The Curse Of La Llorona Box Office: The Conjuring Universe Has Another Overperformer

The Curse Of La Llorona Box Office: The Conjuring Universe Has Another Overperformer

The Conjuring Universe has unquestionably become one of the strongest brands in the Warner Bros. arsenal. Going back to 2013, every release has been an absolutely massive hit, with the $250 million-plus worldwide earnings for each title looking even more impressive when you consider that none of them have been made with a budget larger than $40 million. It's a train that doesn't appear ready to stop any time soon, and Michael Chaves' The Curse Of La Llorona demonstrated that this weekend by earning the franchise yet another box office crown. Check out its opening weekend numbers - as well as the rest of the Top 10 - below, and join me after for analysis!

It should be noted that The Curse Of La Llorona had the weakest opening of any Conjuring Universe movie thus far - with David F. Sandberg's Annabelle: Creation previously holding that title with its $35 million take back in 2017 - but part of the reason why it can still be considered a victory is the fact that it still managed to exceed expectations. Last week prognosticators suggested that the film would struggle to make more than $20 million, with Box Office Mojo suggesting a $17 million start, but those estimates proved to be a bit too conservative. Instead, the horror flick managed to beat that number by nearly $10 million, which is pretty significant when you consider that the feature only cost a reported $9 million to make.

There is no question that it's a step down for the brand, particularly after the record-breaking numbers put up by Corin Hardy's The Nun last fall, but the performance certainly says something about the hunger for stories in this universe. Adding in numbers from foreign territories, the movie has already made $56.5 million worldwide, and it will likely be the sixth feature in the franchise to get a nine figure total by the end of its theatrical run. It might take an extra minute, though, as there are a few things working against it in the coming weeks.

The first and most obvious roadblock is the forthcoming arrival of what is unquestionably one of the most anticipated blockbuster releases of all time. Joe and Anthony Russo's Avengers: Endgame is expected to have the attention of everyone in the world when screenings start on Thursday night, and there is probably little chance that folks are planning on doing a weird double feature that pairs the three-hour superhero epic with The Curse Of La Llorona.

Also, the film doesn't have quite the same level of buzz that the previous Conjuring Universe efforts have received. Not only have professional reviews not been super kind to the release, but audiences don't seem to be falling in love with it either. On CinemaScore, it doesn't look so great when you compare its "B-" grade" to the "A-" earned by both Conjuring titles and the "B" that both of the Annabelle movies received.

All that being said, it's already profitable after just three days, so Warner Bros. can't complain too much.

Speaking of the studio, this weekend was actually a double win for WB, as another one of their big brands - the DC Extended Universe - crossed an important milestone. It took a few weeks, but David F. Sandberg's Shazam! is now the seventh title in the franchise to join the century club. The movie only dropped about 29 percent in its third week, and while its still the slowest performer among recent DC releases (it's still made only half of what Zack Snyder's Justice League did in 2017), it has an ace up its sleeve: the fact that it didn't cost nearly as much to make as your average big comic book adaptation. Put in perspective, it's already made three times its budget worldwide - albeit before the cost of marketing and publicity.

As for the rest of the Top 10 beyond the two biggest releases, it was actually a very strange weekend. First there is the disappointment of Roxann Dawson's Breakthrough, which failed to make the $17-18 million that was expected in its first five days (screenings started mid-week). It was thought that the feature would get a nice boost from the religious crowd, and it actually earned better reviews than most god-centric releases, but apparently it couldn't stir up too much interest.

That's really the least of it, though, as the big theme for this weekend was unexpected ranking flip flops. For starters, Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's Captain Marvel seemingly got a boost from the aforementioned forthcoming release of Avengers: Endgame, as the blockbuster jumped from its sixth place position last week into fourth place. The $9.1 million it earned over the last few days now puts its domestic total over $400 million, and its only the seventh of 21 Marvel Cinematic Universe releases to hit that benchmark. To date it has made $1.1 billion worldwide, and while it looks like it won't surpass the numbers put up by Joe and Anthony Russo's Captain America: Civil War back in 2016, the performance is still nothing short of astonishing.

Another surprise this weekend was the performance of Chris Butler's Missing Link - albeit the significance is relative. The stop-motion animated film got off to a depressing start last time around, as it started its theatrical run in ninth place, but this week it actually climbed a bit thanks to the fact that it only dropped about 26.5 percent. The movie has still only made about $13 million in North America, which isn't exactly impressive, but it is trying to put up a fight.

The middle of the chart also saw some weird switches, as Tina Gordon Chism's Little went from second place to fifth, and Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer's Pet Sematary went from fourth to seventh. Those are far less noteworthy than what happened to Neil Marshall's Hellboy, however. The panned Lionsgate release played in the exact same number of theaters this weekend as it did when it opened, but far fewer seats were filled in the last three days. Not only did it drop from third place to 10th, but it suffered a drop of nearly 68 percent. It failed to cross the $20 million mark, and things are looking seriously bad for the feature, which reportedly cost $50 million to make.

It was definitely a weird weekend at the box office, but things should change in a massive way next time around. It's entirely possible that Avengers: Endgame will soon become the new record holder for biggest worldwide opening - and we'll have all of the details for you next Sunday.

Sylvester Stallone Shares Gritty Video From Rambo V: Last Blood Set

Sylvester Stallone Shares Gritty Video From Rambo V: Last Blood Set

Like fellow action stars Vin Diesel and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Sylvester Stallone is quite generous with giving his fans behind-the-scenes looks at his movies and showing some of the magic that made them possible. Later this year, the actor returns to his iconic character John Rambo one final time in Rambo V: Last Blood. While we have yet to see a trailer for the movie, Sly has shared a gritty video from the set on social media. Check it out:

We are used to seeing the final product where Sylvester Stallone’s Rambo dispatches bad guys with ruthless brutality, but this video shows how those kinds of scenes are set up. Sylvester Stallone is rehearsing the choreography of the scene, what motions he has to perform and what marks he has to hit. It looks like a lot of fun too, other than the fact that the environment he is in looks rather unpleasant.

As Sylvester Stallone said in the caption on his Instagram, they are underground in a dusty cave where it is hard to breathe. You can clearly see what he’s talking about in the video and it’s an environment that surely adds another level of difficulty to the physical action that he has to perform in the scene.

As for the scene itself, it finds Sly’s Rambo emptying and dropping a shotgun that one imagines he has already used on someone. He then grabs a spear to kill someone on the other side of the wall. The part at the end is the best though, where Rambo dives and gets ready to cut the leg off some poor fool who dared to be on the wrong side of things.

It’s some classically awesome Rambo savagery. Dobby from the Harry Potter stories didn’t mean to kill, only to maim or seriously injure, but Rambo, Rambo means to do all three. He’s a warrior who is just as deadly with modern firearms as he is with hunter-gatherer and early weapons like bow and arrows and spears.

We don’t know the context this scene takes place in during Rambo V: Last Blood, but we know enough about the story to take some guesses. The film sees Rambo living on a ranch when his housekeeper’s granddaughter, who is like a surrogate daughter to him, goes missing in Mexico while searching for her father. It turns out she was kidnapped by a dangerous drug cartel and Rambo goes on a path of vengeance to rescue her.

So maybe this scene takes place in some sort of underground drug tunnel that the cartel uses or is some kind of hideout Rambo must infiltrate in his pursuit of Yvette Monreal’s Gabriella and the deaths of those who kidnapped her. Maybe we’ll get a look at this scene when the first trailer drops, which should hopefully not be that far off.

Rambo V: Last Blood opens in theaters on September 20. Before that there’s plenty still to look forward to this summer, check it all out in our 2019 Release Schedule.

