Marvel’s Worldwide (Box Office) Domination

Marvel Studios continues to dominate box offices worldwide as Avengers: Infinity War posts the highest global opening weekend revenues of all time. According to comScore, the global total of $640.4 million for the weekend ending April 29, 2018 includes a record-setting $257.7 million from North American box offices. Through Monday the overall weekend total brought in by the Avengers exceeds $725 million.

The story doesn’t end there, either. 

Black Panther which smashed so many records in March is still hanging in there. Worldwide weekend totals of more than $5 million are enough to keep it at #10 despite only bringing in $800,000 internationally.  At home, Black Panther remains significantly more popular ranking #5 in North America with a weekend total of $4,381,000. Cumulatively the film has earned more than $688 million. 

Such unprecedented success befits many a Marvel character. Whether that character is a hero or a villain, remains to be seen, even after 10 years and 19 films (or 20 years and 25 films, if you’re counting from 1998’s Blade film). After all, even Marvel villains enjoy some significant successes before a tragic flaw brings them down and the hero (and heroines) eventually triumph (despite their own own).  

Coming to a Theater Near You: AR Gaming

Moviegoers wanting to take their theater experience beyond merely suspending disbelief are getting their wish this spring. National CineMedia (NCM) has announced two new augmented reality (AR) initiatives will be arriving in theaters throughout the U.S. just in time for the summer blockbuster season.

Movie, cinema vintage concept. Tickets on retro film reels and boxes. 3d

NCM is partnering with Moviebill to provide exclusive AR-driven “connected print” content to Regal Entertainment Group theaters. With Moviebill AR, opening-weekend audiences for the biggest films will be able to read and engage with exclusive augmented reality content, special features, and bonus materials from major studios/brands (can you imagine having access to this kind of content when Black Panther hit theaters??)

With the help of Noovie ARcade Games, NCM is also bringing augmented reality gaming to 1,700 top theaters and 49 local/regional theaters across America. Initially, three AR games will be available to moviegoers:

• Cinevaders – Aliens pour through a galactic wormhole and players use powerful lasers to protect the theater (and maybe the world since if these things get out…well, have you seen or heard War of the Worlds?)
• Emoji Escape – Look out! The emojis on your phone are escaping and wreaking havoc in the theater lobby! Catch them before the movie starts (because, let’s face it, silencing your phone won’t trap them inside and nobody turns their phone off…ever).
• Munchie Mania – This one is for everyone who has ever thrown popcorn at to get someone’s attention in a theater. You guessed it: players toss flying popcorn kernels to fill up their popcorn bucket (without wasting any of that wonderfully greasy edible stuff we all overpay for). As an added bonus, this game can be played at home as well as in theaters.

To play, you’ll need to arrive early to catch the Noovie pre-show. You’ll also have to download the Noovie ARcade app to your phone (or presumably other iOS or Android device) before arriving at the theater. The pre-show will alert players when the game is about to start. Players can unlock the larger than life AR experience by aiming their cell phones at the big screen or other triggers in the theater lobby and compete with friends and fans from across the country!

“Noovie ARcade interactive gameplay is the only immersive experience that ties the ubiquity of the smartphone to the magnitude of the movie scree and shifts the Noovie experience from passive viewing to active gaming and play,” notes Lawrence Snapp, NCM’s Chief Digital Officer and SVP, Corporate Development. “It aslo dovetails perfectly with out audience of yourn Millennial movie influencers in search of what’s next in entertainment. Going to the movies provides a social and personal experience that they crave.”

 

 

There’s a Unicorn in your cereal…

Lucky Charms is getting a new marshmallow. That’s right, hearts, rainbows, stars, moons, hourglasses, horseshoes, red balloons, and 4-leaf clovers weren’t enough. General Mills is adding…wait for it…UNICORNS!

The newest Lucky Charm features bright blue and purple colors. The design was both inspired by and voted on by kids so it should be popular at the breakfast table. Fortunately for grown-ups (who worry about things like, you know, nutrition and too much sugar) Lucky Charms are made with whole grains fortified with 12 vitamins and minerals so they aren’t a completely guilty pleasure (Sorry!). The unicorns have already begun appearing in some boxes of Original and Chocolate Lucky Charms however their presence won’t be widely felt until March 2018.

