mark globally with $3.136B to date. That’s coming off of a great opening in China which broke records for first-day launch and weekend bows for an animated movie. With $139M in 60 markets this session, the international cume is now $298.4M for a global total of $447.6M.
DM3 is running ahead of all comps, including Minions which was at $295M internationally at the same point of play, in the same markets and at today’s exchange rates.
This weekend, the Kyle Balda/Pierre Coffin-helmed film opened No. 1 in 7 markets. That makes 56 total markets where the story of brothers Gru and Dru has launched in the top spot.
In China, Despicable Me 3 had the Gru-viest start ever for an animated movie with $66M or RMB 453M. (IMAX also notched a record for its best animated opening at $4M.) Friday’s $21.1M was 18% bigger than previous record-holder, Minions, in local currency and without previews. That film was given a Sunday date in September of 2015, following that year’s (unofficial) blackout period. Conversely, DM3 has the vaunted status of being the last Hollywood title released in the PROC ahead of what is likely going to be a long summer studio hiatus. (Bonus factoid: The first Despicable movie never released in China.)
France, where Illumination has a sort of home-team status, opened to $9.1M for the 2nd biggest company bow ever, behind Minions. Same goes for Germany which opened No. 1 with $8.5M. Belgium also is the 2nd best Illumination start ever at $1.4M — that’s the biggest animation opening of the year.
Other openings included Switzerland ($1.1M), Austria ($973K), Iceland ($112K) and Trinidad ($94K, biggest Illumination bow ever).
In holds, Portugal kept DM3 at No. 1, topping the arrival of Spider-Man: Homecoming for a $1.5M cume. The UK slipped to No. 2 behind Spidey with a $7.1M weekend for $25.7M to date. Mexico is looking at $6.1M this frame to lift the cume to $24.5M. Australia is in Week 4 and jumped 33% over last session thanks to school holidays. The total there is $18.4M.
There are seven more territories to release over the next two months: Indonesia on July 12; Japan July 21; Korea July 26; Slovenia August 3; Italy August 24; Turkey August 25 and Greece August 31.
TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT
The final Michael Bay-helmed film in the Paramount series added $18.1M in 47 markets in its 3rd session, taking the international cume to $375.7M. In China, Mark Wahlberg and Optimus Prime had already passed $200M earlier this week with the total there now $218.3M after a $6.8M frame.
In other cumes, The Last Knight has grossed $18.6M in Korea, followed by $15M in Russia, $12.3M in Germany, $11.4M in the UK and $8.1M in France.
Major markets still to come include Brazil, Mexico, Japan and Spain.
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES
In a key play for this Disney franchise, Pirates 5 has grossed $23.2M in Japan after just 9 days. In Russia, it’s the No. 2 movie ever — behind only Avatar — and at $40.3M. The full weekend added $9.9M in 45 markets for an international cume of $565.2M to rank as the No. 3 highest grossing film of the year at offshore turnstiles. Globally, it’s at $734M.
Drops were good including in Sweden (-26%) Spain (-33%) Australia (-33%) and Japan (-30%). With the China run ended, the cume there is $172.3M followed by Russia, Germany ($28.5M), France ($25M) and the UK ($24.9M).
WONDER WOMAN
Diana Prince lassoed another $6.8M in 64 markets this weekend for an offshore cume to date of $377M. The worldwide total is $745.8M. Japan is still to come for the WB/DC movie on August 25. While superhero movies (outside Spider-Man) don’t over-index in Japan, it will be interesting to keep an eye on the Amazon warrior in the market that leans in towards female protagonists. Here are the current Top 5 markets: China ($88.8M), Brazil ($31.7M), the UK ($27.2M), Mexico ($22.3M) and Australia ($21.5M).
THE MUMMY
Universal’s Tom Cruise-starrer is on track to gross $4.5M in 69 markets this weekend and raise the international total to $306.6M. That takes the worldwide cume to $384.6M. Japan is still to come on July 28. Key markets thus far include China ($91.4M), Korea ($27.5M), Russia ($16.7M), Brazil ($13.8M) and Mexico ($12.9M).
BABY DRIVER
Sony’s other movie at international turnstiles, Baby Driver got away with $3.9M from 1,740 screens in 18 markets in the sophomore session. The UK is tops on the Edgar Wright-helmed actioner, adding $1.7M this weekend to take the cume to $8.3M. Spain’s debut frame was worth $900K from 390 screens at No. 2. The international cume now stands at $14M. The crowd-pleaser will cruise into further key hubs over the next month including Australia, France, Brazil, Germany, Mexico and Russia.
