Monthly Archives: August 2016
Ben-Hur: How Much Paramount Could Lose
Following Ben-Hur's very weak debut at the box office this past weekend, Paramount Pictures could lose up to $100 million on its film adaptation of Lew Wallace's classic novel.
Variety notes that these estimates come from rival studio executives. Meanwhile, "sources close to the film" anticipate losses somewhere between $60 million and $75 million, citing home video sales as a possible revenue driver that could lessen the overall deficit.
Ben-Hur was no small project for Paramount, boasting a $100 million production budget and tens of millions in marketing and distribution. The film had an incredibly underwhelming debut last weekend, opening in fifth place at the domestic box office with $11.4 million. Meanwhile, the film pulled in $10.7 million internationally, bringing its opening weekend global total to $22 million.
These Pokemon Burgers Are Too Adorable to Eat
Love Pokemon so much you just wanna eat them? Fortunately, if you live in Sydney, you can.
Hashtag Burgers is driving a new pop-up burger restaurant in the Sydney CBD, and they're serving 'Pokeburgers' among their regular menu. Burgered characters include Pikachu, Bulbasaur and Charmander.
via Hashtag Burgers' Instagram page.
Speaking to Mashable Australia, Hashtag Burgers' Ben Kagan described how the personalities of the Pokemon match the flavour of the burgers.
Star Wars: Why Rogue One Has That Title
A fair amount of thought was put into the title of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and director Gareth Edwards has come forward to explain why the upcoming movie bears the "Rogue One" branding.
In the latest issue of Empire, Edwards noted that while "Rogue One is a military call sign to some extent," it's also the first movie in the Star Wars universe "that's gone off-piste and is not part of the saga – or the Anakin story – so it's the 'rogue' one."
The decision to title the film Rogue One extends beyond that, however, as the director went on highlight the fact that the film's leading lady Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) has a roguish personality, so the title is "kind of describing her as well in a similar way."
Watch Every Call of Duty Debut Trailer
The Call of Duty series is one of the biggest gaming properties in the world, but the first-person shooter didn't start out on top. In fact, Activision originally boasted about the first game having so many lead developers from Medal of Honor: Allied Assault in the reveal trailer.
With that, it's intriguing to see how Activision has debuted each new installment in the Call of Duty franchise. And maybe somewhat surprisingly, there has always been over-the-top action with the shooter series, even with the initial World War II installments.
So with Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare launching later this year, we decided it was the perfect time to look back at the debut trailers for the Call of Duty series and see how they have evolved. Check them out below.
Gotham Reportedly Finds Its Solomon Grundy
Marvel's Jessica Jones actor Kieran Mulcare may be playing Solomon Grundy in Gotham: Season 3, according to a new photo from the show's set.
The photo, which comes courtesy of ComingSoon.net, shows Mulcare decked out in a completely white outfit and sporting white hair. It's important to note that Mulcare's involvement in the series has yet to be confirmed. That said, his look bears a striking resemblance to that of Solomon Grundy.
Kieran Mulcare as Ruben in Marvel's Jessica Jones
Dota 2’s Dark Rift Update Goes Live Today
The first Dota 2 update since the conclusion of The International 6 goes live today, and with it come a new hero and post-game stats screen.
Announced at TI6, Vrogros the Underlord is the last hero to be ported over from the original Defense of the Ancients game. Described as a disabler, nuker and support, Underlord massively reduces enemies' damage output and can teleport his team across the map with his ultimate, Dark Rift.
Also launching today is the new post-game summary, which hosts a variety of improvements over previous iterations. Individual hero stats can be compared with both the other team's and the global average for that hero, and graphs for Net Worth, XP Advantage and more are now available after the game's conclusion. You can also see your stats as they relate to your teammates, so if you've been wanting to form a team, you can look up which of your friends is most compatible with your own style of play.
Amazon Developing The Departed TV Series
After The Departed producer Roy Lee teased the possibility of TV series follow-up to Martin Scorsese's Oscar-winning film earlier this year, Amazon has officially secured the project and is moving forward with development.
According to Deadline, Amazon Studios is producing the series in association with Warner Bros. TV, and in partnership with the group of producers behind the 2006 movie, including Vertigo Entertainment, Initial Entertainment Group and Plan B Entertainment.
PlayStation Now Service Coming to PC
Sony's PlayStation Now games streaming service is coming to PC, the company announced today.
In a new post on the PlayStation Blog, Sony revealed that the PS Now app will be available in Europe soon, followed by a release in America shortly after. No exact launch date was announced, however.
The app's availability on PC will bring a host of exclusive PlayStation titles for the first time — and over 400 games in total — to PC for PS Now subscribers to play without the need of a PlayStation console.
Alongside the announcement of the app, Sony also revealed that a new DualShock 4 USB Wireless Adapter will launch in September for $24.99. The adapter allows wireless connection for PS4 controllers to PCs and Macs and can be used for both PS Now and PS4 Remote Play. DualShock 4 controllers can still also be connected by USB cable and used with either service.
Bungie Clarifies Whether Destiny Is Free on Xbox
The base game version of Destiny has appeared as free on the Microsoft Store, but, according to a statement from Bungie, players will not receive the full original game as part of the digital version's price change.
A statement posted on Bungie's website states that downloading the free version of Destiny will only entitle players to the game's trial mode. To play through the original full adventure, the upcoming Destiny: The Collection must be purchased.
The statement reads:
"The original Destiny adventure may appear to be free on some digital console marketplaces.
Daily Deals: LEGO Marvel Sale, Deus Ex with Free Game, PlayStation Humble Bundle
Massive Sale on LEGO Marvel Playsets
Today on Amazon, over a dozen Marvel LEGO playsets are all within a couple dollars on their lowest prices. Sales on LEGO and Marvel stuff are pretty rare, so you should definetly browse the whole thing (there are several pages worth! Don't miss the next Next Page at the bottom!) but by the far the biggest savings can be found on the coolest set, which depicts the airport battle from Captain America: Civil War. Its normally $73, but right now you can add it to your collection for $64, the lowest price I've seen. It comes with six Marvel mini-figures, including the not so mini Giant Man, as well as Cap himself, Iron Man, An-Man, Scarlet Witch, and more.