Tag Archives: 2 guns

Facebook Fandom Spotlight: Comic Based Movies

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It’s Monday and that means a brand new Facebook Fandom spotlight where I look at the statistic of Facebook users when it comes to some part of geek fandom. With so much buzz recently about comic book movies and casting, I thought it might be interesting to look at various comic-based movies and how they did individually and as a series when it comes to gender.

The first thing that stands out to me is that both Catwoman and Elektra have women as the majority of their “likes.” Men in Black as a franchise does well, but though it shows women as a majority, they are most likely just under 50% due to Facebook’s returning fuzzy results with large numbers such as this.

But, what also stands out is Superman Returns being split exactly 50/50 when it comes to men and women. Director Bryan Singer has spoken about how he wanted a movie that would appeal to women as well as men, and it looks like he achieved that according to these numbers.

Many movies on this list came out well before Facebook existed, but overall the results are interesting to me.

Constantine which will soon be a television series does shockingly well when it comes to gender, with 45% women, and the recently rumored Fantastic Four casting had me interested in those results, which was some of the worst when it came to women with 16.67% for the franchise.

comic movies

 

 

Producer Randall Emmett Puts 3 Guns in His Sights

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2 guns movieYeah, the headline is a groan inducing pun, sorry. This summer’s 2 Guns was a pretty solid hit, especially for being the first movie based on a comic by BOOM! Studios. The movie opened in first place when it debuted with a pretty solid $27.1 million in North America. It went on to earn a total of $131.9 million worldwide.

Producer Randall Emmett was happy with the results and has the sequel 3 Guns (currently coming out monthly as a comic) on his to-do list. In an interview with Collider he said:

I mean, I think we’re having that conversation. You know, I don’t wanna be so bold to say, you know, it’s 100%. Of course it comes down to Denzel and Mark and the director, Baltasar [Kormákur], who’s doing Everest now, who have to make that decision. We, of course, would love to do a sequel and we are pushing for a sequel.

And:

I think we have to find the right story because that, of course, [is what] it all comes back to, but I think that we’ll probably push forward with a script soon and then hopefully if the creative powers that be, you know, fall in love with the storyline, then we would start to have that conversation.

And I thought this was funny:

2 Guns 2, I like that, because we were gonna make it 3 Guns, but 2 Guns 2!

You can head over to their site and check out the full interview.

Get the 2 Guns Blu-Ray, Get the 2 Guns Comic

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27270Two Guns Blu-Ray and Comic_MDYou have to give props to good marketing, and BOOM! Studios is showing that off with the release of 2 Guns on Blu-ray. Target is offering a special sample of the first two issues of the 2 Guns comic with a purchase of the movie on Blu-ray.

The two issues of the comic come in a special 48-page comic book, and obviously the thought is that folks will be interested in the comic enough that they’ll seek out the rest of it. Hopefully there’s some advertising in how they can do so within the special comic. I’ve wondered why we haven’t seen digital comics included on the Blu-ray/DVD releases as you can then hyperlink to a way for folks to purchase the digital comics from the disk.

The movie stars Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg and was a successful film debut for BOOM!. The movie wound up with a respectable $130 million worldwide box office gross.

(via ICv2)

Kick-Ass 2 Continues to Do Anything But

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Kick_Ass_2_Poster_7_12_13With summer blockbuster season winding down, we’ve seen the last of the comic book movies hit the screen until later this fall and it was a mixed bag for the final few releases. Kick-Ass 2, which debuted last week dropped in it’s second week, shedding 68%. The movie dropped to 10th place to earn $4.27 million bringing its two week total to $22.4 million. The first movie had earned $32 million at this point. The good news is Kick-Ass 2 had a budget of $28 million and has earned $38.5 million globally. There’s a chance the movie will turn a slight profit when all things are said and done.

2 Guns slipped to #11 in its fourth week in theaters from the 10 spot the previous week..  That’s a drop of 41.7% from the previous week and it brought in an additional $3.4 million. The movie has brought in $65.4 million and had a budget of $61 million. The movie hasn’t opened internationally, so any profit will rely in how it does there, but looks like the movie will make it in the black, not bad for BOOM! Studios first comic to movie adaptation.

