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Nope…nothing to see at the theatres right now!!

Hustlers earns Jennifer Lopez a career high opening with $33.2 million debut

Hustlers has danced its way to a massive second-place opening weekend.

The STXfilms release exceeded expectations to open to an estimated $33.2 million across 3,250 theaters. Hustlers marks career highs for both of its leading ladies, Jennifer Lopez and Constance Wu. This is Lopez’s best live-action opening ever, coming in at over $10 million ahead of her previous record-holder 2005’s Monster-in-Law. Newer box office draw Wu also earned her biggest opening weekend ever with Hustlers beating the $26.5 million debut of Crazy Rich Asians.

While Hustlers is the weekend’s best success story, It: Chapter Two continues to scare up impressive returns, taking first place for the second weekend running with an estimated $40.7 million across 4,570 theaters. The horror sequel also expanded in international markets, bringing its estimated global total to $323.3 million. Angel Has Fallen secures the third-place spot in its fourth week of release with an estimated $4.4 million in ticket sales.

Hustlers, which is based on a New York Magazine article follows a band of former strippers, led by Lopez’s Ramona, who come together to turn the tables on their Wall Street Clients. In addition to Lopez and Wu’s buzzy leading roles, the film also stars Julia Stiles, Keke Palmer, Lili Reinhart, and features memorable appearances from Cardi B, Lizzo, and Usher. Lorene Scafaria (The Meddler) writes and directs. It marked the biggest opening ever for the relatively new STX Entertainment.

The film is a testament to the power of women at the box office (and behind-the-scenes given it was written, directed, and produced by women). STX reports that the opening weekend audience was 67 percent female and 69 percent of the film’s audience was over the age of 25. With its diverse cast, the film also resonated with a wide audience, bringing in a crowd that was 36 percent Caucasian, 26 percent African-American, 27 percent Hispanic, 9 percent Asian and 3 percent Native American or other ethnicities. Time and again, Hollywood likes to trot out the argument that diverse, female-driven films don’t make money, but Hustlers stands as proof to the contrary with glowing reviews to match.

This weekend’s other big opening The Goldfinch is the opposite of a success story. Based on the Pulitzer-prize winning novel by Donna Tartt, the film opened in eighth place with an estimated $2.6 million in ticket sales across 2,542 theaters. It marks one of the worst openings of all time, given that it’s the sixth-worst debut ever for a film launching in over 2,500 theaters.

The Goldfinch, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (as did Hustlers), follows the tale of a 13-year-old boy into early adulthood after he survives a terrorist bombing that kills his mother. The boy finds solace in a painting he finds amid the destruction at an art museum, sending him on a dangerous journey that parallels his growing up. Ansel Elgort, Nicole Kidman, Sarah Paulson, Luke Wilson, Jeffrey Wright, Denis O’Hare, and Finn Wolfhard star in the film directed by John Crowley (Brooklyn).

Undoubtedly, The Goldfinch was hurt by scathing reviews, though, strangely, it did earn a higher CinemaScore than Hustlers, clocking in with a B to Hustlers B-.

Though it’s fallen from the top 10, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood continues to make box office news. The ninth film from Quentin Tarantino is now his second highest performing title behind Django Unchained. It hit $329.4 million at the global box office this weekend to surpass 2009’s Inglourious Basterds.

Holdovers round out the top five with Good Boys and The Lion King continuing to pull in impressive returns. In its fifth weekend, original comedy Good Boys lands in fourth place with an estimated $4.3 million in ticket sales. Disney’s The Lion King continues to be one of the biggest success stories of the year, taking fifth place with an estimated $3.5 million in ticket sales in its ninth weekend of release.

Overall box office is down 5.7 percent to date, according to Comscore, a nice improvement following a slow summer. Check out the Sept. 13-15 numbers below.

1. It Chapter Two— $40.7 million
2. Hustlers— $33.2 million
3. Angel Has Fallen— $4.4 million
4. Good Boys— $4.3 million
5. The Lion King— $3.5 million
6. Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw— $2.8 million
7. Overcomer— $2.7 million
8. The Goldfinch— $2.6 million
9. The Peanut Butter Falcon— $1.9 million
10. Dora and the Lost City of Gold — $1.9 million

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Sadly, IT: CHAPTER TWO is a less than engaging sequel to an amazing film. I was quite bored at times. Hopefully CHAPTER THREE will be as entertaining as CHAPTER ONE was…and it was entertaining!!

It: Chapter Two scares up massive $91 million opening weekend

You’ll float to the top of the box office too.

