Tag: Disney

Why movie studios should NOT buy theatre chains

Because of the Covid-19 pandemic’s impact on the entertainment industry, one question that has repeatedly come up is “Why don’t movie studios buy theatre chains like AMC or Cinemark or Cineworld (which owns Regal), etc.?” After all, the exhibition industry has seen a huge drop in their share prices & market value, which could potentially be a steal for a major movie studio. In addition, the Trump administration recently abolished the Paramount Decrees, which prevented movie studios from buying theatre chains in the past. Now that the Paramount Decrees have ended, studios are legally allowed to own and operate movie theatres, albeit after a short 2-year “sunset period”. So, why haven’t we heard reports of one of the major studios (Disney, WB, Universal, Sony, Paramount) or even one of the streaming giants (Amazon, Apple, Netflix) lining up to own movie theatres? Well, there are a few reasons…

Even though such a vertical integration idea might sound good on the surface, in reality, it would be a poor financial decision for movie studios to make. Because of declining ticket sales, coupled with lackluster financials for movie theatres and a big emphasis on streaming, studios should not open up their wallets to buy movie theatres.

Declining Domestic Ticket Sales

For starters, domestic ticket sales have been declining for years now. Even though 2019 was a record-breaking year for Hollywood with over $42.5 billion in sales, actual tickets sold were far lower from their early-2000 highs, as seen below.

In 2019, 1.244 billion tickets were sold, a drop from 1.301 billion tickets sold in 2018, which is already much lower from 1.575 billion tickets sold in 2002. The only reason 2019 was a record-breaking year, in terms of revenue, is because the average ticket price increased by 36 cents to $9.37. As ticket prices keep rising, fewer people go to the movie theatre, which compel exhibitors to further raise ticket prices to offset the losses. Thanks to burgeoning ticket prices and plethora of other entertainment options like streaming, video games, etc., the average person now only goes to the movie theatre a couple of times a year, primarily for big tentpole films like an ‘Avengers’ or ‘Star Wars.’ In 2019, more than 1/4th of the worldwide box office total came from just 10 movies. The fact of the matter is that people don’t go to the theatre anymore to see smaller films like ‘Doctor Sleep’ or ‘The Lighthouse’, something they routinely did in the past.

Financials

Looking at the financials of AMC, Cinemark, and Cineworld, it is clear that the industry does not have a *high* profit margin. Based on the company’s reported income statements –

Cinemark’s annual net income was: $216 million in 2015, $254 million in 2016, $263 million in 2017, $213 million in 2018, $190 million in 2019.

AMC’s net income was $104 million in 2015, $112 million in 2016, net loss of $487 million in 2017, $110 million in 2018, and a net loss of $149 million in 2019.

Cineworld’s net income was $75 million in 2015, $82 million in 2016, $101 million in 2017, $213 million in 2018, and $141 million in 2019.

While Cinemark and Cineworld have performed considerably better than AMC, at least when it comes to net income, all 3 major theatre chains have billions of dollars in debt (both short-term & long-term).

Not to mention, owning and operating movie theatre is an extremely expensive endeavor. Movie theatres have high overheard fixed costs and because of the pandemic & the resulting lockdowns, they’ve burned through 100’s of millions of dollars of cash every quarter. AMC, the largest theatre chain in the world, recently issued a dire warning, stating that it was going to run out of cash by January. If a studio were to acquire one of these chains, especially AMC, they’d also have to assume all the debt. The 2 biggest movie studios, Disney & AT&T-owned WB, are already riddled with billions of dollars of debt from their recent acquisitions. In 2019, Disney shelled out $71.3 billion to buy 20th Century Fox’s assets, while AT&T purchased DirectTV for $67 billion (including debt) and Time Warner for $85 billion in 2015 and 2018 respectively. An argument could be made, however, for a streaming company to buy movie theatres. As I detailed in my last article, however, Netflix is already $17+ billion in debt, so they are pretty much in no position to run movie theatres & assume all the debt. On the other hand, Amazon ($1.5+ trillion market cap as of this writing) and Apple ($2.2+ trillion market cap as of this writing) have billions of dollars in cash and could potentially acquire movie theatre chains. Even though paying a few billion dollars to acquire one of the 3 big chains is chump change for the likes of Amazon or Apple, both are already investing heavily on their streaming platforms and more importantly, are facing anti-trust lawsuits. It’s safe to say that the last thing either of the 2 tech giants needs is more government scrutiny over its alleged monopolistic business practices.

Streaming

As alluded to before, the industry, as a whole, is transitioning more towards streaming. Today, consumers have over 8 major streaming services, with tons of content to watch from the comfort of their homes. With high-quality, cinematic-level shows produced like ‘The Mandalorian’ or ‘Game of Thrones’ on TV, coupled with all the upcoming ‘Marvel Studios’, ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’ shows coming on streaming platforms, many consumers feel like they’re already getting their money’s worth on streaming without having to spend $15 to watch a VFX-heavy movie in a theatre. For less than $15 a month, consumers get access to 1000’s of classic & original TV shows and movies, which is a better deal for an individual.

