The Dead Don’t Die Trailer: Watch Bill Murray Face The Zombie Apocalypse (Again)

The Dead Don’t Die Trailer: Watch Bill Murray Face The Zombie Apocalypse (Again)

A decade ago, Bill Murray lent his talents for a small, but memorable appearance in Zombieland, although unfortunately for the fictionalized version of the Ghostbusters star, things didn’t end well for him. Now Murray is back to face down another zombie apocalypse, only this time he gets to be one of the stars of the show. This summer sees the release of Focus Features’ The Dead Don’t Die, and you can watch the trailer for the Jim Jarmusch-directed and written movie below.


I have to say, even for a zombie comedy, the characters in The Dead Don’t Die are handling the undead invading their small town rather cavalierly. Even after it’s discovered that Centerville (population: 738) is dealing with a zombie epidemic rather than an issue with wild animals, none of the main characters seem that frightened. Bill Murray’s Cliff Robertson and Adam Driver’s Ronald Peterson are particularly unfazed, although that’s probably a good thing since they’re responsible for keeping the peace with Chloe Sevigny’s character. If the police officers are freaking out about the zombies, then what chance do the other townsfolk have of staying safe?


Along with the previously mentioned actors, The Dead Don’t Die’s cast includes Tilda Swinton, Selena Gomez, Austin Butler, Steve Buscemi, Rosie Perez, Calbe Landry Jones, Danny Glover, Sarah Driver, IZA, Carol Kane, Iggy Pop and Tom Waits. Swinton’s character, like the three police officers, also seems to be handling the zombie invasion calmly. Granted, working at a funeral home, she’s used to dead bodies, but when two of the corpses she’s basically decorating open their eyes, she simply inquires if they’re “together.” Even after zombies have overrun Centerville, she’s confident she can defend herself against the undead with a katana in her hands. Look, if there aren’t any police officers around, I have no trouble sticking close to the Scottish swordswoman.




One of the other funny things shown in the trailer for The Dead Don’t Die trailer is that these zombies gravitate towards things that they did when they were alive, like play tennis or drink coffee. In the case of Carol Kane’s zombie, she asks for chardonnay, and I can’t figure out if a zombie on booze will make them more or less dangerous. In any case, while things are dire in Centerville, The Dead Don’t Die will definitely be a more lighthearted entry to the catalog of zombie movies, so here’s hoping those who manage to avoid being bitten by the undead will keep their cool and either defeat their slow-moving adversaries or escape to another town to warn others about this epidemic.


The Dead Don’t Die scares its way into theaters on June 14. If you’re curious about what other movies are coming out later this year, look through our 2019 release schedule.

How Much Men In Black International Could Make In Its Opening Weekend

How Much Men In Black International Could Make In Its Opening Weekend
Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson in Men in Black: international

It's been seven years since the last installment of the Men in Black series, and when the franchise returns in June, it will be with an almost entirely new cast. Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson will take over from Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. While we're still almost two months out, the first projections on the box office are coming out now, and MiB: International is currently tracking toward an opening weekend around $40 million.


While these numbers are early, and are certainly subject to change, BoxOfficePro expects Men in Black: international to end up somewhere between $30-$50 million at the start on the way to a $107 million domestic box office. That would put the new movie at the bottom of the Men in Black franchise from a box office perspective, Mien in Black 3 opened at close to $55 million on the way to a domestic total of almost $180 million, probably not where the new film wants to be.


On the other hand, Men in Black 3 is actually the highest grossing film in the franchise globally, because the international numbers for the film were much higher than the previous entries. In the 10 years between Men in Black 2 and Men in Black 3, Hollywood had made great inroads in international distribution, especially in China, where MiB 3 made $77 million. Today China is an even more important part of the global box office. If the new MiB does even better there, the movie could pay for itself in China alone.




Based on the fact that the new film is actually called Men in Black: International, one gets the impression that the foreign box office is really where the focus for the new movie is. The simple fact is that the film doesn't have to do particularly well in the U.S. if it gets embraced in enough other places.


Men in Black: International won't be the only franchise returning to the big screen in mid-June as the film will open on the same date as the new Shaft movie with Samuel L. Jackson. MiB is currently tracking to be the box office winner of the two, but only by a few million dollars, so anything is possible.


Both movies will have to also contend with The Secret Life of Pets 2, which opens the previous weekend. Animated family movies tend to have better staying power at the box office than other types of films, so both movies could lose the box office crown to a rabbit voiced by Kevin Hart.




It will be interesting to see how the first Men in Black movie without Will Smith does at the box office. We don't really know if he's so close to this franchise that it really needs him or not. We'll find out in June.

Mark Ruffalo Is Still Psyched He Wasn't Fired From Avengers: Endgame

Mark Ruffalo Is Still Psyched He Wasn't Fired From Avengers: Endgame

Actor Mark Ruffalo has a well-documented history of inadvertently dropping spoilers to Marvel movies, an offense that you might think could result in termination or at least a stern warning in the ultra-secretive Marvel Cinematic Universe. So when the new trailer and poster for Avengers: Endgame dropped yesterday, Mark Ruffalo was psyched to see that he was still in them and wasn’t fired. Take a look:


No, Mark, you weren’t fired, but the press tour for Avengers: Endgame hasn’t begun yet, so I suppose there’s still time. Given his many screw-ups and spoilery slips of the tongue, Mark Ruffalo can’t be too sure about his employment status, so he even queries it in his tweet. It’s a combination of curious befuddlement and elated shock to see himself in the new marketing.


Mark Ruffalo knows he should be fired, and yet there he is in the middle of the Avengers: Endgame poster. It’s definitely him too because his name is on it. And while he knows better than anyone that the actor who plays the Hulk can be replaced, he appears as Bruce Banner, not the Hulk. So there can be no doubt, Mark Ruffalo has not been fired and is still part of the MCU, a fact he is understandably psyched about.




The three-time Oscar nominee has been joking about being fired for a while now, leaning in to the perception that he spoils MCU movies after his various actual slip-ups. Back in October, Mark Ruffalo appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and jokingly said that he let a spoiler for Avengers 4 slip and the Russo Brothers have been playing along, telling him he’s fired ever since.


But like bullets on the Hulk’s thick green skin, those firings have just bounced off Mark Ruffalo and he remains very much in the movie.


However, Mark Ruffalo’s co-stars have even started teasing him about his loose-lipped ship sinking. Don Cheadle, who was sitting beside Mark Ruffalo for his most notorious “everybody dies” spoiler, has joked that he doesn’t want to do press with him anymore. On his latest appearance on The Tonight Show, the host even had Mark Ruffalo hooked up to a lie detector to try and grill him for answers.




We don’t know the answers for the Hulk or Avengers: Endgame yet, but we certainly have a lot of questions. Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner only appears once in the new trailer and we have yet to see the Hulk at all in the trailers for the Phase 3 capper. Obviously Bruce Banner and the green guy were going through some stuff in Avengers: Infinity War, but how that will be sorted out in Endgame is being kept under wraps.


Also of note, Mark Ruffalo may have escaped termination and is in the movie, but he does not appear with the rest of the team in the shot towards the end of the trailer where they are all suited up, presumably for some time travel/Quantum Realm adventures. Of course, we don’t see Captain Marvel or Thor in those shots either. Shots of them could have just been omitted for any number of reasons, or maybe those three, the three heaviest hitters, are off doing something else. But what?


Mark Ruffalo has less than 42 days to keep quiet and maintain his employment. Avengers: Endgame arrives in theaters on April 26. Check out our 2019 release schedule for that and all the other big movies you can look forward to this year.



Bond 25, An Updated Cast List

Bond 25, An Updated Cast List
James Bond's set from filming in Jamaica

It’s hard to believe it has been four years since Spectre came out in theaters and it will be five years before the still-untitled Bond 25 comes out. For a short while we were on a fairly steady diet of Daniel Craig movies, with Skyfall and Spectre coming out three years apart and Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace coming out two years apart.


