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What is happening at the Mouse House AKA Disney?! | Box Office Numbers and how it affects the movie industry
12 Plays2 months ago
In today's episode Rod and Melody chat about A LOT. This is a long one! They chat about the current state of the Disney company. They discuss box office numbers and how it affects the studios going forward. They freak out about Avengers being moved back , as Rodney predicted.And of course they get sidelined talking about their favourite topic...movies, including Snow White, Dune, and course Avengers Doomsday.
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Transcript
Introduction to 'Beyond the Shot' Podcast
00:00:00
Speaker
Hey guys, welcome to the Beyond the Shot podcast, a podcast hosted by close cousins Melody and Rodney. And on this podcast, we're going to dive into different topics related to movies, TV shows, and the entertainment industry as a whole. Movies are meant to make you feel something, and both of us want to share those feelings with you.
00:00:20
Speaker
So tune in to new episodes every other Monday, and thanks so much for listening. And now, into today's episode.
Snow White: Social Media Influences and Criticism
00:00:26
Speaker
you know what, let me just put Snow White on and let me just try to get through this because i have also have this, um not premonition, um,
00:00:34
Speaker
the set view already that it's not supposed to be good. You've already been fed this so much through social media, through everyone that's talking about it, that you are not supposed to like this movie. That's unfortunate. And that is unfortunate because it does, I think, really affect your viewing experience because already I was going into it with like, okay, well I should just have like the lowest of lows of expectations. I shouldn't like this.
00:00:58
Speaker
If I do, something's wrong with me. It shouldn't be that way, though. It really shouldn't be that way. It shouldn't be that way. But can see the visual effects. And I haven't even gotten to the dwarves yet. So I was like, oh, God. Like, this world already looks pretty bad. And it was funny because, i you know, I'm a huge Wicked fan.
00:01:18
Speaker
head school no Wicked was one of the best movies for me last year. And, you know, watching that world with practical effects and these big dance numbers be just so... Chef's kiss. So good.
00:01:32
Speaker
And then have. Yeah. Watching this. And it feeling so like.
00:01:40
Speaker
Like they had a big dance number. The first song that they sing with that big. With the parents or whatever. And I was like. Oh. Yeah. Like. Yeah. it just I was like, where's John M2?
00:01:52
Speaker
what What's happening here? This isn't right. Oh, God. So, yeah, it was a hard start. So I'm going to try to watch it. You should. I saw it in the theaters.
00:02:04
Speaker
I went in the theaters with my wife and my daughter and my sister-in-law. We went to go see it. you ah I didn't know Yannisah went to. Yeah, yeah, we went to. Oh, okay. And it was, i I didn't think it was bad.
00:02:15
Speaker
I don't think it was great. And I'll go back to what i we've talked about before. Like I've said many a times with these remakes, we didn't need it. We didn't need it. It doesn't need to be done. Spend the money elsewhere in another Disney type of original story.
00:02:35
Speaker
Do something like that. We didn't need this. Like, and granted, I understand Snow White, the movie itself is very, very old. So maybe this is the movie that maybe needed it to be retold.
Peter Dinklage on Typecasting and Actor Challenges
00:02:48
Speaker
But maybe retell it in a different way entirely. You know, like maybe go in a different realm of retelling the story of Snow White. Maybe modernize it in a different way. I don't know.
00:02:59
Speaker
Do something else that was not this. Maybe that's what they needed to do. I think it's because it doesn't matter point. something like that already zi exists because of other movies. I think there was, wasn't there a movie with like Amanda Bynes from like the 2000s? There's like a movie.
00:03:14
Speaker
There's a, there's a movie out there that's like Snow White, but it's like in modern world or something. i forget what it's called. I think, No, but but ah the whole point is this, though.
00:03:25
Speaker
It's just you gotta you got to understand where you're at with things. And I think this movie had a lot of issues going in, even pre-production, with the whole dwarves thing, which is just really bad. Like, you know, Peter Dinklage, shout out to Peter Dinklage. He's a you know tremendous actor.
00:03:43
Speaker
But when he came out and he told Disney... Oh, you shouldn't hire little people to play doors because that's typecasting and blah, blah, blah.
00:03:55
Speaker
In his mind, he was probably like, oh, i'm I'm standing up for people like me. When in actuality, what he was doing was taking jobs away from people like him who probably won't be able to get jobs. You know what I'm
Disney Plus Struggles and Live-Action Remakes Debate
00:04:07
Speaker
saying? And I'm saying this because recently, there's this actor who was an actor and a former wrestler. His name is his name. He went in WWE, he went Hornswoggle. That was his name. But he was interviewed in some platform and he said that.
00:04:22
Speaker
He's like, you know, bleep you, you know, Peter Dinklage, because, you know, because of what you did, it screwed up a lot of people like me and a lot of people like that look like me that are actors that are trying to find jobs. But you did that. That could have been the opportunity for other people, which is actually true.
00:04:37
Speaker
You know what I'm saying? And it was like, yeah, it's just, it was bad. It was bad, but it's hard because, like, you see both sides in a way. Because it's like, yeah, you don't want to be just be like, well, I'm always going to play.
00:04:49
Speaker
a dwarf because i have dwarfism, right? Or whatever it is, right? But then you also don't, you also need a job. So it it is it's hard. But then also, like, did you ever watch the show on Disney Plus, Willow?
00:05:06
Speaker
No, I didn't watch it because, um I don't know. it hey and And I was a fan of the original Willow movie from back from the 80s. I, you know, I'm not going to say I loved it, but I liked it. But I never... and it I don't know. I saw the preview for it and it didn't capture me. It was really Like a lot of Disney Plus stuff, it didn't really capture me. So... And then that got canceled, though. That didn't even make it. Oh, it was bad, though. I did not like that show. It was really bad. The writing on that was... Woo! Wow, it was bad And were... I don't understand, Mel. I don't know what the hell's going on. i don't know what's going on with...
00:05:38
Speaker
What the hell is happening in the mouse house, yo? What the fuck is going on? Like, listen, and you know, I'm saying this. I'm saying this with the preface of the freaking, the box office hall.
00:05:54
Speaker
that Lilo and Stitch just had. Like, Lilo and Stitch blowing up the way it has completely mutes my argument on me being against, and I think we both share the same thing on live action stuff. like Yeah. Like, Lilo and Stitch right now let Let me just, let me just, let me get the stats.
00:06:12
Speaker
Okay. Total gross right now. Mel, it's been a week. Am I right? Since Lilo and Stitch was released. Yeah. $208 million dollars total gross. Okay.
00:06:23
Speaker
The weekend gross for Lilo and million. Wow. forty six million dollars Like that, you just think about those numbers for a second. yeah That's insane.
00:06:34
Speaker
So what that did right there was it literally told Disney, no, no, no. Listen, this movie is going to potentially make a billion dollars. So whatever Snow White k not did not do, this will make up for it. And we're going to release more.
00:06:48
Speaker
That's why all that makes sense. So Rodney texted me. Like, like, I think the weekend that it started, make it made a lot of money. he texted me like a picture of like it being a success and he goes, fuck.
00:07:02
Speaker
Yep. And somebody said that I was like, oh, because this does well, Disney's going to be like, oh, this is great. Let's keep doing live action movies. Forget it. this is this is And that's what I'm saying. like this is where we're This is where we're at. And we're going to get... And now, mind you, I'm speaking as a person that I haven't seen Lilo and Stitch live action. So maybe maybe when I do eventually watch it, maybe I'll come on this show and I'll like, hey, Mel, I saw Lilo and Stitch live action.
00:07:24
Speaker
And I was pleasantly surprised. I thought was good. you know like like Maybe that'll happen. But I'm just looking at the writing on the wall from all these live action remakes, and a majority of them aren't very good.
00:07:36
Speaker
And they're not innovative. They're not doing anything that is like mind-blowing amazing. Well, no, it's also because none of it is original. No, none of it is original. And like, yeah it's, it's, but I just find, i just find it kind of crazy. The next year we're going to get, um, is I believe it's next year.
00:07:54
Speaker
I got to check the slate. We're going to get the live action remake of Moana, which I'm really disappointed in because Moana is a movie that, I mean, let's be a hundred percent real. Like it's not, it's what it's, is it 10 years old?
00:08:10
Speaker
I think it's like 10. Is it? Let me see. It's either 10 or 9 years old. 2016.
00:08:16
Speaker
Okay, so what's the so it's nine years old. Yeah. So it's nine it's a nine-year-old movie, and we're we're already getting a remake, a live-action remake for him, which it just screams money grab to me. Yeah. um I think, and and I love this dude. I love The Rock. you know mel i
Disney's Focus on Remakes vs. Original Stories
00:08:31
Speaker
i love I love The Rock and Dwayne Johnson.
00:08:33
Speaker
But this is clearly a money grab by Dwayne Johnson, who's trying to like maximize playing Maui, because in his mind, he's like... I got to do this now because I'm getting older and I can't, I can't, you know, i'm not going to be do this role.
00:08:47
Speaker
Yeah. And I want my daughters to see me not animated. they want I want them to see me as Maui. Granted, um' ah I'm going to say something really funny and blasphemous. The guy that should be playing Maui should be Jason Momoa because he he pretty much exudes Maui. He should be playing Maui. He has the hair.
00:09:06
Speaker
He has the attitude. you know yeah you know He has the bod. mean, The Rock has the bod, but so of so does so does Jason Momoa. He exudes... Maui. But, you know, what whatever. You're so right.
00:09:17
Speaker
but But, you know and and you know, we'll see how Moana does. We'll see how people take to it. Because, he again, The Rock said, oh, it's it's a it's a remake of it, but they're going to do some... I think they're to some different things. with i'm i'm not I'm not sure. And I wonder how people are going to be affected by that. Because Moana is a movie that's beloved by a lot of people. So it's like, if you do changes to that, that are that might... You know, that could that could really...
00:09:43
Speaker
Yeah.
00:09:47
Speaker
one is super fresh and everyone's wine's like you know we were talking about snow white and house snowwh it's an oldass movie so you know the changes that were made to it you know some people kind of like <unk> notice it because they probably don't even remember watching the original they know the basics
How to Train Your Dragon Live-Action and Theme Parks
00:10:02
Speaker
of snow white they don't know the true like kind of like whole thing about it Moana is on Disney+. plus People watching Moana on a concert. like i'm I wouldn't be surprised if you look up the Disney stats. Moana is probably one of the movies that's watched the most. most like I imagine it's the Frozen movies. and and In terms of animated, the Frozen movies and Moana are probably the ones that are kind of watched a lot because they're so recent.
