James Wan Shares First Photo From Annabelle Comes Home

James Wan Shares First Photo From Annabelle Comes Home

Director James Wan has been in the business for many years, but he's currently enjoying arguably his biggest success to date. Wan's DC debut Aquaman has helped Warner Bros.' shared universe bounce back, and the blockbuster was a critical and financial success. What's more, a sequel and spinoff are already in development. But Wan's roots are ultimately in the horror world, and he'll step back into the genre in a big way with Annabelle Comes Home, the upcoming threequel that he's producing.

James Wan introduced Annabelle to audiences when the creepy roll first popped up in The Conjuring, as the Warrens recounted some of their paranormal cases. She made enough of an impact that a spinoff movie was produced, aptly named Annabelle. It's sequel Annabelle: Creation improved on the franchise, and the upcoming threequel will include Vera Farmiga and Patrick Stewart's return to their Conjuring characters. Wan just revealed the first glimpse at Annabelle Comes Home, check it out below.

Annabelle is back, and this time she's got some friends with her. Annabelle Comes Home will bring us back to the Warren's house, especially their terrifying room of haunted artifacts. And this poster teases that the haunted doll has some tricks up her little sleeve.

Annabelle Comes Home will focus largely on the Warren's daughter Judy, who we've seen a few times throughout the Conjuring franchise. This time she'll be played by young actress Mckenna Grace, who audiences will recognize from I, Tonya, and Gifted. Demonologists The Warrens will procure Annabelle after rescuing the doll's latest victims, and bring her back to their home. The couple has an entire room of haunted objects, but it looks like Annabelle will have a power the weren't prepared for. Instead, they may have given her a group of demonic allies.

This new poster and Annabelle Comes Home's concept tease a very exciting threequel, forming a trilogy of horror movies in the process. The Warrens have been kept largely separate from the spinoffs, so it's exciting to see the deeper connection to the original franchise. James Wan is onboard as a producer, and his involvement should give cynics reason to relax. Especially as he continues basking in the sun of Aquaman's success.

The Annabelle franchise has already had an interesting life in theaters. The original film was the very first spinoff to come from The Conjuring Universe, something which will become more popular in the coming years. Annabelle was poorly received by critics, but it still managed to be a box office success. Annabelle: Creation was significantly better in quality, and made even more money at the box office. As such, the pressure is on for Annabelle Comes Home to deliver when it arrives this summer.

All will be revealed when Annabelle Comes Home arrives in theaters on June 28th, 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

What The Godzilla End-Credits Scenes Probably Mean For The Future Of The MonsterVerse

What The Godzilla End-Credits Scenes Probably Mean For The Future Of The MonsterVerse

Warning: Spoilers for Godzilla: King of the Monsters are in play. If you haven’t seen the film yet, come back once you’ve caught up with the action, and are cleared for duty.

At the end of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, a brave new world is set into motion. With Monarch unable to hide the existence of the Titans from the public, and massive events of devastation rocking several major cities of the globe, the time has apparently come in which human and Titan will strive for co-existence.

With the sequel, Godzilla vs. Kong heading into theaters next year, there’s going to be a lot to chew on between now and that film’s March 2020 debut. And luckily, it’s all thanks to some interesting headlines shown during the film’s end credits, as well as a particular moment that makes up the post-credits stinger for the film.

We’re going to discuss both in great detail, so if you’re looking to avoid spoilers, this is your final warning. Otherwise, we hope your Monarch clearance levels are up to date, as we’re about to pull back the curtain on Godzilla: King of the Monsters and what its ending credits probably mean for the future of Warner Bros. and Legendary’s MonsterVerse.

What Happens During The Credits Of Godzilla: King Of The Monsters

With a mass awakening of Titans occurring thanks to the actions of both Vera Farmiga’s Monarch operative Dr. Emma Russell and Charles Dance’s eco-terrorist, Col. Alan Jonah, the cryptozoological organization had two choices: try to pull off the greatest coverup of all time, or share their research with the public. In light of Godzilla: King of the Monsters’ events, Monarch decided it was time for the latter to finally happen.

