Anthony Russo Is 'Almost Disappointed' About One Aspect Of Avengers: Endgame’s Opening Weekend

Anthony Russo Is 'Almost Disappointed' About One Aspect Of Avengers: Endgame’s Opening Weekend

Can a comic book movie be too successful? The simple answer is probably, “No.” Especially if you happen to be a studio executive. And yet, for Joe and Anthony Russo, they did reflect on the recent historic run enjoyed by their new movie Avengers: Endgame and find one small reason to be disappointed. This came up when the brothers sat down with CinemaBlend’s own ReelBlend podcast, where Anthony Russo admitted:

I have to be honest with you. I'm almost disappointed that the movie did so well, because it's like, the box office story is literally dominating the conversation and it’s not the most interesting part of the story.

We imagine all of that will change once the unofficial Spoiler Embargo on Avengers: Endgame lifts on Monday, May 6, and fans are able to speak openly about the massive swings that occur in this recent Avengers movie.

But Joe and Anthony Russo also understand fully why box office became the focal point of the discussion in the days following Avengers: Endgame, because their blockbuster was behaving in ways we’d never seen before – and may never see again. The movie earned more than $1.2 billion globally in its first five days of release. BoxOfficeMojo notes that the movie is heading into its second weekend looking to surpass the domestic grosses of the original The Avengers movie, which needed 154 days to pass $623.6 million. Endgame might reach that figure in 10 days.

Anthony Russo talked to the ReelBlend podcast about the box office performance of the movie, and their expectations for opening weekend. He elaborated:

When you're charged with writing the final chapter of the book, and executing it, our hope was that -- with any favorite story, you always want the end to be the best part of the story. So that was really what we were hoping to do. Even if we got anywhere close to that, that was our aspiration. And it seems like, at least for some people on some levels, that we delivered an ending that seems satisfying.

While Joe Russo took it from a business standpoint, adding:

It’s always about the narrative, too, of these movies in the marketplace. How did it do? Did it break a record? Did it beat the last one? That stuff is really critical to the life of a movie. And of course, we were hoping that it was going to break the international record. Because that's a story, right? And then you're hoping and praying that it beats the domestic, which was set by Infinity War last year. Otherwise, frankly, [for] some people looks like a failure. It's crazy that a movie like this has these kinds of demands on it.

And yet, Avengers: Endgame is meeting those demands. And now we’re excited to see what the sequel can do in its second weekend. The goal, for most, is to see it surpass Avatar as the highest grossing global film. It has a while to go, but the record seems feasible.

Listen to the full, non-spoiler conversation with the Russo Brothers as part of this week’s ReelBlend podcast:

And if you haven’t yet, check out Avengers: Endgame, in theaters as we speak.

Avengers: Endgame Sold Five Times As Many Advance Tickets As Infinity War In First Week

Avengers: Endgame Sold Five Times As Many Advance Tickets As Infinity War In First Week

Long story short, Avengers: Endgame is already breaking all kinds of records. It sold a stupid number of tickets in the first week of presales. That's not surprising -- even if it's good to hear people managed to actually buy tickets after all of the site crashes. No one should be surprised to hear Endgame is setting new ticket sale records. It already did so within 24 hours of ticket availability.

What's surprising, to me, is the sheer volume we're talking about.

For Fandango, Avengers: Endgame sold five times as many tickets in its first week as Avengers: Infinity War sold in its first seven days of presales.

For Atom Tickets, per CNBC, Avengers: Endgame sold nearly twice as many tickets in its first week as Aquaman, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Avengers: Infinity War, and Captain Marvel combined. Nearly twice as many -- combined! All of those other films made at least $1 billion at the box office, with Infinity War doubling that.

Fandango reports that thousands of showtimes are already sold out across the country. You probably knew that at some point when you tried to get tickets yourself.

What's cool is the note that theaters have been adding new showtimes -- some as early as 4:00 am and 6:30 am Friday, April 26 -- to meet the fan demand to see the three-hour movie ASAP on opening day.

