Toy Story 4 Is Breaking Pre-Sale Records For Animated Blockbusters

Toy Story 4 Is Breaking Pre-Sale Records For Animated Blockbusters

Pixar’s upcoming Toy Story film will bring back a lovable ensemble characters and wrap up the long-running franchise with an emotional conclusion. Wait… is Toy Story 4 the Avengers: Endgame of animation? Signs point to yes (box-office wise anyway). The movie recently broke some records for the best first day pre-sale tickets for an animated movie ever. Woody and friends will not be collecting dust this summer, that’s for sure.

When Toy Story 4 pre-sale tickets went on sale on Tuesday, Fandango reported that movie outpaced the current record-holder: 2018’s Incredibles 2, which became the highest-grossing animated movie of all time during the same weekend last summer. What's more, the upcoming sequel also broke the same records for Fandango's competitor Atom.

The Pixar’s superhero sequel earned $182 million during its 3-day weekend opening and went on to make $608 million domestically and $1.2 billion worldwide. Toy Story 4 may now be on track to beat out these numbers, perhaps scoring a potential $200 million during opening weekend. This would place the flick well over last month’s tracking of $105 to $130 million previously predicted.

Toy Story 4 also brought in higher presale figures than 2016’s Finding Dory, the live-action Beauty and the Beast and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 on Fandango. And the Toy Story sequel also sold nearly 50% more tickets on Atom than the site’s top 3 animated titles combined (Incredibles 2, Ralph Breaks the Internet and Hotel Transylvania) in a 24-hour period.

If Toy Story 4 delivers on these expectations, it will easily be the most successful opening weekend for the franchise. It has been nine years since Andy’s toys graced the big screen. 2010’s third installment made $110 million during its debut and over $1 billion worldwide by the end of its run. It was 2010’s biggest movie of the year. NowToy Story 4 likely won’t top Endgame opening weekend but it has a strong chance to become the second best opening of 2019 since the MCU culmination.

Depending on how popular Frozen II fares in earnings later this year, Toy Story 4 could also become the highest-grossing animated film of the year. The first Frozen didn’t earn a huge first weekend, but became popular on the big screen as world of mouth caught on. This lead to a $1.2 million global gross, making it the most-successful animated worldwide release. On the domestic front, Toy Story 3 beat out Frozen by just $15 million, so it could be a close race to the top.

After Pixar has offered up a dizzying amount of sequels in recent years, it’s been said the studio will soon be going back to making original animated films after Toy Story 4, starting with Onward coming in 2020.

Toy Story 4 comes to theaters on June 21 and will see the return of classic characters such as Tom Hank’s Woody and a handful of new one’s such as Tony Hale’s Forky and Keanu Reeves’ Duke Caboom.

Man Reportedly Beaten Outside Cinema For Shouting Avengers: Endgame Spoilers

Man Reportedly Beaten Outside Cinema For Shouting Avengers: Endgame Spoilers

It's been a long wait and Avengers: Endgame is finally here. Fans are packing theaters to see this movie, but not everyone is going to be able to see the blockbuster opening weekend. As such, fans are taking precautions to avoid spoilers at all costs, and even the filmmakers have taken steps to make sure that the plot is as secretive as possible. However, one man in Hong Kong apparently didn't get the memo and was reportedly beaten up for for shouting Endgame spoilers.

Part of what has made Endgame such a unique film is that Marvel Studios has taken extra precautions to keep the film as secretive as possible. Trailers have revealed little information, and the Russo Bros. made it their mission to make sure that people would have an authentic, surprising experience at the theater.

Sadly, in the age of the internet, that's just not really possible. Endgame leaked online ahead of the premiere and hours later, the Russos released a statement asking people to keep all spoilers to themselves. After all, it's one thing to seek spoilers for yourself, but it's wrong to force them on people who don't.

One man decided to take the direct approach with spoilers. According to Deadline, a man reportedly shouted Endgame spoilers to a crowd waiting in line to see the movie. Taiwanese media did not identify the man, but reported that he was left bloodied after the crowd attacked him for the spoilers.

A photo of the man bleeding out of his head and sitting on the street has been circulating the internet.

It's increasingly difficult to avoid spoilers in the age of the internet. A person could see a spoiler just from browsing YouTube and seeing a revealing thumbnail. However, it seems that there are consequences for those who choose to spoil without the anonymity of the internet.

Sometimes you just can't avoid spoilers. My friend had the ending of Endgame spoiled for him a day before he saw the film. Someone he didn't know sent him a direct message on Reddit telling him how the film ends. We determined that the guy was ultimately lying, but he had turned out to be partly correct by accident.

