ABC’s set to launch the new half-hour comedy series Schooled on Wednesday, January 9, 2019 at 8:30pm ET/PT. The series will air as part of the network’s two-hour comedy block, slipping into the time slot between The Goldbergs and Modern Family. Schooled is a spin-off of The Goldbergs and should fit snugly in the network’s comedy lineup.
ABC’s just released details on the plot, the first episode, and the show’s central characters. They’ve also unveiled photos from season one of the series created by Adam F. Goldberg and Marc Firek. Goldberg, Firek, and Doug Robinson serve as executive producers. Firek wrote the first episode and David Katzenberg directed.
The Cast:
AJ Michalka leads the cast, reprising her The Goldbergs role as Lainey Lewis. Season one also stars Tim Meadows as Principal Glascott, Bryan Callen as Coach Mellor, and Brett Dier as CB. Guest stars include Wendi McLendon-Covey as Beverly Goldberg, David Koechner as Bill Lewis, Stephen Tobolowsky as Earl Ball, Rachel Crow as Felicia, Sean Marquette as Johnny Atkins, Zachary Haven as Aaron Finkle, Roni Akurati as Sanjeev, Philip Jeanmarie as Producer, Hunter Doohan as Matty, Kyson Facer as Duffy, Connor Rosen as Howie Levy, Johnny Lee Paddio Jr. as Baby Back Ribs Singer, Erik Brooks as Baby Back Ribs Singer, and Thomas Hobson as Baby Back Ribs Singer.
The Plot:
Schooled, set in 1990-something, follows the hilarious faculty of William Penn Academy, led by new music teacher and WP graduate Lainey Lewis (AJ Michalka), Principal Glascott (Tim Meadows), Coach Mellor (Bryan Callen) and young, enthusiastic super-teacher Charlie Brown, or CB for short (Brett Dier). Despite their eccentricities and crazy personal lives, these teachers are heroes to their students.
The Episode one “Be Like Mike” Plot:
It’s 1990-something, and since Lainey still hasn’t achieved rock ‘n’ roll greatness, she returns to William Penn Academy as the new music teacher. Lainey has a hard time adjusting to being an authority figure, but she realizes she might not be so bad at it when she discovers a kindred spirit in Principal Glascott’s niece, Felicia. Meanwhile, Coach Mellor struggles with Michael Jordan’s influence on modern-day basketball.
AJ Michalka and Tim Meadows star in ‘Schooled’ (ABC/Eric McCandless)Bryan Callen, Tim Meadows, and AJ Michalka in episode 1 (ABC/Eric McCandless)Rachel Crow stars in ‘Schooled’ (ABC/Erica Parise)AJ Michalka and Tim Meadows in ‘Schooled’ episode 1 (ABC/John Fleenor)Tim Meadows in episode 1 “Be Like Mike” (ABC/John Fleenor)Wendi McLendon-Covey and AJ Michalka in ‘Schooled’ (ABC/John Fleenor)
NBC’s hit drama Manifest returns on Monday, January 7, 2019 at 10pm ET/PT after taking a six-week break. Season one episode 10 titled “Crosswinds” finds the Stone family still separated and Michaela coming to terms with the voice in her head.
The cast of season one is led by Josh Dallas (Once Upon a Time) and Melissa Roxburgh (Valor). Athena Karkanis, J.R. Ramirez, Luna Blaise, Jack Messina, and Parveen Kaur also star in the series’ first season. Manifest has Jeff Rake (The Mysteries of Laura, The Tomorrow People) as writer and executive producer. Robert Zemeckis, Jack Rapke, Jackie Levine, and Len Goldstein also executive produce.
The “Crosswinds” Plot: Michaela’s (Roxburgh) mystifying, next-level calling launches her on a mission that brings her relationship with Jared (J.R. Ramirez) to a head. Determined to protect his family, Ben (Dallas) explores an alternate meaning to Michaela’s calling that leads him to a new alliance and a powerful new adversary. Cal’s (Messina) struggle with Ben’s absence from home forces the Stones into an agonizing confrontation that could alter the family’s fabric forever.
The Manifest Plot: When Montego Air Flight 828 landed safely after a turbulent but routine flight, the crew and passengers were relieved. Yet in the span of those few hours, the world had aged five years and their friends, families and colleagues, after mourning their loss, had given up hope and moved on. Now, faced with the impossible, they’re all given a second chance. But as their new realities become clear, a deeper mystery unfolds and some of the returned passengers soon realize they may be meant for something greater than they ever thought possible.
