A Stalin Reference Was Reportedly Removed From Hellboy In Russia

A Stalin Reference Was Reportedly Removed From Hellboy In Russia

Every now and then, you’ll come across an instance where a movie has been edited because it’s airing in a particular country, like how some of the entries on Steve Rogers’ to-do list in 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Solider were different depending on where the film was released. In the case of the Hellboy reboot, its Russian release was apparently adjusted so that a reference to Joseph Stalin was replaced with a different notorious historical figure being mentioned.

If you’ve already seen Hellboy, you might recall a moment when the eponymous protagonist mentions how the one-eyed with Baba Yaga, one of the movie’s side villains, once tried to resurrect Joseph Stalin. Here are his exact words:

I recall you tried to raise Stalin's ghost from a necropolis.

However, per BBC News, Russian moviegoers heard this line instead:

I want to remind you, you tried to raise Hitler's spirit from a necropolis.

That’s right, rather than reference the man who led the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1953, the Russian version of Hellboy decided to mention Adolph Hitler instead, another dictator from the mid-20th century. This isn’t the first time that a movie in Russia has had to deal with Stalin-related censorship, as last year the UK comedy The Death of Stalin was denied release in the country because it was deemed “disgusting” and “extremist.”

Going off social media responses, evidently many Russian viewers were not pleased with Stalin’s name being replaced with Hitler’s in Hellboy. It was also noted online that Baba Yaga mentioning Hitler doesn’t really make any sense since she’s a Russian folklore character.

For the English screenings of Hellboy in Russian, Stalin’s name was bleeped and the subtitles included Hitler’s name instead. This was one of only two ways that Hellboy was censored in Russia, the other being a Russian curse word that Grigori Rasputin (another Russian historical figure) utters being removed.

While the exact reasoning for why Stalin’s name was taken out of Hellboy, BBC’s article also noted that a recent poll showed that 70% of Russians believe Stalin played a positive role in Russian history. So this could just be an instance of not wanting to portray such a notable individual in a negative light.

In any case, the rest of Hellboy played the same in Russia as it did domestically. Hitting theaters last week, the reboot has taken a beating both critically and commercially, collecting a lot of negative reviews (it ranks at 15% on Rotten Tomatoes and has a C CinemaScore) and making only $15 million worldwide so far. There was also reportedly some major drama that went on during production.

Keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more news about Hellboy, and don’t forget to look through our 2019 release schedule to learn what movies are coming out later this year.

Avengers: Endgame Pre-Sales Break Ticket Purchasing Websites

Avengers: Endgame Pre-Sales Break Ticket Purchasing Websites

We are just weeks away from the long awaited release for Avengers: Endgame, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. 21 movies and a decade of filmmaking will come down to one final blockbuster, as The Russo Brothers wrap up Phase Three and the MCU as we know it. Marvel Studios has been methodically releasing information and footage of Endgame, revealing the grim world inhabited by the surviving characters.

Another trailer hit today, showing far more footage of the heroes together, before eventually starting their rematch with Josh Brolin's Thanos. The trailer had some heart wrenching moments, and accompanied the begin of Avengers: Endgame's pre-sales. There's just one problem: it looks like all the biggest ticket sellers' websites have broken from the attention, and it's seemingly impossible to nail down a seat of your own.

There are plenty of ticket buying apps and websites to use when planning your trip to the movies. AMC, Fandango, and Atom tickets all compete for the biggest numbers, hoping to get the hardcore fandom in theaters and buying lots of refreshments. As such, those are the first places that Marvel fans went to attempt to buy tickets for Avengers: Endgame. Attempt being the key word here.

Because upon using the various websites, it seems each ticket venue is suffering technical difficulties from the mass of moviegoers attempting to get pre-sale tickets. I personally went through each option to try and get Endgame tickets, and they're all offering various excuses and bad news for moviegoers attempting to secure their seats on opening night.

