Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with director Chris Renaud about his work on Despicable Me 4’, the success of the movie and the overall franchise, why we love the Minions, how Gru has changed since the first film, his rivalry with Maxime Le Mal, what Will Ferrell brought to the role, working with Steve Carell and what being part of this franchise has meant to Renaud personally.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview.
‘Despicable Me 4’ opens in theaters on July 3, 2024. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Moviefone: To begin with, ‘Despicable Me 4’ is now available on digital but is still doing very well theatrically at the box office. Are you surprised by the success of the movie and the popularity of the franchise?
Chris Renaud: Yes and no. In that, I mean, look, as we’re making these films, we preview them. We test them with audiences, and I was at a premiere in New York and a premiere in Paris, and even though those are probably stacked in your favor, you can feel the energy. You can feel the response and the love that the audience really has for these characters. I think that obviously coming off ‘Minions: Rise of Gru’, the love of the audience is clear. I think the job for us as filmmakers is not to let them down. I think that after sitting with several audiences through the course of making the movie, and you can never predict what’s going to happen financially at the box office, but I felt that we were delivering on the promise and hopefully that that would translate to people going to the theater and seeing the movie.
‘Despicable Me 4’ opens in theaters on July 3, 2024. Photo: Universal Pictures.
MF: Can you explain the pop culture phenomenon that is the Minions? Why do we love them so much?
CR: It’s truly lightning in a bottle. I think it’s one of those things that all the elements came together to create this comedic personality with a universal quality. By that I mean from the design, which is super simple, a five-year-old could draw it, no problem. The simple color scheme, yellow and blue, besides the Ukrainian flag now means Minions. The language, which is every language and (no language at the same time), and very much influenced by things like R2-D2 and the Jawas where you kind of got what they were saying but you didn’t understand it literally. Their animated performance, their incompetence, their childlike quality which gives them this appeal that is hard to match. So, I really truly think it’s one of those things where every element of it came together in a way that is just special. That’s about all I can say. The things that I loved as a kid, Batman comics and ‘Star Wars’, the Minions are sort of maybe not quite at that level, but they’re in the culture in a way that is far and few between with other characters, and that’s amazing to have been a part of that.
‘Despicable Me 4’ opens in theaters on July 3, 2024. Photo: Universal Pictures.
MF: Can you talk about how Gru has changed since the first film?
CR: We think about that. We’re like, we need Gru to be Gru, which is maybe more villainous, but the truth is when we try it, what we end up finding is it feels false. The reason why, and I think one of the reasons that besides the Minions that people like this group of characters is that Gru has changed, and he’s changed the way probably most people change once they have kids and have a family. It does change you and change how you think. So, it’s very extreme for Gru, where he was a villain and then now, he’s essentially a good guy and a softy. He’s still, obviously in this movie, he enjoys seeing his snobby neighbor get bested by one of the Minions. So, he still Gru, but he’s a different guy. I think that the arc of his life is something that a lot of people, particularly the adults in the audience can relate to.
‘Despicable Me 4’ opens in theaters on July 3, 2024. Photo: Universal Pictures.
MF: Can you talk about Gru and Le Mal’s history together and their rivalry?
CR: Maxime Le Mal really starts with Will Ferrell’s performance, which is terrific. Seeing Maxime and Gru in the high school reunion, they went to a villain high school called Lycée Pas Bon. Seeing that rivalry at the beginning of the film I think is just so much fun, particularly with those comedic actors, but also giving us an opportunity to again, see a different aspect of Gru’s life. We haven’t really seen any clips from his high school. What I love too, without getting into the details is that the source of their rivalry is such a small detail and such a small transgression. I think that’s so true, and I think that’s one of the great things about these characters and what makes them so relatable is that little kind of, as I said, transgression from high school is the kind of thing that we carry with us the rest of our life. I love that, that it is not some big world-shattering stakes that they have against each other. It’s just a tiny insult that ends up creating this rivalry that runs through the film.
‘Despicable Me 4’ opens in theaters on July 3, 2024. Photo: Universal Pictures.
MF: What was it like working with Will Ferrell?
CR: So, the character in the script that we delivered to Will was Maxime Le Mal. So, he came in with a French accent, which was great. What we did do, as I sort of gave him the opportunity, I said, “Look, do you have any other ideas that we could try?” Because it was the first session. Will is like, “Listen, I got this great Swedish accent I’ve always wanted to try.” We would’ve changed the name no problem. It was early days. We did try a couple of things, but really the French accent that he came in with was what you hear and that is the character.
‘Despicable Me 4’ opens in theaters on July 3, 2024. Photo: Universal Pictures.
MF: Can you talk about Steve Carell’s impact on this franchise?
