Avengers: Endgame Sold Five Times As Many Advance Tickets As Infinity War In First Week

Avengers: Endgame Sold Five Times As Many Advance Tickets As Infinity War In First Week

Long story short, Avengers: Endgame is already breaking all kinds of records. It sold a stupid number of tickets in the first week of presales. That's not surprising -- even if it's good to hear people managed to actually buy tickets after all of the site crashes. No one should be surprised to hear Endgame is setting new ticket sale records. It already did so within 24 hours of ticket availability.

What's surprising, to me, is the sheer volume we're talking about.

For Fandango, Avengers: Endgame sold five times as many tickets in its first week as Avengers: Infinity War sold in its first seven days of presales.

For Atom Tickets, per CNBC, Avengers: Endgame sold nearly twice as many tickets in its first week as Aquaman, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Avengers: Infinity War, and Captain Marvel combined. Nearly twice as many -- combined! All of those other films made at least $1 billion at the box office, with Infinity War doubling that.

Fandango reports that thousands of showtimes are already sold out across the country. You probably knew that at some point when you tried to get tickets yourself.

What's cool is the note that theaters have been adding new showtimes -- some as early as 4:00 am and 6:30 am Friday, April 26 -- to meet the fan demand to see the three-hour movie ASAP on opening day.

As you might expect, Endgame now holds Fandango's records for both the best first day and best first week of presales, knocking out Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

In terms of what this could mean for Avengers: Endgame's opening weekend, and ultimate box office total? Well, I've already put it on the record that I think this movie could rival Avatar. I know. That might be pushing it, even if we don't adjust for inflation. But look at these pre-sales -- and fans are probably going to watch the 3-hour movie multiple times, especially if Avengers 4 does say goodbye to some or all of The Original 6 Avengers.

For comparison, since Endgame just broke Star Wars: The Force Awakens' record for Fandango, The Force Awakens made $2,068,223,624 worldwide. Avengers: Infinity War made $2,048,359,754 worldwide. And Endgame just sold five times as many presale tickets in the same period of time as Infinity War.

We're definitely look at at a film in the 2 Billion Club. But how long will the movie leg out? Opening weekend anticipation for Endgame is so high because fans don't want to be spoiled on what happens. How do the Avengers beat Thanos and reverse or at least change Infinity War's Decimation? So it's not shocking that fans are rushing to see this movie opening night, even before opening night, or at least opening weekend.

Fandango Managing Editor Erik Davis even added this note about the April 26 demand:

I wouldn’t be surprised to see a record amount of fans reporting sick to work or taking the day off on Friday, April 26 because they’ll be attending opening day screenings of Avengers: Endgame.

Productivity is going to take a dive that day, with the exception of movie theater employees, who should be paid extra. So, on that note, please respond in the poll below if you plan to take work or school off in order to see Endgame. Don't worry, it's an anonymous poll...

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Christopher McQuarrie Admits He’s ‘Freaked Out’ About Directing Two More Mission: Impossible Movies

Christopher McQuarrie Admits He’s ‘Freaked Out’ About Directing Two More Mission: Impossible Movies

If there’s a word that describes the direction that the Mission: Impossible franchise has taken in its most recent years, it’s “escalation.” Writer/director Christopher McQuarrie has been working on the franchise since his uncredited work on Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol brought him to the table, with Rogue Nation marking his directing debut in the series. And now, with Mission: Impossible – Fallout driving the stakes even higher, and two more films on the franchise slate, McQuarrie is unsurprisingly freaked out about making the next two entries in the series.

With three films under his belt, and the pair known as Mission: Impossible 7 and Mission: Impossible 8 in his cart for the foreseeable future, Christopher McQuarrie talked about the way he landed himself into this proverbial mess. McQuarrie’s summation of the situation was as follows:

I pitched the idea of making two movies, and now I have to justify why it’s two movies. You’ve got to earn that. You’ve got to make something that swallows the last three movies whole. I’m freaked out now. We’ve talked ourselves into something. Holy shit.

The first nugget to unpack from Christopher McQuarrie’s comments on the next two Mission: Impossible films is the fact that he’s planning something so big, it needed two films to tell. Right there, any sane director who isn’t named Joe or Anthony Russo would be shaking more than a little bit, as making two back-to-back films as big in scope and budget as Mission: Impossible is a prospect.

