9 MCU Movies to Rewatch Before Avengers: Endgame

9 MCU Movies to Rewatch Before Avengers: Endgame

Avengers: Endgame is almost upon us, and it's highly likely that some fans are undergoing a rewatch of the MCU in preparation for what has been teased as the culmination of 11 years of storytelling. It's a momentous occasion, but marathoning 21 films can be a little daunting. Even watching just one a day takes some commitment. Thankfully, you don't really need to rewatch every single movie to get psyched and ready for Endgame.

If you aren't up for a 60 hour marathon, there's a much easier way to bone up on your MCU knowledge before watching Endgame later this month. There are only really nine films to watch to get up to speed. Nine is still a lot of movies, but these films are important to Endgame either because they introduce important characters, set up storylines and themes, or directly lead into Endgame. We don't know what will happen in Endgame, but these are the films to watch before this pop culture phenomenon.

Iron Man

What better place to start than at the very beginning? While Iron Man doesn't tease anything about Mad Titans, Infinity Stones, or any sort of cosmic adventures, the film is an incredibly important step. It's the foundation of the whole MCU and it introduces the franchise's flagship character, Tony Stark. Stark's journey throughout the MCU has been one of a man slowly learning to become a hero, and we'll likely see the completion of that arc in Endgame as he works with the Avengers to stop Thanos once and for all. Plus, Iron Man teases the scope and ambition of a cinematic universe in a post-credits scene with something called the Avengers Initiative.

The Avengers

After years of buildup and introducing each of the core members in their own films, Marvel's grand experiment finally paid off in The Avengers. The movie went on to break a ton of box office records and change the landscape of how studios create franchises. The film teams up Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, the Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye for the first time as they combat an alien invasion. It's no coincidence that these six original members are all alive after Avengers: Infinity War, and they almost certainly have big roles to play in Endgame. However, The Avengers was also our introduction to Thanos and the overarching story that would guide the MCU for the next several years.

Guardians of the Galaxy

This was the film that truly proved Marvel could make almost any comic property a blockbuster sensation. Guardians of the Galaxy made household names out of D-list characters, in part thanks to the unique tone of director James Gunn and his catchy soundtracks. The movie is our first introduction to Rocket Raccoon and Nebula, two characters who are all over the marketing for Endgame. While the team dynamic is the core of the film, it does a lot of legwork for the MCU's future. The movie introduces Nebula and Gamora's complicated family history, explains the backstory of the Infinity Stones, and give the very first look at Josh Brolin as Thanos. The latter wasn't earthshaking, but Marvel had a couple more years to get it right.

Avengers: Age of Ultron

Avengers: Age of Ultron didn't quite live up to the hype, but any Avengers movie is important enough to rewatch. The film is an important step for Tony Stark as his guilt and fear pushes him to create Ultron, who nearly makes humankind extinct. Thanks to some visions from Scarlet Witch, we get brief teases into the future, perhaps the most important of which is the Avengers lying dead while an alien army advances toward Earth. We also get a big info dump on the Infinity Stones and the coming threat of Thanos courtesy of Thor's hot tub visions. Additionally, Age of Ultron sets in motion events that would shatter the Avengers after the destruction of Sokovia.

Captain America: Civil War

The Russo Bros. themselves said that that this was one of the two most important movies to watch before Endgame and it's easy to see why. Captain America: Civil War would have long-lasting consequences for Marvel's superheroes as a feud between Tony Stark and Steve Rogers drives the Avengers apart. The disbandment of the Avengers is the crucial takeaway as it played a key factor in the heroes losing against Thanos. Endgame will almost certainly see Stark and Rogers finally settle their beef, making the moment that the Avengers unite once again all the sweeter. Civil War was also something of field test for how many characters could fit into one movie as it added Ant-Man to the ranks and introduced viewers to two important characters: Black Panther and Spider-Man.