It: Chapter Two has scored an estimated $91 million opening weekend, making it the second-highest opening from a horror movie ever behind the first film, 2017’s It. The flick also boasts the highest R-rated debut of the year ahead of other box office winners like Us and Good Boys. It: Chapter Two marked the only buzzy new release of the weekend (and the only one to crack the top 10), while holdovers dominated the rest of the box office chart.

Two-time box office winner Angel Has Fallen falls to second place with an estimated $6 million in ticket sales in its third weekend of release. Third place goes to Universal comedy Good Boys, which boasts an estimated $5.4 million in ticket sales across 3,193 theaters.

It: Chapter Two is a box office victory for Warner Bros. despite not managing to match the opening numbers of 2017’s It, which opened to $123.4 million back in 2017. Still, as the second biggest horror debut ever, the second-biggest September debut ever (also behind It), and the best R-rating opening of the year, the film has plenty to celebrate.

The horror sequel follows the grown-up versions of the Losers Club, reunited 27 years after they first battled terrifying clown Pennywise (Bill Skarsgard). It marks the conclusion of a two-part adaptation of Stephen King’s beloved novel It. This follow-up boasts an impressive cast, including James McAvoy, Bill Hader, Jessica Chastain, and stand-outs James Ransone and Jay Ryan. Original cast members from the younger iterations of the Losers Club, including Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Jaedan Martell also return to reprise their roles. Andy Muschietti, who directed the first hit installment, also returns to helm the film.

It: Chapter Two also performed well overseas, resulting in a global opening total of $185 million. The sequel isn’t earning quite the same love as its predecessor, garnering middling reviews and a fair B+ CinemaScore. It’s lower opening numbers might be in part thanks to its running time — at two hours and 49 minutes, it’s 35 minutes longer than the first film. As the widest release of September in 4,570 theaters and the only major studio release of the weekend, it easily floated to the top spot and kicked off the month with a scary good return after a lackluster August at the movies.

Summer box office winners continue to round out the rest of the returns as we prepare to kick into high-gear of fall movie season. Disney’s The Lion King is still in the top five after 8 weeks in theaters. It claims the fourth spot with an estimated $4.2 million in ticket sales across 2,610 theaters. It’s now up to $1.6 billion globally and holding steady as the seventh highest-grossing film of all time. Faith-based flick Overcomer scores the fifth-place spot again in its third week of release with an estimated $3.8 million in ticket sales.

Overall box office is down 6.1 percent to date, according to Comscore, a slight improvement thanks to a bump from It: Chapter Two’s impressive debut. Check out the Sept. 6-8 numbers below.

1. It: Chapter Two— $91 million
2. Angel Has Fallen— $6 million
3. Good Boys— $5.4 million
4. The Lion King— $4.2 million
5. Overcomer— $3.8 million
6. Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw— $3.7 million
7. Peanut Butter Falcon— $2.3 million
8. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark— $2.3 million
9. Ready or Not— $2.2 million
10. Dora and the Lost City of Gold — $2.2 million

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No movies in the theatre this weekend – even though they were all priced at $6.99 – I watched The Dark Crystal on Netflix!!

Box Office: ‘Angel Has Fallen’ Sears Competition Over Labor Day Weekend

Lionsgate and Millennium’s “Angel Has Fallen” ruled the box office during an expectedly quiet Labor Day weekend. The third entry in the action franchise generated $11.5 million over the weekend and should close out the holiday with $14.4 million.

Without any new nationwide offerings from a major Hollywood studio, those ticket sales were enough to maintain first place on domestic box office charts. After two weekends in theaters, the Gerard Butler-led “Angel Has Fallen” has earned $43.6 million.

With Labor Day comes the close of summer. The four month stretch between May and August had its share of hits (“The Lion King,” “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” “Toy Story 4” and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” to name a few), but overall, popcorn season receipts only came in at $4.3 billion, a 2% decline from last year. That pushed the year-to-date box office down 6.3%, according to Comscore.

Blumhouse Tilt and OTL took on the last weekend of summer with “Don’t Let Go.” However, the supernatural thriller couldn’t crack the top 10 and debuted at No. 14 with $2.4 million from 920 North American theaters. The movie, which is expected to finish the holiday weekend with $3 million, stars David Oyelowo as a detective working to solve the murder of his niece (portrayed by Storm Reid) when he surprisingly gets a phone call from her. “Don’t Let Go” premiered at Sundance under the name “Relive.”

