Does The Child's Play Reboot Need To Show Us More Chucky? Let's Talk This Out

Does The Child's Play Reboot Need To Show Us More Chucky? Let's Talk This Out
Child's Play (2019) Chucky clearly standing, holding a knife

The most recent trailer for Child’s Play has landed, and it continues to look rather promising. With the story of a single mother buying a cutting-edge toy for her son to befriend taking front and center, the reboot to the 1988 horror classic looks like it’s got a nice sci-fi upgrade for a new generation.


However, even with the announcement of legendary actor Mark Hamill voicing the character of Chucky, the marketing seems to be playing it coy with showing us the doll in its full form. That decision brings up an important debate, one that we’ll be discussing over the course of what you’re reading here. That discussion boils down to the following question: Does the Child’s Play reboot need to show us more of Chucky in its marketing? Let’s talk this out, starting with the case for more Chuck for the buck.


The Case For More Chucky


Reviving a character as iconic and well known as Child’s Play’s Chucky takes more marketing prowess than it would to sell a new intellectual property. With a new property, you can shape the terms of how the audience sees that new product.




However, when you’re trying to make the case for the 21st century variant of Chucky, you need some more oomph in your cannon. It’s important to show more of Chucky to the audience that’s been loyal to the brand, especially considering the controversy surrounding the film and the feelings about the new project from some.


Being a Child’s Play remake outside of series/character creator Don Mancini’s TV series, which still retains original continuity, as well as Brad Dourif’s involvement, this may be a harder sell than many reboots in modern times. There’s still a lot of fans who need to be sold on this film to open their wallets.


Showing more of Chucky’s full face and voice in the marketing for Child’s Play just might win over more fans of the original version, as it looks like the film is going in a new direction with the character, rather than just remaking the infamous killing sprees of Charles Lee Ray.




It’s even more critical to approach newer audiences expecting a fresh definition of what the Child’s Play series is all about with a clear picture of what the modern Chucky is capable of. So for the sake of winning audiences old and new, by distancing itself from the original film, the new and improved Chucky should come out to play in whatever marketing materials crop up next.


The Case For Less Chucky


The freshness of Child’s Play 2019 is a good starting point for the call for more of Chucky’s material to be shown in the trailers. However, that’s also the perfect launching pad for the argument against being too showy with everyone’s new Buddi.


Surprise is exactly what Child’s Play has going for it in this new incarnation, and we did get the slightest tease of Mark Hamill’s fresh performance in that recent trailer. Some could say we’ve gotten enough to tide us over, and history just might prove that faction right.




In the trailer for the original Child’s Play, a similar approach was taken in selling this concept as brand new. The Good Guy doll was shown as a doll, with any glimpses into its evil activities being brief and mostly concealed. We never really got to see Chucky at his full potential, because even as a brand new property, surprise was the key to making audiences go nuts upon the big reveal.


The same could be said for Child’s Play 2019, because we have seen the full doll as a play thing, again with glimpses of the evil that this Buddi can do. So maybe the way to win fans, classic and new, is to give them the same treatment that was had when Chucky was a brand new doll, fresh off the factory floor.


Curiosity and surprise are definitely valuable commodities when selling a movie these days. Getting the audience hyped with a smidge of voice over and just enough violence is probably a better idea, in the sense that it combats the biggest problem moviegoers have with more recent trailers that tend to give the whole movie away. Less Chucky likely equates to more shock value.




The Final Ruling


Taking into consideration the fact that both arguments are pretty sound, I still feel like there is a clear winner in this debate, which is the trailers for the new Child’s Play reboot need to show more Chucky in the future.


While curiosity and surprise are still needed in the world of film marketing, it’s not spoiling Child’s Play if you show off the killer doll everyone’s expecting. We’ve seen the doll, we’ve heard its voice, and the historical canon of this villain is no secret. So hiding it isn’t helping that much, in my opinion.


Between a new crowd that still knows of Chucky’s character, and a faithful fanbase to that original series that needs some enticing to come to this newly set table, more clear killer doll action can only help better sell this product. This is particularly true in the case of a reboot, as remaking an older, very popular series for a modern context almost always triggers people to think that it’s a cash in.




If Child’s Play 2019 is going to stand a chance, it needs to break away from Child’s Play 1988 and do its own thing. I think that requires showing off the difference between the old Chucky and the new one. Why should anyone expect people to show up when they can’t see the star of the show?


While this debate takes both sides of the coin into account, it is all from one singular viewpoint discussing both sides. If a film like Child’s Play has any chance of succeeding, it needs to adhere to the opinions of you, the audience.


So after you’ve mulled over both sides of this issue yourself, feel free to share your thoughts in both the poll provided at the end of this piece, as well as in the comments section below. But before you go off to deliberate, why not watch the Child's Play trailer one last time?




As for Child’s Play, it hits theaters on June 21st, just in time to give your summer a scare. But if horror isn’t your thing, and you just like reading arguments about movie marketing, you can find a movie more suited to your tastes in our 2019 release schedule.


What Keanu Reeves Really Hoped To Accomplish With John Wick: Chapter 3

What Keanu Reeves Really Hoped To Accomplish With John Wick: Chapter 3
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum Keanu Reeves holding a cross desperately in front of himself

When getting into gear for a third entry in a series as kinetic and hard-edged as John Wick has been, a lot of effort has to go into what makes each film a bar raising spectacle. In the case of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, star Keanu Reeves and the team backing him had a lot of specifics in mind when it came to making sure this latest sequel would top John Wick: Chapter 2 in all the right ways.


During a press day for the film, CinemaBlend was on hand to hear exactly what Reeves and company had hoped to accomplish from their latest venture into the underworld of assassins and honor bound codes that make John Wick’s world so satisfying to revisit with each outing. Specifically, after learning John Wick: Chapter 3 was greenlighted, Keanu Reeves mentioned there were specific goals for this third film, saying,



The most exciting part was, first of all, [being] grateful that we had the chance to come back to it and tell another chapter. Yeah, I mean, we had a lot of hope and ambition, and we wanted to do a lot. You know, we wanted to open up the scale, the worlds of John Wick. We wanted to different kinds of action, but also raise the bar on the traditional kind of John Wick action, Gun-Fu.





While the world that John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum expands could go on forever and sequel ideas are theoretically limitless, more movies are not always a given. So, having a third time out is a thrilling prospect in and of itself, because director Chad Stahelski and star Keanu Reeves get another chance to outdo themselves in the name of audience satisfaction.


