Tag: Star Wars

  • Marvel’s Scarlett Johansson-starrer ‘Black Widow’ soars to pandemic box office record

    By Associated Press
    Even with an option to watch “Black Widow” at home, audiences went to the movie theater in pandemic record numbers this weekend to catch the first Marvel movie released in two years. 

    The Walt Disney Co. said on Sunday, July 11, 2021, the superhero pic generated an estimated $80 million in ticket sales in North America. Combined with $78 million from international theaters and at least $60 million in Disney+ Premier Access rentals, “Black Widow” grossed over $215 million in its first weekend. The studio said it’s the largest domestic opening weekend since “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” debuted in 2019, pre-pandemic. 

    It’s a massive win for coronavirus-era moviegoing. In North America, the previous pandemic record-holder was Universal’s “F9,” which debuted to $70 million a few weeks ago. But unlike “Black Widow,” which is playing on 4,100 screens, the ninth “Fast & Furious” movie was exclusively in theaters. 

    “This was a pretty monumental weekend for the industry,” said Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore’s senior media analyst. “‘Black Widow’ played well on big screens and small screens. And it actually strengthens the case for movie theaters.”

    Dergarabedian noted that the vast majority of profits, $158.8 million, came from theaters. Around $12 million of that came from IMAX screens too.

    “Hollywood blockbusters continue to gain ground at the box office with each successive release, and that bodes very well for the many films lined up for exclusive worldwide theatrical release this fall and beyond,” said Rich Gelfond the CEO of IMAX.

    “Black Widow,” starring Scarlett Johansson, has had a long journey to theaters. Originally slated to come out in May of 2020, the blockbuster was delayed because of the pandemic. Disney ultimately decided to release it “day and date,” meaning it came out on more than one platform at the same time. “Black Widow,” in theaters and for a $30 rental on its subscription streaming service Disney+. Although not unprecedented for pandemic movie releases, or even for Disney, which did the same for “Cruella,” it’s the first Marvel movie to attempt the hybrid strategy. And it’s by far the biggest earner to date. 

    It is unusual for studios to release grosses from streaming profits in real-time. Many never do so, and some release figures weeks after the fact. 

    “‘Black Widow’s’ strong performance this weekend affirms our flexible distribution strategy of making franchise films available in theaters for a true cinematic experience and, as COVID concerns continue globally, providing choice to consumers who prefer to watch at home on Disney+,” said Kareem Daniel, the chairman of Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution, in a statement.

    The film was liked by audiences, who gave it an A-minus CinemaScore, and critics. “Black Widow” currently boasts an 80% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Men made up some 58% of the opening weekend crowd. 

    “F9” came in second place with an estimated $10.8 million, bringing its domestic total to $140.8 million in its third weekend out in North America. Globally, it’s grossed $541.8 million. Universal also held the third and fourth place spots with the animated sequel “The Boss Baby: Family Business,” which added $8.7 million, and the horror “The Forever Purge,” with $6.7 million. “A Quiet Place Part II” rounded out the top five with $3 million.

    Currently, 81% of North American theaters are open, and most are operating at full capacity. Overall the films this weekend grossed a total of $117 million. It’s the first time since the beginning of the pandemic that a moviegoing weekend has surpassed $100 million. 

    And while it’s promising for the industry as a whole, Marvel films have always been in a box office category of their own. Overall, they’ve grossed nearly $23 billion. 

    “Marvel films are a unique monster,” Dergarabedian said. “I don’t know that you’ll see this for every release.”

  • Patty Jenkins’ ‘Star Wars: Rogue Squadron’ ropes in writer Matthew Robinson

    By PTI
    LOS ANGELES: Lucasfilm has hired writer Matthew Robinson to pen filmmaker Patty Jenkins’ upcoming “Star Wars” movie “Rogue Squadron”.

    According to Deadline, Robinson is best known for co-writing and co-directing the 2009 comedy “The Invention of Lying” with Ricky Gervais.

    “Rogue Squadron” will be the first feature film in the long-running franchise to be directed by a woman.

    The movie will introduce a new generation of starfighter pilots as they earn their wings and risk their lives in a boundary-pushing, high-speed thrill-ride, and move the saga into the future era of the galaxy, as per the official plotline released by Lucasfilm.

    It is said to be loosely based on the “X-wing” novels that were released by Bantam Spectra and Del Rey between 1996-2012.

    Disney-owned Lucasfilm had announced the movie in December 2020.

    At the time, Jenkins, known for directing “Wonder Woman” movies for Warner Bros, had posted a clip on Twitter, revealing that her fighter pilot father inspired her to join the project.