To say that people are excited to see Endgame is an understatement. In China alone -- where this alleged beating took place -- the film is projected to make close to $330 million by the end of the weekend. It's already grossed almost as much as the entire run of the top three films in China.

You can see Avengers: Endgame in theaters right now. After you've seen the film be sure to check back with CinemaBlend for more Marvel coverage, such as our spoiler-filled questions about Endgame or the latest box office numbers.

Why I'm Excited For Disney+

Why I'm Excited For Disney+

At The Walt Disney Company’s Investor Day presentation last week, the Mouse House finally revealed what it has in store for its upcoming Disney+ streaming service, and it is a lot. Disney is coming out guns blazing with a slew of content and an aggressive price point that make Disney+ a compelling value proposition for consumers in a crowded streaming field.

There’s a lot to be excited about when the service debuts this November, from the first ever live-action Star Wars series The Mandalorian to all the MCU series to the Imagineering documentary series. And I’m hopeful that classic Disney catalog animated series like Adventures of the Gummi Bears, Gargoyles and Recess will finally be available in their entirety on Disney+.

All the TV coming to Disney+ is great, but I’m also really excited for the potential benefits this new platform offers on the movies front. Read on to see why.

The MCU And Star Wars All In One Place

The Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars are the two most successful franchises ever, and eventually they will both be viewable in their entirety on Disney+. These franchises both have a high re-watchability factor, and if you’re a fan of either of them, having guaranteed access to them anytime on Disney+ is an enticing prospect.

Once Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is out, you’ll be able to binge all nine films in the Skywalker Saga in one place. Consider the current situation with Avengers: Endgame as well. Many Marvel fans want to re-watch some of the previous MCU movies before The Infinity Saga comes to a close, but currently you can’t do that on streaming, even across multiple services. You would have to own physical copies or pay rental fees. Even as an advocate of physical media, I find this appealing, especially since Disney+ will support 4K and HDR, so I won’t need to upgrade nearly two dozen movies to get great quality.

New And Original Movies

Disney has found a lot of success theatrically thanks to its massive brands and recognizable IPs. The studio makes the most successful and popular blockbusters in the industry, but that’s basically all it makes. There is a sameness and safety to Disney’s theatrical strategy of rotating tentpoles from established properties that is wildly lucrative, but predictable. The Disney+ platform provides the company a way to do something different, as Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Productions President Sean Bailey said at the Investor presentation:

Disney+ affords us the opportunity to tell more stories from a variety of genres. We will always remain true to the values of what a Disney live-action film offers, but we’re able to take some risks, which is really exciting. While theatrical box office right now is being driven by giant blockbuster events, there are amazing stories and characters that are yearning to be enjoyed by the whole family.

For a studio sometimes criticized for only making blockbusters, this is exciting. Already Disney+ has the holiday comedy Noelle starring Anna Kendrick, the coming-of-age novel adaptation Stargirl and the kid caper Timmy Failure, to name a few. It’s awesome to see Disney branching out, taking risks and allowing for more creative freedom by telling different kinds of stories than it does on the big screen. Sean Bailey also indicated that the same love and care will be given to these Disney+ movies as the company’s theatrical titles, and that’s exciting.

Remakes Of Less Popular Disney Animated Movies

There is an argument to be made that Disney is going for cheap nostalgia dollars by remaking its animated classics in live-action, but people love them and they are largely successful. Yet as Dumbo recently showed, not all of the studio’s animated classics are really built to be box office smashes. But that doesn’t mean they don’t deserve a solid live-action remake, and Disney+ provides a place for a smaller-budgeted remake to land.

One of the launch titles for Disney+ is a live-action reimagining of Lady and the Tramp starring the voices of Justin Theroux and Tessa Thompson. There’s also a remake in the works of The Sword in the Stone. Disney may run out of titles popular enough to be big screen blockbusters, but its catalog is extensive and has many films that could find new life in remakes on Disney+. We’d love to see Atlantis: The Lost Empire and Treasure Planet get some love too, but those two might require big screen budgets. The Black Cauldron maybe?

Live-Action Sequels And Reboots Could Have A Chance On Disney+

This isn’t so much a promise of Disney+, but a hope for the nascent streaming service. Disney has a long history full of great and beloved titles beyond its revered animated movies. Disney hasn’t indicated as such, but it seems like an ideal place for reboots and sequels of the studio’s live-action properties that no longer fit within its big-screen strategy. Or more specifically, the long awaited, frequently-asked-for National Treasure 3.

