News Analysis India

Tag: avengers endgame

  • Disney announces two new Marvel ‘Avengers’ films at Comic-Con

    By AFP

    SAN DIEGO: Disney announced a slew of Marvel superhero movies including two new “Avengers” films Saturday at Comic-Con, as it offered screaming fans an emotional first glimpse at its upcoming “Black Panther” sequel.

    The record-breaking Marvel movies have dominated Hollywood and global box offices in recent years, with 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame” briefly becoming the highest-grossing film of all time at more than $2.79 billion.

    “I wonder if you guys wouldn’t mind looking ahead a little bit?” studio president Kevin Feige asked the wildly cheering hall of die-hard superhero fans toward the end of a raucous hour-plus presentation at a San Diego convention center.

    “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty” and “Avengers: Secret Wars” will hit theaters in 2025, he then announced.

    The films will aim to follow in the footsteps of “Avengers: Endgame,” which built unprecedented hype by rounding off storylines presented in all the preceding Marvel films.

    The two new “Avengers” titles will conclude the next “saga” of more than a dozen inter-connected films and television shows in the “Marvel Cinematic Universe,” said Feige.

    “That will complete the second saga of the MCU, which of course is ‘The Multiverse Saga,’” he said.

    The Marvel franchise in recent films and shows has explored the “multiverse” concept popularized by superhero comic books, in which infinite universes — and infinite versions of each hero and villain — exist in parallel realities

    ‘Black Panther’ returns

    The Marvel presentation capped off the biggest day at Comic-Con, and drew the week’s loudest and most frenzied cheers in the 6,000 capacity Hall H, where many had camped in line for days to gain access.

    It ended with the first trailer for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” a sequel to the first comic book film to win a best picture Oscar nomination, set to premiere November 11.

    Returning director Ryan Coogler, taking to the San Diego stage with a colorful troupe of African drummers and dancers, paid an emotional tribute to the first film’s star, the “late, great Chadwick Boseman.”

    Boseman died from cancer in 2020, and his role is not being taken over by another actor in the new film. “I promise you, I can feel his hand on me right now,” said Coogler.

    “Chad is no longer with us physically, but his spirit, his passion, his genius, his pride in his culture, and the impact he made on this industry will be felt forever.”

    Coogler then presented new characters in the franchise being played by Michaela Coel and Tenoch Huerta.

    Coel, who won an Emmy for “I May Destroy You,” praised the unique “energy” of the first “Black Panther” film, which was widely seen as a breakthrough for Black representation in mainstream Hollywood movies.

    “I think it’s got something to do with a Black superhero, padded out a clan of Black superheroes and what that kind of does for Black people,” she said.

    Marvel A-listers 

    Other Marvel films announced Saturday by Disney at the world’s most famous pop culture gathering included “Thunderbolts” and “Fantastic Four,” both due in 2024.

    Feige also set out dates for “Blade” — in theaters November 2023 — and the newly titled “Captain America: New World Order” coming May 2024.

    Bill Murray and Olivia Colman join the ranks of Hollywood A-listers flocking to the Marvel franchise, appearing in first-look footage from movie “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and Disney+ series “Secret Invasion” respectively.

    Chris Pratt, Paul Rudd, and Lupita Nyong’o also appeared on stage Saturday along with Jonathan Majors, whose “Kang the Conqueror” character appears poised to become a major new supervillain for the franchise.

    SAN DIEGO: Disney announced a slew of Marvel superhero movies including two new “Avengers” films Saturday at Comic-Con, as it offered screaming fans an emotional first glimpse at its upcoming “Black Panther” sequel.

    The record-breaking Marvel movies have dominated Hollywood and global box offices in recent years, with 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame” briefly becoming the highest-grossing film of all time at more than $2.79 billion.

    “I wonder if you guys wouldn’t mind looking ahead a little bit?” studio president Kevin Feige asked the wildly cheering hall of die-hard superhero fans toward the end of a raucous hour-plus presentation at a San Diego convention center.

    “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty” and “Avengers: Secret Wars” will hit theaters in 2025, he then announced.

    The films will aim to follow in the footsteps of “Avengers: Endgame,” which built unprecedented hype by rounding off storylines presented in all the preceding Marvel films.

    The two new “Avengers” titles will conclude the next “saga” of more than a dozen inter-connected films and television shows in the “Marvel Cinematic Universe,” said Feige.

    “That will complete the second saga of the MCU, which of course is ‘The Multiverse Saga,’” he said.

