Monday, October 31, 2016

These 8 Horror Villains Are The Stuff of Nightmares

A horror movie is only as good as the villain who brings the whole thing to life. To celebrate Halloween, we take a look at the 8 greatest horror villains of all time.


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NBC Has Scrapped 'Cruel Intentions' Reboot Plans, But There's Still Hope

Sarah Michelle Gellar And Ryan Phillippe In 'Cruel Intentions'"Cruel Intentions" fans are in for a let-down, so let's just rip off the Band-Aid: NBC is no longer moving forward with the 1999 cult thriller's reboot.

Although plans for the spinoff TV series have been in the works for over a year, NBC ultimately decided it was a no-go at the network. Variety reports that the decision wasn't a matter of NBC not liking the show -- apparently, there are just too many upcoming series on the slate and the project wasn't the right fit. Sources say that matters were further complicated by negotiations between NBC and Sony TV over stacking rights and ownership.

Fortunately, there's a silver lining for fans dying to see Sarah Michelle Gellar reprise her original role as the scheming Kathryn Merteuil. Sony TV reportedly remains committed to the project and is shopping it around to other networks. Multiple are said to have expressed interest, so we may see Kathryn and the next generation of manipulative prep school kids yet.

[via: Variety]

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'Stranger Things' Newsreel Covers Barb's Disappearance, Eggo Theft

Barb might be gone, but she is far from forgotten.

"Stranger Things" Season 1 saw the Hawkins, Indiana, teen meet an unfortunate fate, but her memory lives on in a new clip released by Netflix today. Billed as an "archival newsreel from 5 WIYZ Hawkins, Indiana," the video covers the disappearance of Barbara Holland (Shannon Purser). Since that wasn't the only alarming occurrence in town, we also hear about a massive Eggo Waffle theft and see security footage of the "vagrant" in action.

The newscaster, Brenda Wood, reports on the news very seriously, but the video itself is very tongue-in-cheek. Barb is remembered for things like her "mom jeans" and being "the kind of girl who notices if you're wearing a new bra." It's a fitting homage to a character whose disappearance inspired a wave of internet outrage.
"Stranger Things" Season 1 is on Netflix now, and more is coming in 2017.

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'Life' Trailer: Ryan Reynolds, Jake Gyllenhaal Have a Scary Alien Encounter

A new giant leap for mankind may have disastrous consequences for Ryan Reynolds and Jake Gyllenhaal.

Sony Pictures Entertainment has released the official trailer for the upcoming sci-fi flick "Life," and it makes life aboard the International Space Station look pretty terrifying. When the crew -- played by Reynolds, Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, Olga Dihovichnaya, Ariyon Bakare, and Hiroyuki Sanada -- discover life on Mars, they get much more than they bargained for.

The preview shows the ET encounter going horribly, horribly wrong. It's unclear exactly what the life form does, but we can definitely see it is dangerous. Everything seems to go to hell in a handbasket after it contacts one of the crew members. There are literal fires to put out, the crew are at odds with one another, and, oh, yeah, they're in space, so everything is more dangerous.

Watch the chaos unfold below.
"Life" is slated to open on May 24, 2017.

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Disney Adds "Snow White" to Its List of Classics Getting a Live-Action Remake

The list of Disney classics getting live-action treatment just keeps growing.

The OG Disney animated film -- "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" -- is reportedly the latest title to be added to the Mouse House's remake pipeline. The live-action version will bring back the classic fairy tale, but we'll get even more of the original's beloved story and songs, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

We've seen different takes on the Brothers Grimm's story over the years, but the 1937 Disney animated film is perhaps the most popular. It's an oldie but a goodie, and it has been a childhood staple for generations. Still, that doesn't mean there isn't room for a remake.

Disney found box office success with 2014's "Maleficent" and 2016's "The Jungle Book," for example. On top of that, 2017's "Beauty and the Beast," starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens, seems poised to be a winner as well. With that in mind, the studio has seriously ramped up its live-action-remake efforts; there are already plans for new versions of "Mulan," "Aladdin," and "The Lion King."

With "Snow White" now in the works, Disney is busy building its team. The studio is reportedly in talks with Erin Cressida Wilson to pen the script. (She has handled adaptations before, namely "The Girl on the Train.") Meanwhile, the songwrting team of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul ("La La Land") are attached, along with producer Marc Platt ("Mary Poppins Returns").

We'll have to wait and see which version emerges as the fairest of them all, but the live-action "Snow White" could certainly be a contender.

[via: The Hollywood Reporter]

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Betty White Returning to 'Bones' for Final Season

People-Betty WhiteBetty White will help send off "Bones" during its upcoming final season, reprising her guest starring role from season 11.

Deadline reports that White will be back as Dr. Beth Mayer, an accomplished forensic anthropologist, in an one-episode guest stint. The appearance is slated for the tenth episode of season 12, set to air sometime early next year.

White first guest starred during season 11 of "Bones," when Dr. Mayer appeared in a storyline linking murder and fantasy football -- and butted heads with Emily Deschanel's Brennan. Deadline describes the character as "accomplished, sharp as a tack and absolutely fabulous," and we'd expect nothing less from the former "Golden Girls" star.

White's appearance isn't the only surprise "Bones" has up its sleeve for its 12th and final season, with more fan favorite guest stars and squinterns set to return. Fans have also been promised a wedding, a serial killer storyline, and some tension in Booth (David Boreanaz) and Brennan's marriage. That last plot point isn't exactly an exciting one, though Deschanel and Boreanaz's signature banter should make for some entertaining television at the very least.

Season 12 of "Bones" premieres on Fox on January 3, 2017.

[via: Deadline]

Photo credit: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

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Listen to a New Song from 'Moana,' 'How Far I'll Go'

Disney has released another new song from the "Moana" soundtrack, featuring an empowering message, and serving as an internal monologue for the film's titular heroine.

Like the last track we heard from the film -- the song "You're Welcome," sung by Dwayne Johnson's character, demigod Maui -- this new tune, "How Far I'll Go," previews the journey, both literal and personal, that Moana (Auli'i Cravalho) takes in the film. The movie centers around a young woman from the South Pacific on a mission to save her people, encountering untold obstacles in the process.

As the lyrics from the song imply, Moana is faced with an enormous, overwhelming task, and doesn't yet know how far she'll go -- both to save the day, but also discover her own inner strength. The world is mysterious, but she'll willing to take a chance and travel across the sea in order to accomplish her goals.

This version of "How Far I'll Go" is sung by Alessia Cara (it's unclear if it will play during the closing credits, or in the film itself), and the flick also features tunes written and performed by "Hamilton" mastermind Lin-Manuel Miranda, composer Mark Mancina, and Pacific songwriter Opetaia Foa'i. The soundtrack is available for pre-order now.

"Moana" is due in theaters on November 23.

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Harley Quinn and Joker Star in 'Suicide Squad' Extended Cut Trailer

suicide squad, extended cut, harley quinn, jokerThe trailer for the upcoming expanded edition of "Suicide Squad" is here, promising to offer fans even more action, and perhaps most importantly, some more interactions between the film's two biggest stars, Joker (Jared Leto) and Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie).

There will only be 13 minutes of extra footage in the extended cut, but the trailer indicates that those few extra scenes will be worth the wait (and worth shelling out for). The trailer brings back the successful soundtrack of Queen classic "Bohemian Rhapsody," and offers some glimpses of previously unseen Joker and Harley interactions, including one moment when the pre-transformation psychiatrist holds up her former patient at gunpoint. (The psychotic villain, naturally, dares her to shoot, before wrestling the weapon away.)

It's unclear if this extended edition will make Leto entirely happy, since he's previously publicly lamented that almost all of his scenes were cut from the finished film, and 13 minutes isn't exactly a ton of extra time. But it should shine an additional spotlight on Robbie's breakout character Harley, who's soon due to get her own spinoff flick.

The "Suicide Squad" extended cut will be available in digital HD format on November 15, and on DVD and Bluray on December 13.

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How 'Good Girls Revolt' Star Erin Darke Connected to Feminism of 50 Years Ago

ENTERTAINMENT-US-2016 AMAZON TCA SUMMER PRESS TOURErin Darke is hoping to shed a little light on a time and place when women learned they'd have to fight for every right they hoped to claim.

