The expensive price tag on Dwayne Johnson’s Red One came out to over $200 million, which is actually not unusual for the superstar’s mega-budget movies. Deadline is reporting that the Christmas adventure movie is on track to see a $35 million opening this weekend as the early Thursday night previews totaled in at $3.7 million. Our own Chris Bumbray was not impressed with the film as he said in his review, “Red One is the very definition of a streaming movie. While it’s getting a theatrical release, it seems tailor-made as a movie meant to please the algorithm and audiences looking for an easily digestible family action film they can break up in pieces.”
Deadline also made sure to note that this figure also includes money made from a Sunday special screening. The Santa rescue caper has been sitting still on tracking for a good amount time with a $30 million to a $35 million projection. As this movie was originally intended to be a streaming-only film, these projected numbers would be the biggest opening ever posted for a feature production from a streaming service, besting Apple Original Film’s Killers of the Flower Moon, which opened with $23.2M. The initial plan for Red One was to release the film on Prime Video. However, audience test scores were so good that it prompted Amazon MGM to give it a theatrical run.
That preview test screening seems to be the last positive consensus it could bask in as the movie was getting early bad buzz and the film currently sits with a 34% on Rotten Tomatoes with an audience score still pending. Chris Bumbray also noted, “Indeed, there’s pretty much nothing anyone does in Red One that hasn’t been done a lot better elsewhere. Heck, if you want to see a really badass Christmas action flick, look no further than Violent Night. Red One is really only worthwhile if you’re desperate for some inoffensive entertainment for the kids, but otherwise this is just a big old lump of coal.”
Red One also runs unopposed this weekend with its only competition being releases of the past few weeks including Tom Hardy’s current box office champion, Venom: The Last Dance, another Christmas film, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, and Hugh Grant’s villainous turn in the horror film, Heretic.
The directing duo of Adam Schindler and Brian Netto have worked with the legendary Sam Raimi on episodes of the Raimi-produced anthology series 50 States of Fright and on the thriller Don’t Move, which recently received a successful release through the Netflix streaming service – and while talking to The Hollywood Reporter, they revealed that there are a couple of projects where they’d like to follow in Raimi’s footsteps. For one thing, they would like to revive Darkman, the superhero action franchise that Raimi started with his 1990 film of the same name. They also want to make a Spider-Man movie, but the Spider-Man they want to bring to the screen is Miles Morales.
Scripted by Sam Raimi with Chuck Pfarrer, Ivan Raimi, Daniel Goldin, and Joshua Goldin, Darkman has the following synopsis: When the laboratory of Dr. Peyton Westlake is blown up by gangsters, he is burned beyond recognition. Altered by an experimental medical procedure, he assumes alternate identities in his quest for revenge. Liam Neeson starred in the original film (and would be interested in returning for a legacy sequel), then the title role was taken over by Arnold Vosloo for two direct-to-video sequels.
When The Hollywood Reporter asked them about their dream projects, Schindler answered, “If we’re talking Sam-related, it’s Darkman. We talked about Darkman [with him]. We’ve got a love and an affinity for Darkman.” Netto added, “Darkman was my favorite film for a good portion of my life. It was the movie, so Darkman would be really interesting.” If the chance to make a new Darkman movie does come up (and Raimi has said that Universal has been talking about making another sequel), Schindler and Netto might have to duel Scare Me and Werewolves Within director Josh Ruben over the project, as Ruben is such a Darkman superfan that he even recorded a fan commentary for a Scream Factory 4K and Blu-ray release.