As you might expect, Endgame now holds Fandango's records for both the best first day and best first week of presales, knocking out Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

In terms of what this could mean for Avengers: Endgame's opening weekend, and ultimate box office total? Well, I've already put it on the record that I think this movie could rival Avatar. I know. That might be pushing it, even if we don't adjust for inflation. But look at these pre-sales -- and fans are probably going to watch the 3-hour movie multiple times, especially if Avengers 4 does say goodbye to some or all of The Original 6 Avengers.

For comparison, since Endgame just broke Star Wars: The Force Awakens' record for Fandango, The Force Awakens made $2,068,223,624 worldwide. Avengers: Infinity War made $2,048,359,754 worldwide. And Endgame just sold five times as many presale tickets in the same period of time as Infinity War.

We're definitely look at at a film in the 2 Billion Club. But how long will the movie leg out? Opening weekend anticipation for Endgame is so high because fans don't want to be spoiled on what happens. How do the Avengers beat Thanos and reverse or at least change Infinity War's Decimation? So it's not shocking that fans are rushing to see this movie opening night, even before opening night, or at least opening weekend.

Fandango Managing Editor Erik Davis even added this note about the April 26 demand:

I wouldn’t be surprised to see a record amount of fans reporting sick to work or taking the day off on Friday, April 26 because they’ll be attending opening day screenings of Avengers: Endgame.

Productivity is going to take a dive that day, with the exception of movie theater employees, who should be paid extra. So, on that note, please respond in the poll below if you plan to take work or school off in order to see Endgame. Don't worry, it's an anonymous poll...

ReelBlend #63: Our Shazam! Interview With David F. Sandberg And Peter Safran

ReelBlend #63: Our Shazam! Interview With David F. Sandberg And Peter Safran

Boy, we have been on a streak lately. ReelBlend has been getting some exciting guests, if we do say so ourselves. Hot on the heels of Kevin’s incredible Danny Elfman interview in last week’s episode, we’re joined this week by Shazam! filmmaker David F. Sandberg and uber-DC producer Peter Safran. You are going to want to listen!

Before they get to the interview, the guys have a lot to discuss. They plug the Chicago Meet Up, which is taking place on Saturday, April 13. That will be during Star Wars Celebration, which Jake and Sean plan to cover.

From there, the guys read an ACTUAL review from Kevin’s mom. She listened to the show, and shared her thoughts. It’s pure gold.

The guys then moved to the casting for Jason Reitman’s new Ghostbusters movie, which added Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard and McKenna Grace in pivotal roles. The movie remains a mystery of sorts, as we don’t even know if the original actors will be returning. We assume, because Reitman’s involved, that the Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson will return. But nothing has been confirmed.

You know what was confirmed? Mark Hamill voicing Chucky in the new Child’s Play. And that’s AWESOME.

Finally, Sean was able to share several key Avengers: Endgame details that he picked up from Anthony Russo on the phone last week. The information was embargoed, but now it can be shared. Hope you dig it.

Speaking of digging it, you will dig the interview that Kevin did with David F. Sandberg and Peter Safran on behalf of Shazam! Press play above and listen!

ReelBlend is a weekly podcast that we do on CinemaBlend. You can download the latest episode (and all of our past episodes) for FREE on our iTunes page! Visit. Subscribe. Like and comment. Review! Apple loves when you have star ratings and reviews, so if you listened, and you liked it (or even if you didn't), let us know. We also are on Spotify. And Google Play. And basically everywhere that you download podcasts. So download us.

Meanwhile, follow the guys on Social Media! We have an official Twitter feed for the show, so follow @ReelBlend. In addition, follow the guys at @Sean_OConnell, @JakesTakesand @KevinMcCarthyTV.

