Avengers: Endgame's Chinese Opening Looks Massive

Avengers: Endgame's Chinese Opening Looks Massive

With pre-sales records broken and theaters planning round-the-clock showings, it looks likely that Avengers: Endgame will have an unprecedented debut at the domestic box office opening weekend. But while domestic audiences still have a day to go until the first preview showings begin, audiences in China, the world’s second-biggest film market, got to experience it a little earlier. Avengers: Endgame has begun its run in The Middle Kingdom and it already looks to be headed towards a massive opening.

Avengers: Endgame opened on Wednesday in China and in its first day in release it smashed the single-day record for the market with a huge $107.2 million. That easily eclipses the previous single-day record holder in the country, the local blockbuster Monster Hunt, which earned $85 million in its opening last year. It is also the best single-day opening for a Hollywood film in the country, racing past The Fate of the Furious’s $69 million.

Avengers: Endgame’s single-day record includes the record $28.2 million the movie earned from midnight preview screenings according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Avengers completely dominated Chinese cinema screens on opening day, with 99% of all movie tickets sold on Wednesday being for the 3-hour MCU epic. To satisfy demand, many of the country’s multiplexes had Endgame playing on every screen and showings were starting every 15 to 30 minutes.

This incredibly fast start portends a ridiculous opening weekend in China for Avengers: Endgame. Prior to its release, the tracking had the Russo Brothers’ film landing at around $270 million for the five-day, Wednesday-Sunday opening. Now some of those prognosticators are amending those predictions with a belief that the film could go as high as $300 million over the five-day opening.

To date, no imported film has ever cracked $500 million in China, but Avengers: Endgame could change that. Hollywood’s biggest box office hit in the country is currently 2017’s The Fate of the Furious, which finished its run with $392.8 million (Avengers: Infinity War made $359.5 million in China). Dom and the family may not hold that record for long though as Chinese online ticketing company Maoyan is projecting a $521 million run for Endgame when it’s all said and done.

We’ve seen in recent years how Hollywood blockbusters and the films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe perform well in China, and how the country’s box office buoys their worldwide totals. So it is not a surprise that Avengers: Endgame is doing well there, but it seems to be outperforming expectations.

Part of that is likely due to the positive reception the film has received. Here in the U.S., Avengers: Endgame is receiving stellar reviews and boasts a fantastic score on Rotten Tomatoes and those in China are echoing that positive reception. The film is enjoying great word of mouth and has a 9.3/10 score on the aforementioned Maoyan’s ticketing app and the more hard to please site Douban, Endgame sits at a 9.2 out of 10.

All these signs point towards Avengers: Endgame doing extremely well, perhaps historically so, over the course of its run. Combined with what is sure to be a huge domestic opening and the Avengers are going out with a serious bang.

Avengers: Endgame opens in domestic theaters this weekend. We’ll keep you updated as previous box office records get snapped to dust and check out our 2019 Release Schedule to see all the movies headed your way as we enter the summer blockbuster season.

One Of Toy Story 4's New Characters Has A Pretty Heartbreaking Backstory

One Of Toy Story 4's New Characters Has A Pretty Heartbreaking Backstory

Pixar seems determined to top the emotional gauntlet that was Toy Story 3. The newest film in the franchise, Toy Story 4, is said to have brought poor Tom Hanks to tears in the recording studio, and the film isn't pulling any punches with its new characters. The doll Gabby Gabby is voiced by Christina Hendricks, and apparently the toy has never felt the love of a child because of a factory defect.

My character Gabby Gabby is a baby doll who was sadly made with a broken voice box. Because of this defect, she has never known the love of a child or been able to fulfill her destiny to love one back. She has spent her whole life in an antique store looking out at the real world.

In addition to old favorites like Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and Jessie, Toy Story 4 will feature a bunch of new toys who will either help or hinder the heroes. One of the new characters is Gabby Gabby, who looks like she's based on one of those older "talking" dolls. The first trailer for the movie seems to position her as the villain (she does have an army of ventriloquist dummies after all), but she's got a backstory that will bring you to tears.

