DUBAI (Reuters) - A replica of a U.S. aircraft carrier spotted near the coast of Iran is nothing more sinister than a movie set, Iranian media said on Sunday.

The New York Times, quoting U.S. intelligence, said last week that the Iranians were building a mock-up of a U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, possibly so they could then blow it up for propaganda purposes.

Satellite photos showed what looked like one of the U.S. Navy's Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, complete with planes, rising from Iran's Gachin shipyard, near the port of Bandar Abbas.

Iranian newspapers said it was "part of the decor" of a movie being made by Iranian director Nader Talebzadeh on the 1988 shooting down of an Iran Air civilian plane by the USS Vincennes. The United States says the downing of the plane, which killed all 290 passengers and crew, was an accident.

"The issue has turned into a good excuse for another wave of hype against Iran," said the Alef news website which carries views close to the official line in Iran.

"Without any proof or real basis, Western media have jumped again to paint a more negative picture of Iran."

A spokesman for the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet in Bahrain acknowledged that the replica was "more akin to a Hollywood set than a warship."

"We know it's not an actual aircraft carrier. It's made to look like one of ours ... but makes us wonder: what is it all for?" Jason Salata told Reuters by telephone.

"We've seen them make target barges before and tow them and shoot them out as missile exercises and use it for state-run media. This one is a little bit of a head-scratcher. If you're spending resources on this, what would it be for?"

Iranian officials were not available to comment.

(Reporting by Mehrdad Balali; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

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20th Century Fox has just released a new trailer for "X-Men: Days of Future Past" and it's great.

This is probably the summer movie we're looking most forward to not only because it's been three years since "X-Men: First Class," but because it reunites a lot of actors from the 2006 film "X-Men: The Last Stand" as well.

Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Jennifer Lawrence, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, and Halle Berry are among the stars in the sequel.

Based on the popular comic story, the group will team up with their younger selves to take down a bunch of mutant-hunting robots threatening to extinguish their race.

"X-Men: Days of Future Past" is in theaters May 23.

Basically, what we gather from the trailer is that Peter Dinklage's character Bolivar Trask will set loose a bunch of robots in the present time to go after the X-Men. They'll be successful in killing some. When that happens, Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Ian McKellen) get the Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) to travel back into the past to prevent Trask from ever creating these robots. 

Here are a few takeaways from the new trailer:

Storm (Halle Berry) looks like she's in trouble.

Here's a better look at the forces the X-Men will be fighting against. 

We're sure Professor X is fine. The below are most likely two separate scenes edited together.

Rise!

SEE ALSO: See who will be back for a cameo in "Days of Future Past"

AND: The mutant-hunting robots that will be featured in the film

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Filming is set to resume on James Wan’s Fast and Furious 7, which had to regroup following the death of the franchise’s co-founder, Paul Walker.

We know that there have been rewrites on the sequel, and that Walker’s character, Brian O’Conner, will remain a star of the film. But now we’re starting to hear details about what the creative team might do to replace Walker in the part. 

The New York Daily News (by way of THR) is quoting a source close to the production who has laid out how Wan will progress with his filming. The source says:

"They have hired four actors with bodies very similar to Paul’s physique and they will be used for movement and as a base. Paul’s face and voice will be used on top using CGI."

This gels with a theory we heard earlier that Walker’s own brother could have been used as stand-in for the late actor, and so it sounds like Universal, Wan and the franchises producers have opted to go this route in order to finish Fast 7 in time for release. 



It is a solution recently employed by the filmmakers working on The Hunger Games: Mockingjay when they had to contend with the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman before filming had finished. Digital technology has progressed to the point where it can be used to create such visual cheats. Is it the best option? Absolutely not. But large commercial movies have to make complicated artistic decisions to protect their investments in the wake of tragedy. And the producers, according to the Daily News, think that Fast fans will accept the solution if it allows the sequel the chance to give Walker’s character (and the actor, himself) closure on screen. 