Parveen Kaur, Melissa Roxburgh, and Josh Dallas in ‘Manifest’ season 1 episode 10 (Photo by: Virginia Sherwood / NBC / Warner Brothers)Josh Dallas as Ben Stone in ‘Manifest’ season 1 episode 10 (Photo by: Barbara Nitke / NBC / Warner Brothers)Francesca Faridany as Fiona Clarke and Parveen Kaur as Saanvi Bahl (Photo by: Virginia Sherwood / NBC / Warner Brothers)Athena Karkanis as Grace Stone and Daniel Sunjata as Danny (Photo by: Barbara Nitke / NBC / Warner Brothers)Jared Grimes, Frank Deal, Shirley Rumierk, Francesca Faridany, Parveen Kaur, Melissa Roxburgh and Josh Dallas in season 1 episode 10 (Photo by: Virginia Sherwood / NBC / Warner Brothers)
Netflix is teasing fans of the critically acclaimed, award-winning series Black Mirror with a series “event” premiering on December 28, 2018. The streaming service just dropped a trippy teaser trailer for Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, a full length film that will apparently allow viewers to select their own adventures.
The “choose your own adventure” concept is hinted at in the teaser trailer. The short trailer’s tagline reads: “Change your mind. Change your life. Change your past, your present, your future.”
According to a report in Variety, Black Mirror: Bandersnatch consists of 312 minutes of footage that viewers can explore.
The interactive film stars Asim Chaudhry (People Just Do Nothing), Alice Lowe (Sometimes Always Never), Will Poulter (Maze Runner: The Death Cure), and Fionn Whitehead (Dunkirk). David Slade (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, 30 Days of Night) directed and Annabel Jones executive produced. Charlie Brooker created the series and writes/executive produces.
Season one of Black Mirror debuted on Netflix on December 4, 2011 with an episode titled “The National Anthem.” Over its four seasons the sci-fi drama has been nominated for 11 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning six. In 2018 it took home Emmys in the Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or a Dramatic Special (“USS Callister”), Outstanding Television Movie (“USS Callister”), Outstanding Sound Editing for a Limited Series, Movie or Special (“USS Callister”), and Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Limited Series or Movie (“USS Callister”). In 2017 the series won Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or a Dramatic Special (“San Junipero”) and Outstanding Television Movie (“San Junipero”).
Black Mirror has also earned BAFTA, Art Directors Guild, and Producers Guild of America awards.
The Plot:
“In 1984, a young programmer begins to question reality as he adapts a sprawling fantasy novel into a video game and soon faces a mind-mangling challenge. Welcome back.”
A scene from ‘Black Mirror: Bandersnatch’ (Photo Credit: Netflix)A scene from ‘Black Mirror: Bandersnatch’ (Photo Credit: Netflix)
Fox’s The Gifted returns from its winter break with season two episode 10 airing on Tuesday, January 1, 2019 at 9pm ET/PT. The New Year’s Day episode is titled “eneMy of My eneMy” and finds the Mutant Underground at a crossroads.
Season two of the X-Men series stars Stephen Moyer as Reed Strucker, Amy Acker as Kate Strucker, Natalie Alyn Lind as Lauren Strucker, and Percy Hynes White as Andy Strucker. The cast also includes Sean Teale as Eclipse/Marcos Diaz; Jamie Chung as Blink/Clarice Fong; Emma Dumont as Polaris/Lorna Dane; Blair Redford as Thunderbird/John Proudstar; and Coby Bell as Jace Turner. Skyler Samuels plays Esme, Sophie and Phoebe Frost, and Grace Byers is Reeva Payge.
The “eneMy of My eneMy” Plot: The Mutant Underground wrestles with the idea of recruiting the Inner Circle to assist them. Andy considers reconnecting with his family when he learns about his father’s powers, but Lauren may not be as willing to have him back as their parents. Find out if the Mutant Underground and Inner Circle will be able to put their differences aside in order to save John from the Purifiers.
The Season 2 Plot:
Set in the X-Men universe, the family adventure series The Gifted’s first season ended with the Mutant HQ Atlanta Station under attack and ultimately destroyed. With things coming to a breaking point, two mutant factions formed, alliances shifted and relationships were put to the test. Sentinel Services, though weakened by the destruction of the Hound Program and departure of agent Jace Turner, is still hunting mutants.
