'F9' might be the box office exception
And Marvel changes 'WandaVision' post-credits scene slightly
What to know
F9 breaks post-pandemic box office record with $70M… as expected. That’s above Hobbs and Shaw’s pre-COVID opening weekend but well below Fate of the Furious. Does this mean the box office is back? Unclear! We might not see another big box office hit until Marvel’s Shang-Chi in September. Everything heading to theaters next is either a smaller property or also going to streaming. 🚙
Marvel changes WandaVision post-credits scene slightly… looks to me like a little digital environment clean up, but speculate away, nerds! No matter why the change was made, it’s strange that Disney would go in and alter something so insignificant. In related news, you can now read the WandaVision pilot script.🌲
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will return to Broadway as one show… Makes sense financially, but I wonder how they’re going to cut it down. I’m glad I got to see both parts, while the story is eh, the spectacle was fantastic 🧙♀️
Speaking of F9, Vin Diesel wants to do a Fast and Furious musical… 🎶 We’re driving our cars angrily, cause you know, it’s all about FAMILY! 🎶
Dwayne Johnson is making a Santa action movie… that tracks 🎅
Harry Connick Jr. is your new Daddy Warbucks… can he pull off the bald head? 👨🦲
Made for Love has been renewed for a second season… watch it! 💍
John Wick 4, Aquaman 2, and Knives Out 2 have all entered production… come get yer sequels 🎬
Dropping this week:
America: The Motion Picture — June 30 on Netflix | Adult animated film | RT
Zola — June 30 in select theaters | Indie drama | 87% RT
No Sudden Move — July 1 on HBO Max | Soderbergh heist film | 92% RT
Top Chef Amateurs — July 1 on Bravo | Cooking competition series
The Tomorrow War — July 2 on Amazon| Chris Pratt action film | RT
Summer of Soul — July 2 on Hulu | Music doc | 97% RT
Fear Street Part One: 1994 — July 2 on Netflix | Horror movie | RT
The Forever Purge — July 2 in theaters | Horror movie | RT
The Bossy Baby: Family Business — July 2 on Peacock & theaters | Kids movie | RT
What to watch
Hacks is magic. It’s what every 2021 comedy wishes it could be: An engrossing character study pumped with incredible jokes, grounded stakes, a clear point of view, and a gooey beating heart. Creators Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky walk an impressively thin line, balancing sardonic wit with knock-you-back emotion. Their exploration of women in comedy, life in Las Vegas, and the woes of show biz feels fresh and yet warmly familiar. Jean Smart, just off Fargo (!), Legion (!!), Watchmen (!!!), and Mare of Easttown (!!!!), is giving a career-best performance that only someone perfectly versed in both drama and comedy could do. I’m not sure how she loses the Emmy for Best Actress in a Comedy, to be honest. With Deborah Vance, Aniello, Downs, Statsky, and Smart have created a comedy character for the ages, but they didn’t stop there. They cast relative newcomer Hannah Einbinder as Ava, Smart’s foil and scene partner. I don’t really believe in on-screen chemistry (it’s just good acting), but these two pop and crackle together — even in scenes when they’re not sharing the same physical space! In her first major role, Einbinder soars and matches wit with Jean Smart. Like the rest of the series, she too toes a line: the one between lovable and loathsome. The supporting cast is also fantastic. The series is outrageously funny and surprising. There’s absolutely nothing hacky about Hacks, 10 half-hour episodes on HBO Max now.
For all past ‘what to watch’ recommendations, see the full list here!
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