By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 27 seconds ago

Right now, Supergirl’s box office is looking pretty grim. Things seemed bad enough when the movie was projected to earn, domestically, between $45-$55 million in the first weekend, which was less than half of what Superman earned last year ($125 million). However, those projections just kept shrinking as we got closer to the film’s official release. Now, it looks like the film will earn more like $40 million domestically, with Toy Story 5 absolutely trouncing it at the box office. At this point, Supergirl’s only real shot at box office success is if it, like Obsession, gets great word-of-mouth to get more butts in seats in the coming weeks.

Unfortunately, it looks like that’s just not going to happen. According to PostTrak (which surveys moviegoers on how they felt about a film immediately after they leave the theater), only 52 percent of those who saw Supergirl would definitely recommend that others see it. This effectively compounds the bad box office problems: only a few people showed up to see this blockbuster film, and of the ones who did turn out, only about half said they would enthusiastically recommend it. In the short-term, this is bad for Supergirl; in the long run, though, this may spell disaster for the DCU.

Really Bad Word Of Mouth

Considering that it’s a blockbuster summer tentpole and the second film of the DCU, Supergirl’s box office is looking grim. The movie was basically dead on arrival, and everyone is now conducting an autopsy on exactly what went wrong. Much of that is up for debate: many blame writer Ana Nogueira, while others blame DC Studios CEO James Gunn, who hired Nogueira and championed her script as one of the best he has ever seen. Of course, many blame Craig Gillespie, the director who transformed a beloved, buzzworthy comic (Supergirl: The Woman of Tomorrow) into a largely bland and forgettable romp through space.

Whoever deserves the most blame, one thing’s for sure: Supergirl has failed to impress about half of those who saw it. According to PostTrak, men made up 59 percent of the movie’s audience, and only 45 percent would definitely recommend that others see it. Women made up 41 percent of the audience, and 62 percent of them would definitely recommend that others see it. Crunch those numbers, and you are left with only 52 percent of those surveyed saying they would enthusiastically recommend that others watch Supergirl.

It Gets Even Worse

Supergirl getting such poor word of mouth helps to partially explain why the movie’s opening weekend projections just keep lowering. In fact, some estimate that it may earn closer to $35 million domestically in its opening weekend. Believe it or not, though, things get even worse when you compare Supergirl to other tights-and-flights films. For example, it had a CinemaScore rating of B-, which may not sound that bad. But that’s a lower rating than The Flash, which is widely considered the movie that killed the DCEU. It’s a lower rating than The Marvels, which is the first MCU film to actually lose money.

Speaking of money, The Marvels earned $47 million domestically in its opening weekend, which is at least $7 million more than Supergirl will earn. Heck, even Morbius, the internet’s favorite punchline of a movie, earned $39.1 million, making (believe it or not) a profit; Supergirl will be a loss for the studio. To put this even more in perspective, this latest DCU film is doing badly enough at the box office that it may not even earn $200 million worldwide by the time it leaves theaters. Put another way, Spider-Man: Brand New Day may earn more in its opening weekend than Supergirl does in its entire run!

Obviously, all of this spells bad news for Supergirl. But it may spell even worse news for the DCU as a whole. That’s because, among other things, this bad box office and poor word-of-mouth prove that audiences won’t necessarily show up for feature films featuring relatively minor characters. That means we might get a correspondingly terrible box office for Clayface, the movie about a Batman villain that is inexplicably coming out before Batman makes his DCU debut.

Plus, Supergirl writer Ana Nogueira is going to be writing the scripts for both Wonder Woman and Teen Titans. Unlike Supergirl, these characters are absolute fan-favorites, and in the hands of the right writer, they could be runaway successes for the DCU. But if the scripts for those films end up being as mediocre as Supergirl’s, they may similarly implode. Should those films flop, they may cause some serious collateral damage. Namely, they may destroy this cinematic universe as surely as The Flash destroyed the DCU, leaving Marvel with no real rival as the MCU reboots its entire universe with Avengers: Secret Wars.

By Chris Snellgrove
| Updated 11 seconds ago

Acclaimed author William Faulkner once wrote, “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” Certainly, the last two decades of entertainment media have proven him correct. We’ve seen the return of numerous beloved ‘80s properties, including Transformers, Ghostbusters, G.I. Joe, and so many more. Because these revivals have been so hit-or-miss, it’s easy to worry when a new one gets announced. That’s how I felt when the Masters of the Universe movie was first announced. He-Man was my absolute favorite hero when I was growing up. Were they going to screw it up? My fears notwithstanding, I got more excited the closer we got to the movie’s premiere. 