Watch Halle Berry's Intense Weapon Training For John Wick 3

Watch Halle Berry's Intense Weapon Training For John Wick 3

In this weekend’s John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, Keanu Reeves’ titular hitman is finally getting some much-needed backup in the form of Halle Berry’s Sofia. The Oscar-winning actress is no stranger to action franchises, given her history in the X-Men movies and as a Bond girl, but there’s action and then there’s John Wick action. Thus, Halle Berry had to prepare for the role and that meant going through some seriously intense weapons training, which you can see in the video below.

Halle Berry has said that she learned some serious skills training for John Wick 3 and you can’t doubt her after seeing how dedicated she is to the role and how seriously she is taking her training in this video. Getting good with these weapons takes time and effort, and Halle Berry clearly put in the work; she didn’t just show up for a half day one time.

You can see Halle Berry’s progress throughout the video, and her changing outfits indicate her training took place over a period of time; this wasn’t all from one session. This video from Taran Tactical isn’t gussied up with movie magic to make Halle Berry look better or more accurate either, it appears to be all her.

The actress looks like a pro as she quickly reloads and moves from target to target with purpose and confidence, using both a handgun and a rifle. The sequence where she comes off the line, quickly drawing her sidearm and firing before easily switching to her rifle and continuing is particularly badass.

I also like how she looks super intense and serious while doing the training, but can’t help but crack a smile when she’s done and receives a compliment, like on her double taps. Maybe Halle Berry should call up Ruben Fleischer and see if she can snag a role in Zombieland: Double Tap because she’s certainly qualified.

No wonder Halle Berry called up John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum director Chad Stahelski to pitch herself for a role. She obviously loves doing this kind of stuff and is pretty good at it. It must also be mentioned that Keanu Reeves was keeping time for Halle Berry as she went through the course. How cool is that?

The Oscar-winning actress joins the franchise as an old friend of John Wick’s, a former assassin and fellow dog lover who now runs a hotel and no longer goes around shooting people in the head. That won’t last long though, and Halle Berry made sure that she’d look legit and lethal as Sofia, opposite the seasoned pro Keanu Reeves who does the majority of the action in his movies.

Reviews are in and John Wick 3 looks like another great action-filled entry in the series. John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum is aiming to take the top spot at the box office from Avengers: Endgame when it arrives in theaters this weekend. Check out what you need to remember before seeing it and head over to our 2019 Release Schedule to see what else is hitting theaters this year.

Kathleen Kennedy Teases The Star Wars Sequel Characters Returning For Future Installments

Kathleen Kennedy Teases The Star Wars Sequel Characters Returning For Future Installments

Through the course of the most recent trilogy of films released to the public, the Star Wars saga has introduced new and exciting characters like Poe, Finn, and Rey to audiences that have come to love them. But with the end of the Skywalker Saga coming in Star Wars: The Rise of the Skywalker, a lot of people are worried their new favorites might not be coming back.

That concern has been addressed Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy who, when asked about whether or not we’ll have to wait for any of these characters to come back, gave a pretty optimistic case for their return:

You know, there is an appropriate time. We're using this appropriate time as an opportunity to see where we're going now that we're leaving the Skywalker Saga behind. But there's no question that there's certain characters that we've created certainly in the last three movies that we may very well wanna see down the line in the future.

So while Star Wars: Rise of the Skywalker will close out the stories of characters like General Leia Organa or Luke Skywalker, it sounds like the younger wave of characters that brought this new trilogy to the masses are still up for grabs. And Kennedy had her eye on one specific platform to make that all come true.

As she discussed this matter with MTV News at the most recent Star Wars Celebration, Kathleen Kennedy played the Disney+ card, stating that the platform is being keenly looked at for ways that these characters can live on. Everything from the broad scope of the upcoming Mandalorian series to what Kennedy calls potentially smaller and grittier stories, are in play.