For instance, Fandango has its own section and set up for Avengers: Endgame. Upon finding a date or theater you're interested in, the website takes you to a holding room, informing users you're 'on line' to buy tickets. The wait indicate over an hour, which I can verify as true. I've been sitting in this waiting room for well over an hour, and I haven't gotten much closer to buying tickets. In fact, it currently states the line is "on hold", with no semblance for if/when they might become available.

Atom is having similar struggles, and as you request to purchase tickets, there is a risk at the site crashing at any point. If you do mange to pick a theater, date, and select the number of tickets you need without the site crapping out on you, don't get too excited. The site will fail to actually allow you to chose a seat, and your session will eventually time out.

Then there's the AMC website. AMC is a massive theater chain, which has the luxury of selling tickets directly to its customers. At least, in theory. I can't even get onto the company's website at the time of writing, let alone go get a ticket for Endgame specifically. As such, the hardcore fandom will have to spend their day refreshing AMC and its competitors in hopes of getting an early ticket for the upcoming blockbuster.

Moviegoers have been taking to social media to express their concerns, and it's clearly not an issue hitting just one part of the country. And considering just how highly anticipated Avengers: Endgame is, we shouldn't expect the rush to ticket sale websites to slow down. At least, until people can finally secure their ticket.

Avengers: Endgame will arrive in theaters on April 26th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Why Rhodey Is 'Circumspect' About Captain Marvel In Avengers: Endgame

Why Rhodey Is 'Circumspect' About Captain Marvel In Avengers: Endgame

If you watched that full Avengers: Endgame scene with the big Thanos plan, you probably noticed a few things: 1) Thor likes to pop bread rolls like candy, and 2) James "Rhodey" Rhodes/War Machine was not immediately sold on "new girl" Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel.

Rhodey got to be the one to ask Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) the pressing question of where the hell she's been this whole time. Don Cheadle said his character is certainly wary of this stranger comin' in hot with bold plans:

Absolutely. Well, you never know who’s going to turn. He’s saying, "We’ve been putting in all this work, and we’ve lost people that are close to us and you don’t even know these people. Yeah, you’re going to come in and tell us how we’re supposed to do this now." There’s a fair bit of … I don’t know if suspicion is the word, but he’s definitely circumspect about who this new person is and why should they listen to her.

Fair enough. As Don Cheadle suggested to EW, it would be weird if they just immediately started following this stranger without testing her mettle. But we know Captain Marvel is up to that challenge, and she's already been shown in other trailer shots to be part of the team that heads out to get the Thanos job done.

Here's how that sneak peek scene played out, showing the initial tension in the room between Rhodey -- although he was probably speaking for all of them -- and Carol:

James "Rhodey" Rhodes/War Machine: He's still got the stones so...

Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel: So let's get em, use them to bring everyone back.

Bruce Banner/The Hulk: Just like that?

Steve Rogers/Captain America: Yeah, just like that.

Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow: Even if there's a small chance that we can undo this, I mean we owe it to everyone who's not in this room to try.

Bruce: If we do this, how do we know it's gonna end any differently than it did before?

Carol: Because before you didn't have me.

Rhodey: Hey, new girl? Everybody in this room is about that superhero life. And if you don't mind my asking, where the hell have you been all this time?

Carol: There are a lot of other planets in the universe, and unfortunately they didn't have you guys.

That's when Thor took a bread break and tested Carol, in his way, ultimately saying of her: "I like this one."

Captain Marvel has a healthy ego, but no ego is healthier than Thor's, so it should be interesting to see them together in more scenes. She fed their egos with her answer, basically saying this planet was already covered so they didn't need her help -- until now.

In other trailer shots, Rhodey is also shown heading off into space -- apparently for the first time -- with Captain Marvel and the surviving Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy. Despite appearing to have a big presence in the movie, Don Cheadle doesn't seem to know too much more than The Rest Of Us about how Avengers: Endgame will play out. At least, that's what he told EW:

Yeah, you just sort of get your part, and some explanation about what came before, and what goes after and kind of how things fit in. But it was still a pretty malleable process while we were shooting it, you know? We knew that things were going to be changing, even after they told us what it was going to be.