Judging not only by the audience reaction to the John Wick series, but also the results that John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum have brought to the table, that satisfaction seems pretty much guaranteed on both ends. So, this universe’s plans to expand outward into various mediums, such as the TV series The Continental, as well as any potential film sequels and spinoffs, don’t seem like premature hopes but rather prudent plans for the future.


At the heart of it all though is that gratitude for the fans that made John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum possible, as well as thanks to those who helped in the filmmaking process as well. Keanu Reeves wasn’t shy to express that sentiment, as he continued with the following during CinemaBlend's interview:





It was exciting to get into preparing for it. It was exciting to do it, wonderful new artists in the show: Halle Berry, Anjelica Huston, Mark Dacascos, Asia Kate Dillon. And characters we love [coming] back: Laurence Fishburne, the Bowery King, Ian McShane’s Winston. There was excitement everywhere.



It’s hard not to be enthusiastic about the world of John Wick, as it’s brought a new level of action filmmaking and stunt work to the attention of the world at large. On top of that, the franchise’s mixture of neo-noir storytelling alongside those aspects have made it into a gust of fresh air that knocks down tons of rival assassins when it arrives in theaters.


You can even feel that excitement of Keanu Reeves describing the efforts that went into making John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum a next level action spectacular, courtesy of the clip we’re sharing below from our sit down with Mr. Reeves:




Of course, that excitement needs to spill out into the crowd, especially if John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum wants to compete with the box office hopefuls of this weekend, in the hopes of another return for future glory in its extremely wicked and colorful world. Whether there’s an official greenlight for more down the line or not, it’s good to know that whenever the call goes out, Keanu Reeves is ready to work with his famed collaborators, and anyone new who wants to jump in, to take John Wick deeper into the world he inhabits.


John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum prepares for war, in the name of peace, in early showings on Thursday night. And stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more coverage leading up to the film’s release in theaters.


Creed 3 Likely Would Not Feature Conor McGregor

Creed 3 Likely Would Not Feature Conor McGregor
Michael B. Jordan in Creed

While Michael Jordan has made it clear he would like to continue making Creed movies, at this point we have no idea what form such a sequel could take. Who would be the new opponent for Adonis Creed? It seems that now the only thing we can guess right now is that it probably won't be MMA star Conor McGregor. Michael B. Jordan was recently asked what he thought of the idea of bringing in McGregor for Creed III and the actor seemed less than thrilled with the concept, saying...



Eh, I don't know about that man.



Not exactly a ringing endorsement.




The idea of Conor McGregor making the jump from the octagon to the silver screen has come up before. He was apparently in talks to star in The Predator at some point, though director Shane Black insists he was never actually offered the lead.


It seems like only a matter of time before the MMA fighter parlays his celebrity into something that doesn't include as many shots to the nose. Most recently McGregor has said that he's done with MMA, so if he wanted to try his hand at movies, now is as good a time as any.


However, one assumes that Michael B. Jordan is a guy who largely gets to determine his own fate in the Creed franchise so if he's not sold on the idea, it's unlikely to happen. Since his comment to TMZ is far from excited, perhaps the next movie should look elsewhere for an idea.




Following the success of Creed II many have suggested that a future Creed film could bring back other previous Rocky opponents as Creed II did with Ivan Drago. The suggestion that Rocky III's Clubber Lang, as played by Mr. T, could return has been made, but it's far from certain that a future sequel would go back to the well like that once again.


With Sylvester Stallone indicating that he's done playing Rocky Balboa after Creed II, it would seem to make a lot more sense for Creed III to go off in a new direction and find a more original opponent. There's certainly the opportunity to tell more of Adonis Creed's story, but how he moves on without his mentor and surrogate father seems like the most interesting way to do it.


Of course, I'm not sure anybody has asked Conor McGregor if he's like to co-star in Creed III and if he does, it's always possible something could be worked out. If there's a good enough story anything is possible.




Creed II out grossed the first film in the franchise, which would seem to make a third entry a pretty strong possibility considering all the creative forces are also interested in returning to the series.


Early Detective Pikachu Reviews Are In, Here's How It's Doing On Rotten Tomatoes

Early Detective Pikachu Reviews Are In, Here's How It's Doing On Rotten Tomatoes
Detective Pikachu

Pokemon is about to make its debut for a mass audience when the first live-action film in the franchise, Detective Pikachu, debuts next week. A handful of critics have already seen the movie, and their reviews are now online. So far, the new film is doing pretty well, while the movie only has 32 reviews as of this writing, the majority of them are positive, as Rotten Tomatoes currently has the film with a solid 75% positive score.


The movie has actually seen something of a boost in the last few hours. When Detective Pikachu first had enough reviews posted on Rotten Tomatoes to calculate a score, it had a 67% score after 21 reviews. Since then, 11 additional reviews have come in, and they've clearly been more positive.


Having said that, the movie has an average rating of 6.26 out of 10, which means that while most of the reviews may think the movie is good, they're not necessarily glowing.




While most seem to be in agreement that Detective Pikachu as a character is adorable as hell, and that the digital effects are impressive, It seems the story might be a bit disjointed and convoluted.


It's certainly going to be interesting to see just how Detective Pikachu does at the box office. The size and passion of the Pokemon fan base cannot be understated. Pokemon is a huge brand globally and it seems to be almost a certainty that overseas this movie is going to do serious business.


Domestically, things might be a little different. If you're not an expert on the hundreds of types of Pokemon that exist, will Detective Pikachu still work? Some of the critics seem to indicate thew answer is no, and as such there's a segment of the potential audience for whom lukewarm reviews might be enough to keep them home.




Still, Ryan Reynolds is incredibly popular and while Pikachiu might not be Deadpool, trailers indicate Reynolds is bringing a very similar style of (more family friendly) humor that could bring in a larger audience.


For those that have been waiting their entire lives for a live-action Pokemon movie, however, this film is almost certainly "critic proof." The only question is just how big that fan base is. Box office estimates currently have the movie looking at a domestic opening weekend of $82 million. In absolute numbers, that's a solid effort, even if it still might mean coming in second to the third weekend of Avengers: Endgame, which is currently still a possibility.


Certainly, there are going to be a lot more critics that are going to be seeing Detective Pikachu before it hits theaters next Friday, and considering how the Rotten Tomatoes score jumped significantly with only 11 reviews, it has the potential to do the same, and in either direction, after many more people file their opinions.




