Thor
Examining Iron Man 3 and its Place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
The release of Iron Man 3 starring Robert Downey Jr. is significant for a number of reasons. The first and most obvious reason is that it stands to make Marvel and it’s new parent company, Disney, a boatload of money (the movie opened internationally to $195.3 million, more than The Avengers did the previous summer, and that went on to gross $1.5 billion worldwide). Another is that the Iron Man th...[Read More]
Trailer Trashin’: The God of Thunder Returns in Thor: The Dark World
At long last, the release of Iron Man 3 is upon us, and with it the beginning of the 2013 summer movie season. I’m ridiculously excited about this summer, and Iron Man 3 is just the first of many films I want to see. And this week’s new Trailer Trashin’ column examines our first look at the next part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe – Thor: The Dark World. Premise: Set one year a...[Read More]
Seven Things We Want From the Avengers Sequel
Based on the record-breaking opening weekend The Avengers enjoyed, I think it’s safe to assume that most of you have seen the movie already, but just to be safe – read further at your own risk! There will be at least one major spoiler that will most definitely have a lasting impact on the future of Marvel’s characters on the silver screen. While I know it’s not on the slate just yet, my mind is al...[Read More]
Movie Review: The Avengers
I’ve mentioned several times in the past that I was apprehensive regarding an Avengers movie. Logistically, teaming up all of those major superheroes would be something most people couldn’t do successfully. As the project grew closer though and all the ancillary films were released, I started to think that a team-up movie of this scope could work. Then, Marvel signed Joss Whedon to co-write ...[Read More]
How Marvel Films Made Me a True Believer in The Avengers!
The folks behind the latest crop of Marvel superhero movies have done the impossible – they made me care about The Avengers. I’m a very cynical comic book fan (ed. Note: see Why I Hate the New Superman Costume!) and I’ve never really been keen on the heroes who make up the Avengers. I hate Captain America just as much as I hate Superman. Thor bores me, and as hard as I’ve tried, I could never get ...[Read More]
Weekend Box-Office: Super 8 Rolling Into First
Not really much of a surprise, considering the names attached to the project; Steven Spielberg and J.J. Abrams monstrous Super 8 took on all challengers and earned the top spot this week, with $37 million…a bit of a drop from last week’s top earner X-Men: First Class, which dropped to 2nd place with $25 million. On the other hand, Super 8 has the distinct advantage of costing nearly a third as muc...[Read More]
Weekend Box-Office: X-Men: First Class Earning Top Marks
It’s the post-Memorial Day crunch, and boy, are the top earners from last week mostly feeling the burn. To begin, X-Men: First Class took the weekend’s top spot with $56 million. Despite glowing reviews from critics and theater-goers alike, this top spot is actually weak earnings for the X-Men franchise; accounting for inflation, it made less money in its opening weekend than the original X-Men di...[Read More]
Weekend Box-Office: The Hangover Part II Hangs Over All Comers
It may be almost the same story as the last one, and according to critics, not as well told, but Memorial Day was a good time to be suffering from a blackout…The Hangover Part II pushed aside all competition, earning a total of $105.7 million during the holiday weekend. The original film had only a 3-day weekend in its initial release and steadily grew in popularity with word of mouth, but the ope...[Read More]
Weekend Box-Office: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Sails into First; Bridesmaids Still Second In Line
Despite the dismal reviews and less revenue in its first weekend than its predecessors (that’s including the added markup of 3-D), Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides still showed very strong over the weekend, earning $90.1 million and taking the top spot at the box office. Even so, Johnny Depp and company have helmed a steady ship overseas; the $250 million budget has been covered in the ...[Read More]
Weekend Box-Office: Thor Holds Off the Bridesmaids With His Mighty Hammer!
It may not have opened as big as Fast Five, but Thor is still proving a draw at the box office; the mighty Marvel character kept the top spot for a second week in a row with a nice, healthy $34.5 million, more than enough to boost it past the $100 million barrier. Second place went to newcomer Bridesmaids, the romantic raunch comedy written by and starring Saturday Night Live star Kristen Wiig, wh...[Read More]
Weekend Box-Office: Thor Hammers the Top Spot
If I said Hobo with a Shotgun was the #1 box-office winner this weekend, would you believe me? Well, sometimes it’s good to be skeptical; it was actually the big-budget super hero flick Thor that topped the box office with $66 million in its opening weekend, and making nearly three times that much overseas so far. Fast Five dropped off quickly from its brilliant opening last weekend, pulling in on...[Read More]