The bromance between Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds is a love story for the ages. Jackman is Wolverine. Reynolds is Deadpool. They’ve been teasing and trolling each other since “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” came out in 2009.
Now Reynolds is busy promoting “Deadpool 2” — which comes out May 18 — and apparently he brings his Deadpool suit everywhere he goes, including to Jackman’s hotel room.
“The Greatest Showman” star was trying to send someone a birthday message, and Deadpool jumped in with some “Annie” singing.
Awesome. That was truly the greatest show. But doesn’t it get sweaty in that Deadpool suit? Not that he should take it off and make this hotel room visit even more intimate. And who did let the dogs out?
Jackman has been having huge success with “The Greatest Showman” — especially the soundtrack. It’s a safe bet he’ll continue to help his buddy promote “Deadpool 2” in some way, whether at a premiere or through social media. That’s what friends are for. [Cue next sing-a-long.]
At a loss for what to watch this week? From new TV, we’ve got you covered.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
“The Greatest Showman”
It’s everything you’ll ever want, and it’ll never be enough! Hugh Jackman’s musical blockbuster is arriving this Tuesday, April 10 on Blu-ray, DVD, 4K UHD, and VOD. Extras include the must-have sing-along version (available on iTunes), behind-the-scenes featurettes, and commentary from the stars.
Check out this exclusive clip from the extras, with Hugh Jackman, Zendaya, Zac Efron, and Rebecca Ferguson talking about the amazing choreography in the film:“Proud Mary”
Taraji P. Henson plays titular hit woman Mary, whose life is turned around when she meets a young boy during a professional hit, in this action thriller out on DVD/Blu-ray April 10. Extras include three behind-the-scenes featurettes.
Here’s an exclusive clip from the featurettes, with Taraji and filmmakers examining the final battle scene. Mild spoiler alert!“Molly’s Game”
Jessica Chastain stars as Molly Bloom in this drama biopic about the real-life Olympic-class skier who ran the world’s most exclusive high-stakes poker game for a decade before her arrest. Idris Elba, Kevin Costner, Michael Cera, Jeremy Strong, Chris O’Dowd, and Bill Camp costar in the movie, which is out on Blu-ray, DVD, and On Demand April 10. The film comes with the behind-the-scenes featurette “Building an Empire,” with writer/director Aaron Sorkin and Jessica Chastain talk about Molly Bloom’s remarkable story.
New Video on Demand, Rental Streaming, and Digital
“Maze Runner: The Death Cure”The third and final “Maze Runner” movie earned itself months of headlines for Dylan O’Brien’s on-set injury, but the film did pretty well in theaters. It’s coming to Digital on Movies Anywhere April 10, and then April 24 on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K Ultra HD. The film comes with 90 minutes of extras, including commentary, deleted and extended scenes, a gag reel, and a behind-the-scenes look at the evolution of the cast’s friendships over the years.
“12 Strong”
Chris Hemsworth and Michael Shannon lead this war drama set in the days following 9/11, when an elite U.S. Special Forces unit was chosen to be the first U.S. soldiers sent into Afghanistan for a dangerous mission. “12 Strong” is out on Digital April 10, then May 1 on Blu-ray and DVD. The Blu-ray Combo Pack includes “12 Strong: The Making of an Impossible Mission” and “Monumental Effort: Building America’s Response Monument.”“Hostiles”
In this Western out April 10 on digital, Christian Bale stars as a legendary Army captain who reluctantly agrees to escort a dying Cheyenne war chief and his family through treacherous terrain and back to their tribal lands. Rosamund Pike, Wes Studi, Jesse Plemons, Adam Beach, and Ben Foster co-star in the acclaimed film, which comes out on Blu-ray and DVD April 24. The release comes with the three-part documentary “A Journey to the Soul: The Making of Hostiles.”
“Den of Thieves”
Gerard Butler, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, and Pablo Schreiber star in this gritty crime drama available on digital April 10, then April 24 on Blu-ray, DVD, and On Demand. The release comes with an extended unrated version, plus an alternate ending, outtakes, deleted scenes, and filmmaker commentary.