However, there was a four-year gap between Quantum of Solace and Skyfall, so I suppose we shouldn’t fret too much about Bond 25 and how long it is taking to come together. On that note, casting is finally a reality for the new movie, which will bring Daniel Craig back, assumedly for the last time.


If you are as pumped for the still-untitled Bond 25 as we are, be sure to check out our updated cast list below and check back for new add-ons to the cast and more.




Daniel Craig as James Bond


Yes, Daniel Craig is game for at least one more round as the famous British agent 007. The actor was confirmed to be returning in July of 2017 and has been allegedly working out like a fiend since then in order to whip himself into shape for his final hurrah.


He has said it should be his last time playing the iconic character and he would be open to any gender or race taking over the role.


Rami Malek as The Villain


Following his star-making turn as Freddie Mercury, the Mr. Robot actor will be joining the Bond franchise in a currently-unnamed villainous role. He’s already spoken to fans with a first message about his inclusion into the cast.




Due to the fact the movie will be filming in Jamaica like Dr. No, some have speculated his character will be somehow related to that character or flick, but this has currently in no way, shape or form been confirmed. Stay tuned.


Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter


That’s “Wright,” the fan-favorite Westworld actor is returning to the Bond fold to play Felix Leiter in Bond 25. Like Rami Malek, this had been speculated for a while.


However, Barbara Broccoli and co. recently confirmed Jeffrey Wright’s return for the first time since he appeared in Quantum of Solace (in a role that was ultimately cut down). Bond’s friend is mentioned in Spectre and he’ll be back in this next film.




Ralph Fiennes as M


Taking over for the former M played by Judi Dench, this M’s full name is Lieutenant Colonel Gareth Mallory. We know this because he was originally introduced in Skyfall as the head of the Intelligence and Security Committee.


He’ll be back in Bond 25, although a month ago he said he still didn’t have any details on the movie. Ultimately, M won’t be the only MI6 character to be returning, either.


Naomie Harris as Moneypenny


Miss Moneypenny is an iconic Bond character. In Daniel Craig’s version, she’s been given the first name Eve and has been played by Naomie Harris since 2012.




Her version was given some backstory in which she was once a field agent. She messes up royally in Skyfall during a mission in Istanbul and later is given desk work, but has occasionally taken on field work since. When last we saw her she was back in the office, so we’ll have to wait and see where Bond 25 goes, particularly given the flick is shooting in Jamaica.


Lea Seydoux as Madeleine Swann


Madeleine Swann, or rather Dr. Madeleine Swann, is the daughter of Mr. White, a member of SPECTRE. She had grown up resenting her father for his criminal dealings and it was those dealings that led James Bond to her.


She first pops up in – you likely guessed it – Spectre, and although she shares some “moments” with Bond, she has said in interviews that she doesn’t really feel like a stereotypical Bond girl. This is likely one of the reasons she’ll be back for another round.




Ben Whishaw as Q


Q and Daniel Craig’s Bond meeting for the first time is a highlight of Skyfall as the older British Agent realizes he will be dealing with a veritable youngster as his new quartermaster.


These days, Whishaw is nearing 40 (!) and is very much a major part of the Bond franchise popping in to confirm pieces of information and more. He’ll be a welcome face when he comes back for Bond 25.


Rory Kinnear as Tanner


Rory Kinnear’s big claim to fame in this franchise is playing the youngest version of Bill Tanner to exist.




Tanner is M’s Chief of Staff and Kinnear’s version first popped up in Quantum of Solace. These days, Bill Tanner is a regular fixture in Bond films, or at least this iteration of Bond films.


Dali Benssalah


A French actor known for the Nox miniseries and Interrail, Dali Benssalah was confirmed to be joining the franchise during a recent press event for Bond 25.


We currently do not have details on who the actor will be playing.




Ana De Armas


Like Dali Benssalah, Ana De Armas will be a newcomer in the Bond universe. The Cuban actress has been an actress for the past decade, more recently appearing in Hollywood movie projects like Blade Runner 2049 and War Dogs. She’ll next pop up in Danny Boyle’s highly-anticipated Yesterday and Daniel Craig's upcoming flick Knives Out.


In Bond 25 she looks as if she's set to appear as a Bond girl. More details to come.


Lashana Lynch


Captain Marvel’s Lashana Lynch is also joining Bond 25.




We don’t know who she will be playing, but jumping from Marvel to Bond is not a bad franchise hop.


Billy Magnussen


Game Night’s Billy Magnussen hops genres and projects all the time. He’s done comedy, as evidenced. He’s also played princes in the likes of Into The Woods and the upcoming Aladdin and he’s been involved in plenty of TV projects from Black Mirror to Tell Me A Story.


Now, he’ll be joining Bond 25. My vote is as a henchman. He just looks henchman-esque. We’ll have to wait and see though.




David Dencik


Our final entry so far is David Dencik, a Swedish actor known for The Snowman and TV’s Rig 45 and Quicksand.


He’ll be joining Bond 25 in a currently unnamed role.


As for rumors about Bond 25, there have been some suggestions the movie will also bring back returning characters like Blofeld back to wrap up this era of 007. We’ll be sure to confirm as soon as Barbara Broccoli and the studio does. For now please put this one squarely in the rumor mill.




Bond 25, which by then should have a title, will officially hit theaters on April 8, 2020. For now, take a look at what is heading to theaters with our full movies release date schedule.

Why Avengers: Endgame Is Marvel's Best Captain America Movie

Why Avengers: Endgame Is Marvel's Best Captain America Movie
Chris Evans as Captain America in Endgame

SPOILER WARNING : So you’re scouring the internet for Avengers: Endgame content…. Here’s a friendly reminder that reading spoilers without witnessing the movie in all its glory will just ruin it for yourself. Only read on if you have contributed to the record-breaking box office haul for the Infinity Saga conclusion.


While Avengers: Endgame pulled off a lot of unexpected moments throughout its three-hour epic runtime, if there is one aspect of the film most of us went into it anticipating, it was Chris Evans’ Captain America getting a sendoff. Wow, this film made that happen in a big way!


Thankfully, Cap was in the best hands possible. The Russo Brothers started their partnership with Marvel with 2014’s Captain America: Winter Soldier (a highly-regarded fan favorite), they kept it going with Civil War in 2016 before moving on to closing out the Infinity Saga with Infinity War and Endgame.




The Russos’ had a lot of ground to cover with Endgame besides the Star-Spangled Man with a Plan, but the movie still managed to conclude the character’s arc in an incredibly satisfying way. Chris Evans was given the space to offer up his best and most well-rounded performance as the hero to date that shows off his position as one of the most deliberate superhero stories ever told on screen.


While his standalone trilogy was certainly impressive, Endgame elevates Captain America higher and caps (no pun intended) off his narrative in a way we won’t soon forget. Here’s why:


His “Giddy“ Optimism Pays Off


The downfall of a character like Captain America (and his DC brethren, Superman) is his sky high idealism and belief in the greater good. It’s a characteristic of comic book publishers’ earliest iterations and for a reason: to bring hope and escapism to readers in hard times.




While we certainly like a good dose of escapism today, it’s more difficult for us to believe in a hero like Cap, and Tony Stark’s relationship with him throughout the franchise is the perfect example of this. He’s always questioning his decisions and words of confidence.


In Endgame, Tony hits Steve with this head on in the beginning of the film, cursing his optimism since they have now lost. But there ends up being something insightful in Cap’s good intentions to “keep on keepin’ on” that shine brightly in this movie most of all. He is the rock of the squad who believes in Ant-Man’s idea, then recruits Tony and the rest of the team, yes with Black Widow at his side, but without him everyone (even her) was starting to give up.


