The new Star Wars outing on Disney+ has the force on its side. Deadline is reporting that the new Jedi-centric show debuted with 4.8 million views on its first day. This makes The Acolyte Disney+’s biggest series premiere of the year. It is on track to overtake Ahsoka‘s performance of generating 14 million views in its first five days.

This bit of news comes as somewhat of a surprise since Disney+ doesn’t usually release streaming numbers after just the first day. The company announced Ahsoka‘s viewership after five days most likely due to the popularity of the character. Last December, the streamer announced numbers for Percy Jackson and the Olympians after its first six days. Other shows on the streamer don’t usually get their viewer numbers released unless they are rather good. Reporting the numbers for The Acolyte so soon after the premiere makes it seem like Disney is expecting this to be a much-needed hit.

In the review from our own Alex Maidy, he gives it a warm reception, saying, “I appreciate that The Acolyte is a new era for live-action Star Wars that presents a challenge for audiences to invest in, but this is old school Star Wars: action-packed, full of unique and intriguing characters, and setting up a story that we do not know. The Acolyte represents a new chapter in the Star Wars mythos that will be very fun to explore.”

Set hundreds of years before the events of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, The Acolyte takes place during the High Republic era of the franchise. The series stars Amandla Stenberg (Bodies Bodies Bodies), Lee Jung-jae (Squid Game), Manny Jacinto (The Good Place), Dafne Keen (Logan), Charlie Barnett (You), Jodie Turner-Smith (Anne Boleyn), Rebecca Henderson (Russian Doll), Dean-Charles Chapman (Game of Thrones), Joonas Suotamon (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker), and Carrie-Anne Moss (The Matrix Resurrections).

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After multiple attempts at kick-starting new trilogies of films have failed, the live-action Terminator film series is, understandably, taking a bit of a break… but the franchise is set to continue with an eight-episode anime series called Terminator Zero, which is coming our way from Japanese animation studio Production IG and the Netflix streaming service. Terminator Zero is set to start streaming on August 29th – and with that date swiftly approaching, it has been revealed at the Next on Netflix: Animation event in Los Angeles that Timothy Olyphant (Deadwood, Justified, Scream 2) provides the voice of the Terminator in this series!

Terminator Zero is set in the established Terminator universe but centers on new characters. Mattson Tomlin, who worked on the screenplays for The Batman and its upcoming sequel, is writer and showrunner on this series, which has the following synopsis: 2022: A future war has raged for decades between the few human survivors and an endless army of machines. 1997: The AI known as Skynet gained self-awareness and began its war against humanity.

Caught between the future and this past is a soldier sent back in time to change the fate of humanity. She arrives in 1997 to protect a scientist named Malcolm Lee who works to launch a new AI system designed to compete with Skynet’s impending attack on humanity. As Malcolm navigates the moral complexities of his creation, he is hunted by an unrelenting assassin from the future which forever alters the fate of his three children.

Terminator Zero is directed by Masashi Kudō, who is best known for working on the anime series Bleach. Tomlin serves as executive producer alongside David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Don Granger of Skydance.

August 29th was chosen for the release date because the Terminator films told us that the Judgment Day event occurred on August 29, 1997. Coincidentally, that was also the day Marc Randolph and Reed Hasting launched Netflix as an online DVD rental service.

Are you interested in Terminator Zero, and are you looking forward to hearing Timothy Olyphant’s voice come from a Terminator? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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To paraphrase the meme, movie ticket prices are too damn high! This is far from being a new sentiment, as the price for a ticket has been on the rise pretty much since cinemas have been around. For some, these rising numbers are enough to make them – or, worse, a family of four – just stay home. A recent study found that two-thirds of people would rather stay on the couch to stream a movie, with a key reason being said prices. While it’s hard to convince those with some history that the movie theater is dying, it does make us wonder just who the cinemagoing experience is for anymore.