As it turns out, my faith was rewarded: the new Masters of the Universe was more exciting than most MCU and DCU films, offering an absolutely brilliant reboot of this killer IP. Of course, He-Man has been rebooted many times before, but this film put me in the mood to go right back to the cartoon that started it all. If you’d like to go on this “good journey” with me, you’re in luck: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is now streaming for free on Tubi!

He Has The Power

The premise of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is that the distant planet of Eternia is constantly being threatened by Skeletor, a demonic warrior with an army of evil allies. Fortunately, the planet has its protectors, including Man-At-Arms and his warrior daughter, Teela. One of those protectors is Adam, a prince with a fabulous secret: when he holds aloft his magical sword, he transforms into He-Man, the most powerful man in the universe! He is Skeletor’s greatest enemy, and he fights to save the rest of his kingdom from certain death.

In retrospect, the most notable thing about He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is how nonviolent the show really is. It was based on toys that encouraged epic battles by including special features like battle damage. But in the show, you never really see He-Man use his sword for anything but deflecting ranged attacks. With living creatures, our hero never used his sword or even his fist; he’d just throw them out of frame. If he did punch something, it was always a robot. While all of this can be goofy or even frustrating, it does make it that much easier to share with your own children.

Helter Skeletor

In He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, the plot is a bit like the violence: borderline nonexistent. There’s not much complex lore here, and episodes are mostly a loose collection of Maguffins, toy cameos, and cheesy dialogue. Why, then, am I recommending that you revisit the cartoon? For one thing, because of the cheesy dialogue. Phrases like “I have the power” have entered our cultural lexicon as easily as Skeletor’s colorful ranting has become the source of countless memes. All of this adds up to B-movie perfection you’ll enjoy if you, like me, are a huge fan of ‘80s-style schlock. 

Additionally, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is filled with iconic designs. Both the aforementioned Skeletor and Castle Grayskull are seriously spooky, and they speak to the emo goth kid within all of us. He-Man, in turn, remains the ultimate symbol of masculinity and strength for an entire generation. Oh, and Snake Mountain is the coolest evil lair ever put onscreen. All of these characters and locations help bring to life a world where sci-fi and fantasy collide. Like, be honest: where else are you going to find a barbarian riding a speeder bike to chase down a magician with no skin?

A Really Good Journey

If you’re in a properly nostalgic mood, you’re likely to find He-Man and the Masters of the Universe hilarious. You can’t really keep a straight face when Skeletor is blurting out lines like, “It’s the sorceress, you boob!” On top of the cheeseball dialogue and funny character antics (Cringer and Orko are always good for laughs), one of He-Man’s funniest aspects is the public service announcement at the end of each episode. As an old-school “what’s the moral of this story?” wrap-up, each message is throwback perfection. Plus, you’ll find some standouts that range from accidentally hilarious (He-Man conflating potions and drugs) to surprisingly horrific (Orko warning kids about weirdos touching them!).

While He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is great for anyone who loves vintage, animated schlock, it will appeal the most to anyone who played with He-Man toys growing up. Seriously, rewatching some of these episodes helped unlock absolutely wonderful memories from my childhood. The result is a very nurturing nostalgia that takes us back to a wonderfully simpler time. Good always triumphs over evil, might never makes right, and every struggle is just a lesson in disguise. In our own world of instability and outright chaos, this escape to a simpler time is practically an exercise in meditation.

Ready for a little peace of mind yourself? Don’t worry: you won’t have to storm Snake Mountain or learn how to fly a hoverbike. And you won’t have to match wits with Skeletor or unlock the power of a magic sword. All you have to do is grab your remote and stream He-Man and the Masters of the Universe for free on Tubi today. With the money you save, you can make like Prince Adam and pay for a gym membership. Don’t worry; I’m sure you’ll have his physique in no time!

By Chris Snellgrove
| Updated 16 seconds ago

You know how memes can sometimes be accidentally profound? For example, one of my favorites is when people share this hilarious quote from Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace: “I know writers who use subtext, they’re all cowards.” In the context of the show, this quote is meant to highlight what a bad storyteller Marenghi himself is. Over two decades after that show aired its last episode, this quote highlights how the very opposite is true. Writers who use subtext are actually quite brave because they are unleashing intelligent content on audiences who are largely too dumb to actually understand any of it.

