Marvel's Next Phase; 'Lion King' Records; Simba vs Kimba; The Last Movie Star; Comic-Con Winners (and Losers)

What's news: The next few years of Marvel movies have now come into focus. Plus: All The Lion King records broken over the weekend, Leonardo DiCaprio as the last movie star standing, the winners and losers from Comic-Con and whether exhibitors should start trying out variable pricing. — Erik Hayden July 22, 2019 What's news: The next few years of Marvel movies have now come into focus. Plus: All The Lion King records broken over the weekend, Leonardo DiCaprio as the last movie star standing, the winners and losers from Comic-Con and whether exhibitors should start trying out variable pricing. — Erik Hayden The Last Movie Star In an age of pre-branded franchises and social media currency, Leonardo DiCaprio is a Hollywood unicorn. Will Once Upon a Time in Hollywood extend or break the streak? Tatiana Siegel's close look at his career: + $$: Sources say DiCaprio took a $15 million upfront payday — $5 million less than his usual $20 million — in order to get Once Upon a Time made, but he stands to make north of $45 million if the film meets expectations. + Off-camera, DiCaprio has maintained a carefully crafted air of mystery. Some crewmembers on Once Upon a Time were instructed to avoid making eye contact with him, according to an on-set source. + Next up, DiCaprio is expected to reteam with Scorsese for Killers of the Flower Moon at Paramount. (Sources say salary and budget negotiations are at a critical juncture.) [Full story.]( Marvel's big weekend in San Diego... ^Welcome to Phase 4. Kevin Feige took the stage at Comic-Con to pull back the curtain on Phase 4 of the MCU, which includes Black Widow, Disney+ shows and sequels to Thor and Doctor Strange... ► Mahershala Ali to star in Blade reboot. He'll take over for Wesley Snipes in a reboot of the franchise centering on the hero who tries to rid the world of vampires as a way of avenging his mother. [How he was cast.]( ► Simu Liu cast as lead in Shang-Chi. The actor, best known for his role on the CBC sitcom Kim's Convenience, was cast as the titular character. Also joining the movie will be Awkwafina and veteran actor Tony Leung. [Arriving Feb. 2021.]( ► Natalie Portman returns to Thor. The actress will return to the franchise as a female Thor, with the story taking its cues from the recent comics run penned by Jason Aaron in a Taika Waititi film arriving Nov. 2021. [Details.]( ► Angelina Jolie makes Eternals debut. "I'm gonna work 10 times harder," said Jolie to the elated panel crowd. "Because what it means to be part of the MCU, what it means to be an Eternal, to be part of this family." [Quotes.]( + What it all means: Richard Newby writes: "In Phase 4, it’s also the attention to inclusivity. Black Widow, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Shang-Chi, WandaVision, the new Doctor Strange, Hawkeye, and the new Thor each offer a much needed and desired perspective to the MCU, be it a diverse cast, female superheroes, an Asian-American hero, a Black Captain America, a female Thor, and an LGBTQ character."[Column.]( Comic-Con's winners and losers ... As chosen by THR's on-site team of Lesley Goldberg, Aaron Couch, Borys Kit, Mia Galuppo and Patrick Shanley: + Winner: Marvel: The studio unveiled its Phase 4 as it dated numerous movies for 2020 and 2021 and slotted its "event series," the shows that will debut on the Disney+ streaming service that also tie to the movies, all the while throwing at the audience logos and star power. + Loser: Veronica Mars (Hulu) Surprise! All episodes of the highly anticipated revival are available to stream a week early! The early drop was a regular topic on Friday but by Saturday, it had already been drowned out. [Early release.]( + Winner: Paramount. Tim Miller brought Paramount and Skydance's [Terminator: Dark Fate footage]( to the panel that was filled with enough Sarah Connor and fun one-liners to make even the most temperamental of fanboys happy. And the surprise Tom Cruise appearance and [Top Gun: Maverick trailer]( at the end of the session added a particularly nice touch. + Winner: The Witcher (Netflix) With impressive production qualities and a bona fide movie star (Henry Cavill) at the top of the call sheet, the [first footage]( from the streamer's upcoming fantasy drama was the buzz of San Diego. + Winner: The Walking Dead (AMC). AMC closed out the panel with a teaser for its Andrew Lincoln-led TV movies that, in a massive change, will no longer air on AMC. Instead, they will be released [exclusively in theaters]( via a pact with Universal Pictures. + Winner: Watchmen (HBO) It's damn-near impossible to cut through at Comic-Con, but that wasn't a problem for Damon Lindelof's highly anticipated take on Alan Moore's beloved Watchmen. Fueled by a social media campaign, [the trailer]( debuted to overwhelming buzz. [More losers.]( Meanwhile, Endgame officially tops Avatar. Disney and Marvel Studios' Avengers: Endgame has passed James Cameron's 2009 behemoth Avatar to become the top-grossing film of all time at the worldwide box office, not adjusted for inflation. [$2.7892 billion.]