disney
Avatar Surpasses Avengers: Endgame as Highest-Grossing Film of All Time
In July 2019, Avengers: Endgame surpassed James Cameron’s Avatar as the highest-grossing film in box office history. Now, less than two years later, Avatar is back to reclaim its throne. Earlier this morning, Disney announced that Avatar had retaken the all-time global box office thanks to the film’s recent re-release in China. Avatar is estimated to have a new worldwide gross of $2.802 billion — roughly $5 million more than Avengers: Endgame‘s $2.797 billion, reports Deadline. On Friday, a reissue of the 2009 blockbuster was released in China, which is responsible for bumping up the movie’s overall total haul in less than two days. In a way, that’s par for the course with Avatar. As Deadline notes, Cameron’s movie achieved that milestone with a number of re-releases since its original run...
Disney CEO Defends Gina Carano Firing, Says Company Stands for “Values of Inclusion”
Last month, The Manadalorian actress Gina Carano was fired by Lucasfilm for a series of abhorrent tweets, including one that compared being a Republican today to being a Jew during the holocaust. She quickly doubled-down and became an anti-cancel culture crusader. Now, Disney’s CEO has chimed in to defend her departure from the Star Wars TV series. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Chapek was on a call during an annual shareholders meeting when someone asked him if Carano was on Disney’s “black list” for her openly conservative politics. Chapek responded with the type of corporate vagueness that you’d expect from a major entertainment executive, saying that he doesn’t see Disney as “left-leaning or right-leaning.” However, he did say that Disney st...
What’s Streaming on Disney+ in March 2021
Disney+ is bringing back a few familiar faces in March. With WandaVision wrapping up, Marvel Studios will pivot to their next highly anticipated spinoff series The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. As the title suggests, Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan return as — you guessed it — The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Right behind those Marvel heroes is everyone’s favorite hockey coach Gordon Bombay. Yes, Emilio Estevez will return to the ice with The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, which should give Mouse House their own Cobra Kai if there’s enough Zamboni power. Beyond those two blockbusters, National Geographic will unveil new documentary Own the Room, MCU fans in need of a refresher can tune into Marvel Studios: Legends, and for $30 extra bucks will get you Raya and the Last Dragon. Elsewhere...
Emma Stone Goes Full Disney Villain in Trailer for Cruella: Watch
At long last, Emma Stone is doing something she’s never done before: go full-blown villain. Disney has just released the trailer for Cruella, their new live-action movie about the iconic 101 Dalmatians antagonist Cruella de Vil, and Stone slips into the titular role with plenty of panache. Watch it below. In the video, Stone commits to the bit by playing up the camp icon’s over-the-top persona and establishing herself as a woman who shouldn’t be messed with. The Oscar-winning actress previously described Cruella as “punk rock”. Between the set design taking place in 1970’s London and her runway-ready gothic outfits, it looks like she was right to make that comparison. Cruella will serve as a prequel to the events of 101 Dalmatians in the same way that Maleficent reimagined what happen...
The Falcon and the Winter Solider Wield Captain America’s Shield in Super Bowl Trailer: Watch
Now that we know how awesome the Disney+ side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is going to be thanks to WandaVision, hype for the rest of the streamer’s slate is at a fever pitch. That made the Super Bowl the perfect time to unleash the new trailer for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. In the latest preview, we get to see what the relationship between Sam Wilson/The Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) is like in the wake of Captain America retiring. As could be expected, it’s playfully contentious, with the latter not a fan of the former’s blithe approach to superheroing. Of course, it’s the Falcon who now wields Cap’s shield (and he does a bunch in this trailer), but that doesn’t mean Bucky won’t have an opinion on how he handles it. They’ll have ...
What’s Streaming on Disney+ in February 2021
Disney+ is bringing the fantastical for February. The great Marvel mystery that is WandaVision will continue each Friday, delivering more sitcom subversions as the two titular heroes attempt to escape their own televised hell. Then again, who would want to leave the comforts of a ’70s living room. Speaking of classic television, the Mouse House is dusting off five seasons of The Muppet Show, as previously reported. Just make sure you bring champagne, roses, and a box of Godiva for Ms. Piggy, who tends to be particular about that stuff. Editors’ Picks Elsewhere, families can enjoy seeing Alyson Hannigan and Ben Schwartz pop up in the new superhero comedy Flora & Ulysses or revisit Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt in not one but two Cheaper by the Dozen films. Those are always a fun re...