Christina Hendricks voices the new character and she told People that Gabby Gabby has a tragically ironic origin that prevents her from doing the thing all toys are meant to do. She has a broken voice box and has thus never been loved or given love to a child. Not only that, but she lives in a boring antique shop!

It doesn't sound like the other two new characters will be as tragic as Gabby Gabby. Keanu Reeves voices Duke Caboom, a Canadian daredevil modeled after Evel Knievel. Caboom is a friend of the returning Bo Peep, and he's enlisted by Bo and Woody to help on their mission. However, he's got a fear of failure that he'll have to confront to get the job done.

The final new character is the tiniest toy in the franchise, Giggle McDimples. Voiced by Ally Maki, the one-inch Giggle is the police chief of a toy haven called Miniopolis. She's Bo Peep's best friend and a "mega boss," according to Maki.

Toy Story is known for introducing great characters, so hopes are high for these three new toys! Despite an especially rough development process, the movie looks great and we'll see if it forces us to use every tissue in the house by the time the credits roll.

Toy Story 4 is all set to hit theaters on June 21. For everything else popping up this year in theaters, check out our 2019 movie release guide.

The Lion King Fans Aren't Sold On The New Scar After First Look

The Lion King Fans Aren't Sold On The New Scar After First Look

This morning brought Disney fans something they’ve been waiting for: the first full trailer for the upcoming Lion King. While a first look at the movie, featuring a shot-for-shot reenactment of the iconic “Circle of Life” opening scene and James Earl Jones return to the role of Mufasa, came out late last year, it left many wanting to see and hear more from the new additions to the Disney classic. The latest footage introduced fans to a couple notes of Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen's Timon and Pumbaa, a few frames of Nala, and most importantly, Chiwetel Ejiofor taking command of the movie’s notorious villain, Scar.

However, many fans may have struggled to recognize The Lion King baddie due to his new look. Once it’s made clear who Scar is when he stands in front of his hyena minions and tells young Simba to never return to Pride Rock, some found themselves disappointed in this realistic take on Scar, Naturally took to Twitter to share their thoughts. Take a look:

When you look at the animated and “live-action” Scars side by side, you can definitely tell there were some creative liberties taken with the latter that separates him from the green-eyed, sassy villain. The new Scar looks looks like a realistic lion who would be the brother of Mufasa, as he has the same light-colored mane. Though he nonetheless retains a gritty look, shown through the cut in his left ear and the iconic, though less prominent scar down his eye.

One criticism many fans voiced is that Scar just simply doesn’t look like his animated character. While some noted that the villain’s look in the original film wouldn’t be found in the wild, this Twitter user proved otherwise. Check it:

There you have it! Disney could have easily made a little more effort to meet fans in the middle and give Scar a black mane as they remember him to have, even if the green and yellow eyes were off the table. That’s not all the qualms they have with his look though. @_Zeets felt like the studio straight up has done the character wrong. In his words:

As he hilariously comments, Scar wasn’t characterized through his look as a more menacing as this scrawny version of him portrays him as. The lion had a commanding presence that brought about fear in the eyes of much of our childhoods. I feel like Simba could totally take this Scar.

There is another matter at hand here with the differences between the animated and realistic Scars that is very much due to the medium being used to recreate the iconic baddie. Here’s what @alip1118 contributed to the discussion:

There’s just something magical about that hand-drawn animation that will always be close to the hearts of Disney fans, and the CGI technology the new Lion King movie is using may take some of that away with their realistic representations. Besides that, the voice work of Jeremy Iron from the '90s is close to a lot of hearts as well, per this comment:

There’s still a lot to be seen from The Lion King then has already been seen in this first look. Perhaps the movie is trying to set the character apart from the original to deter comparisons to the original, and he may have a different character arc then the one we know already. So far, this Lion King looks like it’s borrowing a lot from the animated version visually and with much of the dialogue we’ve seen but the remake may be more than a nostalgia fest.

The Lion King comes to theaters 100 days from now on July 19 (as director Jon Favreau noted today). The epic is sure to make tons of money for the studio, which has become known for reimagining its beloved animated classics into blockbusters.

