Superman can't save Hollywood from superhero fatigue
In a high-profile relaunch with such oversized stakes, it's tempting to latch on to a 'Superman saves the day' narrative. Perhaps, in the light of these record-breaking returns, not only Warner Bros Discovery and DC but the comic book movie itself has been brought back from the precipice of death. Hollywood executives would be wise to temper their excitement about the subgenre, though, because the truth is a bit more complicated.
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Business Times
an hour ago
- Business Times
‘Superman' triumphs once again at North American box office
[LOS ANGELES] The Man of Steel has staying power: Superman topped the North American box office for a second week running and surpassed the US$400 million mark worldwide, industry estimates showed on Sunday. Riding largely positive reviews, the latest big-budget action film featuring the iconic superhero from Warner Bros and DC Studios earned US$57.3 million in the United States and Canada, Exhibitor Relations said. That puts its North American take at US$235 million and its international sales at US$171 million - or US$406 million globally. Jurassic World: Rebirth - the latest installment in the blockbuster dinosaur saga - also held its ground in second place at US$23.4 million. Its worldwide total stands at US$647.2 million. The Universal film, starring Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey and Mahershala Ali, takes viewers to an abandoned island research facility, where secrets - and genetically mutated dinosaurs - are lurking. I Know What You Did Last Summer, a sequel to two 1990s slasher hits that bring back the franchise's original stars Freddie Prinze Jr and Jennifer Love Hewitt, opened in third place at a disappointing US$13 million. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 2 pm Lifestyle Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself. Sign Up Sign Up 'This is another horror series returning after a long layoff, in this case after 27 years,' said industry analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research. 'Generally, the layoffs don't bother these films; in fact, they get stronger... that's not happening here.' Smurfs, he latest film featuring the adorable blue creatures and starring Rihanna as Smurfette, opened in a lackluster fourth place with US$11 million in North American ticket sales. F1: The Movie, the Apple and Warner Bros flick starring Brad Pitt as a washed-up Formula One driver who gets one last shot at redemption, finished in fifth place at US$9.6 million. 'The current lineup in theaters is strong, with a broad selection of big titles including superheroes, action, monsters, horror and animation,' said Gross. Superman will soon get a new superhero rival when Marvel's hotly anticipated The Fantastic Four: First Steps starring Pedro Pascal hits theatres in the coming days. Rounding out the top 10 were: How to Train Your Dragon (US$5.4 million) Eddington (US$4.3 million) Elio (US$2.0 million) Lilo & Stitch (US$1.5 million) 28 Years Later (US$1.3 million). AFP
Straits Times
20 hours ago
- Straits Times
What Superman's pet Krypto owes to director James Gunn's badly behaved rescue dog
Krypto the superdog (left) in Superman is inspired and modelled after director James Gunn's dog Ozu. NEW YORK – About three years ago, American writer-director James Gunn was trying to figure out the arc of what would become his new blockbuster Superman. Then he adopted a dog. He named the scruffy rescue Ozu, after Yasujiro Ozu, the Japanese film-maker known for his serene works. At about eight months old, Ozu the dog was not at all peaceful. After surviving a hoarding situation, it was fearful of humans and intensely destructive. He chewed up furniture, shoes and even a US$10,000 (S$12,800) computer. He also ate a tampon out of a wastebasket , necessitating a trip to the vet. Gunn realised that if Ozu had been superpowered, the damage would have been even worse. 'It was where Superman the movie came together for me,' he said in a video call. The 58-year-old decided that his version of Superman would have not just a dog, but a bad dog who could fly. He wrote the opening sequence in which Superman (David Corenswet), defeated for the first time, calls out to the canine Krypto to help drag him to the Fortress of Solitude. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore 1 in 3 vapes here laced with etomidate; MOH working with MHA to list it as illegal drug: Ong Ye Kung Singapore HSA extends hotline hours, launches new platform to report vaping offences Singapore Tampines regional centre set to get more homes, offices and public amenities Multimedia How to make the most out of small homes in Singapore Life US tech CEO Andy Byron resigns after viral Coldplay 'kiss cam' video Asia From toy to threat: 'Killer kites' bring chaos to Indonesian airspace Opinion I thought I was a 'chill' parent. Then came P1 registration Singapore 'God and government are the only things beyond our control,' says Group CEO Krypto – who, like Ozu, is poorly behaved – jumps all over his master, seemingly causing more pain before doing his duty. Superman, which also stars Nicholas Hoult as the Man of Steel's nemesis Lex Luthor and Rachel Brosnahan as intrepid reporter Lois Lane, is now showing in cinemas. 