The past two months have been a very exciting time for Marvel fans. Avengers: Endgamehit theaters (for the first time) in April, and brought endless plot twists and satisfying conclusions to Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Spider-Man: Far From Homewill wrap up Phase Three, and moviegoers are eager for any information regarding the future and the mysterious Phase Four.
One great venue for a possible announcement would be San Diego Comic-Con, which is usually a hub for exciting news, delivered directly to the fans. When speaking with Kevin Feige about Spider-Man: Far From Home, CinemaBlend’s Sean O’Connell posed this very question to the Studio Head. Feige said the following:
I don’t know that we’ve officially announced either way. We usually only go to Hall H when we have a lot of stuff to talk about and reveal. Seems like we have a lot of stuff to talk about or reveal. But we’ll see what we officially announce one way or the other. There’s also D23 later this summer, and we’ve always gone to D23.
Well, that’s delightfully cryptic. While Kevin Feige admits that it might be a good year for the MCU to have a big presentation at Comic-Con’s Hall H, he admits there aren’t any concrete plans at the moment. But with D23 and the opening of Marvel land offering another opportunity just one month later to update the fans, some big announcements feel imminent.
Hall H is the biggest venue within San Diego Comic-Con, able to hold a whopping 6500 people at full capacity. It’s historically where the biggest announcements about the MCU have come, including the lineup of the original Avengers cast. As such, all eyes are on what the studios will do this year. Marvel Studios is expect to open up regarding the shared universe’s future soon, so Hall H seems like the perfect place to break the news to the public.
But for now, Marvel Studios seems wholly focused on the impending release ofSpider-Man: Far From Home. CinemaBlend’s own Sean O’Connell got to speak with the cast and crew about the blockbuster, including Kevin Feige himself.
The studio has been very methodical about handling each latest blockbuster. Over the past few years, focus has been on each new release, rather than teasing the overarching future too soon. Ant-Man and The Wasp and Captain Marvel were both given the attention they deserved, with fans left waiting the long year between Infinity War and Endgame for any glimpse into the MCU after Thanos’ snap.
Still, Kevin Feige did mention that there’s plenty of exciting updates to give the public, whether it was at San Diego Comic-Con’s Hall H, or Disney’s annual convention D23. The MCU has typically announced full phases of movies to the public, although it’s unclear if that’s the plan this time around. While the schedule was still subject to change (shout out to Inhumans), it provided a rough outline that allowed anticipation to stew for years before each blockbuster arrived.
Whether Marvel’s future will be revealed at Comic-Con or D23 remains to be seen. But CinemaBlend will keep you updated on the latest in in the MCU.
Spider-Man: Far From Home will arrive in theaters on July 2, 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
Is Hancock 2 happening with Will Smith? Hancockarrived in 2008, at a time when cinema, as we know it today, was just beginning to be shaped by the influence of superhero movies. Just two months before, Iron Man premiered and effectively launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But while Iron Manand the rest of the MCU flourished, Hancock‘s future was murky, despite delivering key superhero story ingredients – smarmy hero, a complicated past, big action, unique powers, etc. – and the sequel never came to be. Why didn’t Hancock 2 end up happening?
Directed by Peter Berg and starring Smith, Charlize Theron, and Jason Bateman, Hancock told the story of the John Hancock (Smith), a superhero with the potential for doing real good who preferred to self-sabotage with substance abuse and a general disdain for others. PR man Ray (Bateman) sees there is potential to rehab Hancock, as well as his image, and turn him into a force for good. Hancock cautiously accepts Ray’s offer to help him get back on track but as the two start their work and things seem to be turning around for Hancock, the truth about his past and why he is the way he is come to light, thus affecting his future in the process.
Despite promising reports that Hancock 2 would be made, nothing has materialized. Let’s look at what happened after Hancock was released and see what reasons led to Hancock 2 getting permanently pushed to the backburner.
HANCOCK’S STORY COULD CONTINUE IN HANCOCK 2
Hancock was based on the millennia-old connection shared by Smith and Theron’s characters, powerful gods who couldn’t defy their attraction to one another but knew only bad things would happen to others if and when they eventually joined forces. The reveal of Theron’s character, Mary, as a superhuman, as well as Mary’s connection with Hancock, left the story at a place where it could be expanded, diving deeper into their history while also investigating if other superhumans were out there in hiding, just like Mary. Berg teased in August 2009 a key plot point for Hancock 2, telling SciFiWire, “There might be another god out there… Might be another one.”