00:10:25
Speaker
you know what I'm actually surprised that they did Moana before Frozen. Frozen's older. I'm surprised too, but I feel like that's going to come. i feel like what they're waiting to, they're waiting to finish the Frozen movies. and and you know They're going do Frozen 3. Oh, there's going to be a third one, yeah. There's going to be a third one. And i see it I think I did hear that they have an idea for four.
00:10:47
Speaker
So I think they're going to try to do that. And I think that's when Disney's going to come and milk the crap out of those films and make it ah make a live action. Yeah. But, you know, I just like I said, this movie making a little stage making all this money kind of gives Disney kind of a green light on, OK, what are we going to do? What should we do next? So, I mean, I wonder what's going to happen because, you know, there was a bunch of ideas that they were trying to do remember. They were gonna do the Tiana.
00:11:12
Speaker
I think it was a Tiana animated series. Yeah. And that got canceled. Got canceled. Yeah. But I'm kind of wondering, would they bring that back as a movie somehow? Would they do something in that vein of making that bringing that IP live action? Because I just wonder, because again, these these studios, when they see shit like this that the movie did well, they they automatically have meetings. And mind I've never worked in a studio, but I'm assuming if I'm a studio head and I know I had a hit movie, you damn well know that Monday I'm bringing my whole team I'm like, hey guys,
00:11:44
Speaker
What can we do to replicate this? What's the next movie we can do that can replicate this, that we can green light oh apps because it's popular? Oh, absolutely. So, you know, that whole Princess and the Frog thing, maybe it's back on the table after this.
00:11:56
Speaker
But this is the thing with me in these, like, live-action movies. And it's like, Moana is such an animated movie. Like, that movie takes place, like, there had that, what's that scene? The scene where they meet the crab under the water.
00:12:11
Speaker
How you make that? make that into live action? a CGI. I know, but then... CGI. This isn't Christopher Nolan. If it was Christopher Nolan, I would tell you that Christopher Nolan's going to go and try to find the biggest crab he can find and shoot it in a way to make it look like the crab is maybe like 100 feet tall. He'll do something like that. You know what i mean? like There's certain directors you know are going to go, and but it's to be heavily CGI'd.
00:12:41
Speaker
And like, for me, like now, we're getting into this world now, right? Where like animation and CGI are starting to like cross over in a way. Because it's like, well, CGI isn't, it's not animation, but it almost feels like a sort of animation in a way Because it's not. No, CGI is animation. Well, seat won't it see it depends. It's a weird line. Like when you're using CGI. And now
Marvel's Storytelling and Financial Challenges
00:13:06
Speaker
we're living in this world with these kind of movies where it's like, oh, it's live action.
00:13:10
Speaker
but it's all CGI. And I'm like, okay Is it really live action? Is it really live action then? Cause live action would mean like it was like real. Well, you see, this is where I'm worried about that. Then this is where I'm concerned. This is where I got lying. This is where I'm concerned when it comes to what you just said. You just made a excellent point.
00:13:24
Speaker
Three points for you, Mel. Um, in regards to the rock saying, I think the rock had said, I got to look for them. prior firerasing I'm sorry, Dwayne, if I'm putting the words or not in your mouth, in your mouth, but yeah,
00:13:35
Speaker
I did feel like I did hear something along the lines of like, there are going to be some subtle changes. And this goes into a conversation we were having kind of pre-meeting about our episode today, where it's like, are they going to take that whole crab aspect out of it? Because it's not real. It doesn't fit the real world. And are they going to substitute it with maybe instead of having a big crab, it'll be like a actual person instead of the crab that does...
00:14:01
Speaker
these sorts of things. Like, I wonder, is this what they're going to But then, again, they can't do that and they shouldn't do that because the so the spirit of Moana is in its world. we have ah We have a demigod, a demigod who can change as a changeling, that can change it to anything.
00:14:16
Speaker
If you're going to introduce that and have Maui be that sort of thing, I'm sorry, my cat's food. Oh, I was like, what the hell is that? My apologies. was like, are you holding a child hostage? No.
00:14:27
Speaker
What the hell was that? Hey, don't say that. You can't say stuff like that anymore. um um But no, seriously, like, it's one of those things where... Are they going to change that? Because those are the things that can ruin can really ruin movie. Exactly. It really can ruin the movie. But then that's where I'm like, just don't touch it then.
00:14:47
Speaker
And leave it live in the animation form where it should be. Because when you're trying to then make it live action, but then you want to make it seem more real, you change things. And then when you change things, then people get mad. So just leave live.
00:15:01
Speaker
The way that it was, which is in 2002 or whatever, 2003 that it came out. 2013, excuse me. Leave it there. let it live. that's That's where it should be and it should stay.
00:15:14
Speaker
I agree. like I will say the one movie that did it well was... I liked Aladdin a lot because technically the genie is...
00:15:26
Speaker
you know, animated in a way, right? Like Aladdin is animated, but I think they did a good job, like still making Will Smith look like a genie, but I don't know if it's just easier because the genie can be kind of human or he can turn into whatever the hell he wants. Right.
00:15:41
Speaker
But like you think about, sorry, going back to Moana, even the villain of the story, who isn't actually the villain, the, what's her name? The big, lady what's forgot her name but yeah but yeah at the end i'm like okay so that's just gonna be cgi so it's like i might as well just like what is the point so anyway that's i agree with you 100 i think we've gotten to this point we've gotten to this point where it's like you know it's it is blending into things like what is live action what is animated does live action mean how many live people are in the movie itself
00:16:17
Speaker
You know, so maybe that's where the rule is when it comes to live action is the setting in a live action. state Like you, you made a great point about Space Jam, you know, Space Jam is a, is kind of a hybrid of animation and live action, which I think, I guess we can maybe call, um, uh, what is it? Uh, maybe Moana is going to be maybe something like that. I don't think so. i think it's going to be more CGI stuff, you know, in regards to, to, to the aspects of Maui, you know, being a shape-shifting demigod and,
00:16:45
Speaker
and all the wonderful you know creatures and monsters of that world. Yeah. The water itself, which is a very, very big aspect of Moana. And let me tell you something right now.
00:16:57
Speaker
One of the hardest things to do in CGI... We talked about it. We talked about it with Avatar. That's what I was going to say. I was like, Avatar. Yeah. is Is water. Because to two to replicate the movement of water, like that is not easy. That takes a lot of work. So james gaammer part of me worries about...
00:17:13
Speaker
how that's going to look. Because that's the thing. like If going to do this movie, you it can't it can't look cheap. It can't. can Especially when you have the animated movie, which is pretty much perfect in how it looks because it's an animated world.
00:17:25
Speaker
You know what I mean? and i again, I'm going to go and preface this by saying there is something with us in society where when we see animation, we kind of we kind of let we let things be as people when we watch movies. we We're like, okay, you know what we we we don't throw logic into it.
00:17:44
Speaker
And I feel like the minute you go into live action, ah switch comes on our head. We're like, well, no, no, no, no. no this This can't work because this is taking place in the real world.
00:17:54
Speaker
But it's a remake of an animated movie. So maybe... you kind of have to let things fly just like you did in the animated movie. You have to let it fly in the live action because there's a remake of that.
00:18:05
Speaker
And I think that that's where maybe the boundaries of what is live action and what is real. um I mean, real like filmmaking or real live action stuff or animated stuff. Like that's where I think we, we get our wires crossed when it comes yeah to audience members, you know, and,
00:18:22
Speaker
Again, these are fairy tales. Snow White is a fairy tale. Cinderella is a fairy tale. um Aladdin is a fairy tale. Beauty and the Beast. These are all fairy tales. These are all fairy tales. We should treat it as such.
00:18:34
Speaker
Just how i want you do Beauty and the Beast. When we saw Emma Watson dancing with the Beast, you know, yeah, Emma Watson's a real person. They're the Beast of CGI, but this is still a fairy tale. Same thing with Lilo and Stitch.
00:18:47
Speaker
You know, it's a modern fairy tale, if you want to put it like that, because it's a newer story. Same thing with Moana. Moana's not a fairy tale. It's more of a a folk folklore legend story. But still, it's it's it's it's that.
00:19:00
Speaker
And you got to let it you gotta let her flow. got to let it fly. And that's why I feel like if they're going to do these movies, go 100% into what the original was. and And, you know, I know, Mel, um we're talking about this because talked about Lilo and Stitch and how Lilo and Stitch did some changes because of the fact that it didn't maybe work.
00:19:15
Speaker
It worked in the animated, but it doesn't work in the real live action. They did these changes. And it's like, we're like, well, why just let it be how it was. Yeah. And I think, and, and then that brings me into the other live action, not even Disney related. Right. But we've got how to train your dragon coming out you in two weeks. Right.
00:19:34
Speaker
And that movie is, so you know, definitely fairy tale and a fairy tale, but, uh, like, uh, made-up world, right? There's dragons, so obviously dragons are dragons, so... Yeah. and But there's gonna be... Everyone else will be real except for the dragons, and I think that's... I feel like in that movie it'll be a little bit easier to kind of get away with it being a legit, like...
00:20:01
Speaker
beat for beat from the movie because there's not too many elements that are hard to replicate other than the dragons that obviously have to be ah see a CGI effect, right? It can't be a practical, well, it could be a practical effect, I guess, in a way, but, you know, um yeah it's not the same like, you're not going have an actor and a dragon, right? It's not like that. You're going to have to have, like, it's it's not real.
00:20:24
Speaker
So, yeah I am looking forward to seeing How to Change Your Dragon because that will be a little, that will be Technica. Is that the first? That's not Disney?
00:20:37
Speaker
um I think so. I can't think of any other studio doing live action from Animated. Yeah, I think that's, I think that is the first. yes Oh, yeah. I was going to say, is that universal?
00:20:49
Speaker
i'm like, obviously, duh. Yeah. Epic universe. um Yeah, which I am very, I'm very, very, very excited to see How to Train Dragon. actually kind of, you know what? I'm to see if this weekend I'm going to try to rewatch the original because I haven't seen it in a long time.
