Moviefone Editorial

Tag: ant-man

  • Paul Rudd: ‘I’m Not Heroic, Strong or a Good Actor’

    “Nerdicity” isn’t an actual word, but if it were, Paul Rudd’s face would be next to it in the dictionary. In his long distinguished career, Rudd has been in a lot of movies, but, according to Jon Stewart, he is now the “pinnacle of nerdicity,” thanks to his role in “Ant-Man.”

    “It is, it is the pinnacle,” Rudd told the host of “The Daily Show,” referring to his newfound superhero status. “I can’t believe that I’m here. I can’t believe that I’m in the world, that I’m in the Marvel universe.”

    As unlikely as Ant-Man is a superhero, Rudd is equally as unlikely a champion worthy of fighting evil.

    GALLERY: “Ant-Man” Premieres in London

    The affable actor joked that he is not “heroic,” “strong,” or interested in “saving the world.” In fact, he said that he’s “not even close” to being a good actor.

    Kidding aside, though, Rudd did have a small sentimental moment for the outgoing TV host.

    “You know what I’m gonna miss? Everything, like all of these people. It is the truth,” he said. “It is always a grind, you know. You have to promote, you do all of these shows. Every time with you, Jon, it’s different. Everybody feels the same.”

    Stewart claimed that his show is different because he doesn’t actually prepare for interviews, something he apparently has in common with his guest.

    Rudd’s retort: “That’s why we’re a perfect match.”

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  • ​Did ‘Ant-Man’ Really Win the Box Office?

    Who won the box office this week? Depends on how you look at it.

    We treat the box office like a horse race every weekend, as if the new and old movies were all competing on the same playing field. But the truth is, on any given weekend, every new release is more like a stock IPO, each with its own unique background and set of expectations. They all just happen to be launching at the same time.

    So you could view the weekly winner, not necessarily as the movie that sold the most tickets, but the movie that did the best on its own terms. Here’s a look at the movies that made the biggest splash at the ticket counter this weekend, depending on which measure you use.

    “Ant-Man“: Yes, “Ant-Man” sold the most tickets in absolute numbers, an estimated $58.0 million worth. But considering how high Marvel has set the bar for its films’ opening weekends, is that really a good number? It’s their lowest opening weekend since 2008’s “The Incredible Hulk.”

    Given that most pundits projected a weekend premiere of about $60 million, “Ant-Man” opened a little below expectations. Then again, the tiny hero is a fairly obscure Marvel character, so you can argue that the movie was lucky to do as well as it did, proving (as did “Guardians of the Galaxy” last summer), that, no matter how unfamiliar the superhero, the Marvel brand name alone is enough to conjure up a No. 1 box office debut.

    “Minions“: At an estimated $50.2 million, the cartoon did almost as well on its second weekend as “Ant-Man” did on its first.

    In 10 days, it has zoomed past $200 million (to $216.7 million) and surpassed by nearly 10 percent the take of predecessor “Despicable Me 2” over its first 10 days ($197.9 million). But then, that film opened on a Wednesday, so its first 10 days included just one full weekend. Also, “Minions” had a sharper drop in its second weekend (57 percent) than pundits predicted. (Some thought it would hold on to enough of last weekend’s business to defeat “Ant-Man.”) That steep drop-off doesn’t bode well for the film’s prospects of out-earning “Despicable Me 2,” which grossed $368.1 million.
    “Trainwreck“: The R-rated comedy’s estimated $30.2 million debut, good for third place, is a vindication for first-time movie star/co-screenwriter Amy Schumer, for producer/director Judd Apatow, for the marketers at Universal, and for R-rated comedies targeted toward women.

    Despite the growing popularity of the Comedy Central-bred comic actress, the movie was expected to be a tough sell, at least to men. (Indeed, only 34 percent of the audience were guys.) It probably helped that Universal’s ads emphasized Apatow’s role (“from the guy who brought you ‘Bridesmaids,’” said the ads, even though Apatow merely produced that film), or that the filmmakers stocked the cast with LeBron James and other guy-appeal sports stars. But it also suggests that Schumer’s humor has more appeal to men than experts thought.

    After all, some pundits predicted the movie would open only in the high teens or mid-20s. In fact, the movie opened on a par with Apatow’s biggest opener yet, “Knocked Up” ($30.7 million), and higher than all the other movies he’s directed.

    “Jurassic World“: It’s in fifth place this weekend, with an estimated $11.4 million. But its total to date is $611.2 million, making it only the fourth movie in history to cross $600 million in North America. And it did it in only six weeks.

