What to know
The box office is back | Variety
Godzilla vs. Kong had a monster weekend in theaters, raking in $48.5 million domestically. That’s nearly three times the previous pandemic record-holder and made all the more impressive by Kong’s simultaneous HBO Max release. It appears the box office is roaring back. Maybe Disney didn’t need to push Black Widow again?
The SAG Awards shake up Oscar season | Collider
The SAG Awards aired a short and sweet prerecorded pandemic show last night and proved some Oscars are still up in the air. While it appears Daniel Kaluuya and Chadwick Boseman are favorites for Best Supporting Actor and Best Actor, Viola Davis and Yuh-jung Youn’s wins at the SAGs show the actress categories are not as certain. Additionally, Trial of the Chicago 7 took Best Ensemble which doesn’t necessarily foretell Best Picture, but has aligned with surprise Best Pictures before.
Georgia puts Hollywood in a pickle | Deadline
A cold war is brewing between Hollywood and Georgia over the state’s new restrictive voting law. Georgia has become a 2nd home for the entertainment industry, thanks to its tax credits and infrastructure, but now it will have to decide if this is the moment to launch a full-on revolt. Unlike MLB, which pulled its all-star game from the state, Hollywood is currently taking a wait-and-see approach.
Netflix lost 31% of its market share last year | The Wrap
Netflix is still the king, but others are nipping at its heels. This isn’t all that surprising as major players like Disney, Warner, Universal, and Paramount joined the streaming wars in the last few years, which would naturally cut into Netflix’s dominance. It will be fascinating to see how Netflix fights back in the next few years and if it can remain on top.
Also...
Marvel dropped a new Black Widow trailer and a new Loki trailer … the Marvel train never stops 🚂
Star Trek dropped a new Picard s2 and Discovery s4 trailer … the Star Trek train also never stops 🖖
Atlanta season 3 production is underway … finally! 🍑
The Suicide Squad broke the record for most-watched red band trailer … people love seeing a sharkman rip a guy in two apparently 🦈
LaKeith Stanfield will play Top Chef alum Kwame Onwauchi in an upcoming biopic … sounds delicious 👨🏾🍳
Zendaya is your new Lola Bunny … but I thought Zendaya is Meechee? 🐰
Bridgerton will welcome new cast members … who are not Regé-Jean Page 👑
Michael Keaton just became the first actor to be in 3 SAG Best Ensemble casts … there’s some random trivia for ya 🏆
Delroy Lindo and Cush Jumbo will get proper good byes in Good Fight season 5 … Good wife, good fight, good byes ✌️
What to watch
The last six months have given us three stone-cold comedy classics that all happen to start with the letter B: Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar, and now Bad Trip. Eric Andre’s gonzo docu-fiction road trip comedy, now on Netflix, is like Jackass meets Borat meets Harold and Kumar. It’s hysterical and at-times gross, yet shockingly heartfelt and truthful.
Like Borat 2 and Nomadland, Bad Trip places much of its action in the real world, where real reactions from bystanders become the engine for comedy and a study in the social sciences. Andre, Lil Rel Howery, and Tiffany Haddish are fearless improvisors and turn out hilarious performances, but the movie finds actual truth in its prank victims. Whether they’re shouting, helping, or running for their lives, these non-actors bring more humor and honesty than any actor could. Even more impressively, the movie weaves its pranks into a more cohesive plot than both Borat 2 and Nomadland.
Bad Trip is an extreme movie, and probably not for everyone, but it’s also a lot more than it’s letting on.
For all past ‘what to watch’ recommendations, see the full list here!
New notables this week:
Chad s1 premiere (Apr 6) — TBS sitcom w Nasim Pedrad | No RT yet
Thunder Force (Apr 9) — Netflix superhero comedy film w McCarthy & Spencer | No RT yet
Them (Apr 9) — Amazon horror limited series | 100% RT
The Nevers s1 premiere (Apr 11) — HBO sci-fi period drama from Joss Whedon | No RT yet
Before you go… come on and slam, it’s a postmodern jam
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About the author: Alex Rabinowitz has led the way on social media and story packaging at media outlets big and small. With his acclaimed Tumblr site PopCultureBrain.com, Alex became a leading figure in emerging social networks and entertainment news. Sourced by many top destinations, including New York Magazine, BuzzFeed, and Videogum, Pop Culture Brain was featured by BuzzFeed and TIME as the best pop culture blog on Tumblr. Alex's writing has appeared on The Huffington Post, GQ.com, Mic, and Time Warner Cable.