CR: I think it’s hard to understate how important Steve’s performance is to the character. Again, and we were just talking about accents. One of the things that when we started our first recording session for him way back in probably 2008, we were talking about Peter Sellers and ‘Inspector Clouseau‘ and this idea of an accent. We tried a couple of things like a Latin influence, a couple of different thoughts, a Spanish influence. But we quickly landed on what you hear, which is this kind of weird fusion of Eastern European. The scale to it that Steve was able to bring, and we obviously have the best comedic actor out there, but it all radiates out of what Steve has done with Gru. When he comes in and records, obviously at this point, we know what he is doing. It’s not like we’re figuring it out. We all have a good handle on Gru, but he’s very thoughtful in the process. He thinks about the lines. He is like, “Why would Gru say that?” He’s very considerate of the character and I’m sure he has a great affection for the character because he’s probably one of the most iconic, well-known animated characters of all time at this point. That’s no small credit to the performance that Steve has helped create. I say help because of the animators who do the visual and the character design, but Steve is really where it starts.
‘Despicable Me 4’ opens in theaters on July 3, 2024. Photo: Universal Pictures.
MF: Finally, can you talk about what it has meant to you personally to be part of this beloved franchise?
CR: in a lot of ways that’s even hard to describe. It’s had such a huge impact on me, not just working with these characters and being a part of these successful films, but living in Paris, France where the film picture is produced. So as an American living abroad, I’ve spent essentially my adult life there. We moved back in 2008, it’s almost 16 years now I’ve lived in France. So, it’s every aspect of my life and our life as a family have been impacted by working on these films. I think that Illumination as a company stands where it stands because of the first ‘Despicable Me’, it was a rock-solid idea in the original pitch. Then the stuff that we were able to add to it, Pierre Coffin, myself, the writers, Chris Meledandri, and the team at Illumination. It really was one of these things that was built brick by brick in the first film. I think that first film is what carries the day and why we’re talking about a ‘Despicable Me 4’ now. It was something that from a design point of view and animation point of view, when it came out, everyone was like, “What is this?” I think that now it’s obviously become part of the culture, but I think that our ability to create something a bit different in the marketplace at the time still resonates. It’s why we’re still making these movies.
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What is the plot of ‘Despicable Me 4’?
Gru (Steve Carell) and Lucy (Kristen Wiig) and their girls—Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier) and Agnes (Madison Polan)—welcome a new member to the Gru family, Gru Jr. (Tara Strong), who is intent on tormenting his dad. Gru also faces a new nemesis in Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell) and his femme fatale girlfriend Valentina, (Sofia Vergara) forcing the family to go on the run.
‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ has a successful second weekend at the box office.
It dropped just 53% to earn $97 million domestically.
New arrivals, such as ‘Harold and the Purple Crayon’ had a tougher time of it.
Deadpool just keeps on taking aim at box office records and achievements.
While box office pundits were eager to see how ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ might fare on its second weekend of release (traditionally Marvel and other big movies can be front-loaded, and attendance drops in further weekends), the successful superhero outing has proved it’s in the charts for the long haul, earning an impressive $97 million this weekend.
That’s a low 53% drop in income and indicates that fans and general audiences are still happily turning out for the movie.
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What new records has ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ taken down?
With its domestic total now standing at $395.6 million, the latest outing for the Merc with a Mouth has deposed ‘The Passion of the Christ’ (which made $371 million domestically in its run, not accounting for inflation), which should please “Marvel Jesus” no end.
That $97 million now stands as eighth-biggest second weekend in domestic box office history, sneaking past ‘Barbie’, which had that slot after last year’s success.
Globally, the new Marvel effort is up to $824 million globally, with $1 billion and more clearly in sight and likely to be crossed within a few days (‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ has been doing great business during the week as well as the weekend). That is more than either of the previous two ‘Deadpool’ movies achieved in their theatrical runs.
And the movie is currently the third-biggest R-rated movie of all time, behind just ‘Joker’ ($1.07 billion) and ‘Oppenheimer’, which earned $975 million.
Elsewhere, it was a solid week for ‘Deadpool’s veteran chart-mates as ‘Twisters’ took $22.7 million, staying second place in its third weekend of release for $195.6 million domestically. It has served as good counter-programming for adults in search of non-comic book fare who still want a little excitement in their movies.
Third place went to M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Trap’, which is seen as a mildly decent start, though we’re sure Warner Bros. (which didn’t screen the movie for critics) was likely hoping for something bigger. The movie earned $15.6 million this first weekend on release.
Fourth was ‘Despicable Me 4’, proof positive once again that Gru and the Minions mean big business for Illumination and Universal, with $11.3 million for fourth place as it crossed $300 million in its fifth week of release and now stands at $313.9 million domestically.
‘Inside Out 2’ continues to also bring in the family crowd, with $6.7 million in fifth (don’t forget it has been in cinemas for eight weeks now) and $626.9 million in total domestically, which makes it (for now) the highest-grossing movie of 2024 domestically so far.
Struggling in sixth place was Sony’s ‘Harold and the Purple Crayon’ which starred Zachary Levi, which was panned by critics, earned solid scores from moviegoers, but couldn’t even crack the top 5 on release, taking in a dismal $6 million domestically and $9 million globally, which is not great for a $30 million-budgeted movie.