Monarch’s research about Titans, their behavior, their history, and even events of films like Kong: Skull Island and Godzilla, is released to the public en masse in the aftermath of this grand scale event. As such, the world starts to change in light of the revelation that is the existence of Titans.

Cruise ships are surprised by visits with the King of the Monsters himself, and they wind up being Twitter moments. Prehistoric plants are not only coming back, they could be the new superfood. And most importantly, the earth is starting to be healed thanks to the Titans no longer being driven by King Ghidorah’s influence to destroy the world.

But there is a slight downside, as the area around Skull Island seems to be unstable, and all of these “New Titans” are starting to set up camp in that area. Which, more than likely, will piss off the current inhabitants of that area, most of all King Kong. And the danger doesn’t stop there, as the rogue elements from Godzilla: King of the Monsters are making another play at some unfinished business in the post credits stinger.

What Happens After The Credits Of Godzilla: King Of The Monsters

After all is said and done with the wave of new world acceptance between Titans and humanity, there’s still a bit of a black market to be had for Titans and Titan by-products. At the very end of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, we return to Isla De Mara, the Mexican village devastated by the awakening of Rodan.

And it’s not for a particularly good reason either, as the decapitated head of King Ghidorah has been recovered by some enterprising parties. Yes, we see the remains of the invasive alien species up for grabs to the highest bidder, and that bidder just happens to be one Col. Alan Jonah: someone who definitely knows how to make a buck off of Titan DNA.

Surviving the events of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, the man and his remaining cronies are very inclined to procure this item. Once it’s revealed to the audience that he’s the mysterious shopper looking to add that gigantic piece to his collection, the scene ends with a line of dialogue so benign, but so chilling: “We’ll take it.” With this last piece falling into place, the fate of the MonsterVerse can now be explored.

How The Future Of The MonsterVerse Will Probably Be Shaped By Godzilla: King Of The Monsters

Naturally, going forward in the MonsterVerse, two story components are about to change drastically: the world of the Titans and the world of humans. Both will obviously clash again, as Godzilla vs. Kong isn’t going to merely let the Titans have their fun in a vacuum. But the changes in both look to be spectacular leaps forward.

With the world of Titans expanding to include numerous other species that are just coming back to the earth, there’s going to be a lot of adjustments that those creatures will have to make to live in the world they’ve just entered into. Also, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see Godzilla vs. Kong kick off because of the fact that just as Kong has settled into his own groove as the king of Skull Island, a new king and his disciples are about to crash the party.

Meanwhile, with Col. Alan Jonah’s procurement of King Ghidorah’s remaining head, there’s a lot of bad stuff that could be headed down the line in the MonsterVerse’s human half. Everything from cloning/resurrecting King Ghidorah, to using the creature’s DNA to hybridize or enhance Titans and/or humans is on the table. Whatever his intent is, it’s bound to be something unsavory, and something that will lead to his potential return in Godzilla vs. Kong.

Everything presented here boils down to the fact that while huge strides have been made in acknowledging the presence of Titans, as well as trying to foster co-existence with them in this world, there is still a greater struggle ahead. Humanity isn’t just going to accept these creatures wholeheartedly, and the Titans look like they might have another brawl for it all, with only one king standing in the wake of that promised conflict.

It’s all certainly exciting stuff to think over while walking out of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and it’s even more thrilling when you realize that Godzilla vs. Kong won’t have as long of a waiting period as fans endured between this new sequel and 2014’s Godzilla.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters is currently in theaters, while Godzilla vs. Kong smashes its way into theaters on March 13, 2020; a day bound to be unlucky for one major Titan in the MonsterVerse.

Theater Accidentally Screens R-Rated The Curse Of La Llorona Instead Of Detective Pikachu

Theater Accidentally Screens R-Rated The Curse Of La Llorona Instead Of Detective Pikachu

Movie theaters are busy places with a lot of moving parts, so it's to be expected that mistakes will happen. However, one recent theater error may have left lots of children scarred for life when instead of a screening of Detective Pikachu, an audience comprised largely of children, was subjected to The Curse of La Llorona and all the trailers that went with it.