Both film and TV appearances certainly feel like good ideas, and since Poe, Finn, and Rey aren’t as deeply entrenched in the Star Wars lore as key figures like Han Solo or General Leia Organa, there’s room for them to be part of new and exciting adventures outside of that realm. And that’s where the universe seems to be headed on the whole.

With two different film trilogies being crafted by both Rian Johnson, he of Star Wars: The Last Jedi fame, and Game of Thrones masterminds David Benioff and D.B.Weiss, both of those series have opportunities to expand the Star Wars brand to a point where the original trilogy isn’t such a cornerstone of accessibility.

Combine that with the fact that Disney+ has already lined up star-studded shows continuing their Marvel Cinematic Universe, and you’ve got another chance to jump into a new corner of that world. If Tom Hiddleston, Elizabeth Olsen, and Anthony Mackie can jump on board for MCU projects on Disney+, then Oscar Isaac, John Boyega, and Daisy Ridley don’t sound like terrible reaches.

There’s far from an exact game plan as to how or when we may see our favorite characters from the final trilogy in the Skywalker Saga. But at the very least, there’s hope that we will see them again; and as Star Wars has taught us, hope is a very powerful thing.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker brings us the last installment of the Skywalker Saga on December 20th. But seeing as you’re probably an avid moviegoer, use our 2019 release schedule to plan out all the fun movies that can help pass the time between now and then.

The Russo Brothers Share Their Favorite Character Arc in the MCU

The Russo Brothers Share Their Favorite Character Arc in the MCU

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is on the edge of a precipice, with just days left before Avengers: Endgame finally arrives in theaters. The Russo Brothers will bring Phase Three of the MCU to an end, and the stakes could not be higher. Given the state of the shared universe at the end of Infinity War, fans have spent the last year theorizing about what could come next, now that Thanos wiped out half of all life.

Our questions will be answered shortly, as Endgame is just days away from arriving in theaters. The upcoming blockbuster will end the MCU as we know it, and wrap up the characters arcs from many of the OG Avengers. CinemaBlend's Jeff McCobb recently spoke with The Russo Brothers, and asked the co-directors about their favorite arc in the MCU. Joe Russo piped in first, saying:

Cap obviously because we spent so much time with him. And he has gone on a very extreme journey, from First Avenger to Infinity War. He went from a patriot to an insurgent, that’s a very complicated arc.

This answer shouldn't come as much of a surprise. The Russo Brothers joined the MCU in Captain America: Winter Soldier, which is widely considered one of the shared universe's best outings. Since then, they became the architects of Phase Three, and utilized the title character in three more movies, including Endgame.

Joe Russo's comment does make some valid points, as moviegoers have watched Steve Rogers have a pretty unbelievable journey throughout the last eight years. Captain America's story spans decades, and featured him doing an about-face in regards to his belief system. So while the other Avengers have grown before our eyes, Cap arguably had the most seismic change this character.

In the same conversation with CinemaBlend at CinemaCon 2019, Anthony Russo echoed his brother's sentiments, agreeing that Captain America was their favorite. He said,

I would have to say Cap. It’s just, we’ve been so focused on that character. He was our access point to the MCU as storytellers. Having been born, and grown up, and come of age during World War II. Having that all torn away from you, and waking up 70 years later. It’s a really profound journey that character’s been on. A lot of hardship. And a lot of nobility in his heart. And we’ve had a lot of fun trying to figure that character out over the years.

Once again, the Russo Brothers show that they're great at working together. The co-directors have shared a singular vision for the MCU, and done the impossible with their work on large ensemble projects like Captain America: Civil War. And through it all, Chris Evans' signature character has been their favorite Avenger to see onscreen.

You can't blame The Russo Brothers for having some favoritism, as the Captain America franchise was how they were able to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and eventually rose to the top of the creative ladder. They brought a surprising amount of realism and grit to Captain America: The Winter Soldier, including stunning action sequences and plot twists that rocked the shared universe to its core.