When You Can Book A Reservation For Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge

When You Can Book A Reservation For Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge is about to become the hottest ticket in town. The new land will be open at Disneyland in just over a month, but if you want to visit it within the first three weeks, you'll need a special reservation. This morning Disney Parks released new information via press prelease about how to get that reservation. While we already knew that guests staying at a Disneyland Resort hotel will get a reservation for the new land automatically, everybody else will want to be ready on the morning of May 2.

Reservations will be available to those not staying at Disneyland Resort hotels beginning at 10:00 AM Pacific Time on May 2. However, the exact process for how to acquire one won't be revealed until two hours earlier, so those looking to grab one will want to be ready at 8:00 AM to get all the important details.

One key piece of information that was revealed today was that you'll need an account on the Disneyland website, so if you don't currently have one and plan to be going after a reservation, you'll want to setup the account soon so you won't have to worry about it later. Since the Disneyland website will likely be a hub of activity as people try to make reservations, you'll absolutely want to be sure you don't have extra steps you'll need to complete. Also, of course, you'll need to buy valid theme park admission to get into the park at all.

Reservations will be needed to get into Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge beginning on opening day, May 31, and will last for about three weeks until June 22. We've known since opening day was announced that reservations would be needed, and that Disneyland hotel reservations would get you one, but it wasn't clear until now just how available reservations would be to locals who don't need hotels or others who maybe couldn't afford to drop the cash in a Disneyland hotel.

If you want to be absolutely sure you get into Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, the hotel room route is still an option. While not every Disneyland Resort hotel is still available for every evening, there are still rooms available, including for the night before and the day of Galaxy's Edge opening. Although, with the reservation process now officially confirmed, one wonders how quickly those rooms might fill up.

Early expectations were that people were going to come out of the woodwork when Galaxy's Edge opened and far more people than the park could handle would show up and try to get in. With the announcement of the reservation system it seems that won't be the case, at least not until the reservation period ends. To that end, showing on opening day might actually be the best idea. It seems likely that crowds will be kept to a level that's manageable for Disneyland.

At a certain point, there's only so much you can be prepared for until crowds start showing up and so the first few days or weeks might actually be the least crowded that the land will be for the foreseeable future, at least until the park is sure that everything in the new land is functioning as it should be.

In addition to offering new attractions based on Star Wars, that would be more than enough to bring a lot of people, Galaxy's Edge is offering a level of world immersion entirely new to Disney, if not theme parks entirely.

Star Wars; Galaxy's Edge is set to open at Walt Disney World, at Disney's Hollywood Studios, on August 29.

New Brightburn Trailer Shows Off Terrifying Superpowers

New Brightburn Trailer Shows Off Terrifying Superpowers

Have you ever wondered what would happen if Superman became a force of evil instead of a superhero? While it’s doubtful Warner Bros and DC will ever tell such a cinematic tale, Brightburn is essentially working with that premise, as the boy who’s wreaking havoc in the upcoming movie shares many of the same abilities as the Man of Steel. You can see these superpowers at work to instill terror rather than hope in the new Brightburn trailer below.

The first Brightburn trailer dropped back in December, but this latest preview provides a more in-depth look at how the young boy, Brandon Breyer (Jackson A. Dunn), turns to darkness. His story unfold similarly to Kal-El’s at first. Found by a couple, Mr. and Mrs. Breyer (David Denman and Elizabeth Banks), after landing on Earth as a baby, Brandon is seemingly raised in a loving and warm environment. Unfortunately for him, kids can be cruel, and while Clark Kent managed to make it through his formative years without being a social pariah, Brandon’s classmates have labeled him as a ‘creep.’ Eventually he hits his breaking point when he’s pushed to the ground and breaks the hand of the girl who’s been instructed to help him back up.

This is the moment that Brandon starts to realize just how powerful he is, as demonstrated by him putting his hand through a wood chipper and breaking the machinery. (Didn’t this happen on Smallville, too?) With the evil inside of him growing, Brandon doesn’t waste any time using his powers against others, with his first target being the mother of the girl he harmed, as she wanted him thrown in prison. Super strength, super speed, flight, heat vision, this kid basically has the same power set as Superman, making it easy for him to bring down planes and destroy houses. Despite his actions, Brandon’s mother still believes there is good inside of him, but his father is less convinced.