The arrival of unicorn marshmallows marks the first time in 10 years that General Mills has added to the Lucky Charms family. Unfortunately, it also means saying farewell to the hourglass charm.

“Our goal is to not only create a cereal that families and cereal fans will love and enjoy, but to inspire magical possibilities and help spark imagination and fun no matter what the age,” said Josh DeWitt, marketing manager of Lucky Charms. “That’s why, after 10 years, we decided to introduce a new charm with the help of the keepers of magic themselves – kids. They spoke, and after hearing their love for the magical unicorn, we listened.”

 

 

 

Wanted: Rebel Spies

Hey, Star Wars fans! We’ve learned that the Rebellion is recruiting in London! It seems the Rebel Command is sending out a number 4-person teams to try to infiltrate the Imperial Base on Mustafar, a planet covered by molten lava far from our own Earth…talk about your hazardous missions! Word is some familiar faces may be lending the teams a hand but that hardly guarantees success on such a dangerous mission. As Leia would say:

“I wonder who they found to pull that off?”

The mission, code-named Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire will launch on March 29, 2018 from the Westfield Stratford City. Rebel teams will be transported into the Star Wars universe through a ground-breaking and socially interactive immersive experience that blurs the line between worlds. Rebel volunteers are able to explore without being tethered to a ship or encumbered by heavy, sensory-depriving astronaut gear. To succeed the Rebel spies will need to work as a coordinated unit to solve interactive puzzles and escape (or avoid) Imperial forces. Team members will engage with their physical environment and not just by pushing buttons or riding through. They will be able to smell smoke, hear approaching troops and feel the impact of blaster bolts (if they are unlucky enough to be spotted by Stormtroopers as they navigate dangers at every turn.

“Hyper-reality experiences allow us to fully immerse ourselves within worlds that were beyond our reach until now.  The power of The VOID will allow guests to step into Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire and not only see this spectacular world, but also hear, feel, touch and even smell as they realize they are a part of this incredible story,” says Cliff Plummer, CEO at the VOID.

A similar mission undertaken by teams from London (Shepherd’s Bush) must be complete by March 8, 2018.

Good luck! (You’re going to need it. The 501st Legion has spies everywhere.) May the Force be with you.

From Vampires… to Aliens?

Variety is reporting that Originals creator Julie Plec is expanding her horizons right out of this world. The move isn’t entirely surprising, given that she’s been living, well writing about, bloodsuckers and shifters since 2009. The good news is: she taking fans with her! No word on yet on when production will begin let alone possible air dates but it will be a CW property, perhaps part of the network’s expanded Sunday night programming…. We can only hope.

Julie Plec will direct and executive produce the pilot of the “Roswell” reboot at the CW, Variety has learned. If the project is ordered to series, Plec would also serve as an executive producer on the series through her My So-Called Company production banner. This is the latest chapter in Plec’s longstanding relationship with the CW.…

via ‘Originals’ Creator Julie Plec to Direct ‘Roswell’ Reboot Pilot at CW — Variety

The Witch is Back…in Bayonetta 2

Fans of Nintendo’s butt-kicking and havoc-wreaking witch Bayonetta will be pleased to hear she’s back and looking for a fight!

That’s right, Bayonetta, your second favorite witch (because I’m your favorite, right? Right?!??)  returns on Friday, February 16, 2018 and she’s more powerful than ever in Bayonetta 2 for Nintendo Switch. Did I mention she’s armed to the teeth with some seriously great weapons like the Umbran Climax? Well, she is. Of course she can still inflict Torture Attacks on her enemies, summon Infernal Demons using Wicked Weaves and use all her signature over-the-top moves players of the original Bayonetta game are familiar with. Bayonetta 2 also features an online and local wireless cooperative mode allowing two players to to work together to amplify their sassy destructive tendencies and earn some riches. Oh, and you can bet your halos on who is the best witch…

 

Book Trailer Produced for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

The line between books and film is getting fuzzier. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, released 2 March, 2010, has an official trailer. A video trailer. Just like a new movie or television series.

The 2-minute “micro-epic” trailer was created by Bodega Studios, a New York based production company for the second book by best-selling author Seth Grahame-Smith. Written and directed by Adam Reid, who also happens to be Bodega’s creative director, the trailer stars Michael Krebs as Abraham Lincoln. The plot (of the trailer, not the book) is a confrontation between President Lincoln and a confederate vampire.