The consensus out there seems to be that 20th Century Studios’ Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is a sure bet to dominate the box office this weekend, with studio estimates putting it in the $50 million range. While that certainly seems reasonable considering the fact that the two last Apes movies, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes, opened with $72 million and $56 million, respectively, I’m not buying it. 

The fact is, and I’m sorry to say this, the market has changed. Audiences will no doubt turn out to see Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, which has been well-reviewed (including by me), but I also think a good chunk may opt to wait for its inevitable Disney Plus digital release. That’s why I do not think it’s going to open much north of $40 million.

Even still, that will put it well ahead of the disastrous opening The Fall Guy suffered through last weekend, with it inevitable that the (really good) film will wind up being a money loser. The amount of a loss the studio will take will likely be revealed this weekend, when it becomes clear how much the presumably good word of mouth will allow it to hold up. I’m expecting a modest decline in the 55% region, which would mean a $15 million weekend. If it makes less than that, expect a very quick turnaround to VOD for this Ryan Gosling vehicle.

The Zendaya drama, Challengers, should be able to hold on to third place with a $5 million weekend. It’ll end up making a decent amount of coin before finding a bigger audience when it makes its debut on Prime Video, with this being an Amazon-MGM movie. It’ll be interesting to see if Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace will be able to attract much of an audience this weekend, with it’s re-release being held over a second weekend in many markets. It could make in the $2 million-ish range, which would give it a fifth-place finish, while Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire should be able to overtake it in fourth place, with about $3 million. Tarot should lose most of its audience and hang on to fifth place with about $1.5 million.

Here are my predictions:

1. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes: $40 million

2. The Fall Guy: $15 million

3. Challengers: $5 million

4. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire: $3 million

5. Tarot: $1.5 million

What are you going to see this weekend?

The post Box Office Predictions: The Fall Guy to tumble while Apes rise to the front of the pack appeared first on JoBlo.

In the great debate of Bear or Man, Peacock chooses Bear! After giving a green light to Seth MacFarlane’s Ted as an event series, the wise-cracking, weed-smoking bear, and undeniably lovable bastard son of Snuggle is bringing more comedy to the streaming network. Peacock is bumping Ted up to an ongoing show with MacFarlane reprising his role as the aforementioned stuffed bear that comes to life.

The renewal packs the bong after the Ted prequel series premiered on Peackock four months ago. The show launched to banger ratings in January, remaining at the top of the U.S. charts for two months after its debut. Peacock says it’s the platform’s most-watched series in the United States, and its popularity extends to other territories like the U.K., Australia, and Canada.

Ted hails from Family Guy and The Orville creator Seth MacFarlane, with Max Burkholder (The Purge, Parenthood) playing John Bennett, the role played by Mark Wahlberg in MacFarlane’s 2012 comedy and its 2015 sequel. Alanna Ubach, Scott Grimes, and Giorgia Whigham also star in the Ted TV series.

Here’s the official synopsis for Ted courtesy of Peacock:

In this comedic prequel event series to the Ted films, it’s 1993, and Ted the bear’s (Seth MacFarlane) moment of fame has passed. He’s now living back home in Framingham, Massachusetts, with his best friend, 16-year-old John Bennett (Max Burkholder), along with John’s parents, Matty and Susan (Scott Grimes and Alanna Ubach), and cousin Blaire (Giorgia Whigham). Ted may be a lousy influence on John, but at the end of the day, he’s a loyal pal who’s always willing to go out on a limb for friendship.

Previously, MacFarlane, Paul Corrigan (Executive Producer, Writer, Director, Co-Showrunner), and Brad Walsh (Executive Producer, Writer, Co-Showrunner) released a note about the upcoming event series:

“Each generation develops its own unique artistic style, its own way of seeing the world. In the twenties, it was the subversive musical phrasings of jazz. In the fifties, it was the bold brushwork of the abstract expressionists. Our generation’s unique art is streaming content based on previously successful intellectual property. In that proud tradition, we humbly give you Ted.

Our series is a prequel to the Ted movies. It takes place in the nineties but is based on the timeless truth that being sixteen sucks. The only thing that makes it tolerable is going through it with a friend, even if that friend is a has-been magical teddy bear with a foul mouth and a proclivity for drug use.

The three of us were teenagers in the nineties and grew up in and around Boston, where the show takes place, so many of these stories are personal for us. We were able to put the characters through some of the same indignities and milestones we experienced back then. Also, we made stuff up (it’s a lot of pages to fill, and real life is mostly boring).”

Are you excited about Ted getting renewed? Let us know in the comments below.

The post Peacock chooses Bear by renewing Seth MacFarlane’s Ted TV series after the comedy tops the charts appeared first on JoBlo.

Anyone can punch trees long enough to build a house, but can you also take down a teleporting necromancer and eat an entire bear in one sitting? These questions and more will be answered in your time with V Rising, Stunlock Studios’ survival/crafting/action-RPG hybrid that’s finally out of Early Access. I’ve been…

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Anyone can punch trees long enough to build a house, but can you also take down a teleporting necromancer and eat an entire bear in one sitting? These questions and more will be answered in your time with V Rising, Stunlock Studios’ survival/crafting/action-RPG hybrid that’s finally out of Early Access. I’ve been…

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Fresh off of their acclaimed turns (by most, that is) in Hulu’s Pam & Tommy limited series comes news that the stars, Lily James and Sebastian Stan, will be reteaming. And this time, they can ditch the fake tats, bathing suits and chest pieces (one would assume), with them leading the horror flick Let the Evil Go West.