BAYWATCH
Crossing $100M this weekend internationally, Paramount’s Dwayne Johnson-starrer added $3.7M in the session for a $101.8M cume. Top play Germany has surfed to $16M in its 6th frame while France is now at $7.7M after three and with a handful of markets still to come.
CARS 3
Lightning McQueen’s 3rd time around the track has made Cars 3 the 2nd highest grossing Pixar release ever in India and the 3rd in Russia. With a 4th weekend in limited international release, the film added $3.1M for a total $60M to date across 27 markets. The global total is $193.7M.
In Australia, Cars revved upwards 9% for a $6.8M cume. The lead market is Mexico with $14.9M followed by Russia at $10.2M. Next weekend, Cars goes into overdrive with releases in Brazil, Korea, Spain, the UK, Japan, the Netherlands, Lebanon, Hong Kong, Argentina and Chile. France, Italy and Germany are on deck later in the year.
MISC UPDATED CUMES/NOTABLE
The House (WB): $1.4M intl weekend (25 markets); $5.4M intl cume
Rough Night (SNY): $1.3M intl weekend (28 markets); $14M intl cume
Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul (FOX): $1.1M intl weekend (10 markets; Australia up 10%); $14.7M intl cume
Beauty And The Beast (DIS): $400K intl weekend (Japan only); $756.9M intl cume — Japan wrapping at $109.3M
The Beguiled (UNI): $300K intl weekend (4 markets; biggest Sofia Coppola opening ever in Greece); $850K intl cume
It Comes At Night (UNI): $277K intl weekend (UK only)
LOCAL-LANGUAGE
Horror sequel The House That Never Dies II grossed $14M in China this weekend to take the No. 2 spot behind Despicable Me 3. Raymond Yip’s previous film released in 2014; this one is directed by Joe Chien and follows the goings on at a haunted Beijing mansion. Horror’s not such an easy sell to Chinese censors, but audiences were keyed up for the sequel which is running during the Middle Kingdom’s unofficial summer blackout. Also scoring this session in the PROC was The One, from Zhengyu Lu, which blends comedy with cuisine. The film grossed $8.5M at home, per comScore. Up this week, and on 420 IMAX screens, is Derek Kwok’s Wukong, an action fantasy starring Eddie Peng, Shawne Yue, Ni Ni and Xiao Bai.
Another Set of Minecraft Updates Released
After the most recent patches were released a couple of days ago in the form of Title Update 54 for Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition and Title Update 44 for Minecraft: Xbox One Edition, it seems that a few issues were also unleashed after gamers downloaded the updates to eagerly earn the newly added achievements. Mojang has not wasted any time in getting the issues fixed as Title Update 45 for the Xbox One, and Title Update 55 for the Xbox 360, have both gone live.
These two new patches will hopefully rid Minecraft of the new problems that had been discovered. Take a look at the short list, which is the same for both versions, to see what issues have been resolved:
- Fix for issue causing the loss of Shulker Box contents on loading from a previous save.
- Fix for Empty Bucket not being returned to inventory after crafting a Cake.
- Fix for Furnaces not leaving an Empty Bucket after using a Lava Bucket as fuel.
- Fix for efficiency enchantments on tools not working correctly.
- Fix for pistons not extending when the piston above them extends.
- Fix for Horse armour not appearing on horses that don’t have markings.
- Fix for Pistons no longer being available in the Crafting menu.
- Fix for observers outputting constant power if they can detect changes from another observer.
Load up Minecraft, download the new update and see if it has been made a little bit more trouble-free to earn the new achievements.
‘Adventure Time’ Is Live on ‘Minecraft’, and the Marketplace Got New Stuff
Good news, Adventure Time fans. Minecraft‘s [$6.99] latest update just added the Adventure Time mash-up pack that lets you explore the Land of Ooo and its crazy, colorful characters. As you can see from the trailer below, the two worlds blend very nicely together, and I’m sure it will be a fun pack for fans of the show or for those who want to sprinkle some more absurdness into their Minecraft worlds. You can also read an interview with Pendleton Ward, the creator of Adventure Time, where he talks about the origins of the animated show as well as the way Minecraft and Adventure Time dovetail nicely.
