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Avengers: Endgame came out on top in Atom Tickets’ ranking of the most anticipated 2019 film releases. The survey by the social movie ticketing app, whose backers include Lionsgate, Disney and Fox, placed Captain Marvel and Toy Story 4 second and third, respectively. Endgame, though, finished on top of several lists (for most anticipated overall movie, ensemble cast and superhero movie) by “wide margins,” the company said. “Although we expect to see some movement in preferences as release dates near and studios ramp up marketing efforts, there were clear winners in each category. The battles for box office dominance between Dwayne Johnson, Lupita Nyong’o, The Avengers, and Star Wars will be epic, and the 2019 slate looks great overall,” said Matthew Bakal, Chairman and Co-Founder of Atom Tickets. “Despite all the headlines about streaming formats dominating the industry, our survey found that consumers are still very enthusiastic about seeing movies in the theater,” he added...

Looks like Aquaman is gonna need a bigger boat… for all that box office cash it continues to rake in. According to box office predictions and analysts at The Hollywood Reporter, James Wan’s DC film is set to dive towards the $900 million mark and become the biggest overall DC film since The Dark Knight Rises in 2012. For comparison’s sake, The Dark Knight Rises sits at $1.09 billion. As far as the DC Extended Universe is concerned, the reigning box office champion is still Batman v Superman, which sits at $873.6 million. Given the swimming legs that Aquaman has had so far, combined with it already surpassing Man of Steel, Suicide Squad, and Justice League, it’s not out of the question that Arthur Curry could overtake Wonder Woman and Batman v Superman as well when it’s theatrical run is finished. The billion dollar question still seems to be whether Aquaman will manage to reel in the magic billion dollar number. After all, the film does not have any serious or major competiti...

This movie has the best Thor moments of any of his big screen appearances. And yes, I'm including the wonderful Thor: Ragnarok. The fact that they took us to Nidavelir, the home of the Norse Dwarves, and instead made it the heart of a star where Mjolnir was forged, well, that's a pretty wonderful way to do things. Making Peter Dinklage into the dwarf, Eitri, was even better. The Marvel Comics version of Eitri isn't nearly as cool as Peter Dinklage, but he made his first appearance in Thor Annual #11 in 1983. Is this the first time we learn Thor's actual age is 1500 years old? The whole sequence of Thor "starting up a star" is the kind of crazy "only in comics" thing that I love so much, and it feels like something that would come right out of the mind of Jack Kirby or Jason Aaron. And c'mon, tell me this next shot doesn't look like a Jack Kirby panel come to life! Oh my god, Thor is wielding Stormbreaker now! Stormbreake...

Thanos' Black Order early on, and they first appeared in Jonathan Hickman's massive Thanos vs Avengers story, Infinity. In the comics, they were also known as the Cull Obsidian, and are basically Thanos' generals, but here it's implied that they are Thanos' children. We went into MUCH more detail about them right here. From left to right, that's Proxima Midnight, Ebony Maw, Corvus Glaive, and Cull Obsidian. Your ears do not deceive you, that is Carrie Coon as Proxima Midnight. “Even in death you have become children of Thanos” - this line from Ebony Maw (who never shuts the hell up) hints at Thanos' obsession with death as a concept, even if the movie gives him a more practical outlook than his comic book counterpart, and a less physical manifestation of Death herself. We'll get into more of that in a bit. I also couldn't help but feel that Ebony Maw kind of acts like a "herald of Galactus" when it comes to announcing th...

Avengers: Infinity War kicked off the culmination of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and as we all suspected, it's insane, and absolutely packed with everything fans want to see. But don't be fooled by the fact that this is a story about Thanos wielding an all-powerful Infinity Gauntlet to make life miserable for all your favorite Marvel superheroes. Avengers: Infinity War is full of crazy surprises, and all the comics knowledge in the world won't prepare you for what's coming. We're trying to track down all of the Marvel easter eggs in the movie...but we need your help. So if you spot something that we missed, shout it out down in the comments, or hit me up on Twitter, and we'll keep updating this until it's the most complete Marvel easter egg guide to Avengers: Infinity War around! The movie takes plenty of liberties with the original The Infinity Gauntlet comic story. In fact, you can't even really call this movie an adaptation of that ...