The situation started when Ryan George went to a screening that was supposed to be Detective Pikachu. As one would expect, the theater had a lot of kids in it. They, and their parents, probably began to wonder when the first thing to happen after the lights went down was a trailer for a movie that those kids really didn't need to be subjected to. As George said on Twitter...

The theatre I'm in is playing a trailer for Annabelle Comes Home before Detective Pikachu LOOK AWAY CHILDREN OH NO

The children did not look away. As one might expect, this did not go well. If this had been a random mismatch of a trailer and had been an isolated incident, things probably would have been ok. However, it was not. The next trailer to run wasn't much better.

Andddd kids are crying. Now the Joker trailer is playing.

I can imagine at this point the parents might have been more upset than the kids. I can imagine very young children looking forward to Detective Pikachu simply being more confused by the Joker trailer than anything. Parents, however, were probably quite disturbed.

If you guessed that the terror did not end there, you'd be correct.

NOW IT'S CHUCKY OH NO CHILDREN OH NO

Yeah, the killer toy probably went over really well with both the kids and their parents. I can imagine.

Of course, as it turned out, the random horror movie trailers stuck in front of Detective Pikachu were actually just symptoms of a bigger problem, as the theater had actually mis-scheduled the screening and was actually playing Conjuring-verse movie The Curse of La Lorona instead of the Pokemon movie.

OH MY GOD THEY'RE PLAYING LA LLORANA INSTEAD OF DETECTIVE PIKACHU

At some point, the mistake was realized and the movie was shut off, at which point the entire audience was moved into another theater that had, one assumes, started playing Detective Pikachu accidentally, as the new audience found the film waiting for them.

We've all been moved to another theatre where Detective Pikachu is just paused? At least there aren't any more murders on-screen

One certainly hopes they started the movie over from the beginning once the audience was seated.

With modern theaters it's now incredibly convenient to move any given movie to any screening room where it's needed with just a couple presses of a button. There's no need to physically move reels or even a disc. However, if those buttons are pressed in error, you can end up giving kids nightmares.

Alita: Battle Angel Probably Won't Make Enough To Get A Sequel

Alita: Battle Angel Probably Won't Make Enough To Get A Sequel

Alita: Battle Angel has been in theaters for four weekends now. During that time, the movie has capably exceeded box office expectations, both domestically and internationally. It recently even hit $350 million at the worldwide box office, trailing only two other movies internationally so far this year, How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World and the Chinese hit The Wandering Earth. Yet, it probably won’t be enough for Alita: Battle Angel to earn a sequel.

Nearing the end of its fourth weekend at the box office, Alita: Battle Angel has raked in over $380 million worldwide. Domestically, it has earned nearly $75 million, while the rest of the intake comes from the worldwide box office. The movie allegedly cost $170 million to make, per Box Office Mojo, and therein lies the problem.

First and foremost, production budgets on movies don’t factor in the cost of advertising that studios also pay to get ads onto Internet sites and regular TV screens, so the overall cost of Alita: Battle Angel is somewhat higher than its production budget. Factor in all of the costs Fox put in with the fact the studio only gets to keep a percentage of box office intake and elsewhere in the world it’s a much smaller percentage than in domestic theaters and it becomes easier to see how we got to this conclusion.

To be clear, Alita: Battle Angel has exceeded early box office expectations. Prior to its release, the expectation was that the movie would only make $25 million domestically during opening weekend and eventually go on to make $45 or $50 million in theaters. Because it opened during a 5-day weekend near the Valentine’s Day holiday, the film ended up making closer to $42 million domestically, which was a decent start.

Worldwide, it’s also been saved quite a bit by the international box office, although it hasn’t opened to huge numbers in places like China. The flick will likely break even for the studio or get close to it, all things considered. The situation is much better than it could have been, yet it would be a shock if it was enough to make Alita 2 happen. (In fact, James Cameron has already said he hasn't planned an Alita sequel yet.)

This is sort of a problem similar to the one Solo: A Star Wars Story faced last year when it made quite a bit of money worldwide, but had a large (too large) budget to recoup costs.

