LOS ANGELES – After nearly 20 years and a dozen films, the current manifestation of X-Men movies is going out with a whimper.
Scorched by poor reviews, “Dark Phoenix” earned a franchise low of $33 million from 3,700 North American locations over the weekend for a second-place finish, according to studio estimates on Sunday. First place went instead to “The Secret Life of Pets 2.”
The sequel, featuring the voices of Kevin Hart, Tiffany Haddish and Harrison Ford in his first animated role, grossed an estimated $47.1 million in ticket sales. Although less than half of what the first film opened to in 2016, it's still a major win for the studio, considering the production budget was around $80 million. Including international grosses, its global total is already sitting at $97 million.
“It's a fantastic result,” says Jim Orr, Universal's president of domestic theatrical distribution. “We couldn't be more proud.”
Duke (left, voiced by Eric Stonestreet) and Max (Patton Oswalt) have a lot to learn from no-nonsense farm dog Rooster (Harrison Ford) in “The Secret Life of Pets 2.” (Photo: ILLUMINATION ENTERTAINMENT/UNIVERSAL PICTURES)
With decidedly less stellar results, “Dark Phoenix” trailed behind the talking animals. Directed by longtime X-Men scribe Simon Kinberg, it focuses on Jean Grey, who is played by Sophie Turner, fresh off of her “Game of Thrones” run as Sansa Stark. It also brings back James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jennifer Lawrence. It's the de facto conclusion to the modern X-Men movies that started in 2000, and also the first major 20th Century Fox film to be released by Disney following the acquisition.
Listen to this week's episode of USA TODAY's podcast, The Mothership, to hear our Tech Reporter and Film Critic discuss whether X-Men's “Dark Phoenix” will rise from its counterpart's ashes.
But the quality wasn't there and it scored even worse reviews overall than the widely disparaged “X-Men: Apocalypse.” Audiences who showed up seemed to concur with the critics, giving it a deadly B-minus on CinemaScore.
“It's softer than we hoped,” says Cathleen Taff, Disney's president of theatrical distribution. “While the film didn't open the way we wanted, we think the legacy of the X-Men series is important and it's more important than how one film opens. We're trying to keep it in perspective.”
Sophie Turner's Jean Grey gets imbued with great power that tears her apart, inside and out, in the X-Men film “Dark Phoenix.” (Photo: 20TH CENTURY FOX)
Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore, notes even with the lackluster North American debut and reception, “Dark Phoenix” was No. 1 internationally with $107 million from 53 territories, including China. Globally, it earned $140 million.
“In the international marketplace, it seems like the spectacle and the brand wins out,” Dergarabedian says.
Also, the X-Men characters, which had been licensed to Fox, are now expected to be integrated with Disney's stable of characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Disney's new extended “Aladdin” trailer is here for the live-action remake that hits theaters May 24.WALT DISNEY STUDIOS
Disney has another winner in its books in “Aladdin,” which coasted to third place in its third weekend with an additional $24.5 million. Globally, it has earned $604.9 million to date.
And the acclaimed Elton John biopic “Rocketman” rounded out the top five with $14 million.
Overall, the box office is healthy. The weekend is up 37% from last year when “Ocean's 8” opened and the year-to-date deficit improved again. The year is now down 5.9%.
Of all the games to top the PlayStation Store download charts last month, we wouldn't have predicted Minecraft. The ever popular build-em-up has been available on PS4 for nearly five years, so why has it topped both the North American and European charts? Well, the game was recently updated with a bunch of new items, so there's that.
In fact, second place on both charts goes to an older game, too: Grand Theft Auto V. In Europe, Days Gone takes the bronze, while brutal fighter Mortal Kombat 11 takes third in the US. World War Z is also quite prominent, taking fourth and fifth positions on the respective charts.
As for PlayStation VR, it's Sony's Blood & Truth that's the top seller in Europe. However, it's beaten to first place in North America by Five Nights at Freddy's VR: Help Wanted. Unsurprisingly, the newly released action title Dauntless takes the free-to-play chart.