00:21:07
Speaker
But everyone's like, you know, a lot of previews came out for that already. And people already said that it's going to be really, really great. So or that it was really great. So I'm really looking forward to seeing this. And and i i I do like that we have um Gerard Butler coming back as like that's cool. and so freak out like That's very cool to be able to be like, oh, I played a character that was animated. Now I get to play them in like.
00:21:28
Speaker
live action and they know their character. they think It's just going to be little different. You get to wear the costume instead of just being in like... And I think it lends authenticity to the movie itself. it like Yeah. really does because it's a trusting voice that you recognize yeah from the original. and And you know Gerald Butler. i'm I'm assuming Gerald Butler is probably very beholden to that franchise because it is a very important franchise to him as an actor.
00:21:50
Speaker
So for him to be in that role, I know he was probably behind the scenes like, listen, I'm only going to do this if we're true to... Yes. And like you said before, you made mention the original director of the animated movies directing the movie. So all that stuff just lends this authenticity to that role.
00:22:07
Speaker
And I mean, to that movie that I think it makes all of us like, Mel, we haven't talked bad about this movie. We actually feel we, you know, I was a little bit ah afraid, weren't weary but I was more afraid because of, I saw what Disney was doing.
00:22:20
Speaker
This clearly isn't Disney. know So it's kind of like they're buying into it. And, and and And not to cut you off, I was like, while you were talking, I was looking because I was like, one thing one thing i gotta I got to show so much respect and love to um the Highland Train Your Dragon, the new version, the the live action version is this, Mel.
00:22:40
Speaker
What was one of my gripes about the Lion King remake? What was one of my gripes? Well, I had a lot of gripes. What was the big gripe that I had with the Lion King? The big gripe I had with the Lion King was the whole emoting thing. Oh, yes. i was going to say, I was like, wasn't it the lions? You can't see the emotions. Yeah, that you can't see the emotion because they wanted to make it real.
00:23:01
Speaker
We, as a filmmaking society, movie-going society, TV-going society, for the better of 15 years, I want to say, we've been fed dragons.
00:23:13
Speaker
In large part, due to Game of Thrones... Harry Potter, um House of the Dragons, a lot of things. So visually, we know what a dragon looks like.
00:23:23
Speaker
We know what it's supposed to like. We don't supposed to look ferocious in this.
00:23:28
Speaker
what How did the training dragon did was this. they said, nah, we're not going to do that. We're literally going to make the CGI dragons for this movie look like the dragons from the animated movie.
00:23:44
Speaker
Maybe it'll make them look a little bit real, but still have it look like oh they are not scary. Like they look more like they are, they look like they're ripped out of the movie, but real.
00:23:56
Speaker
And I saw that and I'm like, see, they get it. they get it they understand it's not about the realism it's more of like let's take that image from the movie and make it real but keep the spirit and keep the visuals the same they get it they understand it and that to me is a huge thing because this could have gone this cut this could like if if you would told me oh yeah they're gonna make a live action listen and that you immediately people are gonna think oh shit so these dragons are going look like the freaking dragons from like Game of Thrones and from Harry Potter and from House of the Dragons. This is going to be ferocious. i face huge Can yeah and kids see this movie?
00:24:39
Speaker
And the first thing that they did was know We're not going to do it that way because this is essentially a family film. We cannot have freaking dragons scaring the bejesus out of these little kids because this movie is going to be made up for families.
00:24:53
Speaker
So you're going have a bunch of little kids watching You can't have them being freaking out and scared of these dragons. So they kept that. And I love that. I think that's such a sound decision. And I think that's what we're looking for from the folks at Disney to make these sound decisions that work with the story you're telling.
00:25:11
Speaker
So kudos to the How to Train the Dragon crew and to DreamWorks and to dream more sense Universal for like saying, you know what? let's Let's trust this game plan. Let's go with it.
00:25:22
Speaker
And it works. and i think And again, I think it's going to... This movie, I think it's going to do oh i think really, really well. It's going to make a lot of money. I think it's going to... I'll stick it step further. I think it'll win June.
00:25:35
Speaker
It'll win the month of June of being the highest grossing movie for June. Even over Formula One? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. because it's families Yeah. Family movies do well, yeah but I also, more importantly, I think, I think the movie is probably going to have a lot of legs. I think it's to have a lot of rewatch ability to be honest with you.
00:25:52
Speaker
I think it's a, it's an adventure film. um It's a film that families can go watch, like parents go watch and have fun and enjoy. They're not going be kind of like, because I mean, how many times I've seen a bunch of family films with my daughter and stuff. And, you know, I go just to go see the movie, my but I'm kind of like in and out of it. Like, I'm kind of like, yeah, I'm invested, but not really.
00:26:09
Speaker
I think I'll be invested with this one because this is a movie that I saw long ago that I have a love and affection for. And that's being presented in a new way. so and And there's so many wonderful aspects to How to Train a Dragon that we might have forgotten about that we're going to be revisiting again. Revisiting. I feel like this movie is going to have legs. i feel like it's going to come out.
00:26:29
Speaker
And it wouldn't surprise me if it's number one multiple weeks. Yeah. I'm telling you. I wouldn't surprise you. Yeah, because and it's also coming out the same day as Materialist. ah Unfortunately, I don't think Materialist is going for those big numbers anyway. That's not...
00:26:43
Speaker
They don't have... i mean It's going to make money. Pedro Pascal's in it. Yeah, it's going to make money. But it's not that. It doesn't have to make buco bucks. I don't think the budget is crazy. I got to look up the budget for materialists. But the budget isn't crazy. And you know what? With this movie too, with materialists, you might have kind of like a Barbenheimer situation where you have the movie for families, for and then have the movie for adults. Because materialists is a rated R... Is it rated R? Yeah, it's rated
00:27:12
Speaker
I didn't know that. I think it's rated R. I feel like I saw the thing. Yeah. No way. I think it's rated What makes it rated where what Yes, rated R. Probably language, maybe sexual thing. you know so it's But it's a movie for adults, though. yeah and it should be that way. Let it be rated R. It should be that way. It's it's a story. It's telling. Let it be what it is.
00:27:34
Speaker
Sometimes rated R doesn't mean violence and blood. It could be other things. could be subject matter. It could be a lot of things. But the whole point is this. That's a situation where maybe it's not that bad. Again, it's all about... it's all about like you have screen You have movie theaters that have 20-plus screens, man. Like...
00:27:51
Speaker
How did Trin' Jacket do well? And so can Mature's. I mean, listen, look at Mission Impossible. Mission Impossible, this going back to our box office talk, because this is the episode where box office talk, Mission Impossible hauled in $64 million over the weekend, which is the which is the highest for that franchise. On the same weekend that Lilo and Stitch made $146 million. dollars You know what I mean?
00:28:12
Speaker
Total gross for the weekend for Mission Impossible, $91 million. you know like like Money can be made. like Sometimes you don't have to run away from... ah a contending movie, especially when it's two different movies, which is what, you know, Lilo and Stitch mentioned also two different movies, materialists and how to trigger two different movies there. I think there's a way where there's room to make money. Now you're going to tell me it's two of the same movies, which I'm going to get to later. We're going to talk about that this episode later.
00:28:41
Speaker
um I think, I think, you know, there you might have a a situation problem. It's like, okay, something has to move because this is, this is going to split the boxch fo box office in a bad way. Oppenheimer and Barbie movie, two very different movies, but it worked.
00:28:55
Speaker
These things could work. You don't have to run away from it. Yeah. But ah sorry, I just wanted to say one more thing before we go into the more box office stuff. The promotion for this movie, though, for How to Train Your Dragon has also been really well done because it was timed with the opening of Epic Universe.
00:29:15
Speaker
Smart. Like, how smart was that? That is the easiest way to promote how to train your dragon even more. Because Epic Universe has just opened.
00:29:28
Speaker
That, what it, the Island of Burke, is like one of the most popular places other than like, I think, the Harry Potter. And the monsters. And the monsters. And the monsters is really It's amazing, I heard, yeah.
00:29:39
Speaker
Yeah. But like, what a great way to do promotion. You bring the cast. The cast was there opening weekend of Epic Universe, doing press there, talking about the movie. You have the real hiccup with the fake hiccup.
00:29:51
Speaker
Or not the real with the fake, but what am I trying to say Like the actor hiccup with the like real hiccup. Technically, if you're a character, is supposed say i'm the real, I'm the real hiccup. And that guy's portraying. Don't say too much. Don't too much.
00:30:04
Speaker
Like that Wink, wink. If you know, you know. Wink, if you know, you know. Right. So like, and then you have them with, um you know, you have them like all together. so it's kind of like. It's cool image. It's a very cool image. It's kind of like the Spider-Man thing. Right. Like it's. Yeah. The pointing. thing I get such an easy way to do like more promotion for. All you needed is the original voice actor to be there and it would be, it would be perfect.
00:30:26
Speaker
Oh yeah. i forgot his name. I love it. Oh, it's. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. ah Jay Baruchel. Yeah, that's it.
00:30:39
Speaker
yeah it would be It would be perfect. By the way, the actor that they took the actor the the the person playing the character at the at the park sounds exactly like Jay Baruchel. Oh, are you talking about the at the park?
00:30:51
Speaker
At the park, yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, it's really good. It's eerie. It's eerie how it's like, you close your eyes and you're like, wait a minute, what? Yeah. He's probably really good. That could be a real, he's, maybe that guy, that actor's probably really good at impressions. Impressions, yeah. depression um Or they also, you know, usually at parks and stuff, you do get trained on like voices and things like that. But,
00:31:12
Speaker
ah Yeah, very well done. and And like that, like that meet and greet is so popular. Like, it's just the the promotion and the timing of having Epic Universe, that island opening that is just dedicated to how to train your dragon and seeing the, yo, have you seen that robot?
00:31:30
Speaker
Oh my fucking God. For me, that's like, I'm like, dude, and you know, and I've been meaning to talk to you about this because I'm like i'm like like, me and Mel gotta talk about this. Listen, Universal's handing Disney's ass. It's literally belt to ass. It's like, yeah come here.
00:31:47
Speaker
Oh my God. I'm like, i'm a yo, Disney's look, I'm like, what? i didn't I never, Mel, I never in a million years would have said Oh, no. You know, because for a very long time, it's been it's Disney and then it's everybody else in terms of the theme park thing. Yeah. Let me tell you something.