This is particularly true of screenwriting because so many movie lovers never look beyond the surface. That’s why, say, people think RoboCop and Starship Troopers are just cool, violent action movies instead of a poignant commentary on society. The best example of this phenomenon, however, is actually a sweet, sexy romantic comedy: (500) Days of Summer. It’s easy to get lost in the banter and the bluster of the relationship between characters played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel. However, beneath the silly comedy is a very serious truth, one that explains why your relationships keep falling apart, no matter how hard you try.

An Adorkable Office Romance

The premise of (500) Days of Summer (and beware some spoilers if you’ve never seen it!) is that an aspiring architect (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) falls head over heels in love with his boss’s new assistant (Zooey Deschanel). After she spontaneously kisses him, he agrees to a casual relationship, and the two end up having plenty of fun together. Unfortunately, he wants something serious, and she wants more of a casual, friends-with-benefits kind of relationship. Eventually, they have a nasty breakup, but things work out for the best: he rebounds by throwing himself into his dream career, while his carefree ex eventually finds a man that she wants to marry. 

For the most part, (500) Days of Summer plays out like a standard rom-com with a few heavy doses of drama thrown in. In other words, not the kind of movie that men usually get their panties in a twist over. Nonetheless, this fluffy film has proven controversial because it is built around an unreliable narrator. Most of the film is from the perspective of Tom, the hopeless romantic played by Gordon-Levitt. After Summer (the carefree cutie played by Deschanel) breaks up with Tom because she doesn’t want anything serious, many viewers felt a sense of betrayal, as if she had thrown away a good man and settled down with her first rebound.

This Is Why Your Relationships Fail

Of course, the irony of dudes getting big mad at this film is that (500) Days of Summer is trying to gently explain why so many relationships fail. There’s a common belief that most couples break up because one partner stops putting in much effort, effectively killing the spark they once shared. But that isn’t the case in this movie because Tom tries so hard to make things work with Summer; in point of fact, he tries too hard, which ultimately pushes her away. Men who take Tom’s side in all this are often perplexed and even angry. After all, how can Tom do everything right and still lose the girl?

The short answer, of course, is that he didn’t do everything right. The timey-wimey structure of (500) Days of Summer shows us different points in the couple’s relationships, effectively exploring the emotional highs and lows of their time together. Viewers, much like Tom himself, subconsciously focus only on the happy moments, not realizing how important their fights and differing viewpoints are. These aren’t small issues; rather, they are cracks in a foundation that wasn’t very strong to begin with. A foundation that began with a critical misunderstanding: Tom wants a serious girlfriend, and Summer just wants casual fun without putting any kind of definitive label on what they’re doing.

Are You Thinking The Same Thing?

The people who get angriest at Summer are the men who feel like she’s giving off mixed messages with her behavior. We see her holding hands with Tom, enjoying romantic dinners, and even watching weird porn together, which some think are signifiers of a serious relationship. But to believe that, the haters have to do exactly what Tom did: ignore the words coming out of Summer’s mouth. She repeatedly tries telling the man that she doesn’t want a committed, long-term relationship, but he only really sees and hears what he wants to. Therefore, his attempts to be the ultimate marriage material boyfriend backfire because that’s the last thing she’s looking for.

So, fellas, what’s the lesson here, and how can it help you navigate your own relationships? The first and arguably most important thing is making sure that all parties are on the same page. If you’re interested in a girl, you need to ask her exactly what she’s looking for. Is she trying to find Mr. Right or just Mr. Right Now? There’s nothing wrong if you both want a friends-with-benefits situationship or even if you want to explore more adventurous dynamics like ethical nonmonogamy or polyamory. The only thing wrong at this stage is doing exactly what Tom did: simply assuming your partner wants the exact same thing you do.

Much To Ponder

Beyond that, there’s a lesson especially pertinent to younger viewers: your love life doesn’t have to move at warp speed. It doesn’t matter if all your friends are getting engaged or whatever; if you’re not ready to be, then don’t worry about it. Once you find someone, you shouldn’t be like Tom and instantly assume you’re in love. Instead, you should take the time to make sure you are both compatible. Finally, you need to be honest in assessing the good and the bad of your relationship. If you put on optimistic blinders as Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character did, it’s only a matter of time before you get blindsided.

(500) Days of Summer is a great movie, specifically because of its brilliant subtext. To really appreciate the film, you must do as Tom did and see things from Summer’s perspective. Doing this in your own relationship is a great way to stay connected to your partner and prevent minor issues from becoming major catastrophes. Doing so also helps you understand whether you’re in love with the real person or just your idea of them. Need a little more love advice? Believe it or not, it’s free! (500) Days of Summer is currently streaming on Tubi.