Then comes the fact that while Mission: Impossible 7 and 8 are continuing the franchise, judging by Christopher McQuarrie’s comments above, it sounds like these twin amazements are going to bring a new level of story continuity to the franchise. While previous history had the series operating on a "mission of the movie" strategy, the films have slowly been morphing into something akin to James Bond's continuing war with SPECTRE.

It increasingly sounds like these two films, opening just a little over a year apart from each other, are going to operate on the same sort of schedule, and some information already available would support that theory. Previous stories have reported that Mission: Impossible 7 would not only see the confirmed return of Rebecca Ferguson’s Ilsa Faust, but there was also a potential for the return of Henry Cavill’s August Walker and Alec Baldwin’s Alan Hunley, both of whom perished in Mission: Impossible – Fallout. Coupled with the seventh film being close in release, and continuity, to Mission: Impossible 8, we can pretty much assume that the story of the IMF versus The Syndicate isn’t over just yet.

Still, as McQuarrie told Empire Online, the prospect of making two more Mission: Impossible movies would be intimidating at face value. This story that Christopher McQuarrie has expanded the series lore with has grown more exciting, and more elaborate, with each passing film. If there’s anything that’s gotten bigger than the story these movies have to tell, it’s the impressive stunts and action sequences, which see Tom Cruise pushing himself into harder edged practical thrills each time out.

Perhaps the best way to sum up the supposed problem Christopher McQuarrie has with his continuation of the Mission: Impossible series is summed up in a further comment he offered in this same interview:

Here’s the problem with going to the moon: how do you fall from the moon?

While we don’t know how one is supposed to fall from the moon, we certainly hope Tom Cruise hasn’t read that and started drawing plans for a lunar freefall in his head. That particular feat seems too impossible, but what isn’t outside of the realm of possibility is the fact that Cruise and McQuarrie can definitely work out something so impressive that the next two Mission: Impossible films will be something to behold. After all, this franchise isn’t Mission: Play It Safe, it’s Mission: Impossible.

Mission: Impossible 7 is slated for release on July 23, 2021, with Mission: Impossible 8 having an August 5, 2022 debut penciled into its schedule. But if you want to see something in your local theater in a more recent context, check out our 2019 release schedule for an up-to-date roster of this year’s major releases.

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New DVD And Blu-ray Releases Coming In May 2019

New DVD And Blu-ray Releases Coming In May 2019

It’s finally May and rather than pelt you with Justin Timberlake memes, we’re bringing you the full list of the best and the brightest home entertainment releases this month. It’s not quite as catchy as a long-running meme, but we promise it’ll be more rewarding.

This month, we’re really finally starting to get into new 2019 movies in earnest. It usually takes about three months for a movie to transition from theaters into our homes, so look for early 2019 hits like How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World to dazzle and What Men Want to make you laugh a lot.

If you are looking for the flicks that came out last month, we have you covered. In the meantime, you can check out what’s coming in May below. Per usual, Digital releases are the same day as the Blu-ray and DVD release, unless otherwise noted in the early Digital column!

New Blu-ray And DVD Releases May 7, 2019

First off this month are a slew of unconnected titles for different fandoms. The comedy What Men Want is finally coming into homes, as is the latest season of the Breaking Bad spinoff and a movie just for families.

What Men Want

Better Call Saul: The Complete Fourth Season

The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part

The Prodigy

Bundy and the Green River Killer

Blaze

Everybody Knows

My Scientology Movie

They Shall Not Grow Old

Liar: Season 1

The Head Hunter

Early Digital Releases Week Of May 7, 2019

Liam Neeson's Cold Pursuit didn't make a huge splash at the box office, but if it's something you want to purse, you'll be able to do so very soon.

Cold Pursuit (May 3)

Climax

Peel

New Blu-ray And DVD Releases May 14, 2019

Happy Death Day 2U did decently at the box office, but it didn't attract the notice the first movie in the franchise did, which is a shame, considering it's a fun movie and plans for the third installment may not go through now. Do check this one out on DVD or Digital.

Happy Death Day 2U

Cold Pursuit

Fighting With My Family

Apollo 11

Never Look Away

Power: The Complete Fifth Season

Triple Threat

Ashes In The Snow

Backdraft 2

Never Grow Old

Early Digital Releases Week Of May 14, 2019

The Upside to nabbing a copy of The Upside is that it's a fun, funny and sometimes even uplifting buddy comedy about a paraplegic man and his caretaker. That may not sound like a bundle of joy, but it's worth checking out.