The final movie to launch this summer is Forrest Film’s drama “Bennett’s War,” which is hoping to hit half a million in box office receipts through Monday. Over the weekend, the movie arrived outside of the top 20 on box office charts, collecting $445,151 from 970 locations.

Labor Day weekend isn’t usually a busy time of year for moviegoing, so holdovers including Universal’s “Good Boys” and “Hobbs & Shaw” and Disney’s “The Lion King” rounded out box office charts.

Universal’s “Good Boys” held steady at No. 2, pocketing $9.1 million over the weekend for an estimated $11.5 million Labor Day weekend. After three weeks in theaters, the R-rated comedy has picked up a solid $58 million.

Disney’s “The Lion King” nabbed third place, earning $6.7 million during its seventh outing and eyeing $9.2 million through the four-day weekend. Through Sunday, the photorealistic remake has earned $521 million in North America. “The Lion King” is now the seventh-biggest movie in history with $1.562 billion globally, passing “Furious 7” ($1.516 billion) and “The Avengers ($1.519 billion).

In fourth, Universal’s “Hobbs & Shaw” generated $6.2 million over the weekend and should finish the holiday with $8 million. The “Fast & Furious” spinoff, starring Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham, has made $158.86 million at the domestic box office and $684.2 million worldwide.

Sony’s “Overcomer” amassed $5.7 million for a fifth-place finish. The faith-based film looks to end Monday with $7.8 million, which would bring North American ticket sales to $19.4 million.

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Saw GOOD BOYS this weekend and it was absolute garbage! Complete crap!! Skip it all all costs!!!

Angel Has Fallen lands yet another victory for summer sequels with box office crown

Blockbuster remakes and franchise sequels have been the victors of summer spoils at the box office — and the penultimate weekend of the season is no exception with three-quel Angel Has Fallen taking the top spot.

The franchise, which follows Secret Service Agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler), exceeded expectations to win the box office this weekend with an estimated $21.3 million in ticket sales across 3,286 theaters. Last weekend’s victor, original gross-out comedy Good Boys, slides to second place with an estimated $11.8 million in ticket sales. And third place goes to a film which also overperformed its expectations — faith-based feature Overcomer lands in the top three with an estimated $8.2 million debut.

Angel Has Fallen marks another summer box office victory for Lionsgate (they also launched John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum to immense success this year). The film is the third in co-distributor Millennium Angel’s action franchise after 2013 hit Olympus Has Fallen and 2016 follow-up London Has Fallen. While Angel Has Fallen couldn’t rise to Olympus Has Fallen’s $30.4 million debut, it’s essentially on par with London Has Fallen’s $21.6 opening.

The film follows Secret Service Agent Mike Banning when he goes on the run after being wrongfully accused of being behind an assassination attempt on U.S. President Allan Trumbull (Morgan Freeman). Banning has to clear his name and evade the FBI to uncover the real threat to the President. In addition to returning players Gerard Butler and Morgan Freeman, Nick Nolte, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Lance Reddick join the cast for this third outing. Ric Roman Waugh directs. Audiences are enjoying the film and gave it a solid A- CinemaScore.

Faith-based flick Overcomer runs at third place this weekend with an $8.2 million debut across 1,723 theaters. Written and directed by Alex Kendrick, the movie follows a high-school basketball coach who volunteers to coach a troubled teen in long-distance running. Kendrick also stars alongside Priscilla Shirer, Shari Rigby, Jack Sterner, Cameron Arnett, and Aryn Wright-Thompson.

Kendrick has a long history of success with faith-based films, most recently with 2015’s War Room and 2011’s Courageous. In 2015, War Room debuted in second place with an $11.4 million opening. The film is likely to have legs given that it’s earned a rare A+ CinemaScore.

This weekend’s another new release, Fox Searchlight’s R-rated horror film Ready Or Not lands in sixth place with an estimated $7.6 million in ticket sales across 2,855 theaters. The horror thriller came in behind expectations, but is garnering strong word of mouth, including a fair B+ CinemaScore.

Ready or Not centers on a bride’s wedding night that takes a twisted turn when her eccentric in-laws force her to take part in a terrifying game. Samara Weaving (SMILF) stars as newlywed Grace. Adam Brody, Mark O’Brien, Henry Czerny, and Andie MacDowell round out the cast, and the film is directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett.

Two of the summer’s strongest performers round out the top five with The Lion King landing in fourth place with an estimated $8.2 million and Hobbs & Shaw in fifth with $8.1 million. Disney’s remake of The Lion King continues to post impressive numbers in its sixth weekend (and depending on how Sunday goes could actually surpass Overcomer to land in the third-place spot). It’s poised to cross $1 billion in international sales tomorrow, and will be only the ninth film in history to do so.