HANCOCK DID WELL AT THE BOX OFFICE
Hancock did well enough at the box office that it would have justified a sequel happening. Hancock had a modest opening weekend of $62.6 million domestically. When it left theaters, Hancock had made back its estimated $150 million budget in spades, walking away with $624.3 million globally. Add in the fact that, individually, Smith and Theron have been able to open up films over the course of their careers, and on paper, Hancock 2 looked like a safe investment.
WILL SMITH AND CHARLIZE THERON SIGNED ON FOR HANCOCK 2
Progress on Hancock 2 was still going in a positive direction in August 2009, when it was reported the film had secured two writers, The Shield‘s Adam Fierro and Glen Mazzara. (A year later, they both went to work on The Walking Dead.) It appeared at the time like Fierro and Mazzara would be working with Berg and Smith, who themselves were working on expanding the world and bringing in new story elements. More good news arrived in September 2009 when Berg confirmed at the time both Smith and Theron has signed on for the sequel, telling MTV News that “Everybody’s going to come back for a sequel.” Although Smith and Theron remained relatively quiet about coming back, it was promising that the two stars were all in.
PETER BERG CONFIRMED HANCOCK 2 WASN’T HAPPENING
The last word spoken about Hancock 2 was in December 2009, a year-and-a-half after Hancockreleased. At the time, Berg offered up a vague but telling response on just how much of a priority a sequel was and at what stage of development the sequel was in. Speaking with HitFix, Berg remarked, “There are so many cooks in that particular kitchen that are so busy,” later adding that “to get us all in the same room where we can talk and then agree on anything? You’ll never meet a group of people who will have a harder time agreeing on anything.”
Salma Hayek rumored of joining the cast of the 2020’s upcoming movie The Eternals alongside Angelina Jolie.
Salma Hayek Pinault is a Mexican and American film actress, producer, and former model whom we might remember from the movie Grown Ups (2010) and Grown Ups 2(2013). She was also recently seen in films like The Hitman’s Bodyguard and How to Be a LatinLover Now a days, recently she is being rumored to be cast in the upcoming Marvel movie “The Eternals,” starring actress Angelina Jolie. Earlier, Keanu Reeves was also lightly rumored to have joined the cast of Eternals, but nothing was confirmed, and the rumor faded.
This Marvel movie is going to based on the Marvel comics of the same name, where the “Eternals” are a group of fictional species of almost immortal humans with powers. With this movie, Marvel is going to launch a set of new superheroes and to play the character of these heroes we need a new cast
Although there are many “Eternals,” Marvel has decided to use only a few in this movie, One of which is the female character- Sersi, whose character would be played by Angelina, and for now Salma is being doubted for playing the role of either of the two female character -Elysius or Thena
Apart from Angelina Jolie the Game of Thrones actor Richard Madden (Robb Stark) was also cast as Ikaris along with comedian Kumail Nanjiani whose role has yet not been decided and although there has been no confirmation of Salma’s role. Nevertheless, the production of the film is expected to begin in the upcoming months- August or September with Chloé Zhao as the director and the movie is rumored to release in November 2020.
The team behind Marvel’s ambitious upcoming Avengers video game have revealed how the ‘games-as-a-service’ title – similar to the ongoing DLC updates made popular by games such as Destiny – will actually roll out when the game launches for consoles next year.
Speaking to Digital Spy last week at E3, the biggest gaming expo of the year which is held annually in Los Angeles, where the game was first unveiled, developers Crystal Dynamics explained that the game will receive ongoing updates and new missions for players to complete online.
Noah Hughes, Studio Creative Director at Crystal Dynamics, explained to Digital Spyhow the Marvel team plan on rolling it out, saying: “One of the ways we think about it is, it’s not so much DLC as much as just regularly looking forward to updates within the game, and changes within the world’s stories.”
Marvel’s Avengers will see players get to live their wildest superhero dreams as they play as the Avengers themselves in the third person-action adventure game, and allow players to team up with others online to form their own Avengers teams to take down bad guys and save the world together on multiplayer co-op missions.