Cap even starts to give up a bit himself, but he never lets this stop him. Where some of the other Cap films have wavered on the “why,” Endgame shows that the character’s belief in it all turning out okay really can be a strength, making it the ultimate film for the hero.




He’s Got America’s Ass


Okay so if you were looking for analysis of Cap’s booty, this isn’t it, but it is regarding the whole-ass scene that starts with this now iconic line. There’s nothing we love more seeing some clever character development, and Endgame juggles this with many of the core Avengers.


For Cap though, the parallel between who he was and who he has become between 2012’s Avengers and his last hurrah is shown much more literally. When he travels back to the New York battle to retrieve the Tesseract, he runs into himself and straight up takes him down in the best way possible. When younger Cap says “I can do this all day,” the older Cap scoffs at the line hilariously.


Not to mention that the moment in the elevator with some of those Hydra double agents serves as a fun callback to the iconic elevator fight scene in Winter Soldier. When the hero mutters “Hail, Hydra” to deceive them instead of using his energy to battle them all, it shows Cap is capable of being quippy and a really fun character at the end of the day.




While Chris Evans has a lot of seriousness to pull during the franchise, Endgame really brings together the hero’s charm. The fact that all these references pack a huge punch in just a few short minutes shows the character was never the butt of the MCU, but is a real MVP.


He Assembles The Full Team… And The Mjolnir


Then comes the moment when Captain America must face Thanos again, as the past version of the Mad Titan has found out the location of the gauntlet and seeks to become “inevitable.” It was already an exciting showdown between Thanos, Cap, Iron Man and Thor, but then Cap says these words: “Avengers Assemble.”


It’s a scene that looks to be the end of Cap as he stands alone in front of Thanos, but Rogers isn’t a “I can do this alone” kind of guy. He knows a battle is best won together, and when all the unsnapped Avengers enter the battle it’s a glorious moment unlike any other.




In a geekfest full of incredible moments such as that “girl power” shot, one of Cap's certainly steals the show as well. Right before all the unsnapped heroes show up, he gets Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir. The whole theater absolutely skips a heartbeat when this happens, and when he wields it and switches off the weapon with Thor, its big screen GOLD.


There was a bit of foreshadowing of this in Age of Ultron when he moves Mjolnir a bit, but Endgame hails Captain America as just about the most powerful original Avenger as he becomes worthy of the weapon of a god. The scene is payoff for the character in the best way because he’s always been trying to do the right thing and be a “worthy” hero… now he absolutely is.


He Makes That Date


Captain America’s story starts on an emotional high note when he must force down a plane in the ‘40s and leave behind Peggy Carter before their budding romance can really start to blossom. It’s the ultimate sacrifice for the hero that he grapples with throughout his MCU journey. He is constantly going back to the life he left behind and he has dealt with it in all of his films.




While we speculated Peggy may play a role in Endgame, her involvement in the MCU ends up giving audiences a happy ending that gives all of those emotional moments meaning and depth. After saving the world and helping bring together the Avengers, Cap goes back in time and lives the life he’s always dreamed of.


Then he remembers another one, the exact moment when Hulk, Bucky and Falcon beamed him back in time to tell them that it worked. He returned the Infinity Stones to their rightful place and took a permanent trip down memory lane to retire.


Cap then has one last thing to do: pass off the legacy of his shield to someone: either Bucky or Sam Wilson. While his love for Bucky throughout the franchise could have swayed him that way, Falcon is the clear successor and is the perfect way to end his story, even if Anthony Mackie never actually suits up as Captain America (we'll have to wait and see).




Without Avengers: Endgame, Captain America’s story just wouldn’t just be as impactful emotionally and cinematically as this movie made it. Not only is it the perfect send off for the character but his best movie to date.

Honey, I Shrunk The Kids Is Getting A Reboot

Honey, I Shrunk The Kids Is Getting A Reboot
Honey I Shrunk The Kids Wayne and Diane Szalinski answer the door stressed out

Regardless of where you ultimately land in the whole nature vs. nurture debate, it's pretty hard to argue that a lot of us grow up to be very similar to at least one of our parents. In some cases, this is a sweet tribute to our folks, but in the case of Honey, I Shrunk The Kids, it’s a bit of a problem.


We say this because Disney is apparently rebooting the classic 1989 sci-fi comedy, and in doing so it's taking the “legacyquel” route. In this case, that means we will get to see an adult Nick Szalinski start to make the same kind of ridiculous scientific mistakes that his father did when he was a kid. According to Slash Film, the project will be titled Shrunk, and feature Josh Gad in the lead role. With a star attached and a theatrical release strategy in mind, the studio is apparently now looking for a director that doubles as a fan of the original franchise to move the feature from concept into reality.


This new film isn’t to be confused with the previously rumored remake of Honey, I Shrunk The Kids that’s been mentioned on and off for almost a decade. Instead, this is a new project that will see Nick start doing his own experiments with shrinking technology that winds up miniaturizing his own family.




What’s interesting is that Shrunk is supposed to take place within the canon of the original Honey, I Shrunk The Kids, leaving us to wonder just how much sequel continuity it’ll fold into its own story. The rest of the franchise's feature film legacy includes Honey, I Blew Up The Kid and Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves, but only the first of those two titles actually made its way in to theaters. The second was made during Disney’s bygone era of direct-to-video sequels.


Following the example of the Jurassic World movies, the filmmakers behind Shrunk could leave that question vaguely answered with character appearances and references to events that took place in those follow-ups, while specifically leaning hard on the nostalgia for the first film. One can expect that the calls will ultimately depend on the sensibilities of the writers and director involved, so we'll just have to wait and see what kind of moves the project makes in those arenas.


One last question that’ll undoubtedly start cropping up as Shrunk pushes through development is whether or not Wayne Szalinski, Nick’s father and the original genius of the Honey, I Shrunk The Kids mythos, will make an appearance. Played by Rick Moranis in all three of the films that were made in the series, there’s a chance that Disney is already trying to make an offer that will entice him to play one of his most iconic roles yet again.




Unfortunately, that may not be an easy sell, as we previously saw with Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters reboot. Rick Moranis turned down the offer to return for a cameo in that movie, having been retired from the movie world since starring in Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves. That being said, he’s semi-returning to the industry by appearing in an upcoming documentary about SCTV, so perhaps that will loosen his resolve a little. Should he still reject a return to the world of Honey, I Shrunk The Kids, though, there’s another option that could be taken by Shrunk that would make things very interesting.


When Honey, I Shrunk The Kids became a syndicated TV series in the late ‘90s, veteran character actor Peter Scolari was cast to play the small screen version of Wayne for that show’s duration. So if they really wanted to, Shrunk could draft Scolari to keep the character alive in the franchise.


Not much else is known about Shrunk right now, but with Josh Gad on board to lead the “legacyquel," it’s already a promising start to what could be an interesting extension and resurrection of a family comedy hit that’s been sorely missed in the world. And as this project develops, we’ll report back to you here at CinemaBlend to continue the story.




Meanwhile, Josh Gad can next be seen, or rather heard, in A Dog’s Journey, which hits theaters this weekend; as well as in the highly anticipated Frozen 2, which is set to be released on November 22nd.

John Boyega Is Super Psyched For Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

John Boyega Is Super Psyched For Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
Finn in The Last Jedi

It's a very exciting time for Star Wars fans, as we're just a series of months away from the release of The Rise of Skywalker. J.J. Abram's highly anticipated blockbuster will end the Skywalker Saga forever. And all eyes are on how the nine-film narrative will finally be wrapped up. And aside from Episode IX's upcoming arrival, Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge will also open to immerse generations of fans into the beloved space opera.