Raimi directed a trilogy of Spider-Man movies that centered on the original Spider-Man, Peter Parker. The Miles Morales version of Spider-Man has made it to the screen in the animated Spider-Verse movies, but he isn’t part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Yet. Schindler and Netto confirmed that they have talked to Raimi about their dream of making a Miles Morales movie. Netto said, “That would be incredible. My wife is from Puerto Rico, so my son is biracial. He’s Black and Puerto Rican just like Miles. The look on his face when he first saw Miles Morales matched the look on my face when I first saw Miles Morales, and it was just exciting to see. So, to bring Miles to life on the big screen one day would be incredible. They’re probably not going to do it tomorrow, so we have a little bit of time to work on that.“
Would you like to see Adam Schindler and Brian Netto get their chance to make a Darkman movie, and/or a Miles Morales Spider-Man movie? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
The career of genre filmmaker Mike Flanagan is strongly tied to the works of author Stephen King. Flanagan has directed film adaptations of the King novels Gerald’s Game and Doctor Sleep. He tried and failed to bring an adaptation of King’s Revival to the screen. His upcoming film The Life of Chuck is another King adaptation, he’s developing the author’s Dark Tower saga as a Prime Video series, and we recently heard that he’ll be turning Carrie into an eight episode Prime Video series. He knows his King – which is why Movieweb asked him to name some of the most underrated King adaptations. Flanagan gladly did, mentioning a few great ones.
When Movieweb asked which King adaptations he thinks are underrated, Flanagan answered, “You know what jumped immediately to my mind? The Night Flier with Miguel Ferrer is a really good movie that I don’t think gets the appreciation that it deserves. I mean, I think with the books, it’s easier to point at ones where it’s like, ‘Oh, that book doesn’t get the love. Like, I always wonder where the swell of love is for Revival, which is one of my favorites of his books, or Hearts in Atlantis, which I think is just an incredible, incredible piece of work. But on the movies, yeah, The Night Flier, I think, is underappreciated, and I think the storytelling is great. The ending is phenomenal. Miguel Ferrer is wonderful in the role, and it just doesn’t get the love it should get.“
Flanagan went on to say, “Christine is one I find that, whenever I revisit it, I’m always glad I did. That’s one where I’m like, ‘Oh yeah, that one really worked.’ And that you don’t hear that brought up enough. I think Cronenberg’s The Dead Zone, this week, feels a lot more impactful than it might have last week. But that’s one, whenever I revisit it, I’m like, ‘What a beautiful piece of work.’ And yet it doesn’t end up in kind of the upper echelon of the movies people bring up right away. I could talk about this all day. There’s a there’s an amazing hopelessness in that, there’s this fated kind of sadness to it. I got to do a commentary track for that with Eric Vespe and Scott Wampler last year, and that was the last time I saw the movie. And I remember the three of us watching that for that commentary track, just kind of all being like, ‘Why isn’t this more celebrated? Like, why? Why aren’t we kind of trumpeting the merits of this movie from the rooftops?’ There’s so much in it that’s so amazing.“
He wrapped up by saying, “So I’d say, if people are looking to dive into underappreciated King, get your hands on The Dead Zone and do The Night Flier. Oh, you know what else I’d put up on there? It’s hard to find, but the limited series Storm of the Century is so good, and not nearly enough people have appreciated it and seen it, and I find myself evangelizing about it all the time. And then you can’t find it anywhere. It’s like impossible to track down, but Storm of the Century is, I think, my favorite of the miniseries.“
As for King movies that do get the love they deserve, Flanagan mentioned The Shawshank Redemption, Stand by Me, The Green Mile, Misery, and Carrie.
Do you agree that The Dead Zone, The Night Flier, Storm of the Century, and Christine deserve more attention than they get? Which King adaptations do you think are underrated? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
It’s about that time to break out the Boyz II Men Christmas album, Christmas Interpretations. And in addition to their seasonal music contribution, Variety is now reporting that the four-time Grammy-winning R&B group is now working with production companies to get their story out there in not only a documentary, but a biopic as well. The group hit the scene in the early 90s thanks to super producer Michael Bivens, from Bel Biv DeVoe. Their breakout hit was “Motownphilly,” which was followed by “End of the Road,” “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday,” “On Bended Knee” and “One Sweet Day.”
Production and financing companies, Compelling Pictures and Primary Wave, are partnering with group members Nathan Morris, Shawn Stockman and Wanya Morris in developing a feature film that tells the story of their meteoric rise. Compelling is also set to begin production on a long-form documentary that chronicles the R&B group’s pop chart reign in the 1990s and 2000s and their continued success today.
Nathan Morris said in a statement for Boyz II Men, “We’ve been waiting to find the right partners who understand our story and are willing to tell it all. Denis and Jeff at Compelling Pictures understood us day 1.”
