Joker Still Rules the Clown Town
In its second week in cinemas, Joker remained in the first place at the box office, says the Box Office Mojo. Todd Phillips’ (Hangover trilogy) latest film has been wowing audience and critics alike ever since its premiere at this year’s Venice Film Festival. Last weekend it grossed $55,8 million, bringing its total domestic earnings to $193,5 million.
In the second place is The Addams Family. Featuring voices by such stars as Oscar Isaac (Star Wars: The Last Jedi), Charlize Theron (Atomic Blonde), Chloë Grace Moretz (Suspiria remake), Finn Wolfhard (It) and others, this CGI-animated film earned $30,3 million in its inaugural weekend. First created by the cartoonist Charles Addams in 1938, The Addams Family has so far appeared in two sitcoms, two Saturday morning cartoons and three live-action feature films.
Ang Lee’s sci-fi thriller Gemini Man is in third place with $20,5 million, pitting Will Smith (Men in Black, Bad Boys) against his younger self in a time-travel story. Its cast includes Clive Owen (Children of Men), Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) and Benedict Wong (Doctor Strange). In the fourth place is the CGI-animated adventure film Abominable with almost $6,1 million. And finally, in the fifth place at the last weekend’s box office is the period drama Downton Abbey with $4,8 million.
Kevin Feige to Become Marvel Entertainment’s Chief Creative Officer
Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios has become even more powerful: Deadline reports the mastermind behind Marvel Cinematic Universe will be named Marvel Entertainment’s new Chief Creative Officer. Feige will oversee Marvel movies, publishing and the slate of TV shows currently developed for Disney+ such as Hawkeye, Loki, She-Hulk, WandaVision, and others.
2019 has been a year of Kevin Feige. This spring, Avengers: Endgame brought together superheroes from all of the MCU movies, earning more than $2,8 billion worldwide. Endgame became the highest-grossing movie in history, taking over the record from James Cameron’s Avatar. Marvel Studio first hired Feige in 2000 to work as an associate producer at Bryan Singer’s X-Men. As the film took off at the box office, so did Feige’s career. In 2008, he helped launch what is quite possibly the most ambitious movie cross-over project in Hollywood history. Over eleven years and more than twenty blockbusters, Feige introduced the world to dozens of Marvel Comics characters, turning them into household names. While Disney’s encroaching media monopoly and treating films purely like brands are topics worthy of discussion, you can’t argue with success.
Matrix 4 Keeps Adding Cast
Last week we reported that Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Aquaman, Us) will star in Matrix 4. Yesterday Bloody Disgusting reported that actresses Jessica Henwick (Iron Fist) and Jada Pinkett Smith are currently in talks to join the cast. Henwick might play “a female Neo-like character” director Lana Wachowski envisioned for the film. Pinkett Smith might reprise the role of Niobe from the Matrix sequels. Finally, Neil Patrick Harris (Gone Girl, Starship Troopers) has also joined the cast.
The announcement of Matrix 4 was received with mixed reactions. Upon its 1998 release, Matrix became a cult classic that provoked endless discussions on internet message boards. However, its sequels were disappointing. Later movies by Wachowskis were visually stunning yet frequently shallow. Despite that, you shouldn’t underestimate the power of the brand. With Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Ann Moss officially onboard, people might go see Matrix 4, regardless of its actual quality.