    The Marvel franchise in recent films and shows has explored the “multiverse” concept popularized by superhero comic books, in which infinite universes — and infinite versions of each hero and villain — exist in parallel realities

    ‘Black Panther’ returns

    The Marvel presentation capped off the biggest day at Comic-Con, and drew the week’s loudest and most frenzied cheers in the 6,000 capacity Hall H, where many had camped in line for days to gain access.

    It ended with the first trailer for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” a sequel to the first comic book film to win a best picture Oscar nomination, set to premiere November 11.

    Returning director Ryan Coogler, taking to the San Diego stage with a colorful troupe of African drummers and dancers, paid an emotional tribute to the first film’s star, the “late, great Chadwick Boseman.”

    Boseman died from cancer in 2020, and his role is not being taken over by another actor in the new film. “I promise you, I can feel his hand on me right now,” said Coogler.

    “Chad is no longer with us physically, but his spirit, his passion, his genius, his pride in his culture, and the impact he made on this industry will be felt forever.”

    Coogler then presented new characters in the franchise being played by Michaela Coel and Tenoch Huerta.

    Coel, who won an Emmy for “I May Destroy You,” praised the unique “energy” of the first “Black Panther” film, which was widely seen as a breakthrough for Black representation in mainstream Hollywood movies.

    “I think it’s got something to do with a Black superhero, padded out a clan of Black superheroes and what that kind of does for Black people,” she said.

    Marvel A-listers 

    Other Marvel films announced Saturday by Disney at the world’s most famous pop culture gathering included “Thunderbolts” and “Fantastic Four,” both due in 2024.

    Feige also set out dates for “Blade” — in theaters November 2023 — and the newly titled “Captain America: New World Order” coming May 2024.

    Bill Murray and Olivia Colman join the ranks of Hollywood A-listers flocking to the Marvel franchise, appearing in first-look footage from movie “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and Disney+ series “Secret Invasion” respectively.

    Chris Pratt, Paul Rudd, and Lupita Nyong’o also appeared on stage Saturday along with Jonathan Majors, whose “Kang the Conqueror” character appears poised to become a major new supervillain for the franchise.

  • ‘Doctor Strange’ casts a spell on box office: USD 551.6 million, and counting

    By IANS

    LOS ANGELES: Disney/Marvel’s ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ easily will extend its reign over the global box office in its second weekend without any truly fire-breathing competition from rival majors, according to ‘Deadline Hollywood’.

    The blockbuster is expected to draw $74 million to $80 million over the weekend, which may be a 57-60 per cent decline, but is not likely to affect its position on top of the pecking order.

    On Thursday, the North American collections of the Sam Raimi-directed sequel stood of $230.4 million. In overseas territories, the Benedict Cumberbatch-starrer has garnered $321.2 million to crank up a global total of $551.6 million.

    Hitting the five-century global mark, notes ‘Deadline Hollywood’, was “pre-ordained” following a weekend debut that ultimately came in at $449.4 million. That was good for the second-biggest worldwide start for a Hollywood movie during the pandemic era, and the fourth ever for the MCU, behind ‘Avengers: Endgame’, ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’.

    The sorcerer’s Top 10 offshore markets, as of Tuesday, were Korea ($32 million), the UK ($27.8 million), Mexico ($23.8 million), Brazil ($17.6 million), India ($14.3 million), Australia ($13.7 million), France ($12.9 million), Indonesia ($10.5 million), Japan ($10.3 million) and Germany ($10.2 million).

  • ‘Spider-Man’ perched at No. 3 spot among all Hollywood films released in India

    By IANS

    In just 18 days since its theatrical release, ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’, with Tom Holland and Zendaya playing the lead roles, has become the third highest grosser among Hollywood films in India, after ‘Avengers: Endgame’ (2019) and ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ (2018).

    Till date, the film, which has globally surpassed the $1-billion-mark, has grossed Rs 259.67 crore in India, netting Rs 202.34 crore after tax. That makes it No. 3 among all films released in India in 2021, after Allu Arjun’s ‘Pushpa: The Rise’ and the Akshay Kumar-led ‘Sooryavanshi’.

    Among Hollywood films in India, ‘Spider-Man’ is within leaping distance from the pickings of ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ (Rs 227.43 crore), but is still quite far from ‘Avengers: Endgame’ (Rs 373.22 crore).

    Analysts expect the global earnings of ‘Spider-Man’ to see a sharp spike after its release in China, the world’s largest cinema-going market.

    The film’s unexpected success would have been a cause for celebration, but for the shadow of the Omicron surge, which has made the Delhi government shut down cinema theatres and several state governments reverting to the 50 per cent occupancy rule.