00:32:05
Speaker
Let me tell you something. This shit is different now. Universal's coming in there. put their on the table and say, I got it bigger than yours. Yeah, basically. Move it out. Move it out. Move it out. This shit is crazy.
00:32:22
Speaker
It's crazy what they've done. And that park is huge. That park is huge. They're going expand. And you know, Mel, I read something that's going to make you very happy. going make you smile.
00:32:34
Speaker
So rumor is, that the next addition to Epic Universe is they're going to definitely do something focused on Wicked. oh Oh, wow. so Now do that.
00:32:50
Speaker
Dude. Oh, my God. Yo. if The minute they make that, honestly, being see you just gave a great point. The whole Isle of Bork thing with the movie. It would not surprise me if later this year, when Wicked 2 is about to come out, the screens,
00:33:07
Speaker
Oh, major announcement from ah Universal, Epic Universe. The next edition to Epic Universe is going to be Wicked Focus. Yes, we just opened up this year, but we want to let you know that in 2020-whatever...
00:33:22
Speaker
We're going to open up a wicked park. my God. I can almost guarantee that that's what they're going to next. That's what I would do. If I'm this person and And I know granted they just opened so they need to see how the park does. But I think this park is going to be very, very popular. Oh, it's going to be fine.
00:33:40
Speaker
yeah And there's enough space. they And I think they do need to add more things to it. Obviously. I think the wicked aspect of it. is they add that it's almost, it's almost like, it's not even a home run to grassland. yeah. And then, well they kind of did like, so what they, when Wicked came out, they had like Glinda and Elphaba, like the characters, like you can do meet and greets with them. Actually somebody who I worked with, um,
00:34:04
Speaker
played Glinda. It was pretty funny. um Yeah. I was like, Oh my God, it's Catherine. Now she's doing Glinda at that, like that short stint that they did. They, they had like a little pop-up shop and you, and it's so popular. Even when I went to, um I was at universal studios, Hollywood, they had a whole restaurant that like, and the themed food, everything all over the park for the movie.
00:34:25
Speaker
And I was like, Oh, this makes sense. It would not surprise me. You're right. If they create like a wicked, like land, um, And you can meet the characters there. You have them walking around. Like rides.
00:34:36
Speaker
You what that ride's going to be, right? You know what the ride's going to be, right? Be on the broom. Yes. ah Whoa, listen. Steal it from Disney. yeah Literally do what they did for Avatar.
00:34:48
Speaker
Yeah. Do it with that. You have a guaranteed. that's a That's a W of all Ws right there. It's literally their feet. I wonder why they never did that for Harry Potter. Because Harry Potter has a broom.
00:35:00
Speaker
It does. Like a Quidditch. But they've never had a ride that's focused with you being on a broom. No, they haven't. I don't know. Maybe that doesn't work for them. With Wicked, that would be really cool. With Wicked, it could definitely work. I mean, it could work with Harry Potter, but I don't know. Maybe.
00:35:16
Speaker
Listen, what if. Hey, listen. What if that's maybe maybe when they were planning the park, they're like, oh, well, we're saving that for. for Wicked. oh my God, Rod.
00:35:28
Speaker
I'm telling you. I'm telling yeah it's all What was the thing wi that you... Oh, when you talked about, which I guess... Are we talking about that today? About the ah moving of yeah yeah of Avengers? I guess that's a good way to transition segue into that. Because Rodney, in I think our last episode or the episode before, had said, mock my words. they're going i wouldn't be surprised if they delayed this movie.
00:35:50
Speaker
And it literally, like, a day later. Wasn't it like a day later? It was like a day later or something like that. They announced I had no insider information. I know no one that works in the studio. I don't know anybody.
00:36:01
Speaker
I'm a regular ass dude. Okay. I'm just, I'm just thinking the way a logical executive would think. I kind of feel like Kevin Feige. No, Mel, it wasn't a day later. it was like, it was like, it was like, i think it was like a good, it was almost a week later. It was a week later. I swear. Kevin Feige must be kind of Kevin, Kevin, Kevin Feige.
00:36:20
Speaker
If you're listening. He's been listening to our conversation. Um, And thank you for thank you, by the way, for listening. If you do listen, you know we respect you. um I'm only critical because I'm a fan of um films and movies.
00:36:33
Speaker
So don't take a personal when I go hard on Marvel. um But ah good good idea Listening to me on delaying this movie Because it needs to be delayed And Let me tell you something Mel When I saw that I was like Get the fuck out of here dude like I'm like i'm like um'm like so i literally said someone's listening to our conversation They have to be They have to be dude But then it's like I don't think i don't even think I think it was just a logical move It's the logical move Mel
00:37:06
Speaker
Like I said in that episode, set and I'm to say it again now. It was logical. It made sense. This movie is far too important for you to rush to make a year um a year release. It's too important.
00:37:19
Speaker
Listen, isn't Thunderbolts. This isn't thunder balls this isn't ah Captain America 4. This isn't freaking Shang-Chi. This isn't The Eternals. This is Avengers. This is a massive IP within the IP.
00:37:32
Speaker
Okay? Like, this is big. you can You can ill afford for this movie to be rushed and not be well-received and not be popular. It cannot.
00:37:42
Speaker
So kudos to Kevin Feige for making that choice and saying, yo, listen, we want to give this movie time to breathe, give this movie its opportunity to you know get better. know If we got to do rewrites, if we got to do this, this, and the third, we need to do this, which I applaud them for doing that. And they should do that.
00:38:00
Speaker
They should, Mel. This movie is far too important for the future of this franchise. Because let me tell you something, Mel. Marvel is... is is The MCU right now is in a place that I never thought I would see it. Yeah.
00:38:17
Speaker
Never thought I would see it. It's it's waning. It's waning. And granted, yeah, Thunderbolts was well-received for the most part. Yeah, you do have Fantastic Four coming out, which you know which is a big movie in itself.
00:38:30
Speaker
But interest with the general audience... It's not what it used to be. No, it's really not really not. That era of like everybody's go see the the that movie and it makes every movie makes over 100 million.
00:38:44
Speaker
That shit is dead. It's dead. That shit is DOA, man. Like it's not it's not happening. It's not. And I think a lot of it has to do with this last phase. This last phase did so much damage.
00:38:58
Speaker
so much damage to the aura of what the MCU was that I'm not going to say they'll never recover because, listen, Avengers can come out next year and just be amazing and be better than what we expected and do gangbusters in the box office and we'll be like, well, you know, we were wrong about that, you know? but Yeah.
00:39:18
Speaker
I just, i'm I'm not sensing the excitement that I did before. i think I think you have certain influencers that are trying to do that.
00:39:30
Speaker
I don't know what that is i know they're, yeah, I don't want to be one of about all these people are in cahoots with Disney. I don't really buy that. but But I think generally do think that a lot of these influencers and people that do these movies, and they want everybody to be excited because it's good for business. And I that.
00:39:43
Speaker
But I just don't see it. like like And this is not even for Avengers. This is for Spider-Man. Like, right now, i don't know if you heard, one of the latest rumors, because bunch of rumors, everything's rumors, yeah is that, oh, the Incredible Hulk's going to come out in the next Spider-Man movie.
00:39:58
Speaker
I literally tweeted, like, i don't give a fuck. ah why I don't care. like this is this is This is my issue with it. It's like you're doing all these things.
00:40:09
Speaker
And it goes back to what we said in that episode. Feige has too many toys in the toy box. He literally... He's too rich... He's too rich right now.
00:40:21
Speaker
Like, yeah, there there is something that's too rich. He's too rich right now. And it's it's too much. It's too much for to handle. And he's like, oh, we're going to put... Like, what is this obsession of having to have another person being in a Spider-Man movie? It's not a Spider-Man movie then.
00:40:39
Speaker
It's not. like Like, this is why when i when i went when people say, oh, well, yeah, my ah the the best Spider-Man is Tom Holland. No, it's not. It's not fucking Tom Holland. It's Tobey Maguire, and that's it. You know what? Because Tobey Maguire carried his movies by himself.
00:40:52
Speaker
He didn't have Tony Stark. He didn't have Doctor Strange. He didn't have the three other Spider-Men. He carried the movie himself, dude. Stop with this shit. Even Andrew Garfield, he carried the movie himself. What is this obsession of having to do that? And granted, listen,
00:41:08
Speaker
I'm saying this as a person that said, oh, well, Rodney, weren't you the one that said, you know, these characters should interact? No, no, no. You can't cherry pick that. You cannot cherry pick that shit because if that's what you're saying, then they should have had all these other characters and all these other shows and all these other movies.
00:41:23
Speaker
And they didn't do that. Let Spider-Man have his own fucking movie. Let him run shit. Let him be a bare-bones Spider-Man. I feel like that's what they promised us when the last one ended. We're finally going to get this legit Spider-Man. No, but now there's rumor of, oh yeah, we're going to have the Incredible Hulk in there.
00:41:41
Speaker
Why? can they what but i it's just so I'm trying to think. I guess they can. No, they can. Of course they can. Well, because of the whole Sony thing.
00:41:53
Speaker
you know, characters mixing. Because we never... Well, no, because I guess Doctor Strange was in... Doctor Strange was in it? Yeah. um Yes, I guess you can, yeah. What is it? um Daredevil was in it?
00:42:09
Speaker
Like... Well, not Daredevil. Well, the oh yeah, I remember that whole, like, he wasn't Daredevil. That's, like, the whole thing is he was only in as Matt Murdock or whatever. It doesn't matter. That's Daredevil. It's Daredevil to us. I know, yeah, but... Yeah, so that's what I'm saying. There's those things. So it's, like, its like so so, like...
00:42:26
Speaker
let's let this be what it is. And and again, all this, all I'm saying, of well, just to continue this, it's like, we're in a situation right now where Marvel is, is, is, is kind of at a low point. And yeah, you, again, you can throw Robert Downey Jr. as, as doom. And yeah, we got the Russos directing.
00:42:41
Speaker
And then here's the other thing. i don't know if you saw this week. It was a few days ago. Chris Hemsworth released this video. Yes. Thanking the fans about Thor. Yeah. I was like, this has been an honor.
00:42:51
Speaker
And I'm just like,
00:42:57
Speaker
Do we not know what's the... what's the Oh my God. Like now I know why. now I understand why Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese, all these true and true filmmakers hate this fucking shit.
