A Disappointing Opening Weekend for “Solo: A Star Wars Movie”

In spite of being No. 1 at the box office on its opening weekend (which is also Memorial Day weekend), “#Solo: A #StarWar Story” fell far short of monetary expectations by earning a meager $148.3-million globally ($83.3-million domestically & $65-million internationally). This is unfortunate given that it’s a fun movie that most fans of the franchise would enjoy seeing.

Some factors that may have worked against the film’s opening are as follows:

• There are 2 other recent blockbuster releases still playing in theaters: “#Avengers: #InfinityWar” & “#Deadpool 2”.
• #FranchiseFatigue: it’s only been 5 months since the release of “#StarWars VIII: #TheLastJedi”.
• Less than stellar reviews.
• Changing directors midway to Ron Howard.
• Mixed reactions to the most recent Star Wars movie: The Last Jedi.

Only time will tell if “Solo: A Star Wars Movie” can turn the tide and attract more fans to see the film. Overseas, the film has not yet opened in Japan until June 29, 2018.

References:

• ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ Bombs With $148M Global Debut
• ‘Solo’ isn’t Flying So High, Delivering Soft Memorial Day Weekend Debut
• Rotten Tomatoes: SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY (2018)
• Ron Howard to Direct “Star Wars” Han Solo Movie
• Mixed Reactions to “Star Wars VIII: The Last Jedi”

“The Expanse” Revived for Season 4 on Amazon

#AmazonStudios is in talks to revive #TheExpanse, the award-winning #SciFi TV series that was canceled by the #SyFyChannel only 11 days ago because it only had first-run linear broadcast rights. Amazon Studios already had steaming rights for the first 3 seasons of “The Expanse” and it’s being said that Jeff Bezos is a big fan of the show.

References

• ‘The Expanse’ Revived for Season 4 at Amazon

RIP Margot Kidder

#RIP: actress Margot Kidder has died at age 69. She played Lois Lane in #Superman and appeared in #EarthFinalConflict, #Smallville & much more.

Our condolences to her family, friends & fans. May she rest in peace.

References

• Superman’s Lois Lane, Margot Kidder, Dies at Age 69

Fox Cancels “Lucifer” After 3 Seasons

Fox announced today that it has canceled the #supernatural #fantasy #crime show #Lucifer after the completion of its 3rd season. The show’s producers, stars and fans have taken to #SocialMedia to express both their outrage and support for the show. Unfortunately, whether anything can be done to continue the show with the 4th season is doubtful.

Actor Tom Ellis as Lucifer

References:

• Lucifer canceled by Fox after three seasons
• Canceled ‘Lucifer’ Producers, Cast Raise Hell On Social Media: “Heartbreaking Doesn’t Begin To Describe”

SyFy Cancels “The Expanse” After 3 Seasons

Despite being critically acclaimed & having a 100% #RottenTomatoes rating for its 3rd season, the #SyFy channel is cancelling #TheExpanse. The final episode is slated to air in early July.

The Alcon Television Group, which fully finances & produces the critically praised series, plans to shop it around to other possible buyers.

SyFy’s cancellation decision is said to be linked to the nature of its agreement for the series with Alcon as it only gives the cable network first-run linear rights in the U.S. This puts an extraordinary amount of emphasis on live, linear viewing, which is inherently challenging for sci-fi/genre series that tend to draw the lion’s share of their audiences today from digital/streaming.

Additionally, viewership for “The Expanse” has declined from 1.378-million during the show’s 1st season, to 1.05-million during the 2nd season and finally down to 1-million for its 3rd & now final season on SyFy. These ratings are well below SyFy’s most popular shows: #TheMagicians (recently renewed for a 4th season) & #Krypton.

References

• ‘The Expanse’ To End On Syfy With Season 3, Will Be Shopped Elsewhere By Alcon