Compelling Pictures’ Denis O’Sullivan and Jeff Kalligheri (who have worked on respective biopics Bohemian Rhapsody and I Wanna Dance With Somebody) share their excitement about bringing the story to the screen, “Having grown up as huge fans of Boyz II Men, and having spent the past couple of years getting to know the guys and become friends with them, it’s a tremendous honor to help bring their unique and untold story to the big screen. We’re excited to show the brotherhood and comradery, as well as the challenges and strife, humor and heartbreak, that has accompanied the unparalleled success that Nate, Shawn, Wanya, and Mike have worked so hard to achieve. And we think the global audience will want to sing along to a sexy, funny, aspirational, uplifting celebration of friendships and artistic partnerships that have stood the test of time. Doom-doom-doom-da-da….”
Producer Larry Mestel, of Primary Wave, would also express, “Boyz II Men are one of the most influential bands of a generation. They are one of the few who transcend genre and format. Primary Wave is proud to expand its partnership with the band and look forward to creating a story with Joe, Jeremy and Compelling that will last forever and reintroduce the band to a new youth culture.”
Pokémon Gold and Silver turns 25 years old this month. The Game Boy Color RPGs brought fans to the Johto region, introduced 100 new monsters, and are widely considered some of the best games in the franchise’s long history. To commemorate the anniversary, The Pokémon Company is releasing a new line of merchandise…
Pokémon Gold and Silver turns 25 years old this month. The Game Boy Color RPGs brought fans to the Johto region, introduced 100 new monsters, and are widely considered some of the best games in the franchise’s long history. To commemorate the anniversary, The Pokémon Company is releasing a new line of merchandise…
Admit it: you want to be Batman. And Warner Bros. is going to try to make that happen for you – provided you have a spare $3 million sitting around to spend on a real-life Batmobile modeled after those seen in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy.
Going for the price of $2.99 million, the official website has the following description of your dream whip: “Limited production of 10 Wayne Enterprises Tumblers, fully functional iconic “Batmobile”, are exclusively being sold by invitation only. These highly collectable Tumbler Batmobiles are officially sanctioned by Warner Bros. and will be available for sale to an exclusive audience of avid car collectors.”
For you gearheads, you might like to know that the Batmobile comes equipped with Powertrain 6.2L LS3 525 HP Engine with 486FT Ibs Torque and GM 4L85E Transmission with Paddle Shift…whatever any of that is! Even cooler for those more interested in the Batman elements, it has imitation gun turrets and a jet engine simulation (although there are no flames). It also fits two, has GPS and air conditioning, which already makes it better than your first car.
This Batmobile also comes from Action Vehicle Engineering and Wayne Enterprises, a company that specializes in immersing you in the world of Bruce Wayne. But we assume they mean all the good stuff and not the whole parents being gunned down outside of a movie theater thing. Through their site, you can pick up everything from reproductions to light sculptures to super expensive crap that someone like Wayne would have in his mansion. To see more pictures of the Batmobile, be sure to check out their website.
But this Batmobile is a clear cut above anything else. And it’s going to take more than just $3 million – you have to request to even have a chance at owning one. Just to see what would happen, I did click a request but stopped short of filling out any personal information, lest my investment manager have a conniption. Still, there’s no doubt this particular Batmobile would be just about the most badass thing you could park in your driveway…
Plot: Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, and Petunia Pig are Earth’s only hope when facing the threat of alien invasion.
Review: During a time when moral compasses are pointing anywhere but up, and on a day when you find your credit card is beyond its limit, it sure is nice to feel like a kid again. Few things could bring me back to when Sesame Street’s “12 and Pinball” animation was the hottest jam of the Summer, like Looney Tunes. Every morning, and sometimes on Saturdays, Bugs, Daffy, Porky Pig, and their eclectic cast of friends molded my sense of humor, gave me a fondness for classical music, and invited sunshine into even the rainiest days.