Detective Pikachu hits theaters May 10.


Watch Aladdin’s Will Smith Belt Out ‘Prince Ali’ In New Clip

Watch Aladdin’s Will Smith Belt Out ‘Prince Ali’ In New Clip
Will Smith as Genie in live-action Aladdin during Prince Ali song

Ahead of Disney’s next live-action remake stomping into theaters next weekend, a clip featuring Will Smith’s Genie as gives a disguised Aladdin a grand entrance in the memorable big number from the 1992 animated musical has been released. Make way for Prince Ali and take a look:


Ring bells! Bang the drums! Are you gonna love this guy? The new clip gives fans a look into the new “Prince Ali” sequence, though it doesn’t feature the entire song, it starts midway through the epic number and leaves the grand finale to the imagination.


The new clip from IGN does offer up a bit of Will Smith’s own take on Genie, previously and belovedly played by Robin Williams. Smith’s spin unsurprisingly denotes a more hip-hop flavor to the Disney classic, though the actor is actually singing rather than rapping for much of the sequence.




The main difference is instead of comedic quips on the side such as “don’t they look lovely June” or magically turning into other forms such as tiger or child as the animated movie does. Instead, it focuses more on the song, dance and CGI animals. The massive scene featuring 1000 dancers and extras has the eyes of the city of Agrabah taking notice, namely Naomi Scott’s Jasmine and Nasim Pedrad’s new character, Jasmine’s handmaiden. The latter looks a lot more impressed by the entrance then the princess Aladdin has his sights on.


But why does Will Smith say the line “when it comes to exotic-type mammals” while riding an Ostrich… birds aren’t mammals? Anyways, fans took to Twitter to voice some strong feelings about the clip. Take a look at @Ameligatha’s comments:


These comparisons were bound to happen. Some fans will never be pleased with anything other than the original, yet her comments display an interest in the movie moving away to rapping to differentiate it from the source material. According the Will Smith, he will be rapping in the flick, we just have yet to see it in the film yet. On the flip side, @stacydtwit defended the clip below:




So far, the new Aladdin has sought to offer a mix of nostalgia for the original Disney flick and bring a whole new world to moviegoers as well. The addition of Will Smith in of itself will bring a different kind of Aladdin and apparently he did a bit of improv on the film with Mena Massoud.


First reactions for the new Aladdin have been fairly positive, as early viewers have called Smith’s Genie a lot of fun and not worth the concern brought on since his blue look was first revealed.You can check out Aladdin in theaters on May 24. Are you excited for the film after a look at this “Prince Ali” clip? Let us know in the comments below!


Check Out Jumanji 3's Karen Gillan Riding A Camel On Set

Check Out Jumanji 3's Karen Gillan Riding A Camel On Set

Karen Gillan is currently starring as Nebula in Avengers: Endgame, the biggest movie in the world and one where her character plays an important part. But rather than take the rest of the year off, the actress is washing off the blue paint and putting on an outfit completely impractical for jungle adventuring for Jumanji 3. Karen Gillan is currently busy filming the threequel, and for whatever reason, she got to ride a camel on set. Check it out:


A TARDIS may get you there faster and a spaceship might be more fun, but neither has the style of rolling up to set, shades on and riding on the back of a camel. In the first photo on her Instagram, Karen Gillan looks like a real pro, as if riding a camel is something she does every day when going out to eat, going shopping and going to work. This is just another leisurely stroll on the back of a camel to her.


In the second picture, it is clear that Karen Gillan is having a good time interacting with the gentle beast. It’s probably a bit more satisfying to be around an animal you can pet than talking to a nonexistent raccoon with a grumpy attitude.




Ruby Roundhouse’s strengths in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle were primarily combat-related things like Karate and Dance Fighting, so she must have used her experience points from that adventure to upgrade her character and add Camel Riding to her skill set. Fortunately, camels aren’t venomous because we saw Ruby Roundhouse didn’t do so well with snakes in the last movie.


Assuming that this isn’t just how the studio is transporting actors around set on Jumanji 3, I think we can look forward to seeing some camels in the film. The last movie was set in a purely jungle environment, and although we don’t yet know the exact plot of this one, camels aren’t generally jungle animals. The Rock has teased “blistering desert dunes” so it looks like the game has new levels yet to be explored.


Karen Gillan’s Killer of Men gets at least one new outfit in this movie, and one that looks like it belongs in a colder environment. Jack Black has also teased that Ruby Roundhouse will be getting some major upgrades, beyond the aforementioned camel riding. Whether or not Karen Gillan will get her wish to be playing an old man as the Ruby Roundhouse character remains to be seen.




2017’s Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle was one of the biggest cinematic surprises of recent years, blowing away the skeptics and going on to make almost $1 billion at the worldwide box office. The sequel film from director Jake Kasdan will see Karen Gillan, Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Nick Jonas and Kevin Hart joined by Awkwafina, Danny DeVito and Danny Glover.


The as-yet-untitled Jumanji 3 (or Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle 2) opens on December 13. Hopefully a title and a trailer aren’t too far off. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule for this and all the big movies still to come this year.


Is The New Mutants Being Delayed Again?

Is The New Mutants Being Delayed Again?
New Mutants Anya Taylor-Joy and Charlie Heaton see something worrying them

The New Mutants has had a rough go on the way to being released, with so many factors and obstacles getting in the way of telling this horror tinged tale adjacent to the X-Men universe. And just as we’d gotten used to the idea that there was a countdown to an actual release of director Josh Boone’s superhero horror-show, new rumors speculate that the film is, yet again, suspected to be bumped to a later release date.


A supposed source at Fox says that The New Mutants isn’t going to make its currently specified August 2 release date. This comes after the film was already moved from its original home of April 13, 2018 to the seemingly more comfortable February 22, 2019. Now it looks as if there’s going to be another hunt for prime calendar real estate, as two factors have apparently delayed director Josh Boone’s motion picture for the time being.


Those two factors are the old fashioned pairing of Disney and Fox’s merger putting a hold on any big releasing decisions until their union was complete, as well as the non-existent reshoots that were supposed to have reshaped The New Mutants into release-worthy form.




While we’ve seen Disney start to make decisions about Fox projects recently, choices that have left films like Mouse Guard out in the cold, that new footage is still lingering unfilmed. Whether it’s due to scheduling or creative differences, no one knows at this point, but it’s a crucial enough stumbling block that The New Mutants might not be seen for some time now.