In addition to all the classic content, consumers also get new movies on the streaming platforms, including films like Wonder Woman 1984 or Soul or Mulan, etc. Recently, WB dropped a bombshell on the industry, announcing that it will have a simultaneous release strategy for its entire 2021 film slate. Meaning, you will be able to watch films like Kong v. Godzilla, The Suicide Squad, Dune in theatres AND on HBO Max on the same day. In the past, studios and exhibitors had a 3-month theatrical window, which meant that studios couldn’t release their movies on Video On Demand (VOD) or on streaming within that 3-month window. If more studios make similar moves, it’ll render movie theatres useless.

I genuinely hope I’m wrong and will happily eat crow if movie theatres come back stronger than ever, once vaccines are rolled out to the masses. If AMC is unable to raise more money through stock issuance or debt and does end up declaring (Chapter 11) bankruptcy in the next few weeks, which is likely, I hope they are able to successfully reorganize their debts and get back in the business. I cherish the theatrical, moviegoing experience and would like nothing more than to go back to the movies again. Yes, there is also an argument to be made that studios need theatres for their movies to make billions of dollars, which is simply not possible on a streaming service. An ‘Avengers: Endgame’ isn’t going to make $2.8 billion on a streaming service or on VOD. However, the costs of buying and operating movie theatres are far greater than the returns and based on the current trajectory, I suspect that going to the movie theatre might eventually become a relic of the past, with a very niche audience.

Conclusion

As I laid out above, I don’t think it would be prudent for movie studios to own and operate movie theatres. Fewer people were going to the movie theatres today than before, even before Covid-19 wreaked havoc on the exhibition industry. With a razor-thin profit margin & a shifting entertainment landscape to streaming, it simply does not make (financial) sense for a movie studio or a streaming platform to spend billions to acquire movie theatre chains.

All the major streaming services (content, pricing, etc.)

Covid-19 has kept us apart from our families, friends, relatives, but one of the few sources of comfort to ‘cure’ our loneliness are the seemingly-countless streaming services. As more and more people cut cable, more streaming services seem to be popping up. Netflix started out as a DVD rental company in 1997, with streaming only being introduced a decade later. Now, they are primarily known as a streaming service provider and have inspired dozens of companies to provide their own services as well. With HBO Max and NBC-Universal’s Peacock launching very soon, I think it’s a perfect time to list all the major streaming services that are/will be available for our consumption.

  1. Netflix – Easily the most popular streaming service out there, Netflix currently boasts of 180+ million subscribers, with a recent surge in subscribers thanks to the quarantine measures. The service has 3 pricing plans – $8.99/month, $12.99/month, $15.99/month. In terms of what content Netflix has, the real question is “what don’t they have?” They’ve borrowed a lot of money to fund their original programming, which includes heavyweights like Stranger Things, The Witcher, House of Cards, etc. More importantly, Netflix is arguably the only service that has something for everyone, which has worked wonders for them.
  2. Amazon Prime Video – Prime Video is one of the many perks of having an Amazon Prime membership, which costs $12.99/month and $6.99/month for students. And, Prime Video has some of the best streaming content available, including original series like the acclaimed The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Jack Ryan, and original movies like The Report, Late Night, etc. Fun fact – many college students get 6-months of free Amazon Prime using their .edu email ID’s!
  3. Hulu – Hulu is one of the most affordable AND one of the better streaming services available. The service costs $5.99/month with ads and $11.99/month without ads. In terms of content, Hulu has popular shows like ‘Rick and Morty’, ‘Killing Eve’, ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ etc. In addition, Disney (currently a 2/3rds owner) is offering a $12.99/month bundle for Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+, which is a terrific deal!
  4. Apple TV+ – After realizing that the streaming service model can be profitable, Apple decided to jump in the game, with the launch of Apple TV+. Even though Apple+ doesn’t have a lot of IP-driven content, it costs a measly $4.99/month and has critically-acclaimed shows like ‘The Morning Show’, ‘Defending Jacob’ and original movies like Samuel Jackson-Anthony Mackie’s ‘The Banker’, etc. PS – you can get one year of free Apple+ if you’ve purchased an Apple product after September 2019!
  5. Disney+ – The major appeal of Disney+ is the family-friendly content. On top of that, Disney owns some of the biggest Hollywood franchises (Marvel Studios, Star Wars, Pixar) and recently acquired 20th Century Fox’s assets (X-Men, Avatar, Simpsons) to boost their D+ content. This service currently costs $6.99/month and has most (not all because of existing deals) of the Marvel movies, the Star Wars films and 100’s of Disney toons. Fun fact, current Verizon Unlimited customers can get one year of free Disney+, so win-win! In terms of content, one criticism levied against D+ is the lack of high-profile new content, which Disney will soon rectify with the launch of Falcon & Winter Soldier, Mandalorian season 2, and WandaVision this year! And, they have more Marvel shows (Loki, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, etc.) and Star Wars shows (Obi-Wan, Rogue One’s Cassian Andor) in production!
  6. CBS All Access – CBS All Access is arguably the least-buzzy of the big streaming services, as there isn’t a whole lot of appealing content. Aside from the Star Trek shows (Picard, Discovery), The Twilight Zone, CBS All Access simply doesn’t have the content that justifies paying for this service. However, the service has 2 pricing plans – $5.99/month (with limited ads) and $9.99/month (no ads).
  7. HBO Max – HBO Max is essentially a derivative of the existing HBO Now (streaming service) and HBO Go (cable service for DirecTV & Spectrum customers) and will launch on May 27. Max will cost $15/month and will feature the usual HBO content (Game of Thrones, Westworld). However, it is an upgrade from Now & Go in that there will original content (Justice League Dark, The Shining’s Overlook series) and licensed content like Friends, Southpark, The Big Bang Theory, etc., which the existing versions won’t have. I also suspect that WB will merge the DC streaming service into HBO Max. At least, that makes more sense…
  8. Peacock – Lastly, NBCUniversal’s Peacock has already launched for some Comcast customers but will launch for everyone else on July 15. Now, Peacock has 3 different price tiers –  $0 (limited content + ads), $4.99/month (with ads) and $9.99/month (no ads). In terms of content, Peacock will have all the Universal movies (Jurassic World, Fast & Furious), original content (a new Battlestar Galactica series) and more importantly, The Office and Parks & Recreation. As you may or may not know, Parks & Rec, and The Office will depart Netflix in October 2020 and January 2021 respectively!

