With the recent Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Extended Universe going head to head at your local Odeon with those Superhero types doing battle royale in both cinematic comic camps, I thought it a good time to review the Box Office haul of first Marvel, this week, and DC next. In terms of the thirteen official movies in the MCU canon, here are the stats for those that grossed over US$500M - ten out of the first thirteen.
- 'The Avengers' - May 2012 - US$1.519B and #5 highest ranking film of all time.
- 'The Avengers : Age of Ultron' - May 2015 - US$1.405B and #7 highest ranking film of all time.
- 'Iron Man 3' - May 2013 - US$1.215B, and #10 highest ranking film of all time.
- 'Guardians of the Galaxy' - August 2014 - US$771M.
- 'Captain America : Winter Soldier' - April 2014 - US$714M.
- 'Captain America : Civil War' - April 2016 - US$705M and still on general release.
- 'Thor : The Dark World' - November 2013 - US$644M.
- 'Iron Man 2' - May 2010 - US$623M.
- 'Iron Man' - May 2008 - US$582M.
- 'Ant-Man' - July 2015 - US$519M.
- The MCU production budget for the combined films totalled US$2.33B, returning worldwide receipts of $9.77B which is sure to have brought a smile to Tony Stark's face given that he has featured in many of them, and Stan Lee also, in all.
Added to this let's not forget those Marvel films that have so far sat outside the MCU that include the hugely successful
'X-Men' franchise that across seven so far released films have grossed US$3.05B with
'X-Men : Apocalypse' due for release later this month. Then, there is everyone's favourite young web slinger
'Spiderman' who across five films has spread his net far & wide grossing a staggering US$3.96B, and this years
'Deadpool' which in its own right did US$762M. Into the mix should go the less successful Blade Series, Fantastic Four Series, Ghost Rider Series, The (Incredible) Hulk Series,
'Daredevil', 'Elektra', 'Howard the Duck' and various others - all up amounting to 43 films grossing US$18.45B off a combined budget of US$5.35B. With Phase 3 of the MCU now live with the release of
'Captain America : Civil War' and going strong on general release worldwide right now, we can still look forward to
'Doctor Strange' in November this year, with 2017 bringing
'Guardian's of the Galaxy, Volume 2', 'Spider-Man : Homecoming', and
'Thor : Ragnarok' with 2018 and 2019 already filming or in pre-production that include two further
'Avengers' instalments, an
'Ant-Man' follow-up, and several standalone films introducing new characters from the rich source material. Get excited . . . get very excited!
This week, however, there is a mega-haul of seven new films to tempt, tease and delight audiences young and older, that cover just about every genre from action, to horror, to comedy, drama, documentary and animation covering all tastes and all bases. First up we have a French set terror based thriller involving two unlikely protagonists thrown together to thwart an unknown enemy on a day of national celebration that could turn very ugly for everyone. Then a wartime bio-dramedy exposing what those journo's really get up to when they are far way from home and when the bullets fly and people die. Next up a pair of horrors - one of the psychological kind set in an English mansion slap bang in the middle of nowhere with a nanny and a child of a very different kind, and the other of the neo-Nazi kind in backwater no-name last-hope rural America where it all goes pear shaped when a gigging punk-band get more then they bargained for when their tour comes to an end. Following this but sticking with Nazi's is a revenge film that sees an ageing dementia suffering terminator in a cross country search for the man who killed his family seven decades before. Slowing down the pace is a documentary insight of high fashion and art colliding at the haute couture event of the year, before wrapping up with the feature length animated film of a very popular video game series of some avian types with anger management issues.
With so much diversity heading your way with this weeks latest releases, you'll be hard pressed to limit your movie of the week to just one! When you have sat through your movie of choice, drop your like minded movie goers a line in the Comments section below this or any other Post and share your experience with those of us here at Odeon Online. We'd love to hear from you, and in the meantime, enjoy your film.