In addition to the Adventure Time mash-up pack, we got new stuff on the Marketplace that will make your summer gaming more fun. There’s Summer Mini Games Festival by Noxcrew that let’s you play mini-golf, blocksketball, and try out the shooting range. There’s also Spleef in a volcano and Splashdown in a luxury boat. We also got Wisteria Grove, which is all about adventuring among the massive trees of a mystic grove in your survival spawn, and The Kingdom of Torchwall, a sprawling survival map with tons of things to explore and fight.
‘Adventure Time’ Is Live on ‘Minecraft’, and the Marketplace Got New Stuff
You can get a two thousand dollar scholarship just by writing about Minecraft
Education is expensive. At least, in America it is. That’s why, to many people, scholarships are important – they help those that can’t or struggle to afford higher education pay for it. And, for another year, Apex Minecraft Hosting will be offering a $2,000 scholarship to a student who can write a damn good essay.
Here’s some of the best seeds to get a cool Minecraft world started.
The only limits are that you must be a United States citizen, enrolled in college or high school, and must have a 3.0 or higher GPA – other than that, it’s all down to a 500 word essay you write about the role of Minecraft as an education and career tool. It’s not even about who has the highest GPA, as long as yours is over 3.0, you’re in the running.
Last year’s winner – who was not named – focused on the computer science side of things, such as redstone circuitry being used to teach fundamentals of logic gates. You can see his full essay – as well as a few honourable mentions – over on the official announcement post.
If you’re looking to apply, you can do so at the link here. You’ve got until July 31 to get your application in, so spend a few weeks honing your essay to be the best it can be! Best of luck to those of you that do apply!
You can get a two thousand dollar scholarship just by writing about Minecraft
Popular Minecraft YouTube Creator SkyDoesMinecraft Quits
Those familiar with the MineCraft content creation community will no doubt be surprised at the announcement that one of the most popular YouTubers playing Mojang’s ubiquitous sandbox game has now retired. MineCraft stalwart SkyDoesMinecraft announced his retirement a few days ago in a video on his channel, stating that he no longer enjoys the game and has been disillusioned by its oft-criticized community.
SkyDoesMinecraft’s announcement comes as a shock to many despite the fact that his social media accounts had been littered with statements of MineCraft-related discontent in the months leading up to it. That’s because the YouTuber has managed to amass over 11 million subscribers to his channel – while it isn’t quite PewDiePie quitting YouTube, it’s perhaps the closest thing to it that the gaming community has experienced on the platform thus far. Here’s Sky – real name Adam Dahlberg – explaining his decision:
Alternatively, Dahlberg also provided a less kid-friendly explanation here, but despite the discrepancy in the amount of cursing done on each video, the content is essentially the same – Dahlberg fell out of love with both MineCraft and its community. It is a common sentiment among those who have grown up a bit while being part of MineCraft‘s massive online creation communities, which are often regarded as extremely toxic and demanding of those they feel owe them videos and other content daily.
Still, Dahlberg’s decision isn’t one to be made lightly. Walking away from that many subscribers and such a heavy presence in the MineCraft community is sure to have financial ramifications for the creator, who makes an estimated two-or-more thousand dollars a video and uploaded 20 this past June alone.
That figure doesn’t even factor in Dahlberg’s retail merchandising deals, which has seen his creations marketed in stores like Toys-R’-Us. The revenue that content creators in the MineCraft community can generate is truly staggering, and it might be set to grow even more soon, with MineCraft for the Switch on the horizon offering even more potential consumers.
It takes bravery in SkyDoesMinecraft’s position to walk away from it all, and while his channel will continue to upload user-submitted content and offer chosen videos a percentage of the profit, he’s leaving behind a huge payday in the pursuit of happiness – something that should be commended, regardless of the void his absence will leave in MineCraft‘s online community.
Minecraft is available now for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and can also be played on Android and iOS devices.
Minecraft competition brings fights and fist bumps to the Sydney Opera House
If ever there was an event specifically designed to send the regular Sydney Opera House clientele into a near-fatal frenzy of monocle popping, it was this one: a video game festival hosted at Australia’s most famous cultural icon.
But whatever misgivings one may have about Minecraft at the Opera House, when I arrive the mood is buoyant.
Children weave in and out of bollards, cleaving the air with plastic pixilated swords, taking selfies with giant cardboard renderings of pigs, llamas and box-headed humans. More still stand in line to meet the “celebrities of Minecraft” – a concept that would be impossible to even begin to explain to someone 10 years ago. Others are marshalled into groups, waiting side stage in the concert hall to take part in Australia’s first Minecraft tournament.