In a recently resurfaced 2016 clip from The Hollywood Reporter’s Directors Roundtable, Quentin Tarantino railed against movie ticket prices, saying, “I’ve been saying this since the 80s, when…you know, when movie ticket prices, they were $5 for everyone in America. And then all of a sudden they started moving up to $6.50 and $7, and $7.25 and $7.50 and all that stuff. The key…is this is a working men’s art form.” Let’s take a look at those numbers real quick. Eight years ago when Tarantino made this statement, the average movie ticket price (as per The Numbers) was $8.65, whereas 2024 prices are at $10.78, a 24.62% increase. Sure, we can take inflation into account when comparing any two given years, but when QT finally releases his 10th and final film, you can expect to be paying top dollar.

As Tarantino continued on his rant against movie ticket prices, “It’s not opera, it’s not theater, it’s not going to a big concert. The idea was that anybody could go and see a movie. That was one of the reasons why movies flourished in the 30s. And it’s not anymore. We have priced them out until now it’s a deal.” On top of this, theaters have even toyed with dynamic pricing based on movie prestige and seat preference, with these upcharges pushing many – even the common man that Tarantino speaks of – to stay at home. And we haven’t even taken into account the concessions…

Sure, there are plenty of options out there that allow for discount tickets, but not everybody can just catch a flick on a Tuesday afternoon – some of us are taking on extra shifts for that Friday night date!

Do you think movie ticket prices are too high? What is the most you’re willing to pay for an opening weekend ticket? Get in on the conversation below!

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Pack your bags for Kamurochō because Sega‘s Yakuza series is coming to Prime Video, thanks to an upcoming live-action adaptation, Like a Dragon: Yakuza, on October 24, 2024! Based on the mega-popular Yakuza video game series, Like a Dragon: Yakuza follows Kazama Kiryu, the steadfast protagonist from the original games. Japanese actor Ryoma Takeuchi (Kamen Rider Drive) plays Kazama in the series, featuring plenty of street toughs feeling the wrath of Kazama’s mighty fists of fury.

Plot details about the show remain a mystery. However, it is said to have six episodes, with Kazama exploring the mean and unpredictable streets of the fictional entertainment district Kamurocho. Like a Dragon: Yakuza is set in 1995, similar to the plot of the game Yakuza Kiwami. It’s recommended that people interested in the show play Yakuza Kiwami before watching the show, though it’s optional. If you plan to play the game, remember that it can take up to 100 hours to see everything in a Yakuza game.

Make the choice to take the next step. Like a Dragon: Yakuza comes to Prime Video October 24. pic.twitter.com/Pn2gKQzqlK

— RGG Studio | Like a Dragon & Yakuza Series (@RGGStudio) June 4, 2024

Sega’s Yakuza series has grown in popularity in recent years. The first game, Yakuza, was released in 2005. Many sequels and spinoffs followed, but the series became a mega-hit in the U.S. with 2016’s Yakuza 6: The Song of Life. The latest installment of the franchise, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, features Kazama Kiryu teaming up with Ichiban Kasuga, a frizzy-haired himbo with a heart of gold and a Dragon Warrior obsession.

The Yakuza series is hard-hitting but also very silly. In addition to the game’s street-brawling mechanics and RPG elements, Kazama and Ichiban fight perverts, rescue runaway wigs, foil serial urinators, murder karaoke machines, and spend far too much yen on Gotcha machines. The game includes mini-games to boost character stats and introduce hijinks to an otherwise “serious” plot about loyalty, honor, and overcoming adversity in a city trying to kill you. The latest entry, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, is a delight. I’m in the middle of playing it now, and I’m having a blast! It’s unclear if Prime Video’s Like a Dragon: Yakuza series will carry the same tone as the games, but I hope it does to some extent.

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When Adam Wingard said he would not return for the follow-up to Godzilla x Kong: New Empire, fans of Legendary‘s latest clash of the titans fell into despair. Wingard brought something special to Godzilla and Kong’s latest city-destroying brawl, and we hoped he’d remain a part of the franchise. Thankfully, Grant Sputore, the director of Hilary Swank’s sci-fi thriller I Am Mother, is stepping up to the plate.

