Wonder Woman Lassos the Box Office Yet Again
In its third week in cinemas, superhero blockbuster Wonder Woman 1984 continues to dominate the box office. Even with a meager domestic gross of $3 million, the latest Warner Bros. blockbuster is still way ahead of its other competitors. By now, the most recent DC Universe movie earned $32,6 million domestically. For comparison, sci-fi thriller Tenet – also by Warner Bros. and the only other major blockbuster released within the last six months – earned $29,5 million by its third week in cinemas.
In its seventh week in cinemas, Universal’s The Croods: A New Age is still going strong. A sequel to a 2013 CGI-animated adventure managed to stay among the top five highest-grossing movies for almost two months. Last weekend, it earned $1,8 million, bringing its total domestic haul up to $38,9 million. A western drama News of the World is in third place with $1,2 million. Tom Hanks portrays a melancholic Civil War veteran trying to return a girl (Helena Zengel) to her family. Directed by Paul Greengrass (Bourne trilogy), News of the World so far as collected a bit over $7 million. Paul W. S. Anderson’s science-fiction actioner Monster Hunter is in fourth place with $1,1 million. Pitting US Rangers against gigantic monsters on an unexplored world, this adaptation of the long-popular video game franchise grossed $7,8 million so far. And, finally, in fifth place at the last weekend’s box office is once again Fatale. Featuring Michael Ealy (Underworld: Awakening) and Hilary Swank (Million Dollar Baby), this thriller grossed $657,000, bringing its total up to almost $4 million.
All of this data comes courtesy of the Box Office Mojo.
Amazon’s Lord of the Rings TV Series Gets a Synopsis
SlashFilm reports that Amazon just published an official synopsis to its long-gestating The Lord of the Rings TV series.
Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.
The Lord of the Rings TV series will focus on characters and events thousands of years before those depicted in Peter Jackson’s movies. During the Second Age of Middle-Earth, the human kingdom of Númenor rose and fell and the young, ambitious villain Sauron forged the Rings of Power. He was ultimately defeated by the mighty alliance of elves and humans.
The Lord of the Rings will be the most expensive TV series in history: adaptation rights alone cost Amazon $250 million. No wonder that show was renewed years before it even streamed on Amazon Prime. Showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay are shooting the series in New Zealand. This choice proved out to be incredibly fortunate since New Zealand is among those rare countries that beat the COVID-19 pandemic, the production resumed in September. The pilot has already been filmed.
The cast of the series is headed by newcomers, including Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Nazanin Boniadi, Tom Budge, Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Ema Horvath, Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle, Tyroe Muhafidin, Sophia Nomvete, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Charlie Vickers, and Daniel Weyma.
Creator of House of Cards to Adapt Board Game Risk into a TV Series
Just last week, we reported that studios were developing live-action movies about toys like Barbie and Rubik’s Cube. Not to be outdone, this week Michael Lombardo, president of Hasbro-owned eOne and Global Television, announced plans for a TV series based on a board game Risk. The project will be developed by the screenwriter Beau Willimon, best known for creating House of Cards – possibly the first massively successful TV series by Netflix.
For those of our readers lucky enough to have never played it, Risk is a complex, time-consuming strategy game about conquering the world with Napoleonic-era armies. People suggesting you try it, typically do so because they know all the rules and how to win the game. They proceed to do so throughout the agonizingly slow evening as you read your Twitter feed, waiting for your next turn. French film director Albert Lamorisse first created the game in 1957 under the title La Conquête du Monde. It was then bought by the Parker Brothers and translated into English. The rest was history: Risk became one of the most successful board games ever, causing almost as many arguments among friends and family members as Monopoly.