Ant-Man and the Wasp

The big draw of the Ant-Man franchise is that it's a light, low-stakes comedy, so it might be surprising to learn that it's an essential piece to the Endgame puzzle. While nothing in the film's actually plot will likely be important in Endgame, the sequel does further showcase the Quantum Realm, which is heavily rumored to be vital in the upcoming blockbuster. In fact, Ant-Man and the Wasp might have set up the first real tease of time travel in the MCU, which also has a million Endgame rumors. Additionally, Scott Lang is left trapped in the Quantum Realm after the movie, setting up his involvement in Endgame and how he escaped the Decimation.

Thor: Ragnarok

Thor: Ragnarok is as stand alone as it gets. It takes place in the middle of space, far away from all that Earth drama, but it still ends up leading directly into Avengers: Infinity War. The comedic sequel finds Thor and the remaining Asgardians heading towards Earth, only to be confronted by the massive ship of Thanos. The immediate aftermath of that encounter kicks off Infinity War. Ragnarok is also crucial for both Thor and Bruce Banner, setting up their arcs for the next two movies. Thor loses his entire family and that grief and anger drives him, ultimately leading to his inability to kill Thanos. Meanwhile, this film was the beginning of Banner's three part character arc dealing with the Hulk that will conclude in Endgame.

Avengers: Infinity War

This is a no-brainer. Endgame is a direct sequel to Infinity War, so of course it needs to be on the rewatch list. Pretty much everything in this film is important to Endgame. Infinity War sets up the major conflict of Endgame, which is the Avengers coming together to defeat Thanos and somehow undo the damage he's done to the entire universe. The movie left Tony Stark and Nebula on an alien planet far from Earth, Thanos reveling in his victory, half of the cast annihilated in a fit of cosmic genocide, and the survivors grieving over their loss. Endgame can be considered Part II of the story that Infinity War began, and we'll finally learn how it all concludes later this month.

Captain Marvel

At the end of Infinity War, Nick Fury sent out a distress signal right before turning to dust. That signal went out to Captain Marvel, the MCU's newest hero. Marvel has been hyping up the appearance of Captain Marvel for years, and she finally made her debut in her stand alone film in March. The film showed the origins of the hero, how she met Fury, and why exactly he turned to her as his last resort. Captain Marvel is the most powerful hero in the MCU, and she might be the only character who can defeat Thanos. Her solo movie certainly makes that argument as she plows through space ships like tissue paper. Captain Marvel officially joins the anti-Thanos team in Endgame, and we'll learn how she stacks up against the Mad Titan.

It's tough to say exactly what films will end up being crucial to Endgame because we know so little about the movie. Maybe The Incredible Hulk will end up being the most important piece of the puzzle after all! But these nine films are the best guess based on what we do know and it just goes to show the work that Marvel put in over this past decade to get us all the way to this epic finale. There's still plenty of time to get that one last marathon done before April 26, so check out these nine films and have a walk down memory lane. If you're feeling brave and want to tackle more than just the list above, check out our Marvel Movies Timeline and watch all the films from beginning to Endgame.

All The Insane Deadpool 2 Cameos, Including Matt Damon

All The Insane Deadpool 2 Cameos, Including Matt Damon

Thanks to his fourth wall-breaking antics and his encyclopedia knowledge of pop culture (both in the X-Men universe and outside of it), Deadpool is a perfect terrain for cameos, if you think about it. The character knows no reverence and he likes to keep people on their toes, particularly through his fast-moving mouth. In that spirit, when it came time to make Deadpool 2, the original film's staggering popularity paved the way for a smörgåsbord of surprise guest appearances, including a few you might've missed!

Therefore, we wanted to take this opportunity to break down all the surprise cameos that were found in 2018's superhero sequel. Because even upon first or second viewing, there's a possibility that you missed a few of the film's biggest and most shocking cameos in Deadpool 2. With that, we want to let you in on the scoop. And be sure to let us know if there are any we missed. Also, it should be a given, but some of these cameos require a spoiler or two. Just a heads-up if you haven't seen the movie.