Related: Avengers: Infinity War’s Writer Knows Captain America Didn’t Get Enough Lines

Captain America: Civil War is another great feat, and their second go in the MCU. But rather than focusing solely on Steve Rogers, The Russo Brothers were given the challenge of bringing in most of MCU's heroes to the playing field. It wasn't an easy task, and moviegoers had some trepidations going into theaters. But the directors juggled a big cast, and fractured The Avengers as we know them.

You can check out our conversation with The Russo Brothers at CinemaCon 2019 below.

From the interview above, you can really see how much Captain America means to Joe and Anthony Russo. And while they've gotten to know all the major Marvel characters with their work on Civil War and the Avengers movies, Steve Rogers continues to be their favorite arc in the shared universe.

While plenty of moviegoers have their favorite Avenger, you can't deny the validity of The Russo Brothers' points. Just look at how his journey compares to other major Marvel characters. Tony Stark went from billionaire playboy to a superheroic leader, but he hasn't changed that much since the first Iron Man movie ended. Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow continues to be a mystery, although that might change when her solo outing finally arrives. And while Thor is more responsible and humble, he's still largely the same God of Thunder we met in his first flick.

The Russo Brothers might have a favorite in Captain America, but they've got plenty of character arcs to wrap up when Avengers: Endgame arrives next week. Many of the original Avengers actors are coming to the end of their contracts, so fans may finally bid goodbye to folks like Cap, Iron Man, and Thor. And given the high stakes after Thanos' snap of death (aka The Decimation), it seems likely that at least one of those icons will end up being killed off.

In addition to ending certain character arcs, The Russo Brothers also have the responsibility of opening up narrative possibilities. While Marvel Studios hasn't revealed their plans for Phase Four yet, the fandom is expecting quite a few sequels over the next few years. But with Black Panther, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, and the Guardians all faded to dust as a result of Thanos' victory, the future is currently unclear.

Most moviegoers assume that the dusted heroes will somehow be resurrected throughout the course of Avengers: Endgame. Exactly how that'll be done is unclear, but it seems like Phase Four depends on it. Because unless the future is filled with prequels, it doesn't seem like the MCU can continue on any other way.

Answers should finally come once Avengers: Endgame arrives in theaters on April 26th. In the meantime, fill out CinemaBlend's Endgame death pool, and check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

The Advice Chris Hemsworth Got About Moviemaking From Tom Cruise

The Advice Chris Hemsworth Got About Moviemaking From Tom Cruise

Chris Hemsworth has been in the acting business long enough that he’s worked with plenty of heavy hitters as well as in big franchises like the MCU and Star Trek. However, he also has had the chance to talk to a-lister Tom Cruise about moviemaking in general and he took the opportunity to ask him about what drove him in the business. Per Hemsworth:

I asked Tom Cruise years ago what drove him to make certain decisions on films. He said, ‘I just want people to see my movies. I don’t want to put that much blood, sweat and tears into it, and have it come and go.

"Whatever it takes," right? Tom Cruise is known for a lot of things, but one of them is the work ethic he puts into his own movies, which involves him performing stuntwork other actors may not dare to. He also helps with decision-making behind the camera, and stories about his alleged work ethic came up when The Mummy was a bit of a disaster a couple of years ago.

According to what Chris Hemsworth revealed to Variety, Tom Cruise’s work ethic really fascinated him, leading to a point where Cruise gave the younger actor advice about moviemaking and the work that is put in.

Chris Hemsworth is also team big screen, telling the outlet in the same interview that he believes in the medium and hopes people will still continue moviegoing in droves. He said:

I just love the theatrical experience. I think there’s nothing quite like it, and the industry will change in a big way if we don’t get people to the cinema.

There’s been a pretty big shift in the industry as a lot of key content players have headed to Netflix or elsewhere streaming, just as there have been big advocates for theatrical moviegoing to remain a mainstay. Some have been vocal about disliking the streaming model, but that's not really what's mentioned here.

