The world will soon have a new ‘Clown Prince of Crime’ when Joker debuts on 3rd October 2019. This time, he’s a comedian played by Joaquin Phoenix, and he’s ready to turn Gotham City’s frown upside down no matter what it takes.
From its GRITTY and enigmatic trailer, to the buzz created after winning The Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival – the festival’s highest prize, the stakes are high in terms of audience anticipation.
Produced by DC Film and distributed by Warner Bros. Joker is unlike any other superhero film. Brace yourselves for the brand new take on the Dark Knight’s greatest nemesis, guaranteed to put a ‘smile on your face’.
Watch the trailer of the Joker 2019:
Here’s what you should know about Joker:
Rating:
Joker is the first live-action Batman franchise film to receive an R-rating from the Motion Picture Association of America, due to its strong bloody violence, disturbing behavior, language, and brief sexual images. It can be presumed that the movie’s rating in the Middle East will end up being PG-18 for cinemagoers.
Is this Joker part of DC Comics?
There has been much speculation floating around as to whether the Joker is part of the DC Comic universe. However, director Todd Phillips has made it clear that the movie is a standalone story of the origins of Joker – the criminal mastermind and well-known nemesis of comic superhero Batman (in a never-seen portrait of the man behind the mask).
Joker is closer in spirit and substance to gritty cinematic portraits of antiheroes from the 1970s: Taxi Driver (1976), One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), Serpico (1973), unlike any other typical modern comic-book movie.
Arthur Fleck (Joker’s real name in this standalone movie) does not align with any origin of the Joker ever published. What bits and pieces we’ve seen from promotional material resists attempts to connect the movie to any one story. It seems to be, by and large, entirely original in a way vanishingly few superhero movies have been.
Set in a ‘broken-down’ Gotham City between late 1970s and early 1980s, Joker shows the progressive evolution of Arthur Fleck, who is a clown-for-hire living with a fragile mother and struggling to keep his own peace of mind. But what’s up with his creepy laugh? Why is he taking care of his mom? We don’t know — and that’s possibly part of what the movie will explore.
*Did you know – This is Joaquin Phoenix’s first role in a comic book film. He previously turned down the title role in Doctor Strange (2016) as well as the chance to replace Edward Norton as the Hulk in The Avengers (2012), because he was unwilling to sign on to the multi-picture deal that Marvel Studios was requiring.
Director
Todd Phillips has directed numerous big hits – of which a majority are comedies. He directed all three of the movies in The Hangover series. With the release of the Joker trailer, many have praised what Phillips has shown thus far, with some even comparing the trailer to the work of legendary director Martin Scorsese. Helping to drive that comparison home is the fact that ‘frequent Scorsese collaborator’ Robert De Niro will be appearing in Joker.
Phillips has a series of blockbusters under his belt and is best known for writing and directing the comedy films. However, for his work on the satirical comedy film Borat (2006), Phillips was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
The kind of gritty thriller Joker aims to be would be one thing, but what cinematic alchemy might happen when Phillips – who understands what it’s like to be inside Arthur Fleck’s head, is behind the camera? We will just have to wait and find out!
Who are the other characters alongside Joker?
Penny Fleck
Frances Conroy plays Penny Fleck. Penny is Arthur’s mother. She is an older woman whose health is fading, making her practically bed-ridden.
Conroy is best remembered for her role in HBO’s Six Feet Under. More recently, she has appeared in recurring TV roles in Castle Rock, American Horror Story, and Arrested Development.
Murray Franklin
Robert De Niro plays Murray Franklin. Murray is a talk show host on a late-night television program which airs in Gotham. He plays a role in Arthur’s transition from a struggling stand-up comedian into the Joker.
De Niro is a Hollywood legend with a career spanning more than 50 years in movies and television. Roles in films such as Taxi Driver (1976) and Raging Bull (1980) put De Niro on the map. Among his most recent credits are: The Intern (2015), Joy (2015) and Dirty Grandpa (2016), and another collaboration with director Martin Scorsese for The Irishman on Netflix.
