Tavern Talk: Video Reviews - ETERNALS & SPENCER
By
Vandy Price
While the reception among critics and audiences has admittedly been less enthusiastic than what typically surrounds a new Marvel property, that seemingly hasn't stopped people from at least being interested in what and who the Eternals is and are. While I haven't written a review for the film I will say that despite it not being the home run introduction to a brand new layer of the Marvel Cinematic Universe like we all hoped it might be, there is still much to like and appreciate about the film if, for nothing else, being willing to make some big swings it knew might not pay off. As far as financial reception is concerned though, early projections put the domestic debut of the film somewhere between $75-$80 million. Of course, the star-studded epic about a race of immortal beings fell slightly short of those early predictions, but not as drastically as the headlines would have one believe. Directed by Chloe Zhao, whose Nomadland is the most recent Best Picture winner with Zhao also taking home the Best Director statue, Eternals debuted with $71 million making it the fourth-best domestic debut of the pandemic era, edged out - somewhat ironically - by only Venom: Let There Be Carnage ($90 million), Black Widow ($80.4 million), and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings ($75.4 million) all of which are Marvel or Marvel-adjacent properties. The film also began its box office run with a $161.7 million global haul which was the second-biggest worldwide debut of 2021 (behind only F9: The Fast Saga’s $163 million). Spencer was also initially released on November 5th, but only in 996 theaters and to the tune of $2.2 million. The R-rated arthouse drama from Neon starring Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana is one of the most anticipated contenders this awards season as many expect Stewart to be nominated for if not win in the Best Actress category. In its second weekend, Eternals added $27.5 million, holding off a strong debut from the live-action adaptation of Clifford the Big Red Dog which made $16.4 million despite premiering simultaneously on Paramount+. This was a -61.4% drop for the latest MCU endeavor meaning it falls between the second-weekend totals of the most recent Marvel releases in Shang-Chi (-52%) and Black Widow (-67%). After two weeks, the ensemble super hero flick sits at $118.8 million domestically while having pulled in $162.6 million internationally, bringing its current worldwide haul to $281.4 million on a reported $200 million budget. Spencer earned an additional $1.531 million in its second weekend as it expanded to 269 more screens for a total theater count of 1,265. This was a drop of only 27% from its debut weekend and, while impressive, one imagines this might only gain more traction (whether that be on VOD or in theaters) the deeper we get into awards season. Spencer has also not been released internationally yet. As always, be sure to follow the official TAVERN TALK by Initial Reaction YouTube channel as well as on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter where you can find a new review (or reviews) each week!
Official Trailer for SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME
In what is possibly the most anticipated trailer of all time (sorry, Endgame), Sony and Marvel Studios finally released what the whole world was seemingly waiting on...we are going "into the spider-verse". Of course, anyone who has paid any attention to the MCU post-Infinity Saga fully expected this to be the case - especially given Sony's involvement - but whatever doubt hanging over the project that Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield might show-up seems to only be erased by the final seconds of this trailer. There is a lot to talk about here besides those speculations though. First, this is the third in what we can only assume is a trilogy of Holland-centered Spider-Man films which feels weird to say given it feels like the young actor is just getting started with the character, but it would seem his future in the franchise will solely be based on what Sony chooses to do with him and that would seem to be more team-up/crossover movies than continued stand-alone adventures. In essence, Holland's run will be more episodic from this point forward which, as someone who grew-up watching serialized cartoons of these heroes and always wished something akin to a live-action version of that might be created, I'm not mad about. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has of course done just this with his cinematic universe, but now we're truly venturing from character crossovers to studio crossover and Sony has always been intent on milking its Spider-Man property for all its worth and have somehow managed to make a hit out of solo Venom movies making this idea of Holland continuing to play Peter Parker and his alter ego in a series of movies a viable one. Who knows how everything will shake out or even what implications No Way Home will have on both the Sony-verse as well as the MCU (don't forget Doctor Strange is in this movie too!), but one thing is abundantly clear: there is more of a desire for this character and all the cinematic baggage he brings with him than ever and Sony isn't going to miss out on their third opportunity with him; let's just hope they've learned from their mistakes from the first two rounds and don't overly mandate what these movies need to be, don't attempt to overstuff each installment with too many characters just to crowd please, and actually allow the creative teams they hire to see the visions they pitched and were hired for through to the end. Much of this is already a concern with No Way Home, but while this may be the end of a trilogy it is very clearly the start of something new and hopefully...grand. Spider-Man: No Way Home will feature Holland's web slinger reeling from the reveal of his identity at the end of Far From Home while looking to Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange for help. Jacob Batalon's Ned and Zendaya's MJ return along with confirmed supporting cast members Marisa Tomei, Angourie Rice, Tony Revolori, Jon Favreau, Hannibal Buress, and will open exclusively in theaters on December 17th.
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