There was other good news for Disney which, thanks to the likes of ‘Deadpool and Wolverine’, ‘Inside Out 2’, ‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ and ‘The First Omen’, is the first studio this year to cross $3 billion at the box office, with a running total so far of $3.109 billion.
(L to R) Director Shawn Levy, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman from ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ at San Diego Comic-Con 2024. Photo: Marvel Studios.
Other Movies and TV Shows Similar to ‘Deadpool and Wolverine’:
‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ now has the record for the highest-grossing launch of an R-rated movie at the box office.
It made an estimated $211 million domestically and $444 million globally.
The MCU as a whole has now surpassed $30 billion in box office earnings.
It might sound silly to say, but Marvel really needed a hero. And from the looks of the box office results of ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’, it got two.
Because the new superhero team-up movie, which stars Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson/Deadpool and Hugh Jackman as Logan/Wolverine has blasted through box office records for R-rated releases and outstripped even enthusiastic predictions for its success, opening across its first three-day weekend (plus previews) to a superb, estimated $211 million.
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What are ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’s box office achievements?
The new ‘Deadpool’ outing was helped –– not that you’d know it from the spoilery promotional materials put out by Disney/Marvel –– by excited fans heading to see it before the movie’s various secrets could be spilled online.
That stratospheric $211 million domestic launch makes it the biggest R-rated opening weekend in history ––pushing past the original ‘Deadpool’, in fact, which launched to $132 million back in 2016. And in more general terms, it’s the eighth-best debut of all time on the domestic side.
Globally, the movie also performed beyond expectations. Scoring a coveted China release, ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ opened almost simultaneously worldwide and ended the weekend with $444 million as its global tally.
Marvel boss Kevin Feige applauded the success of the film Saturday night at the San Diego Comic-Con, where a choir belted out “Like a Prayer” (as used in the movie) while Deadpool-themed dancers performed in the aisles. Feige announced that the success of the MCU’s latest movie had pushed Marvel Studio’s cinematic tally to $30 billion –– not bad for 16 years’ worth of releases.
Clearly, audiences wanted more from the Merc with a Mouth.
(from left) Kate (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Tyler (Glen Powell) in ‘Twisters’, directed by Lee Isaac Chung.
Sensibly, no studio put out a wide release to compete with Marvel’s latest behemoth, which took over many screens domestically (4,210 to be exact) and nabbed the lion’s share of headlines.
Last week’s champion, ‘Twisters’, dropped 57% for a $35.5 million second weekend, which is still a success. It has so far earned $154.9 million domestically.
‘Despicable Me 4’ also continued to do solid business, making $14.2 million in its fourth weekend for a $290.9 million domestic total.
And let’s not forget that Disney is already having a good year, with Pixar sequel ‘Inside Out 2’ continuing to bring in families, to the tune of $8.3 million for its seventh weekend. The animated movie has so far made $613.4 million domestically and more than $1.46 billion globally.
We’re fairly sure that idea is already bubbling away among executives at Disney, but unless Reynolds and Jackman feel they have a good idea, we doubt it’ll happen soon, if at all. There’s every chance the duo could show up in other Marvel movies.
‘Despicable Me 4’ opens in theaters on July 3, 2024. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Opening in theaters on July 3rd, ‘Despicable Me 4’s is Illumination Entertainment (and distributor Universal) unleashing the latest salvo of their behemoth franchise.
The success of ‘Despicable’ movies is almost comically predictable at this point, and while the latest offering does very little that’s really new, it seems certain to appeal to the family target audience.
‘Despicable Me 4’ opens in theaters on July 3, 2024. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Though it would be wrong to say that the franchise really matures, the new offering does at least represent the usual evolution of the story, as it finds Steve Carell’s Gru well and truly settled into family life. Yet his villainous past once more comes back to haunt him when a rival threatens his domestic bliss and the Gru clan is forced to retreat to a safe house.
Plus, any movie featuring Gru is contractually obliged to include the Minions, and here there is a new spin on that concept, albeit a slightly tired satire of a genre that has long since been spoofed beyond reason.
Script and Direction
‘Despicable Me 4’ opens in theaters on July 3, 2024. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Written by ‘Despicable’ veteran Ken Daurio and in a slightly surprising turn, Mike White (though ‘The White Lotus’ boss is also credited with last year’s ‘Migration’, also from Illumination), so he’s clearly found a side gig groove with the animation company.
Don’t go expecting any ‘Lotus’-level depth here (not that you would from a knockabout cartoon effort), and the movie is refreshingly free of hackneyed attempts to teach family bonding lessons, mostly because they’ve all been covered before by the ‘Despicable’ movies. The gags come thick and fast, but the main issue with the screenplay and the movie on which they are based is that it all feels like separate elements that eventually try to gel for the big finish, but never feel like they’re all in the same plotline.
Gru, for example, not only has to deal with an old nemesis coming back, but a new potential threat, and the screenplay doesn’t really juggle them as effectively as they might, with several feeling underserved.