PS – If you subscribe to every aforementioned service at the cheapest price, you’ll still be paying at least $50/month!!

Unless another major studio decides to launch their own streaming service, it looks like the majority of the competition will be among those 8 services. Of course, we have also have other lesser-known services like Quibi (will soon allow for TV viewing), Tubi (free, ad-supported), Shudder ($4.75/month for horror/supernatural content), Crackle (free, ad-supported), Showtime ($10.99/month), Starz ($8.99/month), YouTube TV ($49.99/month), AND more!! So don’t worry, you have plenty of content to keep you entertained!

 

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Review (No Spoilers)

Ever since its inception in 1977, Star Wars has had a massive impact on pop-culture, with a plethora of iconic characters, scores, locations, etc. After being on a hiatus for a decade, Star Wars returned to the big screen, thanks to Disney’s pricey acquisition of Lucasfilm for $4 billion. Force Awakens and Rogue One were both lauded by critics and fans alike and made over a billion dollars each, with the former cracking the $2 billion mark. The Last Jedi was a critical success but was met with mixed audience reviews. Solo (remember that movie?) was a box office disaster, despite mixed-to-positive reviews from critics and audience alike. And now, the supposed grand finale to the 9-film Skywalker saga has released everywhere in the world and — it’s a mixed bag…

The problem with this new trilogy is the lack of coherent vision. JJ Abrams did a terrific job in starting the new Disney-Star Wars films with Force Awakens. Then, Rian Johnson came along and made some bold decisions to shift the trajectory and subvert the franchise tropes in The Last Jedi but because of how divisive it ended up being, Disney decided to re-hire JJ to conclude the trilogy and the Skywalker saga as a whole. By the end of the Rise of Skywalker, it was abundantly clear that Kathleen Kennedy (head honcho at Lucasfilm) failed at properly shepherding the new series of films and actually having a plan. 

Positives 

Just like in the Last Jedi, the dynamic between Rey and Kylo is by far the most interesting aspect of the film. Sans an out-of-nowhere moment at the end of the film, the ‘will-they won’t-they’ is as compelling as it was in the last film, and both actors clearly showcase their acting chops in those scenes. Furthermore, they engage in a lot more ‘force-time’ (a play on Face-time) in this film and I gotta say, the filmmakers cleverly utilize that particular Force trick throughout the film. Adam Driver continues his latest string of terrific performances and once again, commands the screen with his presence as Supreme Leader Kylo Ren. Daisy Ridley is once again the heart of this trilogy, mixed with a touch of darkness as teased in the trailers.

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In this chapter, we also got a lot more scenes with Rey, Poe, and Finn and I really enjoyed the chemistry and dynamic between them. After all, the 3 were mostly separated and sent on random sidequests in the Last Jedi. Even though Poe doesn’t have a whole lot to do (more on that later), his character is way more likable in this episode and does a convincing job showing his struggles to live up the legacy of General Leia. In addition, he gets some scene-stealing scenes with his former friend/lover (?), Zorii (played by Keri Russell). A spin-off film, please!

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Courtesy of Disney/Lucasfilm

Negatives

This movie emphasizes plot over character, which often makes it feel bloated. As a result, it’s hard to care much for the characters, when not enough time is spent in fleshing them out. However, the biggest culprit is the exorbitant amount of fan-service, lacking any emotional connection whatsoever. Imagine if the third-act, action-heavy section of Avengers: Endgame neither had the character-driven moments in the first 2 acts nor the prior movies to actually develop the characters. When Captain America summons Thor’s hammer or yells “Avengers Assemble” or the heroes charge into the battle, we can’t help but cheer and cry with excitement! This is because the filmmakers actually showed the heroes at their nadir, which makes those fan-service moments emotionally resonant. In Rise of Skywalker, there are similar moments that are meant to elicit Endgame-level reactions but aside from a handful of cheers, the theatre was eerily quiet… When even the most hardcore of hardcore Star Wars fans are pretty silent during an Opening Night-1st screening of a Star Wars film, you know there’s a problem.

Speaking of characters, Finn and Poe are once again relegated to secondary roles and don’t have much to do. Finn’s Stormtrooper-turned-Rebel turn is only briefly referenced in the film but is largely ignored, which is frustrating because there’s a lot of story and conflict that could’ve been mined there.