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw continues to post impressive returns in its fourth weekend out. The Fast & Furious spin-ff is approaching $600 million globally after this weekend’s massive $102 million debut in China. That marks the biggest August debut of all time in China, as well as the second-biggest opening for a foreign film there this year after Avengers: Endgame.

Overall box office is down 6.4 percent to date, according to Comscore, holding steady from last week. Check out the August 23-25 numbers below.

1. Angel Has Fallen— $21.3 million
2. Good Boys— $11.8 million
3. Overcomer— $8.2 million
4. The Lion King— $8.2 million
5. Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw— $8.1 million
6. Ready Or Not— $7.6 million
7. The Angry Birds Movie 2— $6.4 million
8. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark— $6 million
9. Dora and the Lost City of Gold — $5.2 million
10. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood— $5 million

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It’ll be released less than a year from now!!!!

Here’s everything we know (so far) about Bill & Ted Face the Music

It seems the third film in the Bill & Ted universe is shaping up to be most excellent, dudes.

Nearly 30 years after the franchise’s second film, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991), Bill & Ted Face the Music sees the comeback of our favorite time-traveling slackers. Starring the original pairing of Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves, the movie is slated for an Aug. 21, 2020 release. The original writers, Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon, are returning to for the film, with Dean Parisot (Galaxy Quest) set to direct.

We’ve rounded up everything to know about the upcoming film and where we last left off with the San Dimas duo. So do your homework before watching, or as Bill would say, you might risk flunking most heinously come August.

–Who’s in it?

It wouldn’t be the same without our iconic titular bros, so of course, Winter will return as William “Bill” S. Preston Esq., and Reeves is set to reprise the role of Theodore “Ted” Logan. Another familiar face coming back is William Sadler, who memorably played the Grim Reaper in the second movie.

The original role that may go uncast is Bill and Ted’s mentor Rufus, who was played by the late comedian George Carlin. In 2018, Ed Solomon said the third film will not only be an homage to the legendary comic, “his absence is part of the whole movie.”

Samara Weaving (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) and Brigette Lundy-Paine (Atypical, The Glass Castle) have signed on to play Bill and Ted’s daughters. And adorably, it appears the dudes have named their children after each other, with Weaving playing Billie Logan, Ted’s daughter, and Lundy-Paine taking on the role of Bill’s daughter, Thea. As for their spouses, Glee alum Jayma Mays will play Princess Joanna, Bill’s wife, while Ted’s wife, Princess Elizabeth, will be portrayed by The Dangerous Book for Boys actress Erinn Hayes.

Amy Stoch and Hal Landon Jr. will reprise their original roles as Missy and Ted’s father, respectively. SNL star Beck Bennett will play Deacon Logan, Ted’s younger brother.

Kid Cudi was also announced as part of the cast, although his role is currently under wraps. Cudi is no stranger to the screen, having starred in projects like the action thriller Need for Speed and HBO’s How to Make It in America. Anthony Carrigan, a breakout star on HBO’s Barry, will play a character described as a “relentless adversary” of the protagonists.

In July, Jillian Bell, Holland Taylor and Kristen Schaal were also added to the film. The Brittany Runs a Marathon star will act as Dr. Taylor Wood, the families’ couples therapist. Taylor, who has starred In Legally Blonde and Two and a Half Men, will be playing the formidable role of “the most powerful person in the universe — the center of which is San Dimas, Calif., 700 years in the future.” Meanwhile, Schaal, whose credits include Bob’s Burgers and The Last Man on Earth, will portray Kelly, a messenger from the future.

–What’s it about (and what does the title mean)?

The film’s official summary speaks of a visitor from the future who sends the duo on a quest “to save life as we know it and bring harmony to the universe” through their rock and roll music. Speaking to EW last year, Matheson said Face the Music finds our intrepid explorers still struggling to complete their life’s great work. At the end of the first film, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, futuristic mentor Rufus told the teens that they would write music that would turn the world into a utopia.

“You’re told you’re gonna save the world,” Matheson said. “And now you’re 50 and you haven’t done it. Now they’re married, and it affects their marriages, and it affects their relationships with their kids, and it affects their everything.”

–Where did the previous films leave off with Bill and Ted?

