Nobody Defeats Raya and the Last Dragon
Last weekend, a newcomer rose to the top of the box office, stealing the first place from Disney’s Raya and the Lost Dragon. In its opening weekend, action thriller Nobody took $6,8 million in cinemas. Directed by Ilya Naishuller (Hardcore Henry) and written by Derek Kolstad (creator of the John Wick franchise), Nobody follows Hutch Mansell (Bob Odenkirk – Better Call Saul), a victim of burglary who becomes a vigilante. Besides Odenkirk, Nobody features Michael Ironside (Turbo Kid), Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future), Connie Nielsen (Wonder Woman), and Wu-Tang Clan leader RZA.
After four weeks in movie theaters, CGI-animated fantasy adventure Raya and the Last Dragon is now in second place, with $3,7 million. So far, Disney’s latest earned $28,6 million domestically. It is followed by CGI-animated/live-action hybrid Tom and Jerry with $2,5 million. After five weeks in cinemas, Tom and Jerry collected approximately 37,1 million domestically. In fourth place is the dystopian science fiction film Chaos Walking with $1,2 million and a total domestic gross of $11,5 million. The list of the five highest-grossing movies of the last weekend closes off with the period spy drama The Courier that gained a bit over $1 million, bringing its domestic gross up to $3,5 million. All of this data comes courtesy of The Box Office Mojo.
Netflix Picks Up Rian Johnson’s Knives Out Sequels
GeekTyrant reports streaming giant Netflix signed a $450 million deal with director Rian Johnson for two sequels to his satirical murder mystery Knives Out. Daniel Craig, who portrayed the eccentric private investigator Benoit Blanc in the first film, will return.
After directing financially successful but wildly divisive Star Wars: The Last Jedi in 2017, Rian Johnson’s made far more modest yet star-studded Knives Out two years later. Filmed for just $40 million, Knives Out earned over $300 million and received critical praises. At the time, Johnson was discussing the possibility of sequels. They would feature a new murder mystery and a new ensemble cast, with detective Blanc remaining as the only reoccurring character.
By now, Netflix is successful enough it can easily hire acclaimed directors to film their passion projects. That’s how we got David Fincher’s Mank or Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman. The fact most of the world had to stay indoors for the last year or so didn’t hurt either, since Netflix’s subscriptions have been on the rise.
Studios Reshuffle Release Dates Again
Once again, studios have been changing and postponing movie releases. But unlike the last year, the world is gradually returning to normal thanks to vaccination. Furthermore, major production companies like Disney and Warner Bros. are more willing to release major titles both in cinemas and as VOD at the same time. All this is affecting the schedule – but in a good way.
For example, take the R-rated Mortal Kombat. An eagerly awaited adaptation of a enormously successful series of gory fighting games changed its release date several times. Formerly, its release date was April 16. Now, BloodyDisgusting reveals the movie has been pushed to April 23 – a single week! Not long ago, studios postponed movies for a year or more! Additionally, Mortal Kombat will premiere both in cinemas and on HBO Max.
Similarly, Sony has changed the release date for Venom: Let There Be Carnage – from September 17 to September 24. As with Mortal Kombat and so many other upcoming films, Sony changed this release date several times. Venom sequel was initially set to come out last year in October. Sony has also pushed the premiere of Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City – yet another video game adaptation – from September 3 to November 24.
