Marvel pulled an amazing bait and switch last week with “Thunderbolts*.”
I can’t remember a time when a movie changed its title during the film — and no one knew about until opening day.
The film features a lot of Marvel characters, but no one — not even the superfans — that the Thunderbolts were actually The New Avengers.
The characters reveal it toward the end of the film when they very meta rip off the movie’s poster, showing the actual name. It’s the most clever idea ever in Marvel’s long history of innovative marketing.
Now “The New Avengers” has made $124 million in 10 days. It sets the stage for sequels, as well as raises questions about the next actual “Avengers” movie. A franchise that had run out of steam was revitalized over night.
Meanwhile: the $60 million “Shadow Force” made $2 million from Thursday to Sunday. Yikes. Lionsgate did nothing for it, maybe because of the 32% reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. Lionsgate kept “Shadow Force” from most reviewers, so there are only 22 reviews.
Ben Affleck’s “The Accountant 2” has earned $76 million worldwide, including $50 mil from the US. Budget is somewhere between $80-$90 million, so Amazon MGM is halfway there to break even. Not going to happen.
Everyone is waiting for “Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning.” LA critics saw it Friday and were muzzled until Tuesday. We see it tomorrow. “MI8” opens in Cannes on Tuesday, at 1pm Eastern Time.
Will Tom Cruise save the box office again, as he did with “Top Gun Maverick”? Undoubtedly. Is this the end of “Mission Impossible” movies? Not a chance.
BTW Lalo Schifrin, the genius legendary composer of the “MI” theme, is still alive and kicking in Hollywood at age 92, almost 93. What a talent! I spoke to his wife in 2023. See below.
No “Mission Impossible” In 2024, But The Famous Theme Music Has Been Licensed for TV Commercials