Walker’s co-star, Vin Diesel, meanwhile took to Facebook to continue paying homage to his late friend. The message on this picture was decidedly cryptic, revealing only the title "The Two Pauls," and fans have been asking Diesel on the page to explain who the guy in the photo next to Walker is.

Wan will continue working toward bringing Fast 7 to completion. The sequel is due in theaters on April 10, 2015. The future of the franchise beyond that, however, remains up in the air. 

SEE ALSO: 'Fast & Furious 7' To Film In Abu Dhabi In April

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"Divergent" broke the curse of recent young adult (YA) adaptations bombing at theaters over the weekend.

The film made $56 million opening weekend. While that's not as much as the $65 million analysts were originally predicting, it's a good start for a film based on a best-selling book series.

The last five attempts after 2012's "The Hunger Games" all tanked at theaters.

Take a look at the opening weekends for the first films in every potential YA series below. "Divergent" comes in fourth behind "The Hunger Games" ($152.5 million), "Harry Potter" ($90.3 million), and "Twilight" ($69.6 million).

The Lionsgate and Summit Entertainment picture has two sequels in the works.

The next film, "Insurgent" is planned for a March 2015 release. "Allegiant" is set to debut the year after.

SEE ALSO: How poorly most young adult movies perform at theaters

AND: Everything you need to know about "Divergent"

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Arclight Films says it is putting preproduction of its upcoming film Deep Water on hold, due to some uncomfortable similarities between the project and the mysterious disappearance of Malaysian flight MH370.

An action horror, Deep Water tells the story of a flight that mysteriously crashes in a remote stretch of ocean on its way to China. The crash survivors then have to fend off killer sharks. 

VIDEO: Malaysia Flier's Girlfriend: Possible Breakthrough 'Throws It All Up in the Air Again'

The film's tagline in early promotional materials reads: "Survivors of a plane crash face terror beyond reckoning as the plane is starting to sink into a bottomless abyss and soon discover they're surrounded by the most deadliest natural born killers on earth."

On March 8, Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 disappeared from civilian radar screens a little less than an hour after taking off from Kuala Lumpur for Beijing with 239 people on board. No confirmed sighting of the plane or its remains have been made since.

It's not the first time that Deep Water's planned director, Alister Grierson, has helmed a movie marked by a bizarre art-imitating-real-life-tragedy quality. Sanctum (2011), the project for which he is best known, is about an underwater cave diving exhibition that turns into a watery, heart-pounding catastrophe. It was released in Australia two weeks before Queensland and Northern New South Wales were hit by devastating floods in 2011.

STORY: Malaysia Airlines Flight: Local News Station Apologizes for 'Lost' Poster Tweet

Originally developed as a sequel to shark horror flick Bait 3D -- which became a surprise hit in China in 2012 after it was sold to the territory on a flat-fee basis, grossing $24.7 million in its first three weeks of release – the project received development funding from Screen Australia and was targeted for a budget of $25 million. The writers of Bait 3D, Shayne Armstrong and Shane Krause, drafted a sequel script; but the project later morphed into Deep Water, with Grierson boarding as director, along with additional writer Terrance Mulloy.

Arclight sources say they are fast-tracking development of a sci-fi adaptation of the classic Joseph Conrad novel, Heart of Darkness, while they put Deep Water on ice to see how the Malaysian flight situation unfolds.

Deep Water is the second APAC-based film project to make a pivot out of sympathy to those impacted by Flight MH370.

STORY: Malaysian, U.S. Handling of Flight 370 Search Sparks Anger in Chinese Media

Chinese director Vincent Zhou's 3D action thriller Last Flight, starring Ed Westwick and Zhu Zhu, has toned down its marketing campaign in response to the missing Malaysian plane. The film tells the story of an old Boeing 747 that takes off for its last red-eye flight from a small Pacific island and is hit by "unusual events." While the passengers panic, the captain and the chief flight attendant investigate and try to regain control of the plane.

The film's producer and distributor, Shanghai Media Group, canceled the glitzy March 21 premiere event it had planned for Beijing, where many of the missing passengers were from. Reps from the company tell THR they instead decided to roll out the film in Shanghai, Nanjing and Shenzhen with more understated opening events. 

