Raya and the Last Dragon Remains First at the Box Office
In its second weekend in cinemas, CGI-animated fantasy adventure Raya and the Last Dragon earned $5,7 million, reports the Box Office Mojo. With its total domestic gross currently at over $16 million, Disney’s latest film proved again the audience wants bright, family-friendly entertainment in these pandemic times.
Following this trend, in second place at the last weekend’s box office is yet another kid-oriented adventure film – Tom and Jerry by Warner Bros. This $79 million feature film follows our favorite cat and mouse duo as they cause chaos in the upscale New York hotel. Last weekend, Tom and Jerry earned $4,1 million domestically, bringing its gross up to $28,2 million. Doug Liman’s dystopian science fiction film Chaos Walking is in third place with $2,2 million. Tom Holland (Spider-Man: Far From Home) and Daisy Ridley (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker) play protagonists in a world without women where most people can constantly hear each others’ thoughts. In fourth place with $778,000 is once again sports drama Boogie. It was written and directed by Eddie Huang. An author, chef, producer, and attorney, Huang is best known for his autobiography, Fresh Off the Boat: A Memoir, which served as a basis for the ABC sitcom Fresh Off the Boat. And in fifth place of the last weekend’s box office is yet another family-friendly CGI-animated adventure – The Croods: A New Age, with $540,000 and a total domestic gross of $54,3 million.
Benedict Cumberbatch to Play a Real-Life Wizard in War Magician
Benedict Cumberbatch, who already portrayed both wizards (Doctor Strange) and real-life World War II geniuses (The Imitation Game), secured the role combining these two archetypes, says GeekTyrant. In the biographical drama War Magician, he will portray a real-life illusionist Jasper Maskelyne, who aided the British war effort during World War II.
Colin Trevorrow (Jurassic World, Safety Not Guaranteed) will adapt the book by David Fisher about Maskelyne, who used to be a stage magician in the 1930s. During the war, he trained at the Camouflage Development and Training Centre in Great Britain. Afterward, he was recruited into a deception department for MI9 in Cairo. According to Maskelyne himself, his camouflage designs included dazzle lights that hid the Suez Canal from enemy bombers; fake bomb craters used to fool the Germans into thinking they had hit their targets; as well as entire fake army units made of dummies. Real-life, however, relates a conflicting story. British Army was never impressed with Maskelyne’s ideas, many of which turned out to be impractical. But, as they said in the western The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance: “When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.” Even if War Magician turns out to be historically inaccurate, there’s still a chance it might be entertaining.
Laurence Fishburne and Michelle Yeoh Join The School For Good and Evil
Actors Laurence Fishburne (John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum) and Michelle Yeoh (Star Trek: Discovery) have joined the Netflix feature film adaptation of the fantasy book series The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani. According to an article by GeekTyrant, its premise follows best friends Sophie and Agatha as they start their education at the titular school. This enchanted institution trains children into becoming fairytale heroes and villains. However, it turns out the future has different plans in store for the girls than anything they imagined.
The project has been in the works for quite some time, drawing a fairly impressive cast that includes Charlize Theron (The Old Guard) and Kerry Washington (Scandal). Sophie and Agatha will be played by young actresses Sophia Anne Caruso and Sofia Wylie, respectively. The School for Good and Evil will be adapted by screenwriters David Magee (Finding Neverland, Life of Pi, Mary Poppins Returns) and Laura Solon (Back to Life, Let It Snow, Office Christmas Party). Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, The Heat, Spy) will direct. Filming is currently underway and Netflix will release the movie sometime in 2022.