‘Despicable Me 4’ opens in theaters on July 3, 2024. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Kudos, though, to the team for two referential jokes that feel like they were layered in specifically for the parents bringing their kids to this one –– particularly a ‘Terminator 2’ moment that really works.
Chris Renaud (another ‘Despicable’ veteran) and Patrick Delage (who has worked his way up from the animation department into more of an overall leadership role here) oversaw direction. And rather than trying to change what was working about the look and feel of the movies, they kept to the basic template –– lots of Minion moments (even if, like the split plotlines, they feel like separate skits that are crowbarred into the story until they serve a point at the end. And even then, they feel like a throwaway afterthought.
If you’re taking kids who are really only there for the squat, chattering, yellow pill-shaped nuisances, you might be better off just re-watching old shorts and moments online.
Performances
‘Despicable Me 4’ opens in theaters on July 3, 2024. Photo: Universal Pictures.
The voice cast is predictably entertaining –– many of them have been at this franchise long enough to bed into their roles. Where things fall down somewhat is a by-the-numbers script that doesn’t really give them much that’s fresh.
Steve Carell as Gru
‘Despicable Me 4’ opens in theaters on July 3, 2024. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Carell knows how to knock out a Gru line in his sleep these days, but he throws himself into the role with typical relish. He’s a little isolated from the rest of the family for large stretches of the story, but he bounces well off of Joey King, who plays Poppy, a teenager with criminal aspirations of her own.
Will Ferrell as Maxime Le Mal
‘Despicable Me 4’ opens in theaters on July 3, 2024. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Will Ferrell here plays Gru’s old schoolmate and nemesis, but though Ferrell tries out a cod-French accent to try and get something new, he’s rarely all that memorable. An obsession with cockroaches seemingly opens the door to Minion-style madness, but his insect army is established and then quickly forgotten. In the ranks of gadget-obsessed villainy that have cropped up in the movies, Le Mal doesn’t really pop.
And that goes double for his girlfriend, Valentina (Sofia Vergara). It seems clear that either there is more of her role on the cutting room floor, or Vergara spent roughly 10 minutes in the recording booth as Valentina is a largely pointless character.
Stephen Colbert, Kristen Wiig and More
‘Despicable Me 4’ opens in theaters on July 3, 2024. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Stephen Colbert, Carell’s old ‘Daily Show’ colleague is always good value matched against him (here as snooty, preppy new neighbor Perry Prescott.
Kristen Wiig, meanwhile, gets some meatier material as Lucy Wilde, Gru’s wife, including her attempts to become part of the new community where they’re forced to move.
And finally, there’s Gru Jr. the family’s new addition (who mostly just makes gurgling and other infant sounds). He’s a fun diversion, a child who simply doesn’t like his father (until…. Well, that would be spoiling things, but you can guess).
The Minions do their thing as usual, and their superhero spoof is diverting if not really effective at this point when we don’t really need another example of poking fun at the genre.
Final Thoughts
‘Despicable Me 4’ opens in theaters on July 3, 2024. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Gru and co. are such reliable money spinners for Illumination at this point that they could probably just put out 90 minutes of Minions babbling and slapping each other, and family audiences would crack open their wallets to see it.
You might find yourself wishing for something truly revolutionary, but it’s unlikely to disappoint the diehard kiddie fans.
‘Despicable Me 4’ receives 7 out of 10 stars.
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What’s the story of ‘Despicable Me 4’?
Gru (Steve Carrell) and Lucy (Kristen Wiig) and their girls —Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier) and Agnes (Madison Polan) — welcome a new member to the Gru family, Gru Jr., who is intent on tormenting his dad.
At the same time, Gru faces a new nemesis in Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell) and his femme fatale girlfriend Valentina (Sofia Vergara), and the family is forced to go on the run.
Summer 2024 is almost here and with it comes the sun, the beach and summer movies!
The summer movie season will officially begin on May 3rd when the big screen adaption of the popular 80’s TV series ‘The Fall Guy,’ which stars Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, opens in theaters.
Johnny Depp in ‘Jeanne Du Barry.’ Photo: Vertical.
The life of Jeanne Bécu (Maïwenn), who was born as the illegitimate daughter of an impoverished seamstress in 1743 and went on to rise through the Court of Louis XV (Johnny Depp) to become his last official mistress.
He’s a stuntman (Ryan Gosling), and like everyone in the stunt community, he gets blown up, shot, crashed, thrown through windows and dropped from the highest of heights, all for our entertainment. And now, fresh off an almost career-ending accident, this working-class hero has to track down a missing movie star, solve a conspiracy and try to win back the love of his life while still doing his day job. What could possibly go right?
Harriet Slater in ‘Tarot’. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
When a group of friends recklessly violates the sacred rule of Tarot readings they unknowingly unleash an unspeakable evil trapped within the cursed cards. One by one, they come face to face with fate and end up in a race against death.
(Left) Justice Smith in ‘I Saw the TV Glow’. Photo: A24.