The game will also exist in a separate, non-canon universe to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with new designs of the iconic Marvel heroes and an original storyline which will unfold over a sustained, updating timeline.Marvel’s Avengers: A-Day – Official Trailer (Marvel Entertainment)by Digital Spy GBPlay VideoPlaylist VideosADVERTISEMENT – CONTINUE READING BELOW
On how you’ll be able to play as the iconic heroes, and assembling an online Avengers team, Hughes explained: “There are specific areas where you play a specific hero, but then there are also lots of missions that open up and you can play with any hero. You can also team up with three other players on those missions.SQUARE ENIXMarvel’s Avengersgame.co.uk£54.99PRE-ORDER NOW
“Missions have story significance, but also allow you to tell your own story, and those are also designed to be replayable,” Hughes added.
The ‘games-as-a-service’ model of video game, where the game receives ongoing content and updates after launch, is not a new one – Destiny, followed by its sequel, follows this method of continuing content, as well as Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siegeand the free-to-play Fortnite: Battle Royale.
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Usually, this model is used to monetise games after launch by charging gamers for the additions to the game. However, the Crystal Dynamics team have confirmed that the updates added to Avengers will come at no extra charge to players, confirming to Digital Spy: “Those updates are all at no additional cost.”ADVERTISEMENT – CONTINUE READING BELOW
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“We want players to be able to continue to play in this world,” revealed Hughes of the longevity of the Marvel game. “One thing that’s unique about our game is it blends the best of single player campaign experiences with some of the multiplayer and replayability aspects of some of these other games.”
You’ll also be able to customise your Avengers in-game, explains Hughes.
“You can continue to level up your heroes and gear that allows you to customise their specific abilities and cater to your own play style,” he shared.
Marvel’s Avengers will be released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Google Stadia on 15 May 2020.
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UPDATE, writethru: Sony/Marvel’s Spider-Man: Far From Home came swinging into China, Japan and Hong Kong this weekend to nab an early $111M at the international box office. The launch sets the webslinger 45% over Spider-Man: Homecoming and 21% above Captain Marvel in the like-for-likes. The opening result is slightly higher than what the industry was seeing pre-weekend, which then increased as the markets saw strong play-through.
China was robust at $98M for the No. 4 all-time superhero bow behind Disney/Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame and Avengers: Infinity War, and Sony/Marvel’s Venom. Social scores are strong in the Middle Kingdom and next weekend sees little in the way of competition with local movie The Eight Hundred off the release schedule. Currently, FFH is above Homecoming by 46% and Captain Marvel by 17% in the market where the webbed wonder excels.
Japan is also a big hub for the character and welcomed the Tom Holland follow-up with the 2nd best superhero debut of the last decade (behind Endgame). In Hong Kong, European vacation Spider-Man flew in with the 5th biggest FSS opening of all time and the best ever for a standalone superhero movie as well as Sony’s top launch ever.
There’s joy on the Culver City lot today as the early dates rep a strong start for Far From Home, which picks up after the events of Endgame. The Hong Kong bow offers a taste of how South East Asia is expected to respond when Spidey gets there later this week, and the current percentage increases over Homecoming and Captain Marvel are encouraging. The fact that the movie will land in Europe when the weather has returned to regular summer temperatures after a stifling heatwave, is also a bonus.
The Jon Watts-directed Far From Home is primed for release throughout the rest of the world in the next frame. Australia goes tomorrow followed by a week-long rollout pattern that includes domestic. There is every possibility that FFH is in the $500M global neighborhood through next Sunday.
In other new play this session, Warner Bros/New Line’s Annabelle Comes Homescared up $45M from 63 markets including No. 1s in 22. The latest in the doll series is tracking ahead of Annabelle (+6%) and The Conjuring (+55%) in like-for-likes. Globally, the start is $76.2M.
Universal
Danny Boyle’s Beatles-inspired fantasy music romance Yesterday opened in 30 overseas markets this session, grossing $7.7M for a global debut of $24.7M. On a like-for-like basis, the Universal/Working Title pic is in line with Me Before You and above The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (+18%), The Intern(+31%) and About Time (+67%).
In its sophomore frame, Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 4 added $80.6M from overseas for a $259.6M cume in 45 material markets repping 76% of the offshore footprint. The global cume, after just 11 days, is closing in on $500M and with several majors still to release. While a heatwave gripped France and other parts of Europe this weekend, TS4’s regional drop was 37%.
Also from Disney, Aladdin’s surprising performance continues with a cume now of $568.3M overseas and $874.M globally. Japan ($66.6M) and Korea ($60.2M) have been major standouts on the Will Smith-starrer. This weekend it reclaimed the No. 1 spot in the latter while overall, the international drop was just 30%.