We're just days away from the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, and the fans are eager to see what the theme park will include, and how it'll help to expand the galaxy far, far away. But the cast of the franchise is also excited to for the park's opening-- especially John Boyega. The Finn actor recently posted about his excitement on social media, check it out:


While John Boyega might not be at the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, the 27-year old actor is excited for fans to meet the cast that's been assembled to bring the theme park to life. What's more, it looks like his character Finn will have a role in one of the highly anticipated new rides.




John Boyega's Instagram post shows the crew of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, assembled before the droves of theme park denizens descend to see everything the attraction is capable of. The new park looks cool enough to get any self-respecting Star Wars fan excited-- complete with a massive Millennium Falcon. And with just a few months left before The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters, Galaxy's Edge is the perfect way to satiate fans while they patiently wait for the franchise's return to theaters.


It should be interesting to see how much of a presence Finn has in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, especially since we don't know how the former Stormtrooper ends up during The Rise of Skywalker. John Boyega teased he had a role in one of the upcoming rides, and the most likely is Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. The upcoming attraction will focus on the battle against the First Order, which is something that Finn knows a thing or two about as a protagonist of the current trilogy.


But the other ride, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run doesn't seem out of the question for a Finn appearance. The character has spent plenty of time aboard the iconic vessel, especially in The Force Awakens. And with the heroes teased to stay together during the events of Episode IX, smart money says Finn will be boarding the Falcon before too long.




Related: Rian Johnson Praises 'Freakin Unbelievable' Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge (And Its Delicious Green Milk)


Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge will no doubt make a ton of money, and attract countless theme park visitors to its attractions. And with The Rise of Skywalker arriving so shortly after its release, smart money says the park will go through changes following the blockbuster's release. But considering how closely the property guards its secrets, there's no telling what might go down in the next release.


Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge will officially open in Disneyland on May 31st, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will arrive in theaters on December 20th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.



Jordan Peele Isn't Too Worried About Us Spoilers

Jordan Peele Isn't Too Worried About Us Spoilers
Us

Although not quite as critical as something like The Sixth Sense, Jordan Peele’s Get Out is one of those movies that you really didn’t want spoiled for you. The writer/director’s follow-up Us seems very much cut from a similar cloth, with the early word indicating that there are reveals aplenty in this film. Plus, the marketing campaign is even employing the hashtag #KeepItBetweenUs. That said, Jordan Peele isn’t too worried about Us spoilers, as he explained:



People want to keep the secrets. Also, if you spoil something, your friend probably punches you in the shoulder or something. I think we've developed into a culture that respects the idea that spoilers are no fun.



Jordan Peele seems of the belief that spoilers will not be a major problem for Us, not because the film can’t be spoiled, but because audiences will do the right thing and keep the film’s secrets so that other people can enjoy it. Basically, he thinks that people know better and all you’d be doing by spoiling the film is making people angry and opening yourself up to some friendly retaliation.





In his comments to Digital Spy, Jordan Peele actually raises quite an interesting point about the culture around spoilers. With the rise of social media, the ability to spoil movies has increased exponentially. B concurrently (and perhaps consequently) a taboo has also risen about spoilers. People now generally agree that spoilers suck. Spoiling a movie for someone else is really poor form and a pretty crappy thing to do, so most people try not to do it.


Jordan Peele also mentioned that this taboo around spoilers makes it fun to have seen a movie and to know its secrets. When you do and refuse to spoil it for someone else, that lends the film an air of mystery that gets other people excited to see it as well, building the buzz and enhancing the experience.


Because of this culture around spoilers, Jordan Peele doesn’t see them as being a big issue for his sophomore film. With any luck, he’s right. If so and people adhere to common decency and wait for everyone to see Us before discussing it in spoiler-ific detail, especially in a public forum, then there is nothing to worry about and audiences can enjoy the film and have the purest way possible.





By the early reactions out of SXSW, the movie is quite the experience too. Unlike Get Out, Us is true horror movie that will have people watching through their fingers and will give people plenty to discuss when the film ends.


Us is currently enjoying a perfect 100% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes in advance of this weekend’s opening so the buzz is definitely high here that this is a good movie showing that Get Out was no fluke. The film is tracking at a $40-$45 million opening weekend.


Us opens in theaters on March 22. Stay frosty and beware of spoilers and check out our 2019 Release Schedule for all the other big movies that should be on your radar this year.




The Villain Avengers: Endgame Might Have Set Up For Phase 4

The Villain Avengers: Endgame Might Have Set Up For Phase 4
kang the conqueror marvel comics

SPOILER WARNING: Marvel and Disney are all in on spoilers now, but I'd rather play it safe than sorry. Big spoilers for Avengers: Endgame to follow!


Avengers: Endgame was indeed the finale that we were all promised. The film closes the door on some pillars of the MCU, including Thanos, who's been the big bad of this whole franchise. With the Mad Titan seemingly gone for good, who else could possibly terrorize the Avengers for the foreseeable future? Well, I don't know about the final boss, but as far as Phase 4 is concerned, Endgame may have paved the road for a classic Avengers bad guy in the form of Kang the Conqueror.


As the millions of people worldwide who have seen Avengers: Endgame know, the entire second act of the film is devoted to time travel. In order to undo the Snap and bring back everyone who was lost, the Avengers take a trip through their history to find the Infinity Stones, bring them to the future and not completely break the laws of time and space in the process.




The time travel rules and implications in the blockbuster have been hotly debated since release. While time travel continues to be one of the most confusing elements of Avengers: Endgame, the mere appearance of time travel could signal that Kang is right around the corner.


The name Kang is likely to be unfamiliar to anyone who doesn't read the comics, but he's one of the more standout Avengers villains. Essentially, he is a warlord from the future who has mastered time travel technology and travels to different timelines in order to conquer them with his superior weaponry. He's basically taking a test with all the answers written on his hand.


Kang's time traveling antics have resulted in him crossing paths with the Avengers on more than one occasion. It usually boils down to Kang trying to manipulate the events of time in his favor, and the Avengers have to stop him. He's a master-level historian and strategist, and his futuristic technology is so advanced that even some of Earth's greatest minds can't fully comprehend it.




Kang has traveled through time so much that there are almost unlimited versions of himself, so he's practically impossible to truly kill. Sometimes these alternate versions have gone on to have their own identities and have been both allies and enemies of the Avengers, such as Kang's future self, Immortus, or his younger self, Nathaniel Richards.


As you probably gathered, time travel is Kang's thing, and we just had a major Marvel movie in which time travel was an integral element. So it's not beyond the realm of reason that all this messing around with space-time will bring in the Avengers villain whose one thing is that he time travels.


Like every movie that deals with timeline jumping, Avengers: Endgame makes sure to explain all the rules of its particular brand of time travel. Nothing you do in the past can affect your future, but if you make a big enough change, it'll cause an alternate reality to branch off. Maybe that alternate reality will be great, but it also has the potential to be dark -- especially if an Infinity Stone is taken off the board.




Captain America makes sure to put the Stones back in their rightful places at the end of the film, but that doesn't mean that the Avengers are off the hook. They made some serious screw-ups in the past that caused alternate timelines. For example, Loki escaped with the Tesseract in 2012, causing a pretty huge deviation. Additionally, 2014 Thanos and his army were killed, which means there's a timeline with no Thanos searching for the Infinity Stones.


Those are just two of the biggest examples we know of, but as Tony Stark says, when you mess with time, time tends to mess back. Maybe the Avengers' actions in the past have caught the attention of Kang, who has now set his sights on Earth.


It's not too hard to see the meddling in the timelines as a good entry point for Kang. Maybe in the MCU, Kang is more of a cosmic force policing time and looking to punish the Avengers for their actions. Or maybe messing with time has opened the door for Kang to do some conquering, and a new team of heroes must assemble to fix their mistakes. Thanks to Spider-Man: Far From Home, we know that there's a multiverse of options for Kang.