Keanu Reeves And Halle Berry Reveal Their Most Challenging John Wick: Chapter 3 Stunts

Keanu Reeves And Halle Berry Reveal Their Most Challenging John Wick: Chapter 3 Stunts

Watching a movie like John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, you can’t help but be amazed by the buffet of stunts and kills that make the franchise one of the most bone-crunching, knife-throwing, ammo-blazing experiences that could ever hit the big screen. One movie featuring that sort of action is impressive, but three whole films is a testament to knowing your market, and knowing how to make such action come alive in a vibrant way.

Stars Keanu Reeves and Halle Berry definitely know this firsthand, as they’ve trained harder than ever before in order to make John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum one hell of a show for the folks heading to cinemas this weekend. However, with that sort of showmanship comes some pretty challenging work.

Talking to the folks behind John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum during their recent press day, CinemaBlend was able to learn just where the most challenging stunt work came in for various members of the cast. When it came to Keanu Reeves himself, there was one particular spectacle that took some wrangling to get into. Reeves described that feat as follows:

I think the most challenging would be riding the horse, and going off the side of the horse, and then trying to shoot someone. That was probably the most difficult, and probably because of what I had to do, but also what was involved to make it safe. They came up with this contraption that had never been done before, so it took some time to figure out.

Taking into account that John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum continues the franchise that Reeves helped get off of the ground alongside director Chad Stahelski, it’s pretty awesome to learn that this sort of thing isn’t just a rote undertaking for any involved. Understanding how Keanu Reeves approached this latest film, it’s even more impressive a feat to behold, as his gratitude shows in every frame.

In co-star Halle Berry’s case, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum allowed her a chance to take the action chops she already had, and push them even further. This included some pretty hardcore weapons training, getting used to working with trained dog actors, and in the case of one particular stunt, taking on a circle of stunt performers that surrounded her during one of the big fight scenes her character Sofia finds herself wound up in at her branch of The Continental in Morocco.

While speaking with Berry and co-director Chad Stahelski about that scene, the following details emerged:

Berry: I loved working with the dogs, but there’s this one scene that Chad [Stahelski] presented to me on the night of, and I’m in The Riad. I had to handle, I think, maybe nine, ten guys, all at once in a circle. I wasn’t so sure I was going to get through that in one take, and I actually did.

Stahelski: I know. Nailed it within four takes.

You could imagine this, or any meticulously set up fight sequence in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum needing several takes to get nailed down. That’s especially true when you take someone new to the John Wick universe and put them into this particular world of carnage.

Still, four takes is pretty damned impressive for something that involves being surrounded on your own turf, and involving stunt animals in the process.

Perhaps the most grueling story we got involving the stunts in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum is the one that we heard from co-star Mark Dacascos, who plays one of the film’s major antagonists, a sushi chef/assassin named Zero.

Mark Dacascos’ character gets a pretty big fight scene toward the end of the film, in a sort of glass labyrinth that doubles as an office in Winston’s branch of The Continental. As an extended sequence of pain and shattering scenery, it’s a lot of fun to watch. Judging by Mark Dacascos’ own words describing the execution of that scene below, it definitely sounds like he had just as much fun shooting those scenes:

The whole finale fight scene was just one month of stunts! There wasn’t one thing, it was just so many elements. But I have to say working with Chad, who is a skilled martial artist himself, and Keanu, who’s worked so hard to become one, was just a joy. Because, I’ll tell you what, being thrown around by Keanu, he knows what he’s doing. He’s a martial artist, he’s a real martial artist. And it was just an honor and a thrill.

For as hardened as all involved in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum get to look on the silver screen, seeing them talk about achieving such a feat leads to all smiles. Watching the actors talk about the daring feats they’ve professionally pulled off in the name of the John Wick universe is just as rewarding as watching them beat each other, and their opponents, up with those very moves.

