Academy Awards Shoot Down Rule About Excluding Netflix From Oscar Nominations

Academy Awards Shoot Down Rule About Excluding Netflix From Oscar Nominations

Netflix had it's most successful year at the Academy Awards this year when the streaming service/movie studio saw Roma take home multiple awards. While it didn't win the big Best Picture prize, simply being nominated for the award was a major step. However, it was one that not everybody was happy to see.

The word on the street was that Steven Spielberg, a member of the directors branch of the Academy with a seat on the Board of Governors, would be asking for a change in the rules for Oscar nomination that would have prevented the current release practices of Netflix, where the film is only given a limited theatrical release in a few places before ending up on the streaming platform, from being nominated. However, the Board of Governors has now decided against any changes to eligibility requirements.

As it stood, any movie that had a seven day theatrical run, with at least three showings per day, in the city of Los Angeles, was eligible for nomination for Academy Awards. To that end, Netflix would release a film like Roma in order to meet those requirements, and at the end of that week, the film would debut on the streaming service for all subscribers to see.

It's unclear, based on what's reported by Variety, if a rule change was every formerly requested, however, Academy President John Bailey did say that the Academy would continue to study the broad changes occurring within the industry, so the possibility of future changes certainly remains open.

There are many who feel quite strongly that part of what constitutes a "movie" is the theatrical experience, and while a company like Netflix may offer that in a very limited fashion, it's certainly not what the company is about. The experience is truly different, it's hard to argue otherwise, but should awards only be available to those who offer one particular experience?

Streaming services certainly do blur the line between film and television. Netflix and others create original material in both fields and make that content available to watch anywhere. The one place it's hardest to watch, however, is the movie theater. Unless you live in Los Angeles or one of the few other places that Netflix movies get screened, you can't watch them on the big screen.

This is an issue that clearly isn't dead. The film industry has gone through massive changes before and it will certainly adjust to these. It's simply a question of how. Netflix certainly isn't going away and considering the company's success with original movies, both in terms of viewership and awards success, it seems like a matter of time before Netflix wins a Best Picture Oscar, unless the Academy decides one day they shouldn't be considered for them.

Chris Rock Is Rebooting The Saw Franchise

Chris Rock Is Rebooting The Saw Franchise

The horror genre is in a bit of a renaissance right now. Rather than stale sequels, there are new exciting properties being brought to theaters. These movies are being met with critical and box office acclaim, with projects like Get Out even getting Oscar attention. But the genre is also built on long-running franchises, and it looks like one of the newer classics is going to be getting a reboot: Saw. What's more, comedian Chris Rock is involved in the developing project.

While Chris Rock isn't a name usually associated with horror, he's going to intimately involved with rebooting the Saw franchise, as both an executive producer and story writer. The gore-heavy property has typically been ultra serious and cruel, Rock's point of view and comedic background should help to bring new life. Liongsgate Motion Picture Group chairman Joe Drake issued a statement with the announcement of the forthcoming reboot, explaining:

When Chris Rock came to us and described in chilling detail his fantastic vision that reimagines and spins off the world of the notorious Jigsaw Killer, we were all-in. Saw is one of the highest-grossing horror franchises of all time and it’s one of Lionsgate’s most successful film series. This upcoming film will still be as mind bending and intense as all the previous Saw films. Chris conceived this idea and it will be completely reverential to the legacy of the material while reinvigorating the brand with his wit, creative vision and passion for this classic horror franchise.

The Saw franchise hasn't spent much time out of theaters, but it looks like the next installment will be notably different from its predecessors. And it's arriving soon, as the untitled project is set to hit theaters in October of 2020.

This statement from Lionsgate (via Variety) should illicit a mixture of reactions. Obviously fans of the Saw franchise will be thrilled to see more horrifying traps on the silver screen. But Chris Rock might not be the first person that moviegoers associate with the genre, let alone such an infamously gory one. Then again, the Saw films have generally been formulaic, so perhaps a fresh perspective is what the property needs to remain relevant in the midst of the horror renaissance.

Chris Rock also gave a brief statement regarding his excitement for the upcoming Saw reboot, which he'll be producing and helping create the story for. He said:

I’ve been a fan of Saw since the first film in 2004. I am excited by the opportunity to take this to a really intense and twisted new place.