There are a few reasons why Kang being the villain of Phase 4 is significant. For starters, he technically debuted in a Fantastic Four comic. It was when he was posing as a pharaoh named Rama-Tut in ancient Egypt. He didn't start going by the name Kang until he showed up in an Avengers comic.


That made the issues of who owns his film rights a little complicated, but it doesn't matter anymore. Disney famously bought Fox, which means the studio can now use all the X-Men and Fantastic Four characters it wants. That means Kang is free to show up down the road.


Because Kang first showed up in a Fantastic Four comic, the villain might be a good way to bring the Fantastic Four into the fold. While we have zero clue how Marvel will incorporate its First Family into the MCU, one theory gaining steam involves the multiverse. Some people think the Fantastic Four will be from an alternate timeline, which could help connect them to Kang.




Also, Kang is a future descendant of Reed Richards, a.k.a. Mr. Fantastic, so that's an interesting angle.


Oh, and Kang has connections to the X-Men, too! When he was a pharaoh, he tried to manipulate a young Apocalypse to be his heir. This guy has his fingers in pretty much every pie.


Kang also has ties to a different superhero team that people expect to show up in the MCU very soon. The Young Avengers are a team of superhero teenagers who have styled themselves like their favorite Avengers. One of these kids is Iron Lad, who also happens to be Nathaniel Richards, a young version of Kang who is trying to escape his destiny as a conquering A-hole.




Having Kang in the mix could be a way to help set up the Young Avengers down the road. However, the MCU's version doesn't necessarily have to use Iron Lad or Nathaniel Richards at all.


Admittedly, Kang is not set up in the way past MCU villains have been. There's no post-credit tease, so the door is open for almost any villain to take charge in Phase 4. However, given that Avengers: Endgame dived into the deep end of time travel, it makes sense that Kang would be the next villain up to bat. Not only is he one of the bigger Avengers villains still left, but he has ties to multiple hero teams and could help set up more movies down the road. Having a time traveling villain could make things more confusing, but it would also be a hell of a lot of fun.

Universal Studios Orlando Reveals First Look At Fluffy On Hagrid's New Ride

Universal Studios Orlando Reveals First Look At Fluffy On Hagrid's New Ride
Hagrid on his motorbike with Harry Potter in the movies

As Disneyland opens its gates to the highly-anticipated new land Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at both American parks this summer, Universal Studios will also be expanding its Wizarding World with a brand new ride coming to Hogsmeade led by the lovable and huggable Hagrid. The roller coaster coming to Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure on June 13 that will take thrill seekers on journey through the Forbidden Forest with the fan-favorite is now offering an inside look on what creatures to look out for once the ride arrives.


This week, Universal Studios Orlando will be revealing another magical creature that will be featured on the immersive ride titled Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. The new coaster will include an actual forest of more than 1,200 real trees passengers will ride through while discovering a variety of species both famous to the franchise and never seen before. Take a look at the first to be revealed by Universal below:


It’s Fluffy!! Looks like the three-headed dog who was pet to Hagrid in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and protected the titular object in the first film can be spotted on the upcoming ride. The 8,000 pound doggo was the first to be featured on the Universal Orlando Blog on Monday. Pro tip: if you remember, Fluffy falls asleep to the sound of music. Maybe this will be vital to the passengers making it alive in Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure. Here’s another familiar creature to be found also:




Beware of the Cornish Pixies! These little electric blue monsters are mischievous and prone to grab people by their ears before throwing them off high heights. The blog indicates the Cornish Pixies will be found creating shenanigans on the Blue Car and over 20 of them can be spotted flying during the ride. The pixies were in Chamber of Secrets during Gilderoy Lockhart’s Defense Against the Dark Arts class session.


Next up, Universal is teasing a plan with constricting magical abilities that only tightens its grip as victims’ struggle. More details on it will be featured next on Wednesday morning at 11am EDT. After that, two other creatures will be revealed on the blog up until Friday, April 19.


In addition to Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, the theme park’s classic Jurassic Park ride is currently getting an upgrade to become Jurassic World - The Ride at both US locations to match the current franchise underway also set to open this summer after nearly a 25-year-old run as its original form. There will also be an attraction based on the animation blockbuster A Secret Life of Pets coming to Universal Studios Hollywood in 2020.




Excited for what the Wizarding World of Harry Potter has in store for park guests this summer with this new ride starring Hagrid? What creatures would you like to see on the ride? Feel free to comment with your thoughts below!

JK Rowling Is Releasing Four New Harry Potter E-Books

JK Rowling Is Releasing Four New Harry Potter E-Books
Harry, Ron, and Hemione during the battle of Hogwarts

There are few franchises quite as beloved as Harry Potter. What started with JK Rowling's acclaimed seven-book series has expanded to a massive property that includes movies, theme parks, and even a set of Broadway plays. Rowling is showing no signs of slowing down the Wizarding World, especially as the Universal theme parks add more attractions and the Fantastic Beasts franchise continues its tenure in theaters.


To the surprise and joy of the generations of Potterheads out there, it now looks like JK Rowling is releasing four new E-books set within the magical world of Harry Potter. While they're not sequels or focused on Harry and his friends, they'll shine a light on the history of magic within the canon.


The books are titled Harry Potter: A Journey Through... each focusing on a different aspect of Magical History: Divination, Magical Creatures, Potions & Herbology, and Charms/Defense Against The Dark Arts. The e-books are inspired by the British Library's Harry Potter exhibition, and the books about magical history which accompanied it.




This news comes to us from Pottermore, the go-to source for all things Harry Potter. The first of these new e-books will be available on June 27th, and Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Potions and Herbology will be the first two additions to the Wizarding World. Since it'll be some time before Fantastic Beasts 3 arrives in theaters, this is the perfect way to satiate the still rabid fanbase.


Since Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone hit bookshelves in 1997, JK Rowling's Wizarding World hasn't stopped capturing the imaginations of generations. The kids who waited for each of the seven books to arrive can now pass it down to their children. And with the Fantastic Beasts movies and Harry Potter And The Cursed Child continuing the narrative that began those decades ago, the franchise remains at the top of the pop culture lexicon.


Related: Harry Potter’s J.K. Rowling Is Worried She Might Die Before She Finishes All Her Projects




Movies, plays, and amusement parks are one thing, but the true magic (pun intended) of the franchise has always been on the page. The Harry Potter movies did a great job at adapting JK Rowling's novels, but the books are filled with much more detail, allowing the universe to be more fleshed out. As such, new literature usually flies off of shelves. And in this case, fly into tablets and smart phones.


Harry Potter: A Journey Through will give the fandom a chance to get deep into the lore of the Wizarding World, and explain some of the magical events from the Harry Potter franchise. Every self-respective Potterhead has been waiting for their letter from Hogwarts, so being able to get some magical education through the new e-books is an opportunity that few are going to pass on.


The first two Harry Potter: A Journey Through e-books will be available on June 27th, and Fantastic Beasts 3 is currently set to arrive on November 12th, 2021. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list.



New Avengers: Endgame Image Reveals Kraglin’s Location

New Avengers: Endgame Image Reveals Kraglin’s Location
Kraglinin Guardians 2

Massive spoilers ahead for Avengers: Endgame.


Avengers: Endgame has been in theaters for weeks, and the public is still making revelations about the behemoth blockbuster. The Russo Brothers threw everything and the kitchen sink into the movie, including countless cameos, time travel, and some gutting character deaths. And every major MCU character appeared in the film's final battle sequence, thanks to some magical portals and the dusted characters' resurrection.


Moviegoers were delighted to see so many characters in one place, and the Endgame's last battle was a visual masterpiece with more action than one set of eyes could truly take in. A video from the set revealed that actor Sean Gunn played Guardians side character Kraglin in the movie, although the fandom has had trouble tracking him down in the theatrical cut. But a new photo may have revealed where Kraglin was during the final war against Thanos. Check it out.