Bob Iger hasn’t doused hopes for National Treasure 3, and if finding a place for it on Disney’s crowded theatrical calendar was a problem, that obstacle could be removed if it releases on Disney+ instead. The hope for National Treasure 3 isn’t the only exciting possibility though. A reboot of The Rocketeer was in the works, and while we haven’t heard much about it recently, that too may be have a better chance to soar on Disney+. And that reported TV movie reboot of Hocus Pocus should really be a proper sequel dropping on Disney+ next Halloween.

No More Vault

Has there ever been a more brilliant and infuriating invention than the Disney Vault? Disney’s strategy of only making its animated movies available on home video for a limited time to create demand and make each re-release an event has long frustrated fans of the studio’s classic films. Disney has even employed this tactic in the streaming and digital realms; with the Aladdin remake on its way, the 1992 original is unavailable for streaming or digital purchase.

Like Robin Hood stealing from Prince John, Disney+ is busting that vault wide open and raiding it for subscribers. The vault program will not apply on the service and Disney+ will be the one-stop shop for fans of Disney’s animated classics. That means no more searching stores or different streaming services in vain when the mood strikes you to watch one of your childhood favorites. That convenience is awesome and as someone who grew up with Disney’s animated movies, it will be nice to know I can watch them all in one place.

It is still early and Disney+ hasn’t even launched yet, but it already has a lot going for it. The potential for Disney+ to reward Disney fans by offering both beloved existing films and unique new movies is immediately evident and exciting.

Disney+ launches in the United States on November 12 with a monthly rate of $6.99 or an upfront yearly price of $69.99. We’ll keep you updated on all the latest news on Disney+ as it arrives.

Reviews For Matthew McConaughey's The Beach Bum Are In, And They Are Brutal

Reviews For Matthew McConaughey's The Beach Bum Are In, And They Are Brutal

Next weekend, if you’re not looking to get high with Dumbo (you know, because he flies!) there’s always the alternative to catch Matthew McConaughey play a middle-aged stoner / poet named Moondog in the upcoming release The Beach Bum. The filmmaker who brought you James Franco in cornrows and platinum teeth in 2012’s Spring Breakers is back with another neon bright flick about excess and hedonism.

Following The Beach Bum’s recent premiere at SXSW, the movie isn’t lighting a fire in most critics. In fact, many reviews sound like a sobering recount of a regretful crazy night out. Check out what the New York Post’s Johnny Oleksinski paint a brief picture of the movie from his one-star review:

The one very funny scene is provided by Martin Lawrence as a dolphin spotting boat tour guide who’s had ‘only four deaths on my watch in eight years’ and owns a coke-addicted parrot. That bit is the height of this film’s sophistication.

Wow, there you have it! This detail is probably a good gauge of what to expect from the stoner comedy set in Florida and starring Martin Lawrence, in addition to Snoop Dogg, Zac Efron (who dons panini-inspired facial hair), Jonah Hill and Isla Fisher. Don’t sign up for The Beach Bum next weekend if is kind of plot point doesn’t amuse. The reviewer also noted that the movie is so deplorable that he wanted to punch McConaughey’s character in the face.

Rolling Stone’s David Fear took to his review to also recount some of the wildness of The Beach Bum, describing that it’s all about McConaughey having a good time but that’s pretty much it. In his words:

The Beach Bum is not about plot. It’s about having the good taste to live like trash, or maybe the bad taste to live really well and NGAF… It’s about giving McConaughey the space to really cut loose, and we do mean loose — the actor is constantly engaging in some sort of funky, rubber-limbed dancing, or faux-drunkenly breezing through his scenes, or passed out ‘n’ drooling.

Critics don’t seem to be allergic to a good party either, it’s the way The Beach Bum does it that seems to bother them. According to Dan Caffrey of Consequence of Sound, early in the movie he already grew tired of Moondog’s antics of pool parties, weed-smoking and living by his own rules. Here’s what he had to say about the movie:

...it’s the same sun-baked atmosphere, tired stoner humor, and fortune-cookie platitudes from Moondog, over and over and over. His outlook and musings never evolve or amplify; they flatline almost as soon as the movie begins. Contrary to what everyone in his world seems to believe, he’s exhausting to hang out with before long.

Harmony Korine’s movies do tend to have this effect on audiences. The filmmaker angered critics with his 1997 debut Gummo and Spring Breakers certainly divided people do to its niche provocativeness that allowed Disney Channel stars Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens to shed their clean on screen presence.