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Courtesy of Disney/Lucasfilm

This image perfectly encapsulates the film’s grandiose aspirations! It has more spectacle and bigger-action set-pieces but somehow feels smaller compared to the final battle of the other episodic films. Also, none of the action scenes are as intense or thrilling as the ‘Throne Room Battle‘ in The Last Jedi or ‘Rey vs Kylo‘ fight in The Force Awakens. It’s essentially an inordinate amount of VFX-generated Rebel ships engaged in dogfights with the Imperial fleet, with no tension or excitement.

As shown in the trailers, Palpatine is back and despite us wondering how he survived the end of Return of the Jedi, the filmmakers never answer that question, which renders Vader’s sacrifice (spoiler alert?) pointless. In addition, this movie retcons many *major* aspects of The Last Jedi, which adds to the feeling of disjointedness throughout the trilogy. Why does Rey have to be related to somebody?… Her being a “nobody” is far more compelling and makes her character more relatable, as opposed to being related to another strong force-user. Where Rian Johnson tried to subvert expectations and take the characters away from all the Skywalker baggage, JJ fully embraces the past and arguably doubles down by the end of the film. Again, extremely poor-planning on Kennedy’s part! Much to my chagrin, this film also has a painful tendency to immediately backtrack on moments that signify any form of stakes (deaths of people/droids), which I can only guess is to play safe and not piss off any more viewers?

Rating – Mild Recommendation

Despite a couple of amazing moments (Rey vs/and Kylo, the increased screentime with the new trinity), The Rise of Skywalker is a massive disappointment. Too much fan-service, without any emotional or dramatic weight, isn’t worth much when not earned. If you want more action, spectacle, and nostalgia in your Star Wars appetite, then this film will most definitely satiate your desires. However, I hoped for a more bolder story and character decisions, a la The Last Jedi, rather than once again playing it safe and unfortunately, Rise of Skywalker would rather ride on the coattails of its (superior) predecessors than charting its own path.

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All the Marvel Studios Disney+ shows announced

After the recent San Diego Comic-Con and D-23, it’s abundantly clear that Disney is pulling no punches when it comes to their streaming service – Disney+. The service launches on November 12 and will have original Star Wars and Marvel Studios TV series, and all the content that Disney owns/ now owns with Fox acquisition.

In terms of all the Marvel shows announced, here is the list –

Falcon & Winter Soldier (Fall 2020) – The show takes place after the events of Endgame and SPOILER ALERT for Endgame, old man Steve gives the Cap shield/ ‘mantle’ of Captain America to Sam. The main villain of the series is Zemo, who was the antagonist in Captain America: Civil War. Sharon Carter (Agent 13) will once again return to presumably succor Sam and Bucky on their next adventure.

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Courtesy of Marvel Studios

WandaVision (Spring 2021) – At D23, Kevin Feige described this series as “half Marvel movie” and “half 60’s sitcom.” It’s entirely possible that Scarlet Witch uses her reality-warping abilities to ‘create’ this world where Vision was still alive and they actually shared life together. Of course, as you may remember from Avengers: Infinity War, Vision was killed (twice). Apparently, the events of the show lead directly into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which will see Scarlet Witch team-up alongside the Sorceror Supreme.

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Courtesy of Marvel Studios

Loki (Spring 2021) – It seems as if the fan-favorite character Loki will never truly stay dead. This is the Loki, that escaped with the Tesseract in the 2012 time-travel scene in Endgame. Not much is known about the show other than the fact that Loki will jump around in time and “pop up throughout human history as [an] unlikely influencer on historical events.”

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Courtesy of Marvel Studios

Marvel’s What-If (Summer 2021) – This is going to be the first ANIMATED Marvel Studios project, with 23 episodes in a season (one episode for every MCU movie). All the MCU actors will return to the voice of their animated counterparts. As the title suggests, this series will explore alternate versions of the characters and stories. For example, in episode 1, ‘What if’ Peggy Carter got the superhero serum as opposed to Steve Rogers. You get the idea…

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Courtesy of Marvel Studios

Hawkeye (Fall 2021) – Not much is known about this particular series but according to reports, this show will largely be about Clint Barton training and passing the mantle of Hawkeye to a character named Kate Bishop.

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Courtesy of Marvel Studios

The other shows Marvel has announced for their parent company’s streaming service includes – Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, and Moon Knight.

Note, the ‘cooling-off period‘ for the Netflix characters (Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, and The Punisher) is 2 years. Meaning, we could very well see some of them having their own series and/or guest-starring in other people’s shows. For example, we could see Matt Murdock (Daredevil) in She-Hulk, since Jennifer Walters is also a lawyer.

Anyways, these are all the shows Marvel has announced. I am most intrigued by the WandaVision show but in terms of my sheer anticipation, it’s easily Falcon & Winter Soldier!

Ready or Not Review (No Spoilers)

With kids going back to schools and PG-13 fueled summer movies now in the rearview mirror, this is a time when studios generally release their R-rated, more mature content.

A good way to describe Ready or Not is – ‘Get Out’ meets ‘Hide and Seek’ meets ‘Game Night.’ After just getting married to Alex, one of the sons of the very affluent family, Grace learns that Alex’s big family have a very weird tradition – playing a board-game the night of the wedding. At first, Grace playfully goes along with it, till she learns of the sinister and nefarious intent of her in-laws. Apparently, the great-grandfather’s avarice for riches and fame led him to make a Faustian deal and now, the family believes that if they don’t kill the bride, they’ll die.