You can see it for yourself, as you watch the cast and director of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum talking about these experiences in the flesh, through the clip provided below:

So long as the John Wick series never loses the spark of madness that sees Keanu Reeves, Chad Stahelski, and everyone else they take along for the ride work as hard as they smile, the world will be in a good place. And as evidenced by the results shown in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, it feels like that joy isn’t going away anytime soon. Which is good, because the world can always use an avenging angel of righteous justice on its side.

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum opens in theaters with early showings tonight, and be sure to keep your eyes peeled here at CinemaBlend for further coverage on John Wick related happenings.

Zoe Saldana Almost Played Lois Lane In Man Of Steel

Zoe Saldana Almost Played Lois Lane In Man Of Steel

The DC live-action universe has had a fascinating tenure in theaters, full of both peaks and valleys. Zack Snyder was the architect of the franchise's beginning stages, starting with 2013's Man of Steel, and eventually expanding with Batman v Superman and Justice League. While he's since stepped down from the DCEU, you can't deny his vision helped kickstart the entire shared universe.

Man of Steel started it all, and took a major departure from Superman's comic book persona, allowing him to kill the villainous General Zodd during the film's conclusion. The movie also started Amy Adams' tenure as Lois Lane, although Zack Snyder recently revealed that there was another actress in the mix originally: Zoe Saldana. As Snyder recently revealed:

At a time, it was between her and Zoe Saldana. They’re totally different, but their presence is super strong.

Well, this is an exciting concept. While Amy Adams put her typical acting talent into the role the iconic reporter/love interest, it's intriguing to hear that Zoe Saldana could have filled the role at one point.

Zack Snyder's comments to Comic Book Debate might come as a surprise to some fans, as Amy Adams has become fairly synonymous with the role of Lois Lane. Still, Zoe Saldana has already proven herself to be the queen of sci-fi, so what's another major franchise to add to her schedule? Although her involvement with DC might have had the potential to exclude her from playing Gamora in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Related: Why Playing Lois Lane Is Tricky, According To Amy Adams

If Zoe Saldana somehow managed to to get the job in Man of Steel, that be a whopping fourth major franchises for the actress to play the female lead in. At that point, she'd already nabbed the role of Neytiri in Avatar, as well as playing Uhura in the Star Trek movies. Plus we can't forget her role as Gamora in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing in both the Guardians and Avengers movies.

Of course, Amy Adams did great as Lois Lane, playing a more badass version of the character than we'd previously seen on the silver screen. Following Man of Steel, Adams would reprise her role in Batman v Superman and Justice League. Although it's currently unclear if her tenure in the CEU has come to an end.

Following the poor box office and critical performance of Justice League, the DC Universe has seemingly taken a step away from serialized storytelling, instead allowing directors more autonomy over capsulated blockbusters. But that change has also brought the end to the OG DCEU characters like Ben Affleck's Batman.

Ben Affleck has officially hung up the cowl as Batman, and Superman actor Henry Cavill has been long rumored to be done with his superpowered role forever. Amy Adams doesn't appear to have any plans to return to the DCEU, so fans may have also seen the last of her Lois Lane as well.

While she might not have gotten the role of Lois Lane, it should be interesting to see what's coming down the pipeline for Zoe Saldana. Her reign as the current sci-fi queen doesn't seem to be stopping soon-- at least where two of her iconic roles are concerned. Plus there's no guarantee that she won't eventually jump to the DC side of things for another role in the DC Extended Universe.

Zoe Saldana will return to theaters with either Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 or Avatar 2. Because Marvel Studios hasn't revealed its plans for Phase Four (yet), it's unclear when the highly anticipated Guardians threequel will be released, once again allowing Saldana to play the fiercest woman in the galaxy-- Gamora.

Guardians 3 was originally going to be one of the first installments in Phase Four of the MCU, but production was put on indefinite hold after director James Gunn was fired by Disney last July. This put the future of the Guardians franchise in jeopardy for a number of months, although Gunn has since been reinstated to his directing role.

Spoilers ahead for Avengers: Endgame.