On "Good Girls Revolt," Amazon's new streaming series based on the real-life feminist rebellion within the ranks of the female researchers at Newsweek magazine during the late '60s and early '70s, Darke plays Cindy, one of the series' three central heroines and the one with perhaps the furthest to go in her consciousness awakening: when we meet her, she's already bought in to a less-than-fulfilling marriage and experiences her own sexual liberation as the female staffers fight against sexist attitudes and policies in their workplace.

With an early career path already filled with key guest stints on popular series like "Girls" and supporting turns in films like "Still Alice" and "Love and Mercy," Darke gets her first major showcase in "Good Girls Revolt," even as she adjusts to a degree of reflected celebrity in her off-camera role as Daniel Radcliffe's romantic partner -- all of which she's devoted considerable thought to, as she revealed in a wide-ranging conversation with Moviefone.

Moviefone: So, I'm curious, with this show, how much of this was a real education for you on the '60s? Did you have a sense of that era -- other than what you might have watched on "Mad Men"? And how tough it could be for women in the workplace?

Erin Darke: [Laughs] Yeah, I think I would say that I had a sense of it. I had a general idea of it. But the show was definitely an education in the specifics and just how bad it was. And the fascinating thing is in talking to Lynda Obst, one of our producers, who was a female journalist at that time, one of the things she says is like, "We actually toned down the sexism a lot for the show." Which is astounding.

You hear some of the stories about that time, and for me, being a young woman who was raised after that, that has grown up in this era, it's almost hard to believe sometimes. You're just like, "That can't be real. That can't be less than 50 years ago." It's pretty crazy.

Fifty years removed, we are still having some pretty important conversations about women in society that we've taken a while to get around to -- we'd kind of set it aside. What are the things that you did relate to, even though the sexism certainly was more rampant back then? What things did you say, "Oh my God, that is still a part of my life today"?

A great deal of it is. I think, actually, some of it has gone away, in that it was such a common thing at that point -- especially most men, even good men at that point, had never been taught or seen anything different. So even the good guys that probably were open-minded, most of them at that point were still sexist, because that's just how they'd been raised.

One of the lovely things about now is that men also have been raised in different ways. So most of the men in my life would never do a lot of that. But I think as we've seen recently -- and as we've clearly seen in this election -- so much of that still exists, and I think hadn't gone away, but was just unspoken for a long time.

It's funny, because I've had a lot of conversations with other women and with a lot of my female cast mates lately about the national conversation that this election in particular has really started, and also how that conversation has sort of brought back up, in all of us, all of those times. That I have been groped by a fellow actor when I was having to be unconscious on stage, or groped in the subway, or yelled at on the street by some guy that he wanted to see my p*ssy.

Those are things that are actually part of everyday life for most women, and, in some horrible way, I think we had all gotten used to it. It was angering and horrible, but you do almost get used to it because it happened so much. I'm so happy that we're having an actual conversation again. For me coming out of this show, lit me with this fire of like, "We can't be OK with that. We can't just sit down and take that, and we can't normalize it."

With your character specifically, what were the interesting ways into her? She occupies a very unique place in that she's the one who's already bought into the status quo, and is now going to be having an awakening. So how did you kind of find your way into Cindy?

It was interesting. When I first started, I was finding, when I was looking at her, that Cindy is so different from me in pretty much every aspect of life. Yet, I was finding myself relating to her, and sympathizing with her, and finding it very ... I don't want to say easy to play her, but there was an ease in falling into that skin. I sat there and was trying to think of why.

I realized that I think I have been raised in a time where I was told by my parents and told by the people in my life that I could have whatever I wanted, and that made me happy, and I could do whatever I wanted, and it was important for me to work and find a passion. I realized that Cindy is sort of this alternate universe version of me that hadn't been raised that way: the 12-year-old girl who's just trying to figure herself out, and, instead of being told you can do what you want, being told this is what your life will and should be.

That's the thing. She has, unlike the other girls who are having this awakening in ideas, she has already made those decisions. She is already on that path and trying to extricate herself from that, both emotionally, and mentally, and logistically. It's so hard. I think, more than anything, I just have this deep love and sympathy for her. I feel like I've known those women, even today. I feel like I can see myself in her in another world where I was raised in that time period.

The flip side of the more serious issues of doing a period piece like this is that you do get to time travel and kind of be immersed in the style and the popular culture of that time. What did you just come away loving from '60s style and pop culture? What really made an impression on you?

That's a good question. I love the music. I'm not sure that Cindy has the best taste in music. She has a line in one episode where she says, "They stopped making music after Pat Boone." I was like, "OK -- not my choice, but you go there, Cindy."

It's interesting, because I think the clothes look great and the environment is very cool to go to and to live in, but I don't want to go back there. The clothes look great. Most of the ones I wore anyway were not very comfortable. The social setup, the casual sexism, the women being underappreciated for what they do, and underpaid, and under-recognized -- I don't want to go back to any of that.

I think the only thing that I really responded to in that era was the activism, was the action. I think I feel a lot like I've been raised in a generation of people talking a lot about what they're not happy with, but aren't actually doing anything about it, or not knowing how to do anything about it. I think what's really inspiring to me about the late 1960s, early 1970s, is how much people were doing things about the issues. And they saw inequality, they protested, they filed lawsuits, they acted to make it better. And we wouldn't be where we are right now if those same people had just talked about how it was bad and never done anything.

I feel like given the cyclical nature of history, I kind of feel like we're just entering another period that's going to be very similar to the late '60s.

I agree. I agree. I think that was one of the most shocking things to me in doing just like research on the history of that period and what was happening in the country, and sort of realizing that it can feel unrelatable. It felt very much like a reflection of what's happening now. You can see the country kind of groaning, and creaking, and needing to change, and try and figure out how that change happens.

How much of a research nerd are you? Do you really like to have lots of homework? Or do you just try to find your way emotionally into what you're doing?

I think, as an actor, and with a character, I like to find my way emotionally into what I'm doing. I think that's the beautiful thing about doing a period piece, is you have that moment where you realize that we're all just humans, and were still humans, they just had a different set of social rules around them, and a different culture around them.

My research is more into like, what is this time period? What was happening around them? What was the time period of their parents? How were they raised? And try to go in with all of that information, so that when you actually get on set, you can just approach it from a human and instinctual place.

What's been the fun of taking part of such a female-centric show and having so many women working together, both on camera and behind the scenes?

It's been great. To be totally honest, it's been a really, really lovely, and I think a sort of like bonding and very open experience. Especially because so much of the things that we're dealing with on the show are women's issues. It was so lovely to have people next to you, in front of the camera, and also behind camera that just had an understanding of what that was, an innate understanding. It's lovely.

There are very different energies between most men and most women on set. And there was something that was really lovely about being in such a feminine energy while also having these kick-ass women who did their jobs incredibly well.

There were a couple of moments where we would be in rehearsal, and I would look around and realize that every person in the room was a woman: from our director, to our script coordinator, our DP, our first AD, all of the actors. It just was this moment of like, there's been so much talk about equality in my industry in particular, and there were great moments of looking around and being like, "This can happen. This is not impossible." There are very qualified, intelligent women in all of these jobs, and we just have to keep pushing to make it happen.

How much of a fighter have you had to be just to follow your own path? Did you have a lot of support when you decided you wanted to go into the arts? Or did you really have to take a stand and make it happen?

My parents were always supportive of me exploring the arts. When I told them that I wanted to be an actor, they didn't really believe me for a long time. Then, when I got to college, there were the conversations about, "Shouldn't you minor in something that's a little bit more practical?" I think once they realized that I was determined, they've been very supportive since then.

But in general, I am a girl from Flint. There were no other actors or really people in the arts in my family. My parents were supportive fairly quickly, but nothing else really in my life was. There were a lot of like, "Yeah, if you want to do that, you go ahead and try, but like, good luck girl." It was a struggle. It was a fight.

I moved to New York when I was 21 with my best friend. We had no money and no idea what we were doing. You just have to fight. You just have to keep going. You get beaten down far more times than you get lifted up. But you have to have some sort of like, probably insane faith in yourself, and keep going.

Do you remember the thing that put you on that path? Do you remember the moment where you're like, this is not only what I think I want to do, but probably what I have to do?

