Man of Steel has earned an estimated $21 million from Thursday night screenings! That puts the Superman reboot at 7th place all time for “midnight” earnings. The problem with that number is that $12 million of that $21 million came from special 7pm screenings. We’re not faulting Man of Steel for having those screenings, but the context for these numbers is constantly changing. Higher ticket prices for 3D and IMAX theaters, and ever-earlier premieres make it hard to really compare performances. For reference, Iron Man 3 took in $15.6 million on its Thursday night opening. Zack Snyder’s Superman reboot is poised for a good weekend, regardless. Estimates place the film somewhere between $90-$130 million in three-day earnings. Were you part of that $21 million Man of Steel earned last night? If so, what’d you think of the movie? Read our Man of Steel review to see what we thought.
Sebastien De La Cruz returned to the national stage last night to sing the national anthem, two days after being subjected to racist and hate-filled Tweets . The 11-year old was back behind the microphone (introduced by San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro ) despite the fact that many people online reacted in shock and disgust over someone with Mexican heritage being given such a platform. But De La Cruz handled the controversy with grace and maturity , the same way he handled this rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner: Sebastien De La Cruz Sings National Anthem Said Spurs coach Greg Popovich prior to tip-off: “Given the fact that there’s still a significant element of bigotry and racism in our nation, I’m not surprised. It still plagues us, obviously. And what I was surprised by was how proud these idiots are of their ignorance, by printing their names next to their comments.” Of De La Cruz, the coach added: “He’s a class act. Way more mature than most his age. And as much as those comments by the idiots sadden you about your country, he makes you feel that the future could be very bright.” Behind a combined 55 points from LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, meanwhile, Miami went on to win Game Four, 109-93. We’re tied at two games apiece!
We have a secret and we simply cannot keep it: Lucy Hale is now 24 years old! The actress, of course, is best known for her role as Aria Montgomery on Pretty Little Liars , the ABC Family smash that seems to set new social media records with each episodes. But Hale is also an impressive singer. She signed a recording contract a year ago after appearing many years ago on American Juniors and showing off her pipes. The Memphis native may also soon see her career sky-rocket. She’s one of several actresses under consideration for the part of Anastasia Steele in the Fifty Shades of Grey movie . So send in your best birthday wishes to Hale now and sound off: Should she star as Steele? Yes, she’d be perfect! No, go with someone else! View Poll »
It’s Donald Trump’s birthday today. The man is 67. A real estate mogul by trade, Trump has become a household name with a series of other features such as Celebrity Apprentice, which is still on somehow. The billionaire king of PR stunts and his physics-defying hair have been wildly successful, yet he becomes more of a caricature of himself with each passing year. When he’s not filing frivolous lawsuits, lambasting President or Obama or flirting with a 2016 presidential bid , he … okay, that’s pretty much all he does lately. Love him or hate him, he is what he is at this point, and it’s ridiculous. See above photo of Donald Trump and Lil Jon. That about sums it up right there. So enjoy your Friday, big fella. You earned it. In related, but prettier and less egomaniacal news, it’s also Lucy Hale’s birthday on this 14th day of June!
The recipe for a great superhero movie is quite elusive. How much of it should be canon? How much should be fresh? Is it personal or universal? Gritty or fantastical? For kids or adults? For fans or newcomers? A superhero movie is typically lauded or panned on these points, sometimes with the same decision paying off in one film while failing in another. Zack Snyder decided to do all of it. He did canon. He did fresh. He did personal and universal, gritty and fantastical, all of it. Man of Steel is essentially three entirely separate films, none of which feel fully realized. They can be described by the three identities of our main character: There’s the Kal-El film, the Clark Kent film, and the Superman film. The movie opens on Krypton; the Kal-El film. It’s a well developed Krypton—we get to see the world, the society, the people, the culture—but it feels remarkably goofy. By entering Krypton amidst a panic—their world is about to end, after all—we have no time to suspend our disbelief, or get acquainted with anything, or even feel like we’re watching a Superman movie. Instead, it feel like an 80s sci-fi B-movie. It’s set on another planet but it’s humans speaking English. It’s exactly like Earth except they wear silly costumes and their technology is a bit more advanced (and in that superfluous B-movie way, too). It’s here that we establish Michael Shannon as General Zod , who was engineered to ensure the survival of the species, no matter the cost. With the world ending, Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van defy the law and have the first natural-born Kryptonian baby in ages. A big fight ensues, as little Kal-El is loaded into a space pod and shot towards Earth. Here’s where we start Movie #2, the Clark Kent film. The gritty, intimate exploration of a young boy’s alienation from society because he’s different. This is a compelling angle to take on Superman, and from the trailers, it seemed like Snyder’s entire film would maintain