Season two picks up six months later, with the Mutant Underground at their new HQ in Washington D.C., stuck in the middle of an increasingly polarized nation, as both anti-mutant sentiment and the mutant rights movement are on the rise. The X-Men believed that mutants and humans could live together in peace – now that dream hangs in the balance.
The second season introduces Reeva Payge, a powerful and ruthless mutant who takes over as the leader of The Inner Circle and can emit sonic blasts that scramble minds. Also featured are the Morlocks – known by Marvel Comics fans – a shadowy group of mutants who live underground. In the dawn of a mutant age, new powers emerge and conflicting ideologies determine the future of Mutant-kind.
Arielle Kebbel as Olivia in ‘Midnight, Texas’ season 2 (Photo by Lewis Jacob / NBC)
When Arielle Kebbel jumped on the phone for our interview in support of Midnight, Texas’ season two finale, it was prior to the disappointing news that NBC had opted not to renew the series for a third season. At the time of our interview Kebbel was hopeful the show would stick around and had nothing but praise for fans of the series who consistently tweeted the #RenewMidnight hashtag.
Arielle Kebbel had just returned from Argentina the day prior to our interview and described it as a truly special experience being there and live tweeting while watching the show. “We have the best fans in the world,” declared Kebbel. “I was with fans of the show in Argentina and then I was on Twitter talking to fans in the U.S. and around the world, and it really just gave me perspective on how fortunate we are with this show and the fan base and how invested the fans are with our characters. It really means so much to me because I love Olivia and I love what she’s given me in getting to play her.”
The season two/series finale airs on Friday, December 28, 2018 and although there aren’t any episode nine spoilers in the following Q&A, the events of episode eight are discussed. Make sure you’ve watched season two through episode eight before reading any further.
If season two boiled down to just a short take on Olivia’s journey, how would you describe it?
Arielle Kebbel: “I think being willing to feel and work through the pain from the past to finally let it go and make room for new experiences and new possibilities to build her future life, instead of holding onto the pain of her past.”
Season two episode eight’s scene in which you’re telling Manfred to look at you as he’s about to lose his head is, I believe, your finest scene in the series. How difficult was it to perform that scene?
Arielle Kebbel: “Thank you, you just gave me chills. You know, honestly when I read that…we’d been kind of warned. We had heard of things that were happening throughout the season but obviously getting the script and reading it the first time through I had this like ‘oh shit’ moment. (Laughing) I heard it was coming but it’s different when you read it. I was like, ‘Okay, I got to do this.’
I just knew that eye contact was going to be everything, you know? It was that moment where as an actor I can’t think about the tears; I can’t think about the emotion. I can’t think about trying to be angry or sad. I just have to look at this person’s eyes and know that it’s that life or death moment where you don’t even have time to think. You just connect to that person and look in their soul. That’s just what I did. I just had to be so connected to his and then trust that whatever was going to happen was the right emotion for that moment.
I think he and I both felt great about it afterwards. We were exhausted from filming it 900 times! Because that’s the other thing – you have to redo it god knows how many takes. But I think we both felt great about it walking away from the scene that night. I hope everyone watching it feels what we felt while we were filming it.”
Dylan Bruce, Arielle Kebbel and Peter Mensah in ‘Midnight, Texas’ season 2 episode 8 (Photo by Karen Kuehn / NBC)
It’s interesting that in the first season Olivia was physically strong and physically intimidating. In the second season she’s still strong in that way but she’s more mentally and emotionally the heart and soul of season two than season one. Did you feel that as you were reading the scripts?
Arielle Kebbel: “Yes. Well, thank you for noticing that because that was my goal for this season so yay! Check that one off the list. (Laughing) It was interesting. I loved everyone I worked with in season one and I thought Monica Breen did an incredible job bringing these characters to life from Charlaine Harris’ book series. But that being said, season one she had a lot of work to do because she had to set the groundwork for all these characters. That was what season one was. So, who is Olivia? She’s an assassin. She’s a badass. She has so much pain it’s unbearable so Lem leeches it. We had to get through all of those first layers to just tell the story of who these characters are in Midnight and who Olivia is in Midnight. Now in season two, we get to peel back the layers even more and go on this emotional journey with these characters, especially Olivia.
I had a conversation early on with Eric (Charmelo) and Nicole (Snyder), our showrunners for season two, talking about, ‘You know, season one we stayed pretty close to the books. What’s the plan for season two? Are we still doing that because if so that means Olivia’s dad is coming and he’s the enemy of season two?’