I think I had a great deal of those small moments over the years. When you start to realize that, after like 100 noes, when you finally get that yes, it's worth it. For me, I think the huge one, the really, really big one actually came later.

I started working in casting. I was a casting associate full time for three years. I actually loved the job. I loved my bosses. They seemed to think I was good at it. I loved being there. I loved getting to know the other side of film and working with directors that I never would have gotten to work with. I had this moment of being like, this is the best possible job that I ever could have found that is not being an actor. And I just wanted to be an actor. It was an amazing job, but it wasn't what I wanted in my life.

So I stepped away, and it was terrifying at the time because I, again, went from having a steady income and the place that I could go every day and feel productive, to sort of being back to blowing in the wind as an actor and just hoping you can pay your rent.

In the meantime, you've paid the rent and you've amassed a nice body of work, and you've also gotten to sample the spotlight of celebrity as a result of your relationship with Daniel. How do you feel about that, from the perspective of being an actor trying to do good work, but also ending up in the glare of that spotlight?

I've been in a really interesting position of sort of getting to observe the spotlight. It shines a little over on the sidelines every once in a while, but I mostly got to observe. It's funny, because I think my actual career aspirations have changed from that. The careers that I look up to and say, "Hey, I would love to have that person's career," have kind of changed.

There is an innate relation between being a working actor and fame. I hope very much now to try and find a way to be industry-famous, I guess. That's my dream career, is that person who gets to work all the time on cool projects and people in the industry know who you are, but the average person on the street would be like, "Oh yeah, I guess I've seen that girl in things before, but I don't know her name."

I don't think fame is a thing that should be aspired to. There are benefits, but there are also downsides. I don't know how well I would handle those. I don't know if that would make me happy. I just like my job. I just like being an actor.

I think "Good Girls Revolt" is going to go a long way for that reputation within the industry, and I think probably beyond the industry as well.

We'll see! My biggest dream is that Cindy is just different enough for me. Once you take off the hairpiece and the glasses and I'm on the street, my biggest hope is that no one will ever recognize me.

"Good Girls Revolt" Season 1 is streaming now on Amazon.

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What the Hell Happened to 'Inferno' at the Box Office?

As Tom Hanks should have learned back in his "Bosom Buddies" days, never underestimate the power of a man in a dress.

That massive thudding sound you heard Sunday morning was jaws hitting floors throughout Hollywood as Hanks's supposed sure thing, "Inferno," failed to open at No. 1 and had to settle for second place behind last week's winner, Tyler Perry's "Boo! A Madea Halloween."

"Inferno," after all, was the third movie in Hanks and director Ron Howard's series of movies based on Dan Brown's best-selling Robert Langdon thrillers, the first two of which, "The Da Vinci Code" and "Angels & Demons," had earned a combined $351 million in North America and $1.3 billion worldwide. Hanks himself has been riding a wave of good will, starting with his September hit "Sully" and culminating last weekend in his triumphant return to "Saturday Night Live," giving the show its highest-rated episode of the season so far and generating at least three Hanks sketches that went viral.
"Inferno" was also the only new wide release this weekend, so it was expected to cruise to an easy $20 to $25 million victory. "Boo!" was expected to follow the pattern of Perry's previous movies and fall about 55 percent in its second week to land at $13 million. Instead, Perry's film held onto the number one spot with $16.7 million -- dropping only 42 percent. "Inferno" underperformed drastically, claiming just an estimated $15.0 million debut. That number could drop to $14 million after final tallies come in.

If Robert Langdon were a real person, he might suspect a conspiracy at work. Indeed, the Tom Hanks film's failure has many authors. Here are several factors that contributed to the movie burning out:

1. Tom Cruise
Hanks and Cruise share more than just a first name. They both became top leading men in the '80s, routinely delivered $100-million domestic grosses for the next 20 years, and still remain reliable (if diminished) box office draws today. They're also competing against each other for the same adult-thriller audience, but Cruise got a head start with last weekend's "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back."

The franchise film opened last weekend with $22.9 million and finished third this weekend with an estimated $9.6 million. Hanks did more damage to Cruise this weekend than vice versa, but still, "Inferno" could have done better if there had been greater distance between it and "Jack Reacher."

2. Grown-Ups
Cruise wasn't Hanks's only rival for the adult-thriller audience this weekend. Ben Affleck's "The Accountant" and Emily Blunt's "The Girl on the Train" were both still in the top six. Yes, Fall is supposed to be the time that grown-ups go back to the movies while kids are busy at school, but c'mon, Mom and Dad aren't going to pay to see four similar thrillers. So the one that's last out of the gate is at a disadvantage.

3. Baseball
This year's historic World Series match-up is one of the highest-rated Fall Classics in recent years. With games on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, people are staying home in droves to watch baseball. Indeed, with just an estimated $85.6 million in total sales, this is the lowest grossing box office weekend of 2016 to date. Apparently, everyone had something better to do than go to the movies.

4. Halloween
October is just not a good time for the Robert Langdon franchise. The first two movies both opened in mid-May, a more-ideal-time for a globetrotting action thriller. In October, "Inferno" is competing against not just the World Series and other grown-up movies, but also against Halloween.

The spooky holiday is one reason the season-themed "Boo!" is still on top, and why "Ouija: Origin of Evil" is still in the top five. "Ouija" didn't get good recommendations from viewers who saw it when it opened last week, but it's the only horror film in wide release on this Halloween weekend.

5. Bad Buzz and Terrible Reviews
Critics haven't thought highly of any of the Robert Langdon movies, but they gave "Inferno" an especially harsh 20 percent "Fresh" at Rotten Tomatoes. Woof. Ticketbuyers weren't much kinder, giving the film a just-okay B+ at CinemaScore, indicating less-than-enthusiastic word-of-mouth. Critics didn't think much of "Boo!" either, but CinemaScore audiences gave it a solid A.

6. "Doctor Strange"
The new Marvel movie doesn't even come out until next week, but Benedict Cumberbatch's magical hero may have used his powers pre-emptively to thwart "Inferno." It's not uncommon, after all, when a much-anticipated movie is still a week or more away from release, for fans to save their ticket dollars and avoid the multiplex until it premieres.

7. Ron Howard
He's still thought of as an A-list director, but Howard hasn't had much commercial success outside the Robert Langdon movies in nearly 20 years.

Aside from this (now-dead) franchise, he hasn't had a $100-million-grossing domestic release since 2001's "A Beautiful Mind" or an opening weekend worth more than $19 million since 2000's "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." Even the Langdon movies, however, have trended downward.

The first one, "The Da Vinci Code," opened in 2006 with $77 million on the way toward a $218 million total in the U.S. In 2009, "Angels & Demons" debuted with $46 million toward a $133 million domestic total. "Inferno" will be lucky to earn over its lifetime as much "Angels" grossed in its first few days.

Don't weep too much for Hanks, Howard and the "Inferno" team. In the two weeks before it debuted to the sound of crickets here, "Inferno" opened in markets around the world and made an estimated $132.7 million, including a $13.3 million debut in China this weekend. "Inferno" cost just $75 million to make (about half what "Angels & Demons" cost seven years ago) and probably a similar amount to market, so if Sony has to share about half the gross with theater owners, "Inferno" has to gross only $300 million globally to make a profit. The movie's slow start in America makes that kind of a windfall less likely.

Still, for all the movie had going against it, making a Tom Hanks threequel in a $1.3 billion franchise for just $75 million is pretty much a no-brainer to studio accountants, no matter how the movie fares in the United States. Hanks may be America's Dad, but he didn't make this movie for his kids.



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Bette Midler Dressed as Her 'Hocus Pocus' Character for Halloween

There may never be a sequel to Disney's beloved Halloween flick "Hocus Pocus," but that doesn't mean that star Bette Midler is done celebrating her character from the film.

The actress busted out her best Winifred Sanderson cosplay during a Halloween party this past weekend, dressing as the witch at her annual Hulaween event, which raises money for the New York Restoration Project. Midler shared a photo of herself decked out as Winnie on her Facebook page, sporting a mischievous grin, giant orange hairdo, and resplendent purple and green robes, just like her onscreen alter ego.

It's fun to see Midler paying homage to the film, which has become a cult classic since its 1993 release, when it initially failed to connect with audiences and critics. But fans have since fallen in love with the spooky Disney comedy, which costars Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy, and have been clamoring for a sequel for years.