If this were a DC movie and Superman or someone like him went rogue, it would be easy enough to throw either another superpowered individual or some kind of advanced technology in this threat’s way. For Brightburn, which fits more snugly in the horror genre than the superhero realm, it’s unclear now Brandon Breyer will be neutralized, if at all. As far as we know, there isn’t anyone else in this world anywhere near as powerful as him, and there’s no sign yet that he has a kryptonite-like weakness. For what it’s worth, Brandon tells his mother at the end of the trailer that he wants to “do good,” but with all the destruction he’s caused and no sign of that darkness inside of him diminishing, the chances of him turning back to the light don’t seem likely.

Directed by David Yarovesky, produced by Guardians of the Galaxy’s James Gunn and written by Gunn’s brothers Mark and Brian, Brightburn hits theaters on May 24. If you’re interested in learning what other movies are coming out this year, look through our 2019 release schedule.

Rotten Tomatoes May Be Making Even More Changes To Combat Trolls

Rotten Tomatoes May Be Making Even More Changes To Combat Trolls

Rotten Tomatoes recently made changes to its users reviews after a deluge of trolls opted to give Captain Marvel some negative nods before the movie had even opened in theaters. The review aggregate service said the changes were not made to accommodate Captain Marvel specifically and will continue to be a part of Rotten Tomatoes moving forward. However, now it looks as if the site may not stop at changing the windows in which users are allowed to review.

A new report indicates that Rotten Tomatoes is looking at “additional measures” in terms of user reviews. Per THR those measures will likely include adding an additional layer of security so that users have to verify they’ve seen a movie before they can review it on Rotten Tomatoes.

This move hasn’t been made by the aggregate site yet, so it’s hard to tell exactly what that would like for regular users who leave reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s possible that if the additional layer of security is kind of a pain in the rear, it could deter both avid users and trolls.

Still, the whole Captain Marvel brouhaha led to a really low audience score for the new Marvel movie early on. At one point it was running at just 33% with over 58,000 reviews.

At the time of this writing, following Rotten Tomatoes’ user score change led by parent company Fandango, Captain Marvel is running at 62% with 64,385 reviews. If that math doesn’t totally add up, it should be noted that number only happened after Rotten Tomatoes literally went through and purged reviews that had been written and kept on the site even after the policy change last week.

Originally, users were able to reveal their excitement or lack thereof in a project ahead of its release, but a couple of weeks ago, Rotten Tomatoes said it would be changing its pre-release function and that comments would be disabled until a movie was released. For Captain Marvel this was a hassle and eventually some reviews had to be dropped from the site because people had been allowed to review prior to the rule change; presumably, this would not be an issue for future movies.

In fact, Rotten Tomatoes' decision has also had a bit of a chain effect, as YouTube also mentioned changes to its platform to combat trolls related to the same Marvel flick.

All in all, none of the trolls really had a huge effect on Captain Marvel fans. The movie nabbed an A CinemaScore and has gone on to already make $500 million worldwide, which is an incredibly quick period of time to achieve that number. That's the good news. However, what will be most interesting to see will be if Rotten Tomatoes complicates its user review process if it will have an effect on the engagement and user reviews people are willing to put on the site.

If you’ve left a review on Rotten Tomatoes before, is the process already a hassle? Would adding another step make you more or less likely to leave a user review? Let us know, and in the meantime, be sure to check out Clark Gregg calling Marvel trolls "butthurt."

The Greatest Star Wars Memes For Any Situation

The Greatest Star Wars Memes For Any Situation

The internet is a vast source of limitless information and a technological wonder that has revolutionized our everyday lives in countless ways. It's also a great place to share memes, and that's something folks do en masse all over the internet, especially in regards to social media. It's a way to express yourself on a level regular text doesn't always convey and, when used correctly, can be a real hit with colleagues.

This is especially true with Star Wars memes, which have skyrocketed in popularity in recent years. Thanks to the efforts of subreddits and the new trilogy, Star Wars memes are as hot as they've ever been. If you're late to the game, here's a handful of the best from each trilogy to get you started, and equip you with the perfect meme for any situation.