    “Irrational Man“: The new Woody Allen movie opened on just five screens and earned just $188,000. But that’s an average of $37,600 per screen, the highest per-theater average of any movie currently playing.

    That doesn’t mean “irrational Man” would have done “Ant-Man” sized numbers if it had opened on thousands of screens, but it does bode well for the movie once it expands onto a few dozen, then a few hundred screens as the summer progresses. Meantime, it’s earned solid bragging rights.
    “Mr. Holmes“: The revisionist take on Sherlock Holmes, with Ian McKellen playing the sleuth as a very old man who’s losing his memory, opened on just 363 screens, but it took in an estimated $2.5 million, enough to crack the Top 10 in tenth place. It averaged $6,857 per screen. All those numbers are very good for an independent movie, especially one with a 76-year-old leading man.

    It wasn’t all rosy news at the box office. In their third weekends, “Terminator Genisys” and “Magic Mike XXL” both continued to languish. So did four-week-old “Ted 2.”

    The lessons? Not every franchise reboot is a guaranteed success, there may not be room in the marketplace for more than one or two films whose primary audience is women, and there are some movies that not even the Universal marketers can sell. Overalll, the box office was down 10 percent from last weekend, which is understandable, given how huge “Minions” was when it debuted with $115.7 million a week ago.

    Still, there are many movies this weekend that have reason to celebrate with a toast. Raise your glasses, even if they’re thimble-sized.
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  • How That ‘Ant-Man’ End Credits Scene Ties in to ‘Civil War’

    SPOILER WARNING: If you haven’t seen “Ant-Man” yet, then read no further. There be lots of spoilers here.

    We all know how Marvel rolls by now: the movie ends, then during the end credits we usually get two short (but fun) scenes.

    “Avengers: Age of Ultron” broke this long-standing practice earlier this summer, but “Ant-Man” brings it back in a big way. In fact, it’s last end credits scene comes from a different Marvel film entirely: “Captain America: Civil War.”

    That’s a big deal; it’s the first time Marvel has used a scene excerpt this way from one of their other films. In fact, the Russo Brothers (“The Winter Soldier“) directed the scene, which Kevin Feige decided to use for “Ant-Man” instead of what was planned, a more comical scene, according to an interview with iO9.

    So what does this scene entail? Here come the SPOILERS:

    After the first end credits stinger (no pun intended), which features Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) showing an upgraded version of the Wasp suit to his daughter, played by Evangeline Lilly, we drop in on Steve Rogers (Chris Evans).

    Cap is out of costume, moving stealth-like toward a man whose face we can’t see — with his arm confined by some device. The man looks up, and it’s — drum roll, please — Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), aka The Winter Soldier. This scene clearly takes place after the events of “Winter Soldier,” where we last saw Cap and fellow Avenger Falcon taking off to find Steve’s best friend-turned-HYRDA assassin.
    Where this scene occurs in “Civil War,” however, remains to be seen. (We assume early-ish in the film; think before the start of the second act.) Joined by Falcon and with Bucky in custody, it becomes a question of: what do we do now and how do we get our cargo out of here?

    Cap quickly shoots down Falcon’s suggestion to contact Tony Stark for help, implying that the disagreement they had while chopping wood in “Age of Ultron” has boiled over into “Civil War.” (Duh.) Also not an option? Calling in the New Avengers, last seen posing for their close-ups at the end of “Ultron.” (Why they can’t call on them isn’t quite clear, indicating that either Cap is going full broken arrow here with this side-mission, or that most of those team members have sided with Tony in the pending conflict between allies.)

    As they weigh their options, Falcon gets an idea: “I know a guy.” And yes, that guy is Scott Lang/Ant-Man, who we last saw duking it out with Falcon when Lang broke into Avengers HQ during his solo film.

    So Lang will play a significant role in the events of “Civil War,” seemingly enlisting on the side of Team Captain America (for now). Also, this scene establishes that the events of “Ant-Man” run very closely to those of “Civil War,” perhaps both films occur within a few months of each other.

    With Lang on the ground floor of “Operation: Breaking Out Bucky,” that also sets up the possibility that Winter Soldier will have a role in the pending war between the Avengers. Is he Team Cap or Team Stark? Will his super-killer programming pit him once again against his best friend?

    We’ll found out when “Nerd Christmas” “Civil War” hits theaters May 2016.
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  • Marvel Reveals ‘Guardians’-Inspired Box Set for Phase Two Blu-ray Collection

    Marvel’s Blu-ray plans for Phase Two are making us go all Dancing Groot.