Speaking to Metro, Transformers and Bumblebee producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura confirms they’re working oont an Optimus Prime solo movie. After speaking of the future of the Transformers franchise, he mentioned that they were looking into an animated movie that explains Cybertron mythology and that they’re also looking into an Optimus Prime solo movie, rather than a Bumblebee 2 movie: Di Bonaventura has spoken before about this possibility, and he repeated it would be rather tricky because of Optimus’ moral compass and character structure: “It will be hard with Optimus, he is always right, very stoic and is a man of few words … It is kind of like saying, ‘Lets do a movie about Obi-Wan Kenobi?’ But how much is there to say about Obi-Wan? It is not so easy.” ‘Transformers’ Producer Confirms Optimus Prime Movie In Development by FRANCISCO SOLANO OLARTE on DECEMBER 26, 2018 Optimus Prime TransformersSpeaking to Metro, Transformers and Bumblebee producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura co...

New details from Captain Marvel reveal new information about the plot, as well as Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) and Talos (Ben Mendelsohn). Captain Marvel crash lands into theaters March 2019 and Marvel Studios has been doing an effective job at keeping story details under wraps. The two trailers that have been released thus far showcase Larsons’ brainwashed Carol Danvers working with a young Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) to stop an invasion from the Skrulls, an alien race of shape-shifting beings that will be familiar to fans of Marvel comics. Two character profiles from the upcoming Marvel Studios Character Encyclopedia have been released online and they offer some spoiler-free information regarding the film’s main protagonist, as well as its antagonist. Not only can fans now get a closer look at the costume donned by Captain Marvel and the villainous Talos, they can learn some more about Danvers’ journey before crashing to Earth, as seen in the film’s first trailer. The first ...

At long last, we finally got a look at David Harbour in action as Hellboy when the first trailer for the upcoming reboot dropped a week ago. Reactions to the trailer were...mixed to say the least, but I'm still curious to see how this supposedly darker and grittier cinematic version of the Mike Mignola character shakes out. That first peek certainly played up the humour more than I anticipated, but I'm assuming we'll get a look at the "darker, more horror version of Hellboy" which the creators have been talking about all this time as the release date gets closer. In the meantime, Empire have revealed a new image from HELLBOY which features Professor 'Broom' Bruttenholm (Ian McShane) sharing a moment with Hellboy (Harbour). At long last, we finally got a look at David Harbour in action as Hellboy when the first trailer for the upcoming reboot dropped a week ago. Reactions to the trailer were...mixed to say the least, but I'm still curious to ...

It's the Christmas equivalent of coal in the stocking. Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly released a comedy into theaters over the Christmas frame, and currently, their Holmes & Watson enjoys a Zero % Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Granted, it's only 12 reviews. The movie didn't press screen, prompting critics to drag themselves to theaters over the holiday to see if Will Ferrell as the legendary detective and John C. Reilly as his trusted partner could generate some laughs. Well, they didn't. The reviews have been savage, with Ben Kenigsberg of the New York Times writing: "As the movie stands, smuggling in booze to dispel the sense of dull routine could only help." The consensus on the whodunit appears to be that it coasts for a little while on the chemistry of the two men, who have appeared together in memorable comedies like Step-Brothers and Talladega Nights. However, without Adam McKay at the helm, the guys have to carry too much of the load, and ...

It’s been quite a year for Nicki Minaj, and it shows no sign of ending before it absolutely has to next week, because calendars. The rapper has been cast in the star-studded sequel to Angry Birds, which is currently titled the very straightforward Angry Birds 2. According to Variety, Minaj is only the latest addition to a cast which so far includes Jason Sudeikis, Leslie Jones, Rachel Bloom, Peter Dinklage, Josh Gad, Bill Hader, Danny McBride, Awkwafina, and Zach Woods. It’s not totally clear what role Minaj will play, but it’s fair to say there’s a high probability that she will play some kind of bird, and it may in fact be very angry.

The life of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been the subject of numerous books, news articles, TV programs and feature films. One of the most noted was presented through the documentary “RBG” by Julie Cohen and Betsy West. It earned high praise when it was released in May and topped out at the box office in the United States with a scant bit more than $14 million. That’s good money for a documentary, but shows that only a small fraction of filmgoers will watch one in theaters. “On the Basis of Sex” – a film that also deals with Ginsburg’s life – has a far better chance of drawing a larger audience. While it presents the valuable facts and moments that have made Ginsburg one of the most important women of the past century, it also presents her life as both a legal drama and a sweet and endearing love story. Those elements will make this examination far more palatable to the general public. The film starts with Ginsburg (Felicity Jones, “The Theory of Everything”) as o...