So THAT'S why we didn't spot Kraglin in those insanely epic Avengers: Endgame battle shots. Because he wasn't on the ground with the majority of heroes, and was instead piloting one of the Ravager vehicles that were shown above the rubble.


This new image comes to us from Instagram, and shows actor Sean Gunn recording his quick cameo as Kraglin in Avengers: Endgame. We see the actor surrounded by green screens, with Kraglin piloting some sort of intergalactic motorcycle. What's more, he's got a fancy new finn atop his head, as he's still wielding Yondu's arrow as his primary weapon.


Kraglin piloting a Ravager vehicle certainly explains why he wasn't given any super epic moments during the galaxy's last stand against the Mad Titan. From the set image, it looks like Sean Gunn recorded a brief feature for his signature Guardians of the Galaxy character, although it ended up on the cutting room floor. Although even if his shot was cut, Kraglin could have been featured in a more subtle way.




As previously stated, the Avengers: Endgame conclusion featured countless characters, all involved in a complicated action sequence that is a visual masterpiece. But The Russo Brothers and their team(s) of visual affects artists may have missed a subtle opportunity to include Kraglin in the battle. Because even if his solo shot was cut, the battlefield could have seen Thanos' forces being killed by Yondu's arrow. The iconic weapon leaves a red trail behind it, so the hardcore fans would have figured it out, and likely lost their minds.


Related: Avengers: Endgame Writers Reveal If Captain America Could Wield The Infinity Gauntlet


While Kraglin wasn't shown in Avengers: Endgame, Sean Gunn did a ton of work for the acclaimed blockbuster. Gunn is Rocket's stand-in during scenes, acting opposite his scene partners, including the Guardians and Avengers. Eventually the visual affects bring Rocket to life, and Bradley Cooper's voice is edited into the final cut.




Avengers: Endgame is in theaters now. Be sure to check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Wait, Why Did Avengers: Infinity War Let Shuri Die Off Camera?

Wait, Why Did Avengers: Infinity War Let Shuri Die Off Camera?
Black Panther Shuri standing with her gauntlets ready to fire

Every Marvel fan has that one victim of Thanos’s Decimation that they wish had survived. Watching our favorite MCU characters fading away into a cloud of ash was a pretty devastating event, and every time it’s brought up, it feels like a freshly opened wound in our hearts. And just when you thought it was all said and done with the greatest Marvel happening since the collapse of S.H.I.E.L.D., there was a new wrinkle added to the already high toll of emotional damages. As it turns out, Shuri -- sister of King T’Challa and tech guru extraordinaire of Wakanda -- was apparently part of the casualties of that fateful day.


While presumed to be alive at the end of Avengers: Infinity War, the trailers for Avengers: Endgame hit with the implication that one of our favorite Marvel geniuses was dusted off camera. At first, this was dismissed as one of those shots that the folks in charge love to include, so as to throw off fans trying to guess what’s going to happen in the actual film. But by time the posters for Avengers: Endgame hit, Shuri was a confirmed kill with her visage shown in the same black and white quality all the other fallen heroes took in their posters. Which not only has us mad, it has us questioning why in the hell Avengers: Infinity War would let such a huge death happen off screen.


The princess of Wakanda’s actual fate has always been considered up in the air -- even Angela Bassett herself seemed to think that Shuri, as well as her character Ramonda, had survived the ending of Avengers: Infinity War. It’s a conclusion we previously jumped to as well, as the film wasn’t shy about killing off a mass of characters that occupied both the front and center as well as the supporting rung of the series. Seeing everyone from Bucky Barnes to Groot biting the dust, it didn’t feel like they’d leave that important of a character off of the chopping block in the first half of this two part story. If she had done less to effect the outcome of the story, then maybe not including Shuri would have made sense. But, as we saw in her final recorded moments of activity in Avengers: Infinity War, her importance to the overall plot can’t be overstated.




Shuri’s big move in Avengers: Infinity War was all about the potential solution to save Vision from being dependent on the Soul Stone to live. Her last known location was in her lab in Wakanda, as Shuri was scrambling to finish her work, and it was even theorized that she possibly found a way to save Vision in order to resurrect him, sans the Infinity Stone that gave him life. Of course, Corvus Glaive burst into her lab during what looked like some very crucial stages of that process, and the question of whether or not she succeeded was left as open ended as whether she’d survived or not.


And yet, as we saw T’Challa disappear in front of Okoye during Avengers: Infinity War, we didn’t get such a scene with Shuri. Which is rather interesting, considering that not only is Danai Gurira's character a crucial survivor in Avengers: Endgame’s story, she was also the last person we saw with Shuri as they fought off Corvus Glaive in the Wakandan labs. You’d think those two would want to stick together, not only to up the odds of survival, but also to get Shuri over to her brother, so that the three could mount a mutual defense against Thanos and his goons. Even if she still died, it would have been on camera, she would have gone out fighting, and Okoye would be even more galvanized to carry on the good fight in Avengers: Endgame.


So why didn’t they show both children of Wakanda’s royal bloodline dusting away in Avengers: Infinity War? Well, whether they knew it was happening or not, this could have been Marvel’s own way of building in a trap door in case one particular party couldn’t be involved. Just as surprising as Shuri’s death was the announcement that Avengers: Endgame would include Valkyrie in the roster of heroes that survived The Decimation. So if Tessa Thompson’s schedule wouldn’t allow her to participate, then Letitia Wright might have been asked to come back as Shuri to balance the playing field. But as Valkyrie is now officially spared, someone had to take her place on the other side of the MCU wind, and that unlucky soul was Shuri. It may not be the best reason for omitting the character, but it plays by the rules of The Decimation, and feels like a natural fit.




Even with The Decimation requiring half of the Marvel Cinematic Universe be wiped out, wasn’t there another character that could have disappeared, allowing Shuri to remain? It’s useless at this point, as not only is her character expected to make a return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Avengers: Endgame, she’ll probably be back for further adventures in the Black Panther franchise, which seems like a shoo-in for a Phase 4 release date.


Obviously, the decision was part of a meticulous plan to end The Infinity Saga, and we’re not arguing with that fact. But even with the comfort that comes when thinking of the obvious return of the fallen from Avengers: Infinity War, it still doesn’t sit well that the proper time and space to grieve that character’s death wasn’t given to the audience members who latched onto and/or identified with Shuri at this stage of the game.


Here’s hoping we get some sort of real answers as to why this decision was made when Avengers: Endgame potentially provides closure on these queries and more on April 26th. If you’re looking to the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you can take a look at what we have so far in our guide for upcoming Marvel release dates, which will be updated as soon as any new information about Phase 4 comes through.



6 Major Box Office Records Avengers: Endgame Broke With Its $1.2 Billion Debut

6 Major Box Office Records Avengers: Endgame Broke With Its $1.2 Billion Debut
avengers Endgame poster

Avengers: Endgame has arrived like a meteor that exclusively destroys box office records. People had projected the film would do incredibly well, but Endgame has blown past most predictions to earn $1.2 billion worldwide in just one weekend. It's the first film in history to ever do so and it's not the only milestone that it has passed on its path to worldwide domination. Endgame has broken at least six impressive records in its opening weekend. All the numbers can be tough to keep track of, but that's where we come in.


One important thing to note is that Endgame had a major advantage right out of the gate. The film opened on Wednesday in China, meaning that it had extra time to increase its tally. Avengers: Infinity War didn't do that, so the Chinese market had a big role to play in Endgame's box office success. Overall, China made up 28% of Endgame's total worldwide opening box office.


#1 Domestic, International, And Global Debuts


Endgame is the number one movie domestically, internationally, and combined globally. While the film was already projected to have those titles before release, no one thought it would be this high. The blockbuster has grossed $350 million domestically (the first to ever do so opening weekend), $859 million internationally, and $1.2 billion globally. The previous global record holder was Avengers: Infinity War with $640.5 million.