Narratively, Zoe Saldana should be able to take her signature Marvel character to new places with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Gamora as we knew her died in Infinity War, murdered by Thanos so he could procure the Soul Stone. But she was revived in Endgame through some tricky storytelling-- specifically time travel.

By the end of Endgame, 2014 Gamora had joined the good guys, and was last seen on the battlefield of the final fight. Her fate was left unclear, although the Guardians (Asguardians?) are seemingly on a mission to track the green girl down.

Zoe Saldana will finally reprise her Avatar role in the upcoming sequel, which has been pushed back innumerable times by James Cameron. The original film is the highest grossing movie in history, and Saldana played Na'vi royalty Neytiri through motion capture and stunning visual affects. The public has been waiting over a decade for Cameron's sequels, and his leading actress has the chance to star in yet another big money blockbuster.

The gap in time between the Avatar movies might have the potential to hamper its ticket sales, although the franchise's attraction at Disney parks has kept the conversation going. We'll just have to wait and see what James Cameron is planning, and how many Avatar movies actually get the green light from the studio-- especially now that Disney has the rights to the property.

Then there's the Star Trek franchise, and Zoe Saldana's role as Uhura. 2016's Star Trek Beyond wasn't the success the studio had been hoping for, and the cast is unclear whether or not they'll get another installment. Add in the death of Anton Yelchin, and the current Star Trek series is left totally in the air.

The next installment in the DCEU is Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) on February 7, 2020. And you can check out Zoe Saldana in Avengers: Endgame now. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

See How Cool Michael B. Jordan Could Look Like As DC's New Superman

See How Cool Michael B. Jordan Could Look Like As DC's New Superman

Sooner or later, Superman is going to return to the big screen and when he does, it seems likely that Henry Cavill will not be the one donning the cape. While we await the eventual casting speculation, one name that is already in the mix is Adonis Creed himself, Michael B. Jordan. The Creed II actor definitely has the charisma and he would look pretty cool as Supes if this fan art is anything to go by. Take a look:

Under most circumstances, you’d think that this action figure-like, carved from granite physique would be unrealistic. But given how in shape Michael B. Jordan got for Adonis’ fight with Viktor Drago, he really could be the most ripped Superman yet. And with a wry smile and a cool suit, Michael B. Jordan looks awesome and like a Superman that audiences would be excited to see.

That said, diiegodesigner’s fan art isn’t of Michael B. Jordan as Superman, well, at least not the Clark Kent/Kal-El version of the character. This fan art envisages Michael B. Jordan as Val-Zod. In the Earth 2 universe, Val-Zod is one of the children that escaped Krypton before it exploded, alongside Kal-El and Supergirl Kara Zor-El.

Upon arriving on Earth, Terry Sloan finds Val-Zod and raises him in seclusion, resulting in the Kryptonian having a far more pacifistic nature than those red eyes would suggest. Val-Zod later assumes the mantle of Superman after Kal-El.

So is this purely some fun fan casting or could it portend our cinematic future? Well, back when we heard that Henry Cavill might be out of the DCEU it was reported that Warner Bros. would be looking to go in a different direction for Superman in the future and had considered casting Michael B. Jordan.

For his part, Michael B. Jordan seems open to playing Superman, but not Clark Kent. Rather than deal with that level of scrutiny and comparison to what came before, the actor put forth the idea that he could instead play Calvin Ellis, the Superman of Earth-23. Based on Barack Obama, that character was the President and Superman and obviously has not been onscreen before.

Since he isn’t too keen on playing Clark Kent, perhaps Val-Zod could be another option for Michael B. Jordan. He’s got a bit more comics history than Calvin Ellis and Michael B. Jordan could play him without comparisons to past iterations of the character.

This is just the latest bit of fan art to imagine Michael B. Jordan as Superman, and it’s clear that despite having already been in superhero movies, some people are eager to see more of him. Michael B. Jordan has already played Johnny Storm in Fox’s Fantastic Four and Killmonger in Black Panther. All he has to do is join WB’s DC universe and snag a role in Sony’s Spider-Verse and he’ll have hit for the comic book movie universe cycle.