Teenager Owen (Justice Smith) is just trying to make it through life in the suburbs when his classmate introduces him to a mysterious late-night TV show — a vision of a supernatural world beneath their own. In the pale glow of the television, Owen’s view of reality begins to crack.
Director Wes Ball breathes new life into the global, epic franchise set several generations in the future following Caesar’s reign, in which apes are the dominant species living harmoniously and humans have been reduced to living in the shadows. As a new tyrannical ape leader builds his empire, one young ape undertakes a harrowing journey that will cause him to question all that he has known about the past and to make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike.
Lee (Ashley Judd) protects her orphaned nieces Imogen (Katie Douglas) and Maeve (Sarah Pidgeon) from a self-destructing world, raising them in isolation until an outsider threatens their peaceful existence.
Richard Brake as Beau in the western/crime/thriller, ‘The Last Stop In Yuma County,’ a Well Go USA release. Photo courtesy of Well Go USA.
While awaiting the next fuel truck at a middle-of-nowhere Arizona rest stop, a traveling young knife salesman is thrust into a high-stakes hostage situation by the arrival of two similarly stranded bank robbers with no qualms about using cruelty—or cold, hard steel—to protect their bloodstained, ill-begotten fortune.
Sasha Pieterse, Parker Young, Nestor Carbonell, and Academy Award® winner Mira Sorvino star in this twisted tale of deception and desire based on the bestselling thriller by Adele Parks. Identical twins Anna and Zoe find their bond tested over Anna’s new love, Nick. While the trusting Anna is head over heels, her skeptical sister Zoe senses a web of deceit. But as Zoe digs for the truth, they’re all pulled into a dangerous game where honesty could prove fatal.
(L to R) Cailey Fleming and Blue star in Paramount Pictures’ ‘IF.’ Photo: Paramount Pictures.
The story of a girl (Cailey Fleming) who discovers that she can see everyone’s imaginary friends — and what she does with that superpower — as she embarks on a magical adventure to reconnect forgotten IFs with their kids.
Marisa Abela stars as Amy Winehouse in director Sam Taylor-Johnson’s ‘Back To Black,’ a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Dean Rogers/Focus Features.
The extraordinary story of Amy Winehouse’s early rise to fame from her early days in Camden through the making of her groundbreaking album, Back to Black that catapulted Winehouse to global fame. Told through Amy’s (Marisa Abela) eyes and inspired by her deeply personal lyrics, the film explores and embraces the many layers of the iconic artist and the tumultuous love story at the center of one of the most legendary albums of all time.
(L to R) Froy Gutierrez as “Ryan” and Madelaine Petsch as “Maya” in ‘The Strangers’ Trilogy, a Lionsgate release. Photo Credit: John Armour for Lionsgate.
After their car breaks down, a couple driving cross-country to begin a new life in the Pacific Northwest is forced to spend the night in a secluded rental, where they are terrorized from dusk till dawn by three masked strangers.
Jean-Claude Van Damme in ‘Darkness of Man’. Photo: Saban Films.
Russell Hatch (Jean-Claude Van Damme), an Interpol operative who takes on the role of father figure to Jayden (Emerson Min), the son of an informant killed in a routine raid gone wrong. Years later, Hatch finds himself protecting Jayden and his uncle from a group of merciless gangs in an all-out turf war, stopping at nothing to protect Jayden and fight anyone getting in his way. Including supposed allies with hidden agendas and nefarious intents.
Garfield (Chris Pratt), the world-famous, Monday-hating, lasagna-loving indoor cat, is about to have a wild outdoor adventure! After an unexpected reunion with his long-lost father – scruffy street cat Vic (Samuel L. Jackson) – Garfield and his canine friend Odie (Harvey Guillén) are forced from their perfectly pampered life into joining Vic in a hilarious, high-stakes heist.
(Right) Greg Kinnear in ‘Sight’. Photo: Angel Studios.
Dr. Ming Wang (Terry Chen) is not simply an eye surgeon: he is a beacon of empathy for humankind. Based on his incredible true story, ‘Sight’ offers glimpses of hope at times when it feels the hardest to find.
Daisy Ridley stars as the accomplished swimmer who was born to immigrant parents in New York City in 1905. Through the steadfast support of her older sister and supportive trainers, she overcame adversity and the animosity of a patriarchal society to rise through the ranks of the Olympic swimming team and complete the staggering achievement – a 21-mile trek from France to England.
(L to R) Leon Bridges as “River” and Kiersey Clemons as “Celestina” in the drama ‘The Young Wife’, a Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label) release. Photo courtesy of Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label).
A young woman (Kiersey Clemons) grapples with the meaning of love and commitment over the course of her “non-wedding” day.
(L to R) Oliver Finnegan as Daniel, Olwen Fouere as Madeline, Dakota Fanning as Mina and Georgina Campbell as Ciara in New Line Cinema’s and Warner Bros. Pictures’ fantasy thriller ‘The Watchers,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.