The parents take in the scene with an air of contented bafflement.
Their confusion is understandable: on the surface, Minecraft as a popular game, let alone an international phenomenon, is hard to explain.
Created by Markus “Notch” Persson in 2009, Minecraft is what’s known as a “sandbox” game – a genre typically defined by an absence of clear goals or win conditions, and an emphasis on creation and free-play. In Minecraft you are born without ceremony or context into a world made up of blocks. These blocks can be mined and placed in any configuration the player desires, and for this reason the game is often described as an environment where you can build “anything you can imagine”.
To a degree this is true, although it does suggest that the collective imagination of the hive mind is overwhelmingly preoccupied with creating enormous effigies of Super Mario. In the past, players have used the game’s universe to build painstaking reconstructions of Taj Mahal, the International Space Station and – of course – the Sydney Opera House.
Australia’s first Minecraft tournament is playing out in the main concert hall. With three sessions over the course of the festival, and each session comprising seven rounds with 48 children per round, over a thousand kids will compete over the two days. At the start of each round, four dozen children are marshalled on to stage, organised through a system of coloured wristbands that, throughout the hours I am at the event, I will never understand.
The version of the game used for competition is rapid and combat-based and so this experience is less about the unchained power of the imagination and more about shoving one another into big pools of lava. There is little to no mining or crafting in this iteration of the game, and at the end of each round, the winning children are interviewed by the host, who quizzes them on their strategies, their faces projected on to a gigantic screen at the back of the stage.
According to an astonishingly fashionable kid in a leather jacket and asymmetrical haircut, the trick is to “get a weapon and run”. The host can’t fault this and asks for a high five. Leather jacket kid opts for a fist bump.
Outside the concert hall, the back foyer bar hosts banks of PCs manned (child-ed?) by dozens of kids working on a more recognisable form of the game. Block by block, like the medieval lords of yore, they build enormous garrisons, undertake large-scale agricultural projects and – possibly less like the medieval lords of yore – ward off demented skeletons with swords forged from pure diamonds. This space in the Opera House typically given over to baby boomers quaffing $14 riesling is now full of kids waiting in line (it must be said, far more patiently than I’ve seen boomers queue for riesling) for the chance to make something unique from scratch.
The popularity of Minecraft content on YouTube and Twitch is staggering: in fact, “Minecraft” is the second-most searched term on YouTube, just behind “music”. Perpendicular to the free-play area there’s another line, this one maybe 50 deep, to talk to Wyld and MrCrayfish: two celebrity Minecrafters with massive profiles on both YouTube and Twitch.
These two affable men sit behind a small table and receive their visitors one at a time, leaning in close to hear deeply technical questions from the kids. The overwhelming majority of these questions are impenetrable to the layman, and watching each and every parent nod along with their kid while one of the experts explains an insanely specialised aspect of, say, complex redstone systems, is genuinely heartwarming.
Like the game itself, the sheer scale of Minecraft’s success can be difficult to comprehend. Statistics can tell part of the story. At the time of writing, around 55 million players log into the game each month; in 2016 the game sold around 55,000 copies per day; and in 2014 it was sold to Microsoft for $1.5b, allowing Persson to retire and pursue another of his passions full-time: being insanely cross on the internet.
The lead developer and designer is now Jens Bergensten, a tall, rake-thin and bearded Swede who, throughout the day at the Opera House, will wander into the foyer to greet fans. The first time I see him he’s at the business end of a massive line of devotees, dutifully signing posters, posing for photos and answering questions.
There’s a calm awkwardness about Bergensten. It gives him an air that’s less “mogul at the helm of a multi-billion dollar empire” and more “viking who has become lost at the shops”.
The live event is meant to reflect the ethos of the game, I’m told by the COO of Mojang, Vu Boi, who has travelled with Bergensten to the event. Just as there’s no one way of playing Minecraft, there’s no one way to experience the day.
He’s not wrong about this, but there’s something else too: the game itself is the second-most perfect encapsulation of the seamless meeting of “high” and “low” art that I can think of (the most perfect being the time that Salman Rushdie became addicted to Super Nintendo). Bringing a video game to the hallowed sails of the Opera House is a neat expression of that philosophy.