    Just in time for the release of “Ant-Man,” Marvel announced Friday what fans can expect this holiday season, when the second stage of the MCU hits home video in a super-cool “Guardians of the Galaxy“-inspired box set. Check out the collector’s packaging, based on the orb Star-Lord tries to steal, below:
    The limited-edition, 13-disc set will include the following films: “Iron Man 3,” “Thor: The Dark World,” “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Guardians,” “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” and “Ant-Man.”

    All sets will have the Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray and digital copies of the films. But wait, there’s more: Marvel will also (naturally) throw in a disc full of bonus materials.

    The Phase Two Collection is exclusively available for pre-order on Amazon.com, coming in at a hefty $249.99 price point. Best save up now, or just ask Santa.
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  • Why Paul Rudd Loves Playing a Lesser-Known Superhero

    He may not have the same name recognition as that other bug-turned-hero like Spider-Man.

    But in Paul Rudd’s first foray as a masked do-gooder, he couldn’t be happier playing a character who is unfamiliar to most many moviegoers. The way the 46-year-old sees it, it is Ant-Man’s incredible superpowers that set him apart from his peers in the Marvel universe—and his skills will be enough to win over fans.

    “I like the idea of playing a character that might not be so well known,” Rudd tells “Made in Hollywood.” “When you really think about Ant-Man and what he can do, it’s incredible—you’re invisible.”

    In “Ant-Man,” radical new technology allows the user of a special suit to shrink to the size of an ant and balloon back to human size while its wearer harnesses super strength. As if that isn’t enough, the wardrobe’s helmet allows its user to communicate with ants and other higher order insects.

    Rudd added: “Think about going anywhere, doing anything, seeing anything you want. Also, being able to control ants — they’re everywhere.”

    The action-comedy co-stars Michael Douglas, who serves as Rudd’s character’s mentor, and Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Peña, and Tip “T.I.” Harris, in theaters July 17.

    Watch the trailer below:

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  • 18 Comic Book Movie Casting Picks That Fans Surprisingly Didn’t Hate

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    Marvel and DC fans are very vocal. If they don’t like something, they take it to a very Stage-5 nerd rage place. Especially when it comes to casting their favorite heroes and villains.

    But sometimes, the fans rejoice and nod approvingly from their race car bunk beds at the Hollywood stars appearing in their favorite comic books-turned-movies — like Paul Rudd in “Ant-Man.”

    From “Iron Man” to “The Dark Knight,” here are 18 casting choices that earned fandom’s approval.

  • Michael Douglas’ Children Finally Think He’s ‘Cool’

    He’s got five Golden Globes, two Oscars and a mouthwatering cinematic resume starring in some of the most acclaimed and popular films of our time.

    Despite his many accomplishments throughout his nearly 50 years in showbiz, it is Michael Douglas’ latest role in the superhero film “Ant-Man” that has finally won him the approval he’s been looking for — from his children.

    “Now they think I’m cool,” the 70-year-old says of his son Dylan, 14, and daughter Carys, 12, from his marriage to actress Catherine Zeta-Jones. Douglas also has son Cameron Douglas, 36, from a previous marriage.

    “I’ve finally reached the point in my career where they are actually proud of their old man; that being said, there are a lot of R-rated pictures that they could not see growing up,” the “Basic Instinct” star tells “Made in Hollywood.”

    He continues: “They are 14 and 12 now, so in the future they’ll get more of a sense of my body of work, but right now they are so hot to see this picture they can’t see straight.”

    Douglas plays Dr. Hank Pym in “Ant-Man” opposite Paul Rudd as the titular hero. He serves as the new Ant-Man’s mentor after formerly utilizing the Ant-Man technology himself, finding a protégé in Rudd’s Scott Lang to continue using the armor to thwart evildoers.

    Also starring Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Peña, and Tip “T.I.” Harris, the comedy-action movie hits theaters July 17.

    Watch the trailer below:

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  • 5 Things You Need to Know Before You See ‘Ant-Man’

    When “Ant-Man” hits theaters this Friday, Marvel will introduce yet another iconic comic book hero to the big screen. If the company can find box-office success with a movie about a talking raccoon and a walking tree, surely this is a guaranteed money-maker, right?

    Regardless of Marvel’s Hollywood clout, there are plenty of moviegoers who don’t know Ant-Man from Aquaman. So we decided to break down the five things you should know about Marvel’s latest superhero before you head to the theater.