That prospect initially seemed promising a couple years ago, when all three stars vehemently voiced their support for a follow-up. Alas, last year, Midler said that a sequel would probably never happen, citing the fact that so much time had passed since the original hit theaters. We'll keep our fingers crossed anyway -- maybe Midler's Halloween costume will catch Disney's eye.

[via: Bette Midler/Facebook]

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'Doctor Strange' Conjures $86M Overseas, Topping Many Marvel Openings

Never mind "Inferno," the real heat is happening for "Doctor Strange."

The U.S. box office just had a "seriously meltdown" with "Inferno" only earning $15 million, but the international box office is fired up for Marvel's latest, with "Doctor Strange" opening to an impressive $86 million.

"Doctor Strange" opens here on Friday, November 4, but it is already playing in 33 territories -- including the U.K., France, Mexico, Australia, Germany, South Korea, Indonesia, Hong Kong, etc. -- and Variety reports that it opened as the top-grossing movie in nearly every market.

Benedict Cumberbatch's Sorcerer Supreme is enjoying strong critical reviews, and his film is already playing better than several other titles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. According to Disney, "Doctor Strange" opened close to 50 percent ahead of "Ant-Man," 37 percent ahead of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1," and 23 percent ahead of "Captain America: The Winter Soldier."

"Doctor Strange" also opened in 213 IMAX locations, earning the largest October opening for the format with $7.8 million; as TheWrap noted, that doubles the previous record of $3.2 million. (Sorry, "Gravity.")

Cumberbatch is already everywhere to promote this movie, which still has several major markets to hit, including China, Brazil, Russia, Japan, and the U.S. It'll have to work hard to top the heavy-hitters in the MCU, but maybe with some magical help, it can get close.

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Jon Snow Meets Daenerys Targaryen ... on the Dance Floor in Spain

Matt Letscher Teases Reverse-Flash's Epic Run Through The CW's DC Universe

"Devil's Knot" Portraits - 2013 Toronto International Film FestivalHis name is Eobard Thawne, and he's the fastest man alive (after Barry Allen, that is).

Actually, behind the scenes, his name is Matt Letscher, and he's a Hollywood veteran with over 20 years of steady, prominent appearances in film and television, including films like "The Mask of Zorro" and regular series stints like "Eli Stone" and "The Carrie Diaries."

Now Letscher's deep in the thick of his, ahem, flashiest role to date: Reprising his role as Barry Allen's cunning, equally super-fast and still enigmatically motivated nemesis from the future, the Reverse-Flash from the first season of "The Flash," the actor will be racing between several of The CW's superhero series -- especially "Legends of Tomorrow" -- throughout the course of the 2016-2017 TV season as a member of the villainous Legion of Doom.

The actor slowed his pace down long enough to join Moviefone for a revealing conversation about Eobard Thawne's future in TV's DC Universe, and how it may lead to revealing significantly more about his own past.

Moviefone: Let's start with what it's been like for you to step into the superhero culture that's dominating our pop entertainment these days. You've done a lot of good work for a lot of years, but it must be an interesting phenomenon to step into this very heightened moment in time.

Matt Letscher: Yeah, it's nice to be part of something that's kind of part of the zeitgeist right now. But it's not coming from nowhere. It's coming from a long history, a rich canon of stories -- and stories that mean a lot to a lot of people. So to be part of that, and be part of it in a way like the CW is doing it right now, with the DC Universe, to be part of it in a way where you have basically four shows that, not only are co-existing, but that are relating to each other at the same time, I don't think we've ever seen anything like that before.

So it's really unusual. I mean, I'm hired as a series regular for a season, but I could be on any single one of those shows based on how my contract is structured. So that's really weird. I mean, for an actor, that's really cool.

Yeah, it's very inventive, and in keeping with the comic book traditional approach. Being this sort of vital puzzle piece for all the shows this season, what's that been like for you so far? How did they approach you with this notion, and what's the execution been like thus far?

Well, I'm mainly going to be on "Legends." When I was approached, it was, "We'd like you to be a regular on 'Legends of Tomorrow.' You'll be one of the main baddies along with a couple other guys we're going to call The Legion of Doom." And they told me what that whole storyline was going to look like -- and then they said, "We also want you to pop in on 'Flash' a couple times and reserve you for a few other episodes."

I mean, it's one of those things where it's a little bit open-ended. They want to keep their options open. But mainly, I'm on "Legends," and I'm there to help execute the story for its second season.

Which has got to be fun, in that you get to shake it up with a whole new group of actors.

Yeah, actually, Victor Garber is a good friend. I've known him for over 20 years and worked with him multiple times, and also on another Greg Berlanti show called "Eli Stone." And meeting Neal McDonough and John Barrowman has been a real pleasure. Those guys are terrifically talented and a lot of fun to work with. So it's been cool.

Your entry into the DC Universe was through your association with Greg and his team. Did you have any other particular connective tissue to comic book material? Or was this a whole new world for you?

It's pretty much a whole new world for me. I mean, I was a very casual comic book observer as a kid. I'm probably better suited for "Riverdale" than maybe "The Flash." But yeah. This was primarily because of my relationship with Greg and Andrew. Having worked on "Eli Stone," they thought I'd be a good fit for the Reverse-Flash reveal in Season 1. And it's just been going well since it started, so I think they thought, "Well, this would be a good year to bring him in and really be able to use him a little bit more." So yeah, primarily through them.

They're so well-versed in the world, Greg, Marc Guggenheim, and Andrew Kreisberg. These guys really know what they're talking about. They know it inside and out. So anytime I have a question, it's very easy to go to the encyclopedia of Kreisberg or Guggenheim and find out what's going on.

What do you like about this evil, evil man?

I like that there are, I feel, two sides to him, and there's also a mystery. I feel like there's a duality in him in that he started out loving Barry and wanting to be Barry, be the Flash, and then it grew into this intense dissociative hatred of Barry so that he wanted to basically annihilate him, remove him from existence. I do feel like those two sides are always in play.

Basically, Eobard Thawne, the Reverse-Flash, cannot fully exist without the Flash, as much as he wants to destroy him. So that dichotomy really intrigues me. And then there's also this mystery behind it, like what is it that triggered it all? Is it simply that this guy was born a sociopath, or a psychopath I should say, and he just became this way? Or was there some sort of inciting incident for him that sort of tripped this behavior? That's still something of a mystery to me, and I think to many people. But maybe we'll find out sometime.

Given that very Flash-centric context that he comes from, we've just now started to see him show up in "Legends." What can you say about how he is without the Flash in his gunsights right now? How does being in a storyline removed from the Flash affect him?

It's interesting: He's maybe a bit less emotionally involved, a little more removed. I do feel like his storyline on "Legends" is very much related to what has happened to him thus far on "The Flash." It's an extension of that. So he's not a different person in any way, but there is a little more room for humor, probably.

There's also the relationship with the other Legion of Doom guys, and anytime you get a bunch of super villains in a room together, things usually don't go that great in the long run. So that's kind of fun to explore, too.

When you get a bunch of actors playing super villains in a room together, what happens?

They, like a pack of dogs, try and sniff out who the alpha male is, over time. And usually one emerges briefly, and then the others try to overtake him. So there's no real sense of trust, and yet they all know who their common enemy is, and they know they need to depend on each other for survival.

So it's always fraught with mistrust, but at the same time, they're all on the same page. There's a lot of room for humor too. I mean, Damien Darhk and Merlyn, they're funny guys. So I feel like the whole "Legends of Tomorrow" season is opened up a lot more humor on the show. It just feels a little rowdier, a little more adventurous, a little funnier.

Does he make any particular enemies amongst the Legends to kind of be a Flash surrogate for his hatred?

It wasn't a Legend, actually, that he took down, but it was [Hourman] Rex Tyler. I'm trying to think if there's anybody in particular so far. No -- not yet. Darhk and Merlin are much more tied to some of the Legends, like White Canary, based on what they've experienced together on "Arrow." So there's some much more personal vendettas.

I think, with Eobard Thawne, while they figure out who he is, there's a much greater sense of mystery around him and what he's trying to do. Why he's doing what he's doing. Because they don't have the same kind of experience with him that they do with the other villains. So it's a good thing.

