Avatar: The Way of Water spent a second week at the top of the box office, earning $64 million from Friday through Sunday and an estimated $90 million through Monday. So far, James Cameron‘s sequel to 2009’s Avatar has racked up a total of $253.7 at the North American box office and $600 million internationally, bringing its global tally to upward of $855 million.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, the sequel set in the Shrek universe, finished in second place with a better-than-expected $12.4 million for the three-day weekend. However, that number pales in comparison to the original’s $34 million opening. The Last Wish, which opened on Wednesday, is expected to bring in $20 million for the four-day weekend and $26.9 million over the six-day.
I Wanna Dance with Somebody, the Whitney Houston biopic starring British actress Naomi Ackie in the titular role, earned a lower-than-expected $4.7 million over the traditional weekend and estimated $6.8 million over the four-day — less than half of what Sony Pictures hoped it would take in.
Damien Chazelle‘s Babylon fizzled at the box office, landing in fourth place. The showbiz epic, starring Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt, delivered $3.6 million between Friday and Sunday and an estimated $5.3 million through Monday, against an $80 million budget.
Rounding out the top five was Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which added $3 million between Friday and Sunday and an estimated $4.7 million through Monday. The second Black Panther film has grossed $427 million domestically and $801 million worldwide.
Melissa Rivers hopes to see in 2023 more unity in society — and less junk food on her plate.
Speaking to ABC Audio, the comedian laid out what she hopes to achieve in 2023. “Get more sleep! Finally commit to that workout routine. Yeah, same as everybody,” she joked, adding she’ll also cut out processed foods and “make sure I do cardio three to four days a week.”
“You know, for as different as we all like to think we are, we’re all really the same. We all want to be healthier. We all want to achieve those work goals. We all want to eat better,” Rivers continued. She said another thing people have in common with health-inspired resolutions is that they typically “last for all of six weeks.”
As for what everyone should leave behind in 2022, the Fashion Police star wants to see less extremism. “The pendulum needs to start swinging back to the middle on everything,” she said.
“I believe that most Americans and most people in the world live in the middle. Everyone’s not out to the far left or the far right,” noted Rivers.
Rivers also hopes people, especially the younger generation, stop getting their news from social media. “It is not fact-checked … You can’t believe everything you read,” she warned. “Every day there’s a new conspiracy theory or some new kind of hate speech.”
She advised that instead of turning exclusively to TikTok or Instagram, “Read two different newspapers or different newsletters” to learn what’s happening in the world.
There’s one more thing Rivers wants to do in 2023: host presidential biographer Jon Meacham and historian Doris Kearns Goodwin on her Group Text podcast. She also shared it wouldn’t hurt to welcome George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Barack Obama to her show, too.
It’s a list no star or studio wants to be on come December, but Business Insiderhas compiled a list of the biggest theatrical flops of 2022.
Overall, the U.S. box office showed strong signs of life, what with the huge numbers pulled by Top Gun: Maverick, another Jurassic World movie crossing the billion-dollar mark worldwide, the success of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and the last-minute theater surge of Avatar: The Way of Water.
Comscore notes $7.2 billion was spent at the movies this year. And while that’s a hefty jump from 2021’s $4.5 billion, by comparison, 2019 saw box office receipts totaling $11 billion.
Using data from IMDB Pro, Business Insider compared budgets to ticket sales for a host of movies beginning in January of this year. Important to note, the production budget doesn’t include the tens of millions — and sometimes far more — studios spend to market the movies.
One of the biggest profile flops, when comparing budgets to tickets, was the Halle Berry sci-fi movie Moonfall: It made barely over $19 million here, and had a total worldwide take of $67 million, against a budget of $150 million.
On the other side of the coin, the horror movie Smile was made for $17 million and grossed $216 million worldwide. A very clever — and cheap — viral marketing campaign used people wearing creepy smiles and “Smile” T-shirts behind home plate during Major League Baseball games to generate buzz.
Here are the year’s underperformers, according to IMDB Pro:
January
The 355
Total US box office: $14.57 million
Total global box office: $27.8 million
Production budget: $75 million
Rotten Tomatoes critics score: 25%
February
Moonfall
Total US box office: $19.06 million
Total global box office: $67.3 million
Production budget: $150 million
Rotten Tomatoes critics score: 36%
Blacklight
Total US box office: $9.6 million
Total global box office: $15.9 million
Production budget: $43 million
Rotten Tomatoes critics score: 10%
April
Morbius
Total US box office: $73 million
Total global box office: $167 million
Production budget: $75 million
Rotten Tomatoes critics score: 15%
Ambulance
Total US box office: $22.3 million
Total global box office: $51.8 million
Production budget: $40 million
Rotten Tomatoes critics score: 69%
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
Total US box office: $95.8 million
Total global box office: $405 million
Production budget: $200 million
Rotten Tomatoes critics score: 46%
The Northman
Total US box office: $34.2 million
Total global box office: $69.6 million
Production budget: $60 million
Rotten Tomatoes critics score: 89%
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
Total US box office: $20.3 million
Total global box office: $29.1 million
Production budget: $30 million
Rotten Tomatoes critics score: 87%
June
Lightyear
Total US box office: $118.3 million
Total global box office: $226.4 million
Production budget: $200 million
Rotten Tomatoes critics score: 74%
August
Three Thousand Years of Longing
Total US box office: $8.3 million
Total global box office: $19.3 million
Production budget: $60 million
Rotten Tomatoes critics score: 71%
September
Bros
Total US box office: $11.6 million
Total global box office: $14.76 million
Production budget: $22 million
Rotten Tomatoes critics score: 88%
October
Amsterdam
US opening weekend: $6.4 million
Total US box office: $14.9 million
Total global box office: $31.2 million
Production budget: $80 million
Rotten Tomatoes critics score: 33%
November
She Said
US opening weekend: $2.2 million
Total US box office: $5.8 million
Total global box office: $10.6 million
Production budget: $32 million
Rotten Tomatoes critics score: 87%
(NOTE LANGUAGE) Nick Offerman happily admits to ABC Audio he “has simple tastes”: “As long as I can keep my circulatory system functioning, a meal of meats and, like, scotch, and … throw in some cruciferous vegetables so that you can live to enjoy more steak and scotch.”
