Dejana

Neighbors 2 joins the list of underwhelming 2016 sequels; the original made in $49 million in its opening weekend two years ago. Will Now You See Me 2 buck the trend in a few weeks? I'm not optimistic. May 20 – 22, 2016 Estimates: 1 (N) The Angry Birds Movie $39,000,000 | 3,932 Theaters | $9,919 Avg. | $39,000,000 (Next up? Fruit Ninja—no really) 2 (1) Captain America: Civil War $33,114,000 | 4,226 Theaters | $7,836 Avg. | $347,390,153 3 (N) Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising $21,787,690 | 3,384 Theaters | $6,438 Avg. | $21,787,690 4 (N) The Nice Guys $11,270,000 | 2,865 Theaters | $3,934 Avg. | $11,270,000 5 (2) The Jungle Book $11,017,000 | 3,460 Theaters | $3,184 Avg. | $327,497,565 6 (3) Money Monster $7,080,000 | 3,104 Theaters | $2,281 Avg. | $27,103,647 7 (4) The Darkness $2,363,000 |1,769 Theaters | $1,336 Avg. | $8,460,482 8 (6) Zootopia $1,703,000 | 1,377 Theaters | $1,237 Avg. | $334,403,528 9 (7) The Huntsman: Winter’s War $1,193,540 | 1,246 Theaters | $958 Avg. | $46,672,230 10 (5) Mother’s Day $1,115,214 | 1,719 Theaters | $649 Avg. | $31,288,936 The Meddler $777,539 | 464 Theaters | $1,676 Avg. | $2,043,460 Love & Friendship $582,015 | $12,383 Theaters | $789,260 Keanu $525,000 | 707 Theaters | $743 Avg. | $20,008,350 The Lobster $408,000 | 24 Theaters | $17,000 Avg. | $1,038,229 Weiner $85,525 | 5 Theaters | $17,105 Avg. | $85,525 Maggie's Plan $66,708 | 5 Theaters | $13,342 Avg. | $66,708 A Hologram for the King $65,860 | 138 Theaters | $477 Avg. | $4,056,472 Papa: Hemingway in Cuba $22,923 | 45 Theaters | $509 Avg. | $1,090,950 Global Totals: CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR: $706.1M Overseas | $1.05B Global Total ZOOTOPIA: $647.4M Overseas | $981.80M Global Total THE JUNGLE BOOK: $530.2M overseas | $857.69M Global Total THE HUNTSMAN: WINTER'S WAR: $111.3M Overseas | $158.0M global total. THE ANGRY BIRDS MOVIE: $111M Overseas | $150M Global Total X-MEN: APOCALYPSE: $103.3M Overseas/Global Total NEIGHBORS 2: SORORITY RISING: $30M Overseas | $51.79M Global Total

Ashley Tisdale is 30? I guess High School Musical was ten years ago. Being launched from a Disney phenomenon probably doesn't help with breaking past the teen image. It's not impossible, but long-lasting movie stardom/critical acclaim simply isn't in the cards for everyone who tries their hand at fame. As for what 30—or any age—looks like, it's subjective, of course, but probably more of a "you know it when you see it" thing, rather than some set list where a person who's this or that age MUST have this many crow's feet or that many laugh lines, or is clearly using cosmetic help. Speaking of HSM, I just remember thinking of Monique Coleman as an obvious Gabrielle Carteris situation, and in looking it up, it turns out that she's five years older than Ashley, and Zac/Vanessa/Corbin are even younger, so the gulf between some of the high school students ended up being quite large.

With Margot, though, I don't think people would've been upset or written her off as being over the hill, if she was really 30 now. If anything, it's probably the opposite, where the idea that she'd shaved 5-6 years off her age seemed more likely, than the fact that she's actually younger than, say, Emma Watson. For what, it's worth this HuffPost slideshow (it's a few years old) includes male stars who've purportedly lied about their ages at some point in their careers, though they're in the music industry more than acting. In other news, Shia LaBeouf is set to play John McEnroe in a biopic about the rivalry with Bjorn Borg. It will be interesting to see how much he's able to rehab his image and career after all of his bad behavior, odd performance art and burning a big bridge with Spielberg.