'The universe we normally see Superman living in in movies is usually this lone, serious superhero and then people and then that's it,' Gunn said. 'This Superman exists in a different sort of universe where there are flying dogs.' But Ozu served as more than just inspiration. Gunn's pup also became the physical model for Krypto, who is computer-generated so he can do things like soar through the sky and attack villains. Krypto is a little bigger than Ozu and has white fur instead of grey , but otherwise he is a dead ringer. Although Gunn's version of Krypto owes everything to Ozu, Krypto has a long history in comic books. He first appeared in 1955, and while he has never shown up in any of Superman's live-action big-screen outings, he was voiced by American actor Dwayne Johnson in the animated film DC League Of Super-Pets (2022). Gunn does not get deep into Krypto lore in Superman, but he does have plans for him, including a starring role in 2026's Supergirl, which is based on the comic Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow (2021 to 2022). Krypto features prominently in that tale. Because Gunn wanted Krypto to resemble his own pet as closely as possible, the first step involved a 3D scan of Ozu. Ozu, who is now better behaved than he used to be, 'despised' the process, the film-maker said, explaining: 'He has to stand on this table and then there's a globe of cameras surrounding him. They take pictures and we kind of move him around a little bit, and it gets every angle of him.' Though Ozu was initially wary of humans, he immediately befriended Gunn's cat, and like any good owner, Gunn had a plethora of videos of his pets acting cute. He handed those over to the visual effects artists. 'I have tons of videos of them playing,' he said. 'In fact, when Krypto is jumping on Superman at the beginning of the movie, that's all based on footage of him playing with my cat.' Gunn ultimately worked with three VFX companies to develop Krypto, but mainly relied on Framestore, which was also responsible for creating another crucial furry character, Rocket Raccoon, in the director's Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014 to 2023) movies. With Krypto, the biggest challenge was figuring out how to depict him flying. 'At first, it kept looking like he was running in the air and it looked dumb,' Gunn said, adding: 'It was getting the right amount of motion with his legs and he was flying. It just took a lot of trial and error.' On set, the actors playing opposite Krypto occasionally just had to imagine he was there, miming as if interacting with a dog. In other instances, a 'series of very small women' played Krypto, Gunn said. But sometimes, a real dog was present. Her name was Jolene, and they would play the 1973 song by American country legend Dolly Parton every time she arrived. 'She had white fur and we would use that as a reference for the lighting so we knew what a white dog would look like in the area,' Gunn said. As for the sounds Krypto makes, Gunn once again went back to Ozu and recorded him for reference. But Gunn also did not want to overdo it. 'The sound people know this: It's my pet peeve that every time an animal is on-screen, they make it make a sound. The truth is, dogs are funny because, for the most part, they are Buster Keaton,' said DC Studios' co-CEO, referring to the American silent film star. As a dog lover, Gunn aimed to make sure the way Krypto cranes his neck, wags his tail or gets easily distracted was portrayed accurately. The fact that he is terribly behaved makes Superman's loyalty to him all the more impactful in perilous situations, Gunn said. 'Superman is such a compassionate person that he's worried about the dog being scared,' Gunn said. 'That's the thing that upsets him: The dog is scared. And we've only seen the dog give him grief. I think it's really important that Superman is tuned into his own sense of compassion in that way.' Ozu, meanwhile, seems to have complicated feelings regarding his debut as the model for a superhero. Gunn posted a video on Instagram of Ozu barking at Krypto. This, he said, happened repeatedly during the editing process. 'He comes darting from the other side of the house and runs into the office so he can bark at Krypto,' Gunn said. 'For two years, he barked at Krypto on-screen.' NYTIMES Superman is showing in Singapore cinemas.
Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
Stephen Colbert is latest casualty of late-night TV's fade-out
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Stephen Colbert's show has seen its ad revenue plummet to US$70.2 million in 2024 from US$121.1 million in 2018. LOS ANGELES – Late-night television had been fighting for its survival even before The Late Show With Stephen Colbert was cancelled this week . The announced end of one of the most popular broadcast late-night shows, days after host Stephen Colbert accused the network owner of bribing President Donald Trump to approve a merger, drew cries of political foul play from liberal politicians, artists and entertainers. 'Stephen Colbert, an extraordinary talent and the most popular late-night host, slams the deal. Days later, he's fired. Do I think this is a coincidence? NO,' Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent, wrote on X. CBS executives said in a statement that dropping the show was 'purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night. It is not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount'. Whether or not politics were at play, the late-night format has been struggling for years, as viewers increasingly cut the cable TV cord and migrate to streaming. Younger viewers, in particular, are more apt to find amusement on YouTube or TikTok, leaving smaller, ageing TV audiences and declining ad revenues. Americans used to religiously turn on Johnny Carson or Jay Leno before bed, but nowadays many fans prefer to watch quick clips on social media at their convenience. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Mindef, SAF units among those dealing with attack on S'pore's critical information infrastructure Asia How China's growing cyber-hacking capabilities have raised alarm around the world Singapore Vessels from Navy, SCDF and MPA to debut at Marina Bay in NDP maritime display Singapore 1 dead, 1 injured after dispute between neighbours in Yishun HDB block Asia Autogate glitch at Malaysia's major checkpoints causes chaos for S'porean and foreign travellers Asia SIA, Scoot, Cathay Pacific cancel flights as typhoon nears Hong Kong Singapore A deadly cocktail: Easy access, lax attitudes driving Kpod scourge in S'pore Singapore 'I thought it was an April Fool's joke': Teen addicted to Kpods on news that friend died Advertising revenue for Colbert's show has dropped 40 per cent since 2018, the financial reality that CBS said prompted the decision to end The Late Show in May 2026. One former TV network executive said the programme was a casualty of the fading economics of broadcast television. Fifteen years ago, a popular late-night show like The Tonight Show could earn US$100 million (S$128 million) a year, the executive said. Recently, though, The Late Show has been losing US$40 million a year, said a person briefed on the matter. The show's ad revenue plummeted to US$70.2 million in 2024 from US$121.1 million in 2018, according to ad tracking firm Guideline. Ratings for Colbert's show peaked at 3.1 million viewers on average during the 2017-18 season, according to Nielsen data. For the season that ended in May, the show's audience averaged 1.9 million. 'Shocked but not surprised' Comedians like Colbert followed their younger audiences online, with the network releasing clips to YouTube or TikTok. But digital advertising did not make up for the lost TV ad revenue, the source with knowledge of the matter said. The TV executive said reruns of a hit prime-time show like Tracker would leave CBS with 'limited costs, and the ratings could even go up'. The Late Show With Stephen Colbert is just the latest casualty of the collapse of one of television's most durable formats. When The Late Late Show host James Corden left in 2023, CBS opted not to hire a replacement. The network also cancelled After Midnight in 2025, after host Taylor Tomlinson chose to return to full-time stand-up comedy. But the end came at a politically sensitive time. Paramount Global, the parent company of CBS, is seeking approval from the Federal Communications Commission for an US$8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media. In July, Paramount agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by Mr Trump over a 60 Minutes interview with his 2024 Democratic challenger, then Vice-President Kamala Harris. Colbert called the payment 'a big fat bribe' two days before he was told his show was cancelled. Many in the entertainment industry and Democratic politicians have called for probes into the decision, including the Writers Guild of America and Senator Edward Markey, who asked Paramount chair Shari Redstone whether the Trump administration pressured the company. Paramount has the right to fire Colbert, including for his political positions, Mr Markey said, but 'if the Trump administration is using its regulatory authority to influence or otherwise pressure your company's editorial decisions, the public deserves to know'. 'It's a completely new world that artists and writers and journalists are living in, and it's scary,' said Mr Tom Nunan, a veteran film and TV producer who is co-head of the producers programme at UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television. 'When the news came in about Colbert, we were shocked but not surprised.' REUTERS