The follow-up to Godzilla x Kong: New Empire should continue the story from Wingard’s latest blockbuster, focusing on Kong and Godzilla’s tag team antics alongside several Titans waiting in the wings. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse writer Dave Callaham will pen the script.

While Sputore is in, Wingard is moving on to direct Onslaught for A24. Wingard directed 2022’s Godzilla vs. Kong and this year’s Godzilla x Kong: New Empire. The first film punched its way to $470M at the box office, while Godzilla x Kong: New Empire roared with $567.5M+ worldwide. Godzilla x Kong: New Empire is a diamond in the rough for a grim year at the box office. Audiences aren’t flocking to theaters like they used to, with surefire films like The Fall Guy and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga tanking their ticket sales.

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic changed how general audiences consume Hollywood’s output, with many viewers being content to wait for digital home releases of new movies. Take The Fall Guy, a film that debuted online 17 days after its theatrical release. With wait times like that, it’s no wonder people are skipping the silver screen. Theaters have tried to compensate for losses by making theaters more comfortable with premiere seating, but ticket costs are higher than ever. I went to the movies this past weekend to see Furiosa. I paid $80 in Canadian currency for two regular tickets and snacks! That’s almost $100 for a night at the theater for two people! Furiosa was excellent, but c’mon!

Are you excited about Grant Sputore taking charge of the next Godzilla x Kong movie? Did you have a different director in mind for the job? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Do you know what Pandora needs? More Borderlands character posters! Lionsgate debuted a gallery of new posters for Eli Roth’s Borderlands movie on Thursday, featuring players from the supporting cast. The latest posters feature some of Pandora’s oddball denizens standing sentry in front of psychedelic clouds of colorful smoke, bringing more mayhem to an already out-of-whack action adventure.

The latest Borderlands character posters feature Gina Gershon as Moxxie, Bobby Lee (Pineapple Express, A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas) as Larry, Edgar Ramirez (Point Break, Gold) as Atlas, Oliver Richters (Black Widow, Gangs of London) as Krom, Janina Gavankar (The Morning Show, The Way Back) as Commander Knoxx, Benjamin Byron (Ant-Man and the Wasp, Red Dead Redemption II) as Marcus, and team members of The Crimson Lance.

The film stars Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Edgar Ramirez, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ariana Greenblatt, Florian Munteanu, Haley Bennett, Olivier Richters, Gina Gershon, Cheyenne Jackson, Charles Babalola, Benjamin Byron Davis, Steven Boyer, Bobby Lee, Ryann Redmond, Penn Jillette, and Janina Gavankar, who plays “a new, key character” called Commander Knoxx, someone who has not been in the video games. Jack Black provides the voice of the robot Claptrap.

Here’s the synopsis: “Lilith (Blanchett), an infamous outlaw with a mysterious past, reluctantly returns to her home planet of Pandora to find the missing daughter of the universe’s most powerful S.O.B., Atlas (Ramirez). Lilith allies with an unexpected team – Roland (Hart), a former elite mercenary, now desperate for redemption; Tiny Tina (Greenblatt), a feral pre-teen demolitionist; Krieg (Munteanu), Tina’s musclebound, rhetorically challenged protector; Tannis (Curtis), the scientist with a tenuous grip on sanity; and Claptrap (Black), a persistently wiseass robot. These unlikely heroes must battle alien monsters and dangerous bandits to find and protect the missing girl, who may hold the key to unimaginable power. The fate of the universe could be in their hands – but they’ll be fighting for something more: each other.”

Borderlands is produced by Arad Productions’ Avi Arad and Ari Arad, along with PICTURESTART’s Erik Feig. Gearbox founder Randy Pitchford serves as executive producer with Strauss Zelnick of Take-Two Interactive. James Myers and Aaron Edmonds are overseeing the project for Lionsgate. At the same time, Emmy Yu does the same for Arad Productions, and Lucy Kitada and Royce Reeves-Darby oversee at PICTURESTART.

Borderlands blasts into theaters on August 9, 2024.