SEE ALSO: Here's The Text Message Malaysia Airlines Sent To The Families Of The Lost Passengers

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Want to see something really annoying? 20th Century Fox has launched the world's first Emoji trailer, and after suffering through this two minutes of emotional icon pop-ups, it may very well be the last one we see. So enjoy it. The Other Woman stars Cameron Diaz and Leslie Mann as unlikely best friends who team up to get revenge on their shared lover.

Things take a turn for the weird when they learn there is a third girl (Kate Upton) in the mix. Not only do we have the Emoji trailer, which is the visual equivalent of fingernails on a chalkboard, we have the first clip, which introduces hip-hop queen Nicki Minaj in her acting debut. 

After discovering her boyfriend is married, a woman (Cameron Diaz) tries to get her ruined life back on track. But when she accidentally meets the wife he's been cheating on (Leslie Mann), she realizes they have much in common, and her sworn enemy becomes her greatest friend. When yet another affair is discovered (Kate Upton), all three women team up to plot mutual revenge on their cheating, lying, three-timing SOB.

The Other Woman comes to theaters April 25th, 2014 and stars Cameron Diaz,Leslie Mann, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Kate Upton, Taylor Kinney, Don Johnson, Nicki Minaj, Deborah Twiss. The film is directed by Nick Cassavetes.

SEE ALSO: Kate Upton And Cameron Diaz's 'Other Woman' Trailer Totally Copies 'The First Wives Club'

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"Divergent" opened to a strong $56 million this weekend at theaters.

While it's the first young adult (YA) adaptation to the big screen to not totally bomb since "The Hunger Games," the movie will never gain the same status as Jennifer Lawrence's girl on fire.

Sure, the film will be a healthy franchise for Lionsgate and Summit Entertainment over the next few years, but don't count on it being the cash cow that previous YA series have been for the studios.

There are a few simple reasons "Divergent" will stay in the shadows of "The Hunger Games."

The Star Power

Simply put, Shailene Woodley is no Jennifer Lawrence.

When Jennifer Lawrence signed on to "The Hunger Games" franchise she recently came off a role in "X-Men: First Class" and was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for 2010's "Winter's Bone."

Since the film's 2012 release she won an Oscar for her performance in "Silver Linings Playbook."

Shailene Woodley is known among teens for her role on ABC Family's "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" and her role in "The Descendants" alongside George Clooney.

Overall, "The Hunger Games" has a more recognizable cast than "Divergent."

"The Hunger Games"
Jennifer Lawrence
Stanley Tucci
Elizabeth Banks
Liam Hemsworth
Woody Harrelson
Donald Sutherland

"Divergent"
Shailene Woodley
Kate Winslet
Ashley Judd
Maggie Q 

"The Hunger Games" was a huge anomaly.

When the "Divergent" movie was first announced everyone — us included— automatically referred to the series as the next "Hunger Games." 

It was easy. Both series are about a dystopian future led by strong female leads. Any YA movie adaptation that follows Suzanne Collin's series obviously has some huge shoes to fill; however, it's unlikely we'll ever have another "Hunger Games" anytime soon.

"The Hunger Games" had a larger debut than the first "Harry Potter" film— and that's when inflation is accounted for as well.

Compared to other young adult movies, "The Hunger Games" has the seventh-largest opening weekend at theaters behind four superhero films ("The Avengers,""Iron Man 3,""The Dark Knight Rises," and "The Dark Knight") and the final "Harry Potter" film. 

3 films vs. 4 or 5

Unlike both "Twilight" and "The Hunger Games,""Divergent" is expected to be a three-film series. Lionsgate greenlit a sequel for next March, "Insurgent," and have another film planned for the series' third book set for 2016.

The two former franchises split their final novels across two movies giving "The Hunger Games" four movies and "Twilight" five.

In total, the "Twilight" franchise has generated more than $3.3 billion worldwide. So far, the two "Hunger Games" films have taken in about $1.6 billion at theaters.