Lionsgate
In milestones, Lionsgate’s John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum shot past $300M worldwide with a strong start in Korea that came in 251% above the lifetime of John Wick: Chapter 2.
Disney/Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame is now at $1.92B internationally for a global total of $2.76B which includes this weekend’s Bring Back event at domestic and select offshore cinemas.
The next frame will be dominated by Far From Home, with ongoing rollout throughout the week. Beyond that, Disney’s The Lion King is poised to roar into China early on July 12, one week ahead of domestic and other international markets.
In the meantime, breakdowns on the films above and more have been updated below.
NEW SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME
Columbia Pictures
Spider-Mania kicked off this weekend in three early markets with China, Japan and Hong Kong grossing $111M on 33,900+ screens. The start for the Sony/Marvel pic is above where the industry had it ahead of the weekend in what has been a challenging time at the box office, particularly in China. But first numbers out of the Middle Kingdom on Friday, along with strong social scores, propelled the webbed wonder to a promising debut that is 45% above Spider-Man: Homecoming and 21% over Captain Marvel, the standalone superhero movie that acts as the other bookend to Avengers: Endgame.
Signs point to Far From Home being in the $500M neighborhood through next Sunday when it will have the benefit of all other global markets save Italy which releases July 10.
The three-day China debut this weekend was $98M for the 7th best studio bow and the No. 4 all-time superhero launch behind Disney/Marvel’s Avengers: Endgameand Avengers: Infinity War, and Sony/Marvel’s Venom. This is Sony’s 2nd best start ever in the market. Currently, FFH is above Homecoming by 46% and Captain Marvel by 17%.
Working in Far From Home’s favor, beyond the built-in Middle Kingdom love there is for the character, are the social scores and word of mouth, as well as the fact that Better Days, a local movie that was expected to have great potential, was pulled off its June 28 date at the last minute last week. That this is also the first MCU title after Endgame in the Marvel-loving market is also a clear factor. Holland, Watts and Jake Gyllenhaal also visited Beijing pre-bow and were sporting in their promotional efforts.
Homecoming debuted in China in 2017, about two months after the majority of the world, and made $67M in its first weekend at today’s rates. The Middle Kingdom final was $116.3M (unadjusted) and Far From Home will well exceed that. There was some early concern that Homecoming had less resonance with local audiences because the U.S. high school experience doesn’t fully translate, but Far From Home is bucking that.
China was nevertheless the biggest overseas market on Homecoming as well as the previous two Spider-Man movies. It is also the top MCU hub with Endgame having taken in a staggering $629M there to become the highest-grossing import ever. Far From Home picks up following the events of Endgame as Spidey must step up to take on new threats in a world that has changed forever. Zendaya, Samuel L Jackson, Jon Favreau, Marisa Tomei, Jacob Batalon and Cobie Smulders also star.
Along with China, Japan took in an amazing $9.4M, making it the 2nd biggest superhero movie launch in the last decade behind only Endgame. There is another week of clear play ahead in Japan. Hong Kong kicked off its run with a 3-day total of $3.8M, which represents the 5th biggest FSS opening of all time, the best-ever for a standalone superhero film, and the best-ever for Sony.
In IMAX, FFH grossed $12.3M across the three debut markets. The $10.8M from 620 China screens set a new record for the franchise and for Sony as well as being the 4th best bow in the MCU.
In Japan FFH snared $1.1M from 31 screens for the top franchise opening, Sony’s best and the all-time 5th best for the format. In Hong Kong, the film earned $300K from 5 screens, also a franchise and Sony best.
ANNABELLE COMES HOME
WB
Gary Dauberman’s feature directorial debut sent shivers to 63 overseas markets this weekend, collecting $45M on about 15,520 screens. The Warner Bros/New Line doll landed No. 1s in 22 of the debuts while there are still 17 markets to come in the next weeks. Including the domestic debut, the global launch is $76.2M.
So far, Annabelle Comes Home is running above the original Annabelle by 6% and over the original The Conjuring by 55%. Annabelle: Creation is the highest grossing in the scary doll series overseas with $204.4M unadjusted while The Nun leads the overall Conjuring universe at $248M.
In Asia, the opening weekend is tracking on par with The Conjuring 2, 31% over Annabelle and 80% over the original Conjuring. In Latin America, it’s boasting the best opening of a horror title this year. And, in Europe/Middle East/Africa, the homecoming is about on par with Annabelle: Creation and above the other comps.