Excellent Adventure found teenage Bill and Ted traveling through time to ace their history report. During their travels, Bill and Ted meet two medieval princesses whom Rufus ends up rescuing as he knows they will become the guys’ wives and bandmates in the future. In Bogus Journey, the distant future shows that humanity has become a utopia thanks to Wyld Stallyns, the pair’s band. In present time, Bill and Ted also manage to become talented musicians and even take their act to Mars.

So it appears that the previous films set up Bill and Ted to bring harmony to the universe through their music one day, and Face the Music shows that they haven’t exactly lived up to the task yet. Now that they’re in their 50s and settled down, the dudes are running out of time to complete their quest.

–How different will the third installment be from the first two movies?

Solomon teased to EW that the film is “like A Christmas Carol with Bill and Ted, looking at their lives, and really kind of rediscovering what they’re about.”

Winter has also said that Face the Music follows the previous films in its “independent spirit” and doesn’t feel like “some stale knockoff.”

“The whole trajectory of getting the next one-off the ground has been pretty much exactly like the experience of getting the original,” Winter said. “Going to every studio, and they’re like, ‘What the eff is this?’ It’s this kind of independent spirit, and the films have an anachronistic quality to them that’s a big part of what they are, fundamentally. I’m really happy that this one is the same. It doesn’t feel like some stale knockoff that a studio would have immediately gone, ‘Oh, this feels right. We have rebranded very successfully.’”

–Why did it take so long to make the third film?

Funding was one of the main issues holding back the making of a third film, as Solomon said the team has been working toward the sequel for nearly a decade. Even back in 2010, Reeves said Matheson and Solomon were working on a script for a third installment. And it felt like every year since then, with new details emerging, we were inching closer to a movie that might never get made. Solomon said there were issues raising money for it, as Hollywood preferred a reboot to a straight sequel. He also added that financiers feared Face the Music wouldn’t see returns at the box office, because the original film didn’t have a giant release in the U.S., and wasn’t distributed internationally.

On top of that, Solomon said his team spent years tweaking the script, because they wanted to get it right. “This is not, ‘Hey let’s all cash-in on the Bill & Ted thing for money,’” he said. “All of us really want to give the people who love Bill & Ted, and people who haven’t even discovered Bill & Ted yet, a movie that is worthy of their affection.”

–What are the filming details?

Cast filming began on July 1st in New Orleans, and concluded August 24th. Writer Ed Solomon captured the last moments in a series of tweets, captioning one, “Annnnnd… just like that.. it’s in the can,” and showing the last slate in another post.

Solomon also shared a video of the cast and crew on set, applauding the finishing of filming. In a tweet on Sunday, he compared a photo of the cast and crew on Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure side by side the team behind Face the Music. “Then… and now,” Solomon wrote of the sentimental photos.

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I only saw BLINDED BY THE LIGHT this weekend and while it isn’t perfect, I can’t wait to see it again!!!

Hobbs & Shaw outmuscles box office competition in second weekend

Audiences once again picked The Rock over Pride Rock at the box office this weekend.

Hobbs & Shaw, starring Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham as the eponymous odd couple, outraced the competition for the second week in a row, holding the number one spot with an estimated $25.4 million. The Fast & Furious spin-off dropped 58 percent from its first weekend, bringing its domestic total to $108.5 million, and is holding up well internationally, too, having surpassed $300 million worldwide.

In the number two slot, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark scared up a $20.8 million debut. This is a solid opening for the horror film, which boasts good reviews and Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro producing. However, the film earned a C CinemaScore from opening day audiences, which may not bode well for word of mouth in the weeks to come. Scary Stories, based on the popular series of short story collections, follows a group of high schoolers in 1968 as they inadvertently set off a series of grotesque happenings.

More family-friendly entertainment took the next two slots: Disney’s The Lion King remake earned the bronze, adding another $20 million in its fourth weekend, while another new release, Dora and the Lost City of Gold, took fourth place with a $17 million haul. The live-action spin on Nickelodeon’s long-running Dora the Explorer follows a teenaged version of the title character (Isabela Moner) as she ventures into the jungle that is high school, before embarking on a quest with several of her classmates in tow.

Rounding out the top five, Quentin Tarantino‘s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood took in another $11.6 million, carrying it past the $100 million mark in its third weekend. The R-rated original film, which cost about $90 million to produce, has proven itself a steady strong earner in a summer packed with franchise titles.

Down the chart, the weekend’s other major releases, The Art of Racing in the Rain and The Kitchen, came in sixth and seventh, respectively, while the BTS documentary Bring The Soul: The Movie landed inside the top 10, a testament to the K-pop boy band’s continuing explosion.