So far, studies have shown that people who consume media streaming often tend to go to the theater in higher numbers, but what Chris Hemsworth seems to be saying boils more down to wanting to make sure the movies he (and Tom Cruise) makes are good enough that they engage the theatrical audience and keep people excited about going to the movies. It's less of an us and them mentality and more of a what can be done to improve the project I'm on sort of thing.

Still, moviegoing and the movie experience is certain topical this days, with movies searching worldwide for larger audiences and theaters finding creative ways to keep fans coming in droves.

No one who works insanely hard on a movie and wants it to come and go with bad reviews, or possibly worse, indifference at the box office. And while Tom Cruise has not been immune to bad reviews in his career, he does what he can to make sure the final project is the best it could be. That's advice that any actor could latch onto.

You can next catch Chris Hemsworth in Men In Black: International, out June 14. Tom Cruise's next big gig will be in Top Gun: Maverick, out in 2020.

Scarlett Johansson Says The Avengers: Endgame Press Tour Is Giving Her ‘PTSD’

Scarlett Johansson Says The Avengers: Endgame Press Tour Is Giving Her ‘PTSD’

Ahead of the highly-anticipated release of Avengers: Endgame in just a couple weeks, the surviving Infinity War cast members have been taking part in just about the strangest press tour ever. While usually the actors can answer questions with a bit of insight into what fans can expect from the release, this time they are sworn to secrecy - so much so that many of the stars have admitted to not knowing how the movie ends for their characters themselves.

Being constantly on their guard about what they can and can’t say has understandably taken a toll on the actors. Scarlett Johansson even recently admitted she’s losing sleep over it. In her words:

I’m gonna have PTSD from this [press tour.] I mean, honestly, it is so stressful. At the end of every day, I lie awake at night and I think about all the things I almost said. It gives me panic.

It looks like all the dodging and beating around the bush has the Black Widow actress stressed! It’s a tough situation she and the cast have been tasked with. Journalists certainly feel like it’s their duty to get any scoop they can about the upcoming MCU culmination too, but the cast has been heavily briefed to not give anything away until Endgame hits theaters.

While the actress is likely exaggerating a bit about actually having post-traumatic stress disorder, since the condition affected people who have experienced incidents much more serious than a press tour, she seems to simply mean that doing press for the movie has become something that’s affected her mental health.

She has to constantly use her words carefully in front of cameras and later think back about what she said, in hopes she didn’t spoil anything. It does sound anxiety-inducing! You’re almost at the finish line, ScarJo!

To make matters worse, she has her solo Black Widow movie on the way and she’s also been asked about time and time again. However, Marvel is asking that she keep the details under wraps until Phase Three concludes. Here’s a bit of an exchange from Entertainment Weekly’s roundtable with the Original Six Avengers and Kevin Feige when asked about Black Widow:

Robert Downey Jr: Kevin, can she talk about the film that’s been announced — or not even?

Kevin Feige: We haven’t announced anything. We’ve announced Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home.

Scarlett Johansson: [Draws deep breath] The PTSD is a real thing! I have so much anxiety!

Robert Downey Jr. makes a great sarcastic point to Marvel chief Kevin Feige that there’s already news out there about Black Widow but he’s sticking to keeping it quiet. It’s okay, Scarlett! The headlines will speak for you.

The film directed by Cate Shortland has assembled an impressive cast including Stranger Things’ David Harbour and Fighting With My Family’s Florence Pugh, and Rachel Weisz is also in talks to join. Harbour even recently revealed the movie may start shooting in June, which would shape up the movie to likely be one of Phase Four’s first entries. There’s lot of other exciting casting starting to shape up for the next MCU chapter for The Eternals as well.

Just two more weeks until Avengers: Endgame, Scarlett Johansson can soon exhale a sigh of relief, and so can fans!