Fox’s unknown source spoke with genre news site iHorror and said that while there isn’t a new release date in the works, it’ll be “far away from August.” So if you were hoping that 2019 would still see two mutant powered hits coming our way, those odds just reduced dramatically. How far away from The New Mutants’ initial release date is far enough isn’t known, but the invocation of that very phrase is enough to assume that this calendar year is probably off the table. That is, unless Disney and Fox plan to do some sort of stealth drop onto a streaming platform as previously rumored, which honestly wouldn’t be such a bad idea at this point.


Fate has not been kind to The New Mutants, and should this rumor pan out, it will be another sling and arrow of misfortune sent the way of that particular film. Though, should Dark Phoenix effectively rekindle the fire between the moviegoing public and the X-Men franchise, there could be a push to get the film out, in one form or another, by the end of 2019.




The New Mutants, unless someone comes forth in the next couple of days and corrects the assumption, is slated for release on August 2. Should that change and a new date be announced for some point within the year, we’ll not only report back, but we’ll update the 2019 release schedule to reflect the project’s new status.


See What Ricky Whittle Could Look Like As Green Lantern John Stewart

See What Ricky Whittle Could Look Like As Green Lantern John Stewart

In advance of the Season 2 premiere of American Gods, star Ricky Whittle revealed that he is a huge fan of Green Lantern and has actually had talks about playing the Emerald Knight in Green Lantern Corps. He has the support of Michael Green, the screenwriter behind 2011’s Green Lantern and 2017's Logan, as well as the former showrunner on American Gods, but can he get the Green Lantern fanbase behind him? This fan art imagining what Ricky Whittle could look like as John Stewart certainly won’t hurt his case.


In brightest day in blackest night, no evil shall escape Shadow Moon’s sight! Actor Ricky Whittle makes for a pretty convincing John Stewart and he definitely has the look to play the part. Looking at this fan art from BossLogic, you can see why Ricky Whittle’s name has been out there, and he has even had conversations with the powers that be (The Guardians of the Universe?) about donning the power ring on the big screen.


This is just one interpretation of what Ricky Whittle could look like as the character, but there is a lot to like about the potential casting beyond just this pretty picture. There’s a reason Ricky Whittle often plays badass characters. That’s what he looks like and you put him in a Green Lantern suit with a power ring on his finger, and that effect is just increased.





Also, it should be said that hopefully Warner Bros. takes a cue from this fan art and goes with a more practical costume for whoever plays Green Lantern next versus the all-CGI suit used in the 2011 film. If that were to happen and Ricky Whittle were to be cast, he has said that he would do tours to watch the film with fans in full costume. That’s how much he wants the role.


Ricky Whittle has a very intense and magnetic presence in this image, and that is true of his onscreen roles as well. In American Gods he plays Shadow Moon, an ex-con acting as a bodyguard to the mysterious Mr. Wednesday. That may be his most prominent role, but he also proved his action chops in the under-seen and under-appreciated series The 100 as Lincoln.


Both of those characters are silent badasses, preferring to speak softly and carry a big stick, peaceful men with lethality hidden just beneath the surface. That could really work for John Stewart who is sometimes portrayed as stoic, with a quiet intensity as opposed to the arrogant and brash Hal Jordan or the goofy and childish Guy Gardner.





Based on his previous roles, I think that Ricky Whittle would be a compelling choice for John Stewart in Green Lantern Corps, and the fact that he’s had conversations about the film means that someone involved sees something in him as well. So perhaps this fan art will prove to be an early look at things to come.


DC’s Green Lantern Corps is expected to feature both Hal Jordan and John Stewart, although we haven’t heard much about the film since last summer when Geoff Johns updated fans that he just wanted to write the best script he could for the film before development really ramped up.


We’ll keep you updated on Green Lantern Corps and everything going on in sector 2814. Be sure to check out our 2019 release schedule to see all the movies headed your way this year.





The 10 Highest Grossing Movies Of All Time

The 10 Highest Grossing Movies Of All Time
Star Wars: The Force Awakens movie poster

The movie industry lives and dies by the box office. At the end of the day, nothing is more important to the studio then how a film fares when it comes to ticket sales. Opinions on which movie is truly the best will run the gamut, but the closest thing we have to an objective measure of success, if not quality, is the amount of money people spent to see any given film.


Of course, the movie industry has changed a great deal over the years. It used to be that almost all of a movie's box office came from North America. Today, international box office can contribute for two-thirds or more of a movie's bottom line. This has largely changed the way the current list of top-grossing films currently looks. Here are the top 10 grossing films worldwide, in non-inflation adjusted box office dollars.



1. Avatar $2,788 Billion

2. Titanic $2.187 Billion

3. Star Wars: The Force Awakens $2.068 Billion

4. Avengers: Infinity War $2.048 Billion

5. Jurassic World $1.671 Billion

6. Marvel's The Avengers 1.518 Billion

7. Furious 7 $1.516 Billion

8. Avengers: Age Of Ultron $1.405 Billion

9. Black Panther $1.346 Billion

10. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 $1.341 Billion





It's a testament to the success of James Cameron that, while the majority of the top 10 are part of major film franchises, the top two movies are not, (although Avatar is about to become part of a new franchise). Avatar has stood at the top of this list since its release 10 years ago. With a total box office number approaching $3 billion, and the fact that no recent blockbuster movie has ever really challenged it, one certainly wonders if and when another film might ever make this much money.


When Avatar became the highest grossing movie ever, it did so by overcoming another James Cameron film, Titanic. While there's over $600 million separating these two films, the success of Avatar is really an example of the way the international box office has become incredibly powerful. Avatar only out grossed Titanic by $100 million at home; the rest came from overseas, largely China.


Star Wars: The Force Awakens became only the third film to break the $2 billion mark when it was released in 2015. The movie is actually the highest grossing movie ever domestically. However, the franchise actually doesn't quite do as well overseas, especially in China.




The real winner on the top 10 list, of course, is Marvel Studios. All three Avengers movies that have been released thus far make the top 10. The three films alone have brought in $5 billion around the world. When you add in the additional $1.3 billion that Black Panther has made, Marvel owns this list. It seems quite likely that the fourth Avengers movie, Endgame, will be on this list before long.