Overall box office is down 6.3 percent year-to-date, according to Comscore. Check out the numbers for August 9-11 below.

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw — $25.4 million
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark — $20.8 million
The Lion King — $20 million
Dora and the Lost City of Gold — $17 million
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood — $11.6 million
The Art of Racing in the Rain — $8.1 million
The Kitchen — $5.5 million
Spider-Man: Far From Home — $5.3 million
Toy Story 4 — $4.4 million
Bring The Soul: The Movie — $2.3 million

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HOBBS & SHAW is the perfect Summer movie. Check your brain at the door and don’t think about it, just enjoy.

Hobbs & Shaw races to a $60.8 million finish line to win the weekend box office

The box office is getting some fuel injections this first weekend in August.

Hobbs & Shaw, the Dwayne Johnson-Jason Statham led spinoff to the Fast & Furious franchise, drove its way to the top spot with an estimated $60.8 million debut across 4,253 theaters. The film is also doing well overseas, taking in an estimated $120 million to propel it to an $180 million global debut.

Holdovers dominated the second and third place spots, with Disney’s live action The Lion King continuing to roar up box office, adding $38.2 million to its domestic total in its third weekend. Third place goes to original title, Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which garnered an estimated $20 million in its second weekend in theaters.

Hobbs & Shaw marks a highly anticipated spin-off for the blockbuster Fast & Furious franchise, focusing in on two of its most popular characters — Dwayne Johnson’s Hobbs and Jason Statham’s Shaw. With a reported $180 million production budget, the film landed modestly in terms of its domestic opening, but it also revved its way to the third biggest international opening of the Fast & Furious franchise behind 2017’s The Fate of the Furious and 2015’s Furious 7. It’s in sixth place for the franchise for domestic opening totals.

While Hobbs & Shaw is still part of a healthy Hollywood franchise, it is also notably the biggest domestic opening of the summer outside of Disney properties and superhero flicks. It surpasses the $56.8 million opening of another action franchise entry, John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum.

Directed by David Leitch (Deadpool 2), Hobbs & Shaw pairs up two former adversaries, American Diplomatic Secret Service Agent Hobbs (Johnson) and rogue British outcast Shaw (Statham), as they’re forced to team up to try to take down cyber-genetically enhanced anarchist Brixton (Idris Elba) when he gets his hands on a dangerous bio-threat. They are aided by a fearless MI6 agent, Hattie (Vanessa Kirby), who also happens to be Shaw’s sister. Helen Mirren, Eddie Marsan, and Eiza Gonzalez also feature.

The spinoff marks a major milestone for Dwayne Johnson’s acting career, giving him his best opening outside of the large ensemble casts of the main Fast & Furious films. They are a juggernaut franchise for Universal, bringing in nearly $5 billion in ticket sales globally. Hobbs & Shaw is the ninth entry in the car-fueled action series. 2015’s Furious 7 holds the crown for the biggest earner in the franchise with $1.5 billion, followed closely by 2017’s Fate of the Furious $1.2 billion haul. Hobbs & Shaw opened to a solid A- CinemaScore, suggesting it will continue to bolster its totals in the weeks to come.

Hobbs & Shaw was the only new title to make a wide release this weekend, leaving the other box office slots to summer favorites. After crossing the $1 billion mark at the box office earlier this week (the fourth Disney-released film to do so this summer), The Lion King continues to roar up box office bank, with an estimated $38.2 million in ticket sales across 4,802 theaters placing it squarely in second place. The film has now grossed nearly $1.2 billion globally, and according to Disney, its estimated $431 million domestic gross has surpassed the original $422 million lifetime gross of the original 1994 animated film.

After earning Quentin Tarantino the biggest opening of his career with a second place spot last week, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood continues to hold strong. Finishing in third place, it earned an estimated $20 million in ticket sales across 3,659 theaters. It fell by 51 percent from its first weekend, but continues to show strong returns for an original, R-rated release in the thick of summer blockbuster season.

Two other titles with Disney ties round out the top five. Sony and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Far From Home continues to hold tight to fourth place, with an estimated $7.8 million in sales for its fifth weekend in theaters. Fifth place goes to Toy Story 4 with an estimated $7.2 million. The fourth entry in the beloved toy franchise could end the summer as another Disney-released title to cross $1 billion — it now boasts a global total of $959 million. It also crossed the $400 million mark domestically this weekend, making it Pixar’s fourth film ever to do so.