Before I go further in detail on my review, I want to point something out. Ready or Not is one of Fox Searchlight’s final movies and if you want more (original) movies like this, please go watch it. Disney, the new owner of Fox, is considering dismantling Fox Searchlight and all the Fox projects and plan on continuing their efforts on reboots/remakes/sequels (ie. The Lion King).

Positives

Samara Weaving absolutely steals all the scenes she’s in and it’s abundantly evident that she’s having a blast playing this character. Right off the bat, we learn that she’s lived in a foster home for her whole life and she really wants to please her fastidious in-laws. Her desire to have a family is all but enough for us to root for her.

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Aside from the protagonist, the other most complex character is her brother-in-law. He’s actually conflicted about killing Grace, which definitely helps make him (a bit more) sympathetic than the other family members.

This movie is fairly well-shot, with a solid amount of laughs and gore. As a satire, it (mostly) works. The movie explores the lengths the rich will go to keep their excess wealth, which is one of the contention points among the Democratic party. In one of the film’s memorable scenes, Grace’s cocaine-addicted sister-in-law accidentally shoots a maid, to which some of the family members reply, “She was my favorite.” This indifference and the perceived lack of value in human life is definitely something the film excels at exploring.

Negatives

From the trailers, one might be forgiven for assuming that the movie ends up being a revenge flick, with Grace hunting down the rich. Unfortunately, there simply isn’t as much revenge (no, I am not bloodthirsty) and the formula wears off pretty quick. What I mean by that is, there is a repetitive story beat – Grace is “found” and she has to escape. That is played ad nauseum. Despite a short runtime (1:34), some sequences are unnecessarily long and add to a boring feeling. This is also an extremely predictable film, which is too bad considering it easily could have subverted our expectations in the final act.

Some of the performances are extremely campy and the relationship drama between Alex and his mom is contrived and simply exists to move the plot forward.

Rating – Mild Recommendation

Overall, Ready or Not is (mostly) an enjoyable flick, with a terrific lead. While the gore might be enough to turn some viewers away, I contend it was necessary for the movie’s ultimate message “F*cking rich people!”

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The Lion King 2019 Review (No Spoilers?…)

With Dumbo and Aladdin in the same calendar year already, it is clear that Disney is doubling down on their live-action remakes. This time, it’s arguably Disney’s most beloved animated film, the Lion King. Jon Favreau, the director of Iron Man and The Jungle Book, once again helms the latest Disney remake.

FYI, this is an animated film and if it does get nominated for ‘Best Animated Film’ at the Academy Awards, don’t be shocked. There is nothing “live-action” in this incarnation of the Lion King and everything is CGI, including the landscape.

Positives

Does it really have to be said? The visual effects are absolutely revolutionary and not just the actual animals themselves but also the scenery. This is a gorgeous film to look at, with excellent production design, cinematography, filmmaking, etc. I mean, just look at the images below. This is photo-realism taken to the max level. These aren’t real animals trained to behave a certain way but fully computer-generated!! Absolutely astonishing and game-changing! This movie is definitely deserving of any, and all, visual effect accolades.

Despite the terrific color palette, this movie felt dull until Timon and Pumbaa show up. The fan-favorites, voiced by Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen, are absolutely terrific and have excellent chemistry. They add a much-needed jolt of energy to this lifeless film and their banter is absolutely fun to watch. If only, they had more to do…

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James Earl Jones is once again excellent as Mufasa. His commanding presence permeates all the scenes he’s in. Chiwetel Ejiofor, whose name I still need to copy-paste from Google, is surprisingly good as Scar and is just the right amount of menacing and conniving. The hyenas, who were portrayed as idiots and a big joke in the 1994 animated version, are far more realized and terrifying in this new one.

Negatives

The biggest problem of the remake is that it’s extremely unnecessary. It’s essentially a shot-for-shot remake of the beloved 1994 animated film with very little additions, which is why I am extremely disappointed by it. There is absolutely zero narrative changes and is arguably the least-risky remake Disney has produced so far. I know some people will be pleased to learn that Disney didn’t tinker with the existing source material but for me, doing something a little different and potentially failing is more appealing than not taking any creative risks at all.

Speaking of the characters, most of them still don’t have much to do. The adult versions of Simba and Nala, voiced by Donald Glover and Beyoncé respectively, are given far less-screentime and don’t seem to have the level of emotion they should. It’s probably a little sacrilegious to say but here I go – Nala was a pretty under-developed character in the original film too. By adding Beyoncé, I was really hoping for more characterization for Nala but alas, we don’t get more. This is especially disconcerting considering Naomi Scott’s Jasmine in the Aladdin remake had a much better, more progressive arc than her animated counterpart.

The degree of verisimilitude to create the most realistic-looking animals is also one of the problems as the creatures don’t emote much and are far less expressive than their ‘animated’ counterparts. This is an issue the Jungle Book didn’t have. Even though the animals looked pretty realistic, they also had an ‘animated’ feel to them. The Lion King goes all-in for the utmost-realism but suffers a little, as a result.

