Is Marvel Ready To Return to ‘Primetime’?

No special guests this week, just a meat-and-potatoes episode about what turned out to be a surprisingly crowded and relatively “better for theaters than for studios” end-of-quarter three weekend. Avengers: Endgame was #1 with $26 million as it prepares to knock Avatar out of the all-time global top spot for the second time, which of course led to plenty of chatter about to what extent the MCU is “back” and/or the extent to which the Infinity Saga finale might also remind audiences that Marvel Studios used to have a far better artistic batting average. Among the other topics of discourse… * Which other 2019 movies deserve a theatrical rerelease * A comparatively solid second-weekend hold for Resident Evil * Is a $50 million worldwide launch good enough for Paramount’s $82 million Brad Pitt-starring Heart of the Beast? * Whether Universal could have done anything differently in promoting DreamWorks' well-reviewed Forgotten Island * What a robust “opening weekend” for Avengers: Endgame Encore means for the current health of the MCU brand * Primetime’s excellent debut -- bolstered by younger viewers -- alongside (slightly) divisive consumer reception * And much more! Recommended Reading * Scott Mendelson notes that Resident Evil is just the latest successful video game adaptation that, unlike most such offerings from the 2010s, isn’t mostly dependent upon overseas box office. * Jeremy Fuster discusses what the big Avengers Endgame Encore opening means for Disney’s InfinityVision PLF branding. * Lisa Laman digs into how A24 is following in the footsteps of Fox, UPN, and Netflix in becoming less inclusive as it grows into a bigger player. * Ryan Scott’s latest unofficial “Tales from the Box Office” discusses the 12-year anniversary of Denzel Washington’s The Equalizer. If you like what you hear Please like, share, comment, and subscribe (using a cartoon mallet) with every justified ounce of strength and passion. If you’d like to reach out and offer good cheer, request in-show discussions, or suggest ideas for bonus episodes, please email us at [email protected]. * Scott Mendelson - The Outside Scoop and Puck News * Jeremy Fuster - TheWrap * Lisa Laman - Land of the Nerds, Dallas Observer, Pajiba, Looper, Autostraddle * Ryan C. Scott - SlashFilm, Fangoria and Inverse * Max Deering - Fangoria and Action For Everyone Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe