Apparently, The Twilight Movies Are Hits On Hulu

Apparently, The Twilight Movies Are Hits On Hulu

At the end of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2, Bella and Edward promise each other that they will be together and love each other forever. Forever is a long time, and while I can’t speak to their current relationship status, the love fans have for the Twilight franchise burns as brightly as ever nearly seven years after the last film’s release. This is evident because apparently The Twilight Saga is a hit on Hulu.

Although we don’t often get a lot of clear insight into viewership numbers from streaming services, when you do hear something, it’s usually good. Such is the case with the Twilight films, which arrived on Hulu on January 1. Hulu revealed to Decider that approximately 5,000 of its subscribers binged all five movies in the saga on New Year’s Day. That shows that these hardcore fans were probably waiting for the films to drop and could think of no better way to spend the holiday than with the popular franchise.

Those 5,000 were just the Hulu subscribers and Twilight fans who had the most ambitious binging aspirations. Over 135,000 Hulu subscribers finished all five films within the first week of their availability on the now primarily Disney-owned service. There is clearly still a passionate Twilight fandom out there and likely some new Twi-hards as well considering how streaming services allow for people to discover things they might have missed.

Hulu also provided some insight into who was spending all this time with Edward Cullen and Bella Swan, and the most common age of Twilight streamers was 20 year old. That makes sense considering that those watchers would have been 9 when the first Twilight film released in 2008 and they essentially grew up with the franchise. Nostalgic properties are powerful value propositions for streaming services and Hulu has one in Twilight.

As you might expect, 63% of those who streamed The Twilight Saga on Hulu were females. The other 37% were dudes being forced to watch it (I kid). The combined heartthrob power of Taylor Lautner and Robert Pattinson persists. If only more Twilight fans would follow all the great work in smaller films Robert Pattinson has done since then. Maybe if he’s the next Batman, those who like seeing him as a brooding creature of the night will tune in.

Although The Twilight Saga anecdotally doesn’t seem to have maintained the pop culture relevance it once had, the series’ success on Hulu is a reminder that this franchise was no fluke. Over five films from 2008 to 2012, fans of the franchise and Stephenie Meyer’s books flocked to theaters to the tune of $1.36 billion domestic and $3.34 billion worldwide.

Twilight’s performance on Hulu shows that should the studio one day decide to pursue a reboot of the property or tell more stories in that world, they can point to these numbers and the continued fan enthusiasm as evidence that such an endeavor could be successful.

For all this year’s new movies hoping to have similar success, check out our 2019 Release Schedule.

Should More Disney Live-Action Movies Like Aladdin Get Sequels?

Should More Disney Live-Action Movies Like Aladdin Get Sequels?

Proving that all the handwringing over the look of Will Smith’s Genie was overblown, Aladdin proved shining, shimmering, splendid at the box office over Memorial Day weekend, taking the top spot on the domestic charts. It is just the latest example of the financial success Disney has had in recent years with adapting its beloved animated classics to live-action blockbuster films.

The formula that has made these films such a success for Disney (minus a few underperformers), has also been the source of the most consistent and prevalent criticism levied against these remakes. The critics often mention these live-action remakes are too safe and lack originality, often hewing as close as possible to the animated films upon which they are based.

Those criticisms seem unlikely to abate anytime soon with Aladdin just one of the many live-action remakes Disney has on the calendar this year. The more outside-the-box Dumbo began the year, but there is still the Disney+ bound Lady and the Tramp, as well as theatrical releases Maleficent: Mistress of Evil and The Lion King, the latter of which audiences would be forgiven for assuming is just a shot-for-shot remake of the 1994 zenith of Disney’s renaissance.

It is Maleficent 2 however that raises an interesting possibility and path forward that is worth talking and wondering about. Namely, should more Disney live-action movies like Aladdin get sequels?

The criticized lack of originality and sequels may not seem connected, but there are several reasons to think that Disney would be well served by turning some of its live-action reimaginings into film series. Disney is adapting its animated movies to live-action at a fairly rapid rate and I have wondered in the past what the studio will do once it exhausts the most beloved titles. These films are a big part of Disney’s theatrical strategy at the moment, alongside Star Wars, the MCU and Pixar/Walt Disney Animation. I'd assume the studio won’t want that revenue stream to dry up.

Giving films like Aladdin sequels would address this concern by providing Disney with more brand name titles to fill out its calendar for years to come. Sequels could also have the added benefit of the kind of risk-taking the live-action remakes to date have been criticized for lacking. To be clear, any perceived lack of originality hasn’t hurt these films at the box office, but I think it’s fair to say we’d all like to see Disney take some risks as well.

Whether it be theatrically or in its theme parks, Disney as it currently stands really values established brands and recognizable characters that audiences have already invested in. Sequels to Aladdin or The Lion King would bear all those crucial elements and could build off their predecessor’s success. They would have the benefit of nostalgic sentiment for the properties, while still having the creative latitude to innovate and tell a new story.

If you take something like Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle or Cobra Kai as an example, familiar brand names and characters and a powerful nostalgic quality can go a long way towards getting audiences to check out something new and unique. Sure, Aladdin 2 or Cinderella 2 would probably share more in common with their predecessors than those two titles resemble their forebears, but you get the idea.

It’s true that Disney has already made sequels to many of its animated classics that could be theoretically be directly adapted, but those titles were generally straight-to-DVD and not always of the highest quality. Diverging too far from a beloved movie like Aladdin might result in major backlash, but I'm guessing not too many people are going to be heartbroken if Return of Jafar isn’t faithfully adapted or a sequel goes in an entirely different direction.

That gives Disney the kind of creative freedom to tell better follow-up stories to their iconic properties that are inventive and new while still playing to nostalgia.

In addition to allowing for new storytelling, sequels would also draw fewer comparisons to the original animated films because they wouldn’t be direct adaptations. Whenever something cherished is adapted to another medium, those things that are lost and changed in the translation are deeply lamented by fans. Sequels to Disney’s live-action remakes would have no such hill to climb.

So, sequels to Disney live-action remakes like Aladdin would fall into an advantageous middle ground that would confer the nostalgia of an established, beloved property as well as allowing for the kind of creativity many critics of Disney’s reimaginings want to see.

This is all theoretical, though, and alongside the surmised benefits of these sequels are a slew of potential pitfalls that could make such pursuits rather tricky.

The biggest problem is that originality does not equal quality. The live-action remakes that have arguably skewed the furthest from their animated counterparts, Alice in Wonderland and Maleficent, are also two of the least memorable adaptations. These films were successes at the box office to be sure, but they aren’t held up as Disney’s best reimaginings. Anecdotally, it seems to me that among many Disney fans Maleficent especially is disliked for how far it strayed from Sleeping Beauty by fundamentally altering the story.

Audiences hold these stories too dearly and any sequel that takes the story and the characters in a direction they don’t approve of might get rejected at the box office. Then again, sequels aren’t the original animated movies so perhaps audiences will be a little more open and forgiving than they otherwise would.

The other knock against going the sequel route with Disney’s live-action remakes is that it is basically an unproven formula at the moment. If you don’t count 2000’s 102 Dalmatians, which I don’t, the only modern sequel to one of Disney’s live-action remakes is 2016’s Alice Through the Looking Glass. That sequel was critically loathed and didn’t even crack $300 million worldwide when Alice in Wonderland made over $1 billion.

That’s a small sample size though and just because it hasn’t really worked doesn’t mean it won’t. We should find out eventually because The Jungle Book from 2016 will be getting a sequel. Jungle Book 2 will go a long way towards testing the efficacy of giving sequels to these live-action reimaginings.

After that who knows? Despite its tremendous box office, Beauty and the Beast does not look like it will be getting a sequel, even though it was once considered and Emma Watson seems down for one. If I had to put money on it, I’d guess The Lion King has the best shot at getting a sequel after Jungle Book.

Even without seeing it, that movie is bound to do boffo business and seems like it would have more interesting directions to go in a sequel as opposed to something like Cinderella’s pure happily ever after ending. Aladdin could also be an interesting choice with plenty of storytelling opportunities raised by the first film and mythology to delve into.

So there are some big theoretical benefits to Disney giving sequels to its live-action remakes, but those sequels come with big question marks and a risk of failure. Ultimately, the best approach, at least s it seems to me, would be the one Pixar took with the Toy Story franchise. Toy Story 3 was the last movie until the team at Pixar had a great story they wanted to tell and that became Toy Story 4. Disney should adopt that methodology and only give sequels to those films that are ripe for it, where there is a sequel in need of telling.

Aladdin is now playing. Make sure you know what ticket to buy before seeing it and after that you can look forward to The Lion King on July 19. Keep an eye on our guide for all of Disney’s upcoming live-action movies.

Disney Just Dropped A Bunch Of Surprise Star Wars Dates

Disney Just Dropped A Bunch Of Surprise Star Wars Dates

This December marks the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the final chapter of the Skywalker Saga. Following that, Lucasfilm had already made it clear that the franchise set in a galaxy far, far away would take a bit of a break from the big screen, but now we’ve learned that it won’t gone for too long. Because by 2022, Star Wars movies will be playing again at a theater near you.

Disney announced today that starting in 2022, three new “as-yet-untitled” Star Wars movies will be released on the pre-Christmas weekend every other year. That means Star Wars fans will get their fill of new cinematic adventures in 2022, 2024 and 2026. So once the Skywalker Saga wraps up, the franchise will take a three-year breather, and then return to turn the page on a new chapter of this space opera epic.

Movie studios announcing the release dates of major blockbusters years ahead of time is nothing new, but this now gives Star Wars fans a firm launch date on the post-Skywalker Saga era. It’s interesting that rather than release a Star Wars movie every year as has been happening since The Force Awakens came out, Disney and Lucasfilm are now taking a more reserved approach and delivering a Star Wars movie every two years.

What’s unclear is what Star Wars movies these will be. The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson is putting together a new trilogy after his next movie, Knives Out, is released, and Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have their own trilogy in the works. Unless Disney and Lucasfilm change their minds and decide to throw additional Star Wars movies into 2023, 2025 and 2027, that means that whatever next set of films is coming next, we’ll have to wait a long time for the other set to arrive.

It’s also worth mentioning that the Friday before Christmas weekend in 2022 is December 16, and that’s the same day that Warner Bros has Aquaman 2 slated for release. So unless one of them is willing to move from that date, we’ll have a Star Wars vs. DC showdown at the box office. My guess is that Aquaman 2 is the likeliest to exit that slot, as aside from Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars movies have all come out right before Christmas in the Disney era.

Related: Natalie Portman Had A Tough Time Dealing With The The Star Wars Prequel Trilogy Backlash

Of course, even without any Star Wars movies between 2019 and 2022, it’s not like there will be a lack of Star Wars content during that time. Along with numerous novels, comic books and video games being churned out, Disney+ will keep fans entertained with The Mandalorian and the still-to-be-titled series focusing on Cassian Andor and K-2SO.

Keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more updates on the Star Wars movies coming out on December 16, 2022; December 20, 2024; and December 18, 2026. In the meantime, you can look forward to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hitting theaters on December 20.

This Rotten Week: Predicting Us Reviews

This Rotten Week: Predicting Us Reviews

We’ve only got one movie on the docket this week, but it’s definitely an exciting one, as we are once again seeing writer/director Jordan Peele return to the horror genre following the Oscar-winning success of Get Out two years ago. Get ready to meet the doppelgangers of your nightmares in Us.

Just remember, I'm not reviewing these movies, but rather predicting where they'll end up on the Tomatometer. Let's take a look at This Rotten Week has to offer.