00:43:11
Speaker
Now I know why. Because you're taking the magic out of what it is to go to a movie. What is this fucking fascination of doing these things that allude to spoilers?
00:43:21
Speaker
Because all it does is allude to a spoiler. that literally That video, that whole thing, it literally felt like a swan song of him saying goodbye to the character. Yeah. Why are you doing this before the fucking movie even comes out?
00:43:34
Speaker
Release the shit after the movie comes out. um Yeah. And when I mean after, wait a month. Don't do what the fucking Thunderbolts... Like, Swoilert the week. Yeah, don't do that.
00:43:45
Speaker
But, like, what... like Why? What is this? Is Disney, is Marvel afraid that there's going to be some sort of leak coming out? Is that what it is?
00:43:56
Speaker
Like, I'm like, why? Why are we doing this? You know, like, I understand. And and listen, of of any, of anybody. in the MCU, he is the one that should be doing this in regards to thinking about the Cause that character completely changed his life.
00:44:13
Speaker
and oh yeah Out of anybody he that's that character did it for him, you know, for a long time, because for a long time he, he couldn't do anything outside of door. And then he did those, he did these two next like movie called, um, venibles Extraction.
00:44:27
Speaker
which is really, they're really, really good movies. They're really, really good movies. So that's ah that's the first thing he did outside of that that was like really, really good. But yeah, he owes his his entire career to Thor. So I understand him.
00:44:38
Speaker
And I'm not saying he's wrong in showing the love to the character and the fans and stuff, but... the timing of it, like, we're smart. Who approved this? Who at Marvel approved this?
00:44:48
Speaker
was like, yeah, sure. Somebody said okay with it because it's it's out. So it's like, you know, again, this is a movie called Avengers Doomsday. There's gonna be a death, which again, it's bullshit. not Nobody dies in these freaking movies anymore. There's no... I think Black Widow's actually dead.
00:45:05
Speaker
We say that and then there'll be another Black Widow and then maybe Scarlett Johansson comes out and this has... gene gray who the fuck knows listen we don't know anymore we don't know anymore point is this there's there's a bunch of things happening at marvel that i don't think is exciting like another thing that i read was um ryan reynolds oh i'm working hard at at at um at deadpool part but ryan reynolds is also like in a very deep shit right now so he is trying to be in the good graces of of people because he's in deep shit with his own side quest with the Blake Lively thing. I get it. I get it. But he came on, he said something along the lines, I'm working on Deadpool four or have another adventure Wolverine.
00:45:46
Speaker
I literally said, don't care. Like, like you did it this first time. It was great. If you keep going back to that, well, it's not special anymore. No, it's not like, like that's what made it special was the fact that we finally got to see them.
00:46:03
Speaker
like Yeah, and there was a lot of nostalgic aspects it. Yeah, and there was lot nostalgic aspects to it. But again, that's another movie that I look back on and I'm like... yeah Yeah, it was it was fun. It was a fun time and stuff. It really was a fun time at the movies. But it's not a movie that I look back and go rewatch all the time. And I'll be honest with since I saw it the theaters, I maybe saw it one more other time. After that, I haven't gone back to it. I haven't had the urge to go see it again.
00:46:29
Speaker
as it For me, just and like I don't have that. like I've done that with other movies. I've done that with a bunch. like you know i've seen I've seen Infinity War a bunch of times. i Oh, yeah. I've seen Winter Soldier a bunch of times. I've seen the Guardians of the Galaxy movies a bunch of times.
00:46:43
Speaker
You know, like I've seen, there's Marvel movies that I go back to because they're fun and they're just, they're great rewatches. Deadpool and Wolverine, a it it did i don't I don't go back to it.
00:46:56
Speaker
So when Ryan Reynolds is saying, oh, i'm working hard at doing this, I'm like, I don't care. It's not special. I don't think it's special anymore. You did it already. You did it already. And then now with doomed with Avengers Doomsday,
00:47:07
Speaker
What other cameo are you going to do that's going to haul people in? Because that's what I feel like these movies have become, Mel. Literally. And this is where going to kind of just put the bow on it. It's become glorified, nostalgic-fueled cameos.
00:47:20
Speaker
And they're forgetting the most important aspect, the story. The story is what matters. The story is what brings you in. It's not cameos. It's not a nostalgic piece.
00:47:33
Speaker
It's the story. Yeah. And I don't think the stories have enough juice to like cause people to be excited about these of things. Is that how you felt about the ah Spider-Man No Way Home?
00:47:46
Speaker
Yes. Is it No Way There's so many homes in it. i can't Yeah. Homecoming? no way I think it's No Way Home. It's No Way Home, right? Yeah. What's the second one? ah Far From Home. Far From Home. Homecoming, Far From Home.
00:47:58
Speaker
no way Yeah, yeah. So that's how you felt about that one. Yeah. It was very nostalgic baited. 100%, Mel. Versus Story. Think about how... I just want you to think about this. Think about how... Oh, well... How... Like I imagine in the writer's room when they were coming up with the concept.
00:48:15
Speaker
Well, how can we introduce the other Spider-Men? Oh, man, I don't know. Oh, well, yeah, Doctor Strange gave a ring to Ned and Ned started doing this thing and it opened up a hole.
00:48:27
Speaker
What?
00:48:29
Speaker
What the fuck is that? Are you serious right now? Oh, yeah, yeah, we're going to roll with it. and And actually, they were right. People rolled with it and they fell in love with it. Why? Because the first thing you saw was... oh Andrew Garfield.
00:48:42
Speaker
I'm Andrew Garfield and I don't care how this happened because you're going see me. Yeah. and it's just like You kind of forget about how how did this happen? all right. Like, how does Ned have this? the dumbest thing ever. Yeah. It's the same thing in in an Endgame.
00:48:56
Speaker
Literally, Endgame, the movie does not happen because it does not happen if a mouse doesn't go over a dashboard and hit a button and bring Scott back. Just think about that for a second. The movie Endgame does not happen.
00:49:09
Speaker
The outcome, Tony Stark doesn't die if it wasn't for a fucking rat going over a button in truck. Well, what? Isn't that funny? Because it's a mouse. Yes. Mickey Mouse.
00:49:21
Speaker
Mickey Mouse. That's what I'm saying. There you go. like it's like There's things that it's just like, you know, where it's just like yeah like, where's the, like, really? like I mean, if they were introducing a different way or a better way, I think it'd be cooler.
00:49:36
Speaker
Like, for instance, like um Into the Spider-Verse, I think does the whole multiverse thing a lot better than Marvel has. I think it's done a lot better. It's a lot more cleaner.
00:49:48
Speaker
it's it's It's more purposeful. Like, there's more purpose to it. In Spider-Man, it's like, oh, it's accidental. Yeah, he did this and he opened it. There's people that are studying to become Dr. Strange-ites in a mountain somewhere that try to fucking, like, do this shit. And it takes it forever. But this motherfucker puts on a ring and just starts doing this.
00:50:07
Speaker
And he opens up two po too fucking portals? And those portals happen to have two Spider-Men.
00:50:15
Speaker
Like, like, like... what What are we doing? You know? And that's why that movie, I feel like ever since I saw it's gone down so several letter grades. Because it's like, first of all, the villain of the movie isn't your villain per se. It's Tobey Maguire's villain.
00:50:30
Speaker
So you stole Tobey Maguire's villain from him. um you You get assistance from two other Spider-Men. Nostalgic, very, very loved Spider-Men. Like, like du that's what I'm saying. Like, there's things where I'm just, where I'm looking at it, I'm just like, you know...
00:50:46
Speaker
There's a problem here. You can't keep relying on these things. It's like the boy that cried wolf. You know what i mean? Like he cries wolf. He cries wolf. People keep coming. And then the wolf actually come and eats him. With Marvel, they can't keep going to the nostalgia well and the cameo well. You can't keep doing that without a juice, without an actual true-to-true story.
00:51:04
Speaker
The story is what matters. and And I feel like in in in for the Spider-Man movie, they I feel like they really like... Because remember the whole focus was, oh, um it was revealed that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. Like, I thought that was to be a bigger deal in the movie.
00:51:22
Speaker
I can't remember. And it was kind of, like, forgotten. I was like, what the fuck? You know? So, yeah, that's where I'm at with it. Oh, yeah, he goes to school and everybody knows that he's Spider-Man. yeah, because at the end of the movie, that's how it was, like, revealed. Because, like, the Jake Gyllenhaal character, like, reveals that he's, like, Spider-Man or something. that's where I'm at with it, man. Like, I feel like...
00:51:43
Speaker
I don't know. I think when it comes to this this whole thing um with with with the MCU right now, and to me, like the MCU is a hot topic because, yeah again, for a long time, for the better of 10 years now or more,
00:51:58
Speaker
This has been the world for cinema, which has been the MCU. So, you know, this podcast, yeah, we harp a lot on Marvel, but that's because in this space, Marvel has been the king.
00:52:10
Speaker
And the king of studios has a lot, and I do mean a lot, of ah fractures. And yeah I'll preface this with saying they moved Avengers to December 2026. Okay? Yeah.
00:52:24
Speaker
okay The same month as and the same day as Dune Messiah. Now, let me tell you something right now. i say Oh, ah well we can talk about Dune. Yeah.
00:52:35
Speaker
Yeah. Let me tell you something right now.
00:52:38
Speaker
That's brave. It's brave. But let me tell you something right now.
00:52:44
Speaker
And then, i don't know if you saw, they're actually shooting doomem Avengers Doomsday in Bahrain, which is a desert. Bahrain, you know, from F1 and stuff. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They're shooting it in the desert, which I kind of find funny because Dune takes place in the desert.
00:52:57
Speaker
um there i think I think Disney's like, yo, we we're going to move it to this date. We're going up against Dune. We're going up against Denis Villeneuve. This movie has to look amazing.
00:53:10
Speaker
Because, yo... But why would they choose that date? Are you telling me there's no other day they could have done? That's why I kind of wonder, is that the date?
00:53:21
Speaker
Are they going to delay the movie again? like It wouldn't surprise me if there's more Wiggles coming through. like it's It's crazy. Now, let me tell you the month of December of 2026, you ready, Mel?
00:53:32
Speaker
Avengers Doomsday, Dune Messiah, Shrek 5, Jumanji 4, They're making a Jumanji 4? Apparently. they've made them They've made money, so... Yeah, I actually love those movies. Those are four big, major movies coming out.
