Author: Matt Conway

Video game movies have been commonplace since the dawn of gaming, but seldom times have one of these adaptations left a positive impression with audiences. From several horrible, low-budget adaptions from the infamous Uwe Boll to big-budget flops like Assassins Creed, Hollywood’s attempts to profit from these known brands have left audiences unimpressed and diehard fans enraged. Thankfully, the video game movie genre has been trending upward, with Rampage, Detective Pickachu, and the recently-released Sonic the Hedgehog all standing out as surprisingly assured efforts. Director Eli Roth will look to continue the trend with his upcoming Borderlands adaptation. It appears Roth will have a lot…

Sony has been steadily developing its own cinematic universe to compete with Marvel, setting 2020 as a marquee year for the flagship franchises. That was until the deadly Coronavirus impacted the film industry worldwide, with both Morbius and Venom: Let There Be Carnage being delayed to 2021 (Morbius is set for a March release while Venom is set for June). While this is a bummer, it will make 2021 an even bigger year for Sony, as those two films will open alongside the release of Spider-Man 3 in November. Fans are dying to see when Spider-Man will meet foes like Venom on the big screen, which could be relatively…

While there is a relatively small amount of new releases debuting due to the Coronavirus, a few titles have been able to drum up significant interest due to the dearth of content. Trolls: World Tour has earned over 100 million dollars via VOD sales, while the Chris Hemsworth-actioner Extraction debuted with record-breaking numbers on Netflix. With the film now on pace to pass Spencer Confidential and Bird Box as the most-viewed Netflix title of all time, its no surprise that the streaming juggernaut is greenlighting a sequel with Extraction 2. According to Deadline, Netflix has reached an agreement with Avengers: Endgame writer/director Joe Russo to write Extraction 2, but there is…

Sequels are a commonplace practice in Hollywood, but even with that being the case, some sequels can be surprising inclusions. Whether it’s following up a movie that was a box office disappointment (Pacfic Rim: Uprising is a good example), a critical dud, or a project that was released a long time ago (still don’t know why we’re getting a Lethal Weapon 5). Falling into that latter category is Demolition Man 2, which star actor Sylvester Stallone revealed is in the works at Warner Brothers. In an Instagram live Q&A session, Sylvester Stallone confirmed that Demolition Man 2 is currently in its early production phase, which is…

The Coronavirus continues to shift the movie calendar in unprecedented ways. Several 2020 projects (Fast 9, Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Morbius) have moved back to 2021, while many upcoming productions (Mission Impossible 8) have been put on halt, leading to delays that will affect the next few years of movies. These delays will also impact John Wick 4, which sadly has been delayed to 2022 due to the halt of production cycles. According to Lionsgate, John Wick 4 will now be moving from its May 2021 release date to May 27, 2022, with Lionsgate shifting much of their narrative line-up. Alongside John Wick’s move, Spiral has been moved to a May…

One of the growing trends in American cineplexes is the increase in exposure to Bollywood films. Productions like Dangal and Baahubali 2: The Conclusion have amassed impressive box office totals both stateside and worldwide (both earning over 200 million worldwide), showing the bountiful market for Bollywood content. A key player in leading to the genre’s exposure was Irrfan Khan, who won several National Film Awards for his career in Indian productions before crossing over to domestic productions like The Life of Pi and Jurassic World. After a long battle with a neuroendocrine tumor, Irrfan Khan has passed away at the age of 53 due to a colon…

Few shows have been able to become a common fixture like The Walking Dead, which has dominated AMC airwaves over the past decade. While the show is far from its peak popularity (and has also lost a majority of its original cast), the program’s dedicated audience has continued to support the show through its evolution. The Walking Dead’s success has led to AMC utilizing significant assets to boost the show, including a spin-off series Fear the Walking Dead and a post-episode talk show The Talking Dead. Even with all the show’s success, some audiences still find it to be problematic. According to Observe, several audience members who…

The Coronavirus continues to impact the film industry in a myriad of ways, hurting theatrical companies more than any. Now being closed for over a month, corporations like AMC Theatres have been hurting financially, with some rumors stating they could possibly go out of business if theaters don’t return soon enough. Another factor hurting theaters is studios’ new embrace of  Video On Demand platforms, with Universal’s Trolls: World Tour earning an impressive amount during its exclusive VOD rollout. The success of Universal’s strategy has gotten a lot of spotlight in the industry, with theater companies now taking action against the studio.…

As a mid-tier studio, Lionsgate has had to take some risks in order to create their own franchises. While that has led to a few box office duds (2018’s Robin Hood being a prime example), surging franchises like The Hunger Games and Saw has propelled the studio to mainstream success, showing that even a smaller studio can hang with box office giants like Disney. The Now You See Me franchise has become another one of Lionsgate’s upstart brands, with the first two titles surpassing 350 million dollars worldwide with their inventive magic-based premises. Considering their success, it makes sense that Lionsgate has now greenlit Now You See Me 3.…

In a world where superhero franchises often dominate other blockbuster combatants, horror has been one of the few places potential franchises flourish due to the tighter budget restrictions. Blumhouse alone has spawned several profitable series, including The Purge, Insidious, Happy Death Day, and their newly developing monster universe. Lionsgate is looking to start their own franchise with Scary Stories To Tell in the Dark 2, as the original opened last summer to strong reviews (78% on Rotten Tomatoes) and a healthy 68 million dollar box office gross. According to Deadline, Scary Stories To Tell in the Dark 2 will be happening with director Andre Overdal…