“Wildling”
This horror fantasy starring Liv Tyler arrives in select theaters and on VOD/Digital HD this Friday, April 13. Bel Powley plays Anna, who spends her entire childhood in a single room under the care of a mysterious man she only knows as “Daddy” (Brad Dourif). He makes her fear the “Outside” by telling her of the “Wildling.” At age 16, Anna is freed by small-town sheriff Ellen Cooper (Liv Tyler). But as she begins to flourish as a young woman, a series of unsettling events unfolds. Watch the trailer.
“An Ordinary Man”
Sir Ben Kingsley stars as an infamous war criminal and former general spending his life on the run from international authorities in this drama/thriller in theaters and on VOD/Digital April 13. When he’s suddenly moved to a new hideout, he develops a relationship with the maid (Hera Hilmar) that looks after him. But when he discovers that she is actually an agent hired to protect him, he makes a decision that will drastically change both of their lives. Watch the trailer.
“Lost in Space” Season 1 (Netflix Original)
Danger is ahead for Will Robinson and company in Netflix’s reboot of the 1960s “Lost in Space” series. Toby Stephens, Molly Parker, and Parker Posey (as Dr. Smith) star in the 10-episode first season, which streams Friday, April 13.
“In the year 2046, the Robinson family and the spaceship Jupiter 2, one of several Jupiter ships, encounters a rip in spacetime and crashes on an unknown planet. Stranded light years from their intended destination, the Robinsons and other colonists marooned with them battle a strange new alien environment and their own personal demons as they attempt to leave the planet.”
“I Am Not An Easy Man” (Netflix Film)
This French comedy looks promising. Check out the trailer below, and watch the film this Friday.
“He’s spent his life ogling women. Now he’s at their mercy. To survive in this strange new world where gender roles are reversed, he’ll have to grow up fast. A film by Eleonore Pourriat, inspired by her short film ‘Oppressed Majority.’”
“Chef’s Table: Pastry” (Netflix Original)
Yum yum yum. Dessert will be served this Friday, April 13, as the world’s most renowned pastry chefs gather for “the sweeter side” of “Chef’s Table.”“Come Sunday” (Netflix Film)
Chiwetel Ejiofor stars in this drama about renowned fundamentalist preacher Carlton Pearson, whose crisis of faith sends him on a new spiritual path that jeopardizes everything he holds dear. Martin Sheen, Condola Rashad, Jason Segel, Danny Glover, and Lakeith Stanfield co-star in the film, which premiered at Sundance and arrives on Netflix April 13.
“The Magic School Bus Rides Again” Season 2 (Netflix Original)
The bus is back for a second season, with Kate McKinnon voicing Miss Fiona Felicity Frizzle. Get on board starting this April 13.
TV Worth Watching
“The Walking Dead” Finale, “Fear the Walking Dead” Premiere (Sunday on AMC at 9 p.m.)
“The Walking Dead” Season 8 is finally ready to end All Out War with Episode 16, “Wrath,” from 9 to 10:10 p.m. on April 15. That will be followed by the premiere of “Fear the Walking Dead” Season 4, which will include Morgan Jones (Lennie James) crossing over from TWD to FTWD. The “Fear” premiere runs from 10:10 pm – 11:17 p.m. with this synopsis: “A lone traveler’s wearying journey is interrupted by new acquaintances, some who become friend, others who become foe.”
“New Girl” (Tuesday on FOX at 9:30 p.m.)
The final goodbye begins this week. Zooey Deschanel’s series is back for its seventh and final season on April 10. There will only be eight episodes, starting with “About Three Years Later”:
“Picking up approximately three years later, Jess (Zooey Deschanel) and Nick (Jake Johnson) return from a European book tour; Schmidt (Max Greenfield) and Cece (Hannah Simone) celebrate their daughter’s birthday with a party, where Jess runs into her ex; Winston (Lamorne Morris) and Aly (Nasim Pedrad) try to pick a pregnancy photo.”
“The Expanse” (Wednesday on Syfy at 9 p.m.)