Don Cheadle said "they" -- presumably directors Joe and Anthony Russo -- would tell them this sequence would fold into that one, but they may change it and get rid of this whole other sequence. So the final three hour-plus runtime may include some surprises for the actors themselves, if certain scenes did or did not make the final cut.

We know the Russos have embraced misdirection in trailers, including scenes that will not be in the final cut of the movie, like that infamous running shot that never happened on screen in Avengers: Infinity War.

So expect just about anything when Avengers 4 opens April 26. I'm guessing you have tickets by now, since the movie has broken every kind of pre-sales record. Here's everything we know so far about Endgame, which is just one of many movies worth following through our 2019 movie release schedule.

Vanessa Hudgens Is Campaigning To Play Catwoman In The Batman

Vanessa Hudgens Is Campaigning To Play Catwoman In The Batman

The DC live-action universe has been in a fascinating place since its inception, and only continues to surprise the public as time goes on. What started with Zack Snyder's Man of Steel and Batman v Superman has grown into a more capsulated universe, with Aquaman and Shazam! proving the DCEU could deliver critically acclaimed blockbusters. All eyes are on what the future will bring, especially as more stories revolving around Gotham City and its denizens make their way to theaters.

Aside from Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of Harley Quinn) and Todd Phillips' Joker, there's another major Gotham-set story that has been developing at the studio. Matt Reeves' The Batman has already had a long gestation period, and new rumors indicate that Robert Pattinson might replace Ben Affleck as the title character. And now it turns out that High School Musical alum Vanessa Hudgens has been campaigning to be the next live-action Catwoman.

Vanessa Hudgens has been making her intentions known over on her personal Instagram page. A number of the 30 year-old actress' fans have edited together images of her as Catwoman, and Hudgens was thrilled with the results. She shared a handful of those images on her Instagram story, with captions like:

Okay. Who do I need to talk to make this happen lol #dreamrole.

From there, she went on to repost various fan-made art with her as the DC femme fatale. What's more, she put her support behind Josh Gad's ongoing campaign to play Penguin. She certainly following in Gad's footsteps in that regard, as he's been teasing fans about the possibility of playing Penguin for years at this point. Unfortunately, Matt Reeves hasn't revealed his cast for The Batman just yet.

If Vanessa Hudgens gets her wish and ends up playing Catwoman, she'll have some very big shoes (or boots) to fill. On the big screen, she was most recently played by Anne Hathaway in The Dark Knight Rises, who played her as a criminal desperate to have a normal life. And Hathaway was preceded by perhaps the most iconic Catwoman ever: Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns. There hasn't been anyone who was quite as sexy and ferocious as Pfeiffer's Selena Kyle, but it looks like Hudgens is ready to give it the old college try.

In fact, Vanessa Hudgens was a major fan of Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman since childhood. On her same Instagram story, she shared an image of herself as the character on Halloween. Check it out.

It's currently unclear if Vanessa Hudgens will ever get the chance to play Gotham's most deadly feline. But at least she's proven how much the character means to her-- a passion that could only help her performance is Matt Reeves ends up giving her the role. We'll just have to see if Catwoman ends up being a major part in The Batman, and who Reeves ends up casting to play her.

The Batman is currently set to arrive in theaters on June 25th, 2021. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Star Wars: Everything You Need To Know About Emperor Palpatine

Star Wars: Everything You Need To Know About Emperor Palpatine

In the canon of Star Wars history, there’s one villain who looms above any and all others that have been featured. His shadow is a dark, vast legacy that even Supreme Leader Snoke couldn’t eclipse, and it’s by his hand that the entire cinematic franchise became what it is today. You may know him as Emperor Palpatine, but he wasn’t always the all-powerful, all controlling figure he was when he died in 1983’s Return of the Jedi.

The road to Palpatine’s reign was the result of a long game that saw Sheev Palpatine go from a seemingly kind politician with aspirations for higher office to the most powerful man in the galaxy. His life, aside from the lives of the Skywalker family, is probably the most important to Star Wars history, and his potential resurrection in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, it seems like a good time to go over the man’s history.