When 28-year-old artist Mina (Dakota Fanning) finds shelter after getting stranded in an expansive, untouched forest in western Ireland, she unknowingly becomes trapped alongside three strangers that are watched and stalked by mysterious creatures each night.
(L to R) Martin Lawrence and Will Smith in ‘Bad Boys: Ride or Die.’ Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
After their late former Captain is framed, Lowrey (Will Smith) and Burnett (Martin Lawrence) try to clear his name, only to end up on the run themselves.
A mild-mannered professor (Glen Powell) moonlighting as a fake contract killer sparks a chain reaction of trouble when he falls for a client (Adria Arjona).
Teenager Riley’s mind headquarters is undergoing a sudden demolition to make room for something entirely unexpected: new Emotions! Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Fear (Tony Hale) and Disgust (Liza Lapira), who’ve long been running a successful operation by all accounts, aren’t sure how to feel when Anxiety shows up. And it looks like she’s not alone.
(L to R) David Duchovny, Stephanie Beatriz and Logan Marshall-Green in ‘Bucky F*cking Dent’. Photo: Vertical.
Follows Ted (Logan Marshall-Green), an aimless thirty-something who moves in with his father Marty (David Duchovny) when he develops a fatal illness. Marty’s health suffers every time the Boston Red Sox lose, so to keep him happy and alive, Ted enlists Marty’s grief counselor Mariana (Stephanie Beatriz) and friends to fake a Red Sox winning streak.
(L to R) Stephen Fry and Lena Dunham in ‘Treasure’. Photo: Bleecker Street.
Poland, 1990 – American music journalist Ruth (Lena Dunham) takes her father Edek (Stephen Fry), a Holocaust survivor, on a journey to his childhood haunts, hoping to make sense of her family’s troubled past. When Edek, reluctant to face his trauma, undermines their trip with his unpredictable and more eccentric than usual demeanor, Ruth is forced to challenge him and the values with which he raised her.
(L to R) Jodie Comer and Austin Butler in ‘The Bikeriders.’ Photo: Focus Features.
Kathy (Jodie Comer), a strong-willed member of the Vandals who’s married to a wild, reckless bikerider named Benny (Austin Butler), recounts the Vandals’ evolution over the course of a decade, beginning as a local club of outsiders united by good times, rumbling bikes and respect for their strong, steady leader Johnny (Tom Hardy). As life in the Vandals gets more dangerous, and the club threatens to become a more sinister gang, Kathy, Benny and Johnny are forced to make choices about their loyalty to the club and to each other.
Chuck Norris as Alastair in the action, sci-fi film, ‘Agent Recon’, a Quiver Distribution release. Photo courtesy of Quiver Distribution.
A covert military task force tracks a mysterious energy disturbance at a secret base in New Mexico that is suspected of experimenting on alien technology. Once there, the team encounters an unknown being of extraordinary strength and speed, and the ability to control an army of mindless warriors. The trio must fight through the unstoppable hordes to prevent humanity’s demise.
‘Horizon: An American Saga: Chapter 1.’ Photo: Warner Bros.
Explore the lure of the Old West and how it was won—and lost—through the blood, sweat and tears of many. Spanning the four years of the Civil War, from 1861 to 1865, embark on an emotional journey across a country at war with itself, experienced through the lens of families, friends and foes all attempting to discover what it truly means to be the United States of America.
Detective Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) is back on the beat in Beverly Hills. After his daughter’s life is threatened, she (Taylour Paige) and Foley team up with a new partner (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and old pals Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and John Taggart (John Ashton) to turn up the heat and uncover a conspiracy.
(Center) Emma Roberts in ‘Space Cadet’. Photo: Prime Video.
It follows the Florida party girl Rex (Emma Roberts), who turns out to be the only hope for the NASA space program, after a fluke puts her in training with other candidates who may have better resumes, but don’t have her smarts, heart and moxie.
Elizabeth Mitchell in ‘Possum Trot.’ Photo: Angel Studios.
Twenty-two families from a rural black church in the small East Texas town of Possum Trot adopt seventy-seven of the most difficult to place kids in the foster system.
(L to R) Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum in ‘Fly Me to the Moon’. Photo: Columbia Pictures.
Sparks fly in all directions as marketing maven Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johansson), brought in to fix NASA’s public image, wreaks havoc on Apollo 11 launch director Cole Davis’ (Channing Tatum) already difficult task. When the White House deems the mission too important to fail, Jones is directed to stage a fake moon landing as backup, and the countdown truly begins.
Johnny Depp as “Johnny Puff” in the family, comedy, animation film, ‘Johnny Puff: Secret Mission’, an International Media Network release. Photo courtesy of International Media Network.
Johnny Puff (Johnny Depp) and his friends go on a secret mission to save Taigasville from the evil plans of the villainous engineer Otto von Walrus.
(from left) Lily (Sasha Lane) and Tyler (Glen Powell), in ‘Twisters’ directed by Lee Isaac Chung.