    Two upcoming big-ticket releases — the Shahid Kapoor-led cricket drama ‘Jersey’ and Telugu director S.S. Rajamouli’s multi-lingual ‘RRR’ — have been put in the backburner because their makers wish to wait and watch how the Covid-19 surge pans out.

    Talking about the success of ‘Spider-Man’, independent film trade analyst Sumit Kadel said: “It was bound to do well because it is a Marvel Studios film. Films coming out of the Marvel universe are hugely popular in India. The coming together of all the actors who had previously essayed the title role, namely, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, also did the trick.”

  • Spider-Man nets third-best opening of all time with USD 253 million

    By Associated Press

    Never underestimate your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, even with a mutating virus afoot. Despite rising concerns over the omicron variant, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” not only shattered pandemic-era box office records; it became the third best opening of all time behind “Avengers: Endgame” ($357.1 million) and “Avengers: Infinity War” ($257.7 million).

    The Sony and Marvel blockbuster grossed a stunning $253 million in ticket sales from 4,325 North American locations, according to studio estimates on Sunday, also setting a record for the month of December. The web-slinger’s success couldn’t have come sooner for a movie business that has had a rollercoaster 2021 and could be headed for a difficult start to 2022 as the omicron variant of the coronavirus forces more and more event cancellations.

    “This weekend’s historic ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ results, from all over the world and in the face of many challenges, reaffirm the unmatched cultural impact that exclusive theatrical films can have when they are made and marketed with vision and resolve,” said Tom Rothman, Sony Pictures Chairman and CEO, in a statement. “All of us at Sony Pictures are deeply grateful to the fabulous talent, both in front of and behind the camera, that produced such a landmark film.”

    In its five days playing in theaters internationally, it’s amassed $334.2 million in ticket sales, bringing its global total to $587.2 million against a $200 million production budget. The film has yet to open in markets like Thailand and Japan, and there is no release date set for China.

    Directed by Jon Watts, “No Way Home” picks up with Holland’s Peter Parker grappling with the world finding out about his superhero identity, and features Zendaya, Marisa Tomei and Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange. The promise of spoiler reveals only added to the feverish hype that led to lines and sell-out showings across the country.

    In the one-movie-takes-all environment, more often than not, that one movie has been a Marvel movie. Including “No Way Home,” Marvel releases will make up five of the top six films of the year, including “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” “Venom: Let There Be Carnage,” “Black Widow” and “Eternals.”

  • Feels like a moment in culture: ‘Shang-Chi’ star Simu Liu on playing Marvel’s first Asian superhero

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Chinese-Canadian star Simu Liu says he is aware that being the first Asian to headline a Marvel film comes with a huge responsibility but hopes that his work in “Shang-Chi” will speak to an audience that has rarely found “aspirational” representation on screen.

    Liu has headlined Marvel Studios’ martial arts superhero film “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”, scheduled to be released in the country on September 3.

    In an interview with PTI, the 32-year-old actor said he realises that his work in the film isn’t just any “role” as it comes with the responsibility of representation.

    ALSO READ: ‘Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ to release in Indian theatres on September 3

    “It feels like an incredible honour, like we are giving the world something that I never had as a kid, which is the ability to see myself reflected on screen, in a meaningful, aspirational, heroic way. There is a certain responsibility that comes with that as well. I don’t want to call it pressure, but there is a sense that this is more than just a role that you take, go to work, say lines and go home. This is a moment in culture, a moment in history and hopefully, it will be followed by many more just like it.” 

    For the China-born actor, who migrated to Canada at the age of five, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” serves as a testimony that dreams come true, especially for those who may have struggled to see themselves represented in pop culture.

    But as much as Liu tries not to take any pressure, there are days when he feels anxious about people’s expectations from him.

    “Sometimes it gives me a little bit of anxiety knowing that there is this kind of stuff resting on my shoulders. Other times, it feels incredibly empowering because I would have given anything to have had somebody, when I was younger, to look up to and show me what was possible. My hope is that it doesn’t matter if you are six years old or 16 or 26…’Shang-Chi’ will be a movie that people will be able to watch and understand that anything is possible for them,” he said.

    Directed by Daniel Destin Cretton, the film is set after the events of “Avengers: Endgame” (2019) and follows Shang-Chi who is drawn into the clandestine Ten Rings organisation, and is forced to confront the past he thought he left behind.

    “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” is Liu’s first major feature film, after his work as an extra in filmmaker Guillermo del Toro’s 2013 sci-fi actioner “Pacific Rim” and later his lead role in popular Canadian sitcom “Kim’s Convenience”.