Syfy’s fantastic sci-fi series starring Thomas Jane, Shohreh Aghdashloo, and Steven Strait returns April 11. The Season 3 premiere is titled “Fight or Flight”:
“The Rocinante crew deals with the fallout over Naomi’s (Dominique Tipper) betrayal while caught in the middle of the war between Earth and Mars; Avasarala (Shohreh Aghdashloo) and Bobbie (Frankie Adams) hatch an escape plan.
LOS ANGELES, Feb 4, (Variety.com) – Sony’s resilient “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” has returned to the top of the North American box office, leading a modest Super Bowl weekend with $11 million at 3,553 sites.
The session caps a remarkable run for the Dwayne Johnson-Kevin Hart action comedy, which also won the box office on its third, fourth and fifth weekends. “Jumanji” has become the 42nd highest domestic grosser of all time with $352.6 million, less than $500,000 behind Johnson’s “Furious 7” for the 41st spot.
“Jumanji,” which declined just 32 percent, is only the 11th title to top $11 million in its seventh weekend. It’s the lowest total for a first-place film since the second weekend of “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” won the final frame of August.
Fox’s “Maze Runner: The Death Cure,” which won the box office last weekend, finished second with $10.2 million from 3,793 locations. The weekend’s sole opener, Helen Mirren’s horror-thriller “Winchester,” launched in third with $9.3 million at 2,480 venues, topping modest expectations which had been in the $6 million to $8 million range.
Overall domestic business was typically modest for a Super Bowl weekend with $92 million overall, according to comScore, as studios remain reluctant to open major titles during the frenzy surrounding the pro football championship. The lowest recent Super Bowl weekend came in at $86 million in 2014, when the third weekend of “Ride Along” led with $12 million.
The 2018 box office has remained close to even with last year thanks to “Jumanji,” with $1.06 billion through Sunday, down 0.5 percent from last year at the same point.
“‘Jumanji’ gets the MVP box office award for Super Bowl weekend with a stunning late run ascension to the number one spot as ‘Maze Runner’ adds to its total and ‘Winchester’ enjoys a bit of counter programming success amidst a sea of Oscar contenders over what is a typically slow moviegoing weekend,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst with comScore.
“Maze Runner: The Death Cure,” the third and final installment of the “Maze Runner” series, stars Dylan O’Brien as a young man trying to survive in a dystopian universe. It declined by 58 percent from its $24 million opening. The film’s release was delayed for a year due to injuries that O’Brien sustained on the set in 2016.
“Winchester” centers on a real-life house in San Jose, Calif. built by Sarah Winchester (Mirren), the heiress to the Winchester firearms fortune, over 38 years beginning in 1886. The mansion, which stands seven stories tall, contains hundreds of rooms and is meant to be an asylum for vengeful ghosts.
Fox’s seventh weekend of “The Greatest Showman” finished fourth with $7.8 million at 2,588 sites, posting the lowest decline among the top 10 films at 18 percent. The Hugh Jackman musical has turned in an impressive $137.5 million in 45 days.
Entertainment Studios’ Western drama “Hostiles,” starring Christian Bale, followed in fifth with $5.5 million at 2,934 locations, giving it $21.2 million after two weeks in wide release. Fox’s seventh weekend of “The Post” came in sixth with $5.2 million at 2,462 sites for a $67.2 million domestic total.
“The Greatest Showman” has made just over $260 million worldwide at this point, and the soundtrack is selling so fast even P.T. Barnum would be impressed.
The musical isn’t expected on Blu-ray/DVD until March 6, but star Hugh Jackman just treated fans to a preview of the expected bonus content: Bloopers!
Fans will recognize the bar scene below, with Jackman’s Barnum and Zac Efron‘s Phillip Carlyle singing “The Other Side.” Well, it didn’t go too well in a couple of takes. Jackman cracked up laughing, as Efron smiled — but also looked like he’d be ready to keep going ASAP. In his Instagram post, Jackman pointed out that Zac’s hair stayed perfect the entire time.
The Oscars will be handed out Sunday, March 4 at 5 p.m. PST on ABC. Stay tuned for more digital/DVD/Blu-ray/4K/Netflix release details for “The Greatest Showman.”