The movie should be in theaters for some time after, and it’s possible when all is said and done that Alita: Battle Angel could even make a little money at the box office. However, even if the flick does come out ahead, another big budget gamble of that ilk is likely a hard sell to the powers that be who are greenlighting these sorts of projects. So, despite the open-ended way Robert Rodriguez ended his big budget action film, we are not likely to get the opportunity to see what comes next. Note I'm saying "not likely" rather than impossible, but it's certainly a tough sell.

That’s especially true given Alita: Battle Angel is also coming from Fox at a time when Fox is selling to Disney. If it’s not a huge hit, there’s not really an incentive for the latter studio to sign on for more later, especially when James Cameron is so busy with Avatar 2 and the subsequent movies.

It’s a bit of a shame, though, for a movie that was already a flick James Cameron wanted to make way back when Robert Rodriguez was filming Sin City and landed an A- CinemaScore.

Kevin Feige Says Spider-Man: Far From Home Will End MCU Phase 3, Not Endgame

Kevin Feige Says Spider-Man: Far From Home Will End MCU Phase 3, Not Endgame

Leave it to Kevin Feige to completely pull the rug out from under us. It's been widely believed that Marvel's Phase 3 would conclude with Avengers: Endgame. It wasn't a difficult thing to assume. The film has been teased as a true finale, closing out the story of The Infinity Saga. However, the Marvel Studios boss has officially stated otherwise, and it will instead be Spider-Man: Far From Home that wraps up the beloved MCU Phase 3.

While we know that Marvel has several projects such as The Eternals and Black Widow in development, none of those have technically been confirmed by Marvel Studios. As of now, the only two movies officially on the slate are Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home. Of those two, you'd think the epic Avengers blockbuster would end Phase 3, but it will be the penultimate film of Marvel's current saga.

Tom Holland's Spider-Man will officially bring Phase 3 to the finish. During a fan event in Shanghai (via Newsweek), Kevin Feige stated that Far From Home was the final film of Phase 3. People had previously assumed that it was the first movie in Marvel's Phase 4 (or whatever they end up calling their next slate of films).

While this might seem like a change that makes very little difference, it's actually notable for a few reasons. For starters, this means Phase 3 is ending on a lighter note. This is similar to how Phase 2 ended with Ant-Man right after the dramatically heavier Avengers: Age of Ultron. It seems Marvel has a preference for ending its Phases with lighter comedies about bug-themed heroes to refresh the audience.

This also means that we now don't know any of the films slated for Phase 4. Marvel has never officially confirmed what it's working on, which means that Phase 4 is totally blank right now. I imagine that once Far From Home is out in theaters, it won't be long before Marvel makes a ton of announcements, hopefully in the style of its Phase 3 press conference. Marvel announced the entire Phase 3 slate in one go, so here's hoping we get something similar this year.

Tonally, I don't think this changes very much for Far From Home. It's still partially setting up what the MCU will look like in a post-Endgame world and it's fitting that it's a Spider-Man film. Spider-Man is sure to be a key player in the MCU's future, so it makes sense that he helps to usher in the new age of superhero films.

Thankfully, there isn't that much longer to wait for any Marvel movie. Avengers: Endgame is out on Friday, April 26 while Spider-Man: Far From Home is in theaters on July 2 (the movie was recently moved up a few days).

John Wick: Chapter 3 Ending - What Happens And What It Means For The Next Movie

John Wick: Chapter 3 Ending - What Happens And What It Means For The Next Movie

Warning: Spoilers for John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum are in play. If you haven’t seen the film, then bookmark this piece and come back later once you’re caught up. Tick tock, dear readers; you’re not going to want to wait too long to see this one.

At the end of John Wick: Chapter 2, it felt like the fortunes of poor John (Keanu Reeves) were at their worst. With his status as an excommunicado exile, per The High Table’s orders and the codes of The Continental, a worldwide hit was about to be put out on his person, and there were plenty of people eager to collect that bounty.

However, the ending of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum has raised the stakes even higher, leaving poor Jonathan with an even tighter spot to work his way out of. With these new circumstances come new alliances though, as well as a potential way out that would change the fabric of the John Wick franchise forever.

