Is the superhero era ending?
And it's a January box office miracle
What to know
Are superheroes losing steam at the box office?… The Wrap is arguing that because Avatar: Way of Water, Jurassic World: Dominion, and Top Gun: Maverick topped the box office in 2022, superheroes are on the way down. I truly think this under estimates what Kevin Feige (Marvel) and James Gunn (DC) have up their sleeves. We might be in a lull right now as Disney and WB figure out the right movie vs. TV balance — but there are massive events on the horizon. And also wasn’t Spider-Man: No Way Home, though not 2022, proof the genre isn’t going anywhere? 🤔
M3GAN way exceeds expectations, Way of Water rolls on… Great box office news from this weekend. First, viral horror comedy M3GAN smashed its $20M estimates to gross $30.2M domestic and $45M total worldwide, making it the first movie in a over decade to debut north of $30M in the first week of January. People’s love of horror, a genuine viral marketing campaign, and strong reviews will do that! Not bad for a movie with a $12M budget. Meanwhile, Avatar 2 climbed to #7 on the highest grossing movies ever list, with a new global total of $1.7B. “Is it too soon to declare 2023 a complete and utter success?” asked movie biz consultant David A. Gross. 💰
Art Directors’ Guild nominates every good movie of 2022… Period category: All Quiet On The Western Front, Babylon, Elvis, The Fabelmans, and White Noise; Fantasy category: Avatar: The Way of Water, The Batman, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Everything Everywhere All At Once, and Nope; contemporary category: Bardo, Bullet Train, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Tár, and Top Gun: Maverick. If you were to watch all of those, I’d say you got the gist of 2022. Nice to see people remember Bullet Train and The Batman! Meanwhile, the cinematographers nominated Empire of Light, The Batman, Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths, Top Gun: Maverick, and Elvis. 🏆
Paramount+ axes Workaholics movie weeks before filming… Saying it didn’t fit the companies “new global strategy.” Perhaps meaning it wouldn’t play abroad where Paramount is looking to get new subscribers? Interesting to see the streamer kill an IP project like this when it’s been leaned hard into reviving old Viacom properties like Inside Amy Schumer and Beavis and Butthead, to name two. 🏔
Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin renewed at Peacock… So it’s a bit of a “good news-bad news” type of day for Adam DeVine. At least Peacock isn’t afraid of using old IP. 🇩🇪
Joel McHale says Community movie to shoot this June… Speaking of Peacock mining old IP, I still can’t believe this is actually happening. 📚
“World’s greatest restaurant,” Noma, is shutting down and people are comparing it to The Menu… I mean, they’re not wrong to draw that parallel. 🍽
Stranger Things cast negotiate seven-figure paydays for season 5… So maybe they’ll be able to just pay off Vecna. 🙃
Bob Odenkirk’s new AMC show Straight Man is now called Lucky Hank… Yeah, that’s better. 🍀
Read the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever script… And cry all over again. 🌍
What’s new
The Golden Globe Awards — Jan 10 | NBC award show
Velma — Jan 12 | HBO Max adult animated series | 🍅
The Drop — Jan 13 | Hulu comedy movie | 🍅
The Last of Us — Jan 15 | HBO drama series | 🍅
A Man Called Otto — Jan 13 | Drama film in theaters | 🍅 68%
Returning: Hunters s2, Servant s4, Your Honor s2, Mayor of Kingstown s2
What to watch
If you love food, or the horror-thriller genre, make a reservation with The Menu (on HBO Max) immediately. This deliciously creative twist on the genre is unlike any horror or thriller you’ve seen before, unique in its restaurant setting but also in its socio-economic messaging. Mark Mylod directs with the firm hand and artistic vision of a great chef, pacing the film’s intensity and wit appropriately, while screenwriters Seth Reis and Will Tracy provide a crackling, twisty, and oftentimes funny recipe in their script. Somehow this trio managed to make a stomach-churning thrill ride that also spotlights beautiful food and cooking. But it’s the performances that really whet the appetite. Ralph Fiennes and Anya Taylor-Joy lead a cast of a dozen distinct and game performers, all of whom are chewing away with sinister delight. Nicholas Hoult is perfectly cast and absolutely devastating, Hong Chau (who has never turned in a bad performance) brings signature mystique and mischief, John Leguizamo is here leaning into a meta role on his own industry longevity. But the whole ensemble shines in brief moments, pay particular attention to Judith Light, Arturo Castro, and Peter Grosz. As with all great horror films these days, The Menu is also trying to say something between its thrills and chills. Reis and Tracy have turned their sights, not so subtly, on class difference and the great chasm between service workers and those getting serviced. Especially at how vast that chasm can be in the world of fine dining. (Look no further than Noma shutting down because of how unsustainable the business model is.) What happens when the traditional power dynamics of high-end eating are flipped like a half-done burger? In this case, it doesn’t end well for anyone — but like a neatly composed plate, nothing is out of place.
For all past ‘what to watch’ recommendations, see the full list here!