'BASTILLE DAY' (Rated M) - for the historians amongst us, you'll know the significance of 14th July to the French - for it is Bastille Day, marking the date in 1789 when troops stormed The Bastille - a medieval fortress and prison in Paris. It was an important event marking effectively the beginning of the French Revolution. It wasn't until 1880 however, that it officially became a national public holiday, and has as such been celebrated every year since then. So, history lesson over, what about this film which mirrors recent tragic terrorist events in Paris but this is sheer coincidence as filming took place before those events in late 2014, with the movie in the can by Christmas that year. All that said,
'Bastille Day' is Directed by James Watkins, and stars Idris Elba in the main lead doing all he can to prove that he might be a shoe-in for James Bond when Daniel Craig sips his last shaken not stirred Martini.
Set in Paris around the Bastille Day celebrations, this is an action thriller that sees Sean Briar (Elba) - a maverick CIA Agent having to team up with an American pick-pocket and fast talking con-artist Michael Mason (Richard Madden) who steals a bag which contains more that he bargained for. When things go belly up Briar comes to realise that Mason is just a pawn in a much bigger game, and is also most likely to be his best and only asset in bringing down the crims and revealing the source of corruption that they are now both being hunted down for. Having to rely on each other, this mismatched pairing come to realise they are both targets in a game of cat & mouse that unfolds quickly aided by the power of the Internet and social media. The film has so far received mixed reviews, but is likely to be a lot of shoot 'em up adrenalin packed fun as long as you don't go with higher expectations. Also stars Kelly Reilly and Jose Garcia.
'WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT' (Rated MA15+) - this biographical Iraq war dramedy is based on the Kim Barker memoir
'The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan' and is Directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, was released in early March in the US and has so far grossed US$23M of its US$35M cost to bring to the big screen. Set back in 2002, we have here the true story of Kim Barker (Tina Fey) - a cable news producer who disillusioned with her going nowhere career, decides to shake things up and takes an assignment in war torn Kabul, Afghanistan. Like a complete fish outta water and dislodged from the comforts of her small cubicle office and her home, she is quickly adopted in the 'Kabubble' by Scottish photojournalist Iain MacKelpie (Martin Freeman) and Aussie reporter Tanya Vanderpoel (Margot Robbie) who show her the ways of the warlords, the militants, the battlefield tensions, and the night-time partying that she soon learns to adapt to, turn to her advantage, and grows to enjoy - turning herself into a successful correspondent in the process. As a result she outstays her original assignment, not by months, but by years - really, WTF? Also starring Alfred Molina and Billy Bob Thornton.
'GREEN ROOM' (Rated R18+) - Written and Directed by Jeremy Saulier this low budget limited release horror thriller has garnered much critical acclaim which has yet to transfer to big Box Office receipts, but nonetheless it should be one to watch out for. The members of a young punk band 'The Ain't Rights' - Pat, Sam, Reece and Tiger (Anton Yelchin, Alia Shawcat, Joe Cole and Callum Turner respectively) are wrapping up a largely unsuccessful tour with a view that after their last gig they are all going to go their separate ways. Enticed into some one-horse backwater Oregon town by night club owner Darcy Banker (Patrick Stewart) after the gig they witness the violent murder of a girl, and so the band lock themselves away in the Green Room with the friend of the victim Amber (Imogen Poots). What unfolds is a do or die fight to the death as the band strive to survive while Darcy and his neo-Nazi skinhead followers want them eliminated for what they have seen, and the harm they can therefore cause if not silenced. But, what they did not count on was four young punks with a particular set of skills who will not go silently into the night! Taught, riveting, and riotous - this will not be for everyone, but Stewart in particular is a delight playing evil for all its worth and clearly loving it.
'THE BOY' (Rated M) - sticking with the horror genre, here we have the psychological kind Directed by William Brent Bell and made for US$10M and so far returning US$64M since its late January release Stateside. Greta (Lauren Cohan) takes a job as a nanny for a well-to-do English family, after fleeing an abusive relationship back home in Montana. Upon arriving at the remote home of the Heelshire family, Greta is introduced to their 'child' Brahms. Greta is somewhat taken aback that Brahms is in fact porcelain doll, life-size, but a doll nonetheless, that the Heelshire's treat like a child in memory of their son who died some 25 years earlier aged eight. Before the Heelshire's depart for a family holiday they leave Greta with a strict set of rules that she must abide by when caring for Brahms. When she ignores these rules a series of unexplained and disturbing events occur that lead her to believe that Brahms is in fact alive and everything is not quite what it seems. Things will go bump in the night . . . and worse.