Plane crash coverage is a ratings winner for cable news. When CNN went all in on that missing Malaysian plane a couple of years ago, even Piers Morgan won his time slot as his show was days from cancellation. "Breaking News" has long ago been obliterated into meaninglessness by cable news due to sheer overuse.

May 13 – 15, 2016 Estimates: 1 (1) Captain America: Civil War $72,563,000 | 4,226 Theaters | $17,171 Avg. | $295,892,078 2 (2) The Jungle Book $17,764,000 | 3,970 Theaters | $4,475 Avg. | $311,760,110 3 (N) Money Monster $15,000,000 | 3,104 Avg. | $4,832 Theaters | $15,000,000 4 (N) The Darkness $5,180,000 | 1,755 Theaters | $2,952 Avg. | $5,180,000 5 (3) Mother’s Day $3,259,205 | 3,291 Theaters | $990 Avg. | $28,757,325 6 (6) Zootopia $2,800,000 | 1,935 Theaters | $1,447 Avg. | $331,814,439 7 (4) The Huntsman: Winter’s War $2,575,620 | 2,518 Theaters | $1,023 Avg. | $44,534,870 8 (5) Keanu $1,900,000 | 2,120 Theaters | $896 Theaters | $18,612,503 9 (7) Barbershop: The Next Cut $1,675,000 | 1,333 Theaters | $1,257 Avg. | $51,355,702 10 (8) The Boss $1,175,230 | 1,350 Theaters | $871 Avg. | $61,136,930 Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice $535,000 | 744 Theaters | $719 Avg. | $328,214,243 The Lobster $188,095 | 4 Theaters | $47,024 Avg. | $188,095 AmeriGeddon $131,000 | 30 Theaters | $4,367 Avg. | $131,000 Love & Friendship $132,750 | 4 Theaters | $33,188 Avg. | $132,750 Global Totals: ZOOTOPIA: $638.0M Overseas | $969.8M Global Total CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR: $645.0M Overseas | $940.8M Global Total THE JUNGLE BOOK: $516.3M Overseas | $828.0M Global Total THE HUNTSMAN: WINTER'S WAR: $109.4M Overseas | $153.9M Global Total THE ANGRY BIRDS MOVIE: $43M Overseas Total NEIGHBORS 2: $19.7M Global Total

The latest print version of US Weekly (with Prince on the cover) has an interview with Andi about her memoir and besides the Josh stuff, there's a sidebar to the main story called "Fantasy Suite Fails". Apparently, she and Juan Pablo spent their fantasy suite time watching his old soccer highlights on Youtube, he sang along to his iPod playlist ("lots of Ray J and R, Kelly") and he told her about hooking up with one of the other Top 3 a few days earlier. Which, you could probably guess, but still... Also, she discusses Nick's pillow talk and was not impressed with his "Would you rather make love or f---?" question in the midst of the act. Courtney's book was pretty dishy with the sex talk, and she dated other famous non-Bachelor guys, too, so it really raised (or lowered, depending on your POV) the bar for Bachelor Nation tell-alls.

From Buzzfeed: 11 Charts That Are Way Too Real For Anyone Who Watches “House Hunters”