Twisted is right, as the Saw franchise is classified under the sub-genre "torture porn." Movieogers have watched behind their hands as countless characters are massacred in bloody ways, usually in excruciating physical pain. The sub-genre that was made famous through the Saw and Hostel franchises, although the overall horror world seems to be going in a different direction recently.

Related: Chris Rock Has No Interest In Hosting The Oscars Again

If Chris Rock is able to bring something new to the Saw franchise, it could give the property new momentum. To do this, moviegoers going to need more than just the terrifying traps, like character-driven story and some moments of levity. We'll just have to see if Rock can help make this happen.

The Saw reboot will arrive in theaters on October 23, 2020. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

How To Train Your Dragon 3 Flew Past A Box Office Milestone, But There's Trouble From Here

How To Train Your Dragon 3 Flew Past A Box Office Milestone, But There's Trouble From Here

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World had the best opening of the franchise, and it's still doing well so far. Will it be able to make enough to pass the previous two movies, and close out the trilogy on top, now that Captain Marvel is here to push it off the top of the box office chart?

That may be too lofty a goal even for Toothless and Hiccup.

What we do know is that, before Captain Marvel's arrival, How to Train Your Dragon 3 managed to pass the $100 million milestone at the domestic North American box office. That's after opening two weeks ago on February 22, and placing #1 on the weekend box office charts for both of its weeks.

The Hidden World had the best opening of the three films so far, but it dipped enough in its second weekend that it looked like Madea might actually pass it at #1. That didn't happen, but now that competition is getting superheroic, you have to wonder where the film might go from here -- at least at the domestic box office.

Going into its third weekend, How to Train Your Dragon has made $104,966,125 at the domestic box office and an impressive $280,900,000 at the foreign box office for a current worldwide total of $385,866,125. That number, per Box Office Mojo, will go up by the end of the weekend, and should reach past $120 million domestic. How much further can it go from there?

The first How to Train Your Dragon movie came out in 2010 and ended its run with $217,581,231 at the domestic box office. The Hidden World is a long way away from that number. However, that movie "only" made $277,297,528 at the foreign box office, and the third movie has already made more than that overseas.

How to Train Your Dragon 2 came out in 2014 and made a total of $177,002,924 at the domestic box office and $444,534,595 overseas.

It seems like How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is likely to have a domestic box office closer to the second movie's number, below $200 million -- but that's a guess. Overseas? Does it have a chance of passing the second movie's $444.5M at the foreign box office alone? China, the second biggest box office market after North America, gave $65,100,000 to How to Train Your Dragon 2. The third movie opened at the start of March and has made $32,957,995 in China alone so far. However, the film got an early start at dozens of international markets, opening in January in many places. The Hidden World has already made the most money it's going to make in several countries.

So as exciting as it is to see How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World pass $100 million in the U.S./Canada, and prepare to pass $400 million worldwide, I suspect it won't have a chance to pass its predecessors to end the franchise at #1. That's OK, it was just hoped that the record opening would lead to a record close. It's still a big success.

The first movie had a worldwide combined total of $494,878,759. The second movie upped the combined total to $621,537,519. It doesn't seem like The Hidden World has the time or ability to top How to Train Your Dragon 2 from its current worldwide total of $385,866,125 (not counting this weekend, which should add about $20M domestic). But we'll see. I'm open to being as surprised by this movie as I was by the billion dollar success of Aquaman, the love China has for Green Book, and the continued power of The Upside.

Whatever happens from here, the Dragon franchise is ending strong. All three films earned "A" CinemaScores from polled moviegoers. All of the films have Rotten Tomatoes fresh scores above 90%, with the first film earning an Audience Score of 91% and the second and third films both currently at 89%. There was even early talk that How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World might finally have a chance at that animation Oscar, but we'll see. There's a lot of competition ahead.

Speaking of competition, this weekend belongs to Captain Marvel, which had a huge opening night and is tracking at $155 million to $160 million. Check out CinemaBlend's full weekend box office report on Sunday for those details. And keep up with everything headed to theaters in 2019 with our handy movie release date schedule.