The rest of the top 10 is made up of a few other major franchise entries. It looks like the Fast and Furious franchise may have peaked with Furious 7, as part eight wasn't able to match the previous film's success. The same is true of Jurassic World. Audiences were clearly ready to see the return of this franchise based on that movie's success, but Fallen Kingdom didn't come anywhere close to matching those box office numbers. By comparison, the Harry Potter franchise ended on a high note, with Deathly Hallows - Part 2 becoming the highest-grossing entry in the series.


Of course, the truth is that all of those numbers are a bit deceiving. Due to the ever increasing pressure of inflation, a movie released today will always gross more compared to films from even a few years ago, never mind the movies of decades past. Adjusting box office totals for inflation, especially on a global scale, is a tricky business, as you also need to adjust for inflation, as well as exchange rates, between multiple countries over decades. The task has been undertaken before, but it's actually possible to come up with slightly different numbers. Here is one estimate for the top 10 grossing films where inflation has been taken into consideration. As you can see, it's a significantly different list.





1. Gone With The Wind

2. Avatar

3. Titanic

4. Star Wars: A New Hope

5. The Sound Of Music

6. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

7. The Tend Commandments

8. Doctor Zhivago

9. Jaws

10. Star Wars: The Force Awakens



The numbers here are largely irrelevant because they all depend on which year's inflation level you take as you standard. It's the order that matters. While Avatar and Titanic are still in the top ten, and still pretty high up there, they both make way for the truly undisputed king of the box office, 1939's Gone with the Wind.


The film came out at a time when the concept of the blockbuster film didn't exist, and yet, that's exactly what it was. Although it does need to be said that the film's box office total represents multiple theatrical releases over the course of decades. In the days before VHS and DVD, movies were routinely re-released in theaters, which is where several films on this list made a lot of their money.




While the Marvel Cinematic Universe was the star of the unadjusted list, when inflation is taken into account, Star Wars is the big winner. The original film, as well as The Force Awakens, both make the top 10, though the return of the Star Wars franchise just barely gets there. A New Hope made over $200 million during its original theatrical run that lasted basically a full year. Today, $200 million is still considered a solid theatrical take. When you adjust that number for inflation, and then add in what the film has done during re-releases, it's no shock you're talking about one of the highest grossing movies ever made.


Steven Spielberg may not have quite the success that James Cameron has on this list, but he's the only other director with two films in the top 10. Jaws is viewed by many as the film that invented the concept of the summer blockbuster. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial is one of the most family-friendly and largely accessible movies on the list. It's the sort of movie that sees its box office increase as entire families show up at the theater and buy tickets.


The other three films on the list are some of the most well-loved classics of all-time, which, like Gone with the Wind, have benefited from multiple theatrical releases over the years. The Ten Commandments is a biblical epic, which was largely the comic book superhero movie of the era. Doctor Zhivago is both an epic costume drama and a beautiful romance. The Sound of Music is the musical that it seems everybody is familiar with, and the 1965 movie is a big part of the reason why.




While the inflation adjusted numbers might help level the playing field, that shouldn't take anything away from any of the movies on these lists. They're the biggest movies ever made, according to the people willing to spend their hard earned money to see them.


Scarlett Johansson Says The Avengers: Endgame Press Tour Is Giving Her ‘PTSD’

Scarlett Johansson Says The Avengers: Endgame Press Tour Is Giving Her ‘PTSD’
Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow in Avengers: Endgame

Ahead of the highly-anticipated release of Avengers: Endgame in just a couple weeks, the surviving Infinity War cast members have been taking part in just about the strangest press tour ever. While usually the actors can answer questions with a bit of insight into what fans can expect from the release, this time they are sworn to secrecy - so much so that many of the stars have admitted to not knowing how the movie ends for their characters themselves.


Being constantly on their guard about what they can and can’t say has understandably taken a toll on the actors. Scarlett Johansson even recently admitted she’s losing sleep over it. In her words:



I’m gonna have PTSD from this [press tour.] I mean, honestly, it is so stressful. At the end of every day, I lie awake at night and I think about all the things I almost said. It gives me panic.





It looks like all the dodging and beating around the bush has the Black Widow actress stressed! It’s a tough situation she and the cast have been tasked with. Journalists certainly feel like it’s their duty to get any scoop they can about the upcoming MCU culmination too, but the cast has been heavily briefed to not give anything away until Endgame hits theaters.


While the actress is likely exaggerating a bit about actually having post-traumatic stress disorder, since the condition affected people who have experienced incidents much more serious than a press tour, she seems to simply mean that doing press for the movie has become something that’s affected her mental health.


She has to constantly use her words carefully in front of cameras and later think back about what she said, in hopes she didn’t spoil anything. It does sound anxiety-inducing! You’re almost at the finish line, ScarJo!




To make matters worse, she has her solo Black Widow movie on the way and she’s also been asked about time and time again. However, Marvel is asking that she keep the details under wraps until Phase Three concludes. Here’s a bit of an exchange from Entertainment Weekly’s roundtable with the Original Six Avengers and Kevin Feige when asked about Black Widow:



Robert Downey Jr: Kevin, can she talk about the film that’s been announced — or not even?


Kevin Feige: We haven’t announced anything. We’ve announced Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home.


Scarlett Johansson: [Draws deep breath] The PTSD is a real thing! I have so much anxiety!



Robert Downey Jr. makes a great sarcastic point to Marvel chief Kevin Feige that there’s already news out there about Black Widow but he’s sticking to keeping it quiet. It’s okay, Scarlett! The headlines will speak for you.




The film directed by Cate Shortland has assembled an impressive cast including Stranger Things’ David Harbour and Fighting With My Family’s Florence Pugh, and Rachel Weisz is also in talks to join. Harbour even recently revealed the movie may start shooting in June, which would shape up the movie to likely be one of Phase Four’s first entries. There’s lot of other exciting casting starting to shape up for the next MCU chapter for The Eternals as well.


Just two more weeks until Avengers: Endgame, Scarlett Johansson can soon exhale a sigh of relief, and so can fans!


See What Carnage Could Look Like In Venom 2

See What Carnage Could Look Like In Venom 2

Venom promised in its final moments that should it ever get a sequel, it was gonna have Carnage. And almost like clockwork, the impressive box office performance of Eddie Brock’s latest big screen incarnation lead to the news of Venom 2 being a going concern for Sony’s growing universe. Which means that promised matchup between him and Cletus Kasady is more than likely happening in that sequel, prompting a fan to speculate what they think that character will look like. Send your eager eyes below to see what Carnage might look like:


Fan art is certainly nothing new to the world of the internet, but this piece is one of the most grounded exhibitions of artwork we’ve seen since BossLogic started tearing up the web. It also helps that the artist behind this piece took a shot from Venom, re-colored it the typical crimson hue that Carnage has been shown to possess in his comic variant, and released it for all the world to see.