Matt Damon As "Redneck #2"

There's a very good chance that you missed Matt Damon's cameo in Deadpool 2. The actor is genuinely unrecognizable in the superhero sequel, adopting very heavy make-up, including a prosthetic nose, a fake beard and a body suit with an extended beer gut to disguise his normally-ripped physique. Damon was also not officially officially credited either, adopting the one-time pseudonym of "Dickie Greenleaf" in the credits (a reference to Damon's 1999 film, The Talented Mr. Ripley). Nevertheless, the role of "Redneck #2" was played by none other than Matt Damon himself.

While his voice might've been a giveaway for some people, there are many folks who had no clue Matt Damon was in the film. In fact, there is a good chance that some of you didn't know until you read this article. There's no judgment here; until I started writing this article, I didn't even know myself! In any case, if you skip to the 32-minute mark exactly, you will see Matt Damon in a field, throwing back beers and talking rather extensively about toilet paper with his friend before a time-traveling Cable (Josh Brolin) walks up to their car, electrocutes them and drives away with their truck.

Brad Pitt As "Vanisher"

It's a blink-and-you-miss it cameo, but at the same time, there's a good chance that Brad Pitt's surprise three-second appearance in Deadpool 2 was the biggest cameo you caught in the movie. Throughout the film, the running gag with the invisible, silent character of Vanisher is that it's unclear if he actually exists or if he's just a bunch of empty space. But when the X-Force find themselves killed in increasingly graphic ways due to Deadpool's miscalculations with the wind, there is a brief moment where Vanisher's parachute is caught in the wind, causing him to be electrocuted, then burst into flames.

In that moment, which occurs 73 minutes into the film, we finally get a visible glance at Vanisher. And it's revealed to be none other than Brad Pitt. Because the cameo is so fast, there might be reason to believe that it's just a CG-ed version of the actor, but it appears that it was actually Brad Pitt. Somehow, the filmmakers found time in the A-lister's very busy schedule for the actor to make quick (but very memorable) appearance in the film.

James McAvoy As "Charles Xavier"

One of the best recurring jokes in the original Deadpool movie is the often-commented absence of actual X-Men in this X-Men property. There are only two other characters from the series who made appearances in that film, and Deadpool is often disgruntled by their non-appearances in his film. Sure enough, when it came time for the much-anticipated sequel, which was accompanied with a bigger budget and a higher profile release, there was the strong likelihood of at least a few well-known X-Men making an appearance. But their cameos needed to fit the style of the film, and the filmmakers wanted to honor the winking satire that is crucial to the film's irreverent success.

So, yes, Charles Xavier does make an appearance in Deadpool 2. However, Deadpool himself never gets to meet the character. 29 minutes into the sequel, while the title character is babbling on about the lack of X-Men found in the house, it's revealed that Charles Xavier and several other X-Men are indeed there, but they're intentionally avoiding contact with the foul-mouthed merchant. It's a single shot and another sequence where if you turn your head at the wrong time, you'll miss it entirely. But for the fans who were paying close attention, you got your chance to see several high-profile X-Men, even if Deadpool himself missed his chance to get acquainted.

Nicolas Hoult As "Beast"

Similar to James McAvoy's Professor X, Nicholas Hoult's Beast was also in the X-Men residence as Deadpool was ranting about the dearth of X-Men to be found in his movies. He was the one who was the closest to the sliding door and the one who heard Deadpool coming their way, as the Merc with a Mouth made his long-winded spiel about his movies making more money than the person who invented pants.

The blue mutant ultimately wasted no time trying to discreetly close the doors in the hopes that Deadpool wouldn't discover their appearance. And it seems like he did it successfully, as Deadpool was none the wiser about them being right beside him. Since he's in the center frame, there's a good chance you saw Beast. Nevertheless, it was a surprise — and welcome — cameo, even if Deadpool himself didn't know about it.

