by Emily Nagle
Tonight, the second and final trailer for “Spider-Man: No Way Home” premiered online, as well as at an exclusive event at the Regal Sherman Oaks theater in California.
The story takes place after the events of “Spider-Man: Far From Home”, when Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) reveals Peter Parker’s secret identity to the world: Parker (Tom Holland) turns to Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), asking him to cast a spell to make everyone forget that he is Spider-Man. When Peter interferes with the spell, a door to the multiverse opens up, unleashing villains from previous Spider-Man films, including Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina), Electro (Jamie Foxx), and Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe).
Prior to the second trailer being released, fans had theories that due to Doctor Octopus returning, Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire would also reprise their roles as Spider-Man from the older films, despite Tom Holland shutting down rumors on Jimmy Fallon in February. Even after the second trailer premiered, users continue speculating Maguire’s and Garfield’s return to the franchise, with one Youtube user proposing, “Imagine Andrew saving MJ for Tom”, while another user suggested that Sony is holding back footage of the actors to surprise moviegoers when the film hits the big screen.
One thing is for sure regarding the role of Spider-Man: “No Way Home” will be the end of Holland’s time as the web-slinging teen hero. The actor confirmed in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that the upcoming film will be wrapping up the storyline that began in 2017 with “Spider-Man: Homecoming”.
“I think if we were lucky enough to dive into these characters again, you’d be seeing a very different version. It would no longer be the Homecoming trilogy. We would give it some time and try to build something different and tonally change the films,” Holland explained in the interview last month. “Whether that happens or not, I don’t know. But we were definitely treating [No Way Home] like it was coming to an end, and it felt like it.” He added that wrapping production was an emotional experience for him and co-stars Zendaya (who stars as MJ) and Jacob Batalon (who plays Peter’s friend Ned), who have been working on the film trilogy together for 5 years.
“Spider-Man: No Way Home” is releasing exclusively in theaters on December 17.
by Emily Nagle
Top 5 Highest Grossing Films for November 12-14, 2021
5. Venom: Let There Be Carnage
4. No Time to Die
3. Dune
2. Clifford the Big Red Dog
1. Eternals
One of the newest arrivals to the box office, “Clifford the Big Red Dog” made $16.6 million during its first weekend in theaters, and now has a total gross of $22.2 million. An adaptation of the bestselling children’s book series by Norman Bridwell, the film follows middle-schooler Emily Elizabeth (Darby Camp), who adopts a red puppy that overnight, grows to be 10 feet tall. Paramount Pictures has given the family film a simultaneous release in theaters and for streaming on Paramount Plus. While it was the second-highest-grossing film for the weekend, it still was far behind Marvel’s “Eternals”, which grossed $26.8 million this weekend despite having mixed reviews.
by Emily Nagle
Friday marked the second anniversary of Disney+, and the company hosted their annual Disney+ Day, where they announced future shows, movies, and other content for the streamer that has reached 116 million subscribers in 2 years.
The content slate includes new arrivals from Disney’s various IP, including National Geographic, Marvel, and Pixar. Most notably, Marvel announced 12 upcoming titles for series and films, including a series of shorts about Baby Groot (“I Am Groot”), a second season of “What If…?”, and a “WandaVision” spin-off series following nosy neighbor Agatha Harkness (“Agatha: House of Harkness”). Also revealed were title logos for previously announced Marvel projects, including Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, and Echo.
From Pixar comes the announcement. Released exclusively on Disney+ is a Pixar Disney+ Day Special, where Pixar’s chief creative officer Pete Docter introduces some of the studio’s current projects, which include a “Cars” series, the studio’s first long-form animated series titled “Win or Lose”, and documentaries about the production of upcoming films “Turning Red” and “Lightyear”. Also released is “Ciao Alberto”, a short film taking place after the events of “Luca” following Luca’s friend Alberto’s life in Portorosso, as well as the trailer for “Baymax!”, a “Big Hero 6” series announced last December.
Star Wars fans get to look forward to a 2022 series following Obi-Wan Kenobi featuring Ewan McGregor, and a documentary following the dangerous bounty hunter Boba Fett titled Under the Helmet: The Legacy of Boba Fett, set to arrive on the platform December 29.
Other announcements from the expansive content slate include the first Ice Age film since Disney’s acquisition of the now-defunct Blue Sky Studios – titled “The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild” – in addition to a third season of “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series”, and a second animated “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” film ahead of the first one (which is set to release on the platform December 3).