The movie didn’t completely fall flat for some viewers. Variety’s Peter Debruge found McConaughey’s performance to be a fun take on his persona. Here’s what he said:

Moondog feels less like a transformation than a gross exaggeration of McConaughey’s preexisting off-screen persona: the blissed-out, bongo-playing stoner, with the anything-goes attitude and dog-whistle laugh. But more than that, the star is clearly having such a blast inhabiting this character, it doesn’t actually seem like work.

Back in the day, the actor actually was arrested for causing too much noise in his home playing the bongos naked for his neighbors to handle so The Beach Bum can play sort of as an exaggerated take on the actor known as a laid-back beach bum himself. The actor has given some memorable performances before and The Guardian’s Kristy Puchko was among the few who found some depth in McConaughey’s performance. In her words:

Moondog 'just keeps living' – McConaughey’s personal motto. But in quiet closeups, McConaughey reveals the emotional labor behind this choice. We see Moondog take in a situation, a flirtation, a farewell and see him process the pain of it. Then he slides into something sweeter – a pool, a puff, a holiday, or a hook-up. While he laughs and dances and makes his mirth contagious, the ache sinks beneath the surface. Moondog becomes a metaphor for the human condition, where we are painfully aware of the horrors of life and our own mortality, yet persevere to find joy anyway. In that way, The Beach Bum is glorious inspiration. But more than that it is a spirited sermon.

Looks like the actor does an alright, alright, alright job of bringing some weight to the carefree character in her eyes. Overall, The Beach Bum has a 53% Tomatometer score and from these reviews I’d say the enjoyment of the movie will really depend on if the viewer is up for sitting through a lot of crazy parties, over the top moments from McConaughey and … a coke-addicted parrot.

The Beach Bum arrives in theaters on March 29. Will you be checking it out?

Dark Phoenix Final Trailer Shows Off New, Dark Powers For Jean Grey

Dark Phoenix Final Trailer Shows Off New, Dark Powers For Jean Grey

Breaking news: a random mutant sighting has been reported this morning, and it’s a pretty big one. That’s right, Fox has dropped another trailer for Dark Phoenix, and it's all about Jean Grey and her newer, darker powers. Better still, this is probably the best trailer for the latest, and probably the last X-Men film we'll see for a while. But don't take my word for it, as you can see for yourself below:

Perhaps the greatest asset this trailer for Dark Phoenix presents is the fact that we see a clear line of story for Jean's ascendence into darkness. From the shuttle rescue that she and the rest of the crew are sent to execute, straight to her confrontation with Magneto, we see some slick storytelling at work.

Of course, there are quite a bit of powers that are used to tell that story as well, and we see Jean not only absorb the alien power force that will turn her into the Phoenix, but she also deflects lightning attacks launched by Storm, and even shatters Magneto's helmet into pieces. That's some pretty damned powerful mutation at work there.

While the usual gang of young X-Men are on display (we see Storm, Nightcrawler, and Cyclops all strutting their stuff), it's Sophie Turner's Jean Grey that's definitely ruling the show here. Seeing what we've got in front of us with this final trailer, her big moments with Michael Fassbender's Magneto and even James McAvoy's Professor Xavier look to be some of the most powerful stuff in the series.

Just the scene where she confronts Magneto "threatening her" speaks volumes on the potential that this film has to close out this chapter of X-Men history in a strong, satisfying manner.

As we've also seen in Dark Phoenix trailers of (future) past, Jean Grey is indeed going through a bit of a crisis. Something so big that the mysterious Jessica Chastain is trying to spur it on, and the rest of the X-Men universe is still trying to decide how to handle. It all comes to a head in director Simon Kinberg's big summer blockbuster, as the other side of Jean we started to see in X-Men: Apocalypse's big finale is shining through in full force. And may the spirit of Stan Lee help anyone who gets in her way.

The kitchen sink is proverbially thrown in Dark Phoenix, as there looks to be quite a bit of heartache heading our way, with Jennifer Lawrence’s Mystique being one of the many victims we should expect in this final installment of the series’ revitalization that started with 2011’s X-Men: First Class.

It’s truly an end of an era, and it looks like Dark Phoenix is planning to close this saga out with some heavy firepower.

Dark Phoenix marks the end of the X-Men saga as we know it on June 7th. Though that shouldn't stop you from taking the 2019 release schedule and finding some super-powered and/or more grounded delights to take in at the movies!