Evan Peters As "Quicksilver"

In addition to Beast and Professor X, Deadpool also missed his opportunity to meet Quicksilver. The scene-stealer was in the room with several other X-Men during the aforementioned cameo-filled sequence, and ironically he wasn't quick to close the door when Deadpool was threatening to find more X-Men in the residence. Nevertheless, while the cameo went by in a flash, Evan Peters was there. And gone.

Tye Sheridan As "Cyclops"

Tye Sheridan's Cyclops hasn't been seen much in the X-Men universe. Beyond his appearance in X-Men: Apocalypse, his character has otherwise been played by James Marsden in the first three movies. But we'll get a better chance at seeing Sheridan's take on the character when he appears in this summer's long-delayed Dark Phoenix. And in the meantime, he got a chance to play the role (in very brief fashion) during this cameo with his fellow X-Men in hiding.

Alexandra Shipp As "Storm"

Similar to Tye Sheridan, Alexandra Shipp has played her variation of Storm for only a brief window of time. But we'll see her take on a bigger role in this summer's X-Men: Dark Phoenix. And she made a cameo in Deadpool 2, smirking in the corner as Deadpool was trying to find his fellow X-Men.

Kodi-Smit McPhee As "Nightcrawler"

Much like his other two X-Men: Apocalypse co-stars, Kodi-Smit McPhee is still fairly newly acquainted to the X-Men universe. But he was among the X-Men seen (in hiding) during this memorable sequence in Deadpool 2.

Alan Tudyk as "Luke, i.e. Redneck #1"

Also in this scene, if a little more recognizable than his co-star Matt Damon, is Alan Tudyk. The actor is given less of a disguise (basically just a bandana) and he doesn't have as many lines as his scene partner. But he does get a name: Luke, though the shortly-seen character is also referred to as "Redneck #1." Considering that their on-screen conversation is filled with extensive potty humor, those numerals are probably intentional.

Luke, i.e. "Redneck #1," doesn't get as much to do in this cameo as his famous co-star. And considering that Alan Tudyk isn't as much of a household name as Matt Damon, that might not be surprising. Nevertheless, the cameo is certainly a fun one, and definitely an unexpected one, for fans of the veteran character actor and prominent voice actor.

Ryan Reynolds as "Juggernaut"

This one might not technically qualify as a cameo, since Juggeranut plays a prominent role in the third act. But there's a good chance that people do not know that in addition to his role as Wade Wilson/Deadpool, Reynolds also provided his voice to the role of Juggernaut. Making his first official appearance around 82 minutes into the film, Juggeranut becomes the final foe for which Deadpool must defeat. And it's hard for him to do so, not only due to his massive size and figure, but because Deadpool is constantly geeking out at the sight of such a titan in the comics.

While Juggernaut is typically a man of few words, he does speak from time to time throughout Deadpool 2, and when he does speak, his voice is lent by Ryan Reynolds in the surprise turn. Juggernaut was previously introductied into the X-Men movies in X-Men: The Last Stand. Much like Deadpool himself, he was given a second chance with Deadpool 2. So it's perhaps only fitting that Reynolds provided his voice to the oversized part as well.

Whew. There are all the big name cameos we caught in Deadpool 2. However, if you caught any other discreetly hidden cameos, feel free to let us know what is missing from our ranking in the comment section. And we'll be sure to keep you posted on all the latest movie news — X-Men related and otherwise — right here at CinemaBlend.

Director Jon M. Chu Credits Movie Theaters For Crazy Rich Asians’ Success

Director Jon M. Chu Credits Movie Theaters For Crazy Rich Asians’ Success

We’ve been busy celebrating all things movies but also all things related to movie theaters at CinemaCon this week, and Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M. Chu went onstage in Las Vegas and talked about the history of making his movie Crazy Rich Asians and the choice to bring it to the big screen, crediting movie theaters for the film's success.

The general story behind Crazy Rich Asians’ big release is one that was told by the author of the book the film is based on, Kevin Kwan, previously. Kwan said before that multiple companies were bidding on the movie while it was coming together.