Sophie Dumond
Zazie Beetz plays Sophie Dumond. Previously released details about Sophie note that she is a single mother living in Gotham and is a person of interest (possibly a love interest) to Arthur. Sophie is beaten down by life in the city of Gotham and feels as if the system is stacked against her and others in her community.
Beetz is best known for her role on FX’s Atlanta. She has also appeared in Geostorm (2017), Deadpool 2 (2018), and Steven Soderbergh’s High Flying Bird for Netflix
Watch the star cast in the first look of Joker:
Here are some statistics for previous DC Films (distributed by Warner Bros.):
Aquaman (2018)
Worldwide Box Office: $1,146,894,640
UAE Admissions: Ran for 15 weeks and did over 541K admissions
Wonder Woman (2017)
Worldwide Box Office: $821,133,378
UAE Admissions: Ran for 13 weeks and did over 329K admissions
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Worldwide Box Office: $867,500,281
UAE Admissions: Ran for 13 weeks and did over 541K admissions
Suicide Squad (2016)
Worldwide Box Office: $746,059,887
UAE Admissions: Ran for 10 weeks and did over 338K admissions
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Worldwide Box Office: $1,084,439,099
UAE Admissions: Ran for 11 weeks and did over 338K admissions
Boxoffice Pro is projecting Joker to make $103 million in its US opening. That would be the biggest October opening of all time, beating the record set by Venom (2018).
Motivate Val Morgan forecasts over 300K admissions in the UAE for Joker.
Contact a member of our sales team for cinema advertising opportunities alongside this MEGA Blockbuster.
Sources: ScreenRant, The Numbers, Wikipedia, Looper and Business Insider
Congratulations to the winners of the Motivate Val Morgan ‘Aquaman’ Challenge.
Six participants answered all 8 questions correctly and went into a draw, out of which Merver Vergas and Kathrina Cruz emerged as winners of 2 x Reel Cinemas Movie Passes.
The correct answers were:
Stay tuned for more competitions in 2019!
From joining the quest of destroying that ‘One Ring’ – Lord of the Rings, drifting into the realm of ‘Narnia’- home to mythical beasts and talking animals – The Chronicles of Narnia, to learning the art of witchcraft and wizardry at ‘Hogwarts’ – Harry Potter and coexisting with the local tribe on the lush alien world of Pandora – Avatar, we can all agree that fantasy is fundamentally ridiculous. But, once in a while, the real world gets a tad boring, and good old fantasy is our best and cheapest bet!
Fantasy has the power to transport audiences from the bounds of reality into the world of escapism and incredulity – and what better medium than cinema to escape reality (larger than life image and surround sound with booming bass).
Over the years, the genre has gone from strength to strength, and today, we’re in the middle of an unprecedented fantasy boom.
2017 witnessed a myriad of fantasy movies, with three of them making it to the list of Top 10 Highest Grossing Hollywood Movies (worldwide) – Star Wars: The Last Jedi (over US$1.32B and the 9th highest grossing movie of all time), Beauty and the Beast (Over US$1.26B and the 11th highest grossing movie of all time) and Wonder Woman (over US$817M). Another notable fantasy movie of 2017 is The Shape of Water which won 4 Oscars, 2 Golden Globes and 2 BAFTA Awards.