After taking the horror world by storm, combining legit creeps with a commentary about race in America in the award-winning Get Out (98%), Jordan Peele is back. And his latest one looks, well, pretty fucked up in all the right ways. The guy is taking over the genre, and Us looks like it is going to be another huge win for the filmmaker

As we've seen previously in the genre, what we have here is another family outing/get together gone horribly wrong - this time the story playing out in a beach town where the Tyler family is stalked by... well, the Tyler family (just a creepier version). Where Get Out had plenty of frights with a slightly tongue-in-cheek tone, Us looks like a full-out horror fest. Even from the trailer one can tell the visuals will keep you up at night. Critics thus far are all over this movie. Following its debut at the SXSW Film Festival, it’s currently sitting at 100% through more than 50 reviews. I doubt it slips much, if at all. It’s tough to ever predict a movie hitting the 100% mark, and I don’t think this one will end up at the top of the mountain - but it'll be damn close. We’ll have one or two negatives come in over the course of the week, but the sentiment will remain the same.

While only one of the movies fell within ten percent of my predictions last week, the other two came incredibly close to being called wins. When it’s all said and done, and a few more reviews come trickling in, this week could look a lot better. Captive State (Predicted: 48% Actual: 49%) was nearly right on the money, dipping down under the 50% mark from Saturday into Sunday. Critics fell mostly in line with what I suspected was the case: the movie had too many moving parts. While the central theme is intriguing, they tried to do too many things within the framework and it ended up being confusing.

Meanwhile, Five Feet Apart (Predicted: 39% Actual: 52%) was looking like a clear win until it ticked up over 50% in the last two days. Frankly, I’m kind of shocked it fell out of range. Of the three movies from last week, this prediction was my most confident. Critics seemed to mostly agree that the two leads carried the movie out of the sappy and cliched depths it could have ventured considering the subject matter.

And finally, Wonder Park(Predicted: 41% Actual: 30%) also just missed the mark. See what I mean with this week? This could easily be a three-for-three. This animated movie had critics incredibly un-enthused. The general theme of the reviews was the plot line was just way too sad for what should be a sort of joyous kids’ flick about imagination and, well, wonder.

Next time around we’ve got Dumbo. It’s gonna be a Rotten Week!

Why It's OK If You Can't See Avengers: Endgame Opening Night

Why It's OK If You Can't See Avengers: Endgame Opening Night

Tickets to Avengers: Endgame's opening weekend are selling in record numbers, and those who are trying to get a ticket to the big night at this stage in the game will have to pay quite a hefty price. Some may not even be that lucky and will be forced to sit at home Thursday night in sadness while their friends and family scuttle off to the cinema to watch the three hour and two minute-long conclusion to the MCU's Phase 3.

It's a sad feeling, although those who weren't able to snag a ticket to their local theater shouldn't be discouraged in the slightest. Believe it or not, missing out on a debut showing of a highly anticipated film isn't the end of the world. In fact, there's an argument to be made that skipping out on opening night and midnight showings may be a better option, especially when compared to other available options.

Bottom line, it's ok if you can't see Avengers: Endgame on Thursday, and I've got a bunch of reasons why I'm not upset about missing out in the slightest.

First, let's start with the fact that no movie, even one as highly anticipated as Avengers: Endgame, is worth the finders fee folks are charging online. Online resale value has some asking hundreds of dollars for their tickets, and others swinging for the fences with their asking price in the thousands. Others are less extreme and want a more reasonable $50, which may be a price some with the cash may be willing to spend.

Let's make one thing clear: paying a premium to see Avengers: Endgame on opening weekend may not be the best decision. For starters, theaters are in the business of making money, and if tickets continue to sell at the rate they are going, odds are more screenings will be made available for more people to attend. It seems theaters aren't just going to throw up their hands and say no to more money.

Plus, the thought of paying anything more than general admission for an opening night showing of a blockbuster movie is atrocious given past experiences. It's taken nearly 30 years and dozens of screenings to come to this realization, but midnight and first-day screenings are among the worst screenings one can attend.

Sure, it's easy to get caught up in the fun. Everyone is excited they're among the first to see a movie, there might be people there dressed as characters in the film and everyone is riding high on the emotion that their long wait is finally over. It's an intoxicating feeling, but it comes with its downsides. As others may attest to, when it comes to midnight screenings, the common courtesy of average filmgoing tends to go out the window.