Pretty much everything in the Top 10 was underestimated except for Captain America, and two movies changed places. Mother's Day went up almost 33% compared to last weekend, a record-breaking jump. Can it save face and beat New Year's Eve in the Garry Marshall holiday rom-com canon? If so, will Thanksgiving be next? Captain America: Civil War $179,139,142 The Jungle Book $24,488,436 | $287,600,701 Mother's Day $11,087,076 | $22,806,766 The Huntsman: Winter's War $3,948,835 | $40,732,455 Keanu $3,287,484 | $15,308,421 Zootopia $3,214,592 | $328,162,582 Barbershop: The Next Cut $2,803,268 | $48,872,111 The Boss $1,913,425 | $59,265,885 Ratchet & Clank $1,463,250 | $7,096,883 Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice $1,050,468 | $327,255,601 It is rather extraordinary to see so many $300 million movies this early in the year and that the combined star power of Batman and Supes won't have it finishing better than fifth for 2016 (but probably worse, as time goes on). The days when The Dark Knight made so much money that they casually pushed Half-Blood Prince back eight months to balance out their slate, must seem a very distant memory for WB.

I loved that Argentine Tango-fied version of "Telephone"! It's ridiculous that they can't computerize the judges' scoring...it seems like something that would take an hour or two to set up. Frenetic is the right word for Nyle and Peta's paso overall, but I liked the silent moment the most. Did they start throwing in the troupe so much for the competitive dances once the results show got canned or does it just seem that way?

May 6 – 8, 2016 Weekend Estimates: 1 (N) Captain America: Civil War $181,791,000 | 4,226 Theaters | $43,017 Avg. | $181,791,000 2 (1) The Jungle Book $21,873,000 | 4,144 Theaters | $5,278 Avg. | $284,985,265 3 (4) Mother’s Day $9,006,141 | 3,141 Theaters | $2,867 Avg. | $20,725,831 4 (2) The Huntsman: Winter’s War $3,578,485 | 2,901 Theaters | $1,234 Avg. | $40,362,105 5 (3) Keanu $3,080,000 | 2,681 Theaters | $1,149 Avg. | $15,100,937 6 (5) Barbershop: The Next Cut $2,700,000 | 1,734 Theaters | $1,557 Avg. | $48,768,843 7 (6) Zootopia $2,677,000 | 2,077 Theaters | $1,289 Avg. | $327,624,990 8 (8) The Boss $1,744,685 | 1,933 Theaters | $903 Avg. | $59,097,145 9 (7) Ratchet and Clank $1,462,000 | 2,895 Theaters | $505 Avg. | $7,095,633 10 (9) Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice $1,045,000 | 1,593 Theaters | $656 Avg. | $327,250,133 Sing Street $422,000 | 153 Theaters | $2,758 Avg. | $1,113,697 Green Room $343,570 | 470 Theaters | $731 Avg. | $2,063,976 The Meddler $294,307 | 53 Theaters | $5,553 Avg. | $613,943 Miracles from Heaven $240,000 | 301 Theaters | $797 Avg. | $60,068,188 A Bigger Splash $110,000 | 5 Theaters | $22,000 Avg. | $134,067 Dheepan $22,760 | 2 Theaters | $11,380 Avg. | $22,760 Global Totals: ZOOTOPIA: $628.8M Overseas Total | $956.4M Global Total THE JUNGLE BOOK: $491.2M Overseas Total | $776.2M Global Total CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR: $496.6M Overseas Total | $678.4M Global Total THE HUNTSMAN: WINTER'S WAR: $105.9M Overseas Total | $146.3M Global Total NEIGHBORS 2: $9.0M Overseas Total

Sexism as a marketing tool? Tl;dr a discussion of allegations that Sony was deleting comments on the trailers from female posters who didn't slam the movie based on gender, but left up the more misogynistic ones, hoping to use the sexism narrative for publicity purposes, to turn the film into a feminist cause célèbre, and to provide an excuse if/when the movie underperforms. You can search "ghostbusters trailer deleted comments" to see other discussion about it.

The Randall Family Tree appeared in the official series guidebook, The Outlandish Companion (recreated in the Outlander Wikia here) . Margaret Ainslie married Alexander Randall. For some reason, the show's version of the family tree doesn't list this as plainly as all the other marriages, which are stated in a very clear "John Smith — Jane Doe" format.