If the studios really want to milk the "Divergent" franchise, they'll pull a "Hobbit" and break the final book into two movies to keep it around longer.

The "Divergent" series may have shot itself in the foot. 

People like happy endings and the "Divergent" series doesn't have one.

HUGE *spoiler* The lead character gets killed off as a martyr in the final novel.

How do you think people would have responded if Harry Potter was killed by Voldemort in the final book (and on screen) or if Jennifer Lawrence's Katniss Everdeen bit the bullet? My guess is not positively. *spoiler*

The final book in the series,  "Allegiant," received a lot of fan backlash after its release in October 2013. 

So many fans responded negatively that author Veronica Roth took to her blog to address the controversial ending.

"I’ve said before that this ending was always a part of the plan, but one thing I want to make clear is that I didn’t choose it to shock anyone, or to upset anyone," wrote Roth.

Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer previously told analysts he didn't think the book's outcome would hurt the series' chances at the box office. “A little controversy in terms of publicity never hurts," said Feltheimer.

While "Divergent" and "Insurgent" may do well, the final third film could be a test for Lionsgate with fans.

SEE ALSO: How much better "Divergent" performed compared to other young adult adaptations opening weekend

AND: Everything you need to know about "Divergent"

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The most important person at Paramount Pictures’ CinemaCon presentation on Monday night wasn't even at the Colosseum at Caesar's Palace where the studio took the stage to convince theater owners they had the goods to deliver a record-breaking summer at the box office.

No, Michael Bay, the hyperkinetic purveyor of decibel bursting action, was busy putting the finishing touches on “Transformers: Age of Extinction.” His presence loomed large, however. Not only in the extended look at the sequel, but in two other projects that Paramount assured exhibitors would appeal to teenage moviegoers — a reboot of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and the found-footage horror film “Project Almanac,” both of which Bay produced.

“Michael Bay…is committed to making sure young audiences have a reason to flock back to your theaters,” Paramount's vice-chairman Rob Moore said.

Also read: Spider-Man, Guardians, Transformers! Summer Blockbusters Draw Theater Owners to CinemaCon

In what some critics may consider a threat, Moore went on to say that the studio will “continue to bring the best that Michael Bay has to offer.”

Bay's absence didn't rob the Vegas-based gathering of exhibitors and distributors of star power. Mark Wahlberg, who will be anchoring the fourth “Transformers” film now that Shia LaBeouf has retreated into non-famehood, strutted across the stage to share an extended look at the probable blockbuster.

See video: ‘Transformers: Age of Extinction’ Trailer: Watch Optimus Prime Bitch-Slap a Dinosaur

“It is bigger and better than the other three combined,” Wahlberg said, going on to predict that the film would be the biggest hit of 2014.

The twenty minute sneak peek was perhaps the most extensive look yet at the sequel. Wahlberg plays a fiercely protective father and down on his luck inventor who happens across a broken down truck. The discovery that the rust-encased automobile is actually a Transformer sets the stage for a massive battle in a country road pitting Autobots against Decepticons. From there, the action hurtles across the globe, as men battle machines, usually to the detriment of urban planners. There was no glimpse of any Dinobots (a fan favorite, rumored to make their first cinematic appearance in this chapter), but Kelsey Grammer featured prominently as a silky voiced and menacing government agent.

Also read: ‘Transformers’ Director Michael Bay's Hong Kong Attacker Found Guilty of Blackmail

In addition to setting up the footage, Wahlberg shared some personal memories with the crowd, as his 10-year old daughter accompanied him to the stage. The last time he was in Las Vegas he said was a decade ago to preview footage of “The Italian Job.” He noted that his wife was pregnant with his daughter at that time.

“This is her first time in Vegas and hopefully her last,” he joked.

Paramount trotted out other big guns in a light-hearted hour and half long show. “Arrested Development” co-stars David Cross and Will Arnett raced across the stage on Segways to unveil new footage from “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” despite the fact that Arnett joked he was barely in the teaser.

