Tag Archives: mulan

Tenet Crosses $100 million While New Mutants Tanks

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The New Mutants

It still feels very odd to write about the weekend box office in the middle of the pandemic. But, the show must go on.

Tenet was the clear winner for the weekend. The film opened with an estimated $20.2 million domestically in 2,810 theaters.

Internationally, the film added $58.1 million. That brings its overseas total to around $126 million after two weeks. Tenet opened in 40 markets and Canada last weekend.

Mulan opened in nine international markets earning an estimated $5.9 million. The movie also launched on Disney+ early for $30 and it’s unknown currently how many individuals too advantage of that offer so far.

In more comic related films, The New Mutants, the last of the 20th Century X-Men films earned $2.9 million domestically to bring that amount to $11.6 million. It’s estimated to have earned $3.5 million over the long Labor Day weekend. It opened with a little over $7 million the previous weekend resulting in a drop of 59.2% from weekend to weekend.

Internationally, The New Mutants added $4.2 million to its total as it expanded into another 30 markets. The international total is now at $8.5 million for a worldwide total of $20.1 million. With a budget of $67 million, there’s a chance the film may not be a complete disaster by the time its run is over. With a slow release of films, the competition is light and sparse. Word of mouth won’t likely help the film though, it’s currently ranked second-worst of the “X” franchise behind Dark Phoenix on RottenTomatoes.

US Box Office Drops to its Lowest in 2 Decades as Onward Repeats in First and 73% Drop

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Onward

It was a brutal weekend at the box office with only Onward breaking the $10 million mark, and it did just barely.

Ticket sales are lower than the post 9/11 attacks as theaters have closed and individuals are staying home to avoid the coronavirus. It’s unknown exactly how bad the weekend is but it is expected to be below the $59.7 million total from September 21, 2001 and may be below $54 million which was the total on January 14, 1998, the previous record low.

Onward, which was the previous weekend’s top film dropped over 73% earning an estimated $10.5 million. Internationally, the film earned $6.8 million from 47 markets. It’s now earned $101.7 million worldwide.

I Still Believe debuted in second place with an estimated $9.5 million. The film fell below expectations, which is understandable. It did earn an “A” CinemaScore and a 99% audience score on RottenTomatoes. The audience was 74% female and 73% were over the age of 25.

In third place was Sony’s Bloodshot, the newest comic cinematic universe to come to the screen. It opened with $9.3 million which actually beat expectations. The audience enjoyed it with a 78% on RottenTomatoes though critics gave it a 31% rating. The opening day audience gave it a “B” CinemaScore.

Internationally, the film opened in 50 markets and was #1 in over half of them. The film brought in $13 million overseas for an international total of $15.1 million.

The Invisible Man landed in third dipping 60% from the previous weekend. It earned $5.9 million in its third week of release. Internationally, it added $6.2 million. Worldwide its tally is $122.7 million.

Rounding out the top five was The Hunt which initially was delayed to the controversy of the film. It earned $5.3 million and received a “C+” CinemaScore and 65% audience score on RottenTomatores. Internationally it opened in four markets.

In comic related film news…

Birds of Prey dropped from last week’s #8 to #11 earning an estimated $555,000 to bring its domestic total to $84.1 million. With the current situation, the film is unlikely to cross the $100 million domestic mark by the time its run is over.

Things likely won’t get better for a while. A Quiet Place II was to open next weekend and projected a $60 million opening. That film is being moved to a different date. Mulan was to open on March 27 and that too is being moved. That film should have been a guaranteed hit and another win for Disney. There are no major films opening in the next few weeks and with the public urged to stay home, it may be until Marvel’s Black Widow in May before we see a turnaround.

We’ll be back in an hour for a deeper dive looking at 2019 and 2020’s comic adaptations.

Review: Mulan Revelations #3

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mulanrevelations003Cyberpunk can look to Blade Runner as the project which brought the sub-genre into the mainstream, and it is often with this same movie where many of the classic representations reside.  A futuristic world full of references to the ancient past with out of control mega-corporations calling the shots.  There is often a tie to the modern world in cyberpunk as well, and specifically the cities of Eastern Asia which have embraced advertising technology to the point of over-saturation.  The combination thus far into Mulan Revelations has been a pretty logical one, combining an ancient heroine with a near-future version of Shanghai, with only slight differences from the regular script of cyberpunk or superhero comics.  The presentation of the series has been somewhat different though, especially as it has unfolded Mulan’s background story to her superheroics in front of the reader as well as its artistic display of science and legend melding together.  Despite that the series could be said to be a bit too dependent on its style and not enough on its substance, as it has drawn what might fit into one issue elsewhere now into three issues.