They very quickly told me, ‘No, season two is about healing for Olivia.’ Honestly, it caught me so off guard. We were still months away from filming – we were in prep – and it really knocked me on my ass. I remember being like, ‘Okay…’ In my head, mentally, I was preparing.
I honestly thought we were going to stay close to the books and they were going to say her dad is going to come and he’s going to be the archenemy of season two. And so hearing that, honestly in that phone conversation everything changed for me. I was like, ‘Okay, I don’t know what’s coming episode to episode but I know my job is going to be this season to crack open. But I’m going to have to crack open in a way that’s authentic to Olivia, which is very different because she is this badass.’
It was fun for me. It was fun for me to find these different layers in Olivia and have her be willing to find a new strength, be willing to be vulnerable and let go of these past wounds and be willing to fill her heart with new things. In episode five she chooses her new life with Lem and the Midnighters over her father and her past and her history and her pain. And that was a big turning point for her.
I think that I’ve been through a lot this year with my family, personally, and it was really healing for me to get in touch with some fears and wounds that I had in my personal life and kind of throw those feelings into this storyline. There were definitely moments where I felt like I was healing as Olivia was healing, and maybe vice versa. Who knows? Sometimes it’s a really blurry line. But that was very special to me and I really thanked Eric and Nicole numerous times for that because I didn’t know that’s how season two was going to go. But now that it did go this way, I’m so thankful for it.”
Has there been anything a fan has told you that you’ve internalized and put into Olivia after hearing how they were affected by the character? Maybe something you’ve added based on how the fans receive her?
Arielle Kebbel: “I wouldn’t say based on how the fans receive her because a lot of times, going back to that scene with Manfred, I have to be so in the moment I can’t think about how people will react to it. If I’m doing it for them down the line, then I’m taking myself out of the moment. I can’t really afford to think about that; I have to just stay connected to what she’s feeling and what’s happening in front of her.
But, I definitely would say that, and I’ll go back to the phone conversation, I think the biggest turning point for me was that first phone conversation months before we were filming when Eric and Nicole said this season is about Olivia healing. I remember taking a big gulp and being like, ‘Oh, shit!’ because I knew as Arielle and I knew as Olivia that it’s sometimes a lot easier to be strong and tough and forceful than to be willing to feel feelings. I felt like, ‘Oh shit, here we go. I’m going to have to really feel feelings this season and we’ll see how that goes.’”
Were you able to offer any suggestions for Olivia’s story for season two?
Arielle Kebbel: “They’re great at taking suggestions and I think they really learned to trust us with knowing our characters. There’s definitely stuff like on the day where we’re filming where it just feels like I should be saying this and not this. They’re like, ‘Yeah, of course.’
On the days where we were filming it was a true collaboration. We’d work through things in rehearsals or even when we were filming different takes, they’re totally open to change and shifting lines around and cutting things and adding things, which feels great because that’s not always the case on other shows.
But as far as the massive story points, that was between Eric and Nicole and the writers room. We’d always have conversations about it and they’d give us a heads up about certain plot points. They’d also ask us if we want to know or not, because there’s certain things I did not want to know. […] To me, that’s life and I don’t want to know what’s happening a week from now. I don’t want to know because it would alter how I am in this moment.”
The Orville returns to Fox’s primetime lineup on December 30, 2018 at 8pm ET/PT following the NFL on Fox doubleheader. In support of the show’s season two premiere, Fox has released a batch of photos from episode one along with a brief plot description.
Season two episode one is titled “Ja’loja” and stars Seth MacFarlane as Captain Ed Mercer and Adrianne Palicki as First Officer Kelly Grayson. Penny Johnson Jerald is Dr. Claire Finn, Scott Grimes is Lt. Gordon Malloy, Peter Macon is Lt. Cmdr. Bortus, Halston Sage is Lt. Alara Kitan, J Lee is Lt. Cmdr. John LaMarr, Mark Jackson is Isaac, Chad L. Coleman is Klyden, and Jessica Szohr plays Talla.
Seth MacFarlane created the series and serves as a writer and executive producer. Brannon Braga, David A. Goodman, Jason Clark and Jon Cassar also executive produce.
The “Ja’loja” Plot: As The Orville heads towards Moclus for a unique ceremony, Kelly surprises Ed with some news, Gordon asks for John’s help in getting “game” and Claire turns to Isaac for parenting advice.
The Orville Season 2 Plot:
Seth MacFarlane’s hit space adventure series, The Orville, returns for more journeys into new worlds. Set 400 years in the future, the series follows The U.S.S. Orville, a mid-level exploratory spaceship. Its crew, both human and alien, face the wonders and dangers of outer space, while also dealing with the problems of everyday life.
