After being pushed farther and
farther into the future back in 2020 owing to the global pandemic, the movies
that are supposed to be the heart and soul of the Marvel Cinematic Universe final
began their long-delayed release early this July with “Black Widow” starring
Scarlett Johansson. Since COVID-is still prevalent, the premiere of the film on
seating-limited cinemas was complemented by a simultaneous release for Disney+
streaming. Thus, the first weekend for “Black Widow” was remarkably solid for a
mid-pandemic opening. However those returns were blown out of the water by
Marvel-Disney’s longtime rival Warner Bros., which unleashed their “Space Jam”
sequel last Friday.
In what is being seen as a
dramatic turnaround, Disney and Marvel’s MCU movie “Black Widow” finds itself
foundering on its second week following the premiere of “Space Jam: A New
Legacy” last July 16 according to Deadline.
Its first weekend (three days) box office run of $31.65 million is touted as
the best opening of an out-and-out family film during the pandemic, even
beating Warner-Legendary Pictures’ “Godzilla vs. Kong” ($31.62M) back in March.
More importantly, this was way better than the second weekend of MCU film “Black
Widow” which tanked $26.25M, or a dramatic 67% decrease from weekend 1.
What is notable is that both “Black
Widow” and “Space Jam: A New Legacy” were released to the public in a similar
double-premiere format, simultaneously in theaters and streaming. While on a
critical front “A New Legacy” was savaged by reviewers who compared it
unfavorably to the original 1996 film starring legendary NBA player Michael
Jordan, this over-2-decade follow-up with current-gen league superstar LeBron
James palling with Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tunes is proving a hit with
audiences, who believe the Lakers’ King James was a more convincing actor than Air
Jordan at least.
“Space Jam: A New Legacy” sees
LeBron as a fictionalized version of himself, who has a strained relationship
with his son Dom (Cedric Joe) due to his preferring a career in videogame development
over basketball. When the two are visiting Warner Bros., the studio’s rogue
self-aware A.I. Al-G Rhythm (Don Cheadle) zaps them into the virtual environment
of WB’s digital media library, holding Dom hostage and forcing LeBron to form a
basketball team to challenge his “Goon Squad,” or allow Al-G to trap more
people in the VR world. James teams up with Bugs and the Looney Tunes to save
his son and beat Al-G.
The film is now running in
cinemas and streaming for a limited time on HBO Max. Meanwhile, theater-owners
are blaming the sudden box-office drop suffered by “Black Widow” on its Disney+
availability, which merely strips money going to cinemas. As for “A New Legacy,”
LeBron James is cheekily calling out former naysayers claiming his film will was
going to bomb.
Hi Haters! 😁 https://t.co/ayPGnBZGQU
— LeBron James (@KingJames) July 17, 2021
Image courtesy of Rappler
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