The plot here continues to follow Mulan, also in the company of Adam, as she gets closer to her discovery of what secrets she contains within herself.  As she explores what that means with Adam in tow, it is revealed that she is being betrayed on numerous different occasions and in different places by others that she trusted.  What results are another sequence of actions scenes, even as she is still trying to find out what is happening and why she is so important to so many other people.

The first couple of issues of this series could be either criticized or applauded for putting style over substance, and win or lose, the same approach is taken here.  This is undoubtedly a beautiful comic, not only this issue, but the entire series, but at some point the story has to catch up with the style.  It is understandable from one vantage point, because the cyberpunk look is a hard one to capture, and perhaps even harder in the pages of a comic.  Equally though, the narrative that holds the images together is little bit lacking in providing an engaging story.  Fans of art in the medium will love this, fans of the stories perhaps less so, but it is still unquestionable that the experience of reading this series is an intriguing one, and that same experience continues here in this issue.  Eventually the story will catch up, and until then this has to be a pleasure for the eyes more than the mind.

 

Story: Marc Andreyko and Robert Alter Art: Micah Kaneshiro
Story: 8.8 Art: 8.8 Overall: 8.8 Recommendation: Buy

Dark Horse provided Graphic Policy with a free copy for review

Review: Mulan Revelations #2

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mulan revelations 002The format and mechanics of the superhero genre is one which has one peculiarity which sets it aside from other genres.  The role of the superhero/secret identity is somewhat specific to the genre as the reader and the main character (the hero) know their secret identity, whereas everyone else except for a select few have no idea.  Although it is not common to all superhero books, it is nonetheless common enough that even new heroes still get somewhat of the same treatment.  It can therefore be a little strange to experience a superhero under slightly different conditions, and this was the case with Mulan.

As introduced in the first issue, she is taken from time in the ancient days and put into a dystopian future where corporations call the shots.  Her blood is sought after as it is the cure to a spreading disease of supernatural origin.  Confused by her own abilities, she visits her mentor and uncle, and they are soon surrounded by security forces, eager to please their CEO, himself an otherworldly creature.  Although surrounded it is no concern for the characters as they are set loose on their assailants.  Mulan escapes with the help of another, but will soon be put in a situation where her freedom will not be assured, as her brother is put into a precarious position.

The different approach in this series is to its direct benefit.  Whereas readers are used to reading along with heroes as they hide their secrets, here instead they read along as the hero discovers their power.  The artwork is flashy and even overpowering at times, but it is equally effective as that is the same experience that Mulan is undergoing.  It allows the reader to read along with the character in a way which is uncommon in the medium, as she explores her powers for the first time, but also as she is intimidated by them as she figures out how they work.  While this issue is a bit light on plot developments, those promise to come and quickly, and for the time this standout issue, notable for its approach and its art, serve of an excellent example of what this creative team is capable of.

Story: Marc Andreyko and Robert Alter Art: Micah Kaneshiro
Story: 9.3 Art: 9.3 Overall: 9.3 Recommendation: Buy

Dark Horse provided Graphic Policy with a free copy for review

Review: Mulan Revelations #1

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mulan1To say that this series is a mix-up of different inspirations would be an understatement.  It features the real historical character of Mulan, the Chinese warrior who had taken the place of her father after being enlisted for the army.  The Disney treatment of the story is a little bit different, as the character pretends to be a different gender in order to enlist, but this version is not evident here, although some unhistorical aspects work their way in.  First of all is that of the demons, who were involved in the original battles with Mulan, only hidden.  The other is time travel which allows the same Mulan from legend to travel to a cyberpunk future where she is part of an immortal clan.

The first issue is roughly divided between the two time settings.  The first in ancient China demonstrating the actions of the demons as they search for something called the archive.  This introduces the character of Mulan, but shortly thereafter also shows her jump to the future.  The future is a fairly typical one for the cyberpunk setting, where technology allows a vastly different lifestyle and where corporations rule over society.  Mulan is not as interested in these developments, though unseen is the threat of the demons as they return as the heads of a corporation.  They need an antidote for death and Mulan’s blood might provide it.

Thus far this series lacks a singular focus.  It is based in both the future and the past, in both the occult and high tech.  While the story might seem to suffer from this, it is not so much the case as the environment is one which is enticingly attractive.  In this case, the story is not perfectly represented by the comic medium, as this feels like the introductory section of a movie, as though we could judge Blade Runner off its first five minutes.  As it stands this is a fascinating use of the legendary character, using what has come and putting her in an unusual future setting.  Although the use of the character might be misleading, this is a cyberpunk/dystopian story as good as the medium allows and is definitely worth a look.

Story: Marc Andreyko and Robert Alter Art: Micah Kaneshiro
Story: 9.1 Art: 9.1 Overall: 9.1 Recommendation: Buy

Dark Horse provided Graphic Policy with a free copy for review