In Season Two, the ship’s crew will meet never-before-seen aliens and face old adversaries, the Krill. They’ll make first contact with a new civilization and revisit the planet Moclus. Ed (MacFarlane) and Kelly’s (Palicki) relationship also will take a new turn – all of which points to a season filled with adventure, mystery, romance and, as always, some poignant social commentary.
CBS’s popular dramatic series MacGyver returns from its winter holiday break with season three episode 11. Airing on Friday, January 4, 2019 at 8pm ET/PT, the first episode of the new year was directed by Carlos Bernard from a script by Jim Adler.
Guest starring in season three episode 11 are Seamus Dever as Griggs, Jimmy Gonzalez as Hadley, Doug Savant as Waller, Clint Jung as Samrozi, Alexandre Chen as Yovan, Shani Atias as Zahra, and Jonathan Wesley Horne as Marco. The guest cast also includes Asad Durani, Aunik Zaman, Sarah Al-Sherri, Nikolay Nedyalkov, Amaris Merlin, and Dash Kolos.
Season three’s cast is led by Lucas Till as Angus “Mac” MacGyver. George Eads plays Jack Dalton, Tristin Mays is Riley Davis, Justin Hires is Wilt Bozer, and Meredith Eaton plays Matty. Reign Edwards has a recurring role as Leanna Martin.
The “Mac + Fallout + Jack” Plot – Mac and Jack hit the road for a weekend of relaxation in Las Vegas, but their mini-vacation is cut short when someone from their past abducts them and locks them in a concrete room. Also, Matty tasks Riley, Bozer and Leanna with stealing a diamond encoded with terrorist intel from a princess in Milan.
The MacGyver Plot:
“MacGyver, a reimagining of the classic series, is an action-adventure drama about 20-something Angus “Mac” MacGyver, who creates a clandestine organization within the U.S. government, where he uses his extraordinary talent for unconventional problem-solving and his vast scientific knowledge to save lives. Joining his team on high-risk missions around the globe is maverick former CIA agent Jack Dalton; Riley Davis, an unpredictable computer hacker with a chip on her shoulder; Wilt Bozer, Mac’s roommate and the newest agent on the team; and Matty Weber, a legend in Covert Ops and the director of operations at the Phoenix Foundation.
Under the aegis of the Department of External Services, MacGyver takes on the responsibility of saving the world, armed to the teeth with resourcefulness and little more than bubble gum and a paper clip.”
It looks like Jordan Peele’s follow-up to Get Out is going to rival his Oscar-winning feature film directorial debut in thrilling audiences. Universal Pictures dropped the first trailer and poster for Us on Christmas Day because what better time to freak people out than when they’re celebrating the holidays.
Peele wrote, directed, and produced the 2019 thriller. Jason Blum, Sean McKittrick, and Ian Cooper also produced, with Daniel Lupi and Bea Sequeira executive producing.
Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave) and Winston Duke (Black Panther) lead a cast that includes Shahadi Wright Joseph (Hairspray Live!), Evan Alex (Mani), Emmy winner Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale), Tim Heidecker (The Trial), Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (The Get Down), and Anna Diop (Titans). Madison Curry, Cali Sheldon, and Noelle Sheldon also star in the horror film.
Us is set to open in theaters on Friday, March 15, 2019.
The Us Plot:
After sending shockwaves across contemporary culture and setting a new standard for provocative, socially-conscious horror films with his directorial debut, Get Out, Academy Award®-winning visionary Jordan Peele returns with another original nightmare that he has written, directed and produced.
Set in present day along the iconic Northern California coastline, Us, from Monkeypaw Productions, stars Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o as Adelaide Wilson, a woman returning to her beachside childhood home with her husband, Gabe (Duke), and their two children (Wright Joseph, Alex) for an idyllic summer getaway.
Haunted by an unexplainable and unresolved trauma from her past and compounded by a string of eerie coincidences, Adelaide feels her paranoia elevate to high-alert as she grows increasingly certain that something bad is going to befall her family.
After spending a tense beach day with their friends, the Tylers (Moss, Heidecker), Adelaide and her family return to their vacation home. When darkness falls, the Wilsons discover the silhouette of four figures holding hands as they stand in the driveway. Us pits an endearing American family against a terrifying and uncanny opponent: doppelgängers of themselves.