Of course there's always the option for Gabaldon to have told the story in a different way (or the show's writers to have adapted things differently). Mary needs to be such a shallow timid mouse because why, exactly? Sure, there were women like that in history, but in any time, you've always had people who were a bit more savvy or daring. Or, write it so that the old dude kicks the bucket before the marriage, or some horrible accident happens, leaving Mary disfigured somehow and the shallow old coot dumps her. Poor sad Mary finds comfort in the arms of Alex, because there have always been people who threw caution to the wind regardless of the practicalities, and the rest of the story plays out more or less the same way. Considering that rape features in yet another plot this season, then if there's a third season, the extremely dubious consent issues on both sides of the Jamie/Geneva episode, not to mention Bree and Claire later on...though I suppose that if the show goes on, it will continue to garner the reputation of having a "rape problem", even if they'd completely refigured the Mary Hawkins story.

April 29 – May 1, 2016 Estimates: 1 (1) The Jungle Book $42,439,000 | 4,041 Theaters | $10,502 Avg. | $252,095,800 2 (2) The Huntsman: Winter’s War $9,393,065 | 3,802 Theaters | $2,471 Avg. | $33,989,090 3 (N) Keanu $9,350,000 | 2,658 Theaters | $3,518 Avg. | $9,350,000 4 (N) Mother’s Day $8,302,319 | 3,035 Theaters | $2,736 Avg. | $8,302,319 5 (3) Barbershop: The Next Cut $6,125,000 | 2,310 Theaters | $2,652 Avg. | $44,705,640 6 (4) Zootopia $5,006,000 | 2,487 Theaters | $2,013 Avg. | $323,518,489 7 (N) Ratchet and Clank $4,823,000 | 2,891 Theaters | $1,668 Avg. | $4,823,000 8 (5) The Boss $4,246,715 | 2,823 Theaters | $1,504 Avg. | $56,107,840 9 (6) Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice $3,810,000 | 2,330 Theaters | $1,635 Avg. | $325,132,593 10 (7) Criminal $1,325,000 | 1,578 Theaters | $840 Avg. | $13,476,167 Green Room $960,000 | 470 Theaters | $2,043 Avg. | $1,356,886 A Hologram for the King $931,600 | 523 Theaters | $1,781 Avg. | $2,553,014 Eye in the Sky $863,377 | 614 Theaters | $1,406 Avg. | $16,356,860 Papa: Hemingway in Cuba $491,200 | 325 Theaters | $1,511 Avg. | $491,200 Everybody Wants Some $360,000 | 442 Theaters | $814 Avg. | $2,981,711 The Meddler $174,369 | 24 Theaters | $7,265 Avg. | $260,730 The Man Who Knew Infinity $88,134 | 6 Theaters | $14,689 Avg. | $88,134 The Family Fang $15,285 |1 Theater | $15,285 Avg. | $15,285 Global Totals: ZOOTOPIA: $607.9M Overseas Total | $931.4M Global Total BATMAN V SUPERMAN: $537.8M Overseas Total | $862.9M Global Total THE JUNGLE BOOK: $432.7M Overseas Total | $684.8M Global Total CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR: $200.2M Overseas Total THE HUNTSMAN: WINTER'S WAR: $97.0M Overseas Total | $131.0M Global Total

Enjoyed the high school sweethearts relocating to Warwickshire, though I was hoping they'd pick the windmill. During the tour of the house, it made me think of The Burrow from Harry Potter and right then, the production cued up this twinkly music vaguely reminiscent of "Hedwig's Theme".