00:53:51
Speaker
Is there no Avatar? I didn't see anything for Avatar. Or is Avatar every other year? I think every other year, Avatar. Ah, okay. yeah So, yeah. So, like, my thing is, like... like
00:54:04
Speaker
MCU needs to really... like yo Damn. Okay. I said it before in the prior episode. i I really do think Kevin Feige is done with the Avengers world.
00:54:21
Speaker
I think he's done. I think he wants to just go X-Men and he wants to go Fantastic Four. And you're seeing you're already seeing kind of rumors on castings for for X-Men characters. like I don't know if you saw there was a rumor that said Denzel Washington maybe for Magneto and Bryan Cranston for... um um for Professor X. You're seeing like a lot of little casting rumors which are starting to leak, which kind of gives me indication that I think they're probably actively behind the scenes. They're trying to cast. They're getting that new cast.
00:54:49
Speaker
Yeah, they're trying to get the cast together. so I do think Kevin Feige's done with this world. He's done. I think that a lot of these things with these movies and stuff, I think he's just trying to get out of these contracts. I think he's trying to like, yo, listen, we have ah another movie left for this person, this person, this person. Then we're just...
00:55:05
Speaker
we're not we're We're not renewing contracts. We're just starting over. Which is why I feel like when it came to Endgame, I feel like that's something that they should have done. It's just from there.
00:55:16
Speaker
Just ended Like, literally like theyre there You know, like like, yeah, I know they had contracts with other movies and other actors and stuff. But I think they could have been wasted. Well, after Endgame, don't know who the other... Because, I mean, Captain America, Chris Evans was done. Yeah. I'm pretty sure Robert Downey Jr. was done.
00:55:36
Speaker
I think all of the original Avengers would have been done. Yeah. So that's what I'm saying. like I think they couldve think they should have just done that as opposed to trying to do all this stuff of recapture the magic. Start over.
00:55:46
Speaker
open do a new Open up a new book. Start a new journal. Tell a new story. That's it. ah should have been That should have been the motivation. As opposed to trying to do whatever the fuck they were trying to do, which I don't know what they were trying to do. Well, we don't know.
00:55:59
Speaker
Because, I mean, at first it really felt like they were trying to build something different because we got introduced to all these characters we didn't know, remember? Other than Spider-Man, because we got Shang-Chi, we got Eternals. I think they tried, but I guess, like, and I don't know where it went wrong.
00:56:14
Speaker
Well, you know what's another thing that we're not talking about that I think is a plays a big part into why I think things went bad for the MCU? We got the introduction of Disney+.
00:56:25
Speaker
plus I think Disney+, played a major part into why the MCU went into total disarray. Right, because then they had all these characters. WandaVision. You had all these things, in the neighborhood and then it was shows.
00:56:38
Speaker
Up until that point, yeah everything regarding the MCU was big screen. You had to watch the movies, and people went to watch them. The minute they started putting shows in, people had to like, wait a minute I have to get Disney Plus to keep up with what's going on. It's like people weren't going to do that.
00:56:56
Speaker
People weren't going to tune in for eight weeks to see a show. And then it became too much because then the shows weren't good either, right? and Other than WandaVision and Loki, everything else was kind of like pretty subpar. Subpar, yeah. It was something was stuff where a lot of people said, no, you know what? it I don't really like any characters I'm not going to watch.
00:57:14
Speaker
But then again, again, going back to our Thunderbolts episode, if you didn't see this show, then you wouldn't know who this character is. So when you go see the movie, you're like, yo, who's this? I don't even know who this is. Like, that's what I'm saying. Like, like I think the the at the addition of Disney Plus was a major subtraction to the MCU. And I think that that... I think that is a big reason, plus other things. I just i just think... I think Kevin Feige took that story as far as he could.
00:57:40
Speaker
And I think he knew he couldn't take it any further from there. And then, again, I don't remember when they got... Maybe also the other thing that I got to look into too is this.
00:57:54
Speaker
I need to see when did they acquire Fox's Marvel? Because maybe they were in the process of doing that deal. Maybe he thought they were going to have the deal done by the time that it needed to be done when Endgame ended. Fox acquired or Marvel acquired. Marvel acquired Fox. Oh, I was like, huh? oh Yeah. Like i was wondering because maybe he was hoping that he'd have everything under the umbrella by then. So maybe he can start.
00:58:16
Speaker
with a fresh story with the X-Men and Fantastic Four whatever, then, i don't know. yeah then Maybe that was an aspect of it. I'm not 100% sure. It was late. I just found it here. ah The deal was announced on December 14th, 2017, and completed on March twenty nineteen Yeah, so it was so it was already too late at that point to go into production on stuff. like you know You can't... I don't think you can green light things without it being 100% done. Then you got to get actors. you got So it took time. But I still feel like...
00:58:49
Speaker
they They should have done that. They should have just. But I will say, I think also, and it just didn't help anything. It's just like in the last, you know, seven years where all this stuff is like after end game, right?
00:59:02
Speaker
We got COVID. We got writer strikes. We got actor strikes. So all of this started to then delay things and then you have to catch up. And then, you know, people get new jobs, people leave jobs, especially with the actor strike, right? The writer strike.
00:59:17
Speaker
That hurt a lot because probably a lot of people left. Delayed a lot of positions. Delayed a lot of positions. yeah So I think that also wasn't helping the situation. no there was a lot of things there was a lot of things that didn't work out for them. And it's true. I mean, circumstances, circumstances. I think ah just in general life, obviously after COVID, everything has, ah during COVID, the entertainment industry has gone through major, major shifts. A lot of struggles. And I think that's why I think we are seeing the repercussions of that now with all of these studios, like, you know, trying to, to, to make up for the time lost for the money lost.
00:59:56
Speaker
um And I think that is affecting just the industry in general. And I know this isn't like, I know I'm kind of going off topic, but it's something I thought about that like I just started thinking about because um you know the whole thing about the amount of episodes we're getting for shows. How long are these episodes? The budget to make these episodes.
01:00:14
Speaker
And somebody was talking about, and of course it has nothing to Marvel, it's just, like I guess, the entertainment industry as a whole, is um The Last of Us, season two. Right.
01:00:25
Speaker
which we all, like, ah I haven't watched the whole season. I haven't, ive merely I didn't even watch one full episode because I already knew, spoiler alert, spoiler alert, spoiler alert, what happens to Pedro Pascal in this movie, in this show.
01:00:36
Speaker
And I already kind of went into it already kind of dreading it and being like, can this show survive without... ah without Pedro Pascal, right? And I was listening to this guy on TikTok who was giving his review of the season and he was just saying, like a lot of majority, as if if you don't already know, this the percentage of viewership on the second season has dropped drastically, especially if the finale of this season was already, I think it was like, I think they're saying, think it was like a 30%, 40% drop from of the season one finale.
01:01:09
Speaker
um But what I'm saying is like this guy was talking about like, you're telling me that we live in a world where HBO max couldn't give us more than seven episodes for the last of us, seven episodes for,
01:01:26
Speaker
He's like, I remember when HBO gave me Desperate Housewives 19 episodes a season. Or even Game of Thrones would have, I think i think they had 10. And most most seasons had 10 episodes roughly.
01:01:39
Speaker
But this season of The Last of Us only had seven episodes. Do you know what seven episodes is for a show like that?
01:01:50
Speaker
Right? Where you need to develop these characters enough to get them to where they're supposed to be going. Right? This guy was talking about how he couldn't believe that it was seven episodes. And I was like, you know what? I can understand the frustration there because seven episodes to build out these characters, especially when you lose a character like Joel ah or like an actor like Pedro Pascal, who was really like spearing this thing. Like, yeah, you had Bella Ramsey as well, who I think is wonderful. But like the real person here leading the show was Pedro and you lose Pedro. And now you've got one character
01:02:26
Speaker
who was, you know, the main character as well, now running the show by themselves. And there's the character development is like, you just don't have enough time. Every episode is rushed because they're trying to get to season three, which doesn't come out for another two fucking years.
01:02:41
Speaker
It's like, all of this to me stems back to, losing writers, losing money due to COVID. All of these studios cannot produce. They don't have the money to produce as much episodes as they used to because we had this dry spell for so long and so many bad things happen in the industry that these studios can't recover. And then now it's...
01:03:07
Speaker
They're struggling to give more episodes, to have better writing or whatever it is, or have better visual effects because they're getting paid shit and people leave the industry.
01:03:18
Speaker
Right. It's all stemming from that. And, and like the, the, I'm very passionate about the whole like amount of episodes you get in a show. I think it's absolutely ridiculous that HBO Max is giving seven m seven episodes.
01:03:34
Speaker
I hate the fact, I mean, i will beat that horse down, the fact that we used to get 20 episodes a year for shows. we We did. And yeah, some might have been filler episodes, but at least you had time to flesh out characters, to flesh out character arcs, to flesh out the story. But when you're rushing because you're like, oh shit, we've only got 100 million, but all right, there's all these things that we have to do. And things cost more now too, right? It's just like- it's It's a different world. It's a different world. And I think Marvel is really much, you know, I think struggling because of that time period that we've lost.
01:04:13
Speaker
They're trying to keep up. They're not making as much money as they used to. Actors are also starting to get bigger and you have to pay them more. Because I think when you think about the budgets, right? A lot of these budgets, sometimes most of it is.
01:04:26
Speaker
You got to pay the actors, right? Yeah. And Robert Downey Jr. ain't doing this for pennies, right? God knows the paycheck that man got to pay back Boomer. The paycheck that Robert Downey Jr. Exactly. The paycheck and the incentives, that shit must be astronomical.
Dune's World-Building and Impact on Sci-Fi
01:04:43
Speaker
Astronomical, right? So you've got that already. Okay, well, we got to get Robert Downey Jr. He's the only one that can save us.
01:04:52
Speaker
quote unquote he can save us he's gonna save it because everyone loves robert johnny jr they love iron man wouldn't it be crazy if he's back right yep it's it yeah i i know that was a huge tangent but i just felt like it i feel like it should have been said because i think just the entertainment industry as a whole as a whole is struggling and yes we do get some great movies it's not that everything's bad um you know and And going into Dune, right, because there's so many people out there that really love that franchise, right? They they love what's Danny Delavue?