UAE fantasy movie admissions stats:
2018
Avengers: Infinity War – Ranks 1st in UAE Top 10 Movies of 2018, ran for 23 weeks and did approximately 733K admissions
2017
Beauty and the Beast – Ranks 3rd in UAE Top 10 Movies of 2017, ran for 14 weeks and did approximately 499K admissions
Wonder Woman – Ranks 10th in UAE Top 10 Movies of 2017, ran for 13 weeks and did approximately 330K admissions
Justice League – Ran for 8 weeks and did approximately 322K admissions
Star Wars: The Last Jedi – Ran for 9 weeks and did approximately 178K admissions
2016
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – Ranks 2nd in UAE Top 10 Movies of 2016, ran for 13 weeks and did approximately 541K admissions
Suicide Squad – Ranks 5th in UAE Top 10 Movies of 2016, ran for 10 weeks and did approximately 339K admissions
Doctor Strange – Ran for 10 weeks and did approximately 245K admissions
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – Ran for 11 weeks and did approximately 234K admissions
Warcraft: The Beginning – Ran for 9 weeks and did approximately 182K admissions
2015
Avengers: Age of Ultron – Ranks 3rd in UAE Top 10 Movies of 2015, ran for 12 weeks and did approximately 530K admissions
Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Ranks 8th in UAE Top 10 Movies of 2015, ran for 15 weeks and did approximately 398K admissions
Cinderella – Ran for 12 weeks and did approximately 303K admissions
Upcoming fantasy movie releases in November – December 2018:
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
Release Date: 15th November 2018
Starring: Jude Law, Johnny Depp and Eddie Redmayne
Mortal Engines
Release Date: 13th December 2018
Starring: Hugo Weaving, Stephen Lang and Robert Sheehan
Aquaman
Release Date: 20th December 2018
Starring: Jason Mamoa, Amber Heard and Nicole Kidman
*Fantasy movies mentioned above are as per genre listings on IMDb.
Contact a member of our sales team for more information on advertising opportunities alongside upcoming fantasy movie releases.
Sources: IMDb, Writing Cooperative, The Telegraph and YouTube
Some audiences are harder to reach than others through traditional media. Cinema however delivers premium first-run content within a captive environment to an attentive audience of varying demographics. And with an exciting and diverse line-up of movies set to release over the months of November and December 2018 – just in time for the dawn of the new year, there’s never been a better time for advertisers to turn audiences into consumers.
November
Bohemian Rhapsody
Starring: Rami Malek, Joseph Mazzello and Mike Myers
Release Date: 1st November 2018
Fun Fact – Rami Malek got to meet Freddy Mercury’s sister while in costume. When she saw him, she said: “That’s my Freddy.” She initially laughed, but later cried on an emotional note.
Girl in the Spider’s Web
Starring: Claire Foy, Sylvia Hoeks and Lakeith Stanfield
Release Date: 08th November 2018
Fun Fact – It is based on the novel of the same name by David Lagercrantz, and continues on the “Millenium”-series created by Stieg Larsson, who passed away in 2004.
The Grinch
Starring: Rashida Jones, Benedict Cumberbatch and Angela Lansbury
Release Date: 08th November 2018
Fun Fact – This was Benedict Cumberbatch’s second animated film. His first was Penguins of Madagascar (2014), four years prior.
Overlord
Starring: Wyatt Russell, John Magaro and Pilou Asbæk
Release Date: 08th November 2018
Fun Fact – One of the filming locations for the film was a decommissioned branch-line of the heritage train line and popular tourist attraction, the Bluebell Railway, in West Sussex, England.
Nutcracker and the Four Realms
Starring: Keira Knightley, Mackenzie Foy and Morgan Freeman
Release Date: 08th November 2018
Fun Fact – The Nutcracker and the Four Realms marks the 298th time Keira has portrayed a character in a period piece.
Thugs of Hindostan (Hindi)
Starring: Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir khan and Katrina Kaif
Release Date: 08th November 2018
Fun Fact: This will be the first time that Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan will be seen in a film together.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston and Jude Law
Release Date: 15th November 2018
Fun Fact – Newt Scamander carries a wand, practices magic, and works for the Ministry of Magic even though he was expelled from Hogwarts, which puzzled several fans online especially since Hagrid wasn’t afforded those liberties. J.K. Rowling explained that the reason for this will be revealed throughout the series.
Robin Hood
Starring: Taron Egerton, Ben Mendelsohn and Jamie Dornan
Release Date: 22nd November 2018
Fun Fact: The ancient techniques of speed shooting from the draw hand and the double draw are used by Robin Hood in this movie.
Ralph Breaks the Internet
Starring: Kristen bell, Gal Gadot and John C. Reilly
Release Date: 22nd November 2018
Fun Fact: The logo for the movie was made to resemble an app icon, while the “Wreck-It Ralph 2” banner resembles a notification/update.