'REMEMBER' (Rated MA15+) - this German and Canadian drama thriller co-production is Directed by Atom Egoyan and receives a limited release only in selected cinemas, but is well worth seeking out for its intriguing story and strong performances from some of cinemas elder statesmen. Released at the Venice and then the Toronto International Film Festivals in September last year, in Germany on NYE and then the US in early March, it has only now reached our Australian shores. Telling the story of two Holocaust survivors from Auschwitz - Zev Guttman (Christopher Plummer) and Max Rosenbaum (Martin Landau) who now in their 90's live together in a New York nursing home, Max upon the death of Zev's wife, reminds him of the man responsible for the death of their families when they were imprisoned up in the camp seven decades ago. Max has drawn up a plan and convinces Zev despite his onset of dementia, to avenge their families by hunting down and finding the man responsible - Blockfuhrer Otto Wallisch who after the war came to America and adopted the name Rudy Kurlander (played by Bruno Ganz, Heinz Lieven and Jurgen Prochnow). What follows is a cross-country revenge story as this ageing terminator is intent of finding the right Rudy Kurlander and exacting his own form of justice.
'THE FIRST MONDAY IN MAY' (Rated M) - the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art is the backdrop for this documentary film Directed by Andrew Rossi tracing the year long preparations leading upto the launch of their most attended fashion exhibition in history -
'China : Through The Looking Glass' - an exploration of the Chinese-inspired Western fashions of Costume Institute curator Andrew Bolton. Andrew Rossi captures the impact of high fashion and celebrity at the Met Gala, one of the biggest hottest ticket global fashion events chaired every year by Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour. Featuring a veritable who's who of renowned artists in many fields such as fashion designers Karl Lagerfeld, Jean Paul Gaultier and John Galliano as well as a host of celebrity icons including Baz Luhrmann and Rihanna, the movie questions whether fashion should be seen as art.
'THE ANGRY BIRDS MOVIE' (Rated PG) - based on the popular video game of the same name this is an American/Finnish 3D animated feature co-production Directed by first timers Clay Kaytis and Fergal Reilly and Produced by Sony Pictures Imageworks for US$80M. The film was released in France on 5th May, is released in Finland on 13th May and gets its US release on 20th. With an all star voice cast that includes Peter Dinklage as Mighty Eagle, Jason Sudeikis as Red, Danny McBride as Bomb, Josh Gadd as Chuck, Sean Penn as Terrence, Bill Hader as Leonard, and Kate McKinnon as Stella the story revolves around Red, Chuck and Bomb who begin a quest to find out why their idyllic island home populated by happy flightless birds is invaded by mysterious green pigs. Although for these three outcasts who do not live such a happy idyllic life and are more temperamental, more angry, and more volatile than their easy going flightless feathered friends, the quest is on to uncover why the green little piggies have been so welcomed to the flock, when they are really getting under the skin of three angry feathered friends.
With so much great choice coming to a cinema near you, and so many other great films still doing the rounds there is no excuse not to get yourself out to see a movie in the week ahead. Share your thoughts when you have done so, and in the meantime, I'll see you at the Odeon.
-Steve, at Odeon Online-
'BASTILLE DAY' which I saw on Friday evening, for the historians amongst us, will know the significance of 14th July to the French - for it is Bastille Day, marking the date in 1789 when troops stormed The Bastille - a medieval fortress and prison in Paris. It was an important event marking effectively the beginning of the French Revolution. It wasn't until 1880 however, that it officially became a national public holiday, and has as such been celebrated every year since then with great fan fare. So, history lesson over, what about this film which mirrors recent tragic terrorist events in Paris with the January 2015 Charlie Hebdo Offices bombing and that of a Jewish supermarket, and then the more widespread and tragic Stade de France attacks in St. Denis and the Bataclan Theatre attack in November 2015. The similarities with this films central theme are inevitable, but in reality sheer coincidence as filming took place before those events in late 2014, with the movie in the can by Christmas that year. All that said, 'Bastille Day' is Directed by James Watkins, and stars Idris Elba in the main lead doing all he can to prove that he might be a shoe-in for James Bond when Daniel Craig sips his last shaken not stirred Martini.