Rating – Not A Recommendation

I can’t help but echo what I’ve been hearing from most critics. It is a “soulless” remake that has nothing original to offer. Aside from the stellar visuals and charming friendship/banter between Timon and Pumbaa, the 2019 Lion King is just another corporate-produced retelling of a beloved film that simply exists as a cash-grab.

Box Office – Why Avengers: Endgame won’t catch Avatar?

Proclaimed as the ‘cinematic event of our lifetime,’ Avengers: Endgame has dominated the pop-culture lexicon ever since the cliffhanger-ending of Avengers: Infinity War. Thanos wiping out half of all life, including beloved heroes like Spider-Man, Black Panther, left audiences in a state of shock, which made the final chapter of the 22-film saga even more of an event. When the tickets went on sale for Endgame, ticketing sites like AMC, Fandango, Atom Tickets, either crashed or experienced huge delays from system overloads. Fandango reported that Endgame’s pre-sale tickets demolished the previous record-holder’s pre-sales, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, in less than 1/4th the time. The record-breaking pre-sales immediately left the film-fan community wondering – Will Avengers: Endgame be the movie that finally dethrones Avatar’s 10-year long-held #1 spot in the worldwide box office list. Despite the crazy hype and buzz that Avengers: Infinity War and the Force Awakens enjoyed, the 2 Disney flicks successfully joined the exclusive 2-billion club but were unable to topple James Cameron’s Titanic and Avatar. Titanic remained #2 at $2.187.5 billion, while Avatar sat comfortably at #1 with $2.788 billion. All that seemingly changed once Endgame opened.

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Endgame opened to a tune of $357 million, utterly annihilating the previous domestic-opening weekend record-holder, Infinity War ($257 million). Worldwide, Endgame opened to Galactus-sized $1.2 billion, destroying the previous opening weekend record-holder, Infinity War ($641 million). With the gargantuan $1.2 billion opening weekend that Endgame had, even the most skeptical box-office pundits became all-but-certain that it’s not a matter of if but when Avatar would be dethroned by the Avengers flick. However, it looks like Endgame will end up being just short of Avatar’s record, which is something I have said since day 1. As of this writing, Endgame is at $2.749 billion, less than $40 million from Avatar. Barring a miracle, Endgame will probably end its run with $2.754 billion at this rate. Shameful, right? Disney is crying itself to sleep, knowing that their movie, Endgame, won’t top their other film, Avatar (recently-acquired from the Fox purchase). Just being facetious, of course. Who am I kidding? As I write this article, the Disney execs are probably sleeping atop the piles of cash Endgame raked in.

Jokes aside, I believe there are 2 big reasons for Endgame failing to top Avatar’s record – the sheer competition and the 3-hour run-time.

Competition

In my opinion, the sheer competition is the biggest reason for Endgame failing to top Avatar. Unlike its rival, Endgame faced/continues to face an onslaught of heavy competition. Just for the sake of simplification and ease, I will only list movies that grossed at least $100 million within Endgame and Avatar’s first 2 months of release. In its first 2 months, Endgame’s major competition included – Detective Pikachu ($422 million+), John Wick 3 ($290 million +), Aladdin ($800 million +), Godzilla 2 ($350 million +), Rocketman ($150 million +), Dark Phoenix ($250 million +), Secret Life of Pets 2 ($200 million +), Men in Black ($180 million +), Toy Story 4 (just opened as of me writing this article – $238 million +), and Annabelle 3 (yet to open). Not to mention, Spider-Man: Far From Home and The Lion King also release real soon. Even though none of the aforementioned movies will make as much money as Endgame, they definitely took (at least $40 million) money away from Endgame.

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On the other hand, let’s look at Avatar’s competition in its first 2 months of release. Avatar’s significant competition included – Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel ($443 million +), Sherlock Holmes ($524 million +), The Wolfman ($139 million +), Shutter Island ($294.8 million +), and Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief ($226 million +).

Note – Endgame faced 2x the significant competition than Avatar. In addition, the competing films also went for a similar demographic as Endgame. Sans John Wick 3, Annabelle 3 and Rocketman, the other 7 films have a four-quadrant appeal and target a family-audience. In Avatar’s case, there really isn’t a clear-cut direct competition. Alvin and the Chipmunks is primarily targeted at the kids, while the Percy Jackson flick is more targeted towards the young adults. Wolfman, Shutter Island, and Sherlock Holmes are all geared toward adults.

Run-time

The longer a movie is, the fewer number of showtimes can it have in a day. Avatar clocks in at 2 hours and 42 minutes, while Endgame has a run-time of 3 hours and 2 minutes. One might be tempted to say, “It’s only a 20-minute difference. Big deal!” In reality, those 20 minutes are a huge deal! With significantly less competition and a shorter run-time, Avatar was able to stay in theatres a lot longer and play on many more screens than theatres could for Endgame. Being 3 hours long, theatres can only show Endgame a finite number of times in any given day. Because this article does a superb job in explaining the correlation between a longer run-time and box office, I highly recommend checking out this article from Variety. As explained in the article, “exhibitors are budgeting an additional hour for each screening, which cuts at least one showtime daily.” Multiply one lost screen with every theatre domestically and Endgame loses at least 4000 screenings in any given day. Of course, this number is a lot higher when you factor in the international screens.