The biggest common occurrence is applause. Audiences will break out in applause for the opening credits, any major character's first appearance and whatever else may come along the way. While that's fine for a live performance, characters in films don't hold for applause before delivering the next line. While the person next to you is clapping hands together like a keyed-up circus seal, you might be missing a meaningful line that can't be heard until the next time you see it.

Laughter is another big one, and another thing that occurs often and in excessive amounts at big-ticket Marvel releases. It's understandable since Marvel films can be humorous, and by no means am I trying to shame folks for laughing during the movie. People are free to enjoy the movie they paid for however they like, but for those who want to hear dialogue, extended audience laugh breaks are another thing that gets in the way of that.

There's also heckling, which may not occur in every first-day screening I've attended, but it definitely seems to happen quite a lot. Again, it makes sense, especially when the folks most excited and passionate about the Marvel universe will be amongst the few willing to do "whatever it takes" to secure those first showings.

Some of these people are the same folks who want a pleasant theater going experience, and some of those are the type who screamed at the screen in panic "WHAT'S HAPPENING?" when Leia got sucked out into space during Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Again, these types of theater outbursts aren't exclusive to opening night screenings, but there definitely feels like there's more of it.

Let's remember on top of all of the above that the run time for Avengers: Endgame is a little over three hours long. Even in the most ideal of circumstances, there's going to be more than a few tired eyes during the late showings as the film reaches its most pivotal moments. Falling asleep or missing some key moments due to nodding off is not ideal.

With all of that said, I do understand and respect the urgency of seeing Avengers: Endgame as quickly as possible. It only takes one errant headline, actor or one over-enthusiastic friend to ruin a major plot point, and learning it before viewing can drastically lessen the moviegoing experience. So, how does someone who doesn't wish to be spoiled still get a chance to see one of the first showings free from distractions or fatigue?

Two words, "matinee showing." If you're someone not bound to the restrictions of a 9-5 job, or someone with some vacation time to burn, buy a ticket for an early showing on Friday. You'll get a relatively empty theater, plenty of rest and perhaps even a discounted ticket price for going at an odd hour. It's literally the perfect solution, especially for those who may be considering calling in Friday anyway to recover from the night before.

And if Friday is absolutely out of the question, Saturday and Sunday morning screenings are likely just as available. So there's no need to panic about ticket sales, or the fact that you may not see Avengers: Endgame on opening day. There's still plenty of time to make another game plan for a showing, so get a strategy together and create an experience that, in my opinion, is far more optimal than the typical "midnight screening" experience.

Avengers: Endgame is in many theaters Thursday, April 25, but again, audiences will be able to see it any day following for quite a while. Keep with CinemaBlend before and after the premiere for more updates on Marvel, analysis on the film and where the studio is headed in Phase 4. For more on Avengers: Endgame, and how to prepare for it, check out the two films the Russo brothers said fans should watch before the premiere.

Zac Efron's Wild Beach Bum Facial Hair Was Inspired By A Panini

Zac Efron's Wild Beach Bum Facial Hair Was Inspired By A Panini

The Beach Bum premiered at SXSW just a few days ago and cast members and director Harmony Korine came out to talk a little bit about the movie. One of the most interesting and compelling details to come out about the upcoming Matthew McConaughey, Martin Lawrence, Isla Fisher and Zac Efron starrer is the fact that Efron’s wild look in the movie was modeled after a panini. No, really.

Actually, if you’ve seen the trailer for the movie and know what Zac Efron's facial hair looks like, it’s a pretty apt description. Take a closer look at Efron’s facial hair below.

I know it can be pretty easy to get bogged down by Matthew McConaughey’s also-wild locks, but the concise cut of Zac Efron’s beard trim does really make him look like a sandwich. The news comes per Lauren Liebowitz on Twitter, who confirmed the director said the look was based on a panini. She wrote:

Harmony Korine said the inspiration behind Zac Efron’s Beach Bum facial grooming was “a panini.”