That’s pretty much the deal with what artist William Gray has shown us in this Venom 2 inspired piece. And inspiring it is, as there’s a whole bunch of directions for the film’s plot to potentially take, with actor Woody Harrelson presumably still playing the vicious villain. But don’t go thinking any of those roads will be seeing any sort of maximum Carnage action that’d push this sequel into R-rated territory. Franchise producer Avi Arad is of the mind that while Cletus does have homicidal tendencies, they don’t necessarily need to be shown in gory detail on the screen.




Even though the film is greenlit, and in early stages of production, the talent returning for Venom 2’s behind the camera operations is still a mixed bag. While writer Kelly Marcel is on board as working out the story for the follow-up, Venom director Ruben Fleischer might not be back due to scheduling conflicts. So if there’s a new director steering the ship for Venom 2, there just might be a change to the exact look and feel of this next chapter.


If a new talent winds up in the director’s chair for the next Venom film, there could be a change in the look of Carnage, or potentially an alteration to just how much of the character we’ll see. Let’s just hope that however things progress, Venom 2 takes some well earned advice to keep its box office fortunes in line with the results of its predecessor.


Venom 2 doesn’t have a release date just yet, but some speculate that it could make its bow in a slot that Sony has put aside for an untitled Marvel film next year.




Natalie Portman Shares Her Favorite Part About Playing Jane Foster In The MCU

Natalie Portman Shares Her Favorite Part About Playing Jane Foster In The MCU
Natalie Portman as Jane Foster in Thor: The Dark World

Hey, Thor, what ever happened to Jane Foster? Okay, so maybe he’s been a bit preoccupied with his franchise redesign in Ragnarok, not going for the head in Infinity War and trying to get Captain Marvel to flinch in a stare down with her in Endgame to break the tough news, so I’ll tell you: the cute MCU couple broke up off screen between The Dark World and Ragnarok. Maybe you couldn’t tell by the hero’s breakup haircut and new space buddies he’s been hanging around with.


No matter what happened between the two, Natalie Portman made it out to the world premiere of Avengers: Endgame in Los Angeles on Monday and gushed about her time in the MCU at Marvel’s red carpet. In her words:



It's been so exciting to get to be part of this whole Marvel universe and get to see all of these incredible new characters be revealed to audiences every year and, of course, to have women in science be front and center is incredible, to spread that culture throughout the world.





Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster was a great addition to the MCU because she was such a driven scientist who played a vital part in the earlier events of the franchise with her fellow “Science Avengers,” Dr. Selvig and Darcy Lewis. Her involvement in the Thor movies was cut short when their story faced a bit of a dead end creatively. Taika Waititi came in and fixed the hero’s franchise right up with a looser, more spacier addition to the character’s story, but that meant Natalie Portman was lost her place within the MCU.


The actress was reportedly not happy with Thor: The Dark World when director Patty Jenkins left the project due to “creative differences” and Alan Taylor took over the sequel. Since Jenkins later went on to helm Wonder Woman, I’ll side with Portman on this one because the DCEU origin was much more memorable than Dark World. (Chris Hemsworth even called the movie “meh” once.)


When asked about her potential return to the MCU, Natalie Portman has showed her openness to come back if asked, but has said that as far as she knows that won’t be happening anytime soon. I wouldn’t count on it either. I just don’t see Jane Foster fitting into Thor’s character arc after his past few appearances; the vision of the franchise with the couple we saw in the beginning has grown apart into something bolder and funnier than a love story.




As indicated by Natalie Portman’s recent comments, the MCU is always shifting, changing and bringing in more exciting characters to expand the universe, such as Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie, a new fan favorite in the Thor movies we can’t wait to see keep being badass. Endgame certainly promises to shake up the MCU as it will mark the end of the franchise so far … but Thor 4 may be in the works per recent words from Thompson. You never know who is going to show up in these movies, so maybe that could be a platform for Portman to return.


How Much John Wick Chapter 3 Made Opening Night

How Much John Wick Chapter 3 Made Opening Night
Keanu Reeves and Halle Berry in John Wick Chapter 3 parabellum

The newest entry in the Keanu Reeves action franchise John Wick is here and if the opening night numbers are any indication, John Wick is going to assassinate the entire domestic box office. The movie brought in just short of $6 million last night, setting it well on the way for what is likely to be a $40-$50 million opening weekend.


John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum brought in $5.9 million in Thursday night previews. That's more than double what John Wick: Chapter 2 did in 2017, as that film "only" brought in $2.2 million. That's an impressive number not only because it's a franchise best, but because, as an R-rated movie, the film has a more limited audiences than your normal PG-13 blockbuster. John Wick: Chapter 3 out did both of the last two James Bond movies in Thursday night numbers, which had a much wider reach due to the lower rating.


Deadline is projecting a $50 million opening weekend for John Wick 3 which is up from the $30-$40 million that was being projected only a couple of days ago. Either way, it looks like Parabellum will be the movie to finally defeat the Avengers. Endgame is projected to bring in $30 million this weekend, which will still be good for second place more than likely, but it looks like the Avengers reign at the top of the box office will end with three weekends.




If John Wick: Chapter 3 does win the weekend, it will set another record of sorts, as it will be the first time that Mr. Wick has held that position. Neither of the previous two films ever won a box office weekend, though both were still able to become quite successful.


The first John Wick movie finished its box office run with just over $40 million domestic and just under $90 million worldwide. John Wick Chapter 2 finished up at $92 million and $171 respectively. If Chapter 3 is able to keep its Thursday night pace going, it will very easily become the first of the franchise to break the $100 million mark domestically.


When combined with international numbers that would virtually guarantee that this franchise isn't going anywhere, and considering that pretty much everybody involved in the series is happy to just keep making these movies until the fans give up, that may be exactly what is going to happen.




The only other new releases for the weekend are the romantic drama The Sun is Also a Star and A Dog's Journey. The dog movie is looking at an opening in the mid-teens while Star will likely open in with less than $10 million. At the same time, both were much smaller movies all around and thus still have the potential to be successes in their own way.


John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum will likely have trouble keeping its own box office crown after this weekend. Disney's remake of Aladdin is set to debut next weekend, which will almost certainly put the House of Mouse back on top of the box office.