01:05:25
Speaker
Danny Villeneuve. Villeneuve, right? Like, he's been able to create this wonderful world, and and and obviously that's not cheap to do what he's doing, right?
01:05:35
Speaker
Not cheap at all. And i for the record, had just seen Dune for the first time, like, last week on the plane. Because I hadn't seen Dune, people kept talking about it. i was like I actually should watch this damn movie, because if not...
01:05:48
Speaker
it's like me telling Rodney he needs to watch Hamilton so I'm like okay fine I will sit down and he's rolling his eyes at me uh I'll sit down and watch this Dune movie and i get it like I understand where people are coming from like oh wow it's beautiful I found the movie it's wait before I get into it do you like the first or the second one more Second one more.
01:06:11
Speaker
But remember, it's one it's the thing with Dune is... It's like a book. that's No, it's not like a book. it's that Part one and two is one book. Oh, so they had to split it. Okay. You should see this book, by the way.
01:06:23
Speaker
oh i Oh, God, I don't think I can... Oh, Lord. It's like a Bible. It's just like a Bible. It's like what it's just like kind of like it just has a lot of backstory, a lot of information. Because there's a lot in this movie, in that first movie, where I was kind of like, oh, my God, they have it introduced a lot.
01:06:38
Speaker
a lot of characters, a the character world ah care the political situation, yeah religious situations. have introduce all that stuff. It's a lot. So I did feel like the first movie was a little bit slow.
01:06:50
Speaker
Yeah, its it dragged. It dragged a bit. It dragged a bit, and I was like, okay, I gotta get into this. I gotta to get into it. And there's just like not going on. Everyone kind of talks in these like really low voices like the whole time.
01:07:04
Speaker
And granted, some great acting performances in it. like I mean... That kid is a star, man. That kid is a fucking star, man. you're talking about Timothy? I don't get it. I'm sorry. I'm not on it. not not on it yet. I'm not on it yet.
01:07:17
Speaker
Well, you're the one that that didn't want to watch part two. The growth that that kid has in part one. watched like 15 minutes of part two. Yeah, 15 minutes is nothing. The growth that that kid has as a character from that first movie to the second movie.
01:07:33
Speaker
Yo. Yo. Fucking superstar. Well, I'm gonna watch it to that. That second movie, there's this fucking scene that he does that I'm like, this is what he should have been nominated for. I didn't see A Complete Unknown. I heard it was i heard it was good.
01:07:50
Speaker
But I'm like, is what he should have been nominated for. You mean to tell me this skinny ass kid goes into this cavernous location, which is probably a real location, knowing Denny Villeneuve.
01:08:01
Speaker
I think I know what he gives us speech And speech. I think in the preview. I think you know you should talk about it. Oh God, yo. I was like this. Yo, like, like, like I understand where you're coming from. I get it.
01:08:12
Speaker
And I get it. I get it. That kid is a superstar. That kid is a superstar. That kid is a fucking superstar. he He's got it. Like, you know what the it is?
01:08:23
Speaker
He has it. He has the swag. He has it. I haven't seen him enough things. That's just what it is. It's not that I don't believe that he's a good actor. Everyone says it. I'm like, oh, I believe it. really good. And that movie stacked with everyone in it. There's not one person that's bad. Every person who's in it. Yo, by the way.
01:08:44
Speaker
what's his name thanos yeah josh brolin the moment started talking in the first movie i was just like ah like i just i couldn't unsee thanos the whole time because i just closed my eyes and all i could hear is like and then i will rest you know i felt like you were just gonna go into like a thanos like monologue because his voice is just so specific but yeah sorry that was a side thing no no i get it i get i feel like um Yeah, I feel like this is a full-fledged cast. I mean, you've got Stellan?
01:09:18
Speaker
The Scarsguard. There's so many Scarsguards. Now getting confused. Yes, Stellan Scarsguard. I mean, which we will be talking about in... or and or review coming review um but like i mean he's i mean he's he's just he's a staple actor he's just he's amazing at everything he does he's he's like one of those theater actors you know went to she went to he's the theater actor english like it's just like easy i know you're gonna be good at what you do um as soon as i saw his voice again i was like the sunrise i would never see i'm Oh my God.
01:09:49
Speaker
I can't see like, I'm like hearing all these other characters. Not that I wasn't like into their character. Like, maybe but it's just like, I'm like hearing his, him from Andor, like his, it's like speech. Like, Oh my God. What a time.
01:10:01
Speaker
But yeah, I just found the movie. Like it was, it was good, but I wasn't like, as like, Oh, telling you and I gotta watch the second one. I the second one. That second one.
01:10:13
Speaker
Because the thing is, again, it's one, it's one book. it's one book So that whole first half of that book is setting up for what's to come in that second half of that book.
01:10:26
Speaker
This movie. is one of the most epic movies I think I've ever seen in terms of just battle and the scale. and And it's what they're talking about. it's the It's the aspect of the story. And this is what I was talking about with story. were talking about story before. Yeah.
01:10:38
Speaker
Story is what matters. And the topics about this movie, it goes into politics. It goes into religion. It goes into so many things. It talks about false prophets.
01:10:49
Speaker
It talks about- think it's too religious for me But that's the thing, though. But that's the thing, because that's what makes this movie. And then I'll be honest with you. Again, you didn't see the rest of the movie. You didn't see the rest the movie. I just got to watch part I'll be 100% real. You're going to see that, and you're going to be like, holy shit, this is from Star Wars.
01:11:06
Speaker
This came out before Star Wars. So going to be like, oh, Lucas got it from here. Oh, you mean like the book. Oh. You got it from here. No, no, no, the book.
01:11:17
Speaker
The book, yeah, yeah. And that's what it is. Because there's parts of that movie where I'm like, that's fucking Luke Skywalker right there. That's Anakin right there. Like, you see those things and you see these characters and you're like, yeah yeah the trope of this character came from this fucking guy.
01:11:31
Speaker
Yeah. And that's what this movie is. This movie is amazing. It's heartbreaking because there's certain decisions that are made at the end of it. You're just like, Fuck.
01:11:42
Speaker
But they have to be made. It's just epic on a scale. And then again, you said it best. The performance is Timothee Chalamet. And then you didn't again, you didn't see him. um I'm skipping on his name. He played Elvis.
01:11:56
Speaker
Oh yeah, Austin Butler. Oh my God. yeah i know He's in this movie and he is fucking like ferocious. like he gary like He's You see him and you're like...
01:12:09
Speaker
That's him, but it's not him. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Because it's just the way. And that's what I'm saying. Like, those are things. And then again, the visuals. You look at this movie and you're just like, that's not the volume.
01:12:23
Speaker
No. Oh, no. It's definitely like CGI. That's CGI. It's CGI. But is it CGI, i though? Like, that's how amazing this movie looks and how fucking real. Like, it feels real. That's the one thing about this movie.
01:12:39
Speaker
And again, this is why i when I watch movies, I watch them and i just focus on it. um And that's the thing. This movie, I bought into everything. It was it was so it was it was selling me.
01:12:53
Speaker
I bought into the performances. I bought into the story. I bought into the visuals. I bought it into this world. And I can't wait for the next one because it's like there's so much more story left to tell for this next part of this. of the Is it just three?
01:13:11
Speaker
There's a lot of books, but I think he, I think Denny's only doing three. I don't think going to more than three because there's a book called doing Messiah, which kind of goes into further storylines of things because this, again, this world, you only got a piece of this world. There's, there's, it's a, it's a bigger part of it, ah a bigger thing happening.
01:13:30
Speaker
But, um, but yeah, there's only three. He's only going to do three from, from what I, from what I gather.
Marvel vs. Dune: Box Office and Release Strategies
01:13:35
Speaker
Um, But yeah, man, like I said, that day, it's coming out at the same Doom, of Avengers Dooms, it's coming out the same day Doom Messiah.
01:13:44
Speaker
Avengers Doomsday has to look amazing because if it doesn't look amazing next to Dune, ah it's gonna look it it will look cheap. Well, I also say like that's also going to be like pretty rough, like people deciding which one.
01:13:56
Speaker
Because they both have very big followings. But also, I also feel like both movies are also like same demographic. Exactly. That's why I think it's like, think those decisions don't make sense. That's why I think, I think, I think Avengers is going to move. I don't think Dune is going to move because Dune already had that date. I think you, I think one's going to, one's going one's going to move. I think it's going to be more Avengers than it is, than it is, than it is Dune.
01:14:20
Speaker
it just makes sense. I would move out of that month to be honest with you. I just don't, why would you stay in that month? Why? There's too many things. Listen, Shrek 5 is coming out that month.
01:14:31
Speaker
You got a Jumanji movie you that that's coming out that month. And it's like, Everything it's in it. That's, that's for what we know now. We don't know what else is being in there that could be added on later. We don't know, but I guess it's just, well, I mean, it might just be better, but I think, I think the, the issue, i don't think it's an issue, but like, if we're thinking about it, it's just like, if they move it again, then it ends up being into the 2027. And then that moves back secret wars.
01:14:57
Speaker
But the, also there's no other Marvel movies coming out other than fighterman man Spider-Man and May Spider-Man. And that hasn't even started shooting yet. i so I'm surprised. I'm like, this is coming out a year from now and you haven't even filmed? That's why I'm like, I wonder if that's going to get delayed too.
01:15:13
Speaker
like And then, I mean, I guess if that gets delayed, then the next movie can be delayed, right? But if you don't delay Spider-Man... But I find that wild because these movies take forever to fucking film and edit and visual effects and all this shit. So the fact that it's literally...
01:15:30
Speaker
It's May 30th, and this is supposed to be coming out... A year from now. Technically a less than a year. It's like, what, mid-May, and you haven't started filming?
01:15:41
Speaker
I'm sorry. that's i feel like that's good I feel like Spider-Man will be delayed. And then if they're delayed, then they're like, oh, well, if that's delayed, maybe we can now delay Avengers. And then it's... And again, this is all... That's probably what they need.
01:15:56
Speaker
You know what? Might be even better if they delay it. Because honestly, I think the more... Maybe what people need is just a break. Like a long break. Kind of like Avatar.
01:16:07
Speaker
You know, Avatar does their nice little breaks. And then when it comes up again, people are like, oh, shit, Avatar. We got to watch that, right? I agree. But before, it was very much of like...
