On today’s spectacular episode…!
How did the MonsterVerse rise from the ashes of King of the Monsters?
Does a strong March for films of all sizes signify a re-embrace of pre-Covid theatrical normalcy?
Do small drops for Dune Part Two and Kung Fu Panda 4 rebut conventional wisdom about PLF-or-bust moviegoing?
Do relatively “spectacular even by pre-Covid standards” results for the likes of Marley, Late Night with the Devil and Love Lies Bleeding offer reasons for hope?
All that and more!
In terms of the written word…
Lisa Laman penned “Why Do So Many Queer People Love Godzilla?” for Autostraddle, discussing the kaiju creature’s long history as a gay icon.
Ryan Scott offered up another “Tales from the Box Office” column discussing the 25th anniversary of The Matrix and how the Washkowskis’ surprise super-smash changed pop culture and action filmmaking.
And while Jeremy Fuster of The Wrap couldn’t join us this week, he still penned his weekend box office takes for the film in question, namely how Legendary came out smelling like roses after a boffo March. So you can pretend this is what he might have said had he participated.
For me, this deep dive into the total waste of time, money, resources, and capital that was the streaming era is probably my favorite thing I wrote for March. Short version: All that blood and treasure, and Nextflix is just as dominant as it was in 2017.
As always, if you like what you’re hearing, do the usual thing of liking, sharing, commenting and *smashing* (using a cartoon mallet) that subscribe button with every justified ounce of strength and passion. And do check out my guests’ work at their respective home bases. If you want to bother them on social media, well, that’s what Google is for.
Jeremy Fuster - https://www.thewrap.com/author/jeremy-fuster/
Lisa Laman - https://lisalaman.wixstudio.io/lisaportfolio
Ryan C. Scott - https://www.slashfilm.com/author/ryanscott/
Ep 9: Where the MonsterVerse Went Right