Static Shock Movie and More

Marvel’s third installment of “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” experienced a 69% dip in ticket sales during its second weekend, marking the biggest fall in the franchise’s history. The movie, which stars Paul Rudd, initially took $105m in its opening weekend but dropped to $32m. Senior Comscore analyst Paul Dergarabedian believes the second-weekend turnout is discouraging, but there is still potential for an increase in ticket sales before it leaves cinemas. Despite some negative reviews, “Ant-Man 3” had the biggest opening of the series and exceeded $100m in the year’s first debut. Marvel movies, in general, have become front-loaded, but the consistent loyalty of Marvel’s target audience should not be underestimated, according to Shawn Robbins, chief analyst at BoxOfficePro. Marvel’s increasing front-loaded nature and divisive reception of some of its recent films may not necessarily be worrying to the brand as long as its core fan base remains, he said. While “Quantumania” may not have been as popular at the box office as some of its MCU counterparts, its $364m global gross after two weeks in cinemas remains impressive. The film’s estimated lifetime domestic gross of $240m could potentially improve upon its predecessors, “Ant-Man” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp”. Source: Variety

1 Mars 202357s

Artwork promoting the live-action version of The Little Mermaid has revealed Sebastian the crab’s new look, which is more realistic due to the film’s use of CGI animation and live-action. Some fans appreciate the new design as more akin to an actual crab, while others are concerned it may make him less expressive or recognizable. The upcoming film has faced backlash since its announcement, with some racist comments in response to Halle Bailey being cast as Ariel. However, there have also been positive reactions from young Black children. The film will follow the same story as the original animated feature, and is set to release in theaters on May 26. Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy is set to welcome Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally, and David Cross for the fourth and final season. The real-life husband and wife team of Offerman and Mullally will portray Drs. Gene and Jean Thibedeau, while Cross will play Sy Grossman, a family man desperate to reconnect with his estranged daughter. The production for the final season of the superhero series is currently underway in Toronto. The series will see the return of the main cast, including Elliot Page, Tom Hopper, and David Castañeda, among others. The show’s executive producers and co-executive producers will also return to wrap up the series. Offerman has been receiving Emmy buzz for his role in HBO’s The Last Of Us, while Mullally can currently be seen in Starz’s Party Down. Cross has recently been involved in developing Guru Nation, a comedy for Paramount+. Fireshine Games has partnered with Neowiz to release physical editions of Lies of P for PlayStation and Xbox consoles in North America and Europe alongside its digital release in August. Lies of P is an action Soulslike game inspired by the story of Pinocchio, set in a dark Belle Epoque world. Players take on the role of the puppet P, navigating through the ruined city of Krat and crafting weapons from materials found in the world. The game offers profound narrative choices and character progression as players guide P on his journey to become human, with the amount of lies told affecting the player’s transformation. Lies of P was awarded “Best Action Adventure Game” and “Best Role Playing Game” at the 2022 gamescom awards.

28 Feb 202359s

The United States Copyright Office (USCO) has issued a ruling on a previously copyrighted comic book that was created using “A.I. art,” and the results were a bit of a split decision. While the story for the comic and the specific compilation of the story with the images within the comic both remained under copyright, the copyright for the individual images within the comic book has been revoked. This ruling has set a precedent for how the USCO views A.I. art and copyrights involving its use. The comic book in question is Zarya of the Dawn, created by Kris Kashtanova using the text-to-image engine Midjourney. While the comic book was initially copyrighted, the USCO discovered through Kashtanova’s social media postings that the images for the comic were created using A.I. art. The Office requested further information on the matter and tentatively determined it would revoke the copyright protection on the art in the comic at the end of last year. Kashtanova and her attorneys had a month to appeal the decision, but the final ruling has now been issued. The USCO laid out its general position on copyrights involving A.I., stating that it will not register works produced by a machine or mere mechanical process that operates randomly or automatically without any creative input or intervention from a human author. In this specific instance, the USCO notes that Midjourney generates images in an unpredictable way, and users are not the “authors” for copyright purposes of the images the technology generates. The USCO believes that Kashtanova never had direct control over what images would be created, but rather they just picked through the randomly generated images until they found images they felt worked for the comic.