Some of the biggest headlines this weekend at the box office came from a western and a musical. Yep, you kids may like your futuristic teenage sci-fi dystopia movies, like the latest “Maze Runner” — and then again, you may not — but the kind of movies that your grandparents like, such as “Hostiles” and “The Greatest Showman,” are giving the box office a run for its money.
As a result, there were some surprise winners and losers this weekend. Such as:
Winner: Fox
The studio claimed the top movie, with “The Maze Runner: The Death Cure” debuting with an estimated $23.5 million. In fact, Fox had three of the top five movies this weekend, including “Showman” (in fourth place, with an estimated $9.5 million) and “The Post” (in fifth with an estimated $8.9 million). Add to that the top two Oscar contenders — “The Shape of Water” and “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” — both released by subsidiary Fox Searchlight, and the company can claim five of this weekend’s biggest movies, with a total estimated at $51.2 million among them.
Anyone still think Disney was unwise to try to buy the studio?
Loser: Young Adult Fantasy
Sweet as the “Maze Runner” victory may be, the movie still opened well below the $30-million-plus debuts of the first two installments. You could blame the long delay in the film’s release date, which was caused by star Dylan O’Brien‘s on-set injury.
But it could also be that the genre that peaked with “Twilight” and “The Hunger Games” is simply played out; witness the way the “Divergent” movies fizzled out, or the industry’s failure to launch a similar new franchise since “Maze Runner.” The film had a strong social media campaign (including a viral trailer made with LEGOs), and there wasn’t much else for young adult viewers this weekend (except the still-strong “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle“). Even so, there still wasn’t enough incentive to draw a bigger audience.
Winner: “Hostiles.” No one expected much from this western, released by the relatively new Entertainment Studios (it’s just their fourth film). It was hoping for a Best Actor Oscar nomination for Christian Bale, but after “Hostiles” was absent from Tuesday’s nominations list, pundits predicted an opening as low as $5 million.
Nonetheless, the movie scored an estimated $10.2 million, good for third place. That speaks to Bale’s star power, to the film’s appeal among older audiences, and to the fact that the western genre isn’t quite dead yet, even though the industry has been saying last rites over it for more than three decades.
Loser: The Oscar Bounce The success of “Hostiles” carries an extra sting, in that, despite the lack of Academy love, it still did better than any of the movies that did get nominated. Traditionally, the nominees, especially for Best Picture, see a solid boost in business the weekend after the nomination announcement. Some did; “Shape of Water,” “Three Billboards,” and “Lady Bird” all did at least 61 percent better than last weekend. But other movies were still losing viewers, including “The Post,” “Phantom Thread,” and “Darkest Hour.”
All of these movies have already been playing for at least five weeks, so it’s no wonder they’re petering out. So far, among the nominees still in current release, “The Post” has been the most successful, with $58.5 million earned to date. The rest have yet to top $46 million, and it’s unlikely that any of them will still have enough gas to outrace “The Post” before the Oscars are handed out on March 4.
By the way, “Get Out,” which earned more than $175 million last winter but left theaters long before it picked up a Best Picture nod and three other nominations, returned to 468 theaters this weekend to capitalize on its Oscar success. It needn’t have bothered; it added just an estimated $170,000 to its take, or a measly $363 per screen.
Clearly, everyone who wants to see “Get Out” already has, either at the multiplex or at home. Some movies have an apparent saturation point, and most of this year’s Oscar contenders seem to have reached theirs.
Winner: Long Legs
After three weeks on top, “Jumanji” was finally pushed down to second place, but weep no tears for The Rock.
For one thing, it’s no small feat for a movie in its sixth week of release to still be bringing in an estimated $16.4 million. For another, it’s earned a total of $338.1 million to date, making it the third most successful release in Sony history, behind only the first two Tobey Maguire “Spider-Man” movies. (Watch your back, “Spider-Man 2,” “Jumanji” is coming for ya.)
It shows little sign of slowing down, having lost just 16 percent of last weekend’s business. Remember what we just said about saturation points? “Jumanji” still has a long way to go before that happens.