See video: Watch Michael Bay Bail on CES Presentation After Teleprompter Malfunction

The film offers up a grittier version of the turtles, who find themselves tasked with cleaning up a crime ridden city and partnering with April O'Neil (Megan Fox).

Perhaps the biggest crowd-pleasing moment of the presentation belonged to Dwayne Johnson, who whipped the crowd up by regaling them with tales of the physical transformation he endured to play the lead in this summer's “Hercules.” It involved working out constantly, and donning a wig, a beard and, he joked, a prosthetic penis at the insistence of Rob Moore. He didn't need any help with that particular appendage he assured the crowd to catcalls.

As for “Hercules,” the preview saw the son of Zeus locked in mortal combat with lions, wild boars and hydras, before uttering in dramatic fashion, “I am Hercules.”

See photo: The Rock's ‘Hercules’ Look Revealed In First Full Movie Pics

Paramount doesn't make as many movies as many of its other competitors, preferring to space out a few big bets along the calendar. Moore seemed to think its upcoming slate of summer releases will keep the studio and Bay, perhaps the most important figure on its lot,  busy for long into the future.

“Transformers Age of Extinction,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and “Hercules” represent “three great franchises” he told the crowd.

This summer, audiences will decide if those words were prophetic or overly optimistic.

SEE ALSO: Will The Dinobots Save The ‘Transformers’ Franchise?

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Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is coming to the big screen as Hercules this summer — wearing a lion's head.

The first trailer for the Paramount and MGM movie premiered Monday night at CinemaCon, the annual convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners.

This will be the second Hercules film we're seeing this year after Lionsgate and Summit Entertainment's box-office dud, "Legend of Hercules."

Director Brett Ratner's version looks much more promising. 

"Hercules" is in theaters July 25.

Here are a few more images Paramount released for the film:

Here's the poster for the film:

SEE ALSO: A new "X-Men: Days of Future Past" trailer

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Warner Brothers just released the second trailer for the Tom Cruise futuristic time-traveling war film, "Edge of Tomorrow."

Much like the first trailer, we see Cruise's character Lt. Col. Bill Cage reliving the same day over and over again.

The new trailer delves a bit more into Cage's repetitive lifestyle along with his relationship with the mysterious Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt) as she tries to turn him into Earth's greatest weapon.

"Edge of Tomorrow" is in theaters June 6.

Watch the trailer below:

Here are a few takeaways from the new trailer:

Lt. Col. Bill Cage (Tom Cruise) doesn't know why he keeps dying then reliving battles with a futuristic alien race.

It's important that he finds out because it seems that the human race is losing.

Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt) tries to train him, but if he fails then they'll have to "start over."

However, repeating the war over and over again may be humanity's only hope.

Now: Watch the first trailer

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Monday, Disney announced plans to buy YouTube content producer Maker Studios for $500 million.

That's more than the company's previous two ventures into the digital space.

The Mouse House purchased gaming community Club Penguin in 2007 for $350 million and social game maker Playdom in 2010 for $563 million.

Maker stands to gain another $450 million from Disney if performance goals are met.

Why invest so much money in a multichannel network?

It's all about the eyeballs.

The New York Times reports Maker receives 5.5 billion views per month across its approximately 55,000 YouTube channels.

Here are some of Maker's YouTube personalities, channels, subscription numbers, and viewers.

Felix Arvid Ulf Kjelberg (aka PewdiePie): 
A 24-year-old Swedish video game commenter who holds the Guinness World Record  for the most YouTube subscribers. 

25.3 million subscribers
3,9 billion views

Tessa Violet (aka Meekakitty)
Violet's a singer, songwriter, and actress who is known for her supercut videos.

988,484 subscribers
69,270,126 views 

Lisa Donovan / LisaNova (co-founder Maker Studios):
She used to do a series of political videos along with series including “Hot Girlz!” She hasn't uploaded videos in a while since co-founding Maker Studios.

575,591 subscribers
150,522,739 views 

Kassem G (co-founder Maker Studios):
Kasseem does man-on-the-street type interviews along with comedy sketches. 