27 Feb 20231min

During Sony’s State of Play February livestream, Rocksteady Studios revealed the first gameplay for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, confirming that it will be a live-service game focused on single-player and co-op gameplay. Playing as one of four members of the Suicide Squad, the players must stop Brainiac’s invasion of Metropolis and confront possessed members of the Justice League. The game blends the Batman: Arkham Knight’s framework with the flow and action of the likes of Sunset Overdrive. The game also includes RPG-style gear systems and live-service elements with a battle pass focusing on cosmetics. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is scheduled to be released on May 26 on PS5, Windows, and Xbox Series X|S.

26 Feb 202356s

Warner Bros. Discovery announced during its earnings call that more Lord of the Rings movies are in development, as the studios strike a multi-year deal with Embracer Group AB. The deal includes “multiple” films based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s series, giving WB and New Line the opportunity to invest in one of their most successful franchises once again. The original Lord of the Rings trilogy, directed by Peter Jackson, was released between 2001-2003 and grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide. It also won 17 Oscars, including Best Picture for Return of the King. With the success of the films, it’s no surprise that WB wants to continue investing in the series. However, rights have been an issue for any studio trying to adapt Tolkien’s works. Amazon currently owns the TV rights and released the first season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power last year. Additionally, an anime film, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, is set to be released in April 2024. Despite the challenges, WB seems to be committed to expanding the Lord of the Rings universe. CEO David Zaslav previously hinted at moving forward with the franchise during an earnings call last year, even mentioning the possibility of making more Harry Potter movies. With the multi-year deal with Embracer Group AB in place, fans can expect to see more adventures in Middle-earth in the future.

25 Feb 202359s

Valve has banned over 40,000 accounts in Dota for using third-party software to cheat. The software was able to access information not visible during gameplay, giving cheaters an unfair advantage.

23 Feb 202349s

Tom Hardy is gearing up for another season of playing Eddie Brock, also known as Venom, in the upcoming third installment of the Venom film franchise. In a recent Instagram post, the actor shared a behind-the-scenes video from a previous Venom movie and announced that the third film has entered pre-production. Hardy first played the character in the original 2018 film, where he faced off against the Riot symbiote and its host, Carlton Drake. In addition to playing Eddie Brock, Hardy also voiced the Venom symbiote, creating a hilarious dynamic between the two characters. Fans have been eagerly awaiting the return of Venom ever since the release of Venom: Let There Be Carnage in the fall of 2021. The character was also seen in the post-credits scene for Spider-Man: No Way Home, leaving a small piece of the Venom symbiote in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While it’s unclear if he will appear in future MCU films, the fact that the third Venom film is entering pre-production suggests that Sony still has more stories to tell about the character. Sony has been expanding their Spider-Man Universe with upcoming projects like Kraven the Hunter, which stars Aaron Taylor Johnson as the titular character. In the comics, Kraven is the world’s best hunter and becomes obsessed with hunting Spider-Man after believing him to be the world’s most dangerous predator. It’s unknown if Tom Holland’s Spider-Man will appear in Kraven’s origin story. With the third Venom film entering pre-production, it’s possible that filming could begin later this year. Fans will have to wait and see what adventures Eddie Brock and the Venom symbiote will embark on next, but one thing’s for sure: Tom Hardy is ready for another season of playing this iconic character.

23 Feb 202336s

Hasbro has unveiled a new Marvel Legends figure for Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which features the character with a pair of wooden wings. It’s unknown how the wings will play into the upcoming movie’s storyline, which follows the team on a mission to save Rocket. Amazon Games’ New World is preparing to make a big change. The popular MMORPG is moving to a seasonal model and introducing a free and premium Season Pass to enhance the gameplay experience.

22 Feb 202348s