Avengers: Endgame Sold Five Times As Many Advance Tickets As Infinity War In First Week

Avengers: Endgame Sold Five Times As Many Advance Tickets As Infinity War In First Week
Robert Downey Jr. Tony Stark Avengers Infinity War Marvel MCU

Long story short, Avengers: Endgame is already breaking all kinds of records. It sold a stupid number of tickets in the first week of presales. That's not surprising -- even if it's good to hear people managed to actually buy tickets after all of the site crashes. No one should be surprised to hear Endgame is setting new ticket sale records. It already did so within 24 hours of ticket availability.


What's surprising, to me, is the sheer volume we're talking about.


For Fandango, Avengers: Endgame sold five times as many tickets in its first week as Avengers: Infinity War sold in its first seven days of presales.




For Atom Tickets, per CNBC, Avengers: Endgame sold nearly twice as many tickets in its first week as Aquaman, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Avengers: Infinity War, and Captain Marvel combined. Nearly twice as many -- combined! All of those other films made at least $1 billion at the box office, with Infinity War doubling that.


Fandango reports that thousands of showtimes are already sold out across the country. You probably knew that at some point when you tried to get tickets yourself.


What's cool is the note that theaters have been adding new showtimes -- some as early as 4:00 am and 6:30 am Friday, April 26 -- to meet the fan demand to see the three-hour movie ASAP on opening day.




As you might expect, Endgame now holds Fandango's records for both the best first day and best first week of presales, knocking out Star Wars: The Force Awakens.


In terms of what this could mean for Avengers: Endgame's opening weekend, and ultimate box office total? Well, I've already put it on the record that I think this movie could rival Avatar. I know. That might be pushing it, even if we don't adjust for inflation. But look at these pre-sales -- and fans are probably going to watch the 3-hour movie multiple times, especially if Avengers 4 does say goodbye to some or all of The Original 6 Avengers.


For comparison, since Endgame just broke Star Wars: The Force Awakens' record for Fandango, The Force Awakens made $2,068,223,624 worldwide. Avengers: Infinity War made $2,048,359,754 worldwide. And Endgame just sold five times as many presale tickets in the same period of time as Infinity War.




We're definitely look at at a film in the 2 Billion Club. But how long will the movie leg out? Opening weekend anticipation for Endgame is so high because fans don't want to be spoiled on what happens. How do the Avengers beat Thanos and reverse or at least change Infinity War's Decimation? So it's not shocking that fans are rushing to see this movie opening night, even before opening night, or at least opening weekend.


Fandango Managing Editor Erik Davis even added this note about the April 26 demand:



I wouldn’t be surprised to see a record amount of fans reporting sick to work or taking the day off on Friday, April 26 because they’ll be attending opening day screenings of Avengers: Endgame.





Productivity is going to take a dive that day, with the exception of movie theater employees, who should be paid extra. So, on that note, please respond in the poll below if you plan to take work or school off in order to see Endgame. Don't worry, it's an anonymous poll...


This Fake Aquaman 2 Trailer Is Hiding A Funny DC Gag

This Fake Aquaman 2 Trailer Is Hiding A Funny DC Gag

If you were thinking, "wow, it's way to early to be getting any sort of new information about Aquaman 2," then you'd be right. The  movie isn't scheduled for release until 2022, and nothing is really happening with it yet, but that didn't stop the Warner Bros. YouTube page from dropping something this morning that it claimed was a trailer for the forth coming sequel. Needless to say, it was not.


Rather than being a promotion for a project coming in several years, it's actually a promo for one coming in just a few days. Shazam! is DC's next major release and the movie hits theaters at the end of the week. "The Kid Shall Reign" actually has a nice ring to it.


While Aquaman wasn't exactly the most dark and serious of the recent DC films, this little joke promo does show how the universe is shifting into an apparently more fun and light-hearted tone. Aquaman was one of the less serious members of the Justice League, but compared to Shazam, Aquaman has all the angst of your average Batman.




Of course, one area where Shazam! would like to be able to be compared to Aquaman for sure is in the realm of box office receipts. Aquaman became the highest grossing global hit for the DC universe so far, which, to be sure, was something of a surprise for a character that has largely been viewed as one of the Justice League's punchlines up until now. Shazam! isn't expected to do quite that well, but then, Aquaman wasn't either. The fact is that, because of the wider audience that Shazam! is likely to attract, it's very possible that the movie could do incredibly well by selling tickets to kids who might not have been allowed to go see something like Aquaman.


Shazam! is also doing much better with critics than Aquman did, which might help bring in a segment of the audience that avoided the king of the ocean because they heard the movie wasn't necessarily all that great.


Having said that, box office projections for the film have actually been shrinking slightly. The film was looking to do something around $50 million domestically on opening weekend but that number has now slid back into the $45 million range. Although, if international audiences pick up the baton for this one it could still become a massive hit even if it doesn't overwhelm the North American audience. That's ultimately what happened with Aquaman, while that movie did a quite impressive $334 million domestically, it was the over $800 million that was brought in overseas that made the movie the phenomenon that it was.




We still have a few years to wait before we see a trailer for Aquaman 2 but our next dive into the DC universe movies will be here much sooner when Shazam! arrives this week.


Julia Roberts Hung Out With Prostitutes Ahead Of Pretty Woman Role

Julia Roberts Hung Out With Prostitutes Ahead Of Pretty Woman Role
Julia Roberts as Vivian Ward in Pretty Woman

Julia Roberts’ role in Pretty Woman is arguably still the actress’ most well-known role almost 30 years later. As it turns out, when Roberts took the lead for the modern-day fairy tale about a prostitute who gets swept off her feet by a wealthy businessman played by Richard Gere, she did a little research that may surprise some people.


The widow of the late Pretty Woman director Garry Marshall, Barbara Marshall, recently told Page Six that shortly after Julia Roberts was cast as Vivian Ward, she asked her if she could come by the Los Angeles clinic where Barbara was a nurse at the time, and she had a very specific goal at the time. Said Marshall,



I recruited two young women who came to the clinic regularly, and I paid them $35 each to meet with Julia… I went back to work, and about 20 minutes later, Julia yelled from the end of the hall, ‘Bye, Barbara. We’re going to take a drive. We’ll be back later.’