In not nearly as many scenes as your actual character has shared with Barry Allen -- given that Tom Cavanaugh was essentially playing a version of your character prior to your reveal – you've personally shared scenes with Grant Gustin that have had a really effective, combustable chemistry. Because that hero-villain relationship is always so crucial, what's been the thrill of finding that with Grant?

Well, I go back to this idea that Eobard, in some recess of his psyche, loves and admires Barry as much as he despises and loathes Barry. That he's at war with himself a little bit about this relationship, even if it's on a subconscious level. And that one can't fully exist without the other. There's sort of two sides to the same coin.

And then, just outside of the world, Grant is just a really, really excellent actor, and an utter professional. I mean, it's no surprise that he has good chemistry with a lot of people in the show. I mean, he's just a great actor. He takes every scene very seriously, prepares as well as anybody I've ever worked with. When you see somebody who's that committed to their job and to discovering the truth about what's going on on any given day, it makes you want to work that much harder to find it. So I feel like working with an actor of his caliber inspires better work out of me.

Did you and Tom Cavanaugh do anything to kind of create a little continuity in your performances as the Reverse-Flash?

Not a lot. He was helpful, the first couple of episodes I did, because I had not been watching the show, and I got a call with the offer. So then I had to catch up. And I kind of watched what he had been doing, but then there's also this backstory stuff that he knew that I didn't know. Stuff with the suit, with Gideon, with how things had been working on set thus far. So I tried to take some very subtle things from his performance, just cadence and stuff like that.

Tom's very, very specific in terms of his delivery. I tried to incorporate a little bit of that, but not worry about it too much, because, ultimately, in the end, it's two different people. I can't pretend I'm going to be able to recreate what Tom Cavanaugh did with the character. So yeah. He was really helpful early on, and then we just kind of took it and ran with it from there.

You've had such a long and diverse career, and you haven't been overly burdened by celebrity to kind of limit your choices. What has this phase of your career meant in the bigger picture of things?

Well, it's nice to be part of something that is in the zeitgeist and is doing it in a way that's kind of never been done before. It's nice to be playing a character that means something very specific to a large number of people. You rarely get that opportunity as an actor. Usually that's something you have to build over time, and in this case, we're stepping right into something.

I've got kids, and they watch these shows. It's nice to be a part of something that they actually want to watch, that I'm in, or that they can watch, you know? That's meaningful for me as a father. So I'd say that probably covers it right now. As an actor, you're always going to be unemployed again. You're always going to be looking for the next thing. It's just nice not to have to worry about that for a little while.

Have you found yourself more recognizable in the grocery store? Are more fans kind of picking up on you when they see you out and about?

Not especially! That's something that always comes and goes. I've been on shows where I've been highly recognizable, and that's happened a lot, and others more so. I tend to be that kind of actor that everybody thinks is someone they went to school with, you know? They'll stop me at the restaurant or coffee shop and go, "Have we met before? Where did you grow up?" It's that kind of thing, which I'm perfectly happy with. That's just the right amount of celebrity.

But I think, as far as Eobard Thawne goes, there are fans, they do notice. They're really respectful, and they're passionate about their stories. So those are the kind of people I love having recognize me.

Every actor has to deal with costume at some point or another. With this particular one, how much does the Reverse-Flash suit help your performance, and does it at all get in the way of your performance?

That's a great question, because I think -- because it's a tricky costume. It's complicated. It takes some time to get into it, and it's restricting a little bit physically, and I think most people think that it's a problem.

But it also, because of the way it's built, it adds muscle to your body, it adds a kind of structure to your body, and I think it really helps. It helps with this metahuman presence that you're trying to give off. This extra, super strong whatever it is -- presence. It makes me feel more powerful, and I feel like that translates to the performance. It's unusual that you get wardrobe that directly helps you that much.

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'American Horror Story' to Do 'Murder House' & 'Coven' Crossover Season

AMERICAN HORROR STORY: COVEN Bitchcraft - Episode 301 (Airs Wednesday, October 9, 10:00 PM e/p) --Pictured: (L-R): Jessica Lange as Fiona, Emma Roberts as Madison, Jamie Brewer as Nan, Taissa Farmiga as Zoe, Gabourey Sidibe as Queenie -- CR. Michele K. Short/FXRubber Man, meet the Supreme? "American Horror Story" guru Ryan Murphy told EW's PopFest that he is developing a Season 1 and Season 3 crossover season -- not for the next Season 7, but possibly Season 8.

EW had asked about Murphy's previous tease that he was planning to revisit Season 3, "Coven." Here's his response on that plan:

"We do know what we're going to do. It's not going to be next season, but we are going to do a season that's a crossover between 'Murder House' and 'Coven' together. Which is very bizarre, and [includes] characters from 'Murder House' [and] characters from 'Coven', together. It's not next year 'cause it takes too long to plan. I've started going to the actors from both of the seasons, quietly, saying, 'I think in this window, if you could fit us in.' So we are gonna do that. So yeah, it's fun. It's weird."

You could say there's already interest in the idea, since EW's story on the crossover -- posted early evening on October 30 -- already has more than 1,800 comments. There's hope that this means a return of AHS alumni like Connie Britton, Dylan McDermott, and -- of course -- Jessica Lange.
Season 6, "Roanoke," is still airing Wednesdays on FX. Ryan Murphy said the theme for Season 7 will be revealed in the spring of 2017. "We're not doing a secrecy thing, but it does have a big hook behind it." He also said it would feature several "Freak Show" characters.

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'The Walking Dead': 'Daryl Never Forgives Himself' for Glenn's Death

"The Walking Dead" fans may not blame Daryl Dixon for Glenn Rhee's death in the Season 7 premiere, but Pookie is definitely blaming himself.

"Daryl never forgives himself, and he takes full responsibility," Norman Reedus told Entertainment Weekly in the new issue with poor Glenn on the cover. "He gives up, he loses his fight."

Daryl defied Negan's order with that punch to the face -- which probably felt good at the time but backfired when Negan punished Glenn for it, then abducted Daryl and took him to the Saviors's base, the Sanctuary, which we should see for the first time this Sunday, November 6 in "The Cell."

Daryl is now a prisoner, and it sounds like his journey is just going to get darker from here. As Reedus told Comicbook.com, "He goes very, very dark. He does certain things that he can't go back from. He goes to a very, very dark, dark place. It's a combination of hatred. It's a combination of self-loathing. It's different from when he first started on the show. He has a big chip on his shoulder. He thought people wouldn't like him. He didn't give a sh*t. He hates you, too. It turns now into he kind of hates himself. He hates the world that we're in, and he doesn't lose the fight in him, but he definitely no longer sees anything good in the world, that's for sure."

OK, so he may or may not lose his fight. If he does lose it, it sounds like it will only be temporarily.

You know who isn't losing her fight one bit? Maggie. Lauren Cohan told Entertainment Weekly, "What Negan's action do to Maggie is light this crazy fuse. We'll see that burn pretty strong."

We may not see Maggie's fuse in this next episode -- with the focus on Daryl, Negan, Dwight and company -- but at least it's a bright spot ahead. (This character episode list shares when we'll see Maggie, Rick, and company each week.)

Check out the Episode 3 promo:
Hopefully this does not mean they are giving Daryl a "remix" of Carl's storyline from the comic book. For one thing, Daryl did not volunteer to go, so to speak, so there's still time for Carl to do his own thing.

"The Walking Dead" Season 7 airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on AMC.

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What's New on TV, Netflix, Digital, and DVD/Blu-ray This Week: October 31-November 6

Left to right: Chris Pine plays Kirk, Sofia Boutella plays Jaylah and Anton Yelchin plays Chekov in Star Trek Beyond from Paramount Pictures, Skydance, Bad Robot, Sneaky Shark and Perfect Storm EntertainmentAt a loss for what to watch this week? From new DVDs and Blu-rays, to what's new on Netflix and TV, we've got you covered.

New on DVD and Blu-ray

"Star Trek Beyond"
Boldly go into the beyond with Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) and crew when this sci-fi adventure arrives on DVD, Blu-ray, and On Demand on Tuesday, November 1. The Blu-ray Combo Pack comes with more than an hour of bonus content, including deleted scenes, a gag reel, several behind-the-scenes featurettes, and tributes to late cast members Leonard Nimoy and Anton Yelchin.