To celebrate their two-year anniversary, Disney+ is having a special offer where new and existing subscribers can get one month of the service for $1.99 compared to their usual $7.99/month. The offer ends on November 14.
by Emily Nagle
Top 5 Highest Grossing Films for November 5-7, 2021
5. Ron’s Gone Wrong
4. Venom: Let There Be Carnage
3. No Time to Die
2. Dune
1. Eternals
Released on Friday, Marvel’s “Eternals” was the highest grossing film in the U.S. for the weekend, raking in $71.2 million. Its story follows an immortal alien race that has been hiding on Earth for thousands of years, but finally emerges to protect the planet from humanity’s worst enemy, the Deviants. The movie boasts an ensemble cast that includes Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, and Angelina Jolie. “Eternals” has received mixed reviews from critics, who have commented on the film’s pacing and two-dimensional characters. Angelica Jade Bastién of Vulture wrote about the lack of character development, describing that “the script doesn’t treat the actors as individuals, but rather as vehicles for bland jokes and exposition.” However, the film has received positive feedback regarding its visual effects.
“Dune” has been in theaters for three weeks, and it’s still raking in millions. The second highest-grossing film for this past weekend, it made $7.8 million in the box office, and made a total of $84.1 million. “Dune” takes place thousands of years in the future, and tells the story of young Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet), who is part of a noble family. When war strikes, he must travel to the dangerous planet of Arrakis to defend his future. The film has received positive reviews, with critics praising its visuals and execution. Already it’s been confirmed for a sequel that will begin production next summer, and roll out to theaters in 2023.
by Emily Nagle
More than a week after the tragic shooting on the set of “Rust” that killed one person and injured another, Alec Baldwin has spoken out. While he is prohibited from discussing the shooting itself due to ongoing police investigation, a video released by TMZ on Saturday depicted Baldwin explaining his close relationship with 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was killed in the October 21 incident, as well as his interest in limiting firearms on film sets.
“I’m not allowed to make any comments, because it’s an ongoing investigation. I’ve been ordered by the sheriff’s department in Santa Fe. It’s an active investigation of someone dying…she was my friend,” Alec Baldwin explained to a swarm of reporters in the video.
On October 21, while on set in New Mexico for “Rust”, Alec Baldwin fatally shot a prop gun while practicing a gun-drawing technique for one of his scenes. Although the crew had been told that there was no ammunition inside of the gun, it turned out that the revolver was loaded with a projectile and gunpowder. As a result, when Baldwin fired the gun, a bullet shot through the chest of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins before landing in the shoulder of 48-year-old director Joel Souza. While Souza is recovering from his injuries, Hutchins died after being airlifted to a hospital.
Baldwin’s wife Hilaria was also in the video shot in Manchester, VT, where TMZ says Baldwin and his family have been “laying low since the incident,” and got annoyed with reporters when they didn’t remember Hutchins’ name, telling them, “Her name is Halyna. If you’re spending this much time waiting for us you should know her name.”
While paparazzi mostly wanted to know the details of the fatal incident, a tense Baldwin shut them down multiple times throughout the 3-minute video. He described the experience of meeting with Hutchins’ family after her death, including that her husband and 9-year-old son are “overwhelmed with grief…in shock”. He even shared that he believes production for “Rust” will not continue. After answering questions for a few minutes, Baldwin walked away from paparazzi, explaining that his children were in the car crying, as him getting questioned by police has become a regular occurrence since the incident.
by Emily Nagle
After a press conference this morning, Disney announced that they are pushing back the release dates for the 5 Marvel movies that were scheduled to premiere next year.
During the conference, the corporation switched around some of the release dates for their films, sharing an updated premiere calendar on Marvel’s official website. Some of the updated theatrical release dates include May 6, 2022 for “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” (delayed from March 2022); July 8, 2022 for “Thor: Love and Thunder” (shifted from May 2022); and November 11, 2022 for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (which was originally scheduled to release in summer 2022).
Also postponed is the fifth film in the “Indiana Jones” franchise, which will now premiere in summer 2023 instead of next summer. While it’s not clear why Disney has made the decision to delay the Marvel films, the reason for this film’s delay is due to star Harrison Ford injuring his shoulder on set back in June, allowing time for the actor to heal.
Disney’s upcoming films will receive a premiere format that more closely resembles their pre-pandemic releases, as they will receive an exclusive theatrical run for 45 days before they become available digitally. The company’s most recent theatrical releases have made record-breaking box office numbers, signifying numbers closer to what they were before the pandemic. Marvel’s latest release, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” quickly became the highest-grossing film of 2021, while “Black Widow” made the second highest. Disney most likely anticipates that the future Marvel films will excel in the box office in a similar manner.
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