So does “The Greatest Showman.” The family-friendly musical, down just 11 percent from a week ago, has earned $126.5 million in six weeks. This despite a relative lack of hype and just one Oscar nomination (Best Song for “This Is Me”). There’s no reason to think it won’t cross $150 million, which would put it in the neighborhood of “La La Land” and “Les Miserables” and make it one of the five most lucrative musicals of all time.
Winner: “Padmaavat.”
The lavish Hindi-language costume epic opened on just 324 screens but earned $4.3 million, good enough to debut in tenth place. Its per-screen average of $13,188 was far and away the biggest of any movie playing this weekend. Which just proves that there are always underserved audiences that can make a surprising splash at the box office if someone actually makes a movie they want to see.
While Franco was speaking — and Tommy Wiseau was NOT speaking — the cameras caught Jackman’s open-mouthed expression. He could’ve been shocked that he lost. He could’ve been confused about Franco’s speech. He could’ve been upset for Wiseau to be brushed off. It was the perfect tabula rasa for fans to interpret in their own ways — and that they did, turning Jackman’s expression into a meme:
Hugh Jackman’s face upon seeing he lost Best Actor for his circus musical to James Franco imitating Tommy Wiseau is my new favorite reaction image to everything ever.#GoldenGlobespic.twitter.com/f5zH4Rgky4
Hugh Jackman’s stunned face now joins Chrissy Teigen’s cringe face from 2015, and Leonardo DiCaprio’s eyebrow raise at Lady Gaga in 2016, on the list of top Golden Globes reactions. Congrats, man! You did win something!
The fourth installment of the “Insidious” horror franchise scared up a surprisingly strong $29.3 million at 3,116 sites for Universal. Disney-Lucasfilm’s “The Last Jedi” followed in third with a 55% decline to $23.6 million at 4,232 venues for a 24-day total of $572.5 million — the sixth-largest of all-time.
Fox’s third weekend of “The Greatest Showman” held nicely in fourth, declining only 12% to $13.6 million at 3,342 theaters for a 19-day total of about $77 million. It was followed in fifth by Universal’s third session of “Pitch Perfect 3” with $10.2 million at 3,458 sites, lifting its 17-day take to a solid $86 million.
Fox’s fourth weekend of animated comedy “Ferdinand” finished sixth with $7.7 million at 3,156 venues, followed by Jessica Chastain‘s “Molly’s Game” from STXfilms, which brought in $7 million after expanding to 1,608 sites from 271. Chastain received a Golden Globe nomination for best actress in a drama for her work in the film — whether or not she wins will be determined Sunday. The film also received a Producers Guild Award nomination on Friday for best film, a day after Aaron Sorkin’s script received a Writers Guild nom for adapted screenplay.
The “Jumanji” sequel has taken in $244.4 million in its first 19 days domestically. It’s the first weekend box office win for “Jumanji” — which has gone past “Justice League” as the ninth-largest domestic grosser among 2017 titles. “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” is also topping the $500 million mark worldwide.
Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Karen Gillan star in “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” a sequel to Robin Williams’ original, which was a 1995 hit with $262 million worldwide. “Welcome to the Jungle” follows four high schoolers in detention who wind up as video game characters facing an array of challenges.
“Insidious: The Last Key” came in far above expectations, which had been in the $16 million to $19 million range. It’s the latest horror title from Blumhouse Productions, which delivered low-cost horror hits last year for Universal with “Split,” “Get Out,” and “Happy Death Day.” The franchise dates back to 2010 with “Insidious,” followed by “Insidious: Chapter 2” in 2013 and “Insidious: Chapter 3” in 2015 — which have grossed a collective $357 million worldwide.
Lin Shaye, who has starred in all three films, returns in “Insidious: The Last Key” as a parapsychologist whose haunted childhood comes to threaten her family and home in a follow-up to the events in “Insidious: Chapter 3.” It’s produced by “Insidious” regulars Jason Blum, Oren Peli, and co-creator James Wan and by Sony Pictures (through Stage 6 Films) with Blumhouse. Universal is the U.S. theatrical distributor with Sony releasing in the rest of the world.