The Wolverine was in the 15 spot, earning $2.5 million with a domestic total after five weeks of a little more than $125 million. That’s well behind the total for 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which earned around $180 million domestically. Overseas the movie is doing better, where it’s earned $22 million more than the first movie for $225 million overseas and a grand total of $350.7 million. That puts the movie as the top grossing “X” film overseas, but still in the middle of the pack when it comes to grand total globally. The movie had a budget of $120 million.

Kick-Ass 2 Does Anything But Kick Ass

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Kick_Ass_2_Poster_7_12_13Kick-Ass 2 was the latest and last comic book based movie to debut this summer. The sequel to the 2010 movie based on the comic series by Mark Millar earned an estimated $13.6 million putting it tied for third place with Elysium. The movie was supposed to be a contender for the top spot. The movie looked like it was heading for issues when it dropped 27.6% from Friday to Saturday. That shows fan of the series flocked to see it right away.

The movie has a budget of $28 million, which caused Universal who released it to spin that the movie will likely break even or turn a profit in the end. The first movie debuted with #19.8 million, $21.2 million when you take inflation into account. The first film was also produced by Lionsgate which passed on the sequel.

The movie skewed heavily male, who accounted for 63% of the audience. The movie received a B+ CinemaScore, but has a horrible 28% approval on RottenTomatoes. It’s been reported that the 15% of the audience under 17 gave the film an “A” rating. Keep in mind, the film is rated R.

The original film earned $96.4 million worldwide, but did very well on DVD.

2 Guns continued to slide, dropping 50.5% and moving to eight place from fifth in its third week. The movie has earned $59.2 million domestically and the film cost an estimated $61 million. It has yet to be released in the rest of the world due to the vast amount of American films already out. That’s also a Universal film.

The Wolverine earned $4.4 million to place it into tenth place. The domestic total is $120.5 million and overseas it has earned $214.8 million bringing its total globally to $335.3 million. That film cost $120.5 million.

2 Guns Drops to Fifth in its 2nd Week

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2 guns movieAs expected, Elysium was number one at the North American box office. The movie took in an estimated $30.5 million over the weekend a bit shy of the estimated $35 million to $40 million it was expecting. A bunch of other debuts filled out the top four which dropped last week’s top spot holder, 2 Guns to fifth.

2 Guns, the movie based on a comic by BOOM! Studios, brought in an estimated $11.1 million which brings its two-week total to about $48.5 million. In its second week, the movie dropped about 59%. The movie has a budget of $61 million which it’ll probably just about cover domestically.

The Wolverine continues to struggle. In its third weekend, the movie shed over 1,000 theaters, making way for new releases. It brought in about $8 million, that’s a drop of about 63 percent. In its third week, it has earned an estimated $112 million, and looks to be the lowest grossing “X-Men” movie yet at the domestic box office. However, the movie earned another $18 million overseas for a total of $194.7 million.  The movie still has Japan to open in and when the dust settles, it’ll likely be the highest grossing “X-Men” movie when it comes to international earnings. It’ll wind up somewhere in the middle when it comes to the global total.

This coming weekend sees the opening of Kick-Ass 2, another movie based on a comic.

2 Guns Comes Out Blazing at #1

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2 guns movie2 Guns came out shooting, taking the number one spot this weekend and bumping last weekend’s top film, The Wolverine, to second. The movie put out by Universal Pictures and based on the Steven Grant written comic by BOOM! Studios took in an estimated $27.4 million for the weekend. The action movie starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg cost about $61 million to make.

2 Guns was heavily marketed to African-American and Hispanic audiences and it looks like it helped. African-Americans made up 28% of the audience with Hispanics making up 14%. The studio crafted specific advertisements for those two audiences, making sure actors appeared on networks associated with and on popular shows watched by those two audiences. Women made up a shocking 49% of the opening weekend crowd. In my viewing there were many couples watching, so this isn’t too surprising really. It is a good date movie. The rated “R” movie had an older audience, with 77% over the age of 25.

With its two stars and decent reviews, the movie should do well in August which is generally a quieter month for releases. The movie is steady at 58% on Rotten Tomatoes and has an audience rating of a B+ CinemaScore.

The Wolverine dropped to second bringing in $21.7 million for a two-week domestic total of $95 million. That’s a 59% drop in its second week. Comparatively, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, brought in $122.1 million at the dame point in its run. The movie is doing well overseas where it has brought in $160.2 million bringing its current global total to $255.2 million.