#1 Domestic Thursday Previews


Technically, films open on Thursday night, but the total is usually combined with Friday's numbers and then that it considered the opening day total. As far as Thursday previews are concerned, Endgame was the largest opening ever with $60 million. The previous record holder was Star Wars: the Force Awakens with $57 million, so Endgame just narrowly beat it.


#1 Domestic Single-Day Gross And #1 Domestic Friday Gross


In this case, Endgame's highest grossing day of the week was also its opening day gross on Friday. Star Wars: the Force Awakens was the movie to beat in this category, and Endgame shot right past it. Endgame was the largest single-day and Friday gross with $156.7 million. The Force Awakens total score was $119.1 million.


#1 Domestic Saturday And Sunday Grosses


Endgame looks determined to conquer every single day of the week and it was the highest grossing movie ever on both Saturday and Sunday. specifically, it grossed $109 million on Saturday and $84.3 million on Sunday. Like many of the records on this list, Avengers: Infinity War was the previous belt-holder. Back in 2018, the film grossed $82.1 million on Saturday and $69.2 million on Sunday.




#1 China Opening Day And Opening Weekend


Again, the effect of the Chinese box office can't be understated here. Having that extra Wednesday to boost Endgame to a 5-day opening weekend was a big help for the superhero film. Endgame is largest opening day ever in the market, scoring $107.8 million. It also now holds the largest opening weekend with $330.5 million, nearly matching the entirety of the domestic weekend total.


Fastest Film To $1 Billion Globally


This is the one that people will probably remember for a long time. This right here is unprecedented. Avengers: Endgame made more than $1.2 billion in just five days. The film beat its predecessor, Infinity War, which hit the $1 billion mark in 11 days. It's tough to see any other movie topple this record, but it's a future of possibilities out there.


To add a few more records to the list, Disney noted that Endgame was the biggest IMAX global debut with $91.5 million. It's also the 8th Marvel Studios film to cross $1 billion, and the second to do so this year after Captain Marvel. At the moment, Endgame is the 18th largest worldwide release, but that number is sure to change in the coming weeks. According to Box Office Mojo, the blockbuster sequel could make as much as $920 million domestically if it follows the pattern of Infinity War, but tracking is apparently unclear at the moment.




It's taking everyone else's money, so it might as well take yours too. Avengers: Endgame is out in theaters right now. For more Marvel movies coming down the pipeline, here's our Marvel movie release guide.

Jordan Peele's Us Opening Easily Tops Get Out, Sets New Box Office Record

Jordan Peele's Us Opening Easily Tops Get Out, Sets New Box Office Record
Us

You can look at tracking, pre-sales and comparable film openings to give you an idea of how well a movie will open, and those are valuable tools, but ultimately that’s all just speculation and educated guesswork. It’s only once a film is actually open that you get a real sense of just how well it will do. And after Jordan Peele’s Us broke records when it opened in theaters on Thursday night, it is looking like the horror flick will do pretty well.


Us earned a stellar $7.4 million in preview screenings Thursday night. That’s phenomenal for an R-rated movie and puts Us behind only Paranormal Activity 3, It and last year’s Halloween for biggest Thursday preview gross for an R-rated filmm according to Forbes. Those other three titles ahead of it are obviously established horror brands. That means that Us now has the record for Thursday preview performance for R-rated films that aren’t sequels or based on some existing property.


More than just being great for an R-rated film, Us looks like it may have the biggest Thursday preview gross for a wholly original movie, surpassing The Secret Life of Pets’ $5.3 million. This is quite the jump for Jordan Peele’s sophomore effort, blowing well past the $1.8 million Get Out opened to in 2017. So now that the first receipts have come in, how high does it look like Us will go this weekend?





Playing at 3,741 North American locations, Us is now projected to slay the competition and murder expectations with a $68 million opening weekend, according to Deadline. This comes after a Friday box office of an estimated $28+ million. This positions Us to maybe double Get Out’s $33.4 million opening weekend. It will also blow away the earlier tracking on Us, which ranged anywhere from as low as $35 million to as high as $48-$50 million.


It is looking good that Us will even beat last year’s A Quiet Place, which also surpassed expectations with a noisy $50.2 million. If that happens, it would give Us the best opening ever for an original horror movie. If Us goes past Ted’s $54.4 million, it would have the best opening ever for an original R-rated movie. Us is also looking like it will snag the biggest original live-action March opening, in addition to being the biggest opening of the year after Captain Marvel.


It will be interesting to see where Us ultimately lands and how the box office fluctuates over the weekend. Jordan Peele’s film entered the weekend with a lot going for it, including excellent reviews, a great Rotten Tomatoes score, and the ability to say "From the director who brought you Get Out." Yet, Us might not be quite the crowd-pleaser as Peele’s debut, with a "B" CinemaScore versus Get Out’s “A-.”





That isn’t bad by any stretch, and it’s a far cry from Hereditary’s “D+” but it could indicate some dissatisfaction with the ending. So we’ll have to see if that has any effect on word of mouth. I suppose a polarizing ending could drive more people to see the film to be part of the conversation, or as Winston Duke has recommended, repeat viewings.


If nothing else, hopefully the performance of Us reiterates that original movies from bold filmmakers have a place in the marketplace and can perform.


Us is now playing. Check out what we thought of the movie and come back after you’ve seen it to read our breakdown of the ending. Keep an eye on our 2019 Release Schedule to see what’s headed your way in the coming weeks and months.




Jeremy Renner Shares Video Right Before Getting His Avengers: Endgame Mohawk

Jeremy Renner Shares Video Right Before Getting His Avengers: Endgame Mohawk
Hawkeye in Endgame

It's been two long weeks since Avengers: Endgame arrived in theaters, and the fandom is still recovering from the film's myriad twists. The Russo Brothers meticulously crafted the blockbuster, connecting the story to myriad other installments and giving the original Avengers lineup significantly more screen time. This includes Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye, who returned from his Infinity War absence with a fresh new haircut and penchant for murder.


Ahead of Endgame's release, there was a ton of talk about Hawkeye's new mohawk. Play on words aside, Clint Barton's new do has been turned into countless memes, and is already iconic in its own right. Now Jeremy Renner has shared a video from the movie's set, revealing the moments before his mohawk was born. Check it out.


Way to cut out the big ending, Renner. This video shows Hawkeye moments before the new mohawk arrived. If only the actor knew how many jokes would come out of Twitter.




This new video, which comes to us from Jeremy Renner's official Instagram, is a peak behind the curtain of Marvel Studios' top secret process. Since the MCU is such a well-oiled machine at this point, it's easy for the public to forget that the franchise is just full of regular people doing their job. This includes the hair and makeup team, who are tasked with creating each characters' signature look. Cue the Hawkeye fade.


The contents of Avengers: Endgame were kept under wraps until the film's release, with both the studio and Russo Brothers doing everything they could in order to guard the myriad twists. This means the cast must follow strict guidelines, with many actors not given full scripts or the details of scenes before filming. And videos needed to be kept under lock and key for years.


Now that Avengers: Endgame is going into its third weekend in theaters, the cast and crew are finally getting more chatty about the massive blockbuster's contents. Co-directors The Russo Brothers officially lifted the spoiler ban after Endgame's second weekend in theaters, so social media and regular water cooler talk has really stepped up in regards to the myriad plot twists of the 22nd MCU installment.




Related: The Avengers: Endgame Trailer Has Us Obsessing Over Everyone's Hair


With the spoiler ban lifted, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been slowly revealing behind the scenes look at Avengers: Endgame. Jeremy Renner wasn't the only Avenger to snap videos from the set, with Chris Pratt posting clips from the film's epic final battle. Plus, we've seen photos from the all-female Marvel lunch, which was apparently thrown by Robert Downey Jr. himself. Overall, it looks like Endgame was a blast to make--despite the sky high anticipation and pressure coming from the fans.


