A Quiet Place Part II Leads a Not-so-quiet Box Office Weekend
Last weekend saw yet another horror movie land in the top place at the weekend box office. A Quiet Place Part II is a sequel to a 2018 surprise hit written and directed by John Krasinski. Featuring Emily Blunt (Edge of Tomorrow) in a leading role, the film originally premiered on March 8, 2020 – mere days before the World Health Organization issued a public warning about the global pandemic of COVID-19. Fourteen months later, A Quiet Place Part II finally came out in reopened cinemas all over the country. According to the Box Office Mojo, it grossed $47,5 million in its inaugural weekend.
In second place at the last weekend’s box office is Cruella, a live-action prequel to Walt Disney’s 1961 animated feature film The Hundred and One Dalmatians. The movie features Emily Beecham (Into the Badlands), Emma Stone (Zombieland: Double Tap), Emma Thompson (Men in Black: International), and Mark Strong (Shazam!). In its opening weekend, Cruella grossed $21,5 million. In third place is yet another Disney movie – Raya and the Last Dragon. This animated fantasy adventure climbed up from fourth place, grossing $2,3 million in its thirteenth weekend in cinemas. After two weekends at the top, Spiral – aka Spiral: From the Book of Saw – dropped to fourth place, earning $2,2 million. Similarly, Guy Ritchie’s action thriller Wrath of Man dropped four places since the previous weekend. Now in fifth place, it earned a bit over $2,1 million.
Jupiter’s Legacy Cancelled
Netflix’s superhero TV series Jupiter’s Legacy has been canceled after a single season, says AVClub. The show features Leslie Bibb (Iron Man), Ben Daniels (House of Cards), and Josh Duhamel (Transformers: The Last Knight) as superheroes who first emerged in the 1930s but now face a rapidly-changing modern world. Based on a comic book by Mark Millar and Frank Quitely, Jupiter’s Legacy was helmed by Steven S. DeKnight (Spartacus), who left the show in the middle of the production due to “creative differences”. Even though Netflix still hasn’t officially confirmed the cancellation, it released the show’s cast from their contracts.
However, Jupiter’s Legacy may continue in some form. Netflix is producing a live-action adaptation of Mark Millar’s comic book Supercrooks – which takes place in the same universe. If its title doesn’t make it clear enough, this show will focus on villains reshaped by the appearance of superheroes. This is hardly surprising. Back in August 2017, Netflix bought Millarworld – Mark Millar’s creator-owned line of comic books. Millar currently runs the company along with his wife Lucy, publishing new comics under the Netflix label. In turn, the streaming service gets the adaptation rights.
Movie Theaters Facing Challenges
The pandemic was a hard time for movie theaters. In April, ArcLight Cinemas and Pacific Theaters – popular Los Angeles cinema venues – had to close down for good due to financial troubles after a full year of lockdowns. Now, AMC Theaters – the world’s largest movie theater chain – is looking to buy them. According to The Wrap, the company already raised $230 million by selling 8,5 million shares to Mudrick Capital Management. It is worth remembering that even a giant company like AMC Theaters stumbled due to the pandemic. As late as December 2020, the company was on the verge of bankruptcy before raising $100 million from Mudrick.
Alamo Drafthouse – yet another chain of movie theaters popular among film fans – actually filed for bankruptcy back in March 2021. Since then, the company was sold to Altamont Capital Partners, funds managed by Fortress Investment Group LLC and Alamo Drafthouse founder Tim League. As part of the deal, Alamo Drafthouse will have to close down several underperforming venues. On the bright side, it will also open five new theaters in New York, Staten Island, St. Louis, and Washington D. C. Alamo Drafthouse currently operates around forty venues.