He Was A Respected Senator Of The Republic

In the first episode of the Star Wars cinematic universe, The Phantom Menace, we’re introduced to Sheev Palpatine as a kindly senator from the lush planet of Naboo. A representative of the planet that, at the time, was dealing with some rather aggressive trade negotiations, Palpatine also took a rather keen interest in Jedi politics.

Most importantly, he befriended a young Anakin Skywalker, promising the Republic would watch his career with great interest after seizing power of the Republic senate. It was these twin passions that would see Sheev rise to power and amass the means to keep it.

Palpatine Overthrew The Government By Playing By Its Own Rules

As it turns out, Senator Palpatine didn’t overthrow the Galactic Republic by any sort of armed coup, at least not in the beginning with his role in The Phantom Menace. Rather, the shrewd politician used an interesting tactic to install himself as the Supreme Chancelor of the Galactic Republic: he triggered a no confidence vote.

He manipulated Queen Amidala, as well as the rest of the Senate, to cast doubt on then Supreme Chancellor Valorum, by painting him as a leader that was ineffectual during the blockade of Naboo by the Trade Federation. The vote ousted Valorum, with Palpatine being elected into the position he would eventually abuse to the fullest extent.

Palpatine’s Hand In Political Turmoil

We saw his opening gambits towards galactic chaos in The Phantom Menace, but Sheev Palpatine had been working behind the scenes under another name: Darth Sidious. To create the conditions to bring himself to power, Palpatine engineered not only the Trade Federation blockade scenario, he also spurred Count Dooku and his confederates to create the Confederacy of Independent Systems.

Operating as a separatist movement that looked to leave the Galactic Republic, this rogue body would eventually become the other half of the Clone Wars conflict that weakened the republic to a state where anyone who was smart enough could collapse it. And Sheev was not only smart, he was the Sith Lord who put it all into play.

The Last Supreme Chancellor Of The Republic

Supreme Chancellor Palpatine’s reign extends from the end of The Phantom Menace to a decade later in Attack of the Clones, thanks to some more political wrangling. Eventually, he was able to weaken the Galactic Republic’s government to the point where he could grant himself a longer than usual term, as well as find himself granted some emergency powers. And all he had to do was get the Senate to approve of the measures he saw fit, which was easy considering his charming demeanor, as well as the fact that junior representative Jar Jar Binks helped convince the Senate to grant him said emergency powers.

What did Palpatine do with those powers? Why, he ordered the creation of a clone army, of course. While the Grand Army of The Republic was supposed to fight the supposed threat of the Separatist Army, but in time would be used to execute the most infamous executive order in Star Wars history.

Emperor Palpatine Manipulated Anakin Skywalker, Turning Him To The Dark Side

Throughout his political climb, Sheev Palpatine had been interested in one person’s parallel rise to power: Anakin Skywalker's. Brought into the Jedi Order as a Padawan under Qui-Gon Jinn and eventually becoming an apprentice/partner to Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin would fight valiantly as a member of the Jedi Order during the eventual Clone Wars.

But during that time, he would not only find himself falling in love with childhood crush Padme Amidalla, he’d also become embittered about being denied a seat on the Jedi Council. Also denied the rank of Jedi Master, Anakin had one person that he really felt saw his potential: Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. Feeding on the young man’s fears and insecurities, Palpatine convinced him to betray the Jedi Order and become his right hand man, Darth Vader.

He’s Really Anakin’s Father

While Palpatine was particularly focused on Anakin Skywalker as his Sith apprentice, there was another reason that he was interested in the young man’s well being. According to recent comic lore, it was Darth Sidious who was the father of Anakin “Darth Vader” Skywalker.

As shown in issue 25 of Darth Vader, the canon now supports the theory that Palpatine/Sidious manipulated Midi-chlorians and created Anakin as a child of virgin conception in his mother, Shmi. This tracks with Palpatine’s big speech at the opera in Revenge of the Sith, in which he describes his Sith Lord master, Darth Plageuis, as a man that could control Midi-chlorians and create life itself.