Mexico was the top launch this weekend at No. 2 with $6.9M on 2,660 screens for 6% over Annabelle. Indonesia scored a No. 1 debut of $5M on 1,095 screens to best all Conjuring titles save The Nun. India follows with $2.6M on $1,650 screens to more than double Annabelle. Russia came in at a No. 1 start of $2.5M on 1,880 to beat all Conjuring pics outside Nun. Rounding out the Top 5 is Malaysia and a No. 1 bow of $2.2M from 480 screens and on par with Creation.
Further market totals to date include Vietnam ($1.9M), Brazil ($1.8M), Thailand ($1.6M), Taiwan ($1.5M), Colombia ($1.4M) and Australia ($1.4M). Italy and Germany are next to bow in the coming frame.
YESTERDAY
Universal Pictures
Danny Boyle’s Beatles-inspired fantasy opened in 30 overseas markets this session, grossing $7.7M for a global debut of $24.7M. On a like-for-like basis, the start is in line with Me Before You and above The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (+18%), The Intern(+31%) and About Time (+67%).
Scriped by Richard Curtis and starring Himesh Patel and Lily James, the Universal/Working Title music romance was No. 2 in the UK where Toy Story 4 is dominating. The film bowed to $2.8M at 642 locations to land Boyle’s 3rd best start ever and track in line with Marigold Hotel and James-starrer Baby Driver. The actors and Boyle recently appeared on The Graham Norton Show while a London premiere was held the same week that European exhibitors got a sneak of the movie at CineEurope.
Australia was the next best bow with $2.52M at No. 2 and from 276 sites. This is the biggest opening for Boyle and tracking in line with Bridget Jones’s Baby and above La La Land.
In the Netherlands, which has been suffering from the heatwave, the film was No. 3 with $419K from 149 locations, also tracking above La La Land and Curtis’ About Time.
The film fared well versus its comps in Europe, though all play was affected this weekend by the sky-high mercury. There are many markets still on deck for the counterprogrammer to summer’s mega-tentpoles. They include France, Spain, Germany, China, Brazil, Mexico, Russia, Korea, Italy and Japan. Korea, where Curtis’ movies over-index, will be one to keep an eye on in September.
HOLDOVERS/EXPANSIONS TOY STORY 4
Disney
In its sophomore session, Disney/Pixar’s fourquel packed another $80.6M into the toy chest, bringing the offshore cume to $259.6M and global to $496.5M after just 11 days. This weekend added 7 international markets including some of those hit hardest by the heatwave. Nevertheless, Forky was top toy in each.
In France, the No. 1 start was $7M for the5th best Pixar start and the best of the TSfranchise. Overall, Europe dipped 37% from opening. Russia and Spain dipped 26% each and the UK saw a 46% drop from a record-setting debut.
Asia Pacific fell by 38% with strong holds in Philippines (-15%), Australia (-19%), Taiwan (-21%), Malaysia (-22%), Korea (-29%), Indonesia (-34%), Vietnam (-42%) and Thailand (-48%).
Latin America, which saw a huge opening last frame dropped by 46% in the current session. It maintained the No. 1 spot across the region.
Still on deck for Toy Story 4, which should continue to see good holds over the next few weeks, are Japan in July and Germany in August.
Currently, the Top 5 markets are Mexico ($49.5M), UK ($33M), China ($24.3M), Korea ($16.7M) and Brazil ($15.9M).
ALADDDIN
Disney
Through the 6th weekend of play, Disney’s Aladdin has now grossed $568.3Minternationally and $874.2M globally. The surprise of the summer so far, the Will Smith-starrer filled its lamp with another $24.5M this session in 55 material offshore markets. The overall drop was just 30%.
In Europe, there were increases and soft drops in some markets including Finland (+106%), France (-9%), Israel (-20%), Spain (-28%), Russia (-31%) and UK (-49%). Asia overall dipped by 18% with Koreaunable to get enough of the genie. Aladdin retook the No. 1 spot from stablemate Toy Story 4 there and has now grossed over $60M. Japan also saw a light slip (-14%) and is nearing $67M. Latin America’s regional gross is $86M.
The Top 5 are Japan ($66.6M), Korea ($60.2M), China ($53.3M), UK ($42.8M) and Mexico ($32.1M).
THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS 2
Universal
As the long rollout continues on Illunimation/Universal’s sequel, 11 new markets joined the menagerie this weekend for an additional $11.8M. The overseas cume is now $91.8M for $223M worldwide. Among the new hubs Germany was tops with $2.2M for No. 1 from 720 locations and tracking in line with Coco. Brazil, where competition is fierce, bowed to No. 3 with $1.83M at 676, also in line with Coco. Poland (amid heatwave temperatures) grossed $1.29M at No. 1 from 239 sites to track above Coco and Despicable Me 2.
The top holdover hub was Australia with a 28% drop in the sophomore frame for a $5.5M cume to date. Russia continues to lead all play with $23.3M so far, followed by the UK at $22.6M.
The coming weekend adds China (the first Pets did about $58M — unadjusted — in its full run there in 2016) as well as some Euro and Latin American markets. Japan, Korea, France, Spain and Mexico are still to come in July and August.
MEN IN BLACK: INTERNATIONAL Men In Black: International saw a 62% drop this session, adding $11.5M. The offshore cume is now $154M and the global total through three frames is $219M. Italy is still on deck July 25 and the news is much rosier for Sony in the coming weeks with Spider-Man: Far From Home.
JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 – PARABELLUM
Lionsgate
Lionsgate’s super-assassin crossed the three-century mark at the global box office this weekend, now clocking $306.3M through Sunday. The current split is $161.3Mdomestic and $142.3M at the international box office. The offshore weekend in 77 markets this frame was $6.6M including a strong start in Korea that bested John Wick 2’s lifetime by 251%. The Top 5 markets to date are the UK ($13.2M), Germany ($10.9M), Australia ($10.7M), Russia ($7.5M) and Mexico ($7.3M).
UPDATED CUMES/NOTABLES
Paramount Pictures
Rocketman (PAR): $2.6M intl weekend (47 markets); $81.4M intl cume ($165.6M global) Dark Phoenix (DIS/FOX): $3.4M intl weekend (43 markets); $181.1M intl cume ($244.7M global) Godzilla: King Of The Monsters (WB): $2.4M intl weekend (73 markets); $270.4M intl cume ($376.9M global) Avengers: Endgame (DIS): $2.3M intl weekend (40 markets); $1.92B intl cume ($2.76B global) The Hustle (UNI): $1.8M intl weekend (24 markets); $40.6M intl cume ($50.2M including non-Uni markets/$85.4M global) A Dog’s Journey (UNI): $1.3M intl weekend (6 markets); $10.1M intl cume ($42.9M including non-Uni markets/$66.2M global) The Dead Don’t Die (UNI): $300K intl weekend (9 markets); $4.4M intl cume ($10.3M global)
SATURDAY UPDATE: Sony/Marvel’s Spider-Man: Far From Home has caught an estimated $71M in its China web through Saturday, putting it on track for an opening in the high $90Ms there. This is slightly lower than where we saw it yesterday as the increase from Friday (not including Thursday midnights) was about 8%, but $100M is still possible. Japan and Hong Kong are also launching this weekend with strong debuts that will push FFH to a $110M+ overseas launch in just three markets.
All-in this is a win for the Jon Watts-directed sequel that picks up after the events of Avengers: Endgame. And, it’s bigger than what the industry was projecting ahead of the weekend.
China has been ornery of late and even if FFH does not swing to the century mark in its launch, it still will have bragging rights to the 3rd best 3-day MCU debut in the market, behind Endgame and Infinity War. It would be the 4th best superhero launch behind the pics listed above and Sony’s own Venom. Given Venom may still be higher than FFH, the webbed wonder would notch the 2nd best start in China ever for Sony. What’s more, the estimated 3-day final would be above Captain Marvel and well higher than Spider-Man: Homecoming.
In Japan, FFH is on track to be the top superhero opening of the last decade outside of Endgame. Hong Kong is eyeing Sony’s best debut ever as well as the biggest superhero standalone and 5th best industry start of all time. In both markets, FFH is coming in higher than Homecoming and Captain Marvel.
Looking towards overseas play-through, and with an early projected $165M +/- opening through the rest of international next week, Captain Marvel will be a comp to keep an eye on. As Anthony and I reported separately, FFH could be nearing $500M worldwide through next Sunday including the new offshore bows, the holdovers in Asia and the domestic debut.
In wider release this weekend, Warner Bros/New Line’s Annabelle Comes Homeadded $8.8M on Friday to bring the offshore cume to $21.1M. With No. 1s in 25 of 63 markets now in play, the franchise entry is led by Mexico at $3M, followed by Indonesia with $2.6M, Russia at $1.2M, and Korea and India tied with $1.1M.