Take a look at the North American and European charts through the respective links. Are you still chipping away at Minecraft on PS4? Don't be a Creeper in the comments below.
The Xbox E3 2019 briefing took place today, as Microsoft hit the stage in Los Angeles to unveil its roadmap for the rest of this year and beyond. Xbox has already kicked off a notable sale in tandem with today’s event, but as expected, we saw a number of announcements and updates on the latest coming down the pipeline this year.
Xbox E3 2019 kicks-off with The Outworlds
Obsidian Entertainment and Private Division kicked off the Xbox E3 2019 event with an unveiling of The Outworlds. A dystopian FPS, this beautifully animated title started this year’s Xbox event with a bang. It is available for pre-order today and will ship on October 25, 2019.
Bleeding Edge from Microsoft’s Xbox Studios
Next up was the new combat-action brawler Bleeding Edge, which hit with jam-packed thriller detailing 4 on 4 gameplay that’s slightly reminiscent of Super Smash Brothers in its own way. It will hit Microsoft Game Pass on June 27th.
The creators of Minecraft are back
Ready for a new Minecraft title? One of the big early unveils of the Xbox E3 2019 presser was Minecraft Dungeons, a unique one versus all game that takes the visuals you know with a whole new take on the iconic game. There’s even some Zelda vibes here. Available in the spring of 2020, Minecraft Dungeons is possibly going to be an Xbox Game Pass-only release. More details are sure to come by the end of the year.
New Star Wars title in-route from EA
We’ll be getting another new Star Wars title this November, and we’re excited to see how the last few years have re-shaped EA’s approach to the series. Available for pre-order today and shipping in November, Jedi Fallen Order offers a fresh take on the iconic Star Wars lineup. It will release on November 15th with appearances by Rogue One characters and well-known Star Wars mainstays.
Remember the Blair Witch Project? It’s getting a game remake
We’re getting a Blair Witch Project reboot on August 30th, taking the ghost and zombie classic to the small screen with a classic FPS styling. Details were few and far between, but it will be available in Q3 with more to come later this summer.
Cyberpunk 2077 gets more details at Xbox E3 2019
The upcoming Cyberpunk 2077 was featured at the Xbox E3 2019 event after getting the same treatment last year. The upcoming role-playing title from CD Projekt set in a metropolis of the future got a special unveil from Keanu Reeves. Set some 57 years after the original Cyberpunk 2020, the latest version will be released on April 16th, 2020 and is available for pre-order today.
Xbox Game Pass
A few small updates for Xbox Game Pass were detailed today, including additions to its lineup: Batman Arkam Knight, Metro, Hollow Knight, and Borderlands The Handsome Collection. Otherwise, this bit of the Xbox E3 2019 briefing left quite a bit to be desired. Xbox Game Pass for PC officially launches today following last week’s unveiling. There will be 100 games available at launch, including Football Manager 2019 and Imperator Rome. The entire Halo Master Chief Collection will also be available at launch, with more titles to come after the open beta is over. It will be $9.99 per month at that time. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will bring both together on console and PC, along with an Xbox Live Gold for $14.99 monthly following a $1 trial launch discount.
New Xbox One Elite Controller
Our first batch of new hardware today was an update to the Xbox One Elite Controller, officially dubbed Series 2. It takes all of the best features from the original and adds a whole new level of customization, including customizable trigger locks, mechanical tension adjustments and a built-in rechargeable battery. A new docking system is also coming as well. It will be available for pre-order later today on the Xbox Store.
LEGO expansion coming to Forza Horizon 4
Xbox has done a stellar job of bringing expansions to its Forza games, and the latest is one you’re not going to want to miss. LEGO is coming to Forza Horizon 4 on June 13th with a new expansion pack announced today at the Xbox E3 2019 briefing. Based on what we saw from the quick video preview, this is going to be an add-on you won’t want to miss.
Project xCloud gets an update with October launch date
Project xCloud is coming in October as a means for Xbox gamers to enjoy their content and game progress wherever they prefer. It will support all Xbox One games at launch and is slated to include all backward compatible titles as well. Learn more in our announcement coverage.
