'Avatar 2' needs to make A LOT of money
And who New Bob could sell Disney to
What to know
James Cameron: Avatar: The Way of Water is so expensive, it will need to become the 4th or 5th highest grossing movie of all time to just break even… He also said it’s, “the worst business case in movie history.” Variety explains that 4th of 5th highest means at least $2 billion at the box office. HOW MUCH DID THIS MOVIE COST TO MAKE?! I love how Jim Cameron is so cavalier about all this too, but if history has told us one thing, it’s to always trust him. I think it does make at least $2B worldwide, depending on how spectacular it is. Will people be so blown away that they’ll recommend it to friends and family, giving it long legs a la the first one? We’ll see! 🌊
Will Bob Iger sell Disney to Apple?… The Wrap is speculating on the possibility and quoting an unnamed Disney insider predicting such a move. While such a merger would face big antitrust legal challenges, it seems like a natural fit for both brands. Tim Cook was even quoted in April saying that they’re always looking at companies to buy for “IP and to incorporate talent.” Two things Disney has in spades. If you’ve ever used the Disney theme park apps or websites, you know the Mouse would benefit immensely from having a tech company at the helm. And if deal this happens, you can bet Amazon and Google are going to go looking for media companies to buy (Netflix, Paramount, WBD for example). 🍎
Will Ferrell plays the CEO of Mattel Greta Gerwig’s Barbie… He also called the movie, “the ultimate example of high art and low art … an amazing comment on male patriarchy and women in society.” Everyone involved with Barbie has been saying similar things; Simu Liu also praised the script in his interview with Marc Maron. Barbie doesn’t come out until July, but the hype has been steadily building for months already. If it delivers on everything that’s been promised, well, that would really be something. 💅
Everything Everywhere All At Once leads Independent Spirit Award nominations… Nice! Give Everything Everywhere all the awards, please. While some years see heavy overlap between the Spirit Awards and the Oscars, I’m not sure how much that’s going to happen this time around. Spirit nominees Tár and Everything Everywhere should crossover, but the Indy Spirits are also recognizing Bones and All, Aftersun, and Emily the Criminal among others! Award season might be more disjointed and therefor more exciting than ever. 🏆
Halloween Ends busts the myth that streaming undercuts box office success… But don’t expect day-and-date releases to make a big comeback any time soon. 🔪
HBO Max is on sale for $1.99/month; and so is Hulu… Both are ad-supported tiers and only available at this rate until Nov 28. Get on it. 💸
Yann Demange to direct Marvel’s Blade… Demange directed the pilot of Lovecraft Country, so we’re in good hands. 🧛🏿♀️
Top Gun: Maverick is finally coming to Paramount+ Dec 22… Good timing for an awards season push. 👀
What’s new
Welcome to Chippendales - Nov 22 | Hulu drama miniseries | 🍅 79%
The Fabelmans - Nov 23 | Drama film in theaters | 🍅 94%
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery - Nov 23 | Mystery film in theaters | 🍅 93%
Devotion - Nov 23 | Drama film in theaters | 🍅 73%
Strange World - Nov 23 | Animated film in theaters | 🍅 73%
Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin - Nov 23 | Peacock comedy series | 🍅
Wednesday - Nov 23 | Netflix comedy-drama series | 🍅 61%
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special - Nov 25 | Disney+ special | 🍅
What to watch
Rather than review RRR, I’m just going to list some of the things the 3-hour Indian historical fiction epic contains. A police officer fights off a crowd of hundreds to arrest a single man. A man outruns, fights, and traps a tiger with his bare hands. Two men rescue a child from a burning river by holding on to opposite sides of a rope and dropping below a bridge. Those two men go on to have an intimate and heartwarming friendship, like you’d never see in an American film. They also sing and dance in more than one massive production number that would make Busby Berkeley jealous. Then they fight in equally huge and stylized action sequences that would make Kevin Feige jealous. I’m not going to spoil what happens at an an aristocratic British party, but it made me say “holy shit” out loud. You’ll know it when you see it. A little boy with perfect aim uses one rifle to send an entire British battalion fleeing. Our heroes use a motorcycle as a projectile bomb. They fight with water, they fight with fire, they scale buildings, they survive unimaginable violence, they bleed, and they triumph. RRR has everything and then some: Action, drama, melodrama, music, love, friendship, family, action, folk history, animals, romance, evil white people, action, heart, and action. It’s now on Netflix, it must be seen to be believed.
For all past ‘what to watch’ recommendations, see the full list here!