Judging by his social media presence, Jay Oliva - the man behind such animated films as Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns - isn’t one to mince words. Case in point: last month, in response to a fan on Twitter who said the Snyder cut of Justice League “doesn’t and never will exist,” Oliva - who not only worked on the pic, but Wonder Woman and Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, as well - simply replied “it does exist.”
Last month, the multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate, also known as Disney, proffered a new and improved $71.3 billion tender for the rights to intellectual properties owned by the Rupert Murdoch-founded multinational mass media corporation - which, by the way, was quickly green-lit by the Department of Justice.
What with Avengers 4 gearing up to put a bow on Phase Three, Phase Four of the MCU, on the other hand, is just getting started. Spider-Man: Far From Home is set to kick-off what is sure to be the most ambitious chapter yet in the highest grossing film franchise of all-time, and with production now underway on the web-slinger’s sophomore feature, set pics, as you might expect, continue to pour in.
In 1963, Ditko created psychedelic superhero, Doctor Strange, who debuted in Strange Tales No. 110. After that, Ditko went on to work for DC Comics and other small independent publishers due to a spat with Lee. No specific reason is known for their tiff, but it is believed to have originated with Lee’s failure to share credit properly.
Having seen the twentieth instalment soar beyond the $2 billion plateau, and push the MCU to nearly $17 billion earned at the global box office, it’s easy to forget the humble beginnings of the highest grossing film franchise of all-time. Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating, if only slightly. After all, Iron Man was built upon a production budget of $140 million, but when compared to the $400 million it cost to make Avengers: Infinity War, the “big man in a suit of armour” was dealt mere peanuts.
Although Aquaman is said to have righted the ship, the fact Wonder Woman 2 is looking fairly promising, and an announcement confirming the long-delayed, Man of Steel 2, could be imminent, the truth of the matter is, The Batman - debatably the most critical piece for the DCEU going forward - isn’t exactly instilling hope into the fandom, especially when two-time Academy Award winner, Ben Affleck, has long been rumoured to be leaving the role.
A little over a week ago, the domestic box office crossed the $6 billion threshold in 2018 - making June 27th the earliest it's ever reached that total. What with Black Panther ($700M) and Avengers: Infinity War ($670M) accounting for $1.37 billion, though, the new touchstone isn’t all that surprising. Unfortunately for the Powers That Be, then, the weekend of June 29th - July 1st marked the first time an MCU movie hasn’t been inside the ticket booth top ten since February.
Regardless of where it may find itself on the Tomatometer, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, opened to nearly $150 million domestically and is closing in on $1 billion globally - which I’m sure is due in no small part to the return of Jeff Goldblum. That said, the Jurassic Park franchise has undoubtedly been subjected to a steady decline in quality following the release of the original dino-drama, directed by Steven Spielberg.
Much like the fact that Summer just isn’t the same without an excellent subaquatic fright flick, Halloween doesn’t quite get your blood pumping unless you’re watching a horror classic, or two. The Michael Dougherty-directed Trick ‘r Treat is one such quintessential motion picture. And as luck would have it, Scream Factory has just announced that the film will be getting the Collector’s Edition treatment, which will be here just in time for the holiday.
With San Diego Comic-Con fast approaching, and Warner Bros. expected to make a big splash at the "largest convention of its kind in the world,” an announcement confirming the long-delayed sequel to Man of Steel could be imminent. However, with Mission: Impossible – Fallout director Christopher McQuarrie no longer keen on helming Man of Steel 2, the flick could find itself back in production limbo.