The entire premise of The Beach Bum seems to be about wildness and excess, so it would make sense that the hairstyles in the upcoming movie would follow the same trend. In fact, the movie is about a poet named Moondog who is living a life of leisure when he should really be working. In between he smokes pot, plays the bongos naked and spends a lot of time near water. Still, hearing The Beach Bum director and Zac Efron were inspired by a panini is still pretty surprising.

Be sure to check out the red band trailer for the r-rated flick if you haven’t caught it yet.

Zac Efron isn’t exactly a chameleon, but he’s shown a willingness to change his look for movie roles before. He previously got wildly into shape while filming the 2017 movie Baywatch, although he doesn't recommend training the way he did for that movie. More recently, he also changed his hair and look a lot to play Ted Bundy in the period drama Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile. His gig as Bundy has actually gotten him some flack for playing a “hot Ted Bundy” ahead of the movie's Netflix release.

Fans of Harmony Korine’s previous work, which includes 2012’s Spring Breakers will not have to wait too long to catch the new movie. The Beach Bum officially hits theaters on March 22. To see all of the other fun, wild and emotional flicks coming in the next year, be sure to take a look at our full movies schedule.

Rocketman’s Taron Egerton Says There’s ‘Nothing More Intimidating’ Than Filming In Front Of Elton John

Rocketman’s Taron Egerton Says There’s ‘Nothing More Intimidating’ Than Filming In Front Of Elton John

Taron Egerton has done a lot in his years as an actor. He’s done tough, long shoots for action movies like Kingsman and Robin Hood and he even learned to ski for Eddie the Eagle. But nothing was quite like having to perform in front of Elton John for the upcoming flick Rocketman. According to Taron Egerton…

There's really nothing more intimidating than performing in front of Elton. I don't think I could have done it if he was around a lot. But I think he knew that. He's very astute in that way.

Previously, while speaking onstage with director Dexter Fletcher at CinemaCon 2019, Taron Egerton also revealed to the audience that Elton John wasn’t a major presence on the set of Rocketman, preferring the creative team to put together their own version of his life story without him present most of the time on the set.

However, THR also revealed that while Elton John only came and watched Taron Egerton during a day when he was performing “Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting” at a carnival in front of a group of extras, he did watch the dailies as they came in from the set.

Related: Watch Rocketman's Taron Egerton Sing "Tiny Dancer" With Real Elton John

Paramount’s Rocketman was already preparing for release when Bohemian Rhapsody started winning awards early this year. The second musical biopic to come out in just as many years, Rocketman will follow the life of legendary singer and performer Elton John, who is currently on the road performing his farewell tour.

Paramount is likely hoping it will have a similar trajectory to Bohemian Rhapsody, which went on to gross over $900 million worldwide.

There’s no reason to think it couldn’t, as Elton John is currently on a tour he has dubbed his Farewell Yellow Brick Road aka retirement tour, after a career spanning multiple decades and an absolute ton of record sales, over 300 million in fact. He's popular and the movies early trailers look great.

However, while the Queen biopic softened Freddie Mercury’s story somewhat and kept to a PG-13 rating, the Rocketman team is going a lot harder, telling the full R-rated tale of Elton John’s life story, likely with some embellishments as well. R-rated movies can sell and sell well, but they certainly aren’t as friendly in some markets as others.

Previously, Taron Egerton talked about how he hopes to make Elton John happy with his portrayal when the movie comes out, noting,

He’s so universally loved, and I just want to make him happy really. Just getting over the pressure of it and having a good time.

No matter what ends up happening with this movie (although from the footage I saw at CinemaCon it looks great), Taron Egerton will be able to look back and say. 1. He did all of his own singing playing Elton John in this movie (which Malek did not as Mercury). 2. He cut his hair to create a receding hairline in this movie.

He did quite a lot to give Rocketman his all and we’ll be able to see how it all pans out—and hopefully exactly what Elton John thinks—when the movie hits theaters on May 31. Take a look at what else is coming this summer with our full schedule.