We round up geek showbiz news from the holiday season.
Avatar: The Way of Water appears to have triumphed over treacherous weather and an unfavorable calendar (Christmas Eve on a Saturday) to post a $64 million second weekend, according to Deadline. A surprisingly strong Monday could bring the film’s cumulative total through to $294 million through the four day weekend. Like the first film in the series, strong legs are expected to drive box office for the sequel; opening weekend was $134 million (see “’Avatar’ Opens Big“).
There will be no sequel to Black Adam under the new regime of James Gunn and Peter Safran, star Dwayne Johnson tweeted. While the film opened bigger than expected (see “’Black Adam’s’ Big Opening“), “Black Adam will not be in their first chapter of storytelling,” Johnson wrote. DC and Johnson’s production company will “continue exploring the most valuable ways Black Adam can be utilized in future DC muiltiverse chapters.”
The Legendary Entertainment production of a live-action My Hero Academia feature with director Shinsuke Sato (see “’My Hero Academia’ Gets Director“) is going to Netflix, the streamer announced. The screenplay for the film based on the hit manga will be written by Joby Harold (Obi-Wan Kenobi, Army of the Dead).
DC and sister company Rooster Teeth (see “Rooster Teeth Now Part of WarnerMedia“) will release Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes & Huntsmen, Part One, an animated feature for digital, 4K, and Blu-ray in Spring 2023, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Members of the Justice League are transported to Remnant and must combine forces with Remnant heroes to uncover why their planet has been altered. The properties crossed over in comic form last year (see “Preview: ‘RWBY/Justice League’ #1“).
The Pokemon Company will conclude Pokemon Ultimate Journeys: The Series, the final season of the animated Pokemon series featuring Ash Ketchum and his Pikachu, with a collection of special episodes, also streaming on Netflix. The special episodes begin after the pair win the Masters Eight Tournament of the Pokemon World Coronation Series, and will celebrate that achievement with fan-favorite Pokemon and characters including Misty and Brock, and provide a glimpse of Ash’s future. The special episodes will be followed by a new Pokemon series starring dual protagonists named Liko and Roy in the Japanese version, and featuring characters from the Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet video games. The Scarlet and Violet expansions to the TCG will launch on March 31, 2023 (see “’Pokemon Scarlet & Violet’ Joins TCG“).Source: ICv2