this tone, but it doesn’t. Admittedly, Snyder isn’t the best at pulling small-scale personal drama performances from his actors, but these sections looked absolutely beautiful. With a dull, grayed color palette and high contrast, Snyder connects us with Clark Kent’s existential ennui (who’da thunk I’d get to use that phrase in a Superhero Movie review?). The Clark Kent film cuts between Kent as a young man, wandering the Earth looking for purpose and identity while staying out of the limelight, and Kent as a child, learning about his powers and getting valuable life lessons from his father Jonathan, played by an on-point Kevin Costner. This is the section where we meet Lois Lane, played by Amy Adams. She’s a reporter for the Daily Planet on assignment in the arctic, where she crosses paths with the quiet Kent, whose working another in a series of manual labor jobs. When Lois accidentally sees something she shouldn’t, regarding Kent’s identity, she tries to spread the word of Kent’s existence, though she is met with skepticism and hostility from her boss and the public. But then, General Zod shows up again. Begin Movie #3, the Superman film. Zod and his army were frozen and shot into space, in a plot point that seems to lack much time or logic, and he has returned to snag Kal-El (or the Earth gets it!). This is the moment Kent has been waiting for! The moment he can define his identity! The creation of Superman is actually carried out convincingly, as each different “film” has its part to play in the identity of the main character, which is—in theory, at least—the main struggle of the film. And while the Superman movie is equally as beautiful as the Clark Kent movie—the action sequences are honestly stunning—the blockbuster action flick just doesn’t fit with the tone that we’d been dealing with for the past 45 minutes. All three worlds coalesce in the final act of the film, causing a jumble of beautifully frenetic fight scenes, totally silly Kryptonian mythology, and a “realistic earth” that is unnaturally unburdened by the craziness that has beset them. What it amounts to is an unfocused jumble that fails to capture the audience at any turn. There are surely compelling bits in Man of Steel (none of them are in the “Kal-El movie” though), but as a unified piece of filmmaking, it doesn’t work. One thing is for sure, though: Zack Snyder has a real sense of visual style, and it actually serves the story in a welcome way. To cap it off, Snyder introduces a fourth element, the childish comic-book influence, in a bit that feels epically out of place. Man of Steel does not feel like stereotypical Superman, which is not necessarily a problem. The problem is, it doesn’t have any clear idea what it’s trying to be. RATING: 2.5/5
Despite the “You are not alone” tag, Man of Steel is not a Michael Jackson biopic (though how are there not already six of those?). It’s a Superman biopic. …Scratch that, I’m being informed that Superman is not real and this is a fictional film based on a comic book. Also, my delete key is broken. Check out three new Man of Steel character posters : Henry Cavill, Russell Crowe, and Michael Shannon star in the posters as the three Kryptonians Superman, Jor-El, and General Zod. Amy Adams, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, and Christopher Meloni also star. Zack Snyder directs the reboot/origin story, which fans can catch in theaters beginning June 14!
Here come the Birds! And they’ll be CG-animated, in 3-D and – angry ? The video game franchise creator Rovio Entertainment is tapping Despicable Me producer John Cohen to produce a planned Angry Birds movie, with former Marvel Studios chairman David Maisel on board as executive producer. Rovio will finance the pic, which is set for Summer 2016. John Cohen produced Illumination Entertainment/Universal Pictures’ Despicable Me in 2010 with Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud directing, who also took the helm for the 2010 short Despicable Me Presents: Minion Madness . Cohen also worked with Pierre Coffin in the first animated short he produced, Banana . Could the pair or some combination thereof be ready to take flight for Angry Birds ? 2010’s Despicable Me revolved around a criminal mastermind who uses three orphan girls to hatch his scheme, but is moved by their profound love. Could this signal a less pissed off flock four years from now? “Rovio will produce and finance the movie outside the studio system and retain full creative control while creating innovative entertainment at the highest level of quality,” the company said, adding that it is taking a cue from David Maisel’s direction he ushered in at Marvel. “I’m so excited and honored to be working on this film with Mikael, David, and Rovio’s incredibly talented game developers and artists,” said Cohen via Rovio’s website . “From both an entertainment and strategic perspective, Rovio is at the forefront of game innovation and is trailblazing terrific new ways for Angry Birds fans to interact with these characters. I’ve personally spent countless hours playing the Angry Birds games over the last few years, which I can now happily justify as research for the movie.” The movie will mark Rovio Entertainment’s first move into feature films, though fans are already familiar with those Angry Birds through Rovio’s games, books, consumer products and animation. Since they first left the nest in 2009, they have been downloaded over 1 billion times across platforms. Most recently, Angry Birds Star Wars ascended to the stratosphere of the US iPhone charts after two-and-a-half hours in release. Prior to Illumination, Cohen was VP of Production at Twentieth Century Fox Animation. What do you think a John Cohen-produced Angry Birds has in store?