In addition, the lengthier run-time also affects the re-watchability factor. Even if people love Endgame 3000, many are a little hesitant to go back to the theatres and re-watch Endgame, as it’s a pretty long movie. And obviously, going to the movie theatre is a costly, time-consuming endeavor. Not to mention, many parents might be afraid of taking their young children to a 3 hour+ movie.

Conclusion

Despite the huge opening weekend, Avengers: Endgame won’t (and doesn’t have to) catch Avatar at its current pace. The movie faced a lot of competition and it’s lengthier run-time limits the number of screenings per day. Yes, you also have other factors like streaming options, novelty, etc. but the effects of those are arguably minuscule compared to the reasons I elaborated on. However, the rank really doesn’t matter that much. Either way, we (and Disney) win. Besides, Endgame has made over $2.7 billion, something only one other film has ever done. It has already broken most of the box-office records and cemented its place in the hearts of movie-goers. Honestly, there is nothing to be ashamed about for Endgame winning the silver medal.

PS – Disney/Marvel is “re-releasing” Endgame with a deleted scene, a tribute (presumably of Stan Lee) and “some extra surprises.” Even though it’s still possible, I just don’t see Endgame making an additional $40 million from this so-called “extended cut.”

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Aladdin Review (No Spoilers)

After huge successes with the Jungle Book (2016), Maleficient (2014), Beauty and the Beast (2016), Disney is going all-in with their live-action adaptations. This year alone, the studio is releasing/has released 3 “live-action” adaptations – Dumbo and Aladdin, and The Lion King (photo-realistic animation but animated nonetheless).

Positives

Going into the movie, many people were skeptical of Will Smith’s casting as the Genie, seeing as the late Robin Wiliams portrayal is still so vivid in moviegoers’ minds. However, I am happy to report that Smith is great as the genie; In fact, he’s the best part of the film. He brings his usual charm and charisma, and a dose of much-needed energy. As for the look of the character, which I generally don’t care about anyways, he looks fine. Of course, some will complain, but you can’t please everybody.

Speaking of the titular character, the newcomer Mena Massoud does a fine job as Aladdin. He captures the awkward yet charming essence of the character well but especially shines during the comedic scenes. The insanely gorgeous and talented Naomi Scott plays Princess Jasmine and arguably gives the best performance in the film. Unlike her animated counterpart, Jasmine wishes to be the ‘Sultan’ and is unwilling to let others tell her what to do. Massoud and Scott both have good chemistry and adorable back-and-forth, especially during the film’s “parkour” sequence in the beginning. However, it’s the palpable chemistry between Massoud and Smith that truly elevates this film from being generic to enjoyable.

As for the songs, most of them are from the original animated flick but there are a couple of new additions. My favorite song from this live-action adaptation is Speechless. Even though its placing is a little questionable, it’s a beautiful female empowerment song that I have listened to so many times already! Fun fact – Naomi Scott actually sang that song herself.

Negatives

Unlike the animated film which had a runtime of around 1:30, this live-action reincarnation has a runtime of over 2 hours. However, the movie could have done without 10-15 minutes because after a while, I really started to “feel” the runtime. In addition, some of the performances are quite mediocre, especially from Marwan Kenzari’s Jafar. Not only is the villainous character unmemorable, Kenzari’s performance often isn’t on the same tempo as the other actors.

Despite a huge budget of $180 million, the CGI is poor throughout the movie. First of all, the city never really feels lived-in. It’s totally clean, devoid of any verisimilitude. In addition, whenever the characters are interacting with each other, with the city in the background, it is quite evident that it was shot in front of a green screen.

My biggest problem, however, is to question the reason for making this film, besides the financial incentive. It’s basically a live-action adaptation of a beloved animated film, with fewer memorable additions. It’s hard to tell whether people that like this incarnation like it because it’s so faithful to the animated movie (nostalgia) or because they genuinely like this film.

Rating

Even though the live-action adaptation of Aladdin is better than I thought it would be, it’s still pretty unnecessary with poor CGI, underdeveloped villain, and a longer-than-needed runtime. However, Will Smith’s performance as the Genie and Mena Massoud’s chemistry with Smith and Scott makes this a semi-enjoyable flick. 3/5.

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Ranking the Comic-book Movies of 2018 (SPOILERS)

Since forever ago, many folks have been predicting the demise of the superhero genre. Well, they were proven wrong yet again. Being the dominant genre in Hollywood, the combined worldwide gross of all the 8 comic-book movies (Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Deadpool 2, Ant man and the wasp, Teen Titans: Go to the movies, Venom, Spiderman: into the spider-verse and Aquaman) is well over 6 billion dollars, with Spiderman and Aquaman just having released in theatres. Now that I have seen them all, I can now rank the 8 comic-book movies from least favorite to my favorite. Spoiler warning.

#8. Venom – a Tom Hardy-led Venom movie with the director of Zombieland at the helm and a solid cast (including Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed), what could go wrong? Well, it seems like pretty much everything went wrong with this anti-hero flick. Venom has a terrible script, weak performances (sans Hardy), cringe dialogue, poor villains (both Drake and Riot) etc. The only reason I didn’t hate this movie is because of Hardy, who goes “all out” and delivers an entertaining-to-watch performance. Eddie and Venom’s relationship and back-and-forth is one of the film’s strengths and it was very enjoyable when the movie just focused on the two. While I personally didn’t like this movie, the general audiences kinda did and the movie had great legs and well over $850 million at the box office. This is by far the weakest comic-book movie of the year but here’s hoping that they make a better Venom sequel.