Overall domestic business was up 18.1% to $165 million, according to comScore — a welcome sign after 2017 saw a 2.3% decline in total grosses.
“2018 is off to a rollicking start with ‘Jumanji’s’ unexpected strength boosting the overall marketplace nearly 20% ahead of the comparable weekend a year ago as the box office new year gives the industry cause to celebrate with an incredibly diverse lineup of titles driving patrons to theaters and a red hot awards season in full swing,” noted Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst with comScore. “Two years ago was not even as strong with a ‘Force Awakens’ driven marketplace ringing up sales of $159.1 million for the same weekend in 2016.”
Hugh Jackman — one of the world’s greatest creations — is now in promotion mode for “The Greatest Showman.” Variety has a great new feature on the “Logan” star, who talks about his career leading up to the “X-Men” films, and his desire to not be typecast. On that note, did you know that he could’ve been James Bond when Pierce Brosnan was leaving, before Daniel Craig was cast? He was at least in the running, approached sometime around 2002.
Jackman explained to Variety why he felt the need to pass:
“I was about to do ‘X-Men 2’ and a call came from my agent asking if I’d be interested in Bond. I just felt at the time that the scripts had become so unbelievable and crazy, and I felt like they needed to become grittier and real. And the response was: ‘Oh, you don’t get a say. You just have to sign on.’ I was also worried that between Bond and ‘X-Men,’ I’d never have time to do different things.”
Doing different things — like this new P.T. Barnum musical — is very important to him. He said, between “X-Men 3” and the first Wolverine movie, people wanted him to play the hero role exclusively and it made him feel “a little bit claustrophobic.” He’s since diversified his filmography with roles on stage, hosting the Tonys, winning an Emmy for hosting the Tonys, and going dark in films like “Prisoners.”
It does seem like the 49-year-old actor has proven himself enough, and the Bond franchise has potentially evolved enough, that he might reconsider shaking some martinis after Daniel Craig’s final movie. Give it some thought?
“The Greatest Showman” opens in theaters December 20th.
Entertainment Weekly has the first photos from the musical, seven years in the making, about the godfather of the modern circus, with Jackman in the lead role of P.T. Barnum. Williams plays his wife Charity; with Zac Efron as Barnum’s business partner, who falls in love with the trapeze artist played by Zendaya (who has the best pink hair).
The story is set in the mid-1800s, but the songs sound, intentionally, like modern pop.
“We were clear from the beginning that this wouldn’t feel like a period movie or a historical piece,” Jackman told EW. “What would Barnum do now? I have an almost-12-year-old daughter. I wanted [the movie] to be as exciting for her as listening to Katy Perry’s new song.”
“The Greatest Showman” is scheduled to arrive in theaters on Christmas Day, which looks like a vote of confidence for a big holiday audience … and maybe some “La La Land” level Oscar buzz?
The bromance between Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds is a love story for the ages. Jackman is Wolverine. Reynolds is Deadpool. They’ve been teasing and trolling each other since “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” came out in 2009.
At a loss for what to watch this week? From new TV, we’ve got you covered.
The third and final “Maze Runner” movie earned itself months of headlines for 
LOS ANGELES, Feb 4, (Variety.com) – Sony’s resilient “
This should put a smile on your face.
Who says old-fashioned movie genres are dead?
No one expected much from this western, released by the relatively new Entertainment Studios (it’s just their fourth film). It was hoping for a Best Actor Oscar nomination for 
The success of “Hostiles” carries an extra sting, in that, despite the lack of Academy love, it still did better than any of the movies that did get nominated. Traditionally, the nominees, especially for Best Picture, see a solid boost in business the weekend after the nomination announcement. Some did; “Shape of Water,” “Three Billboards,” and “
His confusion summed up so much, so well.
LOS ANGELES, Jan 7 (Variety.com) – Sony’s “
But that was then. Would he say yes now?
There’s something 
The story is set in the mid-1800s, but the songs sound, intentionally, like modern pop.