Palpatine Nearly Exterminated The Jedi, Installing Himself As The Emperor of the Galactic Empire

Perhaps the biggest blow to the freedom of the galaxy in Star Wars was the fact that Sheev Palpatine eventually made himself the Emperor of what eventually became the Galactic Empire. It was in this position of authority that he executed an order that he had built into his legion of Clone Troopers: Order 66. Once granted, this order saw the clones that were sworn to fight for galactic peace commanded to turn on the Jedi and purge them from the galaxy. All but a scarce number of Jedi died that day, with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda being the most notable survivors.

Both went into hiding after they were clued into a potential hope for the galaxy, but at this point in time, it appeared that Emperor Palpatine crushed the Jedi. Moving on to dissolving the Imperial Senate, the only measures Palpatine thought he needed to take to keep the universe to himself was the Death Star in his arsenal, and Darth Vader by his side.

Emperor Palpatine Was Looking For A Way To Cheat Death

The animated series Star Wars Rebels saw Emperor Palpatine searching for something that could grant him even more Force powers than he already had. Located on the planet Lothal, a local Jedi temple had an opening to a sort of pocket universe. Though once a person entered this pocket universe, they could manipulate events throughout time and space, which was exhibited in a moral quandry faced by Rebels’ protagonist Ezra Bridger.

Eventually, Palpatine attempted to seduce Bridger to the Dark Side, much like he did with young Anakin Skywalker, but this attempt failed. Bridger destroyed the temple that housed the portal to this universe of unlimited power, with Palpatine trying to kill him as a result. An important detail to note is that Palpatine names this very portal as, “a conduit between the living and the dead.” So, if someone really wanted to avoid the finality of morality, this would be the way to do it.

Darth Vader Killed Emperor Palpatine, Sacrificing Himself In The Process

Flash forward to the Original Trilogy era of Star Wars, and we see Emperor Palpatine seemingly high on the hog. The Death Star works perfectly, despite some pesky Rebels blowing one up; and Darth Vader just might bring his son, Luke Skywalker, over to the Dark Side of the Force.

But during a climactic confrontation on the second Death Star, The Emperor was betrayed by his apprentice and thrown down an energy shaft that supposedly incinerated him. Darth Vader, in his final moments with his son, felt more like Anakin Skywalker again, and would eventually appear as his younger self in his Force Ghost form. We’re left with the sense that Palpatine is dead, and peace will now ring out through the Galaxy.

But as we see, or rather hear, in the trailer for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Emperor Sheev Palpatine, dark lord of the Sith, may not be as dead as we thought. He may have found his loophole between the worlds of the living and the dead, and merely bided his time until he knew the conditions would be optimal for another bite at the galactic apple. There were plenty of Jedi temples out there, and any one of them could have a portal similar to the one on Lothal. It wouldn’t be that much of a surprise, and honestly, it’s better than the clones that the previous Expanded Universe canon used to keep the character in the picture.

For the moment though, this is everything you need to know about Emperor Palpatine, and with that knowledge, let the speculation begin! Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker finishes the Skywalker Saga on December 20.

Captain Marvel’s Costume Could Have Looked Extremely Different

Captain Marvel’s Costume Could Have Looked Extremely Different

It's a very exciting time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While all eyes are on what will happen when Phase Three comes to a close with Avengers: Endgame, moviegoers are also celebrating the long awaited arrival of Brie Larson's Carol Danvers in Captain Marvel. Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's Marvel blockbuster told a 90s set origin story, expanding the universe while also doing some set up for her role in Endgame.

Captain Marvel's onscreen origin was ripped largely from the comics, including the war between the Kree and Skrulls. During filming, it was revealed that the character would be wearing a green incarnation of her costume, something that originally made fans pause. Ultimately her red and blue suit made its way onto the silver screen, although new concept art revealed her costume could have looked very different. Check it out below.