Both Netflix and Warner Bros. really wanted the movie to be theirs; at the time the author even noted Netflix was offering a lot of money for the project. But money wasn't necessarily the end goal. Both companies have very different release policies. Warner Bros. releases titles theatrically and there’s a distribution window before titles go out onto other platforms. Netflix typically releases movies on Netflix and Netflix only. Per Chu:

We had to make a choice of whether to tell CRA on a streaming service or theatrically, like Warner Bros. And it wasn’t an obvious choice to some, but to us it was very obvious. The producers, myself, the writer. We wanted to affect culture and we wanted to affect culture on a global scale to become part of the dialogue that had to be had and urgently.

While there are pros and cons and filmmakers are choosing both streaming and theatrical distribution these days, John M. Chu notes his entire team was in agreement with Warner Bros. being the right fit, and there was a big reason why they felt theatrical was the only way to go:

We knew there was only one way to present our movie and that was theatrically. No other medium in the world forces people to leave their homes make a choice to fight through traffic, stand in line, sit in a theater turn off the lights and say tell me the story with all my attention on the screen the way cinema does.

Ultimately, when watching a movie on streaming, a lot of us will also have our phone out or be watching while doing some other task, whether that be cooking, doing a crossword puzzle, knitting or myriad other activities. The theater is one of the only places that asks us to turn our phones off and sit in rapt attention while a piece of art is presented in front of us.

Crazy Rich Asians went on to be a global phenomenon. It made $238.5 million at the worldwide box office on a reported $30 million budget. It has also made movie stars out of its two leads, particularly Henry Golding, who was a travel show host prior to Crazy Rich Asians and went on to appear in A Simple Favor and now the upcoming Last Christmas opposite Emilia Clarke and Emma Thompson and The Gentlemen opposite Charlie Hunnam. Constance Wu will also be in Jennifer Lopez's new stripper movie, Hustlers.

Before that, when opening weekend happened, Jon M. Chu says he went to the theater to watch people watch his movie. He noted that something happened at the theater that was unexpected and touching -- people actually stayed in the lobby to talk about the movie for a long time after it let out.

The weekend became a can’t-miss pop culture event. But it wasn’t about the first weekend. Our audience came back for the second and the third and they brought their parents and grandparents and friends. Some people bought tickets for total strangers. I’ll never forget. My experience going to the theater for the opening, but at the end people stayed like in the lobby. Like they didn’t want to leave… It was contagious. I felt pride, true pride, for the first time in my life.

It's not often that full asian ensemble casts have been brought together on the big screen for a U.S. audience. In particular, during his comments at CinemaCon, Jon M. Chu talked about remembering seeing The Joy Luck Club when he was a young man and spending hours afterwards dissecting the movie as a family. It was the first time he'd experienced seeing his culture shown on a big screen at a movie theater. So, seeing the same thing happen in the lobby after screening Crazy Rich Asians sort of takes that story full circle.

None of that would likely have been possible without the big screen experience. Sure, Netflix offers a worldwide platform similar to theaters. It also has a large number of subscribers and is good at marketing its new products to the people most likely to be interested. The company is even big on choosing diverse projects for its streaming service. But the shared moviegoing experience is something completely different and it was that experience that was deemed to be the most important by the people who worked tirelessly to make Crazy Rich Asians a reality.

One major thing theatrical releases still have going over streaming releases is their ability to produce event weekends and a lot of buzz. Occasionally a Netflix product like Stranger Things has a similar trajectory, but there’s nothing like opening weekend for a new movie. If you are a big release, you're guaranteed to be the center of attention, and even if you land second or third on a busy box office week, a movie is still an event flick that is being talked about on blogs, in social media and at the dinner table. Don't get me wrong, people talk about Netflix shows and movies plenty, but it's often more of a slow burn thanks to people not binge-ing Netflix content at a consistent rate.