2.0 (Tamil)
Starring: Rajinikanth, Akshay Kumar and Amy Jackson
Release Date: 29th November 2018
Fun Facts: This will be the first Indian film directly shot in 3D. Akshay Kumar will make his Tamil debut with this film. This is the first time Rajnikanth and Akshay Kumar will be working together.
*the movie will release in 15 languages (worldwide)
December
Mortal Engines
Starring: Hugo Weaving, Stephen Lang and Robert Sheehan
Release Date: 13th December 2018
Fun Fact: This will be director Christian Rivers’ first full feature film as a director (He previously directed a short and a section of an anthology).
Aquaman
Starring: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard and Nicole Kidman
Release Date: 20th December 2018
Fun Facts: According to Amber Heard, the underwater filming required cast members to be hosed down, and then shooting took place on a cold soundstage. Additionally, The Fishermen tribe were created through a combination of make-up (for the top half, the upper torso) and computer-generated imagery (for the bottom half, the tails).
Bumblebee
Starring: Justin Theroux, Hailee Steinfeld and Marcella Bragio
Release Date: 20th December 2018
Fun Fact: John Cena is the third wrestler to appear in a Transformers feature, after Dwayne Johnson (who played Cliffjumper in Transformers Prime (2010)) and Joe Seanoa (who played Predaking in Transformers: Power of the Primes (2018)).
Zero (Hindi)
Starring: Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma
Release Date: 21st December 2018
Fun Fact: Shah Rukh offered Sridevi a cameo role in this film, so that he can share screen with her for 2nd time in his career. Since her death, this will be Sridevi’s last appearance in films.
Mary Poppins Returns
Starring: Emily Blunt, Meryl Streep and Colin Firth
Release Date: 27th December 2018
Fun Fact: The sequel will be released 54 years after Mary Poppins (1964), setting a new record as the longest gap between a live-action film and its sequel in history.
Don’t miss on advertising your brand alongside these blockbusters – guaranteed to usher in large audiences.
Contact a member of our sales team to book your campaign today!
Sources: IMDb and YouTube
San Diego Comic Con 2018 is over, but there was more than enough exciting news and amazing trailers to keep us going until next year.
Missed out on following the latest updates from this year’s Comic Con? Don’t stress! From the first look at the Aquaman movie and pictures of Wonder Woman 2, to the official trailer of The Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and Glass, we’ve got you covered!
Aquaman
Photo Credit – Entertainment Weekly
Fans have been longing for a glimpse into the world of Arthur Curry, a young lad who grows up to be the king of Atlantis, and James Wan has dished up a preview that’s left everyone gagging for more. Make no mistake: this is not your standard comic book movie fare!
The Lucky attendees at this year’s Comic Con got a glimpse at a slapdash cut of the Aquaman trailer, and now, the rest of the world has been gifted the finished product – which is absolutely glorious!
What makes the trailer so exciting is that everyone involved looks like they’re having a blast! Jason Momoa – hands down, was born to play this role with his devil-may-care attitude, wry one-liners and willingness to dive head first into the ocean, and Amber Heard totally rocks the redhead female lead role of Lady Mera!
Photo Credit – Warner Bros.
The trailer also gives fans a glimpse of Nicole Kidman as Aquaman’s mother (Queen Atlanna), and Patrick Wilson in his full aquatic regalia as the villainous King Orm.
Photo Credit – Entertainment Weekly
Photo Credit – Entertainment Weekly
James Wan also mentioned at San Diego Comic Con 2018, that this movie is more of a “science-fiction fantasy film than a traditional superhero movie.” His passion for the film is clear in every single shot. His vision makes the underwater world look like an adventure playground and a vibrant, diverse landscape.
Aquaman is scheduled for release in December 2018.
Wonder Woman 1984
Photo Credit: Warner Bros.
We may have a while to wait for Wonder Woman 2 (AKA Wonder Woman 1984), but there’s more than enough reasons to be talking about the much-anticipated sequel.