Overall box office is down 6.3 percent to date, according to Comscore. Check out the August 2-4 numbers below.

1. Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw — $60.8 million
2. The Lion King— $38.2 million
3. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood— $20 million
4. Spider-Man: Far From Home— $7.8 million
5. Toy Story 4 — $7.2 million
6. Yesterday— $2.4 million
7. The Farewell— $2.4 million
8. Crawl— $2.2 million
9. Aladdin — $2 million
10. Annabelle Comes Home— $875,000

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Loved it! It was amazing!! Can’t wait to see it again!!!

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood scores Tarantino’s biggest opening with $40 million

The Lion King is still reigning at the multiplex, but Quentin Tarantino is poised for a personal best.

The filmmaker’s 1969-set tale Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is on track to earn an estimated $40.4 million at 3,659 theaters in the U.S. and Canada from Friday through Sunday, claiming the No. 2 spot at the box office and notching the biggest opening of Tarantino’s career, not adjusted for inflation. His previous high was $38.1 million, for 2009’s Inglourious Basterds.

It’s a solid start for Hollywood, the rare adult-oriented, R-rated, non-franchise summer release. Sony Pictures is distributing the film, Tarantino’s first made without the involvement of now-disgraced mogul Harvey Weinstein. Heading into the weekend, the film was projected to earn between $30 million and $40 million; it cost about $90 million to make. Reviews have been strong, though audiences gave it a middling B CinemaScore.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood marks Tarantino’s 10th movie as a director (or ninth if you count both volumes of Kill Bill together, as he does). It stars Leonardo DiCaprio as fading TV star Rick Dalton and Brad Pitt as his stunt double and pal Cliff Booth, who navigate a changing town and also cross paths with rising actress Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie).

Meanwhile, Disney’s photorealistic Lion King remake will take in an estimated $75.5 million million in its second weekend, dominating the competition once again. That figure represents a 61 percent decline from its massive debut, and brings the film’s domestic total to about $350.8 million after 10 days in theaters. Internationally, it will add about $142.8 million this weekend, for a worldwide haul of $962.7 million.

Rounding out the top five are Sony and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Far From Home, with about $12.2 million; Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story 4, with about $9.9 million; and Paramount’s Crawl, with about $4.4 million.

Overall box office is down 6.6 percent year-to-date, according to Comscore. Check out the July 26-28 numbers below.

1. The Lion King — $75.5 million million
2. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood — $40.4 million
3. Spider-Man: Far From Home — $12.2 million
4. Toy Story 4 — $9.0 million
5. Crawl — $4 million
6. Yesterday — $3 million
7. Aladdin — $2.8 million
8. Stuber — $1.7 million
9. Annabelle Comes Home — $1.6 million
10. The Farewell — $1.6 million

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Movies

Been waiting for this announcement for months!! AWESOME!!!

Marvel Phase 4 Plan Revealed, But Comic-Con’s Big Winner is Disney Plus

In a triumphant return to the San Diego Comic-Con main stage, leadership at Marvel Studios managed some splashy surprises and showed off risky creative bets for the next two years of content coming from the superhero operation.

But the biggest takeaway from the Saturday presentation inside Hall H was how important Marvel will make Disney Plus, the new digital streaming product and Netflix rival that the Walt Disney Company is launching in November.

While Variety previously reported that Marvel’s TV series would share the same worlds of the cinematic universe, it was made abundantly clear by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige that a Disney Plus subscription will be essential for keeping current on the narratives fans will see in theaters.

When the sequel “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” hits in May 2021, Benedict Cumberbatch will be joined by his fellow Avenger Elizabeth Olsen, aka Scarlet Witch. But to understand the events that led her to the big screen, you’ll need to watch the Disney Plus original “Wandavision,” coming in the spring of 2020.

Likewise, a civilian unfamiliar with the MCU who wants to check out Tom Hiddleston in the Disney Plus original “Loki” will need to rewatch “Avengers: Endgame,” for a blink-and-miss moment that explains Loki’s return after his demise in “Infinity War.”

The mere visual of Disney Plus programs occupying equal space on a graphic timeline of upcoming Marvel movies — projected wide in Hall H — lent the service a kind of cachet that earlier looks at the platform failed to inspire.

Marvel has long rejoiced in making audiences students in their craft, hiding easter eggs in films and even training a generation of moviegoers to stay glued to their reclining seats through end credits for bonus scenes that tease the next adventure. Their Disney Plus efforts take that myth-building to the next level, and it’s a lucrative one as the service will cost $7 a month to start.