Spider-Man: Far From Home's Trailer Has A Cool Easter Egg Tying To Peter Parker's Origin

Spider-Man: Far From Home's Trailer Has A Cool Easter Egg Tying To Peter Parker's Origin

When Spider-Man was rebooted for the MCU, we didn’t get another cinematic depiction of the character’s origin. Tony Stark and the audience met Peter Parker when he had already been Spider-Man for six months, and that meant no radioactive spider bite, no Uncle Ben death and no testing out of his powers. But Marvel movies are treasure troves for eagle-eyed fans, and the most recent trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home has a cool Easter egg tying to Peter Parker’s origin. Check it out:

In this frame from the trailer, Happy Hogan is telling Peter Parker that he shouldn’t ghost Nick Fury, but this humorous exchange isn’t the only thing of note. Behind Happy is a poster for wrestler Crusher Hogan. If that name doesn’t sound familiar to you, Crusher Hogan is the wrestler that Peter Parker tussled with in the comics not long after he got his powers.

Joseph “Crusher” Hogan was a shoot wrestler that offered $100 (as you can see on the sign) to whoever could last in the ring with him for three minutes. Sadly for Crusher Hogan, a young Peter Parker wanting to test his new powers took him up on the challenge. In the first formal use of his abilities, Peter wore a mask to hide his identity and proceeded to humiliate and defeat Crusher Hogan in the ring.

This was basically the role that Randy Savage’s "Bonesaw" McGraw fulfilled in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, but Crusher Hogan was the comic book inspiration for the Macho Man's character.

We may have never gotten to see Tom Holland’s Peter Parker go through this part of his origin, but this poster in Spider-Man: Far From Home is a fun Easter Egg that honors that origin and hints that it may have indeed happened in this universe. It’s also funny that the character in the frame with the wrestler’s poster is Happy Hogan, who shares a last name with the Crusher.

Who knows, maybe Happy and Crusher are related in this universe. If so, maybe Peter did wrestle Crusher Hogan and Happy was either there to witness it or heard about it from his family member afterward. That could be how Spider-Man first got on Tony Stark’s radar; he got a tip from Happy. It would also explain why this poster is here, years after that match would have theoretically happened.

It’s intriguing to think about and maybe Spider-Man: Far From Home will shed some light on it. But even if it is nothing more than an Easter egg, it’s still a cool one that ties back to the character’s lowly beginnings, long after he has fought aliens in space.

This Easter egg wasn’t the only point of discussion to come out of the new Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer. The reveal that the events of Avengers: Endgame have brought the multiverse to the MCU is huge and has major implications for this universe going forward.

We’ll see the beginning of those repercussions when Spider-Man: Far From Home brings Phase 3 to a close on July 2. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of all the biggest movies headed to theaters this summer.

Disney Family Member Calls CEO’s Salary ‘Insane’

Disney Family Member Calls CEO’s Salary ‘Insane’

It's not exactly news that CEO's of large companies get paid quite well. Bob Iger, as the Chief Executive Officer of the Walt Disney Company gets paid more than most. In fact his total compensation in 2018 was around $65 million. One member of the Disney family finds that amount "insane."

Abigail Disney is the granddaughter of Roy O. Disney, the brother of Walt and the co-founder of the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, the company that would eventually become The Walt Disney Company. She speaks out on corporate responsibility frequently and has never let the company she shares a name with off that particular hook. Her issues with Iger's salary don't appear to be tied to the gross income, but rather how much more Iger makes than the average employee of the company he oversees. According to Disney...

Let me very clear. I like Bob Iger. I do NOT speak for my family but only for myself. Other than owning shares (not that many) I have no more say in what happens there than anyone else. But by any objective measure a pay ratio over a thousand is insane

In a study recently conducted by the company Equilar (via Fast Company), they found that Bob Iger's income as CEO is 1,424 times that of the average Disney employee. While Iger isn't the highest paid CEO on the list, his pay ratio compared to the average employee is.

With theme park employees making up a large portion of the company's "average employees" it's certainly easier for Iger's salary to look that much bigger compared to other major corporations who don't have a lot of employees making low wages. Having said that, Disney's theme park employees currently start at double the federal minimum wage.

Money is always a sensitive issue, it's one of those things that we all need and most of us don't have enough of. Iger has overseen the Walt Disney Company during an unprecedented era of success. Nearly every corner of the company has been performing successfully. The film division makes blockbuster after blockbuster while the theme parks continue to post growth as well. Disney has now successfully acquired 21st Century Fox, which will be a major benefit as the company stands on the verge of releasing its own dedicated streaming service, opening up another avenue for revenue.

For what it's worth, Iger will actually be making a bit less this year than he did last year. The company has adjusted the CEO's compensation for this year in a way that will result in him making about $13.5 million less than he did in 2018.

The question of what is "acceptable" CEO pay is not a question that is going to have an easy answer and it's not one everybody is going to agree with. What is clear is that the Walt Disney Company has been incredibly successful and shows no signs of slowing down.