The Upside

Greta

New Blu-ray And DVD Releases May 21, 2019

Like the first week of the month, there are a lot of different and interesting titles out this week in the realm of TV and movie theaters, from indie's to big budget animated titles. Take a look.

The Upside

How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

13 Reasons Why: The Complete Second Season

Call The Midwife: Season Eight

Isn’t It Romantic

Drunk Parents

A Dark Place

Trading Paint

Early Digital Releases Week Of May 21, 2019

Madea's final installation -- unless that prequel happens -- is out this week.

A Madea Family Funeral

The Man Who Killed Don Quixote

New Blu-ray And DVD Releases May 28, 2019

No droughtlander here! Outlander fans can relive favorite moments while we wait for Seasons 5 and 6 to come together.

Outlander: Season Four

South Park: The Complete Twenty-Second Season

Greta

Climax

Lords of Chaos

A Vigilante

As we head into the busy summer movie season, the number of Blu-ray, DVD and Digital releases should only grow. So, stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more on the latest titles that are coming out. In addition, if you're more interested in what's coming to theaters, take a look at our 2019 movies release schedule.

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Shazam! Director Reveals Behind The Scenes Look At His Cameo

Shazam! Director Reveals Behind The Scenes Look At His Cameo

Warning: The following contains SPOILERS for Shazam!

Big movies will often have fun cameos from their directors and DC’s Shazam! is no different. Director David F. Sandberg did show up in his delightful first foray into superhero moviemaking, but you could be forgiven for not spotting him. While many of Shazam!’s cameos are front and center for the audience to see, David F. Sandberg’s is very well hidden. The director recently revealed his cameo though and the process that went in to making it happen. Check it out:

The way David F. Sandberg presents this behind the scenes is funny, because when you first see him with his head covered in some kind of mold, you start wracking your brain trying to remember the movie and figure out what this cameo could possibly be. Or at least I did. The director was clearly getting fitted for some sort of molded costume and as you scroll through his Instagram pictures, you discover what that costume was.

David F. Sandberg cameoed as one of the Crocodile Men towards the end of the film, and it was clearly quite the involved process to make this cameo happen. Once the molds were made, we see that David F. Sandberg got to wear and test out a remote controlled crocodile head helmet that he could move with and snap its jaws. The prosthetic croc head even had the ability to electronically control the movement of the eyes and the eyelids.

The whole thing honestly looks ridiculous and kind of fun, if not a little stuffy. This also makes it plainly obvious why you could watch Shazam! a thousand times and not spot David F. Sandberg’s cameo without his reveal here. Quite a bit of work went in to making this practical effect and cameo happen, which is admirable considering that it could have just been done with CGI (without the cameo) for what was ultimately a very quick shot.

The cameo occurs towards the end of the movie, when Shazam and his foster siblings are trying to escape from the Rock of Eternity and Doctor Sivana and they come to a cavern filled with many doors to the Seven Realms. They begin opening doors to find a way out and one of those doors had the strange sight of three crocodile men in suits playing cards in it.

As David F. Sandberg shows in his Instagram, this isn’t an invention for the film but an Easter egg that has a basis in the comics. The Crocodile Men of the planet Punkus are villains of Shazam and members of the Monster Society of Evil.

This is quite a cool cameo that doubles as an Easter egg, and also shows how much fun David F. Sandberg wanted to have in this. He could have just shown up in the crowd during the bus scene or at the Christmas carnival at the end of the film but he went all out to do something different. There’s nothing wrong with more traditional cameos but its fitting that the horror director wanted to get a monster costume for his cameo.

David F. Sandberg’s heavily concealed appearance was far from the only cameo in Shazam! The film also featured a host of cameos from actors like Adam Brody as members of the adult Shazam Family, the appearance of which was a well-guarded secret prior to the film’s release. There was also something of a half-cameo by Superman at the end of the film, although it was not Henry Cavill.

Shazam! is now playing. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of all this year’s biggest movies and stay tuned to CinemaBlend for all your movie news.

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The Suicide Squad Has Found Its First New Actress

The Suicide Squad Has Found Its First New Actress

The new Suicide Squad team coming to the screen is going to look very different from the the one in the previous film. It's made up almost entirely of new characters, and now it appears it will include one brand new actress as well. Portuguese soap opera star Daniela Melchior has reportedly been tapped to play the role of the character known as Ratcatcher.

