'The Marvels' flopped, now what?
And WBD cans another finished flick
What to know
The Marvels lands worst MCU opening weekend ever with just $47 million… Make no mistake, this is a disaster. The movie cost a reported $275M to make and even more to market. Not having actor promotion certainly hurt it (studios shot themselves in the foot here by being greedy during the strike), as did the required homework perhaps (Ms. Marvel, WandaVision). But I think superhero fatigue has really set in, people are not going out by default anymore. As Indiewire writes, “Marvel taught us movies should be events,” but its own films no longer qualify. This is such a shame because The Marvels isn’t bad! It’s quite fun, makes a star of Iman Vellani (more Ms. Marvel please!), and is pretty wacky, zippy, and most importantly short. It will be really interesting to see how Marvel adjusts their strategy going forward and how the rest of Hollywood adapts to the reality of superhero decline. 📉
Warner Bros. dumps finished Coyote vs. Acme film, will allow it to be shopped elsewhere… Zaslav strikes again! In the latest affront to the creative community, Warner Bros. Discovery has decided to shelve its upcoming Looney Tunes animated-live action hybrid film Coyote vs. Acme, starring John Cena, written and produced by James Gunn. Obviously, this continues the disturbing trend of studios canning finished projects (that artists worked hard on) for tax purposes. Thankfully, the latest development is that WB will allow the Coyote filmmakers to shop the movie elsewhere. Hopefully it gets picked up and people can see it. 😖
Deadpool 3 moves to July 2024, Captain America 4 goes to 2025… The Ryan Reynolds-Hugh Jackman movie will be Marvel’s only theatrical release next year. But it will probably be a good one. Meanwhile, word is that Anthony Mackie’s Cap 4 needs a lot of work and will go through extensive reshoots. That’s not surprising or alarming, Marvel does this on almost every movie. 💥
Lost Doctor Who episodes have been found, but the owner is afraid to hand them over… There’s apparently concern that the BBC will prosecute or seize entire archivers from collectors if the owners of these lost eps cooperate with the agency. Hopefully the BBC does the right thing and grants them amnesty so the public can see these once again. 🇬🇧
Bobby Berk leaving Queer Eye after 8 seasons… He does a substantial amount of work for each episode, so I can’t blame him for moving on. And why not find somebody else? No harm in recasting to keep the show going. 🚪
Denzel Washington to play Hannibal… No, not that one, the Hannibal who attacked Rome on an elephant. Whom you surely remember from world history class, right? 🐘
A Terminator animated series is heading to Netflix… As I’ve said before animation is a great way to extend a dormant franchise. 🤖
Darren Aronofsky is going to direct an Elon Musk biopic… May he have the creative freedom to paint an accurate portrait. 🤔
The Beatles set record 54-year gap between number one singles in the UK… Would you have expected anything less? 🪲
Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender live action series coming Feb 22… And the trailer is pretty good! 🔥
John Wick 5 is currently being written… Not even death can kill John Wick. 5️⃣
What’s new
A Murder at the End of the World — Nov 14 | Hulu mystery miniseries | Ⓜ️ 72
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters — Nov 17 | Apple Godzilla series | Ⓜ️ 65
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off — Nov 17 | Netflix animated series | Ⓜ️
Rustin — Nov 17 | Netflix historical drama film | Ⓜ️ 68
Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain — Nov 17 | Peacock comedy film | Ⓜ️
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes — Nov 17 | Sci-fi fantasy film in theaters | Ⓜ️ 53
Next Goal Wins — Nov 17 | Sports comedy in theaters | Ⓜ️ 50
Trolls Band Together — Nov 17 | Animated family movie in theaters | Ⓜ️ 43
Thanksgiving — Nov 17 | Horror film in theaters | Ⓜ️
Returning: The Crown s6
What to watch
Trailer: Damsel — 2024 on Netflix
Directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, written by Dan Mazeau, starring Millie Bobby Brown, Angela Bassett, Robin Wright, Ray Winstone, Nick Robinson, Brooke Carter, and Shohreh Aghdashloo.
This looks pretty good! I’ve been harsh on Netflix before because its quality is all over the place and oftentimes its original films look kinda cheap. But in this case, the money is on the screen. The production design is striking and intriguing. The cast is solid. And it’s a wholly original fantasy story, which is rad. How often do we get that? Millie Bobby Brown is one of Netflix’s biggest, most bankable stars — who has grown on the platform itself. That alone will probably make this a big hit for the streamer.
For all past ‘what to watch’ recommendations, see the full list here!