I lost my mind when I heard Daffy Duck and Porky Pig would reunite for an unconventional 2D Looney Tunes movie. The news helped lick the wounds of losing the shelved Coyote vs. Acme, and flashbacks of repeatedly watching Daffy Duck’s Quackbusters came flooding back. My body was ready to embrace the duo’s new film, though what form it would take remained a mystery. As luck would have it, The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie is everything an old-school Looney Tunes fan could ask for, and it’s clever enough to appeal to younger generations, too.
The Day the Earth Blew Up frames Daffy and Porky as lifelong chums, having been adopted as infants by Farmer Jim, a kind and patient parental figure able to tolerate the duo’s antics throughout the years. When Farmer Jim walks off into the sunset, leaving Daffy and Porky in charge of their childhood home, their journey toward responsibility and heroism begins. It’s a special day for Daffy and Porky, the day of their Annual Home Standards Review, an evaluation of their house that’s fallen into various states of disrepair. During the review, a rigid Karen-like investigator alerts the duo to their missing roof, a gaping hole left by an out-of-control UFO the night before.
To meet the inspector’s standards, Daffy and Porky must find work. After several botched attempts at entering the workforce, the duo meets Petunia Pig, a flavor scientist, who invites them to work at the Goodie Gum factory. Daffy discovers a nefarious plot to infuse every piece of a “new” gum flavor with alien elements, turning chewers into mindless zombies. With nowhere left to turn and the world’s fate at stake, Daffy, Porky, and Petunia join forces against a maniacal alien intending to transform Earth.
The Day the Earth Blew Up is a work of art. Sometimes manic in its presentation, the film taps directly into what makes the Looney Tunes a timeless brand. Like many of Daffy and Porky’s misadventures of yesteryear, The Day the Earth Blew Up is a science-fiction feature akin to 1954’s Duck Dodgers in the 241/2th Century, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and classic Twilight Zone episodes. The film brilliantly (and seamlessly) uses different art styles to keep the presentation fresh and imaginative. One moment, you’re experiencing traditional (albeit polished) hand-drawn 2D, while the next scene offers a painterly look reminiscent of gross-out close-ups from Spumco’s Ren & Stimpy.
Like any Looney Tunes feature worth its salt, The Day the Earth Blew Up includes a rousing sci-fi score and inspired needle drops that folks from my generation will flip for. My biggest laugh in the film comes from a flashback sequence set to a 1991 chart-topper that had me clutching my sides with laughter. Seriously, my wife heard me cackling from the second floor of our house. That moment was pure comedic perfection.
It’s nice to know that even in 2024, the Looney Tunes brand hasn’t lost its knack for thinly veiled sexualized humor. Daffy is a fountain of double entendre, with a love of “pulling his crank” being one of his many adult-coded jokes. While some of the humor in The Day the Earth Blew Up could go over the heads of younger audience members, it’s great to keep the tradition of peppering the presentation with mature humor alive for old-school fans. It’s fun to catch the joke on the first go-around, finally, now that we’re older and life has twisted our perspective.
Another stand-out element of the film is Petunia Pig, voiced by the talented Candi Milo. Petunia is far more than an offset “gender balance” character and love interest for Porky. She’s a nerdy addition to the group who solves problems like Velma Dinkley and torches aliens like Ellen Ripley. She brings an energy to the story that otherwise would feel formulaic, given Daffy and Porky’s team-up dynamic. Her love of science (my wife is an accomplished microbiologist) and disdain for the new Goodie Gum immediately endeared me to her, and the movie is better for her being in it.
In addition to its slapstick, The Day the Earth Blew Up brings drama to the stage. Daffy and Porky are the Odd Couple of the Looney Tunes universe. Sometimes mixing like oil and water, Porky occasionally expresses intolerance for Daffy’s shenanigans, leading to deception and hurt feelings. Daffy is an unhinged menace, but he’s also a loyal friend whose antics are often the answer to unsolvable problems. Let the duck do his thing, Porky. Your style is already cramped despite your efforts to appear smooth and control your emotions. Blowing up at your best friend isn’t doing you any favors in the eyes of those getting to know you.
Peter MacNicol joins the cast as The Invader, a seemingly evil alien infecting the gum with his biological weapons. In classic Looney Tunes fashion, The Invader is over-the-top, has a dry sense of humor, and underestimates our heroes. It’s a joy to watch him adapt to the threat the trio poses to his plans, and his arc throughout the story evolves nicely, adding an extra layer of depth.