To that end, Offerman recently cooked up something that his beloved Parks and Rec character, Ron Swanson, would love.
His partners at the spirits company Lagavulin released the third installment of his gold-medal-winning namesake scotch, but with a twist.
Offerman said, “I said, what if we just aim towards … perfect the beverage to go with a perfectly grilled rib eye? And that’s what we did. And it turned out pretty great,” he adds with a giggle of Lagavulin 11 Year Offerman Edition Charred Cask.
The Pam & Tommy star and husband of Megan Mullally says he shares the wealth from his “benevolent relationship” with the company.
“As soon as you get a job on any show … as soon as you can afford to buy whatever you want … everyone starts sending you free s***.”
He adds with a laugh, “Like the whole time that you need the free stuff, you don’t get it because it’s being sent to Brad Whitford.”
So when he partnered with the brand, he found himself at an impasse. “They said, ‘How many cases of Lagavulin can we send you?’ And I thought, ‘Now, this is more like it.'”
But he added with a laugh, “I … immediately realized the last thing I need is a garage full of scotch … I have a happy marriage. I have a work ethic. And I have, you know, a relatively clean bill of health. So when they do send me a box of scotch, I usually give it to my friends.”
(NOTE LANGUAGE)In an Instagram Live on Thursday evening, Zachary Levi urged restless fans to “be patient” as James Gunn and Peter Safran chart a new future for DC Comics superheroes, including his, Shazam.
As reported, some fans were so vocal in their criticism of some of the pair’s decisions, like not having Henry Cavill reprise as Superman, that Gunn responded to the “disrespectful outcry,” saying, “No one loves to be harassed or called names.”
Levi said, “It’s hard for me to see all these random comments and, like, basically lies and things that people are throwing around online and not wanting to respond.”
“Everyone just take a breath,” Levi advised. “Just trust that James … he understands comic books, he understands the canon … Just breathe. It’s gonna be OK. It’s gonna be better than OK.”
Levi said Gunn and Safran are “not just making decisions because they like someone or don’t like someone. They’re making decisions based on what is best for Warner Bros., DC, that entire studio and entity and trying to make as many fans, as much of an audience, happy as they can.”
He added, “So guys, just f***ing give ’em a break. Take it easy. Take a breath. It’s the holidays, for God’s sake. Just go enjoy what the holidays are, give them some time to enjoy the holidays, and let’s see what happens on the other side of this.”
Levi also hailed his upcoming March sequel, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, as “even better than the first one, and the first one was really f***ing good.”
That said, if his red-suited hero doesn’t end up a part of Gunn and Safran’s plans, “them’s the breaks, that’s how it goes.”
Director Sarah Polley’s latest film, Women Talking, couldn’t be more aptly titled.
Out Friday in a limited theatrical release, it tells the story of a group of matriarchs who come together to discuss the years of ritualistic abuse inflicted upon their small religious community.
The film is based on a popular book that details true events. And while star Sheila McCarthy found the script compelling, she told ABC Audio that, at first, she wondered if it would translate to audiences.
“We rehearsed for two weeks, and I think there was the feeling of, ‘Is anyone gonna listen to women talking for two hours? Like, is that going to be boring?’” McCarthy said. “It was dispelled right away because the intensity of the talking was so interesting, and interesting to shoot. And the levity, as well. The air was let out of the balloon a few times.”
To co-star Judith Ivey, who plays the grandmotherly figure Agata in the film, it was an acting experience unlike any other. She recalls describing it to friends.
“I would say, ‘I’ve become a Mennonite. And I have limited wardrobe and I’m also having one of the most wonderful acting experiences of my career,'” Ivey said.
But Women Talking became much more than just a great acting experience for Ivey.
“It’s an exploration of who we are as women, who we are as people. And that’s what made it extraordinary,” Ivey said. “I was finding out about myself as Judith as I was finding out who Agata was. That’s rare, that you get to get a little therapy while you’re working.”
Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody is in theaters, taking an honest and intimate look at Houston’s rise to fame and her eventual fall from grace. It’s one of many biopics on the late star, but the only one her estate approved. They selected Naomi Ackie to play the star, and director Kasi Lemmons says she believed Ackie would deliver for the role.
“Well, I saw her screen test. And I knew that she had been chosen by the estate, because they saw something in her after a rigorous search for who was going to play Whitney,” Lemmons tells ABC Audio. “And I knew that not only would she be incredible playing the role, but I would enjoy working with her.” Lemmons says she connected with Ackie, and knew they’d take care of and support each other through the “daunting” process. “You know, it’s daunting to try and kind of recreate something like that with authenticity and artistry and to make it this really powerful tribute.”
Also cast in the film was Nafessa Williams, who portrays Houston’s former assistant Robyn Crawford, who insisted in her book, A Song For You: My Life With Whitney Houston, that she and the singer also had a romantic relationship. Williams says the couple’s bond was based on love.
“That’s all it was, they loved each other, they adored each other, they respected each other, they were very loyal to each other,” Williams says. “And I think Robyn was just a real stand-up person, like, she had pure intentions for Whitney. She liked to have fun, she played her position really, really well and supported Whitney.”
She hopes that Robyn “is pleased with my performance and how I portrayed her” in the film.
As the search continues to find the next James Bond going forward, Avatar lead Sam Worthington is looking back at the time he blew his audition to play the suave secret agent.
In a chat with Variety, Worthington recalls he was a finalist for the role, which eventually went to Daniel Craig. Now-former Superman Henry Cavill, and E.R. veteran and recent Hellraiser star Goran Visnjic were also in the running, the trade notes.
Producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson put the actors through their paces, and into a tux, to perform one of Sean Connery‘s scenes from 1963’s From Russia with Love.
It seems Broccoli was pulling for Worthington, even personally cutting his hair before the audition, which the actor admits he biffed.
“I had no idea what I was doing,” he expressed.
“I could play Bond as a killer, but I couldn’t get the debonair down for the life of me,” the Aussie recalled, adding, “The suit did not fit.”
Speaking of ill-fitting suits, Worthington also revealed he lost out on playing Green Lantern in an eventually drubbed 2011 film.
“It didn’t make much sense to me — the suit comes out of his skin?” Worthington says. “And I was like, ‘He’s got this powerful ring that can create anything. Well, what can beat the ring?’ The answer was nothing. I was like, ‘Well, something needs to beat it, or it won’t be very interesting.'”
A “very bizarre” attempt to psyche him up by putting on the actual ring prop didn’t help, either.
While Craig went on to play Bond in five films, losing Green Lantern helped Worthington dodge a bullet: Ryan Reynolds took the job and hasn’t stopped making fun of himself for it since.
Courtesy of Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex
One of the more headline-grabbing moments of the Netflix series Meghan and Harry was Meghan Markle claiming to be nervous before meeting Queen Elizabeth II for the first time.
At issue was Meghan’s claim nobody taught her how to properly curtsy, as royal etiquette requires. As Prince Harry watched, the former Suits actress pantomimed an extremely exaggerated, and many said, disrespectful bow she said she did before the Queen Mother.
Markle also compared the pomp and circumstance of meeting the longest-serving monarch in modern history — and Harry’s beloved grandmother — to “Medieval Times, dinner and tournament.”
Critics of the so-called “runaway royal” cried foul on the curtsy claim, among them right-wing former British Parliament member-turned journalist Nigel Farage. And this week, he brought receipts: a clip from Markle’s former show Suits, in which she performed a perfect curtsy.
“So there you are, in her professional life, she had to curtsy, but somehow when she married Prince Harry, she forgot what a curtsy was and had to make a huge, huge deal of it.” Farage recently sniped on his GBN show. “How awkward, and difficult the whole thing was, no doubt she felt oppressed by all of it.”
The Internet also caught that same clip, and with one Instagram user commenting it “only proves she knew well how to curtsey [sic] long before she met Harry,” calling, “her whole BS on Netflix about curtsying to the [Queen Elizabeth II] was just a mockery.”
On his show, Farage said some criticism of Markle is over the top, but admits, “Meghan does tend to just drive people absolutely, totally, and utterly barmy.”
Daredevil is getting a new life on Disney+ and a whole new vibe, according to star Charlie Cox.
Cox starred in Netflix’s hit Daredevil series for three seasons and he’ll reprise role as blind attorney/costumed vigilante Matt Murdock in the upcoming Disney+ revival Daredevil: Born Again in 2024. In an interview with NME, he teased what viewers can expect form the new show.
“This has to be a reincarnation, it has to be different, otherwise why are we doing it?” the English actor said. “My opinion is this character works best when he’s geared towards a slightly more mature audience. My instinct is that on Disney+ it will be dark but it probably won’t be as gory.”
And to fans who may be expecting the new series to be a continuation of the previous one, Cox said, “I would say to those people, we’ve done that.”
He added, “Let’s take the things that really worked, but can we broaden? Can we appeal to a slightly younger audience without losing what we’ve learned about what works?”
Cox most recently appeared as Daredevil in the Disney+ series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and had a cameo as the character in the global smash Spider-Man: No Way Home.