We still don’t know for sure what’s going on with Superman in the DCEU, but with DC on a roll of late with Shazam! and Aquaman, hopefully it won’t be too long before we find out and see the Man of Steel back on the big screen, in one form or another.

Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to get a look at all the biggest movies headed to theaters this summer and for all your superhero movie news, stay tuned to CinemaBlend.

The Russo Brothers Address Avengers: Endgame Spoilers After Someone Recorded A Movie Screen With Their Phone And Now We All Have To Stay Off The Internet

The Russo Brothers Address Avengers: Endgame Spoilers After Someone Recorded A Movie Screen With Their Phone And Now We All Have To Stay Off The Internet

So, I was on Twitter this morning, minding my own business and hanging out with the people I choose to follow, when suddenly I was blindsided by Avengers: Endgame spoilers. Didn’t see it coming, just showed up on my screen like a surprise middle finger from Thanos. I, of course, bailed once I realized what the hell was happening. Not to make excuses, but it was early and my brain was not fully cognizant enough to play effective defense on the quick. I digress.

That’s on me. I should know the Internet by now. It’s a dark place full of terrors, and the second you start absent-mindedly scrolling through random tweets, you open yourself up to all manners of deranged thought and filth. Deep down I'm aware of that, but normally if you screw up it's just infuriating conspiracy theories or gross thoughts that shouldn’t have ever been typed. An Endgame spoiler is so much worse, and I just didn’t see it coming, not after how hard Disney worked to keep everything quiet on this.

The Mouse House has spent the past year guarding Avengers: Endgame spoilers with a level of care and zealous dedication I’ve never seen before. Journalists who attended the junket only screened 20 minutes of the film. The trailers have avoided the blow-by-blow rehash of the plot so common in today’s give-everything-away-to-sell-tickets approach. It’s all been very organized and careful. And then someone casually took a shitty video of the screen with his phone (or her phone in case it's a woman out there who's the worst), and now other people on social media are having their mornings ruined too because trolls, in typical troll fashion, are just passing all of those spoilers along.

We’re not going to run the spoilers. We’re not going to tell you what’s in the spoilers. We’re not going to point you in the right direction of the spoilers. Hard stop. People spent years of their lives and insane amounts of money... I can’t even imagine how many soccer games were missed and family dinners had to be pushed back in order to try and end this thing properly. It was a monumental effort, and whether it ultimately lives up to my expectations or not, I want to learn all the secrets as they were intended to be revealed. I think most of you probably feel the same way. The Russo Brothers definitely do.

In fact, following this news this morning, Joe and Anthony Russo came out of the woodwork and pulled a similar stunt to the one they pulled ahead of Avengers: Endgame last year: They asked anyone to keep anything they know and anything they learn quiet until the movie is out and they have someone else who has seen the movie to share it with. But don't take it from me:

As for the jerkoff who took the video… I’m not a big lecture person, but how did this seem like a good idea? Disney gave you an advanced screening of Avengers: Endgame. You should have acted like a normal human being and just used all that knowledge to tease your friends about having all the answers. That’s the play here. There was an easy way to get validation without resorting to this. Now I’m sure an army of smart people at Disney are on your trail, and this won’t end well.

So, to sum up, there are spoilers out there. Someone took crappy cell phone videos. People are sharing the videos because trolls gonna troll, and maybe we should just all avoid using the Internet for like 10 days. We could read books or do crossword puzzles or become people that knit. I’ve heard good things about knitting.

Regardless, everyone has a choice here, all you have to do is keep your wits about yourself. Maybe mute all your friends that suck for a few weeks. Buy a bomb shelter and move down there. If you have a job that requires working on the Internet, maybe just quit. Do whatever you need to do. I ended up on the wrong side of this, and it’s a lot less fun over here.