They don’t make movies like The Day the Earth Blew Up anymore, making this film a treat for the whole family. In a time when Minions, Bluey, and Spongebob continue to dominate the animated medium for youngsters, it’s glorious to see old friends like Daffy and Porky treated with such respect. While The Day the Earth Blew Up leans toward viewers in their 30s and 40s, I’m confident kids will delight in Daffy’s deranged behavior and learn a valuable lesson from Porky’s evaluation of his deceptive decisions and selfishness. The Day the Earth Blew Up opens a window to let the stink of Space Jam: A New Legacy out of the room and invites audiences to inhale in a fresh and frenetic approach to timeless character chemistry and exceptional science-fiction storytelling.
It could be any day, any night, any city, and Bill Murray could be there. Maybe this sad clown folk hero is hitting karaoke night or doing a frat’s dishes or crashing a kickball game or bartending at some random joint or giving a speech at a bachelor party or popping in for a wedding photo shoot. Bill Murray is that “fun” uncle, the loose one with no clear direction yet always grounded in…well, whatever he wants. Maybe he’ll show up, maybe he won’t. Maybe he’ll have a job this year, maybe he won’t bother. Maybe he’ll sock a male co-worker on the nose, maybe he’ll direct misconduct at a woman. Bill Murray is one unpredictable dude, his actions described as erupting “a trail of hysteria,” the man himself as “The Murricane.” Oh, and he’s made some of the greatest comedies, too.
Let’s find out: what happened to…Bill Murray?
But to truly understand what happened to Bill Murray, we go back to the beginning. And the beginning began when he was born on September 21st, 1950, in Evanston, Illinois, just north of his beloved Chicago. Digging theater in high school and college, Murray joined famed improv troupe The Second City in the early ‘70s, parlaying this into a gig on the National Lampoon Radio Hour (1973-1974), which let him explore the format and develop characters. This proved a gateway to Saturday Night Live (1977-1980), joining in season two as a Chevy Chase replacement. This, of course, was years before the two swapped fists backstage, just one early moment of their ongoing feud.
Chase is a notorious jerk, but Bill Murray isn’t always the most pleasant fella. Later in his career, he would clash with a lot of co-stars and directors, holding Seth Green over a trash can when he was a kid and having the worst connection with Richard Dreyfuss on What About Bob?, his co-star calling Murray an “Irish drunken bully.” And then there are the women. He butted heads with Sean Young on Stripes (1981), but who can blame him? Later, Geena Davis accused him of repeatedly trying to undo her straps while making his directorial debut Quick Change (1990). In the early 2000s, he would berate Lucy Liu for her acting (in)abilities on Charlie’s Angels (2000), while Anjelica Huston would label him “a sh*t” when making The Life Aquatic (2004). Even more recently, Murray’s alleged behavior found an entire film, Being Mortal, being shut down after he was accused of misconduct by a female crew member.
This usually prompts more stories, most of which can never be confirmed. But people like Wes Anderson have remained loyal. And that’s because Bill Murray is loyal…That doesn’t mean he’ll always show up on time, but the guy will stick by you if you’ve earned it.
Consider his frequent collaborators, which have resulted in some of his finest, career-defining work. When he wanted a big-screen career, he teamed with Ivan Reitman for Meatballs (1979), later returning for Stripes and the original Ghostbusters movies (1984, 1989). This is where Harold Ramis comes in. After so many collaborations, Ramis got behind the camera for Groundhog Day (1993), which helped redefine – at least for a moment – Murray as an actor with genuine depth. But the two hated each other, Murray even hiring a deaf assistant to serve as a middleman of communication. The feud lasted for years and years…but it finally squashed as Ramis neared his death, and Murray has spoken highly of his old friend ever since.
And then there’s Wes Anderson, who cast Murray in Rushmore (1998) and immediately found a kindred spirit: an oddball who will find their own way. From there came roles in The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), Moonrise Kingdom (2012), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), Isle of Dogs (2018), The French Dispatch (2021), and a cameo in The Darjeeling Limited (2007). (Cameos would get more frequent and stranger as the years went on: 1998’s She’s Having a Baby, 2008’s Get Smart, both Zombielands (2010, 2019), a nearly impossible-to-spot one in Dumb and Dumber To (2014)…Everybody wanted a part of the cult of Bill Murray.