The X-Men Character Karen Gillan Most Wants To See In The MCU

The X-Men Character Karen Gillan Most Wants To See In The MCU

Now that Fox is part of Disney, the X-Men will eventually be joining the Marvel Studios family for future movies. Kevin Feige sounded excited about the X-Men coming home to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, although there's no set timeline for when that will happen.

For now, the current X-Men film franchise is ending with Dark Phoenix this summer, not quite two months after the premiere of the MCU's Avengers: Endgame. One of those Endgame stars is Karen Gillan, who said before Avengers 4 opened that her Nebula would be someone fans would root for.

Karen Gillan was asked which X-Men character she would most like to see join the MCU, and her answer came immediately:

Mystique! So that we can talk about having blue prosthetics on all the time.

Hey, from her perspective, the priority is having someone who can empathize with that awful blue makeup experience! (Cast David Cross too, so he can blue himself like Tobias on Arrested Development.)

The X-Men character of Mystique (Raven Darkhölme) is known for her bright red hair and blue skin. Rebecca Romijn endured the Mystique process for X-Men, X2, and X-Men: The Last Stand, with Jennifer Lawrence playing the younger version of Raven in X-Men: First Class, X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse, and this summer's Dark Phoenix.

Jennifer Lawrence has talked about tiring of the toxic fumes from the blue body paint she had to wear as Mystique. Karen Gillan told Variety Lawrence's experience actually made her feel better about her own less arduous process to become Nebula:

I truthfully would watch the behind-the-scenes videos of her getting her makeup done while I was getting my makeup done to make me feel like it wasn’t so bad. I was like 'Well, look at what she went through! This is only from the neck up.' It's just a feeling of like claustrophobia ... because I'm completely enclosed, it's a second skin that's glued to me, it's not painted. It's like a skin, and it's all over. So I can't really move my face very much. It's a weird sensation. It’s one that isn’t the nicest of sensations, but it does look really cool and it does help with the character. … I think it’s keeping me from overacting!

Considering Jennifer Lawrence's distaste for the Mystique process -- not to mention the trailer for X-Men: Dark Phoenix already including that major Mystique spoiler -- it seems safe to say Lawrence will not be back as Mystique if and when the character is brought to the MCU. But the character could easily be rebooted again for the new version of whatever Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige and company have planned for Phase ... 5?

As we wait for X-Men + MCU updates, check out Endgame in theaters now (you probably already have), watch Dark Phoenix on June 7, and don't forget that Karen Gillan will be back for the Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle sequel, currently called Jumanji 3, on December 13. Keep up with all of the release dates with our 2019 calendar.

6 Incredibly Easy Ways To Avoid Avengers: Endgame Spoilers

6 Incredibly Easy Ways To Avoid Avengers: Endgame Spoilers

We're officially in the "endgame" for Avengers: Endgame's premiere, and spoilers are only going to ramp up in intensity throughout the web from this second on. This makes the Internet a dangerous place to navigate for those wishing to avoid learning anything before the movie's airing, and may encourage some to walk away from the medium entirely ahead of their showing.

That's all well and good, but this is the 21st century. Many of us utilize the internet daily for work and entertainment purposes, and shouldn't have to put our lives on hold out of fear of Avengers: Endgame spoilers. With that said, here are some really easy ways to avoid seeing spoilers while still circumnavigating the web, as written by a guy who learned these lessons the hard way and had Avengers: Infinity War spoiled via a Frasier meme.

Mute Key Phrases From Your Twitter Timeline

Twitter has a really handy feature that all social media should have, which automatically filters and hides any tweets that contain a list of words you've chosen to mute. Twitter users, visit settings and content preferences to find the mute function. Once there, put in the names of the Avengers, "Avengers: Endgame," "Avengers," "Endgame" and as many variations as possible until the home timeline is devoid of any mentions of the movie.

As a note, be sure to change the setting to "anyone," as the default will only hide stuff from people users don't follow. Also don't forget to set a timer for it to expire, or risk mass confusion weeks later when absolutely no one is discussing Endgame despite box office numbers surging to tremendous heights.