    1. Paul Rudd is Not the First Ant-Man
    Scott Lang (Rudd) may be the star of the film, but he’s not the only hero to call himself Ant-Man.

    This film is the first one in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to explore the concept of a superhero legacy being passed down from one generation to the next. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) is the first hero to call himself Ant-Man. Decades before Iron Man and Hulk smashed their way onto the scene, Pym discovered the particles that bear his name and developed the Ant-Man suit. Several prologue comics have already explored some of Pym’s early exploits in the MCU.

    In the present-day, however, Pym is a forgotten, washed-up inventor who’s lost control of his company and his Ant-Man tech. Hence why no one has called up offering him a membership card for the Avengers.

    That’s where Lang comes in. As in the comics, Lang is a small-time thief who essentially stumbles his way into becoming a superhero. Despite his checkered past, Pym sees something in Lang that makes him worthy of taking up a mantle he himself abandoned years ago.

    2. His Powers Are Kinda Badass
    No radioactive insect bites or Gamma rays here. Instead, Ant-Man relies on a rare substance known as the aforementioned “Pym Particles,” which allow him to shrink his body (and luckily, his costume) to the size of an insect.

    Even better, as Ant-Man’s body shrinks, his physical strength actually increases. Because science. That makes him a pretty tough opponent to beat. He’s too small to see, yet he can easily knock a full-grown man across a room.

    In the comics, Pym Particles also allow the user to also grow in size as well as shrink. It doesn’t appear Ant-Man will be tapping into that power in this film, but who knows what will happen when he joins up with the Avengers in “Captain America: Civil War“?

    Size-changing is only half of what Ant-Man brings to the table. His signature helmet allows him to communicate with insects (generally ants, hence the name). This talent allows him to control his bug armies in battle and summon a flying ant to be his faithful steed.

    3. He Has an Arch-Nemesis, Naturally
    No superhero is worth much without a good villain to test him. That’s true even for Ant-Man, a hero who historically has always been his own worst enemy.

    The big baddie both Pym and Lang face is Darren Cross (Corey Stoll), aka Yellowjacket. Cross is a former protege of Pym’s who has gone on to take over his boss’s company, steal his inventions and militarize the Ant-Man suit. To draw a comparison to the “Iron Man” movies, Cross is basically a hybrid of Obadiah Stane and Justin Hammer.

    Like Stane, Cross isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty and play with his new toy. The climax of the film will see Ant-Man square off with Cross in his Yellowjacket suit. The Yellowjacket armor is sleeker and deadlier than the Ant-Man suit, complete with a few extra appendages to take full advantage of that boosted strength. Get ready for the smallest epic superhero slug-fest you’ve ever seen.

    4. It’s a Story About Fathers and Daughters
    If there’s one thing most of the heroes in the MCU have in common, it’s that they’re loners without much in the way of family ties. Well, except for Hawkeye, as “Avengers: Age of Ultron” went out of its way to show us.

    Both Hank Pym and Scott Lang are different, however. These two men are very much defined by their family relationships in this movie. For Pym, he struggles to reconnect with his estranged daughter, Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly, pictured above.) Hope now works for Darren Cross and doesn’t seem to want to have much to do with her father, which may be tied to the mysterious fate of her mother, Janet. Comic fans will know that Janet Van Dyne is The Wasp, an insect-like heroine who was once married to Pym — and an Avenger!

    As for Scott, he has a teenage daughter named Cassie (Abby Ryder Fortson). Lang is devoted to Cassie, and has even turned to a life of crime to provide for her. But as you might expect, it’s that same life of crime that prevents him from seeing her. For Lang, becoming Ant-Man is that last chance at legitimacy and respect and reconnecting with the one person in the world he cares for.

    5. Lang Stands Alone. Ish.
    Minus a brief cameo from a new Avenger, “Ant-Man” bucks the recent trend with Marvel’s movies in that it doesn’t wedge itself into the increasingly complicated web of continuity and characters. In other words, don’t expect Ant-Man to to be fighting Loki or hunting for an Infinity Stone this time.

    Instead, this movie is a standalone adventure that focuses mainly on establishing a new power player in the Marvel Universe.

    There will be some ties to the larger universe. The film will briefly explore Pym’s past as Ant-Man and an active member of S.H.I.E.L.D. during the Cold War. But for the most part, “Ant-Man” is concerned with its own characters and conflicts. That might make it the most approachable Marvel movie since the original “Iron Man.”

    That said, don’t expect Ant-Man to stay out of the Marvel limelight. It’s already been confirmed that the hero will join the fray in next year’s “Civil War.” From there, don’t be surprised if Rudd reprises his role in the next two “Avengers” sequels.