The studio (at least publicly) said they wanted to continue with Kristen in the sequel, at first, and it wasn't until 2014 that they confirmed she wouldn't be back. Given the direction she's taken her career since Twilight, I doubt she was that desperate to return. Still, it's easy for me to see why the studio would be reluctant to have her back. If it had been an affair with any other married guy, it could be deflected as merely a private matter that has nothing to do with the production. Because it was the director of the first installment, in a marriage-ending scandal, even with a new director, the headlines and gossip about the sequel would be about whether she'd "seduce" this director, too. If that guy's married, In Touch is probably stalking Facebook/Instagram for pics to run side-by-side comparisons of KStew vs. the possibly civilian wife, to imply whether she's young/hot enough to hold on to her man (ridiculous, but it's how tabloids/bloggers think. Rupert Sanders was married to a model, though much was made of how she played Snow White's mother in the first movie). It would be even more of a thing if the new director's partner/wife was also in the business, to boost the fame quotient. Even the happiest woman with the most secure marriage might not welcome the scrutiny. And this is a case where bringing in a female director wouldn't necessarily stop the affair speculation. It would be the kind of publicity a studio really wouldn't want surrounding their sequel, or Kristen.

April 22–24, 2016 Estimates: 1 (1) The Jungle Book $60,803,000 | 4,028 Theaters | $15,095 Avg. | $191,477,426 2 (N) The Huntsman: Winter’s War $20,080,250 | 3,791 Theaters | $5,297 Avg. | $20,080,250 3 (2) Barbershop: The Next Cut $10,830,000 | 2,676 Theaters | $4,047 Avg. | $36,031,492 4 (5) Zootopia $6,611,000 | 2,798 Theaters | $2,363 Avg. | $316,435,606 5 (3) The Boss $6,075,675 | 3,375 Theaters | $1,800 Avg. | $49,503,880 6 (4) Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice $5,520,000 | 3,066 Theaters | $1,800 Avg. | $319,501,603 7 (6) Criminal $3,100,000 | 2,683 Theaters | $1,155 Avg. | $10,864,486 8 (7) My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 $2,097,465 | 1,749 Theaters | $1,199 Avg. | $55,372,205 9 (N) Compadres $1,350,000 | 368 Theaters | $3,668 Avg. | $1,350,000 10 (10) Eye in the Sky $1,204,335 | 838 Theaters | $1,437 Avg. | $14,956,486 A Hologram for the King $1,138,605 | 401 Theaters | $2,839 Avg. | $1,138,605 Everybody Wants Some $665,000 | 454 Theaters | $1,465 Avg. | $2,358,247 The Divergent Series: Allegiant $660,000 | 852 Theaters | $775 Avg. | $65,063,316 Elvis & Nixon $456,793 | 381 Theaters | $1,199 Avg. | $456,793 Green Room $215,000 | 30 Theaters | $7,167 Avg. | $330,503 Sing Street $132,901 | 25 Theaters | $5,316 Avg. | $217,859 Global Totals: ZOOTOPIA: $590.7M Overseas Total | $907.1M Global Total BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE: $532.1M Overseas Total | $851.6M Global Total THE JUNGLE BOOK: $337.0M Overseas Total | $528.5M Global Total THE HUNTSMAN: WINTER'S WAR: $80.2M Overseas Total | $100.3M Global Total

Snow White and the Huntsman didn't do badly—a $56 million opening weekend, $155 million domestically as part of $396 million worldwide—and with those numbers, Universal probably hoped they could build on the success and what studio these days doesn't want another franchise? I remember the speculation being that the sequel could continue with Snow White's story and see how she handled having power. That was before the Kristen Stewart/Rupert Sanders "momentary indiscretion" got exposed, and even after he left the sequel, Universal still wanted to move forward with KStew on board. I think the studio spent so much time trying to make the sequel happen that they didn't want to give up without a movie to show for it. The budget is lower compared to the first one ($115M vs. $170M), at least, but so are the receipts—the $20.1 million opening weekend barely covers the salaries for Hemsworth and Theron.

That's interesting, because one of the criticisms I've seen from people who've already watched the movie is that Charlize is barely in it but she was all over the advertising. Hemsworth really is the star along with Chastain, and they have more screen time than Blunt, who appears more than Theron. But if your movie is a turkey, you might as well try to salvage what you can by selling it as a dark Frozen for grown ups.