Check out the new Borderlands character posters below:

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Netflix is getting animated this Thursday with two announcements bound to inspire nostalgia and smiles. The news begins with the title of Aardman‘s latest Wallace & Gromit movie, Wallace & Gromit: A Vengeance Most Fowl. Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham direct the feature, which focuses on Wallace’s dependency on his befuddling inventions. Next, we’ve gotten word of a SpongeBob spinoff film centered around the antagonistic planktonic copepod, Plankton. Dave Needham directs the Plankton film, which focuses on the villain’s plans for world domination getting foiled.

Circling back to Wallace & Gromit: A Vengeance Most Fowl, the latest stop-motion animated adventure featuring the affable Wallace and his canine companion Gromit, finds Gromit concerned when Wallace invents a “smart” gnome that seems to develop a mind of its own. When Gromit discovers that a vengeful figure from the past could be pulling the strings, he must battle nefarious forces to save his friend and master, Wallace.

Ben Whitehead, Peter Kay, Lauren Patel, Reece Shearsmith, Diane Morgan, Adjoa Andoh, Muzz Khan, and Lenny Henry round out the voice cast for the dynamic duo’s newest display of bizarre machines, quirky penguins, and iron-clad friendship.

As for Plankton, Mr. Lawrence wrote the story, with Kaz and Chris Viscardi penning the screenplay. The cast comprises Mr. Lawrence, Jill Talley, Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, Carolyn Lawrence, Clancy Brown, and Rodger Bumpass. The villain-centric film includes original songs by Bret McKenzie, Linda Perry, Mark Mothersbaugh, and Bob Mothersbaugh.

Aardman’s last film for Netflix was Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, starring Zachary Levi and Thandiwe Newton. Here’s the official synopsis:

“Having pulled off a death-defying escape from Tweedy’s farm, Ginger has finally found her dream – a peaceful island sanctuary for the whole flock, far from the dangers of the human world,” reads the official synopsis for Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget. “When she and Rocky hatch a little girl called Molly, Ginger’s happy ending seems complete. But back on the mainland the whole of chicken-kind faces a new and terrible threat. For Ginger and her team, even if it means putting their own hard-won freedom at risk – this time, they’re breaking in!”

Are you a Wallace & Gromit fan? Are you excited about Plankton getting his own movie? Let us know in the comments section below.

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The Walking Dead spin-off The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon (you can read our review HERE) is set to continue with a second season that will focus on Daryl’s good friend Carol, played by Melissa McBride – and because of that, the second season has the ridiculous (and ridiculously long) title of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol. Some of this new season will be making its debut at the Tribeca Film Festival this weekend, so before anyone gets to see that footage, AMC has announced that The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol is scheduled to premiere on Sunday, September 29 at 9pm ET/PT on both AMC and AMC+. Along with that news comes the unveiling of two images, which can be seen in this article.

The first season of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon had the following synopsis: Daryl (Norman Reedus) washes ashore in France and struggles to piece together how he got there and why. The series tracks his journey across a broken but resilient France as he hopes to find a way back home. As he makes the journey, though, the connections he forms along the way complicate his ultimate plan.

The six episodes of the new season pick up where The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon left off, following fan-favorite characters Daryl Dixon (Reedus) and Carol Peletier (McBride). They both confront old demons while she fights to find her friend and he struggles with his decision to stay in France, causing tension at the Nest. Additionally, Genet (Anne Charrier)’s movement builds momentum, setting Pouvoir on a violent collision course with the Union of Hope in the fight for France’s future.

In addition to Reedus, McBride, and Charrier, the show’s cast includes Clémence Poésy, Louis Puech Scigliuzzi, Laika Blanc Francard, Romain Levi, Eriq Ebouaney, and Manish Dayal.

Showrunner David Zabel serves as executive producer alongside Reedus, Scott M. Gimple, Angela Kang, Greg Nicotero, Brian Bockrath, and Daniel Percival. AMC Studios is producing.