Here's an exclusive sneak peek of a visual effects featurette appearing on the DVD/Blu-ray exclusively at Target:"Bad Moms"
All Moms need to let loose every once in a while, so watch "Bad Moms" Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, and Kathryn Hahn go wild in this popular R-rated comedy, which arrives on Blu-ray and DVD November 1. Bonus features include a gag reel, deleted scenes, and "Cast & Mom" interviews with the three lead actresses, Christina Applegate, Jada Pinkett Smith, Annie Mumolo, and their moms.

"Nine Lives"
This (purrfect?) family comedy stars Kevin Spacey as a workaholic dad who ends up inside the body of his daughter's new cat, and can only escape by proving that he's a loving father. Jennifer Garner, Christopher Walken, and young Malina Weissman co-star in the film, which arrives on Blu-ray and DVD November 1. Special features include "Letting the Cat Out of the Bag: The Making of Nine Lives" and "Russian for Herding Cats."

"Outlander" Season 2
Aye, Sassenach, you dinna think we'd forget "Outlander" was out this week, did ya? Watch Season 2 on DVD and Blu-ray November 1, following Claire and Jame arriving in France with the hope of infiltrating the Jacobite rebellion and stopping the battle of Culloden. A special Season Two Amazon Exclusive Collector's Edition Includes a collectible box, a 32-page book with photos and behind-the-scenes sketches, an exclusive sneak peek from Book 9, and a bonus disc with 20 minutes of exclusive added content.

"Imperium"
Daniel Radcliffe is really stretching out from Harry Potter these days. In this drama -- based on real events -- he plays an FBI analyst who goes undercover as a white supremacist to take down a radical right-wing terrorist group. The Blu-ray and DVD, out November 1, include cast and crew interviews, the "Living Undercover" featurette, a "Making Imperium" feature, and commentary with writer/director Daniel Ragussis and writer Michael German.

New on Netflix
It's the start of a new month, and you know what that means: Thanksgiving has come early, with a cornucopia of new titles arriving on Netflix as of November 1, and a bunch of other stuff departing for winter hibernation on the same day. There are so many worthy movies and TV shows arriving in the first week of November -- from the classic "The African Queen" to five "Thomas & Friends" titles -- but here are a couple of Netflix Originals to keep an eye on.

"The Crown" Season 1 (Netflix Original)
This highly anticipated Netflix Original drama, based on the play "The Audience" by showrunner Peter Morgan, follows the reign of Queen Elizabeth II (Claire Foy) from the 1940s to modern times. "At a time when Britain was recovering from war and her empire was in decline," Netflix teased, "a young woman took the throne as a matter of duty not desire. Prepare for a world full of intrigue and revelations in 'The Crown.'" Make yourself a nice cuppa and settle in to stream the royal drama on November 4.

"The Ivory Game" (Netflix Original)
This documentary might just break your heart, or perhaps galvanize it into action. "Elephants are disappearing at the staggering rate of 1 every 15 minutes," Netflix wrote in the synopsis. "Their deaths are fueled by the illegal ivory trade, a dangerous network of violence and corruption that a brave and dedicated few are daring to dismantle. 'The Ivory Game' exposes the dark world of ivory trafficking from the planes of Africa to the streets of China." To make this doc, filmmakers went under cover for 16 months, infiltrating the corrupt global network of poachers and dealers. You can see the results on November 4.

New Video on Demand, Rental Streaming, and Digital

"Sausage Party"
The highest-grossing R-rated animated film of all time arrives on Digital HD on November 1, with the Blu-ray and DVD to follow on November 8. The digital release comes with a tasty amount of bonus materials, including "Alternate Ending: The Real World Live Action," where the animated food items cross over into the real world and confront their live-action counterparts: Seth Rogen, Michael Cera, and Edward Norton. Classic! There are also five featurettes, a Good Food Gag Reel, and more.

"My Dead Boyfriend"
Anthony Edwards (yep, the one from "ER" and "Top Gun") directed this comedy starring Heather Graham, Kate Moennig, John Corbett and Gina Gershon, arriving in select theaters, and On Demand and Digital HD on November 4. Here's the synopsis: "Mary's life has been defined by a string of temp jobs and a half-hearted attempt to become a writer. But all that changes when she comes home to find her boyfriend dead in front of the TV set. During her misadventures in trying to get rid of his ashes - accidentally becoming the bassist in a rock band; bonding with the dog he left behind; awkward encounters with numerous ex-lovers - Mary discovers that there was much more to her couch potato boyfriend than she ever thought imaginable."

"Outcast" Season 1
Patrick Fugit plays a young man plagued by demonic possessions in this horror series from comic book writer Robert Kirkman ("The Walking Dead"). Appropriately enough, Season 1 arrives on Digital HD on Halloween night, Monday, October 31. Special features include a bonus on the "Comic Book Origins."

TV Worth Watching

"Atlanta" Season 1 (Tuesday on FX at 10 p.m.)
Donald Glover was just revealed as young Lando Calrissian in the upcoming Han Solo film, but for now he's busy on this acclaimed FX series about a Princeton dropout who returns home to the ATL and manages the rising rap career of cousin. Glover both created and stars in the dramedy, which airs its Season 1 finale, "The Jacket," on November 1. FX has already renewed it for a second season.

"Dancing With the Stars" Season 23 (Monday on ABC at 8 p.m.)
Monday is Halloween, and several networks -- including Freeform, FX, Food Network, AMC, Syfy, IFC, TCM, Starz and more -- are running horror movie or other Halloween programming marathons. But if you're interested in some fun dancing and super-cheesy costumes, check out DWTS's live Halloween show. They always go all out. Plus, it may be the last time you see Ryan Lochte on the dance floor.

"Salem" Season 3 (Wednesday on WGN America at 9 p.m.)
WGN America's first original scripted series tackles the "truth" about what really fueled the infamous witch trials of 17th Century Salem, MA. The third season of the supernatural drama premieres November 2.

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Sunday, October 30, 2016

Box Office: 'Inferno' Fizzles With $15 Million as 'Madea' Pulls Off Victory

Tom Hanks and Felicity Jones in INFERNOBy Brent Lang

LOS ANGELES, Oct 30 (Variety.com) - This is how a franchise ends.

"Inferno," the latest big screen tour through Dan Brown's historical conspiracy theories, flamed out at the weekend box office, earning a frosty $15 million. That's a fraction of the $46.2 million that "Angels & Demons," the previous film version of Brown's novels, earned when it debuted in 2009, and it pales in relation to "The Da Vinci Code's" $77.1 million opening way back in 2006.

"This was a serious meltdown," said Jeff Bock, box office analyst with Exhibitor Relations. "It shows how fickle audiences can be. When studios release a sequel they don't want, they just turn their shoulder."

"Inferno" couldn't muster a strong enough debut to capture the top spot on the domestic box office chart. Lionsgate's "Boo! A Madea Halloween" nabbed first place for the second consecutive weekend, picking up $16.7 million to bring its stateside total to $52 million. The Tyler Perry comedy's victory is an upset. Heading into the weekend, "Inferno" was expected to kick off to north of $20 million -- a figure that easily would have secured it a first place finish.

"Inferno" finds Harvard cryptologist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) grappling with amnesia as he tries to piece together clues in order to prevent the release of a global pandemic. Reviewers vivisected the film, saddling it with a 20% "rotten" rating on critics aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

In addition to the brutal reviews, "Inferno" ran smack up against a World Series battle between the Cubs and the Indians, two franchises that have gone decades without capturing a championship. Those games generated a lot of excitement among "Inferno's" core audience of older men.

Strong foreign grosses could be enough to pull "Inferno" out of the red. The film has earned roughly $150 million overseas. Sony, the studio behind the film, also reined in "Inferno's" production budget. The picture cost $75 million to make, half the budget of "Angels & Demons."

Sony executives said they always expected "Inferno" to be more of a foreign play than a domestic bet, noting that previous Langdon adventures pulled in more than 70% of their box office from foreign markets.

"Globally, the movie is in really good shape," said Rory Bruer, Sony's worldwide distribution chief. "We made this film for much less and we felt strongly that it was a film that would resonate internationally."