As good as 2 Guns has done for Universal, another of their films based on a comic, R.I.P.D., continues to tank. In its third week it dropped out of the top 10 with a domestic total of $30.4 million so far. That film cost $130 million.

Movie Review: 2 Guns

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2 guns movieThe premise of 2 Guns is simple. A DEA agent and a naval intelligence officer find themselves on the run after a botched attempt to do their mark in the War in Drugs. Based on the comic series by Steven Grant and published by BOOM! Studios, the movie is an entertaining crime caper filled with double crosses and lots of action.

The plot is pretty straightforward and the movie version actually improves on the comic by streamlining the comic’s plot, which at times was a bit muddled as to what was going on. The plot is straightforward, the two main characters, played by Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg, must go on the run when the money they thought they were stealing from drug dealers actually is someone else’s who wants it back. So the two, must attempt to resolve their issue while figuring out who set them up. It’s pretty simple overall, and the story itself is fine. There’s nothing crazy here or new that makes it all stand out. What does make the movie stand out as my favorite “comic” movie so far this summer is the interaction between Washington and Wahlberg.

Going in to see the film, I was convinced it’d sink or swim based on the interaction between these two stars. And the pull it off in an entertaining way, taking an average plot and making it all fun with their back and forth. Washington is the cool character he seems to have embraced in the latter part of his acting career. Wahlberg is the smart-ass who throws out insults and lines with an ease and comedy chops that not only had me, but the entire theater, howling.

And that’s what I really liked about the film. It wasn’t deep, but it was fun. A lot of fun. Every time Washington and Wahlberg weren’t on screen together I wish they were, they’re the draw and enjoyment of the film. To hear the things that come out of Wahlberg’s mouth alone is worth the time watching the film.

The rest of the cast is ok. Bill Paxton plays a character who builds off the slimy character type he shined in with True Lies. Edward James Olmos is a drug dealer who is reserved, almost a bit too much. James Marsden is fine as a crooked Navy officer. No one here is bad at all. They all play their roles and do it well.

The action is as over the top as you’d expect with chases and gun fights that are absurd but entertaining. Scenes don’t necessarily make sense when you dissect them, but they’re fun and that’s the point. This is a movie I wanted a few things from. Some gun fights. Some car chases. And lots of smart ass remarks. And the film delivers as I expected. What really stands out to me is the lack of some of the devices we’ve seen abused and used way too much in modern movies. Shaky cams, slow mo, bullet time, that’s thankfully not used a hell of a lot, if at all.

Overall the film isn’t rocket science, we’re not talking Oscar contender. However, the film was fun not just for me, but clearly the rest of the theater who were laughing throughout the film and left smiling and laughing. They enjoyed it. The banter from the film is so good, I wish there was more of it. This is an action film that doesn’t break the mold, it does what it’s supposed to, entertain us for a few hours.

Direction: 7.25 Acting: 8 Plot: 7.5 Overall: 7.5

From the Vault: 2 Guns

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2Guns_2ndShot_CVRA pulp story about cops and thieves and the men that are something in between. Trench has targeted a local bank to rob, and asked Steadman in on the job. Trench figures it’s a great way to score — considering it’s a cover for mob money. They’ll be thieves ripping off thieves. But what Steadman doesn’t know is that Trench is a DEA agent. And what Trench doesn’t know is that Steadman’s a Naval Intelligence officer. They’re both cops! And neither one knows that they’re not robbing the mob, they’ve been set up to steal $50 million from the CIA!

With the movie set to release this weekend, I felt it was well past time that I check out the comic book the movie was based on. Released by BOOM! Studios way back in 2007, 2 Guns is a fun if not twisty tale that holds up even after all of these years.

The basic story is straightforward. It’s a heist caper with double (and triple) crosses. It’s those crosses that pile on and on is one of the things that makes it a fun read (no matter how over the top they get). While you’re guessing what will happen next (and it’s rather predictable really) you never know where those double crosses will wind up. The story is pulp fun, meant to be enjoyed and not analyzed. A ride to enjoy the view.

There’s also the interaction between the main characters that’s entertaining. The trust and lack of it creates some fun scenes and overall the banter and situations have a cinematic quality about them. That’s a testament to writer Steven Grant‘s abilities. It’s no shock the comic has turned into a movie.