    In a crucial scene in the superhero movie, which will be released in India in English, Hindi, Telugu and Kannada, Liu’s character is told that the trajectory of his life is just about to change.

    The actor said that statement holds true even for him, as everything will turn around once the film is seen by the world.

    “We don’t want to give too much away for our viewers but it meant a lot to me to film that (sequence). It was a very momentous day not only because of what was being said but also who was saying it. I felt that, as that person was speaking to me in character, those words sent a chill down my spine because they not only spoke to Shang Chi but also to Simu. Recently, I walked the red carpet at Hollywood boulevard. As we premiered the movie to the world, it really just felt like, ‘Oh my goodness, life is never going to be the same after this moment.’”

    “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” also stars Awkwafina, Meng’er Zhang, Fala Chen, Florian Munteanu, Benedict Wong and Michelle Yeoh.

    Hong Kong star Tony Leung, known for his collaborations with director Wong Kar-wai in international classics such as “In the Mood for Love”, “Chungking Express” and “2046”, is playing Wenwu, Shang-Chi’s father and the main villain in the movie.

    Liu said the most challenging aspect of the film was getting the physicality of the superhero right and it required him to train for months.

    While Shang Chi is the master of kung fu, Liu quipped he only came with the experience of doing gymnastics in his backyard with friends and “almost breaking his neck” while performing backflips.

    “So, that was the level I was at and the level I knew I had to rise to, in order to convincingly play somebody who is that good at martial arts and proficient at hand-to-hand combats. Pretty much from the day I got cast, I started working,” he said.

    Liu said he worked hard with his trainers in Toronto and had an entire stunt team at his disposal when he landed in Sydney in October 2019, just three months before the film’s shooting.

    “I would train for hours every day, not only on fight choreography but also on the theory of martial arts, the fundamentals and most importantly, the stretching,” he added. 

  • ‘Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ to release in Indian theatres on September 3

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Marvel Studios’ upcoming superhero film “Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” will debut in cinema halls in India on September 3, the studio announced on Friday, August 20, 201.

    The much-awaited movie, directed by Daniel Destin Cretton and featuring Simu Liu in the titular role, will be released in English, Hindi, Telugu and Kannada languages.

    Attention all Marvel fans!Gather your tribe and get in formation.A new legend is going to rise!Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in cinemas on 3rd September! Releasing in English, Hindi, Telugu and Kannada. pic.twitter.com/VP5thxontA
    — Marvel India (@Marvel_India) August 20, 2021
    “Attention all Marvel fans! Gather your tribe and get in formation. A new legend is going to rise! “‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ in cinemas on 3rd September! Releasing in English, Hindi, Telugu and Kannada,” the studio wrote on its social media handles.

    The film marks Marvel’s first project with an Asian lead, starring Chinese-Canadian actor Liu as the martial arts superhero.

    Set after the events of “Avengers: Endgame” (2019), the movie follows Shang-Chi who is drawn into the clandestine Ten Rings organisation, and is forced to confront the past he thought he left behind.

    The film also stars Awkwafina, Meng’er Zhang, Fala Chen, Florian Munteanu, Benedict Wong and Michelle Yeoh.

    Hong Kong star Tony Leung is playing Wenwu, Shang-Chi’s father and the main villain in the movie.

    Cretton, known for directing movies such as “Just Mercy” and “Short Term 12”, has directed the film from a screenplay he wrote with Dave Callaham and Andrew Lanham.

    “Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” has been produced by Disney-owned Marvel Studios. 

  • Filming of Marvel’s Ant-Man sequel Quantumania begins

    By Express News Service
    The shooting of the Ant-Man film, titled Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, has commenced on Monday at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, with the working title Dust Bunny. The news was announced by the film’s director Peyton Reed.

    The filmmaker, who directed Ant-Man (2015) and Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) took to Twitter to share a picture from the film’s set and wrote, “It begins. Day One – Principal Photography.”

    It begins.Day One – Principal Photography #AntManAndTheWaspQuantumania pic.twitter.com/86RqUN3MLQ
    — Peyton Reed (@MrPeytonReed) July 26, 2021

    The film will mark the return of primary cast members including Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, and Michelle Pfeiffer to reprise their characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The characters last appeared in the 2019 film, Avengers: Endgame.

    The film is currently slated to release on February 23, 2023.  

  • Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr celebrate second anniversary of ‘Avengers: Endgame’

    The actors took to their social media pages to celebrate the second anniversary of quot;Avengers: Endgame quot;, the final chapter of their mega hit movie.