As storm season intensifies, the paths of former storm chaser Kate Cooper (Daisy Edgar-Jones), lured back to the open plains after a devastating encounter years prior, and reckless social-media superstar Tyler Owens (Glen Powell) collide when terrifying phenomena never seen before are unleashed. The pair and their competing teams find themselves squarely in the paths of multiple storm systems converging over central Oklahoma in the fight of their lives.
Tami Stronach in ‘Man and Witch: The Dance of a Thousand Steps’. Photo: Fathom Events.
Three Mysterious Curses, two lost souls… and one incredibly difficult dance. A lowly goatherd seeks out a reclusive witch (Tami Stronach) to break the evil enchantment that has long kept him from taking a wife. When he completes the three impossible trials the witch prescribes, the man (Greg Steinbruner) earns the hand of the legendary Princess, only heir of the Old King of the Cursed Kingdom. But when he arrives at the altar with a perfect fairytale ending hanging in the balance, both the goatherd and mysterious witch who helped transform him into the perfect eligible bachelor find that there is one enchantment they can’t figure out how to break… true love.
Cate Blanchett as Lilith in ‘Borderlands.’ Photo Credit: Courtesy of Lionsgate.
After returning to her home-planet Pandora, infamous outlaw, Lilith (Cate Blanchett), is given a dangerous mission and forms an alliance (and potential friendship) with other criminals; including former mercenary Roland (Kevin Hart), demolitionst Tiny Tina and her protector Krieg, insane scientist Tannis, and the wisecracking robot Claptrap (Jack Black). The mission: find and protect the missing (and important) daughter of a very powerful man named Atlas. Although, things may not be as they seem, as the girl holds the key to great power, one that can change the fate of the entire universe.
(L to R) John Cena and Awkwafina in ‘Jackpot!’ Photo: Prime Video.
Set in a very near future where a Grand Lottery has been founded in economically struggling California. The only caveat? If you want to legitimately claim the award, you must murder the winner before sunset.
‘Chapter 2’ continues to explore the lure of the old West and takes audiences on a treacherous journey across a country at war with itself, experienced through the lens of families, friends and foes all attempting to discover what it truly means to be the United States of America.
Bill Skarsgård in ‘The Crow.’ Photo Credit: Larry Horricks for Lionsgate.
Soulmates Eric Draven (Bill Skarsgård) and Shelly Webster (FKA twigs) are brutally murdered when the demons of her dark past catch up with them. Given the chance to save his true love by sacrificing himself, Eric sets out to seek merciless revenge on their killers, traversing the worlds of the living and the dead to put the wrong things right.
‘Wicked’, ‘Twisters’ and more were showcased at Universal’s CinemaCon show.
There was news of sequels to ‘M3GAN’ and ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s.
The likes of Jon M. Chu and Glen Powell showed up to support their films.
Universal enjoyed a successful 2023 on several counts, not the least of which was the explosive popularity of Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’, which did well at both the box office and awards season. Plus there were the horror likes of ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s and the big family hit that was ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’. True, there were also the downsides –– ‘Fast X’ didn’t quite deliver in terms of that giant franchise, while ‘Renfield’ and ‘The Last Voyage of the Demeter’ struggled.
But for the most part, we’re expecting the studio to celebrate its big win, and look forward to a slate that includes giant windy natural disasters (plus star Glen Powell), a new entry for its money-printing ‘Despicable Me’ franchise and what it is hoping will be a magical adaptation of iconic stage musical ‘Wicked’.
And the company is also including 2024 offerings from its Focus arm, so we’re anticipating the likes of Robert Eggers’ vampire tale ‘Nosferatu’.
Unsurprisingly, the studio kicked things off with a sizzle reel highlighting the big names it collaborates with –– Jordan Peele, Christopher Nolan, some youthful chancer called… we want to say, Stevie… Spielberg? –– very much highlighting its relationships and celebrating last year’s big release.
President of Domestic Theatrical Distribution Jim Orr touted the fact that more than 75% of the studio’s releases are original movies, with some hoping to launch new franchises. But his focus was also on ‘Wicked’, letting off a bright green flare and promising that the company will be turning theaters green “you got that, right? Y’all are wicked smart.” Yes, Jim. We got it.
After bringing Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt to CinemaCon last year for ‘The Fall Guy’, the studio kicked off this year’s event with a full screening of the movie, so we doubt there will be too much chatter about it this time around.
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Christopher Nolan sent a video message along –– not, to announce a new film with Universal, but to thank theater owners for their support and reminding them that his journey to promote ‘Oppenheimer’ began at last year’s event.
Now, though to the future…
There was a brief mention of the new ‘Bridget Jones’ movie (more on that here), which is confirmed for February 14th next year.
Illumination boss Chris Meledandri arrived on stage to whip up support for his animated efforts. And yes, he mentioned that a new ‘Super Mario Bros.’ movie is indeed on the way in April 2026, which is hardly shocking given the success of the original.
And, of course, a sequence from ‘Despicable Me 4’, which offers much of the expected madness with Gru and co. (and you’ll have seen some of it in the trailer). Will Ferrell is confirmed as the villain, with word that Stephen Colbert is also in the cast. Pharrell Williams is confirmed to be back providing music.