The movie is being directed by Christian Tafdrup, whose movie Speak No Evil has an American remake coming out this fall. 

Here’s the official synopsis:

Let the Evil Go West follows a railroad worker who stumbles upon a fortune under deeply disturbing circumstances.  As horrifying visions and manifestations drive him toward madness, his wife becomes convinced that an evil presence has attached itself to their family.

Sounds pretty cool, right? Sebastian Stan is no stranger to the genre, having starred in the well-received Hulu horror flick Fresh. Lily James also has experience with the genre, having starred in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies after her breakout roles in Cinderella and on Downton Abbey.

Both Stan and James are rising stars. Stan, of course, is best know for playing Bucky Barnes aka The Winter Soldier in the MCU films, a role he’s reprising in the upcoming Thunderbolts. As for James, she just co-starred with Zac Efron in the superb biopic The Iron Claw. She’s also set to star in a high-profile movie about Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd. 

While Let the Evil Go West doesn’t have a major distributor attached yet, it’s going out to buyers at the Cannes Film Market and seems like a pretty sure bet to attract a major sale, given the talent involved (it sounds like an A24 movie to me). This should be a pretty messed up movie (in a good way), with Speak No Evil being one of the most chilling horror flicks in recent memory. 

The post Sebastian Stan and Lily James re-team for horror flick, Let the Evil Go West appeared first on JoBlo.

Nigel Lowrie, the co-founder of indie publisher Devolver Digital (Hotline Miami, Cult of the Lamb), says that indie games do much better on Switch than on other consoles because Nintendo has cultivated a playerbase that is more “open to interesting concepts” and smaller games.

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Nigel Lowrie, the co-founder of indie publisher Devolver Digital (Hotline Miami, Cult of the Lamb), says that indie games do much better on Switch than on other consoles because Nintendo has cultivated a playerbase that is more “open to interesting concepts” and smaller games.

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With Marvel’s X-Men ’97 creating fan fervor every Wednesday, Warner Bros. and DC are getting in on the action with Batman: Caped Crusader, a new animated series from Warner Bros. Animation, Bad Robot Productions, and 6th Idaho. The highly anticipated series from executive producers J.J. Abrams, Matt Reeves, and Bruce Timm will swoop onto Prime Video on Thursday, August 1, 2024, with ten episodes bringing the Dark Knight to 240 territories. Additional executive producers include Ed Brubaker, James Tucker, Daniel Pipski, Rachel Rusch Rich, and Sam Register.

In Batman: Caped Crusader, the corrupt outnumber the good as criminals run rampant, and law-abiding citizens live in a constant state of fear in Gotham City. Forged in the fire of tragedy, wealthy socialite Bruce Wayne becomes something both more and less than human—the Batman. His one-man crusade for justice attracts unexpected allies within the GCPD and City Hall, but his heroic actions spawn deadly, unforeseen ramifications.

A gallery of first-look images for Batman: Caped Crusader teases several characters heading to the series, presented in Bruce Timm’s timeless and jaw-droppingly gorgeous style. The photos include looks at Dr. Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn, Commissioner Jim Gordon, Selena Kyle, Bruce Wayne, Clayface, and Batman.

Batman: Caped Crusader was ordered by HBO Max and Cartoon Network nearly three years ago, with Bruce Timm, J.J. Abrams, and Matt Reeves leading the series. However, Warner Bros. Discovery scrapped the series, but Amazon thankfully came to the rescue with a two-season order. The series is billed as a “reimagining of the Batman mythology” that will utilize “state-of-the-art animation techniques and technologies available, this powerful creative partnership will once again reinvent Batman and his iconic rogue’s gallery with sophisticated storytelling, nuanced characters and intense action sequences all set in a visually striking world.”

“We are beyond excited to be working together to bring this character back, to tell engrossing new stories in Gotham City,” J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves said in a joint statement when the project was first announced. “The series will be thrilling, cinematic and evocative of Batman’s noir roots, while diving deeper into the psychology of these iconic characters. We cannot wait to share this new world.”

Superhero animation fans are eating well with X-Men ’97 and Batman: Caped Crusader lighting up 2024 like a Christmas tree in Gotham City Square. If Caped Crusader grabs hold of Batman fans as tightly as X-Men ’97 is for mutant rights enthusiasts, we could be in for an animation revival unlike we’ve ever seen. Let’s go!

The post Batman: Caped Crusader animated series perches atop a release date and first-look images appeared first on JoBlo.

Hades 2, Supergiant Games’ highly anticipated sequel, has several gameplay features that are new to the franchise. One of these new features has you chasing materials in the Underworld and elsewhere, from Psyche to Fate Fabric. Some resources appear as requirements to unlock important tools and upgrades early on,…

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Hades 2, Supergiant Games’ highly anticipated sequel, has several gameplay features that are new to the franchise. One of these new features has you chasing materials in the Underworld and elsewhere, from Psyche to Fate Fabric. Some resources appear as requirements to unlock important tools and upgrades early on,…

Read more…