#7. Teen Titans – this was a movie I had absolutely zero interest in. Never seen a Teen Titans episode and the trailers were pretty bad and looked extremely childish. Gotta say, I was pleasantly surprised. This is an extremely self-referential movie and has a pretty well-developed lead in the Robin. While this is definitely not a movie for everyone because of the juvenile nature of the movie, it has some great moments for the DC fan in me to ultimately have a good experience.

#6. Ant man and the Wasp – Like its predecessor, A&W is a good palette cleanser after the big Avengers movies. I love how our heroes use shrinking/growing and the visuals are really good! This is also a really funny movie with some good performances from Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly etc. Where this movie suffers is with the villains, especially the storyline with Sonny Burch. Also, Black Panther just opened our eyes to the incredible world of Wakanda and Infinity War was a large-scale epic movie, but A&W, unfortunately, is a pretty formulaic MCU movie .

#5. Deadpool 2 – Like most people, I loved the first Deadpool movie and was very excited for the sequel. After watching the movie, my initial reaction was “it’s good but no where as good as the first one” and this reaction mostly stands. I enjoyed this movie but this movie doesn’t have as good of a balance of humor and character work as the first one did. The pacing is off and some characters like Firefist are obnoxious. However, the emotional moments between Wade and Vanessa are powerful and this movie is arguably funnier than the first film, especially the X-force deaths sequence which had me cracking up. Not to forget, Cable and Domino are really interesting characters and I can’t wait to see them in X-force.

#4. Aquaman – Coming off of a string of divisive films (sans Wonder Woman), DC absolutely needed a win in Aquaman and they achieved it! Aquaman is the definition of a fun, popcorn movie. It has a ton of action, one-liners, comedy and decently fleshed-out characters. The effects on the underwater world are visually stunning and this movie does not hesitate to embrace its comicbook-iness.  Not to mention, Aquaman has a good lead in Momoa! Where this movie suffers is in its script, emotional moments and weak villains (notice the trend?). However, a win’s a win and DC is on the right path again!

#3. Black Panther – Before I say anything, I just want to preface this by saying Black Panther is a really good movie. It has some of the best performances and an uber-talented ensemble cast in the MCU, strong female characters (Okoye, Shuri, Nakia) and is a very relevant movie in our society today. Having a predominantly black cast with a black director is remarkable and what Ryan Coogler did with Black Panther is incredible! This is also one of those movies where the beliefs/actions of the villain actually changes our protagonist and by the end of the movie, T’Challa opening up Wakanda to the rest of the world works. However, I don’t love this movie, like most people do, and really don’t believe that this movie deserves to get a Best Picture nomination at the Academy Awards. It is an important movie but that doesn’t make it an Oscar-calibre movie, in my humble opinion. This movie also has questionable CGI at times, messy fight scenes and a sudden villain turn. Killmonger makes some very good points about Wakanda not using its resources to help black people around the world, but he becomes a moustache-twirling villain by the end. Again, I really like this movie and do believe that it deserves technical awards nominations like “Best Costume,” “Best Sound Editing,” and “Best Sound Mixing” but just not more.

#2. Spiderman: into the spider-verse – This animated flick had a very difficult job – convincing us that a Spider-man movie with so many characters and villains can work. After all, neither Sony nor we have forgotten what happened with Spiderman 3 and Amazing Spiderman 2. I am very happy to say that this movie is amazing (no pun intended)! It had a lot of great character moments and the relationships between Miles and his dad, Miles and his uncle and Miles and Peter are heartwarming. There is a scene that takes place between Miles’ dad and Miles in a college dorm, which gives me chills just thinking about. The introduction of the secondary Spidey characters is super fun and infuses a lot of humor to the movie, especially from Spider-Noir (voiced by Nicholas Cage). This movie, at times, feels like a comic-book come to life with comic-book style panels and text on screen. If this movie does end up getting a ‘Best Picture’ nomination at the Oscars, which it very well may, I have no qualms about it as it is definitely deserving of any accolades.

#1. Avengers: Infinity War – Infinity War is the culmination of 10 years of storytelling and to celebrate this momentous occasion, Marvel essentially had “throw everything but the kitchen sink” mentality for this movie. It has basically every main character (sans Hawkeye and Ant Man) in the MCU facing off against the big baddie, Thanos and man, the Russos exceeded my already-high expectations. This is easily one of my favorite movies of the year and one particular reason for that is Thanos, who is now my favorite villain in cinematic history. He is such a complex, 3-dimensional character and even though you (hopefully) don’t agree with him, you totally understand where he is coming from. The action is incredible, the humor totally works and because of its scale, this really felt like the most epic movie of our generation. And of course, who can forget the ending? Our heroes turning to dust and Spiderman’s line “Mr. Stark, I don’t feel so good.” Man, that is heartbreaking. Infinity War is easily my favorite superhero film of the year and I am (just a little) excited for Avengers: Endgame!

Now, what say you? Leave your rankings down below!