The Prequel Trilogy

While the films may not be as celebrated, the prequel trilogy memes rank among some of the best on the internet. It's hard to find a part of the movie that isn't worth making into a meme, and one almost certainly could if they tried. With that said, here's some of the classic and most versatile ones that really embody the drama and goofiness of Episodes 1-3.

"Hello There"

General Kenobi's greeting to General Grievous may have been odd and a bit out of place given the context of the situation. With that said, it's more or less perfect for the person wishing to inject themselves into a conversation between two strangers they're not apart of. This one also works for when people send you comments that are just your name and nothing else, and may discourage those parties from doing that in the future.

"It's Treason, Then"

Who doesn't enjoy an internet debate every now and then? Believe it or not, people with different ideals clash on the internet, and even friends can get into squabble over trivial things. If your friend flips the script on you in an argument, Palpatine's famous line is a great meme to signal their betrayal. It's also great for when someone mentions treason in general as well, and will always get scores of likes from Star Wars fans.

"Nooooooo"

We'd be remissed to cap off the prequel films without one of its most iconic memes to date. People may take the Vader "nooooooo" meme for granted because it's been around for so long, but that's only because it's one of the most versatile gifs in the game. When you are absolutely, positively looking to express your disapproval in an exaggerated and slightly comedic way, accept no substitutes. This isn't about Quentin Tarantino memes!

The Original Trilogy

The original trilogy has gotten some fresh memes over the years, but seeing as its the oldest trilogy, it's only natural some of the internet memes surrounding it are a bit dated. There's nothing wrong with the classics though, and as long as you're not trying to impress any edgy teenagers, these memes should serve you well while traversing the web.

Palpatine Egging On

Online discussion can get heated at times, and sometimes everyone needs to take a breath and remember that there's another person on the other side of the screen trying to live their life. This meme is great for acknowledging when someone may be taking things a bit too far, but also great for trolling someone you've already enraged in a discussion. Of course, you're also suggesting you're a villain in posting it so there is a downside.

Meme "Checks Out"

This one is certainly applicable to a few entries on this list, and one young bloods can keep in the folder to whip out once in a blue moon. This one is great because it's always a crowd pleaser, provided the meme it's referencing is actually old. Play this one sparingly and you'll score thousands of imaginary internet points before you know it.

"It's A Trap!"

Admiral Ackbar's famous line is one of the internet's oldest meme, and suitable in literally every situation one would assume. Spot something dicey on the internet? Did your friends share a link to some news that isn't true? Drop this baby in the comments to inform others, and maybe provide some context afterward for those that don't understand why. Everyone should post an Ackbar meme at least once in their life, if only as a public service.

The Sequel Trilogy

The sequel trilogy is the new kid on the block, but that doesn't mean the memes are any less fantastic. With that said, memes have shifted to more contextual and rooted in long captions that apply to very specific situation. Even so, there are still some great lines from the new movies to work into this brave new world of memeing.

Kylo Ren Shirtless

There's no text, but don't panic, all will be fine. Just let Kylo Ren's glistening pecs do all the talking for you and leave everyone else to figure out why you posted this meme. Was it intimidation? To be noticed? Are you just bored? Best case scenario, the conversation devolves into Kylo Ren shirtless image battles, which one can never get enough of.

"The Sacred Texts!"

Here's one that's best used ironically, on days when you're feeling a bit fiesty. Maybe you threw out your microwave box before checking the heating instructions, or your dollar comic collection was damaged whilst sitting in the garage. The skies the limit for this one, and it's guaranteed to get smiles from at least a few people should you find the right context to use it.

Poe Breaks The Ice

When it comes to one-liners in the new Star Wars trilogy, there's really no debate among who delivers the best. Poe Dameron is the man, and isn't afraid to crack jokes even when his life is in danger. It's something that will probably get him killed eventually, but until then we can laugh at his smart ass remark to Poe and use it in all awkward online exchanges going forward.

Of course, there's a galaxy full of great Star Wars memes that have been left off of this list, so feel free to share any favorites in the comments for interested parties to use in the future. Meanwhile CinemaBlend will keep an eye on all Star Wars news, and post that Episode IX trailer as soon as it appears.