Disney’s Jungle Cruise Ride Will Remove “Negative Depictions” of Native Peoples
Another round of changes are coming to both of America’s Disney parks. The iconic Jungle Cruise rides at Disneyland and Disney World will be modified to remove what the company calls “negative depictions” of native peoples. According to a new post on the Disney Parks Blog, the riverboat attraction that first opened at Disneyland in 1955 and was replicated at Disney World in 1971 will no longer feature dated scenes of people of color dressed in generic jungle attire. Instead, the ride will follow an actual storyline narrated by its beloved skippers, and the scenery will contain more animals and less offensive human depictions. These updates are being made to “reflect and value the diversity of the world around us.” “This is not a re-envisioning of the entire attraction,” explained Disney Im...
Glenn Close Made Sure Her 101 Dalmatians Contract Included Keeping Every Single Cruella de Vil Costume
Cruella de Vil walked so that Miranda Priestly could run — and she is absolutely one of the greatest fashion villains of all time. It’s no surprise that a queen of similar stature, Glenn Close, got it written into her 101 Dalmatians contract that Disney would let her keep her entire Cruella de Vil character wardrobe — how divine! Close sat down with Pete Davidson to chat about their most memorable projects for Variety‘s Actors on Actors series for Amazon Studios. “Did you take any of Cruella’s wardrobe? It was so fabulous,” Davidson asked Close, whom played the stylish villain Cruella de Vil in the ’90s hit 101 Dalmatians and the sequel 102 Dalmatians. Close confessed that “I got in my contract that I got to keep all my costumes that I wore in the ...
Ethan Hawke Cast as Villain Opposite Oscar Isaac in Marvel’s Moon Knight
Moon Knight (Marvel), Ethan Hawke (photo by Heather Kaplan), and Oscar Isaac (Warner Bros.) It’s Tesla vs. Poe: Ethan Hawke has been tapped to play the villain opposite Oscar Isaac in Marvel’s upcoming Disney+ series Moon Knight. The Hollywood Reporter has it that the deal has been closed and Hawke will officially be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as its latest antagonist. Exactly who that will be is not yet know. Moon Knight’s archenemy is a deranged mercenary called Bushman, though the character is typically depicted as a person of color; it would be shocking if Marvel decided to whitewash a character — even a villain — in 2021 (and probably equally shocking if they called a Black character “Bushman”). Other possibilities include Crossfire, the cousin of Ant-Man villain Darren “Ye...
Movie and TV Studios are Cutting Ties with Republicans After Storming of Capitol
The world’s largest entertainment conglomerates have either very recently grown a backbone or found a convenient excuse to save money. But as The Hollywood Reporter and New York Times report, after a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol building, coming mere feet and seconds away from a confrontation with lawmakers, companies such as Comcast, The Walt Disney Company, Hallmark, AT&T, Facebook, and the Motion Picture Association are cutting off political contributions to members of the Republican party. Most of the backlash is centered around the man who is somehow still President, Donald Trump. He’s already received bans from Facebook and Twitter, and other digital platforms including Snapchat, YouTube, Reddit, and Twitch have since followed suit. Now, entertainment heavyweights are cuttin...
Fair or Cap?: Some Folks On Twitter Were Not Feeling Tina Fey’s Casting In ‘Soul’
Source: Walt Disney Studios / Pixar Soul Of course, some folks have found something to complain about when it comes to Disney’s Pixar’s latest animated film, Soul. The phenomenal Disney+ exclusive that features an African American protagonist, a first for the Disney-owned studio, follows the story of middle school jazz teacher Joe Gardner voiced by Jamie Foxx. The movie revolves around Gardner’s soul trying to make its way back to his body. Along the way, he encounters a wayward spirit named 22, played by Tina Fey. After they are paired together, 22 decides to help Gardner get back to his body in time before he misses out on the gig of a lifetime. While on their mission, Gardner helps 22 discover her purpose in life, and at the same time, learns a new understanding of what it truly means t...
Pixar on How Personal Experiences Influenced Soul
Soul marks a series of firsts for Pixar. It’s the first film the studio has ever released with a Black protagonist, a music teacher voiced by Jamie Foxx; it’s the studio’s first film with a Black co-director in screenwriter Kemp Powers; and the first Pixar film to go straight to streaming. Due out on Christmas via Disney+, Soul follows Joe Gardner (Foxx), a music teacher whose aspirations of performing jazz come to fruition after he nabs a cushy performing gig with a well-respected group. That is, until he falls to his death. Now, left as a metaphysical soul, Joe endeavors to return to Earth to his body before it’s too late. It’s an imaginative journey that the Emeryville, California-based animation studio brings to life with a startling array of visuals that feel unprecedented. Edito...