Next-gen Xbox unveiled: Project Scarlett coming holiday 2020
Project Scarlett is the next gaming console coming from Xbox, but it’s sure to have a different name as you’d assume. A few of the notable specs detailed includes a new state of the art processor made with AMD that delivers performance that’s six times more powerful than Xbox One X. This includes 120 frames per second support with 8K capabilities supported by a Microsoft-exclusive solid-state drive. More details are expected in the spring of 2020.
New Halo announced at Xbox E3 2019
In typical Xbox fashion, we’ll be getting Project Scarlett in 2020 in tandem with a new Halo release. Phil Spencer noted that the original Xbox was announced 18 years ago alongside the first Halo entry, and its continuing that trend with Project Scarlett and Halo Infinite.
Minecraft is be the best selling game of all time and represents a huge chunk of Microsoft's gaming efforts across cloud, cross-platform services, and merchandising. And at 10 years old it's showing no signs of slowing down.
Creators of all types have made careers producing videos, mods, and other types of content for Minecraft, which remains one of the biggest games on YouTube in terms of viewership. It has made history as the first ever game with cross-platform play between Xbox, Nintendo, VR, mobile, and PC platforms, owing to its re-written Bedrock Engine, powering cross-platform experiences. Soon, Minecraft will also take on augmented reality, in the form of Minecraft Earth.
At this point, Minecraft is a game that needs no introduction. A lot of the things I bring up here will be old news for the Minecraft faithful, too. But for me, as a lapsed player of the old Java version, returning to find out what Microsoft has been doing with modern Minecraft has been an incredible experience, and I felt like sharing. If you're an OG Minecrafter that's been away for a while, here's why it might be worth jumping back in.
A platform for adventure
While I have dabbled in the Bedrock Edition here and there, it was the recent Village and Pillage update that got me re-addicted to the game. Village and Pillage added deeper settlement systems to the game, where new types of villages could be raided and ransacked by evil “illagers.” On our particular Realm seed, the illager spawns have been relatively rare, but we have triggered at least one raid, which plays out similarly to a huge Horde-style battle, with villagers running indoors to hide.
Minecraft's creative aspects are a great way to relax, but some of the newer, more adventurousaspects have surprised me as a platform for tense, exciting co-operative fun. The Nether, Minecraft's twisted Hell-like otherworld, has been in the game for quite a long time, but I recently had my first foray into its lava-blasted world. Emerging unscathed with all the loot I acquired, including armor for my trusty steed, tons of Blaze rods for making potions, and Ghast tears for various spooky things, was quite a nerve-wracking challenge.
An undersea shipwreck, will there be treasure?
The Nether is pretty difficult to navigate for a newbie like myself, with lava pitfalls all over the place, floating eldritch horrors, and swarms of horrifically mutated pigs that make me question Minecraft's “kid-friendly” designation. Raiding the place was a blast, and by no means the only adventure I've had the past few weeks.
I've also had the chance to experience some of Minecraft's newer biomes, including polar-style glaciers, taigas filled with gigantic trees, and swamps full of slime monsters. Perhaps the most exciting, for me, so far has been the abandoned mine shaft, which was added years ago, showing just how much I've been missing out on. I came upon an abandoned mine shaft while digging beneath the Helmsdeep-inspired survival base I've been making, uncovering a vast warren of spooky tunnels, brimming with monsters, precious ores, and minecart chest loot. The mine shaft system generated there seems to intersect with various other caves and crevices too, making me wonder just how big it is. After a couple of weeks, I'm still finding new tunnels and pathways in the darkness, which typifies the quintessential Minecraft fantasy in my book.
There are still tons of experiences I haven't dabbled with yet too, including The End dimension, where the Ender Dragon dwells. I'm yet to find an Illager outpost and trigger a raid of my own, too. I'm just on the edge of being ready to craft water breathing potions to explore some of the undersea biomes added in Update Aquatic, as well as the oceanic temples filled with monsters I've never seen. There's so much to do, so much to see, all without getting creative.