It could have been chancy if Crazy Rich Asians hadn’t dominated at the box office. But the movie did make money in most countries, leading to Crazy Rich Asians 2 getting greenlighted and more. Jon M. Chu has another project in the works right now, In The Heights based on the Lin-Manuel Miranda musical, but China Rich Girlfriend and the third movie in the franchise are expected to shoot back-to-back in 2020. In the meantime, keep an eye on the Crazy Rich Asians leads in their upcoming new projects.

ReelBlend #68: Our Interview With John Wick: Chapter 3 Director Chad Stahelski

ReelBlend #68: Our Interview With John Wick: Chapter 3 Director Chad Stahelski

Very few directors currently are doing action as well as Chad Stahelski. He learned from the best. The kickboxer turned stunt performer turned coordinator turned director has been reinventing the stunt/fight wheel with the John Wick franchise, which is continuing this week with John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.

Before the movie opens in theaters, Stahelski was kind enough to join the ReelBlend podcast for a candid discussion on his extensive approach to action-set constructions, the insane amount of time it takes to do action scenes with trained dogs, the way they broke story for the John Wick saga, and the influence that The Matrix continues to have on action movies to this day.

(In case you were unaware, Chad Stahelski first met Keanu Reeves when we worked as the actor’s stunt double on all three Matrix movies. Theirs is a legendary partnership that stretches back decades.)

It was an honor to have Chad Stahelski on our show, and we know the Blenders are going to love his incredible stories about the John Wick films, and moviemaking in general.

Before we got into our conversation with Chad Stahelski, we discussed the news that Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss will be the ones to get their Star Wars movie in theaters in 2022. There hasn’t been confirmation that their trilogy will continue in 2024 and 2026 (or if Rian Johnson will get one of those slots to begin HIS trilogy), but those guys are slated into the 2022 slot, and we discuss how that impacts Star Wars going forward.

Speaking of Game of Thrones, Kevin, Sean and Jake weigh in with their opinions of the next-to-last episode of Game of Thrones. Their largely split on how things played out, but they talk about how the season is concluding, and how they think the finale will play out.

Finally, this week’s #Blend Game focused on the films of Sofia Coppola. How many of the guys chose Lost in Translation?

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.

Halle Berry Cold Called John Wick 3 Director To Pitch Herself For A Role

Halle Berry Cold Called John Wick 3 Director To Pitch Herself For A Role

Halle Berry is an Oscar-winning actress who has proved to be a successful action star, having played a Bond girl, X-Men’s Storm and Catwoman. Her experience doesn’t mean she’s opposed to taking risks, and fighting for the roles she wants is still part of the job. She did just that for her upcoming part in John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum.

Halle Berry actually spoke her part into existence when she approached John Wick director Chad Stahelski before the third installment had a script ready. Check out what the director told Entertainment Weekly about how the actress joined John Wick: Chapter 3:

It was right before the holidays [in 2017]. I got a call saying, ‘Halle Berry would like to meet with you.’ I was like, ‘That’s cool.’ I’d never met her before. She came to my offices in Manhattan Beach the next day, walked right in, sat down, goes, ‘I want a part in John Wick 3. I’m like, well, ‘That’s very flattering, but we don’t have a script yet.’ She said, ‘I don’t care.’ I’m like, ‘Well, I don’t even know if there’s a female [part].’ She’s goes, ‘I don’t care, I want to be in it, let’s party.'

Get it, girl! The actress marched right into the John Wick filmmaker’s office and demanded to be a part of the franchise. Now, this isn’t something that just any actress could have gotten away with, but we’re talking about Halle Berry – it obviously worked. When Chad Stahelski decided to call her up five months later to see if she was still interested, it gets even better. Here’s what he said:

She was like ‘Of course I’m fucking interested. When do we start training?’ I’m like ‘Why don’t you come down and watch?’ She’s like, ‘I don’t want to watch, I wanna do it.’ Came in, first day, jumped right in. [She] finished going, ‘Yeah, that was tough, what time do we start tomorrow?’