Melchior is joining the returning Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn and Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang. Additional new characters include David Dastmalchian as Polka Dot Man, John Cena, who is rumored to be playing Peacemaker, and Idris Elba, who is taking on an as yet unspecified role.

In the comics, Ratcatcher, who has the ability to train and control rats, has traditionally been a male role but the part has been gender swapped by writer/director James Gunn. Exactly why isn't clear at this point, though Variety is reporting that Ratcatcher will have some sort of a connection to Idris Elba's character in the film and it sounds like the switch is related to that story point.

Daniela Melchior has been a star of Portuguese film and television since 2014. Suicide Squad 2 will mark her debut in a major Hollywood film. With a cast that is otherwise made up of major stars, this is clearly a big move for Melchior, as, so far, the only major newcomer to the production. The movie could have almost certainly picked up another known star for the Ratcatcher role. Comic book movie parts are about as popular with Hollywood stars as they are with the audiences who watch the films.

While previous comments from the studio tried to argue that the new Suicide Squad movie was not a sequel to the previous film, it seems the truth of the matter is that, while the new film will follow the first chronologically, it will tell a very different story by virtue of having mostly brand new characters. The sequel will also follow a second appearance by Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn, who will be starring in Birds of Prey before rejoining the Suicide Squad.

Reports are that at least one other major character, King Shark, will figure into the story. Unless it turns out that's the role Idris Elba is playing, then there is at least one other team member left to cast, assuming there aren't others that have not been revealed.

With casting well underway it looks like Suicide Squad 2, or The Suicide Squad or whatever it's called will be going into production this fall, ahead of a summer 2021 release.

Once the new Suicide Squad movie is completed, James Gunn will be crossing the comic demilitarized zone between DC and Marvel to direct Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

The first Suicide Squad was a massive success bringing in almost $750 million at the global box office. With the new movie being so different from the first entry, the sequel may not be an obvious hit, but with a strong new cast it certainly is being given the best possible shot.

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Quentin Tarantino Might Actually Make Once Upon A Time In Hollywood Longer

Quentin Tarantino Might Actually Make Once Upon A Time In Hollywood Longer

The subject of how long a movie could and should be has come up more than a couple of times in recent news cycles. And no one knows about it better than Quentin Tarantino, as he’s already dropped a stealth experiment in re-editing a previous film with the extended mini-series version of The Hateful Eight, and a longer cut of Django Unchained mentioned as in the works.

And now that he’s premiered his new film Once Upon A Time In Hollywood to an eager and accepting crowd at the Cannes Film Festival, he’s preemptively talking about making this latest film longer than it already is.

The current cut of Quentin Tarantino’s ninth film sits at the running time of 2 hours and 39 minutes. And that'a because, as Tarantino himself stated in a recent interview, he had a specific mantra when it came to how he and editor Fred Raskin decided how to put it all together. It coincides with his wishes to extend Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, which he expresses in the remarks below:

I wouldn’t take anything else out. I’m going to explore possibly putting something back in. If anything, I wanted to go to Cannes too short. if I’m going to err, I’m going to err on too tight.

As the story goes, Quentin Tarantino and Fred Raskin aimed for a cut that not only satisfied what Tarantino wanted out of Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, but also outpaced the “old Quentin movie” time frame of 2 hours and 45 minutes. Now that the job’s been done though, it feels like QT is ready to take the audience’s reactions, and his own mental notes, to put some more material back into his next blockbuster picture.

He has a lot of material to work with too, as IndieWire’s coverage on Quentin Tarantino’s latest mentioned that Fred Raskin had crafted an initial 4 hour and 20 minute cut, which basically had “everything” intact. So we could see the length of Once Upon A Time In Hollywood jump anywhere from a couple of minutes to a whole lot of time, depending on where Quentin Tarantino wants to go with the film.

We wouldn’t expect all that much to be added back in, as after all, this is supposed to be a theatrical experience. But as with Django Unchained and The Hateful Eight (and hopefully fulfilling a promise he made years ago, Kill Bill), Once Upon A Time In Hollywood could find itself expanded into a much longer experience in the streaming and home video afterglow. That's provided it’s a success in the box office, as originally intended. Which, after watching the most recent trailer below, feels like a distinct possibility.

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood shakes up history on July 26th, but if you’re looking for something a little more immediate at the box office, check out our 2019 release schedule and see what’s headed down the road.