This is your last chance to back out of here, before spoilers start flying like bullets. If you’re not current on the John Wick franchise, you should go and rectify that ASAP, and enjoy some of our other coverage of Chapter 3. Otherwise, if you want peace, prepare for spoilers, as we jump into the ending of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, and what it means for the universe at large. Start with our exclusive interview with director Chad Stahelski, on the ReelBlend podcast:

What Happens During The Ending Of John Wick: Chapter 3?

After being threatened with being removed from his position at the head of the New York branch of The Continental, its venerable owner Winston (Ian McShane) reaches a compromise with The Adjudicator (Asia Kate Dillon) of The High Table. The deal is simple, but effective: if he kills John Wick, he’s allowed to keep his position and the hotel will be re-consecrated as a safe haven for anyone in their world to claim as sanctuary.

With that deal in place, Winston shoots John, causing him to fall off of the roof and into an alley next to The Continental. The Adjudicator is mostly satisfied with their terms being fulfilled, and they let Winston and Charon (Lance Reddick) go back to business as usual. However, there’s one problem: John Wick’s body has mysteriously disappeared. Winston certainly isn’t worried, as he goes about his business, and the issue is warily waived off.

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum ends with John coming to in front of The Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne,) who survived his seven cuts at the hands of Zero (Mark Dacascos) earlier in the film. Healed, but scarred, The Bowery King has sworn vengeance against The High Table. With an all-out war on the menu, John Wick and The Bowery King form an alliance in their mutual scorn of the institution that has ruled their lives for so long.

What It Means For The Next Chapter

With John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum’s ending in place, there’s one big factor still in play: John’s presumed dead, and even if he wasn’t, those sitting at The High Table would want him liquidated. So no matter what John’s next moves are, they’re going to have to be pretty large, and very secretive. If there’s a John Wick: Chapter 4, you can bet it’ll probably feel like one extended stealth mission.

But perhaps the greater threat is the fact that, unlike John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, John more than likely won’t have the unofficial help of his dear friend Winston. While the last film saw the central assassin still wandering, with some help from the man running New York’s branch of The Continental, this next hypothetical outing would see them presumably on separate sides of the divide.

Winston

With his presumed killing of John Wick putting him back in the good graces of The High Table, Winston has regained the right to run his beloved Continental. And with the location just being reconsecrated as a result of this action, you can be sure that Winston won’t want to jeopardize his position with those that rule the criminal underworld of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.

So if John Wick: Chapter 4 should kick off in the future, it would most likely start with John totally unable to access The Continental’s services. Though this time out, it truly would be a total blackout, as Winston would be watched more carefully, as The Adjudicator knows how this last round played out, and they wouldn’t want to take any chances when it comes to John’s possible resurfacing.

The Bowery King

While John Wick more than likely won’t have the help of Winston to fall back on, he has a new ally that he’ll be able to work with. The Bowery King would be a sort of substitute to the mentorship that Winston would offer John in the past, seeing as John’s technically supposed to be dead. Though if he’s really going to wage war with The High Table, there’s no better partner that John Wick could have asked for.

With his network of homeless spies and compatriots blanketing the city of New York, The Bowery King has somewhat of a tactical advantage. Though he’ll definitely need to recruit some more friends, as there were quite a few dispatched in The High Table’s punishment for his previous aid to John Wick. Possibly the most exciting prospect for John Wick: Chapter 4 is that not only will we see more of The Bowery King’s world, we just might get to know him better, as he could spring into the action himself.

The High Table

Much as The Bowery King and John Wick are ready for war at the end of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, The High Table is going to more than likely have a greater stake in the conflict to come. While they let Winston off the hook for the absence of a corpse for Mr. Wick, The Adjudicator isn’t dumb and has probably reported to their superiors that John is probably still going to be a concern.

At the very least, these power brokers in the shadows are going to want to actively seek out the body of Mr. Wick, and put him in the ground for good. But if they’re all concerned enough about Wick and The Bowery King’s alliance, something else they’re probably more than aware of, they may be compelled to step out of the darkness and hunt him down themselves. While we in the audience may know how that would turn out, The High Table is more than likely convinced they have the upper hand against the man who has more than earned the nickname “Baba Yaga.”