I don’t know about you, but I’m going to enjoy John Wick even more, knowing Halle Berry essentially invited herself onto the movie. Way to write your be in charge of your own narrative in Hollywood! Berry will be playing a new character named Sofia, who is an old acquaintance and fellow assassin in Keanu Reeves’ John Wick. She rolls with two Belgian Malinois dogs, to fill the hole of Wick’s late Beagle Daisy, who he famously went on a killing rampage over after her death.

Just as Daisy symbolized John Wick’s wife, the director teased that Sofia’s puppers will also be symbolic of her own past. The actress worked and played with the dogs for months so she would be their trainer on set along with doing some intense weapons and fight training.

The actress recently joined the Kingsman action franchise in the 2017 sequel, after some time away from the action genre since the her time in the X-Men series. Halle Berry must have missed kicking ass and didn’t mind making her interest known to Chad Stahelski. The actress recently brought up how she’s proud about how the upcoming movie proves age is just a number as Keanu Reeves at 54 years old and she at 52 are stars of the highly-anticipated action flick.

You can see Berry join the franchise when the third John Wick film hits theaters on May 17.

Yes, Avengers: Endgame Will Still Beat Avatar ... Eventually

Yes, Avengers: Endgame Will Still Beat Avatar ... Eventually

I'm seeing a lot of naysayers out there now. Debbie Downers. They no longer believe Avengers: Endgame will top Avatar as the highest-grossing movie of all time. Blasphemers. Listen, I no longer think Endgame will top Avatar by the end of May -- I flew way too close to the sun on that call -- but it will seal the deal eventually. I still think it will happen this summer. Worst case scenario, it takes a re-release like Avatar got to pick up an extra $30 million or so. Since the gap is currently about $110.5 million in total, every million counts.

Avengers: Endgame's current worldwide gross is $2,677,472,736.

Avatar's worldwide gross is $2,787,965,087.

Before Avengers: Endgame came out, there was talk that it had potential to top Avatar. Some scoffed at the idea, but they stopped after that massive record opening weekend. However, some doubters are back, saying it will be a tough climb for Endgame to close the deal now:

It's slowed down more than we all expected.

That's the word from Shawn Robbins, chief analyst at BoxOffice Media, to THR. He had predicted Endgame passing Avatar in mid-June. Now he has moved his prediction to Labor Day. However, he added this caveat:

If it performs like it has been up to this point, there is about a $10 million to $20 million margin that falls half north and half south of Avatar. But it would be surprising if Disney didn’t get it there somehow.

If Avengers: Endgame gets within $10-$20 million, do a big marketing campaign to push it over the edge -- or take a break and then come back for a re-release. James Cameron's 2010 re-release gave Avatar an extra $10.74 million at the domestic box office and $22.46 overseas for a total boost of $33.2 million. If Marvel makes a production about a last call to see Avengers: Endgame before it's pulled from many theaters, fans will head out to help it pass Avatar.

That's a key difference here. There's a movement. After 10 years of Avatar rule, fans are ready for a new champion. There's a push for Endgame, which is considered worthy of the new title. When Endgame passed Titanic, there were cheers. Endgame has already passed Avatar at the domestic box office, but it's the overall worldwide total that really counts. (Endgame is not going to pass the domestic box office leader, Star Wars: The Force Awakens. But it has already passed that movie in total worldwide gross.)

Labor Day sounds like a fine time to pass Avatar, from here. Avatar took a lot longer to get to where it is, with its run compared to more of a marathon than Endgame's current sprint. Avatar spent over 60 weeks in theaters.

Avengers: Endgame has been out for five weeks and it's still ranked #3 on the box office charts during a competitive Memorial Day weekend. It just made $16.8 million at the domestic box office this weekend. Yeah, it played on 410 fewer screens than last week. Week to week, we're going to see Endgame lose screens as films like Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Toy Story 4, The Lion King, and more show up. But Avengers: Endgame is going to keep at least one screen in many theaters through the summer. It's the other smaller films that will be completely pushed aside.

