What if Avatar was about beavers?
That certainly seems like the premise of Pixar's next feature, Hoppers , where people can inhabit 3D-printed versions of animals and live amongst the real ones in the wild. It also has a bit of a Wild Robot vibe, which isn't a bad thing. Hoppers hits theaters on March 6th, 2026.
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8 hours ago
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Critics once doubted James Cameron — but can Avatar: Fire and Ash prove them wrong again?
James Cameron's hugely successful film franchise will return with Avatar: Fire & Ash in December. Avatar will soon return with the third chapter in its epic, otherworldly story in Fire and Ash, but the jury is still out on whether it can sustain the momentum the franchise needs. The movie, which premieres in December 2025, promises to be a war movie of grand proportions thanks to its exploration of new cultures among the Na'vi and the animosity that has developed between the large blue creatures and a newly introduced clan, the Ash people. Everything is at stake in the upcoming film, not just for Sully (Sam Worthington) and his family but also for James Cameron himself. Avatar is one of the most expensive film series ever created, so the films need to make a lot at the box office to be deemed a success. So far it has done that, and more, as the original Avatar became the first film to make more than $2bn at the box office while the sequel The Way of Water beat that. But can the franchise strike gold again? There does seem to be a reason that audiences have gravitated so strongly to the Titanic director's fantastical world so far. The story is perhaps the oldest there is, the battle between good and evil. The first and second explore this through the clash between humans and Na'vi, while Fire and Ash is arguably doing the same thing, but with slightly more nuance because it's between different cultures within the alien species. It's the kind of story that audiences will always be drawn to, regardless of its simplicity, actually, perhaps because of it. It doesn't matter if they're seven-foot-tall blue people, the Na'vi are fascinating and experience the same things we do. Viewers from all walks of life can relate to and be transported by Avatar; that's the beauty of Cameron's vision for Pandora. Critics though, for better or worse, are now quite divided by the franchise — where the first was deemed a movie marvel that changed the film landscape forever, The Way of Water wasn't received as well with reviews veering wildly between 5 star and 2 stars, one reviewer even described the 2022 film a glorified "trillion-dollar screensaver". But if ever there was a time that proved that critics aren't the be-all and end-all of movie success, it was The Way of Water, because the film earned $2.32bn worldwide and became the highest-grossing film since the Covid pandemic. Why is that? Because audiences want escapism, that's the whole point of cinema; audiences want to forget their troubles and be taken far, far away for a few hours, and Avatar is the perfect movie for it, thanks to its awe-inspiring visuals and innovative use of technology. The question is, can Fire and Ash mirror the success of the first two Avatar films? If early reactions to the trailer are anything to go by, it will do that and more. In fact, even the critics are back on side ScreenRant's Liam Crowley, for example, wrote on X: "I just EXPERIENCED the #AvatarFireAndAsh trailer in glorious 3D. I'm breathless... What a privilege it is to be alive during this revolutionary franchise." While critic Austin Burke wrote on the social media platform: "There is no doubt in my mind that this WILL be the biggest movie of 2025, and epic doesn't feel like it does this trailer justice… It is truly beyond epic. THE HYPE IS REAL.' With praise like this, the buzz is going to be gaining momentum quickly for Avatar: Fire and Ash ahead of its December release. One thing is for sure, it'll mark a great end of the year for Hollywood. No one should ever count James Cameron out, really, the director always has a clear vision and he knows how to make epic films that have huge mainstream appeal, whether that be sweeping romances like Titanic or gut-punching action like The Terminator. He knows how to make a great popcorn movie, the kind that will stand the test of time and do extremely well at the box office. There's a reason he is seen as one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. And the Avatar film franchise could well become his magnum opus by the time it reaches its fifth, and currently final, film in 2031. But, before that, at least, we have Fire & Ash to enjoy — long live cinema. Avatar: Fire & Ash premieres in UK cinemas on 19 December, 2025.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
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Box Office: ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps' Lifts Off With Heroic $118 Million Debut