    After all, what super-team is complete without a guy who floats like a butterfly and stings like a superhuman fist to the face?
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  • Best of Late Night TV: Paul Rudd’s Drinko Game, Jack Black and Boy George Sing The Doors

    If you’re like us and value your sleep, you probably nodded off into your Ambien dreamland before the party started on post-prime time TV. Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered. Here’s the best of what happened last night on late night.

    You know Plinko, the “Price Is Right” game? Monday night on “The Tonight Show,” the human perfection that is “Ant-Man” star Paul Rudd did a version with Jimmy Fallon called Drinko, requiring them to potentially drink things like “Bacon Soda” and Pickle Juice. They both had to drink Gravy, which is too nasty, but one of them ended up having to mix Gravy with Tequila: “They call it ‘Thanksgiving’ south of the border.”
    In his interview, Paul talked to Jimmy about trying to do a full “Basic Instinct” on his “Ant-Man” co-star Michael Douglas. It failed. But it’s hilarious. It ended up looking like he was “pleasuring himself” while Michael was doing a monologue. Michael had his own interview on “Late Night” with Seth Meyers, and you can see that video below. Also, in case you were curious about Jimmy Fallon’s finger injury, Jimmy explained (in a 7 minute video) what happened to sideline him. He tripped and fell — his ring got caught on the countertop when he was going down and stuck there and pulled his finger. He almost lost his finger, but after six hours of microsurgery — taking a vein out of his foot — they saved it. He was in the ICU for 10 days and he won’t get the feeling back in his finger for eight weeks. He’s still wearing bandages. He said what happened is called “ring avulsion” an he suggested not to Google it, since the images are graphic, but everyone did. Gross. Last night, Jack Black and Boy George were both guests on “Conan” so they combined forces to sing The Doors’s “Hello I Love You,” accompanied by The Doors’ guitarist Robby Krieger. Jack insisted, repeatedly, that Jim Morrison had the best yell of all time. He’s probably right. Jack and Boy G seemed to have a blast together — and they really did the song justice. This isn’t from Monday night, but — over the weekend, to close out his Comic-Con coverage — Conan O’Brien talked to the cast of “X-Men: Apocalypse.” Here they discuss goofing around on set — including Nicholas Hoult shooting someone in the ass with a BB gun. Someone complained about the unsafe work environment when they made the last movie. This is the best. Here’s James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender discussing the epic love story between Charles/Professor X and Eric/Magneto. They played a video with a montage of their scenes together, set to Coldplay’s “Fix You.” Fassy got emotional afterward, and James noted that they could get married in America now. Carli Lloyd, Chris Tucker, and Judy Greer were guests on “The Late Late Show with James Corden.” Watch them kick soccer balls at a dunk tank to try and soak James. Considering Carli is the World Cup queen, you had to know she’d be the best. But she didn’t quite nail it the first two tries, which just tortured James. Michael Douglas was on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” to promote “Ant-Man,” his first superhero/green screen kinda film. This is a big deal for his kids, who are 14 and 12; it’s the first film they’re excited for him to be in. For a long time, their mom — Michael’s wife Catherine Zeta-Jones — was the actress and Dad “made pancakes.” Comedian Jim Gaffigan was on “Late Night” and he and Seth discussed food — including Jim’s famous Hot Pockets bit. He said at least three of seven comments on his Twitter feed are about Hot Pockets, and sometimes people yell “Hot Pockets!” at him and he doesn’t know how to respond.

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  • Michael Douglas Goes ‘Wild’ Over CGI in ‘Ant-Man’

    With a career that spans nearly 50 years—shifting from dramas, thrillers and rom-coms—there is little left to impress Michael Douglas. But when the 70-year-old made his foray into the superhero genre with “Ant-Man,” the Hollywood veteran was fascinated by CGI in the filmmaking process.

    “I did a scene with little dots on my faces,” he explained to “Made in Hollywood.” “That was one of the sequences I (later) saw when we were [dubbing audio], and it was only halfway done, so half the scene I had dots on my face and the other half I could see the effect. It was wild, just wild.”

    In “Ant-Man” opposite Paul Rudd, the titular hero, as his mentor Dr. Hank Pym, who formerly utilized Ant-Man technology and finds a protégé in Rudd’s Scott Lang.

    Also starring Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Peña, and Tip “T.I.” Harris, the comedy-action movie hits theaters July 17.

    Watch the trailer below:

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