This was really launched by Jim Jarmusch, who cast Bill Murray as himself in 2003’s Coffee and Cigarettes, later casting him in Broken Flowers (2005), The Limits of Control (2009), and The Dead Don’t Die (2019).
Who didn’t want a piece of Bill Murray? The guy was a legend of his own making. Even early on, he was signing on for things like Mr. Mike’s Mondo Video and Tarzoon: Shame of the Jungle (both 1979). Then he wanted to play Hunter S. Thompson in 1980’s Where the Buffalo Roam (this was a rare real-life performance; he’d later do 1994’s Ed Wood and FDR in 2012’s Hyde Park on the Hudson). When he had room in his SNL schedule, he did Caddyshack, giving his first iconic character on the big screen: the gopher-chasing greenskeeper. (Murray maintains, as with baseball, a passion for the sport.) Another supporting, scene-stealing turn in Tootsie (1982) led to 1984’s Ghostbusters, his only box office smash of 1984. The other movies that year were the unreleased sci-fi comedy Nothing Lasts Forever and Maugham adaptation The Razor’s Edge, which he only did so Ghostbusters could secure financing. That dreaded time was enough to put him off acting for a handful of years, not starring in a film until 1988’s Scrooged (not counting his quick bit in 1986’s Little Shop of Horrors), an almost too-perfect casting choice, twisting Scrooge as a sarcastic, miserable TV exec. Murray would get more sensitive around the holiday season much later with 2015’s A Very Murray Christmas.
The 1990s offered a shot at redemption for Murray, taking on directorial duties on Quick Change (1990), playing OCD in What About Bob? (1991), co-starring with De Niro in Mad Dog and Glory (1993), giving a brilliant, existential performance in Groundhog Day (1993), losing his hair in Kingpin (1996), going family-friendly for Larger Than Life and Space Jam (both 1996), hitting a skid with The Man Who Knew Too Little (1997), and leaning dramatic for Wild Things(1998) and Cradle Will Rock (1999).
Even before becoming the cult figure he is today, Murray’s filmography was skewing unpredictable, as seen in the next decade: 2000’s Charlie’s Angels and Hamlet, 2001’s Osmosis Jones and little-seen Speaking of Sex. 2003’s Lost in Translation offered yet another full transformation, a performance we knew was there but Murray hadn’t been given the true shot at giving; one that both satirized and expounded on fame and isolation. For it, he earned a Best Actor Oscar nomination, something that had eluded him…and still does, as you can see the support and love he has when Sean Penn’s name is announced…
That push gave Murray even more clout, allowing him – as he always had – to do whatever the hell he wanted. And he did: 2005’s The Lost City, he accidentally signed up to do voice work for 2006’s Garfield when he mistakenly thought he would be working with the Coen Brothers, and 2016’s The Jungle Book,Monuments Men (2014), St. Vincent (2014), continued dramedies like On the Rocks (2020), some spots in the latest Ghostbusters movies (2016, 2021, 2024), and even a turn in the MCU for 2023’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania… which was fun and disappointing at the same time. His next film is poised to be yet another pairing with Wes Anderson: The Phoenician Scheme (2025). Despite his controversies and canceled films due to his alleged misbehavior, the dude is both loyal and inspires loyalty in return. Often looked at as a wandering warrior poet who has mastered the art of not giving a fuck.
As for the future, it’s nearly impossible to get ahold of him if you want him in your film. He has no agent, no manager. You can call him and offer him a role, but be prepared to leave a message on an 800-number line if you can even find the number. And even if you did, it’s like his most infamous saying goes: “No one will ever believe you.”
Microsoft’s latest holiday marketing campaign is all about how you can play Xbox games even without the actual console. “This is an Xbox,” the slogan reads as it lists laptops, smartphones, VR headsets, and other platform-agnostic devices. But despite doubling-down on the virtues of “play anywhere,” the company is…