'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' is off on the right foot at the box office. Marvel's latest comic book adaptation has lifted off with $118 million from 4,125 North American theaters over the weekend. Those ticket sales were slightly ahead of expectations of $100 million to $110 million. More from Variety 'Fantastic Four': How '2001: A Space Odyssey' Inspired the Film's Retro-Futuristic Design Box Office: 'Fantastic Four: First Steps' Clobbers $57 Million Opening Day - Second-Biggest of the Year 'Fantastic Four' Credits Scene Confirms Franklin Richards' Role in 'Avengers: Doomsday,' but It's a Big Risk 'Fantastic Four,' a retro-futuristic adventure starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Joseph Quinn as the titular team, collected another $100 million at the international box office for a global total of $218 million. Directed by Matt Shakman, 'Fantastic Four' follows the foursome of Mister Fantastic (Pascal), Invisible Woman (Kirby), The Thing (Moss-Bachrach) and Human Torch (Quinn) as they protect their world from a planet-devouring cosmic being. Based on initial turnout, 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' is shaping up to be a needed win for Marvel Studios. The comic book empire, which has become Hollywood's most reliable hit maker, has greatly struggled with commercial consistency over the past five years. The company has succeeded in post-pandemic times with entries led by familiar faces such as 'Spider-Man: No Way Home,' 'Deadpool & Wolverine' and 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.' But attempts to put the spotlight on newer characters were major financial missteps. This May's well-reviewed 'Thunderbolts,' for example, ended its theatrical run with $382 million and stands as one of the lowest-grossing installments in Marvel's 37-film franchise. 'The Fantastic Four' cost above $200 million to produce and needs to keep up the momentum to avoid the fate of other recent Marvel movies like February's 'Captain America: Brave New World' ($100 million debut over four days) and 2023's 'Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania' ($106 million) which collapsed after strong starts. However, those films were poorly reviewed. 'First Steps' has the benefit of positive word-of-mouth, including an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes and encouraging 'A-' grade on CinemaScore exit polls. Plus, there's virtually no competition on the horizon in terms of all-audience tentpoles. 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' got a boost from premium large formats, which delivered a massive 46% of ticket sales. Imax led the way with $16 million domestically or 13.6% of the initial haul, marking the second-highest marketshare ever for an MCU film. In terms of the audience breakdown, nearly 70% of opening weekend crowds identified as male while 42% of all ticket buyers were under the age of 25. Hollywood has attempted many times to bring The Fantastic Four — known colloquially as Marvel's first family — to the big screen but none struck the right chord with critics or audiences. The first efforts from 20th Century Fox (which owned the characters prior to the studio's 2019 merger with Disney) were two decades ago with 2005's 'Fantastic Four' ($330 million) and its sequel 2007's 'Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer' ($301 million). Those films, starring Jessica Alba and Chris Evans, were financially successful but critically derided. Meanwhile a widely panned 2015 reboot with Miles Teller, Kate Mara and Michael B. Jordan completely fizzled ($167 million globally) in theaters. 'Fantastic Four was a modest and struggling superhero series; it just caught up with the biggest and the best,' says analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research. 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' ranks as the year's fourth-biggest domestic debut following 'A Minecraft Movie' ($162 million), 'Lilo & Stitch' ($146 million) and 'Superman' ($125 million). 'Fantastic Four' opened two weekends after fellow superhero tentpole 'Superman,' which slid to second place with $24.9 million from 3,930 screens, a 57% decline from its prior outing. The Warner Bros. and DC Studios adaptation has generated $289.5 million domestically and $502.7 million globally. ''Fantastic Four' and 'Superman' are performing extremely well,' Gross adds. 