The secret footage released at Comic Con 2018:
Photo Credit: Warner Bros.
Wonder Woman was one of the best movies of 2017, and as per the reviews by those who witnessed the first look at the still in production movie at Comic Con 2018 (which unfortunately isn’t open to the public and won’t be online), we can expect to see Diana Prince delivering as great a performance in Wonder Woman 1984.
According to those who were lucky enough to see the footage of Wonder Woman 1984, it was brief, but fun. Wonder Woman jumps into a very ‘80s, bright white mall. A little girl is stunned to see her and comes up behind her. “Wow,” she exclaims. Diana says “hold tight” and gently pushes her across the floor into a giant teddy bear as the girl laughs.
When she turns around there are two bad guys with guns pointed at her. Wonder Woman gives them like a “really guys?” look, runs up to them, grabs their arms, takes the guns from them, and crushes the weapons. She then breaks out the lasso, wraps them both up in it, and runs through the mall dragging them behind. She then jumps through the mall hanging them over a railing. The title card “WW84″ popped up, followed by a shot of her running very, very, fast through a busy city street.
The Wonder Woman 1984 cast features a few surprises:
Photo Credits: Warner Bros.
Not so shocking is the return of Gal Gadot as Princess Diana/Diana Prince/Wonder Woman, but the rest of the Wonder Woman 1984 cast is raising a few eyebrows… Not only is Diana’s love interest and leading man from the first movie, Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), returning, but Diana’s mother Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen) and aunt General Antiope (Robin Wright) will also make an appearance. Why is this so shocking? Well – spoilers for Wonder Woman if you haven’t seen it yet – both Steve and Antiope are dead by the end of the film, and while Hippolyta is alive, she’s on the island of Themyscira to which Diana “may never return”. So how do they show up in Wonder Woman 1984? Especially considering it’s set in the ‘80s. I guess we’ll have to wait and see!
Photo Credits: Warner Bros.
As for the rest of the Wonder Woman 1984 cast, Kristen Wiig is joining as the villainous Cheetah, AKA Barbara Minerva, an archaeologist who is imbued with the powers of a cheetah-god. Patty Jenkins announced the news via Twitter saying: “So excited to confirm the most thrilling news. Yes! It’s true. So incredibly lucky to welcome the sensationally talented Kristen Wiig to our Wonder Woman family. Can’t wait to finally work with one of my favorites. And SO excited by what we have planned.”
Wonder Woman 1984 is scheduled to release in November 2019.
Glass
Photo Credits: Warner Bros.
M. Night Shyamalan’s Glass also debuted at San Diego Comic Con 2018.
The third movie in a surprise trilogy, which started with 2000’s Unbreakable and continued with Split in 2006, Glass sees Samuel L. Jackson’s Mr. Glass, Bruce Willis’ David Dunn, and James McAvoy’s The Horde collide in a psychiatric unit run by new character Dr. Ellie Staple, played by Sarah Paulson.
The trailer itself is one of the best released during Comic Con so far, and is a real treat for fans of either Unbreakable or Split, but there’s probably more connections between the two movies in the teaser than you first noticed. It goes without saying that Shyamalan has been thinking about this trilogy for a while and a lot of the references and connections are so subtle, there’s no way you’d realize what you were seeing unless someone pointed it out to you.
Split’s Anya Taylor-Joy returns as Casey Cooke, a survivor of The Beast, and returning Unbreakable cast members include Spencer Treat Clark and Charlayne Woodard as Dunn’s son and Price’s mother, respectively. American Horror Story’s Sarah Paulson rounds out the cast as a shrink who treats Dunn, Price and Crumb.
The main cast (aside from McAvoy who unfortunately couldn’t make it due to illness) joined Shyamalan onstage to show off footage from the movie and to field questions. The trailer showcased McAvoy’s wide-ranging performance as Crumb and the multiple identities who reside within him.
Glass is scheduled to release in January 2019.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
Photo Credits: Warner Bros.
Comic Con 2018 also gave us the first look at the Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald which dropped during Warner Bros’ Hall H panel at Comic Con 2018.