Avoid Comment Sections

Comment sections can be a great place to discuss stuff with like-minded people on the internet, but they're also a breeding ground for spoilers. Whether intentional or not, browsing the comments section for people's comments is just asking to get smacked in the face with a key reveal on how The Avengers stop Thanos, or confirmation that Ant Man ain't going anywhere near the villain's backside. Sure, we could've assumed that anyway, but why ruin the dream?

Let's also remember that trolls will be out in full force, and there is probably going to be some popularized tactic that the worst of the worst use to put one of the biggest spoilers out on as many platforms as possible. These folks may even be posting on stories unrelated to the movie, just to catch people off guard. Long story short, just stay away from the comments, and also be respectful of what you comment after viewing.

Don't Read Usernames

When Star Wars: The Force Awakens came out -- and spoilers -- there seemed to be a concerted effort to expose fans via one method. For those who didn't fall victim to it, a slew of users took to comment sections and places like Reddit with some variation of the username Handies, which didn't immediately make sense. Of course, people slowly realized that "Handies" was actually Han dies, and one of the most heart-breaking twists of the sequel trilogy was spoiled.

Make no mistake, something like that will happen again. It's too easy not to, and trolls know they can rope a ton of people in relatively easy by posting seemingly innocent comments with the actual spoilers hiding above in wait for unsuspecting eyes. Obviously, folks should be avoiding comment sections already, but for those that can't help themselves, at least try to avoid reading the names of people's comments.

Don't Go Looking For Content That Potentially Reveals Spoilers

This seems like a no-brainer, although anyone who's been on the Internet has seen those readers who are taken aback and appalled they read a spoiler despite the warnings on articles and in headlines revealing spoilers are ahead. In short, reading speculative articles about the movie and what will happen at this point is a bad idea. There are many people who already know what happens, and you might actually read that in searching.

Even reviews can be dicey. Ours, of course, is spoiler free, and so are a handful of others on reputable and well-known sites. Make no mistake, there are more spoiler heavy reviews out there, and they can drop some rather big details unexpectedly. It's simple really. Avoid content that may reveal a spoiler, and drastically lessen the chance that a spoiler will unexpectedly surface.

Warn Friends And Family Ahead Of Time

By now, many of us are aware of the habitual "Spoilees" in our lives. Whenever there's a big movie that's out, they just can't help themselves and have to talk about the movie regardless of whether or not everyone around them has seen it or not. We love them anyway, but damn if they wouldn't catch hands if the bond we share with them wasn't so strong.

Ideally, it's best to get to the theater before these people and eliminate any chance of falling victim to their spoilery ways. If that's not possible, just kindly remind them ahead of time not to talk to you about the movie before you've seen it. If they're not monsters, they'll respect that. If they do it anyway, at least the warning gives you a valid reason to slap them upside their head.

Beware YouTube Suggestions

YouTube is a great way to kill time during the day, but it's going to be very risky to venture in the coming weeks. YouTubers gotta eat too, and that sweet Avengers: Endgame analysis is going to pay some bills for a couple high profile people on the platform. These folks will probably be respectful of spoilers, and keep things clean, but that won't stop YouTube from suggesting and auto-playing a full spoilers video right after.

Don't blame the YouTuber, blame the algorithm. Or blame both, but also blame yourself because this is also a form of looking for content on Avengers: Endgame, and then being upset when the Internet grants that wish. Just disable autoplay, however, and that should solve the problem of unintentionally starting a video. As for the rest, just be wary of looking at the titles of related videos and suggested ones that pop up after you watch something.

Avengers: Endgame spoilers will almost certainly ramp up in intensity beginning Thursday evening, so be sure to grab a ticket and see it before the major beats are all over the web. Also, stick with CinemaBlend for the latest news regarding movies, television, and pop culture.

Avengers: Endgame Has Already Hit Pirating Websites

Avengers: Endgame Has Already Hit Pirating Websites

It's been a long year of waiting, but Avengers: Endgame is finally upon us. Hardcore Marvel fans have secured their tickets for tonight's opening showings, which will pick up the narrative after Thanos won and destroyed half of life in Infinity War. The stakes are at an all-time high, so moviegoers are desperately attempting to avoid spoilers before heading to theaters.

Despite Marvel Studios' best work with security and marketing, spoilers have still hit the internet, as early screenings of Endgame expose the film's secrets. And now it turns out that the leaks have gotten worse, and the movie is already on pirating sites ahead of its official release. Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige has expressed his disapproval of spoilers, so he must not be happy about these surprising turn of events.