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To 3D Or Not To 3D: Buy The Right Dumbo Ticket

To 3D Or Not To 3D: Buy The Right Dumbo Ticket

Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, and Disney aficionados far and wide! It’s time to step right up and see the latest wonder of the world, the one, the only, the absolutely adorable Dumbo! The latest in Disney’s remake crusade to update the classics, this Tim Burton film is ready to take off into the wild blue yonder, stealing your heart in the process. But, of course, there’s another question pertaining to this circus of delights; one that we find ourselves asking quite often, asides from that one where we wonder what we know about a movie like Dumbo. To 3D, or not to 3D?

If you want to find out how much we enjoyed Dumbo as a movie, take a look at our official review. But if you’re wondering if this particular circus is worth the extra 3D ticket money, or if you should save that money to buy some peanuts, you’ve come to the right place. Step under the big top, and get ready to see if the prince of the skies flies off the big screen!

While there’s certainly a lot of thrills and excitement to see in Dumbo’s finished product, it’s not a perfect 3D fit. For a good piece of the film, what we see on screen is focused on a family drama that plays out in the confines of a circus, and ponders the morals of using live animals in entertainment. But that being said, there’s still a lot of fantastic detail that the 3D conversion to Dumbo adds to the visuals that are presented; and once the higher flying action kicks in, the additional visual flare definitely shines.

There's certainly a lot of work that went into the planning and effort of Dumbo's 3D coat of paint. Quite a lot of detail is drawn in the images shown, and while it's not a total showstopper, there's a lot of panache that's on display. Though as far as 3D movies go, this is a cohesive whole that doesn't stumble on any particular aspect, but rather does a serviceable job of being a good finished product. There's nothing wrong with that, for sure, but it's something to think about in the long run.

There are a couple of flourishes in Dumbo really take advantage of the opportunity to point objects out at the crowd. All are very subtle but important things, like Michael Keaton’s cane, Colin Farrell’s hand, or Eva Green gesturing to the audience as she’s about to engage in her act. There’s even some water splashing that looks like it’s going to come out of the frame and soak you to the bone. But if you’re looking for huge scale eye popping thrills involving items flying out of the screen, then you might be a bit disappointed.

Winning the Before/Beyond The Window tug of war in Dumbo’s 3D conversion, the Beyond factor pulls more of the visual weight this time around. Characters and their environments are properly spaced, and the spacing between characters and each other is exemplary as well. Crowd shots at the circus really sparkle, with the feel of an actual audience being conveyed to a tee. Unfortunately, the background shots for Dumbo aren’t as limitless as one would want, and if they are the eye is drawn more to the close up action throughout the film.

Brightness is a factor that tends to be a common weak point for 3D films, as the greyish tint of the glasses required tends to wash out the colors a bit. Also, there’s some variance depending on how well your local theater tends to their projectors and screens, so Dumbo’s brightness in 3D won’t be consistent across all screens. With those stipulations, I’m happy to report that Dumbo still shines in beautiful color with its 3D conversion. Besides the slight washing of colors, again expected with putting on 3D glasses that correspond with the image on the screen, you’re not going to lose any action in the dark.

Watching a 3D movie, any audience member is going to be tempted to either remove or slide their glasses up at any point during the film. Whether it’s to give your eyes a break, or to see the historic blur that’s always been a part of 3D presentations, you’ll notice that in fact the image in front of you is blurred to varied degrees. Dumbo uses this blur to full effect, with even the closest of closeups taking on nuanced degrees of distortion, with only seconds long moments of 2D appearance in order to help anchor the elements of a particular scene. Backgrounds also get a pretty big dose of blurred wonder, showing just how much manipulation is used to make the film as 3D as it possibly could be.

Possibly the most important factor of a 3D film is how comfortable the audience is with watching it. In terms of Dumbo’s comfort levels, everything is a-ok, as the film doesn’t cause nausea or eye strain of any sort. With a crisp, clear visual intelligence poured into every frame, your eyes won’t burn and your stomach will be clear of nausea. This is particularly comforting if you’re bringing your little ones to see Dumbo, as there won’t be any messy clean-up involved after the show.

Dumbo does a pretty fine job of being a 3D spectacle. It isn’t a full stop must see in the visually enhanced format, but it’s certainly not a waste of time either. Rather, it’s a pretty good example of a middle of the road 3D conversion, which adds some flash but doesn’t go the extra mile to be essential viewing in this premium format. If you're looking for a special flare to your showing of Dumbo, it might be a good idea to check out the IMAX format presentation instead.

Be sure to visit our full To 3D Or Not To 3D Archive.

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