Full international update to come on Sunday.
PREVIOUS, FRIDAY: Sony/Marvel’s Spider-Man: Far From Home swooped into China today with an estimated $35.5M Friday which includes $3.2M in Thursday midnights. This well outperforms previous entry Spider-Man: Homecoming and sets FFH on track for a $100M+ opening weekend in the Middle Kingdom. That would land it above pre-debut projections which we noted yesterday were conservative based on lower than expected pre-sales. But with terrific social scores, an Avengers: Endgame halo and a lack of competition, Spidey’s off to a swinging start.
The opening day (with midnights rolled in) is Sony’s best ever in China, topping last year’s Venom. This is also the No. 1 standalone superhero debut and the 3rd best superhero launch behind Endgame and Avengers: Infinity War. While the opening weekend certainly looks poised to pass $100M, there is some caution over the three-day multiple in the wake of another standalone breakout, Captain Marvel, which did a 2.6.
However, ticketing platform Maoyan has given the Jon Watts-directed Far From Home a 9.2 while reviews aggregator Douban is at 8.3. Both are higher than CM while the latter is over Infinity War, but slightly lower than Endgame. (NB: these ratings do sometimes shift up and down in the first days.)
Working in Far From Home’s favor, beyond the built-in Middle Kingdom love there is for the character, are the social scores and word of mouth, as well as the fact that Better Days, a local movie that was expected to have great potential, was pulled off its June 28 date at the last minute this week. That this is also the first MCU title after Endgame in the Marvel-loving market is also a clear factor. Tom Holland, Jake Gyllenhaal and Watts also visited Beijing pre-bow and were sporting in their promotional efforts.
Homecoming debuted in China in 2017, about two months after the majority of the world, and made $67M in its first weekend at today’s rates. The Middle Kingdom final was $116.3M (unadjusted) and all signs point to Far From Home well exceeding that. There was some early concern that Homecoming had less resonance with local audiences because the U.S. high school experience doesn’t fully translate, but Far From Home appears to be bucking that.
China was nevertheless the biggest overseas market on Homecoming as well as the previous two Spider-Man movies. It is also the top MCU hub with Endgame having taken in a staggering $629M there to become the highest-grossing import ever. Far From Home picks up following the events of Endgame as Spidey must step up to take on new threats in a world that has changed forever. Zendaya, Samuel L Jackson, Jon Favreau, Marisa Tomei, Jacob Batalon and Cobie Smulders also star.
All of the Spider-Man films have released in China, going back to 2002 with the subsequent sequels growing apace with the market. The five-year gap between Sam Raimi’s 2007 entry and Marc Webb’s 2012 The Amazing Spider-Man made for exponential increases. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 then nearly doubled its predecessor with an over $94M cume (non-restated), and Homecoming topped that.
Along with China, there are only two other overseas markets going on FFH this weekend, Japan and Hong Kong. The rest of international starts Monday in Australia and carries on throughout the week to cover 98% of the offshore footprint. Italy goes on July 10.
WB
Elsewhere, Warner Bros has debuted Annabelle Comes Home in 50 overseas markets this week to gross $12.5M through Thursday. The latest in New Line’s horror franchise bowed to No. 1s in 30 of the 50 openings. There are 13 more markets coming online today with some majors, including Germany, Italy, UK, France and Spain getting dolled up in July. Japan goes in September.
In highlights, Mexico opened on a non-traditional Thursday, grossing an estimated $1.1M on 2,359 screens, ranking No. 2. The launch is on par with Annabelle and 55% ahead of The Conjuring. Including previews, the running cume is now $1.5M.
Indonesia debuted on Wednesday to an estimated $807K from 989 screens at a dominant No. 1. This is the 2nd best opening day ever for a WB horror film, only behind The Nun. The 2-day running cume is $1.7M.
Russia had a No. 1 start of $604K on 1,880 screens Thursday and bested all of the Conjuring universe titles except The Nun. In Korea, the 2-day come is $733K. In Vietnam, Annabelle coming home gave WB the studio’s 3rd best debut ever at $442K on Wednesday. The running tally through yesterday is $1M.
Further cumes through Thursday include UAE at $376K, Brazil at $327K, Malaysia at $326K and Australia with $227K.
We’ll have updates on the above titles throughout the weekend.