Still, the results are disappointing, particularly for director Ron Howard, who could use a hit. Once a reliable purveyor of popcorn fare with a certain prestige sheen, such as "Apollo 13" and "A Beautiful Mind," Howard's commercial radar has been faulty of late. His recent efforts, such as "In the Heart of the Sea," "The Dilemma," and "Rush," all lost money. "Angels & Demons" was his last major studio movie to turn a profit.

"Jack Reacher: Never Go Back" snagged third place with roughly $9.6 million. The Tom Cruise thriller has earned $39.7 million in two weeks of release. Fourth place went to Warner Bros.' "The Accountant," which added $8.5 million to its $61.3 million haul. "Ouija: Origin of Evil" rounded out the top five, earning $7.1 million to bring its domestic total to $24.6 million.

In its second weekend, "Moonlight," a critically acclaimed coming-of-age story, expanded nicely from four to 36 screens, earning $900,826 in the process. The A24 release is expected to be an Oscar contender. It has earned $1.5 million so far.

Final numbers are still being tallied, but it appears that ticket sales will outpace the year-ago period. That's not much of an accomplishment. Last year, "The Martian" held on to the top spot in its fifth week of release, as newcomers like "Burnt" collapsed.

Overall, fall ticket sales have lagged behind those of 2015. Most analysts don't expect a true box office turnaround to happen until "Doctor Strange" debuts next weekend.

"We need a box office hero," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at comScore. "We need a great movie to get us out of the box office doldrums."



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Friday, October 28, 2016

Why 'The Walking Dead' Season 7 Is Now More 'Lord of the Rings' Than 'Lord of the Flies'

Now that "The Walking Dead" Season 7 has put THAT brutal premiere behind it, the focus on the rest of the season is slightly more positive. Slightly. Andrew Lincoln (Rick Grimes) has been using the same analogy -- possibly fed to him from The Powers That Be -- to tease what's ahead in his character's quickly expanding world:

"The way forward from here," Lincoln told the New York Post, "the glib advertising version that I'm allowed to tell you ... is that this is more 'Lord of the Rings' than 'Lord of the Flies' this season."

What does he mean by that? Probably the hope of a Council of Elrond-like gathering of disparate communities, a "Fellowship of the Walker Apocalypse" aligning to defeat the common enemy of Sauron Negan.

We already know Hilltop is a semi-ally, although the "very slippery" leader -- Gregory -- is going to be "incredibly worried" about the fallout of Team Alexandria's massive defeat. He basically aligned with Rick's group to take out the Saviors and that did not happen, so he's going to worry about his own safety. But Jesus is less of a coward, and he's there, too. And Maggie is on her way, and she's not likely to let a single thing stand in her way of taking down Negan.

This Sunday, October 30 we'll also visit the survivor community of The Kingdom, led by King Ezekiel, who -- yes -- has his own tiger. The guy is unique, but in the "Walking Dead" comic book, he and Jesus are friends, and the Kingdom is an ally of Hilltop, and becomes an ally of Alexandria. In the comic, the three communities combine forces to fight the Saviors in what's called "All Out War."

Andrew Lincoln previously teased the All Out War storyline, whether for Season 7 or (probably) not, saying, "And if we follow the comic book, then there's a super badass conflict between Negan and us, and I think that's certainly something that I think will trump anything we've attempted before in the show."

But before getting to that, we need to gather everyone together, "Lord of the Rings" style. Not sure who is meant to be Frodo, Gandalf, Legolas, Boromir, Gimli, Aragorn, Elrond, etc., but right now we're willing to give Maggie the Frodo power, with her (benign) ring of power being her unborn baby and desire for revenge for Glenn.

Lincoln talked to The Hollywood Reporter about Maggie's chances of surviving this ordeal, and he tied it to the larger story ahead:

"I think her tenacity and first reaction after losing the love of her life is incredibly powerful and it reverberates: We fight. We're very fortunate in our show that we have writers that really write well for all of our characters — particularly the women, which thrills me. All of these characters have been shattered by this event and every one of them will react in their own individual and personal way. This show is about hope. It may not feel like it sometimes — it may feel like it's about grief, tragedy and trauma but it is ultimately about hope. The thing about Rick and that family is they've been through so much pain and tragedy, but they still have that connection between them. The only glimmer of light in a dark episode is when Rick says to Maggie, 'He's our family too.' That's a key insight into where the rest of the season is headed."

The "family" is coming for you, Negan. Maybe not today or tomorrow. But war is coming.

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Here's What's in the 'Doctor Strange' Post-Credits Scenes

Positive reviews are pouring in for Marvel's "Doctor Strange," and with those reviews are spoilers about what fans can expect in the end credits.

TheWrap shared details on what's in the two scenes, and they include spoilers not only for "Doctor Strange," but a bit for "Thor: Ragnarok," and potentially for a "Doctor Strange" sequel.

The first scene arrives mid-credits, and features Thor (Chris Hemsworth) being Thor -- chugging a beer stein that keeps refilling itself. (#goals)


Thor isn't alone in the scene, though; he's sharing a drink with Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), who tells Thor he is keeping a watch list of beings from other realms who might be a threat to this world. Strange asks Thor why his brother Loki is in New York, and Thor says the bros are trying to find their father Odin to bring him back to Asgard. Strange gets Thor to confirm that, if they find Odin, they will all head back to Asgard "promptly."

We'll see. "Thor: Ragnarok" arrives in theaters November 3, 2017.

The second scene doesn't appear to directly connect to other upcoming MCU films -- like "Guardians of the Galaxy 2" or "Spider-Man: Homecoming." Instead, it's another scene with Chiwetel Ejiofor's "Doctor Strange" character, Baron Mordo, who has a bit of a falling out with Doctor Strange in the film, and goes to find Jonathan Pangborn (Benjamin Bratt), a paraplegic who learned how to heal himself, in his workshop.

Here's how TheWrap describes the scene:

"Pangborn evidently feels that something is off and grabs a weapon. Mordo incapacitates him, sending him back to his former, paraplegic state. Near the end of the scene, Mordo tells Pangborn that he has figured out what's wrong with the world: 'There are too many sorcerers.' That suggests Mordo could emerge as a primary villain in a sequel."

"Doctor Strange" had previously been described as something of an origin story for Baron Mordo, as well as the titular doctor. As director Scott Derrickson told Screen Rant:

"Mordo, in the comic books... was just really arch. And he's in the origin issue and even in reading through – and I've read the entire body of Doctor Strange now – it was a difficult character, very difficult character to adapt. Because of the very basic archness that he plays all the way through there. So we wanted to keep what were the interesting aspects of him... but with the way that [Mordo] needs to be a presence in the universe of Doctor Strange and, god willing, in sequels, I felt that we had to start by establishing who he was before he got into that arch villainy in the comics. And that's a lot of what we're doing in this movie... we're sort of building a foundational understanding of who he was before the guy that you met in that comic so that that turn isn't an arch turn."

"Doctor Strange" opens Friday, November 4.

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See 'Game of Thrones' King & Queen of the North Hold a Sexy 'Pout-Off'

'Grey's Anatomy' Season 13 Midseason Finale 'Reaches a Fever Pitch'

After six episodes, the drama is just getting started on "Grey's Anatomy" Season 13. And when the midseason finale arrives, we should expect it to be a doozy.

Jerrika Hinton (Dr. Stephanie Edwards) and Giacomo Gianniotti (Dr. Andrew DeLuca) recently teased the action ahead, while on the red carpet for the My Friend's Place "Ending Youth Homelessness" fundraiser, where Hinton presented Gianniotti the Champion of the Year award. (Congrats, man!)

Dr. Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) will apparently face more courtroom drama after his rage-fueled attack on DeLuca in the Season 12 finale. "Oh, the trial ... wow!" Hinton teased to Screener. "We just had the table read for the midseason finale the other day, and that reaches a fever pitch." Gianniotti added, "This attack could stay with him for a while. It's tough."