Avengers: Endgame is in theaters now. Be sure to check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.



6 Questions We Still Have About Captain Marvel

6 Questions We Still Have About Captain Marvel
Captain marvel movie blue explostion

We are just a few days away from the release of a brand new Marvel movie. Thanks to critics, we have an idea of Captain Marvel's quality, and it's tracking for a massive $100 million domestic opening, with some analysts going as high as $135 million. But there's still a whole bunch that we don't know about Captain Marvel. Those answers aren't going to come to us until Thursday night, but we can't help lingering on the mysteries.


Marvel has gotten pretty good at keeping its cards close to the chest for its blockbusters; It wouldn't even share the title of Avengers: Endgame until last December. That secrecy extends to Captain Marvel, which has a few mysteries involving characters names, origins and the true nature of a certain cat. Things are bound to leak, but unless it's been confirmed by Marvel, then it doesn't really count. Here are the six big questions we still have about Captain Marvel.


How Does Carol Get Her Powers?


Captain Marvel is an origin story, but it bucks the trend by starting with a fully-formed superhero. The twist is that Carol doesn't remember how she got her powers, and it's an answer she (and the audience) will discover throughout the film. That's a nice way to ditch the origin story formula, and at the moment we are left guessing as to how she learned to shoot photon blasts. There aren't too many hints, but footage has shown Carol during her years as pilot getting caught in an explosion that's likely related to the Kree. In the comics, a blast of Kree DNA is what gives Carol her tremendous powers, so we'll see if that's still the case for the film.





How Does Carol End Up On Hala?


Captain Marvel was raised on Earth, but she somehow finds herself on an elite team of warrior heroes for the Kree. Carol lives on the homeworld of the Kree, known as Hala, which is maybe trillons of light years away from Earth. One would figure that the Kree took her under their wing after whatever incident grants her her powers. It's pretty significant when you just move to a new state, so a new planet is a pretty far leap. With Carol's amnesia, I have to wonder if her relocation was entirely her choice to begin with. Given that Carol doesn't know anything about her past, that increases the chances that the Kree haven't been entirely truthful to her.


Why Does Captain Marvel Have Amnesia?


Well, this woman is just a regular bag of mysteries, right? The reason that Carol doesn't know the origin of her powers or of her time on Earth is because she has amnesia. An incident with the Skrulls sends her back to Earth in search of answers, which are likely to be a big revelation. It's possible that the incident that gave her powers also caused the amnesia or that her memories were hidden by the Kree to cover something up. Amnesia is usually a pretty suspicious thing to have and I doubt it's a random side effect of her powers. At least a good chunk of the film will be devoted to Carol piecing together the remnants of her past.


How Will Nick Fury Lose His Eye?


You know that joke in Hot Tub Time Machine where the guy is destined to lose his arm, and you just keep waiting for some horrible accident to take it from him? That's what I'm going to feel like watching young Nick Fury in Captain Marvel. Nick Fury's eye patch is an iconic part of his look, but he hasn't yet lost an eye when he first meets Carol Danvers in the '90s. There's no way that we aren't going to see him lose the eye, so it's just a matter of how. Fury once said it was because he trusted someone, so could a shape-shifted Skrull be the cause? Another important question with Fury is how this experience leads him to become the always-prepared Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. we know best.





What Are the Skrulls After?


The center of the conflict of Captain Marvel is the centuries-old war between the Kree and the shapeshifting Skrulls. Captain Marvel and Earth will be right in the middle of this conflict, and the Skrulls have been billed as the main villains of the movies. We can see a group of them on Earth led by Talos (Ben Mendelsohn), but their ultimate objective is unclear. Are they looking for Carol? If so, then why? Is there some kind of MacGuffin on Earth to turn the war in their favor? They must have a reason for infiltrating the planet and it might be leading to a major comic book storyline called Secret Invasion for further down the road.


Is This Cat An Alien Or What?


Finally, we get to the most important question! Goose the cat may seem like an ordinary cat, and for all we know he will be, but comic book fans know that he's more than what he seems. In the comics, Goose -- actually called Chewie -- is an alien that just looks like a cat, but on the inside it's got a bunch of purple tentacles for swallowing people whole. The alien species is called Flerken, they lay eggs and are generally really weird. There's been no indication that's the case for the movie, but given how much the cat has been involved in the marketing, it might just be a secret alien.


So, clearly, there's still a lot that we don't know about Captain Marvel. Carol Danvers is a ball of secrets wrapped inside of an enigma waiting to be unpackaged by moviegoers. Marvel has become so skilled at secret-keeping over the past decade that it can build hype for their films by barely telling us anything. At least we don't have to wait too much longer for the answers to finally be revealed because the movie is out in theaters on March 8. But seriously, that cat better be an alien.




Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth Filmed Kissing Scenes For Thor: Ragnarok

Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth Filmed Kissing Scenes For Thor: Ragnarok
Valkyrie and Thor on Sakaar

It's a very exciting week for the Marvel fans, one over a decade in the making. Avengers: Endgame is finally upon us, and fans are eager to pick back up with their favorite denizens of the MCU. This includes long standing heroes like Chris Hemsworth's Thor, as well as new addition like Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie.


Valkyrie made her debut in Marvel Thor: Ragnarok, and the audience connected with her trauma, smart mouth, and penchant for drinking away her troubles. With Natalie Portman's Jane Foster absent from the threequel, it looked like the two Asgardians might share a romantic connection. And it turns out they had a kissing scene in Ragnarok. CinemaBlend found this out when Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson opened up at the Men in Black International set visit, with the actors saying:



Chris: Yeah, we had kisses.


Tessa: There was a whole sequence, I mean there were takes in there...yeah.


Chris: It may or may not---


Tessa: It was a like, yeah … it’s in the deep cut, the DVD extra extra extra if you know what I mean.


Chris: Didn’t make it.


Tessa: We had a kissing scene.


Chris: We had a kissing scene.


Tessa: To be totally honest. Isn’t that always -- that’s seems to be the way with us. Even with Thor it was the same thing. It was like will we, won’t we





It looks like director Taika Waititi had a certain vision for the duo of superpowered warriors in Thor: Rangarok. But their possible romantic connection was ultimately left unseen, possibly leaving room for more story in upcoming installments of the MCU.


Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth's comments might surprise Marvel fans, because they weren't staring longingly into each other's eyes during Thor: Ragnarok. This is likely because that story was cut, along with the aforementioned kissing scene. And apparently, that same energy will be palpable when we see the actors fight more aliens in Men in Black International.


In many ways, Valkyrie is the opposite of Jane Foster. She's a native Asgardian, is a capable fighter, and doesn't have a ton of manners. Valkyrie hits first and thinks later, which makes her a strong compliment to Thor's typical MO. And there are plenty of fans who are hoping they end up together in another movie.




The rumors about Thor and Valkyrie took an interesting turn once the trailers for Avengers: Endgame arrived. In the clips, Brie Larson's Captain Marvel and Thor share a cute moment, which instantly started rumors about the two superheroic characters falling in love. Add in Tessa Thompson and Larson's fondness for each other, and some fans have even began shipping a Marvel throuple with all three characters involved. Thompson did reveal that Valkyrie was bisexual, after all.


Related: Thor: Ragnarok Shot And Cut An LGBT Moment


Despite her Avengers: Infinity War absence, it looks like Valkyrie will pop up in some capacity for Endgame. Character posters revealed she survived Thanos' finger snap of death in the last movie, and a new trailer even showed a glimpse of Val in street clothes. But Tessa Thompson also maintains she has no clue what's coming next for her Marvel character, so it seems like anything is possible.




Avengers: Endgame is in theaters beginning tonight, and you can catch Men in Black International on June 14th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.