CHICAGO Barry Jenkins, an Oscar winning director and producer, said the film left him speechless. The award-winning actress Viola Davis shared it on her Instagram page with the comment: "love, love, love this!" The grainy black-and-white clip is simple enough – two African-American actors playfully embracing and kissing for 29 seconds. But soon after it was posted, the clip went viral, sparking an online conversation about the way black love has been depicted on screen. In fact, the silent film "Something Good – Negro Kiss," was likely shot in 1898 here in Chicago, in the neighborhood now known as the South Loop, said Allyson Nadia Field, an associate professor of film and media studies at the University of Chicago, who helped bring the film to attention. Earlier this month, the film was added to the Library of Congress' National Film Registry because it may be the first known on-screen kiss between African-Americans. It is significant, in part, because ...

Fifty-four years after its release, “Mary Poppins” remains the greatest Disney film of all time. Had “Mary Poppins Returns” been a mere remake of Robert Stevenson’s 1964 Oscar-winning classic, it would rightly be labeled a work of heresy. But what director Rob Marshall has pulled off here is more akin to James Bobin’s “The Muppets” or J.J. Abrams’ “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” Both of these gems achieved the seemingly impossible task of recapturing the appeal of the landmark crowd-pleasers from which they spawned, and that had evaded numerous imitators. Viewers who criticized Abrams for hewing too close to the formula of “A New Hope” failed to take into account just how monumental an achievement it was to make a film that felt like “Star Wars.” Even George Lucas couldn’t replicate his own signature blend of space opera and Saturday morning serials in his enervated prequel trilogy. With “Mary Poppins Returns,” Marshall has triumphed in making a film that—with the exception of its ...

We here at CinemaBlend love movies. It's kinda why we dedicate a significant part of our lives to the medium. Every year members of our staff go out to see all kinds of features on the big screen -- each one enriching our personal palettes, changing our perspectives, and serving at least some entertainment value. Fortunately, 2018 was an amazing year to go to the local cineplex, as each month from January to December has offered up at least one special title that we are still talking about today. Naturally, each member of the staff has different views on what movies are the best of the year, but this feature is based on our average grades for each film. In order to qualify, each title had to be seen by at least three writers, who were asked to grade every new feature they saw in 2018 with a score out of five (it's worth highlighting that 219 new releases this year were seen by at least one member of our team). After crunching the numbers we got a Top 10 -- and you can find t...

Whether they're eager to see it or dreading its release, Disney fans have been waiting to see more of the upcoming live-action adaptation of Aladdin. Back in October, fans were treated to a short teaser trailer that gave us a glimpse of Agrabah, the mystical atmosphere of the film and the scene leading up to the discovery of the magic lamp holding the one and only Genie, cutting away before we could actually get a look at him. Whether they're eager to see it or dreading its release, Disney fans have been waiting to see more of the upcoming live-action adaptation of Aladdin. Back in October, fans were treated to a short teaser trailer that gave us a glimpse of Agrabah, the mystical atmosphere of the film and the scene leading up to the discovery of the magic lamp holding the one and only Genie, cutting away before we could actually get a look at him. Earlier today Entertainment Weekly debuted a first look at Genie, along with the film's other main characters, Aladdin and...

WARNING: The following interview contains mild spoilers for Bumblebee, in theaters December 21. Bumblebee is the first big-budget franchise film Christina Hodson has written, but you couldn’t tell from watching the movie. The story's quiet confidence and strong heart makes this the first installment in the live-action Transformers franchise to be driven by the characters and writing rather than the spectacle and explosions. Ahead of its theatrical release, CBR got the chance to sit down with Hodson to talk about the core of the film, the real world connections between the characters and her own life, and how Bumblebee takes the meaning of “more than meets the eye” beyond a simple catchphrase to sell shape-shifting robots to kids. Christina Hodson: How much I loved it, honestly. It was just such a joy to write, I totally fell in love with it. I mean, I’d always kind of loved Bumblebee. He was always my favorite Transformer. It was wonderful writing it and coming into a big ...

WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for AQUAMAN, in theaters now. While superheroes of mixed racial and cultural heritage have graced the big screen before, no film embraces the possibilities of exploring biracial identity and the importance of multiculturalism more than Aquaman. The DCEU film is one of the most diverse superhero movies to date, both with its characters and cast, led by Pacific Islander-Caucasian actor Jason Momoa. Momoa's casting as the eponymous superhero is a masterstroke in diversity, visibly amplifying the difference between Arthur Curry and the nearly entirely Caucasian Atlanteans from the maternal side of his family. The intercultural relationship between the surface world's Thomas Curry and Atlantis' Queen Atlanna had existed ever since the character was first created, but always depicted as a relationship between two Caucasian individuals. As a result, with light skin, blonde hair and blue eyes, the comic book incarnation of Aquama...

A brilliant fan fixed the artwork of Jake Gyllenhaal as Mysterio In Spider–Man: Far From Home and gave him his classic helmet. Earlier this year, several reports pointed out that Gyllenhaal would be playing the foe in the new Spidey flick. Later, those reports would be confirmed by set photos of him wearing a suspiciously familiar armor. Later he would post an Instagram video of him reading a Spider-Man/Mysterio comicbook all but confirming his casting as the Spidey villain. To this point, Marvel Studios has not confirmed the plot for Spider-Man: Far From Home. But there have been several rumors pointing out that Spider-Man and Mysterio won’t be adversarial at the beginning and that they banding together to face a group known only as The Elementals. Even Gyllenhaal confirmed this rumor by saying that Mysterio is a “good guy”. Directed by Jon Watts, Spider-Man: Far From Home stars Tom Holland, Jake Gyllenhaal, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Tony Revolori, Martin Starr, Numan Acar, J.B....

Blockbusters including Disney’s “Black Panther” and “Incredibles 2,” Universal’s “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” and Fox’s “Deadpool 2” drove sales past $11.383 billion, according to Comscore. That puts 2018’s haul ahead of the record $11.382 billion set in 2016, with over a week left to go in the year. It got more expensive to go to the movies, and ticket prices hit a new high, averaging $9.38 over the summer. But it’s not just the rising cost of admission accounting for the surge. Attendance is also up over 4% from last year. As of Christmas Day, five of the top 10 biggest domestic releases of the year came from Disney. A pair of Marvel titles nabbed the first two slots, with “Black Panther” generating $700 million and “Avengers: Infinity War” following close behind with $678.8 million. Another set of spandexed heroes nabbed third as fellow Magic Kingdom title “Incredibles 2” amassed $416 million, making it the biggest domestic animated movie of all time. Universal’s “Jurassi...

Jamie Lee Curtis is in the dark about another Halloween J.K Rowling teases Fantastic Beasts 3 Steve Carell is still up for Anchorman 3 Bumblebee director Travis Knight wants a Cybertron movie All that and more Even though the recent revival of Halloween didn’t exactly leave things open-ended, the success of the movie and chatter behind the scenes has indicated that a sequel might be in the works. But if that’s true, Jamie Lee Curtis has no idea what’s going on in that department. She told Entertainment Weekly: “I have no idea at this point, today, I have no idea. I would make an assumption that, if David Gordon Green has a story to tell, that the people involved with the movie would encourage him to tell it. [Laughs] I haven’t been told whether or not he has a story to tell and whether or not he would include Laurie Strode in the telling. Really, time will tell. I know David is a busy guy.” fantastic beasts the crimes of grindelwald box office tracking Fantastic Beasts: The Crime...

Iron Man Robert Downey Jr.A possible leaked image could reveal our first look at a comic accurate suit for Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man in Avengers: Endgame. The upcoming installment to the Marvel Cinematic Universe will serve as a follow-up to Avengers: Infinity War as well as a conclusion to the 22 films that came before it before Marvel kicks off Phase 4 of the MCU with Spider-Man: Far From Home in July. Avengers: Endgame may also be the first film to feature a comic accurate suit since Tony Stark’s Model 1 suit in the first Iron Man film that kicked off the cinematic universe back in 2008. The image below features what may be leaked concept art for a Mk II suit inspired by the comics set to appear in the next Avengers film. Although, the most we’ve seen of Downey Jr. from the film only features Tony Stark stranded in space aboard the Milano with Karen Gillan’s Nebula, leaked set photos, as well as a promotion for Audi, have revealed the character will somehow return to Earth...