A platform for creativity
The essential Minecraft “digital Lego” experience not only remains intact but seems to have pushed far further than I could have imagined, even without considering the vast array of mods and add-ons that can enhance the experience. As someone playing using only a basic texture pack, I have been blown away by some of the new options for creation, but even more so when looking at creators on YouTube and subreddits like /r/detailcraft and /r/minecraftbuilds for inspiration.
We're playing on a dedicated Realm, rented from Microsoft for around $7 per month. It allows up to ten concurrent players onto the server at any one time, allowing you to build together, craft together, slay monsters together, and so on. As a survival realm, resources aren't infinite as they are on creative mode, where players can build endlessly to their heart's content. Some of the creative mode stuff I've seen has been truly crazy, but there's something satisfying about making large structures with the added danger of creepers lurking around, ready to blow up your stuff.
I've been crafting a Helmsdeep-inspired castle wall, with plans to carve homes and buildings out of a large cliff face behind it. We've also been building large skyways to link parts of the map across powered rails, monorail-style. There are tons of small and large homes of all types dotted around the map, created by our small community, and it's always fun to walk around and see what people have made.
Some of the new features like leashes and campfires, which seem simplistic enough, have led to a vast array of new creative ideas out of the Minecraft community. Campfires can be used in chimneys to create the effect of rising smoke, while leashes can be tied to wooden posts and buried chickens (sorry chickens) to create realistic-looking rope bridges. The beauty and genius of Minecraft's low-poly visuals is that the lack of detail on items allows them to perform multiple functions, with your imagination filling in the gaps. With higher fidelity graphics, a campfire would always look like a campfire, but in Minecraft, it can also be any sort of wooden detail when you douse the flames.
We already know about Minecraft Earth hitting smartphones in the near future, as well as Minecraft Dungeons, which look as though it'll condense Minecraft's adventuring gameplay into shorter, more focused Diablo-like sessions. But what else does the franchise hold for Microsoft?
We've heard that the teams building Minecraft experiences is among the largest as Redmond, up there with Halo in terms of employees. We've also heard that Microsoft has even more Minecraft-related standalone projects in the works, beyond Dungeons and Earth, as well as the typical heavy updates for its Java and Bedrock Editions that fans have come to know and love. The long-awaited 4K Super Duper Graphics pack is still reportedly in the works, although it has been heavily delayed to accommodate emerging graphics tech like ray tracing. I'll try and find out more about that at E3 2019.
One thing is for certain: Minecraft is not slowing down, nor is it going away. As Microsoft's biggest recreational property outside of Xbox itself, the $2.5 billion purchase from 2014 has proven to be a huge win for Redmond, and I'd argue it has been a big win for Minecraft fans too.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have another section of wall to build, and a ton more to learn.
The iconic techno venue Berghain in Berlin, Germany — considered a mecca of dance music — has been brought to life inside the game of Minecraft.
With exceptional attention to detail, one player has completely recreated the dance landmark, thus bringing a unique and rarely seen night life experience to countless others from all corners of the earth. The only thing that seems to be missing is the steady thumping of music and the doorman that decides your fate.
The aesthetic of Berghain, even in virtual form, is beyond astounding. This person obviously dedicated an insane amount of time to the project, allowing players to access the elite establishment anytime they so desire — even without a passport or a flight.
“Minecraft” celebrated 10 years last month, but a special anniversary map is still available for players to enjoy, according to a news post on the official website for the game posted Saturday.
The map, made by Blockworks, is a celebration of all things “Minecraft,” the popular sandbox-style game which allows players to craft their own worlds. The map is completely free, and gives players a brief tour of “Minecraft’s” history. It starts in a special golden minecart, and players are taken stop by stop through the various updates “Minecraft” has had over the years.
“Hop into the golden minecart and you’ll be zipped along a powered rail down memory lane,” the news post explained. “You’ll get a brief tour of each of our updates over the years! It’s a fast paced treat through the past of ‘Minecraft’…”
After the guided tour, players are left with a puzzle to solve to unlock a virtual “Minecraft” museum. The museum has plenty for players to learn about the history of the game.
The free map is available for “Minecraft” on Xbox One, Windows PC, iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch, and even “Minecraft” Java.
