Movie News Monday for May 5, 2014.

Welcome to this week’s edition of “Movie News Monday!” (“MNM!”) 

What is ‘MNM’ all about?

In case this is your first time here, “Movie News Monday!” (MNM) is the place to visit on Mondays for a quick recap of trending entertainment news! I’ve collected info, rumors, etc from all over just for you to keep you updated on movies being released, actors/actresses in roles, dvd releases to keep a lookout for, which movie won in the box office over the weekend, etc! Are you ready for your weekly update? Here it is!

This Just In!!…

#1- “The Weekend Winner.”  Last weekend, the box office arena welcomed 1 major new wide release as the summer box office officially opened. While a few limited releases also peeked into the “film release fishbowl” (such as Walk of Shame and Belle), it seems that NONE of the films in theaters could do what it took to take down The Amazing Spider-Man 2 which debuted in the US and landed the #1 spot! Woohoo.

In other box office news, God’s Not Dead rose back up into the ranks of the Top Ten after it’s #11 box office performance the previous weekend. (As did The Grand Budapest Hotel which went from #13 to #10.) Haunted House 2 and Bears both vacated the Top Ten along with the biggest loss of the week, Transcendence, which dropped 73% and went from #6 to #13. Ouch!

Here are the weekend’s estimated results for Fri, May 2-Sun, May 4:

1. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ~$92M
2. The Other Woman ~$14.2M
3. Heaven is for Real ~$8.7M
4. Captain America: The Winter Soldier ~$7.8M
5. Rio 2 ~$7.6M
6. Brick Mansions ~$3.5M
7. Divergent ~$2.2M
8. The Quiet Ones ~$2M
9. God’s Not Dead ~$1.8M
10. The Grand Budapest Hotel ~$1.7M

*Actuals may vary as earnings are updated much later on Monday afternoons. For updates, visit boxofficemojo.com.

Congratulations to The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Click HERE for my review)

What did YOU watch this weekend?

#2- “Release Date Roulette?” As upcoming films project their production schedule and expect a certain release date, sometimes delays or deals permit elicit changes for one reason or another and either disappoint or excite fans (depending on whether or not the date is moved up or back). Today, here are some updates to some recent release date changes:

• Goosebumps, starring Jack Black and directed by Rob Letterman (Gulliver’s Travels).
  • Original date: March 23, 2015
  • New date: August 7, 2015 (Opposite the upcoming Assassin’s Creed film)
• Untitled Smurfs film, set to be fully animated and directed by Kelly Asbury (Shrek 2).
  • Original date: August 14, 2015
  • New date: August 5, 2016
• The Avengers: Age of Ultron, directed by Joss Whedon.
  • Not a “release date change” per se BUT, it will see a release date around the world that is earlier than the US’ release of May 1, 2015.
  • Hong Kong: April 23. UK, Ireland & Sweden: April 24. Japan: April 25. France: April 29. Germany, Mexico, Denmark & Argentina: April 30.

What are your thoughts on these release dates/changes?

#3- “Axel and Spade Getting Sequels Made.“ This past week, further news hit about a few sequels in the works.

Beverly Hills Cop 4 has received a released date from Paramount and is slated to open on March 25, 2016 with Eddie Murphy on board to once again be Detective Axel Foley. Currently, Jerry Bruckheimer is set to produce the film with Brett Ratner sitting in the director’s chair. The script is being written by the writers for Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec) but there has been no news on Judge Reinhold’s return.

Yes, the unnecessary sequels to Mrs. Doubtfire AND Paul Blart: Mall Cop are on the way, but did you catch this news?:

Joe Dirt 2 is coming. During his recent AMA on Reddit, actor David Spade announced the following:

“We wrote a sequel, and we may wind up doing it on Crackle.com, because they want to be the first web address to do a sequel to a movie. Because Sony owns them, and it’s a Sony movie. We’re trying to find a way to make it for the budget, but we really want to do it. And keep it good.”

“We’re putting it together now and seeing if we can keep it as funny and with the music we like for a lower budget. All the movies you hear about being made now keep running into budget problems, this and that, and it sounds boring, but it’s just a new world, where they can’t make those $15-30 million comedies anymore. It’s either $3 million or $200 million, there’s almost no in-between, so everyone’s adjusting to either a summer tentpole Avengers-type movie, or learning to get down and dirty and gritty and making a smaller movie. I just don’t want to burn the fans and want to make it good, so me and the other writer are combing through the sequel and trying to make it make sense and have good music and be funny within the parameters. So hopefully it will be soon, or it will be too pointless.”

In addition to this, Spade added that if the movie gets greenlit, that they hope to have Christopher Walken and Kid Rock return.

**and FYI, Olympus Has Fallen 2…entitled London Has Fallen now has a release date of October 2, 2015 and will star Gerard Butler. For more on that development, click the photo below.

What do you think of these sequels? yay or nay? 

#4- “Beautiful New Maleficent Posters.” The time is nearing for Disney’s dark tale, Maleficent, to release and cast its spell. That being the case, the marketing has increased and provided us a set of beautiful new character posters. Check them out. (Click any photo to enlarge, use arrow keys to view others and scroll through.)

Synopsis: “Maleficent” explores the untold story of Disney’s most iconic villain from the classic “Sleeping Beauty” and the elements of her betrayal that ultimately turn her pure heart to stone. Driven by revenge and a fierce desire to protect the moors over which she presides, Maleficent cruelly places an irrevocable curse upon the human king’s newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Aurora is caught in the middle of the seething conflict between the forest kingdom she has grown to love and the human kingdom that holds her legacy. Maleficent realizes that Aurora may hold the key to peace in the land and is forced to take drastic actions that will change both worlds forever.

Trailer:

Releasing in  2D, 3D and IMAX 3D on May 30th, Maleficent stars Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley, Juno Temple, Stanley Tucci, Sam Riley, Hannah New and more!

UPDATE- RIGHT after I published MNM, the new IMAX poster for Maleficent released…so…here it is (Click to enlarge):

Are you looking forward to this one?

#5- “This Week’s Blu-ray release.” Here’s what blu-ray.com shows:

My pick of the week: Son of Batman, based on the graphic novel of the same name. With decent animation and voice acting (I wasn’t a fan of Damien Wayne’s voice done by Rise of the Guardians’ Stuart Allen), this is not the strongest of DC’s animated films, but still satisfies and is an interesting story in the Batman lore. Check it out.

Which will you pick up?

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For MORE movie news today, you need to stop by Flixchatter.net’s monthly segment FIVE FOR THE FIFTH with questions related to movie news about Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s next project, the gorgeous Salma Hayek, Star Wars news and more! DON’T MISS IT. It’s my favorite thing about the 5th of every month! Click HERE.

Well, that’s it for this round of “Movie News Monday!”

Thanks for reading! Happy Watching!

-T, The Focused Filmographer

up next: “Time to Vote Tuesday!”