Honestly, who is that? The above image comes to us from Instagram, and shows a version of Carol Danvers who looks almost robotic in appearance. As the Kree warrior known as Vers, this armor is a far departure from the suit that she and the rest of Starforce rocked in Captain Marvel. The rest of the team would have presumably been outfitted the same, although the artist specifically mentioned that Vers was an elite Kree pilot. As such, she might have been given some equipments unique to the rest of Starforce.

The above image also doesn't contain Captain Marvel/The Kree's insignia on the chest. Instead, there's a subtle pin on her right chest plate. This is another unique change to the character, as Carol Danvers has her own logo in the MCU. The entire look gives a robotic feel, although it should be noted that she is at least wearing Captain Marvel's signature red color.

Another concept image took more liberal changes to the costume, although its close to the Kree suit from Captain Marvel. Check it out below.

This look is definitely close to the look Vers was rocking through the majority of Captain Marvel's runtime. We see the suit with her mask on, although a bit of her human skin is shown popping through. While she's no longer robotic in appearance, the artist did make more risky changes to her look than the one eventually settled on.

For one, Captain Marvel's mask puts her hair into a ponytail, rather than the badass mohawk that was shown in the movie. It's a softer and perhaps more logical hairdo, although seeing her hair fall in and out of the mohawk during Captain Marvel was an unexpectedly exciting moment in the final film. The suit also features Vers rocking a much different logo than the one seen on the costumes of Starforce and The Supreme Intelligence in the movie. The insignia looks like an illustration of Saturn, which is inspired by the comics but admittedly more goofy

Ultimately, the costumes in Captain Marvel were fairly accurate to the comics, although less revealing and without Captain Marvel's signature sash around her waist. She spent most of the film in the signature Kree green, but eventually changes the suit's color ahead of the final battle in Act 3. Inspired by the Air Force and Monica Rambeau, she takes the red and blue, and then promptly kicks all the ass with her powers unleashed.

It should be interesting to see if/how Captain Marvel's costumes are changed as her tenure in the MCU continues. Characters like Black Widow, Iron Man, and Captain Marvel are constantly being given updates on their signature look. And with the decades in between Captain Marvel and her eventual appearance in Avengers: Endgame, the first suit might have some wear a tear. Unfortunately, her brief scene in the final Endgame trailer she was in civilian clothes, so it's unclear what she'll look like in The Russo Brothers' highly anticipated blockbuster.

Carol Danvers has gone through a ton of different looks in the comics throughout the years, so the fandom was eager to see what she'd look like in Captain Marvel. While the red and blue suit may be the most modern version of her costume, it certainly wasn't the first. She'd previously had a black leotard costume with a yellow lightning bolt, as well as a crop top costume. Additionally, modern red and blue palette has been used for a ton of different suits, with some of them being little more than a bathing suit for the massively powerful superhero.

In the end, Brie Larson and Marvel Studios wanted to take a step away from the skimpy Captain Marvel suit, and cover Carol Danvers up appropriately during her cosmic and Earth-based adventures. What's more, the costume ended up being a uniform for most of the film's characters, including Yon-Rogg, The Supreme Intelligence, Korath, and Minn-erva. But Carol Danvers made her new allegiance known by changing its color.

While it makes sense that Captain Marvel's costume was adjusted for the MCU, I'm hoping the character's sash/belt eventually makes an appearance. On the page, it gives her a sense of movement. And although Marvel Studios generally tries for more functional and realistic adaptations of comic book costumes, it would excite purists to see that small addition sometime in the future.

Smart money says Carol Danvers will be given a suit in Avengers: Endgame to match the rest of the survivors. She hasn't been shown in the white and red getup, but most of the heroes were shown in matching uniforms during the final trailer. And since that trailer also kept Captain Marvel's appearance until the very final moments, it makes sense that she wasn't shown in the epic long shots in the Avengers facility.

Kevin Feige has teased that Captain Marvel will be a major focus in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Phase Three comes to a close. With Endgame just a month away, it won't be long before the studio can finally share its plans for the future with the public.

Captain Marvel is in theaters now, and Avengers: Endgame will follow suit in April 26th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

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.