Obviously, the future of John Wick’s universe is up in the air, as the box office performance of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum will dictate if the series moves forward, and where it will head. One thing is for certain though: no matter how he resurfaces, John Wick is going to be in more trouble than he’s ever been before. And judging how he’s handled himself these past three films, we’re starting to think he prefers it that way.

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum is in theaters now, and stay tuned to CinemaBlend as we round off our coverage of the film’s release.

Christopher McQuarrie Admits He’s ‘Freaked Out’ About Directing Two More Mission: Impossible Movies

Christopher McQuarrie Admits He’s ‘Freaked Out’ About Directing Two More Mission: Impossible Movies

If there’s a word that describes the direction that the Mission: Impossible franchise has taken in its most recent years, it’s “escalation.” Writer/director Christopher McQuarrie has been working on the franchise since his uncredited work on Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol brought him to the table, with Rogue Nation marking his directing debut in the series. And now, with Mission: Impossible – Fallout driving the stakes even higher, and two more films on the franchise slate, McQuarrie is unsurprisingly freaked out about making the next two entries in the series.

With three films under his belt, and the pair known as Mission: Impossible 7 and Mission: Impossible 8 in his cart for the foreseeable future, Christopher McQuarrie talked about the way he landed himself into this proverbial mess. McQuarrie’s summation of the situation was as follows:

I pitched the idea of making two movies, and now I have to justify why it’s two movies. You’ve got to earn that. You’ve got to make something that swallows the last three movies whole. I’m freaked out now. We’ve talked ourselves into something. Holy shit.

The first nugget to unpack from Christopher McQuarrie’s comments on the next two Mission: Impossible films is the fact that he’s planning something so big, it needed two films to tell. Right there, any sane director who isn’t named Joe or Anthony Russo would be shaking more than a little bit, as making two back-to-back films as big in scope and budget as Mission: Impossible is a prospect.

Then comes the fact that while Mission: Impossible 7 and 8 are continuing the franchise, judging by Christopher McQuarrie’s comments above, it sounds like these twin amazements are going to bring a new level of story continuity to the franchise. While previous history had the series operating on a "mission of the movie" strategy, the films have slowly been morphing into something akin to James Bond's continuing war with SPECTRE.

It increasingly sounds like these two films, opening just a little over a year apart from each other, are going to operate on the same sort of schedule, and some information already available would support that theory. Previous stories have reported that Mission: Impossible 7 would not only see the confirmed return of Rebecca Ferguson’s Ilsa Faust, but there was also a potential for the return of Henry Cavill’s August Walker and Alec Baldwin’s Alan Hunley, both of whom perished in Mission: Impossible – Fallout. Coupled with the seventh film being close in release, and continuity, to Mission: Impossible 8, we can pretty much assume that the story of the IMF versus The Syndicate isn’t over just yet.

Still, as McQuarrie told Empire Online, the prospect of making two more Mission: Impossible movies would be intimidating at face value. This story that Christopher McQuarrie has expanded the series lore with has grown more exciting, and more elaborate, with each passing film. If there’s anything that’s gotten bigger than the story these movies have to tell, it’s the impressive stunts and action sequences, which see Tom Cruise pushing himself into harder edged practical thrills each time out.

Perhaps the best way to sum up the supposed problem Christopher McQuarrie has with his continuation of the Mission: Impossible series is summed up in a further comment he offered in this same interview:

Here’s the problem with going to the moon: how do you fall from the moon?

While we don’t know how one is supposed to fall from the moon, we certainly hope Tom Cruise hasn’t read that and started drawing plans for a lunar freefall in his head. That particular feat seems too impossible, but what isn’t outside of the realm of possibility is the fact that Cruise and McQuarrie can definitely work out something so impressive that the next two Mission: Impossible films will be something to behold. After all, this franchise isn’t Mission: Play It Safe, it’s Mission: Impossible.

Mission: Impossible 7 is slated for release on July 23, 2021, with Mission: Impossible 8 having an August 5, 2022 debut penciled into its schedule. But if you want to see something in your local theater in a more recent context, check out our 2019 release schedule for an up-to-date roster of this year’s major releases.