01:16:19
Speaker
TV show, Marvel movie, TV show, Marvel movie, TV show, Marvel movie. And then when it's all not good, then all of a sudden you're like, well, what what's all this? You're spending all your money on all this stuff that doesn't need to be made.
01:16:31
Speaker
Yep. I agree. i don't I mean, let me just, let me just say this so we can close this episode out. Oh yeah. Okay. I'm going to, I'm going to preface this by saying this. Marvel is in a low point right now.
01:16:43
Speaker
And it will recover. It will be fine. I really do think it will be fine. I think, you know, Comic-Con this year, they'll do announcements. Maybe in Comic-Con we'll hear more about the future slate.
01:16:54
Speaker
Maybe we'll hear about, oh, we have X-Men, this coming out. We're going to cast this person, this person, this person. They have to be careful, though, because they did that with Blade and... Here we are. she went So actually, i maybe they don't do that. Maybe they won't do that. Maybe they'll just talk about, maybe we'll get a sizzle reel or some sort of teaser of of um Avengers Doomsday there. I think that it would make sense to that. or maybe have a character reveal of Robert Downey Jr. as Dr. Doom.
01:17:22
Speaker
But just to close it out, this is the moment that James Gunn and DC needs right now.
DC's Opportunity with Upcoming Superman Movie
01:17:32
Speaker
Oh, yeah. Marvel's down right now.
01:17:34
Speaker
Yeah. And you have Superman coming out. Mel, let me tell you something right now. I didn't... i was I was very cautious on Superman in terms of what it would do box office. i was like, oh, you know what? um you know maybe it'll do Maybe it'll do numbers like The Batman. did The Batman, when it came out, I think it ended up with 700-something million dollars, which was pretty good for for the type of movie it was. was a long movie.
01:17:58
Speaker
It wasn't for necessarily for kids, but it did well. I was like, maybe it'll do that. And then as more I see more and more things coming, I i really think so i think Superman's going to be the movie of the summer.
01:18:14
Speaker
Mel, everything have seen so far is hitting. They're hitting a pulse yeah that I have not seen in DC since the Dark Knight shit. like In terms of just...
01:18:30
Speaker
engagement and people talking about it. Like I had at my job, my coworker, she's, um we were talking about, cause she saw Mission Impossible and she stuff. And she's like, we were, were, we were walking to, to, to, there was a meeting upstairs. So we went and she was talking to me like, Oh yeah, you know? And then I was like, Oh, I talked about, i was well July, there's a lot, a lot of movies, Jurassic Park's coming out.
01:18:50
Speaker
Fantastic Four coming out. She's like, yeah. She's like, you see I don't know about Fantastic Four. She's said like, Oh, i'm like um it looks good. She's like, yeah, i don't know. so but you know what? looks good. You know what? I think Superman's going to be good. And I'm like, Look at that shit. Oh. So my thing is they're hitting yeah the marketing perfectly.
01:19:06
Speaker
And then that last trailer that they dropped. Oh, so good. I mean, this is becoming something. And then this week it was revealed.
01:19:17
Speaker
Now, I don't know if you know how it works when it comes to China and movies being released. Not everything gets released in China. Yeah. They have to approve it. Of course. Superman's getting released in China. So... Ooh.
01:19:29
Speaker
I... i i think make the number I think they're going to make numbers. I really think Superman is going to do... major box office numbers, like huge.
01:19:43
Speaker
Like I'm talking- And it's also July. Like it's just, it's in the right time period of the year generally. You can understand though, this is like, if if this does this, and this is the first movie in this kind of new universe where you're introducing a new Superman, you're introducing a new world, that's crazy that you're going to do that.
01:19:59
Speaker
Like that's wild. If you really think about that, normal movies don't do that where they release, where it's a one where they- Where you're establishing a world? No.
01:20:09
Speaker
Because even the first Iron Man didn't do that. You know? Batman Begins didn't do that. You know what I mean? Yeah. So this is a solo movie about a solo character, and it's going to do that? I think Superman is primed to do numbers. I think it could do a billion. I think it could do maybe more than a billion.
01:20:27
Speaker
I think that weekend... Let me see, because I heard something tracking-wise. um Let me see something here. Let me see.
01:20:38
Speaker
Superman tracking box office. Let's see here. Right now, right now, mind you, we're in what? May 30th, right? Yeah. Right now, the tracking is potentially grossed between 155 to 175 million domestically.
01:20:55
Speaker
opening week that's right now yeah okay so I know that's up that that's a big number in between, but still, to tell me that this is the first movie in a franchise and it's going make $155 million dollars on opening weekend, that's massive. That is.
01:21:13
Speaker
Superman is a character that is known around the world, and we're getting a Superman now that is more more almost... and And again, I love Henry Cavill. I love Man of Steel. I love Man of Steel.
01:21:26
Speaker
But it wasn't a Superman that was for everyone in terms of how it looked and how the character was received. This Superman that we're getting, David Cornswift's Superman, James Gunn's Superman, is more akin to the Christopher Reeve Superman, which is majorly loved.
01:21:43
Speaker
Oh, yeah. Well, I could tell the difference already in how the trailer was. Yeah, so I think i think this is going to be big. I think it's going to be a lot bigger than even we're talking about right now.
01:21:54
Speaker
So, you know, more is going to come to that, but I just wanted to throw that nugget in there and compare to everything we were talking about in regards to the box office, in regards to what's happening at Marvel and just Disney as a whole, as a company, where now you're having avenues open up for other studios that down before that might be able to be you know what? We're coming up. We're setting with Disney and the theme parks. Disney's, you know, right now not in a good place. Universal's up.
01:22:19
Speaker
you know Now, maybe... Yeah. Now, right now, what's happening with dc with the DC Studios, it might be coming up now, especially with with Marvel Studios kind of being a little bit of an influx. Yeah. Ooh, that's so true. So this very interesting stuff. We're still going We're going follow up on the box office throughout the year. will. We're going to touch back on it with a few episodes and discuss and see where we're at. And let's see. Maybe... Listen...
01:22:41
Speaker
listen Maybe not. Maybe Fantastic Four has a bigger July. Maybe Jurassic Park has a bigger July. Or maybe Superman is the one. We're going to find out as things progress. Wow. July is going to be... Yeah, major. Oh my god Major for just in general. Major. What's hitting? What's not hitting? Or maybe not. What if the movie of the summer is going to be How to Train Your Dragon?
01:23:04
Speaker
What if that's the movie that... Yeah, like don't know. We don't know. Because, listen, if you would have told me coming into this year, oh, what's the highest grossing movie of the year? If if if if you would have told me, oh, it's Minecraft, i would have you're a fucking liar.
01:23:18
Speaker
i gro mycrafts made not It's and something million. um thought it was going to make a billion, but it didn't. But still, regardless, that is a huge success
Diverse Film Industry and Desire for Comedies
01:23:29
Speaker
for Warner Brothers. Never would have thought that. Oh, and another thing, another shout out I got to give.
01:23:33
Speaker
Another shout got to give before we end the episode. um This past weekend, so we had Lilo and Stitch number one, Mission Impossible number two, Final Destination, which has been a huge box office success too, by the way. nine It's made $99 million so far, and it's been in it's been released two weeks.
01:23:50
Speaker
So it's done really well. Thunderbolts is in fourth place. It's made a total of $75 million um ah domestically, four weeks release. Only 75? No, has
01:24:04
Speaker
um to seventy six million sinners sinners sinners has been just a story that keeps on going. Sinner's been released for six weeks now. It stands as total gross, $261 million. dollars That is major.
01:24:22
Speaker
That right there is huge. And I think it's going to be released on digital really soon. So that movie's going to triple on digital. People are going to buy this movie. That movie's going to be a cult classic. I can guarantee you...
01:24:35
Speaker
I can almost guarantee you that movie is going to... It's going to be a major, major influence for Halloween coming... There's going people dressed up as the Smokin' Stack twins. Yeah. For years to come.
01:24:46
Speaker
This is going to be major. So... ah You know, Mel, it's funny... 2025, we talked about releases and we're like, well, we weren't sure. 2025 for the box office has been really, really good. good Like, I am surprised that the numbers we're seeing, like, as much as we're talking about, like, oh, well, studios don't have money and post and it's post pandemic and pandemic hasn't been good.
01:25:10
Speaker
You know, some movies are still, they're doing well. They're doing well, better than what we expected. So and might let's see what happens. Hopefully continues. Cause you know, we want this, we want movies to do well in the box office because that means that more studios will invest. They'll go all out on movies. and that's what we want. Obviously we want these movies to do well.
01:25:29
Speaker
We want studios to do other big-time movies like this. we wanted it to We want it to range, you know, because I want Materialist to do well because we want more movies like Materialist. You know, I want Sinners to do well because we want more studios to be like to give original IPs opportunities. You know, we want plethora of things. I just don't want... I don't only want Superman to do well or Phantasm IV to do well. I want F1 to do well. I want How to Train Dragon to do well. want Materialist to do well.
01:25:54
Speaker
Like, I want all these types of movies to well. I all these different types of movies. Because variety. only... The only thing that's missing is a nice little comedy. Yeah, a nice little comedy. Unfortunately, we just don't get those in the movies anymore. No, we don't. Now they just go straight to Netflix.
01:26:08
Speaker
Straight to streaming, which is unfortunate. Well, unless but we got that other one, the One of Them Days. Yeah, which was actually really good. It was really good. enjoyed that movie. But, like, comedies used to be. We already know that's going be another episode. Yeah, comedies were big. Comedies were very, very big. They were very big in the movies. We don't get those anymore. So that would be nice even sprinkle a little bit more comedy the actual movie
Podcast Conclusion and Teasers for Upcoming Content
01:26:32
Speaker
theater. Agreed. It's a process. Maybe we'll get there back again. Definitely. Yeah.
01:26:37
Speaker
But anyway, guys, thanks so much for listening. If you liked this video, please give us a five stars. ah Review us. Give us a nice review on the podcast. That would be really great. Yes.
01:26:49
Speaker
Please. Also, we are going to be doing a and or review. So that's going to be coming up, I think, in a couple of. days or maybe just a day. I think um'm um I might release it early.
01:27:00
Speaker
So make sure that you're following because we're going to be talking about Andor and I'm really, really excited for you guys to hear that. And yeah, but thanks again for listening and we will see you in the next episode. Bye.
01:27:11
Speaker
Peace out.