Minecraft competition brings fights and fist bumps to the Sydney Opera House
TouchArcade iOS Gaming Roundup: Five Nights at Freddy’s, Minecraft Story Mode, Honor of Kings, and More
Even though the first two days of this week were spent by most Americans celebrating the Fourth of July, there were still a ton of happenings in the iOS gaming arena. Kicking things off was a story surrounding a puzzling update from Five Nights at Freddy’s creator Scott Cawthon. Now, this comes with the massive caveat that Cawthon is no stranger to (intentionally or unintentionally) trolling his audience with updates on the state of development of games in the Five Nights at Freddy’s series, but, you really never know.
If Scott Cawthon is to be believed, he’s been working on Five Nights at Freddy’s 6 but eventually decided to pull the plug on the project due to the pressure that comes from trying to develop another unique entry in the series — particularly with the sky-high expectations surrounding another FNAF sequel. Allegedly, instead he’s going to be working on smaller projects loosely based on the FNAF universe like the upcoming movie, a VR title, and other things.
What has us raising our eyebrows particularly high on this one is that Five Nights at Freddy’s: Sister Location was “delayed” because it was “too scary” and then the game was released four days later. Either way, kids are (still) crazy for FNAF, so it seems worth paying attention to, even if these odd updates seem like a strange way to promote a game.
With Season 3 of Rick and Morty only a few weeks away, Adult Swim has updated Pocket Mortys with online multiplayer battles, new dimensions to explore, and tons of other things. Pocket Mortys features a supremely agreeable free to play system that feels truly optional, and is easily among the best, if not the best Pokemon-like game on the App Store. It’s packed with Rick and Morty fan service, but even if you’ve never seen the show, it’s a fantastic collection and battling game only made better by this update.
Another Rome: Total War port is on the way to the App Store, and this time players will travel back in time to an entirely new scenario that begins with the Macedonians and escalates all the way to the Persian Empire. Rome: Total War – Alexander will launch as a standalone expansion for $4.99 soon. The original iPad port of Rome: Total War was received incredibly well by fans of strategy games, so it seems safe to assume Alexander will be just as good.
Telltale’s Minecraft: Story Mode is a clever mash-up between Telltale’s signature narrative-based games and the Minecraft universe which has practically no story in it at all. The first season of the game spanned eight individual episodes that at times felt a lot like playing a Minecraft-y version of the movie The Goonies. Few details are available yet for the second season except for the trailer and the release date of July 11th, but we’ll be keeping a close eye on this one.
The original Sorcery! is now available for free on the App Store, and is a game everyone should download during this promotion. We’ve written extensively about the game, but CliffsNotes effectively amount to Sorcery! is easily among the best game books on the App Store. If you’ve never played one, imagine Choose Your Own Adventure novels from when you were a kid, but fleshed out to an unbelievable extent. There are two more entries in the series, so if you find yourself enjoying Sorcery! be sure to check out the two sequels.
While it seems like everyone and their brother is riffing on Supercell’s Clash Royale these days, Tilting Point and Simutronics released Siege: Titan Wars this week which is another incredibly polished spin on the formula. Players dispatch swarms of troops and powerful titans, and unleash magic spells in realtime PvP battles. This style of game works incredibly well on mobile, so if you weren’t into Clash Royale for whatever reason, it’s worth giving this one a try.
In Hearthstone news, surrounding rumors, speculation, and legitimate leaks, Blizzard finally announced the next Hearthstone expansion: Knights of the Frozen Throne. Launching next month, Knights of the Frozen Throne is loosely based on the World of Warcraft expansion Wrath of the Lich King, but with the requisite signature Hearthstone twist. New Death Knight Hero cards are being introduced, which provide each class with a new Undead-centric hero power.
Finally, Tencent’s Honor of Kings will be launching globally this year. It’s unlikely you’ve heard of this game unless you’re in China, but Honor of Kings has been unbelievably successful, sporting over 50 million daily active users and raking in over $140 million a month. The game is so popular in China that the developers were actually forced to limit how much people can play it by the Chinese government. It’s a situation that’s almost impossible to believe, but I’m incredibly curious to see how it does outside of Asian markets.
That’s it for this week! As always, if you appreciate these iOS gaming roundups and are interested in way more content like this, head over to TouchArcade where we’re posting iOS game news, reviews, guides, and more all day long. We’ve got an iOS gaming Twitch channel, a fantastic Discord server, and a weekly podcast that are also all worth checking out.