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New Movies
The long awaited THE FLASH starring the embattled Ezra Miller is finally released. The film has a B Cinemascore and is looking at anywhere between $60 to $75 million opening weekend. A surprisingly low audience score and low ticket sales despite all the hype from early screenings and even the billion dollar box office savior Tom Cruise.
Pixar’s latest, ELEMENTAL, scored an impressive A grade from audiences, but this too appears to be another Pixar disappointment with an estimated weekend box office as low as $30 million.
New On Streaming
Quentin Tarantino may not consider streaming films as part of the zeitgeist, but that hasn’t stopped big name actors and directors from releasing films directly to platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime.
This week, Chris Hemsworth is back as Tyler Rake in EXTRACTION 2. The film is directed by Sam Hargrave, written by Joe Russo, produced by Joe and Anthony Russo, and is available exclusively on Netflix.
The film has had surprising rave reviews and as I’ve already seen it, I must also admit that EXTRACTION 2 is on par with John Wick 4 and all of those other ultra violent but serious thriller films with minimal talk and extended fight sequences. What sets EXTRACTION 2 apart from a lot of the recent action films is the action is much more grounded and injuries occur when characters are hit. You will not be disappointed.
Other new releases on streaming that you may have not noticed or may have missed in theatres include:
Amazon Prime Video
THE COVENANT directed by Guy Ritchie and starring Jake Gyllenhaal
CREED III directed by and starring Michael B. Jordan
AIR directed by and starring Ben Affleck and Matt Damon
Disney Plus
AVATAR THE WAY OF WATER directed by James Cameron and starring Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana
FLAMIN’ HOT directed by Eva Longoria
You can also catch up on all of the INDIANA JONES movies in anticipation for the fifth installment, INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY in theatres on June 30
Netflix
DUNE directed by Denis Villeneuve and starring Timothée Chalamet
News & Notes
The WGA strike continues with the successful shut down and delays of several productions including the upcoming Avatar and Star Wars sequels and the continued halt of late night talk shows and SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. The strike has seen its support grow from other unionized workers including janitors and teachers. But perhaps more importantly, SAG-AFTRA, the union representing actors, voted 98% in favor of a strike if a deal is not reached by June 30.
What the heck is #TUDUM?! You may have seen a lot of social media ads starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Chris Hemsworth with the hashtag “TUDUM”. Turns out, the 5th annual Tudum Festival in Brazil is an annual event presented by Netflix to promote its original content. Can’t Netflix just call it the upfront like all of the other networks?
Another icon is gone. Actor Treat Williams (Prince of the City, Things to Do In Denver When You’re Dead, Deep Rising, Miss Congeniality 2, Everwood, Brothers & Sisters) died unexpectedly after he was struck while riding his motorcycle in Vermont. Treat was 71 years old and leaves behind his wife and two adult children.
James Gunn’s SUPERMAN: LEGACY casting rumors are getting everyone nervous. Who’s going to be the next Clark Kent and Lois?
Linda Hamilton joins the cast of Season 5 of STRANGER THINGS. If you haven’t seen TERMINATOR: DARK FATE, you’re missing out on an underrated follow-up. Linda Hamilton delivers in her return as Sarah Connor.
The media industry is going through tough times right now with layoffs everywhere and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are not immune. Spotify dropped the axe on its $20 million podcast deal with Harry and Meghan which included the much hyped Archetypes podcast.
Thanks for taking the time to read this week’s entertainment roundup!
Your reward is this amazing fried chicken recipe from the equally amazing YouTuber, Quang Tran.
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