Speaking of "tough" and "fever pitch," fans were furious at the death of Dr. Derek Shepherd, so Screener asked if Patrick Dempsey's absence has left a gaping hole on set. Turns out, not so much. "He's talked about in the episodes by the characters," Gianniotti said. "But more than that, not really." Amazing how quickly the heart moves on!
Before the midseason finale drama reaches a "fever pitch," we can look forward to the arrival of Marika Dominczyk's new consultant, Eliza Minnick, this Thursday, November 3 in Episode 7. Actress Bridget Regan also teased that she is playing a mystery character in the November 10 Episode 8. And beyond the brewing Alex/DeLuca/Jo triangle, we can look forward to/dread more of Amelia's past coming back to haunt her.

There are 24 episodes to Season 13, and fans should probably expect the usual mix of hope and heartbreak every week. But here's hoping the midseason finale ends the Alex vs. DeLuca storyline, instead of dragging it out even further.

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First Look at 'Big Lebowski' Spinoff Starring John Turturro

Big LebowskiPraise Jesus (Quintana) — the first photo from the "Big Lebowski" spinoff movie "Going Places" is here!

The image was released today, along with an official synopsis, and John Turturro's iconic characters is doing what he loves: bowling. Whether he still licks the bowling balls is unknown, but Jesus clearly still enjoys rocking purple outfits.

Joel and Ethan Coen have been adamant about not making a "Big Lebowski 2," but they gave their blessing to Turturro to create a spinoff film, especially since the character of Jesus was Turturro's idea. He wrote, directed, and stars in "Going Places," which is actually a quasi-remake of Bertrand Blier's 1974 French film "Les valseuses."

Here's the official synopsis:

John Turturro plays Jesus Quintana in GOING PLACES, a film about a trio of misfits whose irreverent, sexually charged dynamic evolves into a surprising love story as their spontaneous and flippant attitude towards the past or future backfires time and again, even as they inadvertently perform good deeds. When they make enemies with a gun-toting hairdresser, their journey becomes one of constant escape from the law, from society and from the hairdresser, all while the bonds of their outsider family strengthen.

Bobby Cannavale, Audrey Tautou and Susan Sarandon star alongside Turturro. It currently does not have a release date.

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'Rambo' Getting a Reboot, Like Every Other Franchise

RamboHey, movie franchises — you get a reboot, and you get a reboot, and you get a reboot! Everybody gets a reboot!

The next in line, according to The Hollywood Reporter, is the '80s action movie franchise "Rambo." Nu Image/Millennium Films is developing "Rambo: New Blood," which would cast a young actor in the role that Sylvester Stallone made famous. They are attempting to treat Rambo as a character like James Bond. Brooks McLaren is set to write the script and Ariel Vromen to direct.

The character of Rambo originated in the 1972 novel "First Blood" by David Morrell. The book was adapted into the 1982 movie starring Stallone as a disaffected Vietnam vet who fights back against the abuse of small-town law enforcement.

While sequel "Rambo: First Blood Part II" was also a huge hit, "Rambo III" disappointed at the box office and the franchise went dormant. Stallone revived it with 2008's "Rambo." A "Rambo 5" was teased as a final chapter, but earlier this year, Stallone announced he was retiring from playing the character.

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Watch Eddie Redmayne Perform Magic For Benedict Cumberbatch, Bryan Cranston

26th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala - After PartyEddie Redmayne doesn't just play a wizard in the upcoming "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" — he can perform magic in real life, too!

In an appearance on "The Graham Norton Show," the Oscar winner showed off his magical abilities to fellow guests Benedict Cumberbatch and Bryan Cranston. He takes an ordinary coloring book — which starts off with completely empty pages. Then, he asks Cranston (his fellow Oscar nominee last year) to blow on the book. Suddenly, it's filled with drawings!
Oh, but Redmayne wasn't done. Then, he asked Cumberbatch (his fellow Oscar nominee two years ago) to blow on the book. Guess the "Sherlock" and "Doctor Strange" star didn't blow hard enough, because Redmayne was forced to take out his wand — and you'll never believe what happened next!

The segment is totally adorable. We could watch these Oscar and Emmy winners behave like amazed kids all day.

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'Edge of Tomorrow' Sequel Will Actually Be a Prequel

Edge of Tomorrow"Edge of Tomorrow" is going back to some yesterday.

A sequel for the hit sci-fi action movie starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt has been in the cards for some time, but now director Doug Liman reveals that the follow-up will actually be a prequel.

Liman has never made a sequel (after "The Bourne Identity," he bequeathed that franchise to Paul Greengrass). So, why do one for "Edge of Tomorrow"? As he told Collider, "That is the only sequel that I'm considering doing, and it's because first of all the story is so amazing — much better than the original film, and I loved and loved the original film — and second of all, it's a sequel that's a prequel."

Christopher McQuarrie, who wrote the first movie, has said the idea for the sequel came from Cruise himself. The sequel-actually-prequel movie will be penned by "Race" writers Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse.

"I had these intellectual ideas on how you should make a sequel that are unlike how anybody else makes a sequel, and this script and this idea fit perfectly into that idea," Liman explained. "So it's gonna revolutionize how people make sequels."

It's hard to speculate what that revolution looks like. The story in the first movie involved time travel, with Cruise's character re-living one day over and over again to acquire the skills necessary to defeat alien invaders. He trained with Blunt's Sergeant Rita Rose Vrataski, known as the "Angel of Verdun" for her heroics in that battle. She also experienced the time loop there, so could the prequel follow her through Verdun? Or even go back to the Mimics' initial invasion?

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'Deadpool 2' Eyes 'John Wick' Director David Leitch

After losing original "Deadpool" director Tim Miller last weekend over creative differences with star Ryan Reynolds, "Deadpool 2" may have already found his replacement.

Mashable is reporting that David Leitch, who co-directed Keanu Reeves action flick "John Wick," is the "strong frontrunner" to take the coveted gig. According to the site, Leith and Reynolds share the same talent agency, and that connection propelled the director to the top of the actor's list, though Mashable also notes that "several other directors remain in the mix."

Leitch may not be Quentin Tarantino (who some fans petitioned to land the job), but he's worked with Reynolds-as-Deadpool before (he was the action coordinator for "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," in which Reynolds made his debut as Wade Wilson). The director also previously collaborated with studios Fox and Marvel as a stunt performer, in flicks such as "Blade," "Daredevil," and "Fight Club," eventually working his way up to the second unit director on fellow "X-Men" spinoff property "The Wolverine," as well as "Jurassic World" and "Captain America: Civil War." He made his feature directorial debut on "John Wick" as part of a co-directing team with Chad Stahelski.

Though Mashable's report cautions that no formal deal is place for Leitch yet, Variety is reporting that the gig is all but a done deal for the director. There's been no response from Fox or Marvel yet on either report.

"Deadpool 2" does not have a release date yet. Stay tuned.

[via: Mashable]

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Go Behind the Scenes of the 'Thor: Ragnarok' Set as Production Wraps

thor, thor: ragnarok, ragnarok, set tour, behind the scenes, production, wrap, taika waititi, chris hemsworth, tessa thompsonThe third entry in the "Thor" franchise, "Thor: Ragnarok," wrapped production this week, and to celebrate, director Taika Waititi took fans on a behind the scenes tour of the film's set, complete with cameos from two of the film's stars.

In a Facebook Live video, Waititi gave viewers an inside look at what appeared to be the filming of a battle scene -- or its aftermath -- on the edge of a small lake near Australia's Gold Coast. The set was covered in huge piles of debris, and the director described the landscape as a "sci-fi space wasteland."

Extras dressed in heavy cloaks were everywhere, and Waititi described their characters as "scrappers." He also briefly took viewers inside a spaceship, and showed off some curious-looking weapons.

The director then bumped into Thor himself, Chris Hemsworth, and costar Tessa Thompson, who's playing Norse goddess Valkyrie. Thompson still had some of her makeup on, sporting what looked like war paint, though the actress played coy about what those marks meant for her character.

There was plenty of reference to things that Waititi and co. could or could not show viewers, with the director at one point panning down to his feet to avoid revealing a particular part of the set. A crew member also showed off a Ragnarok emblem, but Waititi said its meaning has to be kept under wraps for now.

Despite the secrecy, Hemsworth noted that he and the rest of the crew were excited to have fans finally see "the awesomeness that is this film." We're sure Marvel lovers feel the same way.

"Thor: Ragnarok" is due in theaters on November 3, 2017.

[via: Marvel Studios/Facebook]

Photo credit: Marvel Studios/Facebook

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