2.6 million subscribers
410,875,100 views

Here are some of Maker Studios' most popular channels:

Polaris 
A collection of YouTube personalities’ original content. 
511,529 subscribers
40,544,824 views

The Platform 
A fashion and beauty channel
357,940 subscribers
21,885,330 views

Cartoonium 
Hosts classic episodes of kid’s cartoons along with a few original shows.
58,055 subscribers
5,687,303 views 

The Mom’s View 
Network for mothers who give parenting and do-it-yourself advice.
205,681 subscribers
19,221,881 views

Animonster 
Consists of various cartoons from a variety of animators.
311,317 subscribers
35,750,586 views

Maker Studios is also responsible for one of YouTube’s viral channels, Epic Rap Battles of History.

The video series, a collaboration of Nice Peter, epicLLOYD, Dave McCary, and Maker, consists of imaginary rap fights between popular cultural figures. Among the channel’s most popular spoof is a pretend battle between Steve Jobs and Bill Gates.

All together, Epic Rap Battles of History has received 904.3 million views.

How will this help Disney? 

In the past, Maker Studios has worked with both Universal and Warner Bros. to help market and drive ticket sales for their films “Pitch Perfect” and “Pacific Rim,” respectively. 

Maker held a contest for fans to participate in a music video with the cast of “Pitch Perfect” while putting together a month-long campaign for fans to create their own giant Jaeger robots for “Pacific Rim.” 

“Pitch Perfect 2” is now slated for a May 2015 release. “Pacific Rim” took off at the international box office lending itself for another possible sequel. 

This is one area where Maker is most interesting to Disney — to help the company integrate and market its upcoming studio slate.  

“Maker brings to Disney a substantial digital audience, some of the biggest stars in the space and also a real understanding of how to manage big brands on YouTube,” Brent Weinstein of United Talent Agency’s digital media division, told The New York Times. “Look at what Maker has done for Epic Rap Battles and Snoop, and imagine what they can do for Iron Man, Mickey and Yoda.” 

In addition to television and film promotion, Maker could lend itself to finding new original talent and content for Disney if it hopes to take off on YouTube.

SEE ALSO: Disney buys Maker Studios for $500 million

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The director's lawyers compare the "Hateful Eight" leak post to a newspaper that reports on a film piracy ring by instructing how, where and when readers can buy their own pirated copies.

SEE ALSO: 7 Films That Inspired Quentin Tarantino

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Can you imagine anyone else other than Harrison Ford playing Indiana Jones?

Hollywood may, and the industry allegedly has a short list of actors they’d possibly plug into a future Indiana Jones trilogy, if the latest rumor is to be believed. 

Now, let’s state this up front. Obviously, this is a HUGE rumor, and nothing has been confirmed by any of the parties we are about to discuss. But, Latino Review is quoting a very reliable source who claims that there’s a strong possibility the next Indiana Jones will be played by a younger actor as the studio tries to refashion the series in the way that James Bond routinely recasts. It’s still Bond, whether it be Daniel Craig, Roger Moore or Sean Connery. Is it still Indiana Jones if it isn’t Ford? We may find out soon. 

The site reports that plans are still underway to have Ford return to the part for a fifth adventure. But, LR notes, "there is a date. And if Indiana Jones 5 is not moving forward by then, the studio is 100% prepared to recast a younger Dr. Jones and ready up a new trilogy." 

They even reportedly have their eyes set on Bradley Cooper for the role. 

This really shouldn’t come as huge shock, if you step back and analyze the playing field from multiple angles. Ford, for starters, turns 72 in July. And he might be stepping into J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars universe for the next few years, reprising the role of Han Solo. That would eat up valuable time he could spend filming another Indiana Jones movie. 

At the same time, Disney recently negotiated for all rights to future Indiana Jonesfilms, leaving the rights to the previous films to Paramount. Disney didn’t do that deal just to sit on their hands. They have a plan to make more Indiana Jones movies, and the possibility of doing them with Harrison Ford is decreasing. 