Not only does the trailer show us a young Newt and Dumbledore at Hogwarts, but it also gives us a good look at villain Grindelwald, played by Johnny Depp, who also turned up in Hall H. There’s lots to love about this trailer – all those fantastic beasts!
The trailer ended with a surprising meeting with Nicolas Flamel, a famous alchemist central to the backstory of the Harry Potter books. Thankfully, Warner Bros. released the trailer online shortly after it debuted at Comic Con 2018.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is scheduled to release in November 2018.
Shazam!
One thing was immediately clear about Shazam! during the film’s Comic-Con panel: after years of dreary and dark comic book tales, here is a film that looks like it puts fun first and foremost – it’s a clear and confident case of course correction, and the trailer makes it look like a blast!
Shazam! is built around a charming premise: what if a pre-teen boy named Billy Batson was granted mystical powers from an ancient wizard and could transform in a musclebound superhero just by uttering his name? That’s wish fulfillment personified and Zachary Levi, who plays the “adult” version of the character, said that is the main appeal. “This is 14-year old me who got to put on spandex and a cape and fly around.” The whole movie is a childhood fantasy brought to life.
According to director David Sandberg, who debuted with the horror film Lights Out before helming the Annabelle: Creation, Shazam’s suit is an amalgamation of nearly every incarnation of the Captain Marvel character. “I wanted to keep the shorter cape as a throwback to the original because that’s something that sets him apart from Superman or Batman,” he told Entertainment Weekly in the lead up to SDCC. “It makes him feel a bit more Golden Age superhero, which is the vibe I’m going for.” The movie design also includes a hood from DC’s 2011 New 52, and the gold gauntlets from his DC Animation appearances.
Shazam! is scheduled to release in April 2019.
Venom
Photo Credits – socialnews.xyz
Marvel Studios might not have dominated, but that doesn’t mean they were completely absent from San Diego Comic Con 2018.
Director Ruben Fleischer said that there aren’t really any heroes in the superhero movie Venom, who is a grittier, more violent and more complicated character than his Marvel brethren.
This year’s Comic Con attendees got a look at footage from the upcoming Spider-Man spinoff and heard stars Tom Hardy and Riz Ahmed as well.
Hardy plays Eddie Brock and the alien symbiote Venom. Fleischer also teased the possibility of an eventual face-off between Spider-Man and Venom. The film is scheduled for release in October 2018.
Sony Pictures also showed and extended trailer for the animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, out December 2018, which focuses on Miles Morales learning the spidey ropes from a middle-aged Peter Parker.
Below is the trailer which released 3 months ago:
Godzilla: King of the Monsters
Warner Bros.’s massive Hall H panel at Comic-Con features a lot of new trailers, but one of the most exciting dropped so far has been for the new Godzilla movie titled Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Starring Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things), the trailer features all kinds of monsters and mayhem.
In the film, the planet is experiencing some kind of apocalyptic payback for all the damage that humanity has done to the Earth, complete with huge natural disasters meant to take out the human race. In order to save the ‘our species’, they have to find all the titans, (Godzilla, Mothera, etc.) who have been hiding since the time when they ruled over the earth.
The trailer opens with Brown on a rooftop, watching intently as a storm begins to cover the entire city. It then goes on to show various disasters occurring around the globe, before getting to the moment we’ve all been waiting for; a good look at the new Godzilla.
Godzilla emerges from the water, looks down at the puny humans, and lets out a blue fiery roar. Naturally, CGI technology has improved since the last time we got a Godzilla movie, so he, along with all the other monsters shown in the trailer, looks amazing. Mothera’s giant green wings are also particularly awe inspiring.
Seems like we’re in for a super thrilling movie, with lots of chaos, and huge monsters!
Godzilla: King of the Monsters is scheduled for release in May 2019.
Watch EVERY trailer released at San Diego Comic Con 2018 – which also includes trailers to TV Series.
Sources: Gizmodo, gamesradar+, COMINGSOON.NET, Gamespot, Polygon, Gulf News and YouTube