The films open up on the eve of Bastille Day, with the city well advanced in its celebratory preparations for the national holiday. Working the streets is an American pick-pocket Michael Mason (Richard Madden) doing a very nice job of stealing wallets, smart phones, expensive watches and passports from unsuspecting tourists and passers-by out on a summer's evening enjoying the festivities. With his evenings stash he makes his way to his 'fence' and he exchanges his evenings collection for cash, and then slinks away into the night for a quiet refreshment in a nearby Cafe. Across the city from his offices overlooking the Eiffel Tower is CIA Agent Sean Briar (Idris Elba) pondering what the next 24 hours will bring as the city swings into full on party mode.
Siting there minding his own business in quiet reflection, Mason spies a distraught woman, Zoe Neville (Charlotte Le Bon) with a carrier bag - she removes her blond wig and stuffs it into the bag, and holds her head in her hands sobbing. An easy target thinks Mason, and while she sits on a step not paying attention he's in there, bag removed and on his way. In a side street out of view he rummages through the bag to see what he can find - a cuddly toy bear, the blond wig, a mobile phone, and other sundry paraphernalia. Nothing much - he stuffs the bear back in and the wig, holds onto the phone and makes his way back to the Cafe precinct from whence he came, depositing the bag in the garbage bin as he goes. Within a few seconds, the garbage bin explodes and the street is strewn with debris, and bodies - four dead! Mason gets to his feet, grabs the phone and makes off, stunned by what just happened, and not before being caught on CCTV. Within no time, Briar is on the case, the prime suspect in this terror attack is identified, tracked down and brought in for questioning but not before a roof top foot chase that comes to rest in a busy market - the like of which you seen in a hundred other movies of this ilk, but it is reasonably well handled nonetheless.
Cue the unofficial safe house interrogation room and Briar and Mason are nose to nose with Briar coming on strong as the tough take no prisoners kinda guy, and Mason as the in out of his depth WTF just happened I'm just a wannabe Med student trying to make a fast buck to pay my way through college low life loser. Pretty soon, the city goes into lock down and Briar realises that Mason is probably telling the truth and he is just a patsy caught up in this mess unawares. So Briar decides to use the pick-pocket to track down Zoe using the phone that Mason stole, and which is all they have to go on. And so begins another hunt, another chase and more truths revealed that only add to this web of intrigue as the two unlikely partners now chase all over Paris.
While all of this is going on Briar's superior officer Karen Dacre (Kelly Reilly) is monitoring the unfolding scenario back at CIA HQ in downtown Paris and is in contact with long term friend and counterpart in the French authorities Victor Gamieux (Jose Garcia). He has a hidden agenda and enlists the RAPID Team (a seemingly elite special forces arm of the police) with his full authority to track down the alleged terrorist and Zoe, for fear that their plan may come undone - and the boys from RAPID are in on the game with a huge pay day coming their way if their rigorously detailed plans come off. Its up to Briar, Mason and Neville to uncover the further plot twists as they go, playing the inevitable cat & mouse game across Paris as the hunters becomes the hunted, and then vice versa.
Meanwhile the RAPID guys are inciting unrest amongst the masses and manufacturing scenes of police brutality that they post all over social media encouraging unrest, rioting in the streets, looting, random acts of violence and holding the authorities to ransom on the day of celebration. They use hashtags to get their messages across whilst creating a smokescreen for their plan to be executed - to rob the national bank of US$500M in plain sight and with the full authority from the government, represented here by Gamieux. But of course they didn't count on the machismo of Briar and the sleight of hand of Mason to thwart their plans when they least expect it, and with the help of thousands of Parisians who help turn the tables unexpectedly.
Of course, before they get to this point, there's more shoot 'em up, beat 'em down bravado in the back of a truck, which again, you've seen a hundred times before, but also reasonably well handled. In the end, good overcomes evil, a few more people get killed - both good and bad, and the mastermind behind all of this gets locked up, and the aspiring Med student decides that a job in the CIA may not be such a bad option after all, given his one and only successful track record in bringing down a major crime, capturing the king pin and preventing a shit storm on Bastille Day.