Julia Roberts apparently really hit it off with the pair of prostitutes and decided to go with them down to Hollywood Boulevard - maybe to observe them doing their thing, or catch lunch? While the actress had the opportunity to simply ask them a couple questions about their line of work in preparation for her role, that evidently wasn’t enough, as she wanted to hang out with them outside the clinic too.


Barbara Marshall admitted to becoming panicked at the whole situation. She called her husband, telling him where his Pretty Woman lead had gone and expressed her worry about what would happen if she didn’t come back. Julia Roberts did later turn up unharmed, and as Barbara described, she’s “one tough lady who can take care of herself on and off camera”.


It's a funny story, and perhaps Julia Roberts' time with the prostitutes really did give her a sense of what it's like to be a sex worker in Los Angeles, providing an extra edge in her iconic character. Pretty Woman was one of Julia Roberts’ first movies, and her decision to partake in a little extra credit about the real-life environment of Vivian before stepping on set shows how seriously the actress has taken her work since the very beginning.




In addition to arranging the special meeting, Barbara Marshall also recently said she feels she had a bit of an influence on the scene where Vivian Ward offers up Edward Lewis his choice of condoms in their first encounter - and she calls herself a “safety girl.” This was apparently a result of Marshall devoting some of her work to the importance of preventing sexually transmitted diseases.


It’s great to see that Pretty Woman had influences of real-life Hollywood Boulevard sex workers and a Los Angeles-based nurse, no matter how small. That being said, we would still love to know how Julia Roberts’ drive through Hollywood actually went, and what she wound up doing. Spill the tea, Julia!


Nearly 30 years after the fact, we're still learning new things about Pretty Woman, and even now getting to digest in in different mediums. Over the summer, a musical version of Pretty Woman debuted on Broadway – which Barbara Marshall has apparently seen twelve times. Julia Roberts was also once in the audience for the New York City show, though she admitted it made her emotional about the 2016 passing of Garry Marshall. And, of course, you can always see the 1990 original whenever you want, as it is widely available on digital, Blu-ray, and DVD.




Is Poms' Box Office Failure Tied To Yikes Reviews?

Is Poms' Box Office Failure Tied To Yikes Reviews?
Diane Keaton in Poms

If the box office is perfectly balanced, as all things should be, that means that while Avengers: Endgame is breaking records, something else has to be failing spectacularly, and that something is the comedy Poms. The story of a group of women who start a cheerleading squad at their retirement community is the worst box office flop of the year so far for a film with a wide release on over 2,700 screens.


Poms debuted in 6th place, earning just $5.3 million against a $10 million budget over Mother’s Day weekend. Whenever a movie fails like this, it is worth doing a post-mortem and asking what happened. One of the first things worth wondering about are the yikes reviews Poms received, which certainly didn’t do it any favors. CinemaBlend’s own Eric Eisenberg highlighted the film’s lack of originality in his review, saying:



There is hardly a single underdog sports movie cliché that isn’t employed at some point, and it’s difficult to feel entirely engaged with the story when you know exactly how every single scene is going to begin and end.





Yikes indeed. Audiences need to be sold to spend their hard-earned money to come to the theater, and when the reviews warn of a cliché-ridden film that people have the impression they’ve seen before 1000 times, there is no incentive to go see it.


But maybe you’re okay with a clichéd and simple story, and you just want to laugh and have a good time. Sadly, Poms comes up short in that regard, according to the Associated Press’s Lindsey Bahr, who in her review said:



It’s fine to make a film that’s just supposed to make an audience smile but this film doesn’t even get close to that level of joy.





You can definitely see how potential audiences who read that review might have been reticent to spend money to see a movie where even the hope of cracking a smile is in doubt. And if a comedy can’t make you laugh, that’s a problem and that is definitely the case here according to IndieWire’s Jude Dry, who gave the film a “D” and said:



Poms is the first narrative feature from documentarian Zara Hayes, who wrote the script with Shane Atkinson, making his feature debut. Neither have much background in comedy, and it shows.



One of the theoretical selling points of Poms is its cast of legendary actresses, including Diane Keaton, Jacki Weaver, Celia Weston, Rhea Perlman and Pam Grier. However, a common thread among the reviews for the film was lament that the actresses aren’t given quality roles in a well-written film to work with. In her review, The Hollywood Reporter’s Beandrea July said:





Poms is equal parts boring and infuriating, especially when you consider the actresses made to perform caricatures of old age.



By many accounts, Poms doesn’t treat its elderly characters with much respect, which is made even more galling considering the pure talent involved. That lends a sad quality to the film that may have turned off audiences. The Guardian’s Benjamin Lee, gave Poms 1 star out of 5, and if you read his review, you probably wouldn’t spend your money to see the movie either. He said:



It’s easy to praise the mere existence of Poms as a rare wide-releasing comedy populated by women over the age of 70 but rather than feeling inspired, I left the cinema feeling depressed… The women in Poms deserve better and so do we.





‘I left feeling depressed’ is not the blurb you want for an ostensibly feel-good Mother’s Day movie. And while it might be great that this movie got made and received a wide release, general audiences aren’t in the business of voting with their dollar at the box office to advance the cause of older actresses in the industry.


Poms currently has a 32% on Rotten Tomatoes, meaning that the reviews weren’t all bad, and opening night audiences gave the film a “B+” CinemaScore, indicating those who saw it generally liked it. So is Poms' box office failure tied to the bad reviews?


It’s tough to say, but the reviews certainly couldn’t have helped. It’s difficult to know how much reviews truly influence audience’s moviegoing decisions. Plenty of horribly reviewed blockbusters make bank at the box office and countless critically acclaimed smaller films struggle to scrape together a few pennies.




I tend to think that reviews only influence audiences to an extent and that most people make up their minds before they see the reviews. It’s only when the consensus is drastically in one direction or the other that their choice can change. I also don’t know what the level or quality of the marketing across the country was for Poms.


If Poms was beloved and the reviews helped spur great word of mouth, maybe it wouldn’t have flopped in this way, but it was probably never going to really deliver. These kinds of smaller movies, rightly or wrongly, are a dying breed as blockbusters dominate the theatrical calendar. Counter-programming can be successful, and perhaps that, as well as coinciding with the Mother’s Day holiday was the strategy, but everything, including reviews, has to click, and that wasn’t the case here.


I can’t help but feel like in the current marketplace, Poms was far better suited to be released on a streaming service like Netflix. Perhaps when it arrives on a streaming service down the line, it will get a second life.




Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to see everything headed to theater this summer and stay tuned to CinemaBlend for all the latest box office news.