While this hulked-up new content pipeline is a brilliant corporate strategy, it should not suggest that Marvel’s shows will merely be bridge content for tentpole films. Feige said “Wandavision” was the most out-there piece of content the studio has ever made. It was also the title that revealed the least in Hall H, only showing an animated logo in a vintage-looking font that came accompanied by the sounds of radio frequencies.

“The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” will see Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan face off against “Captain America: Civil War” villain Daniel Bruhl, and Jeremy Renner’s “Hawkeye” looks to be making his standalone series a family affair (his bow-wielding children were referenced often in the final two films of the Infinity Saga).

All of those titles are anchored by legacy characters introduced in the 11 years that Marvel has risen to cultural dominance. The theatrical slate, on the other hand, is highly experimental. While sequels to “Black Panther,” “Captain Marvel” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” were all confirmed to be in development, the next eight films dated through 2022 have some compelling wildcards.

The most curious could arguably be “Eternals,” based on a trippy Jack Kirby comic series about 35,000-year-old alien beings. It’s entirely new intellectual property that takes Marvel back to the drawing board. They’re relying on one of their signature moves to establish that film, in hiring hot young talent and A-list names no film fan could refuse.

Kumail Nanjiani and Brian Tyree Henry got pop-star-level reception in the room when the cast was revealed, as did a fierce and maternal Salma Hayek. But it was when Feige introduced Angelina Jolie as the final member of the “Eternals” ensemble that the hall ignited. Fans stood on their feet, and Jolie seemed winded telling the crowd how excited she was to be there. Currently in production, the title is scheduled for a November 2020 release.

Equally interesting was director Scott Derrickson’s plan for Doctor Strange. Speaking with Feige on stage, he said he would only return to the franchise if they could explore the darker edges of the sorcerer’s comic narratives — to the point of labelling it the MCU’s first horror film. That’s for May 2021.

The most on-brand Marvel offering was also its most culturally significant, with “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.” Long brewing as the first ever superhero film to feature an Asian lead, this portion packed additional punch by introducing its just-cast star Simu Liu, and additional casting in Awkwafina and Tony Leung. The character Shang-Chi is known as the master of kung-fu, and will hit in February 2021.

Marvel did trot out some familiar faces: Scarlett Johansson is mid-shoot on “Black Widow,” a gritty prequel that some social media users likened to the Bourne series for its brutal, naturalistic violence. Chris Hemsworth will also return for a fourth go at “Thor,” in a sequel titled “Love and Thunder.” That reteams him with director Taika Waititi and costar Tessa Thompson. His founding love interest Natalie Portman returns, but this time as a female version of Thor.

In his parting words, Feige revealed that Oscar winner Mahershala Ali was joining the family to reboot “Blade,” about a human with vampire strength. He also alluded to getting to work on developing the Marvel properties he inherited when Disney acquired 20th Century Fox earlier this year, including the Fantastic Four and mutants of X-Men.

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Movies

I’m sure I’ll see it someday. Just not today. Or tomorrow…

The Lion King rules the box office with $185 million opening weekend

The Lion King has conquered the box office in emphatic fashion.

Disney’s photorealistic remake of its beloved 1994 animated movie is on track to earn an estimated $185 million at 4,725 theaters in the U.S. and Canada from Friday through Sunday, dominating the competition and scoring the biggest domestic launch ever for a PG-rated film. It also marks the highest July opening ever.

Heading into the weekend, The Lion King was projected to open in the $150 million to $175 million range. Overseas, it will add about $269.4 million through Sunday. The film opened in China last week and has earned $98 million there, bringing its worldwide total to about $531 million.

Directed by Jon Favreau, The Lion King features a star-studded voice cast that includes Donald Glover, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Billy Eichner, Seth Rogen, and Alfre Woodard. Reviews have been mixed, but audiences gave the film an A CinemaScore.

The Lion King’s strong start comes on a banner weekend for Disney, as its Avengers: Endgame will also pass Avatar as the No. 1 film of all time at the global box office.

Overall box office is down 7.3 percent year-to-date, according to Comscore. Check out the July 19-21 numbers below.

1. The Lion King — $185 million
2. Spider-Man: Far From Home — $21 million
3. Toy Story 4 — $14.6 million
4. Crawl — $6 million
5. Yesterday — $5.1 million
6. Stuber — $4 million
7. Aladdin — $3.8 million
8. Annabelle Comes Home — $2.7 million
9. Midsommar — $1.6 million
10. The Secret Life of Pets 2 — $1.5 million