News of Avengers: Endgame's leak onto pirating sites come to us from Torrent Freak, and there may have some silver lining to it all. Because the version of the movie currently making its way around pirating sites is of extremely poor quality. And it hardly sounds like the way to enjoy such a massive and CGI-heavy blockbuster. As the report reveals:

The image flickers constantly throughout. It’s semi-rotated and is littered throughout with watermarks for a gambling site that spin around the screen.

Well, this hardly sounds satisfying to the moviegoers who have spent a decade and 21 trips to the movies ahead of Avengers: Endgame's release. The marketing material for Avengers: Endgame is reportedly from the first 10 minutes of the blockbuster, so the public should know little to nothing about the contents of The Russo Brothers' highly anticipated release. Unless they go searching out spoilers.

There are some moviegoers that just can't wait until tonight's screenings, and want to know about what happens throughout the course of Avengers: Endgame. Spoilers arrived last week, and now the pirating copy is out there as well. You may just have to watch an uber-crappy version with online games on the edge of the frame. Still, the year of waiting is just too much for certain moviegoers to sustain.

Related: 10 Questions We Still Have About Avengers: Endgame

The Russo Brothers have been staunchly against spoilers, encouraging cinephiles to run to the theater opening weekend to ensure you get the full theatrical experience. Avengers: Endgame is the cumulation of a decade of filmmaking, and it seems like the brothers could go anywhere narratively. Infinity War showed what daring filmmaking they were capable for with such a massive cast, and the twist ending showed they were pulling no punches.

The early reception for Avengers: Endgame has been overwhelmingly positive, and the official reviews and Rotten Tomatoes score are sky high. It appears that The Russo Brothers threw everything and the kitchen sink into the new blockbuster, and that is miraculously worked. Luckily, we can judge for ourselves starting tonight.

Avengers: Endgame is in theaters starting tonight. In the meantime, check out CinemaBlend's Endgame death pool, and utilize our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

The Insane Number Of Costume Changes Taron Egerton Has In Rocketman

The Insane Number Of Costume Changes Taron Egerton Has In Rocketman

Elton John changes costumes more than most people change their bed sheets. The charismatic, stage-dominating pianist has established himself as a fashion role model over the course of his hall-of-fame career, entertaining audiences with his visual presentation as much as he did with his musical prowess.

For that reason, it goes without saying that Rocketman costume designer Julian Day (Rush, Bohemian Rhapsody) had his work cut out for himself when trying to dress Taron Egerton as Elton John. Needless to say, Day didn’t disappoint. While I’d need a second viewing to confirm, I was fairly confident that Sir Elton never wore the same outfit more than once in the movie, and had a different costume in every major scene.

At the Rocketman junket in London, we asked Egerton how many costume changes he thinks he has in the film, and he guessed:

It’s north of 50, I think. Yeah, it’s a lot. … There’s little things that might crop up repeatedly, but not a great deal. I think I retained my Troubadour boots for the scene afterwards at Mama Cass’s [house]. I think I just -- Julian and I figured, they’re fabulous boots!

They’re so fabulous, he even uses them to PLAY the piano when entertaining audiences at the famed Troubadour club in Los Angeles:

So, Taron Egerton guessed “north of 50,” and you’d assume he would know, seeing as how he had to wear all of those outfits to play Sir Elton John in this fantasy musical biopic. The movie begins with John heading to rehab, wearing the bold orange jumpsuit and devil horns. Where do you go from there?

But we also put the question to Rocketman director Dexter Fletcher, who also estimated:

I don’t know the answer to that. I reckon it’s got to be upwards of 40. I would imagine. I wonder. I’ll have to ask Julian. Julian Day, the costume designer, will absolutely know that number. … [Taron] came in every day and he had to wear something different. Look, he was in 60 days, minimum. So I would say 50 was probably a good guess.

You know what matters? That there are five slots in the Costume Design category at the Academy Awards, and one of them better go to Julian Day. Here’s Taron Egerton and Dexter Fletcher waxing poetic on the beautiful costumes in their new movie:

Rocketman is in theaters as we speak.