The art by Mat Santolouco is a solid addition as well. It fits the tone and situations and combined with Grant’s writing it increases the enjoyment.

Even after some time, 2 Guns is still an entertaining story, full of pop fun and more double crosses, twists and turns than you know what to do with. With a few months left of summer, it’s perfect to pick up now and round out your summer reading list.

Story: Steven Grant Art: Mat Santolouco
Story: 7.5 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.5 Recommendation: Buy

BOOM! Studios provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

A Comic Geek’s Guide to Summer Movies

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film realThis summer looks like a feast for comic book fans with numerous movies directly based on comic books or having a comic book tie-in. Here’s what to expect each month and what we think is going to be the hits and the misses. And there’s a few weekends comic geeks will have to choose between movies, or go with the double feature.

May

Iron Man 3 – May 3 – easily the juggernaut of the summer movies. This is likely to be the highest grossing movie of the summer unless a certain caped hero goes huge. The second movie of the series was a bit of a let down, but with a new director and an interesting villain, here’s hoping the franchise bounces back. The expectations are high, which works a bit against the movie.

Star Trek Into Darkness – May 17 – The second entry in the rebooted Star Trek franchise has had a prequel released by IDW as well as an ongoing series based in it’s universe. The movie looks much darker than previous entries, but that might not be a bad thing.

June

After Earth – June 7 – Will Smith’s new movie also featuring his son is a futuristic sci-fi tale. It also had a comic tie-in released by Dynamite that was pretty decent.

Man of Steel – June 14 – The other possibility of the top grossing movie of the summer. It looks darker in tone, but this is a reboot of the classic character, just in time for Superman to celebrate his 75th birthday. Like a certain shellhead, there’s high expectations for this one.

Monsters University – June 21 – Pixar’s sequel to their awesome movie Monsters Inc. Maybe Disney and Marvel are smart enough to release a comic tie-in to go with it? I expect it to be a solid family movie.

World War Z – based on Max Brook’s amazing book, the trailers look horrible. But, it’s a zombie movie and Brooks writes comics. I think the movie will tank, but expect publishers to attempt to play off of the Brooks connection.

July

Despicable Me 2 – July 3 – I loved the first one. If someone is smart they’ll grab up this family movie. There’s no comic connection that I can think of, but I love the first movie so much I couldn’t not mention it.

The Lone Ranger – July 3 – the trailers to this also look horrible. There is a Dynamite series, but that has nothing to do with this movie. I expect a box office bomb.

Pacific Rim – July 12 – there’s a graphic novel tie-in that’s supposed to come out, but even if there wasn’t it’s giant robots versus giant monsters. One of the most anticipated movies of the summer for me.

Red 2 – July 19 – the first movie wasn’t all that great. There was something entertaining about it, but barely. Kind of shocked there’s a sequel. The first movie was based on a comic, no idea for any plans for this one.

R.I.P.D. – July 19 – If I’m seeing a “comic movie” this weekend, it’s this one. Starring Jeff Bridges and Ryan Reynolds the movie is based off of the Dark Horse series.

The Wolverine – July 26 – the first movie was horrible. So bad, I refused to spend movie to see it. This sequel is looking better, but I expect it to be third when it comes to comic movie grosses for the summer.

The Smurfs 2 – July 31 – there is the Papercutz comic series that continues this classic cartoon series. The first movie was smurf, I’m expecting much of the same for this one.

August

2 Guns – August 2 – a tough weekend to open, see below, this movie is based on the BOOM! Studios series. The story is entertaining and it has a solid cast. Another under the radar summer movie I can’t wait to see.

300: Rise of an Empire – August 2 – a tough weekend to open, see above, this movie is based on the upcoming graphic novel Xerxes which is the sequel to the graphic novel 300. I’m not expecting it to match the box office dollars or awesomeness of the first one.

Elysium – August 9 – no comic tie-in that I know of, but it looks like awesome science fiction.

Kick-Ass 2 – August 16 – I hated the comic series this will likely be based on. It was violence for violence sake at times. We’ll see what they get away with for this one.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones – August 23 – it was a book first, but there’s also a comic adaptation of this popular young adult novel.

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