The second Man of Steel trailer has been released to the Internets, and by the gods it’s actually very effective! While retaining the moodiness of the first teaser , that mood now more clearly emphasizes Clark Kent’s feelings of uncertainty and separation due to his alien heritage and fantastical powers. His arrest ( first revealed in the poster released last week ) has a bit more context too, as we see him stepping out from behind what appears to be the wreckage of military hardware, as soldiers draw their weapons. It looks like he makes his debut after the Kryptonian super villains led by General Zod, and submits to arrest to prove he isn’t a threat, a much more interesting take on humanity’s initial reaction to him. Speaking of Zod, we also get our first glimpse at Michael Shannon ‘s version of the character (skip to minute 2:33). Nothing could possibly replace Terence Stamp’s elegant fascist interpretation, which is why it’s a relief they’re not even trying. Instead, they’re going for a grizzled military vet vibe. I’m impressed by how he looks like something Jack Kirby would have drawn during his weirder moments in the ’70s, particularly if the bubbly, floating spaceship we see just before Zod appears has any connection. ( Here ‘s a pretty funny look at some of Kirby’s more bonkers creations for some context.) I’m not the biggest fan of Watchmen , but on a purely aesthetic level Zack Snyder absolutely nailed that adaptation, and underwear-free Superman suit aside, it now seems much more certain he’s going to pull off the same trick with Man Of Steel . Here’s the trailer in all its moody, superpowered glory. Some stray thoughts: * It’s worth noting that we first see Zod bearing a serene expression, quickly followed by an obvious KNEEL BEFORE ZOD shout out, then a scene of Krypton’s destruction. I can’t help but wonder if Zod’s personal animosity for Superman is related to Jor-el’s failed attempt to save Krypton. * I’m not the first to note this, but that moment when we seen Superman causing the ground beneath him to vibrate is very interesting. We haven’t really seen Superman’s powers presented as a force of nature like this, and it’s a nice touch. * Now we know how they avoid turning Kevin Coster’s take on Jonathan Kent into Kansas Ben Parker: Pa Kent is afraid of what will happen to Supes if his powers are revealed to the world. That fits very well into the more realish world take on the Superman story I’m assuming we’ll see, owing to Christopher Nolan’s involvement. Ross Lincoln is a LA-based freelance writer from Oklahoma with an unhealthy obsession with comics, movies, video games, ancient history, Gore Vidal, and wine. Follow him on twitter (@rossalincoln). Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Sitting through the interminable credits of a special-effects laden comic-book superhero movie is not my idea of fun, but after reading Drew McWeeny’s HitFix post on Joseph Gordon-Levitt donning the Batsuit, I’m starting my glute exercises early in preparation for Warner Bros. and DC Comics June 2013 release of Man of Steel . The blogger explores persistent rumors that, as The Dark Knight Rises hinted, Gordon-Levitt will inherit the cowl from Christian Bale and that Warner may introduce him in Zack Snyder’s reboot of the Superman franchise, Man of Steel , as a way of teasing JG-L’s eventual appearance in the Justice League movie, set for 2015. The idea makes plenty of sense, especially since TDKR mastermind Christopher Nolan is credited as a producer and a writer on Man of Steel . McWeeny even envisions a smart scene in which the two caped crusaders could be introduced: “How crazy do you think fans would go if Superman were to take to the skies at the end of Man Of Steel , finally ready to fully accept his role as mankind’s most powerful protector, only to have the closing credits interrupted when something catches his attention and he swoops down out of that sky, landing on a rooftop where Jim Gordon stands next to the Bat-Signal, interrupting just as the new Batman arrives for a chat about Gotham’s latest problem?” Or maybe Supes and Bats could just grab some shawarma. [ HitFix ] Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