( Disney's Record Year Fueled by remakes of animated classics, the Mouse House could see six or more of its 2019 releases become members of the elite club, Pamela McClintock writes: + This weekend: As if it didn't already have enough to crow about, Jon Favreau's The Lion King opened to a record-breaking $185 million domestically for an early global total of $531 million. + This year: Disney's film empire accounts for $7 billion in ticket sales at the 2019 worldwide box office — or as much as 46 percent of the $15.9 billion collected by movies released on more than 1,000 screens. + To compare: Warner Bros. currently accounts for roughly $1.8 billion in global ticket sales year to date, followed by Universal with $1.7 billion and Sony with $1.5 billion. Fox is at $770 million, and Paramount, $540 million. [Full story.]( Lion King's record breaking weekend... + A short list: The film earned the ... Biggest domestic opening of all time for a Disney remake ... Biggest Disney opening of all time outside of Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm ... Biggest July opening of all time ... Ninth-biggest domestic opening of all time. [Behind the records.]( What hasn't been talked about... ^The Lion King vs. Kimba: Pete Keeley writes: When The Lion King was released in 1994, a controversy erupted over alleged appropriation of the 1960s anime series Kimba the White Lion, created by Japan's "God of manga," Osamu Tezuka. Twenty-five years later, fans of Tezuka say Disney still has[some explaining to do.]( Meanwhile... ► Netflix pens broad deal with SAG-AFTRA. The company and guild agreed to a new, nearly three-year contract for live-action scripted production that will also cover both performance capture and dubbing, including on international live-action and animated productions dubbed into English. [Details.]( ► HBO's Big Little Lies unveils finale. With no news about a third season, the final episode brought an end to the Nicole Kidman and Meryl Streep saga and left the overall story on an unambiguous note. [Spoilers here.]( ► Hulu nabs The Orville for season 3. Seth MacFarlane's space dramedy will move from Fox to Hulu for its upcoming third season. The series will launch on Hulu in late 2020 after having been off the air for [a year and a half.]( ► Sony unveils Tom Hanks' Mr. Rogers movie trailer. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood follows cynical journalist Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys) as he reluctantly accepts an assignment to profile Rogers. [Watch.]( ► Venice film fest reveals closing night film. Giuseppe Capotondi's The Burnt Orange Heresy, starring Claes Bang, Elizabeth Debicki, Donald Sutherland and Mick Jagger, will close this year. [Details.]( Something is missing from Tom Cruise's new Maverick jacket. Some fans are alleging that Paramount made the change to remove the Taiwanese flag for the sequel to avoid the risk of alienating Chinese authorities and fans — especially since Chinese Internet giant Tencent is [co-financing the movie.]( Movie Theaters' Plan? Variable pricing faces enormous resistance, although theater chains and Hollywood studios continue to discuss the controversial practice, according to insiders. Pamela McClintock writes: + One bright spot: In thousands of theaters across the country, the cost of a ticket on Tuesday can be a third of the normal price — as low as $6 in New York and Los Angeles, the two most expensive U.S. moviegoing markets, where a ticket now costs upward of $17 or $18 (and that's for a no-frills format). + The overall revenue generated on Tuesdays is substantial, fueling new momentum behind the argument that cinema chains should get more creative about what they charge, with such approaches as variable pricing, whereby the cost changes depending upon the movie, and dynamic pricing, based on time of day and day of the week. [Full story.]( What else we're reading... — "David Spade is back on TV, even though he never left." Dave Itzkoff's profile: "The actor and comic has thrived as a professional second banana, even as he endured painful losses in his personal life." [[New York Times](] — "The case of Al Franken." Jane Mayer's profile: "At his house, Franken said he understood that, in such an atmosphere, the public might not be eager to hear his grievances." [[New Yorker](] — "Jeffrey Epstein pitched a new narrative." Tiffany Hsu reports on Epstein's media campaign to describe him as a "forward-thinking philanthropist" that garnered "Forbes, National Review and HuffPost" stories. [[New York Times](] — "The Hollywood three tries to save Western civilization." Peter Savodnik writes: "Traumatized by 2016, writers-producers Billy Ray, Gregg Hurwitz, and Marshall Herskovitz discovered an unlikely new vocation as political consultants." [[Vanity Fair](] — "Hollywood writers struggle to get on same page." Joe Flint writes: "Some writers secretly return to their representatives as battle with talent agencies lingers." [[Wall Street Journal](] — "The making of the last great celebrity director." Brian Raftery asks: "Quentin Tarantino is a self-made, self-imagined auteur unlike any we’ve seen since. Just how did he do it?" [[The Ringer](] From the archives... + Today in 1996: On July 22, 1996, Comedy Central unveiled a news-driven variety series, The Daily Show, with host Craig Kilborn — "A great idea whose time hasn't quite come." [Flashback review.]( Today's birthdays: David Spade, 55, John Leguizamo, 55, Alan Menken, 70, Albert Brooks, 72, Don Henley, 72, Danny Glover, 73, Alex Trebek, 79. Follow The News Is this email not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.]( ©2019 The Hollywood Reporter. 5700 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036 All rights reserved. [Unsubscribe]( | [Manage Preferences]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Terms of Use]( July 22, 2019