'Superheroes are showing some swagger, and it's good news for the industry.' Third place on domestic box office charts went to Universal's 'Jurassic World Rebirth' with $13 million from 3,550 venues in its fourth frame. The dinosaur epic, which rebooted the long-running property with Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey and Mahershala Ali, has grossed $301 million in North America and $718 million globally. Although these are strong ticket sales — it's one of only three Hollywood releases to surpass $700 million this year — the latest 'Jurassic' has to keep climbing to near the heights of the prior sequel trilogy, all of which grossed $1 billion globally. Apple's 'F1: The Movie' impressively moved up to the No. 4 spot with $6.2 million in its fifth lap around the track. That's a 37% decline from the previous weekend, bringing ticket sales to $165.6 million domestically and $509 million worldwide. It's a very encouraging result for an original, adult-skewing property and ranks as Apple's highest-grossing movie by a mile. The racing drama, starring Brad Pitt, has a high bar to clear in terms of profitability because the studio spent $250 million to produce the film, not including its global marketing efforts. Paramount's animated musical 'Smurfs' rounded out the top five with $5.4 million from 3,504 venues, a 50% drop from its disappointing $11 million debut. The family film has earned $22.7 million at the domestic box office and $46 million internationally for a worldwide tally of $69 million. 'Smurfs' carries a $58 million price tag. At No. 6, Sony's slasher sequel 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' added $5.1 million from 3,504 locations — tumbling by 60% from its opening weekend. The film has grossed $23.5 million domestically and $45.5 million globally. Sony spent a modest $18 million to produce the film so it won't take a ton of coinage to justify its budget. Solve the daily Crossword
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a day ago
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'Project Hail Mary' sends Ryan Gosling, and Comic-Con, into outer space
Comic-Con attendees got their first glimpse Saturday at the new sci-fi space thriller "Project Hail Mary," starring Ryan Gosling, ahead of its arrival in US theaters in March 2026. Gosling was joined on a convention panel by directing duo Christopher Miller and Phil Lord, as well as screenwriter Drew Goddard and book author Andy Weir -- whose previous novel "The Martian" was also turned into an Oscar-nominated film starring Matt Damon. Based on Weir's 2021 book of the same title, "Project Hail Mary" follows astronaut Ryland Grace (Gosling), a science teacher waking up to learn he was recruited for a space mission to save Earth from an existential solar threat. Gosling described his character as "a scared guy who has to do something impossible." "I knew it would be brilliant, because it's Andy [Weir]," Gosling told the crowd. "It took me places I've never been. It showed me things I had never seen. It was as heartbreaking as it was funny and I was... not just blown away, but also overwhelmed." Weir for his part said it was "so cool" to see his book come to life and complimented Gosling for giving "many layers to this character I made up." Lord and Miller, the Oscar-winning duo behind the "Spider-Verse" Spider-Man animated films, talked about the challenges of shooting a "crazy ambitious" film which takes place inside a spaceship for the most part. "We had to build an entire spaceship in two modes of gravity, and then we built this entire massive tunnel at scale," Miller said. "This is insane, to build a tunnel that was like 100 feet (30 meters) long, filled up an entire stage." The event also showcased various clips from the film, receiving a positive response from fans, who noted the bond formed between Gosling's character and an alien named Rocky. "The relationship between these two characters is the heart of the movie," Miller said. "I loved it," attendee April Rodriguez, who also read the book, gushed about the film. "I just never, like, envisioned it that way. So that was pretty cool." - Star Trek - Comic-Con, which bring some 130,000 fans for the convention in San Diego, California, welcomed the Star Trek universe to the main stage earlier in the day Saturday to showcase its upcoming releases. Thousands of fans filled the hall to watch exclusive footage from the fourth season of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" before it premieres on Paramount+. One clip showed Captain Christopher Pike played by Anson Mount in an entire episode where the cast is depicted like puppets from Jim Henson's Creature Shop. Fans were also offered a first look of a new Star Trek series, dubbed "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy" starring Holly Hunter. Hunter plays Nahla Ake, the academy's chancellor and captain of the USS Athena, who in a clip shown at Comic-Con welcomes a new class of cadets. "It was really interesting to get the offer to be the captain, but then also to combine that with being the chancellor," Hunter said. "The captain is there to analyze in emergency situations, and then to delegate. And the chancellor is there to guide, to collaborate and to have tremendous empathy. "It was just a wonderful combination of things," she added. Comic-Con continues on Sunday for its final day of events. pr/jgc/aks