Poster for Jordan Peele’s ‘Us’ (Photo Credit: Universal Pictures)
“Are you even more ruthless than you used to be?” asks an incredulous Donald Rumsfeld (Steve Carell) to Dick Cheney (Christian Bale), a question that earns more than a few chuckles from audiences of writer/director Adam McKay’s new political comedy/drama, Vice.
Vice jumps back and forth in time while chronicling the life and career of Bush’s Vice President, Dick Cheney. The film is inspired by true events and provides a look at Cheney’s backstory prior to his involvement in politics through his period as one of the country’s most powerful VPs. As portrayed in the film, Cheney was a hard-drinking unimpressive young man forced to shape up and get his act together or else he’d lose his girlfriend, Lynne (Amy Adams). Lynne tells him as much in one of the film’s strongest scenes.
Cheney, determined to learn all he can about the political arena, becomes Donald Rumsfeld’s personal assistant. The quiet and watchful Cheney learns all he can and when Rumsfeld ends up in the White House as part of the staff, Cheney follows him in.
Over the course of his career in politics, Cheney becomes the Secretary of Defense under one administration and the Chief of Staff under another. Later, when it appears Cheney is finished with politics and has transitioned into private industries as the CEO of Halliburton, Texas Governor George W. Bush (Sam Rockwell) calls asking Cheney to be his Vice President in his quest for the White House.
After making it clear to Bush he would be the one to actually handle the more mundane duties such as foreign policy, the military, and energy, Cheney agrees to joining the ticket as VP. When Bush wins the election, Cheney begins to use his power to change the landscape of politics and the world.
Written and directed by Adam McKay (The Big Short, Anchorman), Vice is a political satire with a top-notch cast and some stand–out performances. Unfortunately, it’s attempts at comedy miss their mark. The film is all over the place, leaping back and forth in time for no other reason other than to be different. The confusing time shifts ruin the film’s pacing and don’t allow it to settle into a comprehensible rhythm.
The best performance in the film is delivered by Amy Adams as Lynne Cheney. Adams portrays Lynne as a determined, supportive, far-right Republican wife. The film shows that without Lynne’s help, love, and drive, Cheney would never have reached very far in politics. She steals every scene she’s in and has terrific chemistry with Bale. (Adams and Bale previously worked together on American Hustle and The Fighter.)
Christian Bale delivers an intriguing performance as Cheney when he’s portraying the younger version of the man trying to climb the political ladder and striving to make his wife proud. But when Bale portrays an older Cheney as the VP, his performance becomes more of a caricature of the man.
The writing feels a bit heavy–handed and the constant intrusive narration detracts rather than enhances the movie’s attempt at insight into Cheney. But by far where the film truly fails is in not bringing to the screen any new information and insight into its main character. Unfortunately, Vice is nothing more than an empty character attack on an unpopular politician.
GRADE: C
MPAA Rating: R for language and some violent images
Warner Bros Pictures’ Aquaman finished in first over a crowded box office weekend. Not even one of the best reviewed films of the robot shape-shifting Transformers franchise could hold off Jason Momoa as the underwater superhero. Audiences gave Aquaman an A- score according to Cinemascore, and it’s just barely holding onto a fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
While Aquaman matched its pre-release estimates, Universal’s Welcome to Marwen absolutely bombed during its first three days in theaters. Welcome to Marwen starring Oscar nominee Steve Carell (Foxcatcher) and directed by Oscar winner Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump) was slammed by critics and audiences apparently weren’t thrilled with the PG-13 drama either. Welcome to Marwen currently has a rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics calling it “gooey dreck” (US Weekly) and “an inexcusable, tone-deaf misfire” (MovieFreak.com).
Disney’s long-awaited sequel to Mary Poppins got an early jump on the pre-Christmas weekend, opening in 4,000+ theaters on December 19th. Mary Poppins Returns‘ five day domestic gross of $31 million included $22 million over the December 21st weekend. Audiences embraced the lively musical, awarding it the same grade as Aquaman.
Up next: Vice starring Christian Bale as Dick Cheney opens in theaters on Christmas Day. Holmes and Watson starring Talladega Nights and Step Brothers co-stars Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly also enters theaters on December 25th.
“From Warner Bros. Pictures and director James Wan comes an action-packed adventure that spans the vast, visually breathtaking underwater world of the seven seas, Aquaman, starring Jason Momoa in the title role. The film reveals the origin story of half-human, half-Atlantean Arthur Curry and takes him on the journey of his lifetime—one that will not only force him to face who he really is, but to discover if he is worthy of who he was born to be…a king.”