Are you looking forward to The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol, and are you glad to hear it has a September premiere date? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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Maybe the Matrix can’t tell you who you are but Carrie-Anne Moss can tell you the impact it had. It’s kind of hard to believe that The Matrix came out 25 years ago, redefining special effects and bringing action flicks into the 21st century both visually and narratively. The sequels didn’t get close to living up to the original but the 1999 film remains a truly groundbreaking essential.

A quarter-century after it became one of the biggest pop culture topics in the world, Carrie-Anne Moss – who played Trinity to Keanu Reeves’ Neo and Laurence Fishburne’s Morpheus – reflected on the legacy of The Matrix, saying, “It was such a unique film at that time. I’d love to pick it apart a little bit more now that I have a bit more wisdom behind me. But I don’t really think about it. I mean, I will see things and think, Wow, that really reminds me of The Matrix. But that’s been happening since the beginning. Seventy commercials doing bullet time, remember? Cartoons were doing bullet time. Sometimes I watch shows with my kids and they’re making a spoof of me, Keanu, and Laurence. And I’m like, Oh my gosh, that’s hilarious.”

It hasn’t been all that long since we got the last Matrix movie – and another is on the way – but Moss would like to dissect the middle works, Reloaded and Revolutions (both 2003), so she can grasp the concepts a little better. “There are a few things in there that I understand, but I just want to watch it again. I looked back at everything, you know, jumping in for sure. And yet it was like a starting point that was so brand new and so different. It almost feels like it didn’t happen. For so many years apart, it was such a surprise. And then it was such a joy to be a part of it and to do it, and it’s over and done. And you’re just like, Oh, wow, I did that.”

With four Oscars, The Matrix was one of the winningest films of the 72nd Academy Awards (topped only by Best Picture winner American Beauty), nabbing Best Visual Effects, Best Editing and the two sound categories. No doubt it was one of the most influential movies of the decade; it, too, remains a fan favorite, ranking #1 on our recent poll of the best movies of 1999.

What are your memories of The Matrix when it came out in 1999? Are you a fan of any of the sequels? Let us know below!

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At one point, Saw VI director Kevin Greutert was on board to direct a slasher movie called All My Friends Are Dead… but then Greutert got busy working on Saw X and ended up handing the helm over to Marcus Dunstan – the director of The Collector and co-writer of Saw VI. All My Friends Are Dead went into production a year ago with Dunstan at the helm, and now it’s aiming for an August 2nd theatrical, digital, and VOD release. With that date just a couple months away, a clip from the film (featuring JoJo Siwa) has made its way online and can be seen in the embed above.

All My Friends Are Dead, which is now going by the full title #AMFAD: All My Friends Are Dead, is set to have its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival this Saturday, June 8th.

John Baldecchi is producing #AMFAD: All My Friends Are Dead with Kirk Shaw and Stephanie Rennie, while Dominic Ianno, Sarah Donnelly, Jason Resnick, Suraj Gohill, Dan Rubin, Chris McGurk, Yolanda Macias, and Brad Miska serve as executive producers. Scripted by Josh Sims and Jessica Sarah Flaum, the film will tell the following story: A group of close college friends get a steal on a killer Airbnb for the biggest music festival of the year. A weekend of partying quickly takes a turn for the worse, as the group is murdered one by one. They soon discover that each one of their deaths directly corresponds to one of the seven deadly sins.

Siwa is joined in the cast by Jade Pettyjohn, Jennifer Ens, Ali Fumiko Whitney, Justin Derickson, Julian Haig, Cardi Wong, Jack Doupe-Smith, and Michaella Russell.

#AMFAD: All My Friends Are Dead was financed by Banc of California and Budding Equity, among others. Cinedigm holds the North American rights. Miska, Managing Director of Bloody Disgusting and Cinedigm, had this to say about the project: “Scream has revitalized the ‘90s slasher and All My Friends Are Dead delivers all the gory fun of those classic films with modern flair. It’s going to deliver all of the gory goods that horror fans expect to see when Marcus Dunstan gets behind the camera.“

What did you think of the clip from #AMFAD: All My Friends Are Dead? Does this look like a movie you’d like to check out? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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