I still believe Endgame will close that $110 million gap, thanks in part to U.S./Canada fans still buying repeat tickets, but also from the all-important international box office. Endgame has already made $1.8 billion dollars at the foreign box office, per Box Office Mojo. International fans are in this game right alongside the rest of us. We're going to get this job done eventually, and I won't be surprised if it's before Labor Day. Marvel Studios could even openly advertise it as an Avatar battle. Call it what it is. A fight to the finish.

What say you? Will Avengers: Endgame still top Avatar? If so, when? Do you have a revised prediction?

Jurassic Park's Laura Dern Is Clueless About The Shirtless Goldblum Memes

Jurassic Park's Laura Dern Is Clueless About The Shirtless Goldblum Memes

It’s pretty fascinating how the internet obsesses over certain movies and scenes, giving films second lives by repurposing them for all manner of content, from memes to gifs to videos. Sometimes this occurs with cult classics like Office Space and sometimes it happens to beloved blockbusters like Jurassic Park. In addition to still having major pop culture relevance, Steven Spielberg’s seminal 1993 film has provided the internet with plenty of meme fodder thanks to Jeff Goldblum’s Ian Malcolm.

In a scene in Jurassic Park, while recovering from the T-Rex attack, Ian Malcolm is laying with his shirt open in a seductive pose. This scene has become so iconic that it has received its own Funko Pop figurine and last year got a giant statue in London. Despite this pop culture prevalence, Jeff Goldblum’s Jurassic Park co-star Laura Dern is clueless about the memes. When told about the statue and the conversation around the shirtless scene, she said:

I think that’s hilarious! It speaks to a very successful narrative that is now a franchise, but gosh. Is he flattered, or is he defensive?

How Laura Dern has managed to go this long without coming across Jeff Goldblum shirtless memes is a mystery. Perhaps that’s what happens when you are busy starring in Star Wars: The Last Jedi and HBO’s Big Little Lies instead of browsing Twitter and Reddit. Even more wild is that no one asked her about it prior to Uproxx’s conversation with her. But now that she knows, the actress is clearly amused and surprised by it.

Upon finding out about all the internet love for a scene from one of her biggest movies, Laura Dern seems to have been legitimately curious about how Jeff Goldblum has responded to it all. It’s a caring impulse on her part, wondering whether Jeff Goldblum is flattered or feels self-conscious about all the discussion about his shirtless scene. She doesn't have to worry though, because as you might expect from the actor, he seems to enjoy the fandom over the scene.

I wonder if her curiosity compelled the actress to google all this after her Uproxx conversation and found her going down the internet rabbit hole of Jeff Goldblum memes.

Laura Dern also spoke about how the fandom of the Ian Malcolm shirtless scene is a product of the success of Jurassic Park itself, a film which spawned a successful franchise that has found new life in recent years. Addressing that iconic film and working with Jeff Goldblum, Laura Dern also said:

Let me just say that he is one of the greatest improvisational actors ever, and he’s hysterical. So he does try everything, and Steven [Spielberg] enjoys this in actors, which is lucky in the confines of Jurassic Park, needless to say. All I know is that I felt privileged to be there, to be playing this kind-of radical feminist, paleobotanist badass, and [dissolves into laughter]. But I have no other opinion on the shirtlessness, I had no idea, that’s hilarious to me.

Jeff Goldblum’s improvisational hilarity is part of why he is so beloved and the shirtless scene may have been a product of that. The actor has spoken about the shirtless scene in the past and said that he doesn’t remember exactly and it may have been Steven Spielberg’s choice, but he thinks he opened his shirt because it was hot.

Whoever made the choice, it proved wise, as Jeff Goldblum is now immortalized with a shirtless pose that says 'paint me like one of your French girls.'

Laura Dern still sounds grateful to have been a part of Jurassic Park all these years later and to have played the kind of strong female character that many in the industry are trying to champion today. We haven’t seen that badass paleobotanist Ellie Sattler since Jurassic Park III but everyone wants to see her again and Laura Dern seems down to return, so maybe she will in Jurassic World 3.

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