    “When he lost his life in service to this country, it ignited a desire in me to turn all of that tragedy and thrill into one day making the greatest fighter pilot movie of all-time,” the filmmaker had said.

    “Rogue Squadron” will release December 22, 2023.

  • It’s been absolutely brilliant: Ewan McGregor on returning to ‘Star Wars’ as Obi-Wan Kenobi

    By PTI
    LOS ANGELES: Actor Ewan McGregor says reprising his legendary “Star Wars” role of Obi-Wan Kenobi for the upcoming Disney Plus limited series has been an “absolutely brilliant” experience.

    The 50-year-old actor said he is enjoying every bit of playing the character he first essayed in George Lucas’ “The Phantom Menace” (1999).

    He came back for its two sequels — “Attack of the Clones” (2002) and “Revenge of the Sith” (2005) — with the latter marking his final appearance as the character.

    Teasing his return to the franchise during an appearance on CBS Sunday Morning, McGregor said, “I’m not saying anything! But to come back to play him again, Obi-Wan Kenobi, has been absolutely brilliant. I’m really enjoying it.”

    The Golden Globe winner said he has been avoiding questions related to his “Star Wars” come back since 2005.

    “That was annoying,” McGregor said.

    “Every interview I ever did for, you know, years, people would say, ‘Well, are the rumors true?’ ” “And I’d have to sort of, I’d have to lie. I’d have to say, ‘Well, you know, I don’t know. I’d be happy to play him one day again.’  I’d have to just keep saying, It started looking like I was sort of asking Disney for a job,” he added.

    Obi-Wan Kenobi is one of the most pivotal characters of the “Star Wars” universe.

    He was first portrayed by legendary actor Alec Guinness in the original 1977 movie “A New Hope”.

    Guinness later appeared as a force ghost in the two-follow-ups — “The Empire Strikes Back” (1980) and “Return of the Jedi” (1983).

    The limited series, based on the character and starring McGregor, was announced in August 2019.

    “John Wick: Chapter 3” executive producer Joby Harold is writing the series, with Deborah Chow attached to direct.

    It will be a single-season, six-episode show set eight years after “Revenge of the Sith” and 11 years before “A New Hope”.

    The cast also includes Hayden Christensen, Joel Edgerton, Kumail Nanjiani, Maya Erskine, O’Shea Jackson Jr, Moses Ingram, Rupert Friend and Benny Safdie.

  • Mark Hamill, Bert Kreischer to lead Legendary Pictures movie ‘The Machine’

    By PTI
    LOS ANGELES: “Star Wars” actor Mark Hamill is set to collaborate with comedian Bert Kreischer on Legendary Pictures upcoming movie inspired by the latter’s real-life adventures and subsequent breakout stand-up routine titled “The Machine”.

    According to Variety, the genre-bending comedy is described as “The Hangover” meets “Midnight”.

    Peter Atencio, known for “Key & Peele and “Keanu”, is directing.

    “The Machine” movie will see Kreischer catching up with his drunken past 20 years down the road when he and his father are kidnapped by those he wronged two decades ago while drunk on a college semester abroad in Russia.

    Kreischer and Judi Marmel are producing the project.

  • ‘Star Wars’ spinoff ‘The Mandalorian’ most pirated show of 2020

    By PTI
    LOS ANGELES: ‘Star Wars’ spinoff ‘The Mandalorian’ was the most pirated television program of 2020 using BitTorrent, according to an analysis from TorrentFreak.

    Based on several sources, including statistics reported by public BitTorrent trackers, the Disney+ show was the most popular in the global ranking of most-torrented shows around the world for 2020, reported IndieWire.

    For years, HBO’s fantasy drama “Game of Thrones”, which concluded its eight-season run in May 2019, was the most pirated show but “The Mandalorian” seems to have dethroned the show for the first time.

    In 2019, during its first season run, ‘The Mandalorian’ was the third-most torrented show according to the same survey.

    Prime Video’s superhero series “The Boys” was at the second spot while HBO’s “Westworld” is at number three, “Vikings” at number four and and CBS’ ‘Star Trek: Picard’ is five, followed by Adult Swim’s ‘Rick and Morty,’ AMC’s ‘The Walking Dead,’ HBO’s ‘The Outsider,’ CW’s ‘The Arrow,’ and CW’s ‘The Flash’.

    The TorrentFreak survey only accounts for BitTorrent traffic, which makes up just a fraction of piracy online.

    ‘The Mandalorian’ finished its second season on December 18.