‘Despicable Me 4’ lands in theaters on July 5th.
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With that complete, time to learn what’s blowing in the wind…
Twin Twisters, in ‘Twisters’ directed by Lee Isaac Chung.
The new movie’s director Lee Isaac Chung is best known for the far smaller, much-respected indie ‘Minari’, so of course he addresses what is foremost in audience’s minds: why tackle a big franchise entry about tornadoes.
Turns out, it’s his Midwest background –– he grew up in tornado territory, so he brings something personal to the movie about Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glenn Powell chasing twisters. Chung’s intent was to make an immersive movie, and to make us all appreciate the terrifying power of nature. He worked with weather scientists and experts to get the details right and had real-life storm chasers on the crew.
He also name drops Steven Spielberg (a tornado obsessive whose first movie was a tornado epic shot in his bathtub), who taught him a lot about filming them.
(from left) Kate (Daisy Edgar-Jones), Javi (Anthony Ramos), and Tyler (Glen Powell), in ‘Twisters’ directed by Lee Isaac Chung.
Stars Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, and Anthony Ramos joined their director on stage to offer up the usual anecdotes about filming in blazing heat and being pelted with water, air, ice, and more (to remind us of their commitment, Powell and Ramos once more faced water, fake debris and –– of course! –– a cow, albeit inflatable, on stage).
They’re also here to key up some footage from the film. A rodeo is disrupted, and Powell and co. head off on their chasing mission. There’s a glimpse of Dorothy, the storm-testing device from the original movie.
And the two giant twisters from the trailer combine into one giant super tornado. It’s very much the “‘Twister’… but bigger” energy from the first released footage.
‘Twisters’ heads to theaters on July 19th.
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From natural action to supernatural horror, and beyond…
The next sizzle reel highlighted the studio’s more recent horror legacy, including collaborations with Jordan Peele and James Wan.
And confirmation that sequels to both ‘M3GAN’ and ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s will appear next year –– ‘M3GAN 2.0’ in May, ‘Freddy’s in the fall.
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But the first actual presentation from the genre is for…
Since ‘Wolf Man’ is in production, there was just a brief clip introduced by director Leigh Whannell, featuring stars Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner. It’ll see a father (Abbott) trying to protect his family from a threat. Only… he’s the threat.
‘Wolf Man’ will be in theaters on January 17th, 2025.
James McAvoy in ‘Speak No Evil.’ Photo: Universal Pictures.
Director James Watkins introduced the horror thriller starring James McAvoy, Scott McNairy and Mackenzie Davis about a family invited to spend a weekend at an idyllic holiday retreat, only for things to go very scare shaped when the father of the family (McAvoy) reveals a darker side..
Watkins keyed up the first look at the trailer.
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‘Speak No Evil’ is due in theaters on September 13th.
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Next, it was the turn of Focus Features to showcase its slate, introduced to the music of Amy Winehouse (the focus of upcoming biopic ‘Back to Black’).
Eschewing a bigger presentation, it was largely a sizzle reel of footage from the company’s upcoming releases, including the aforementioned ‘Back to Black’ (due on May 17th) and pope-focused drama ‘Conclave‘ ( November 1st), which stars Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow and more.
Perhaps the most exciting was the first look at footage from Robert Eggers’ new horror, ‘Nosferatu’. The director’s take on the classic vampire tale looks suitably intense and creepy, with Willem Dafoe at the forefront of the clips.
It’ll be in theaters on December 25th –– because Christmas always needs vampires.
With posters adorning the walls outside Caesar’s Palace forum, tulips in all the cupholders and light up green lanyards handed out before the presentation, Jon M. Chu’s big adaptation of the hit stage musical is a two-part gamble on the largest scale.
Jeff Goldblum’s giant golden head kicks things off on screen… and he steps out (from behind the curtain, as befits the Wizard of Oz) to enthuse in true Goldblumian style how “dreamy” the making of the movie was –– practical sets and all.
Producer Marc Platt and director Chu are up next, who in turn introduce members of the cast (including Michelle Yeoh, who chides her ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ and ‘Wicked’ director for always casting her as “mean” characters.
The last to take the stare are stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, who talk about how much the movie(s) mean to them.
Footage from the film encompassed snatches from several of the musical’s big tunes, including ‘Popular’ and act one show-stopper ‘Defying Gravity’. It ends with Erivo’s Elphaba (who will become known as the Wicked Witch of the West) claiming her broomstick. “You can do this, you can do anything,” Grande’s Glinda tells her. “I’m not afraid,” Elphaba replies, “It’s the wizard who should be afraid of me….”
Oh, and we learned that Peter Dinklage is in the movie as the voice of Dr. Dillamond, a goat professor at the show’s Shiz University who befriends Elphaba.
What was shown was certainly impressive and bodes well for fan expectations.
‘Wicked’ is flying into theaters in those two parts –– the first on November 27th this year, followed by the second on November 26th, 2025.