The only problem with that is the (faux?) shock from the judges when "good dancers" get eliminated "too soon", when most contestants are given a narrow range of scores, so it doesn't take very much for popularity to win out over ability (which, IMO, is totally fine, since the show allows viewer votes). With some contestants, the judges treat the scores like vanity sizing, except here it runs into the buzzsaw of the paddles for every contestant actually being on the same number scale. Whereas with vanity sizing, if people want to buy all their clothes at Old Navy and revel in the number on the tag, great, so long as they don't set foot in American Apparel and expect to fit into the same sizes. I've given up listening to the judging so I missed the Nyle scoring controversy. Something like that will only help his vote totals, with outraged fans giving him an extra boost to show their support.

Really, Cheryl? How rude!

They usually don't have eliminations for Switch Up Week.

It's always so awkward when a star does noticeably better (or worse) during Switch Up Week—almost as awkward as Sharna asking Nyle about that ex of his.

I think there are a few factors. Countries can have movies of their own that take up screens, and some nations even have quotas on how many Hollywood movies can be shown at once. China limits the amount of time a US movie can be shown in theaters and for several summer weeks, there's a blackout period to allow the local market to flourish. Some more detail about the vagaries/challenges of the Chinese market here and here. Countries can different holiday periods where theaters are closed or poorly attended, so a good date for the US might be bad in another part of the world, or vice versa. Here in America, Labor Day weekend is generally pretty dire for moviegoing and Super Bowl weekend isn't where you want to release a superhero blockbuster, but in Europe or Asia or wherever, it could be just another weekend. Every four years when it's the Men's World Cup, Hollywood movies often avoid it because theater attendance overseas can decline. For prestige/Oscar wannabes, they might want to build momentum with awards season, to capitalize on the hype, so they can advertise it as an Oscar nominee/hopeful and not just some talky subtitled/dubbed drama that may not translate as instantly as action or slapstick. Sometimes, I think studios just want to take the money and run, because they know the movie flopping in America would ruin its chances overseas. With a big action spectacle, it may not matter but with a talkier comedy or drama, a bad US performance in America could be the death knell for its prospects on the global market. I remember after Gigli epically tanked its release in other countries was curtailed (its worldwide total was ultimately $7.2 million, $6 million from the US).

More Weekend Numbers: The Divergent Series: Allegiant $1,300,000 | 1,484 Theaters | $876 Avg. | $63,941,161 10 Cloverfield Lane $1,050,000 | 1,085 Theaters | $968 Avg. | $69,784,681 Deadpool $960,000 | 791 Theaters | $1,214 Avg. | $360,073,249 Hello, My Name is Doris $795,000 | 650 Theaters | $1,223 Avg. | $10,922,107 Everybody Wants Some $430,000 | 134 Theaters | $3,209 Avg. | $1,531,103 The First Monday in May $105,000 | 20 Theaters | $5,250 Avg. | $105,000 Green Room $91,000 | 3 Theaters | $30,333 Avg. | $91,000 Sing Street $68,979 | 5 Theaters | $13,796 Avg. | $68,979 Global Totals: ZOOTOPIA: $574.8M Overseas Total | $882.3M Global Total BATMAN VS. SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE: $516M Overseas Total | $827.3M Global Total THE REVENANT: $336.8M Overseas Total | $520M Global Total KUNG FU PANDA 3: $355.4M Overseas Total | $496.7M Global Total THE JUNGLE BOOK: $187.4M Overseas Total | $290.9M Global Total LONDON HAS FALLEN: $120M Overseas Total | $181.4M Global Total THE DIVERGENT SERIES: ALLEGIANT: $87M Overseas Total | $150.9M Global Total 10 CLOVERFIELD LANE: $31.7M Overseas Total | $101.5M Global Total MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 2: $26.6M Overseas Total | $78.7M Global Total THE HUNTSMAN: WINTER'S WAR: $43M Global Total