So tell us, do you think that the Indiana Jones franchise can work like Bond? It is a question we have been asking with multiple film series, Iron Man being another example. Is it still Tony Stark if Robert Downey Jr. isn’t playing him? Marvel may have to find out soon enough. 

If there is silver lining to this chaos, LR is reporting that Frank Darabont "might be taking a crack at the franchise once again." For those who don’t know, Darabont wrote a killer script that almost came to fruition before Indianan Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. He penned several drafts over the years, and elements made it into Crystal Skull, but he adores the character, can write compelling drama, and knows his way around an action set piece. He’d be a fantastic hire. 

Nothing is in stone. But wheels appear to be turning. What do you think of this rumor? Is Cooper a good choice to maybe continue Indy’s legacy on screen? If not, who should Disney be looking at? Let us know below. 

SEE ALSO: Making Harrison Ford The Next Indiana Jones Would Be A Huge Mistake For Disney

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A long time ago on a film set far, far away, two directors made a friendly bet about a small space-fantasy film called "Star Wars."

Steven Spielberg would go on to win the bet and take millions of dollars from George Lucas over time.

Here's how the out-of-this-world wager came to be.

The Troubles Of "The Star Wars"

In the mid-1970s, science-fiction films weren't very popular.

1968's "2001: A Space Odyssey" led the way for the genre but made just $56 million at the box office. So when a young director named George Lucas was trying to sell a script called "The Star Wars," based on "Flash Gordon" space serials, not many studios were eager to make it.

It wasn't until Lucas took his script to 20th Century Fox that the film finally received backing — but even then it was more because of the success of Lucas' previous film, "American Graffiti."

The challenges didn't stop there. A delayed, over-budget production caused the troubled director to visit a friend shooting his own sci-fi film in Mobile, Ala.

That friend was Steven Spielberg and the film was his 1977 classic, "Close Encounters of the Third Kind."

The Bet

According to an interview with Spielberg for Turner Classics Movies, Lucas came to the set of "Close Encounters" out of sorts after problems with his passion project. Needing to recharge, Lucas spent a couple of days on set.

"George came back from 'Star Wars' a nervous wreck," Spielberg said. "He didn’t feel 'Star Wars' came up to the vision he initially had. He felt he had just made this little kids' movie."

After a few days, Lucas realized something else: Spielberg's "Close Encounters" was going to be so much more successful than "Star Wars." So much more that he felt like making a bet with Spielberg.

Spielberg would later say: 

"He said, 'Oh my God, your movie is going to be so much more successful than 'Star Wars'! This is gonna be the biggest hit of all time. I can't believe this set. I can't believe what you're getting, and oh my goodness.' He said, 'All right, I'll tell you what. I'll trade some points with you. You want to trade some points? I'll give you 2.5% of 'Star Wars' if you give me 2.5% of 'Close Encounters.' So I said, 'Sure, I'll gamble with that. Great.'" 

"Close Encounters" would indeed be a hit, making $303 million at the box office. However, "Star Wars" would go on to become one of the biggest box-office hits of all time.

A Financial Empire

Spielberg's gamble paid off. Big time.

Released May 25, 1977, on a budget of $11 million, "Star Wars"— later retitled "Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope"— went on to make $460 million in the U.S. alone.

Adjusted for inflation, the film has made $1.48 billion at the box office, making it the second-biggest box-office hit of all time — only behind "Gone With The Wind." 

By our calculations, this means Spielberg's 2.5% could have made him nearly $40 million.

"'Close Encounters' was just a meager success story. 'Star Wars' was a phenomenon,"Spielberg said a few years ago. "Of course I was the happy beneficiary of a couple of net points from that movie, which I am still seeing money on today."

Sequels "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi" would also go on to be great successes leading to prequels, rereleases, and merchandising, making the "Star Wars" franchise one of the biggest in Hollywood, reportedly worth $30 billion and growing.

NOW WATCH: Neil deGrasse Tyson Tells Us Why 'Star Trek' Is So Much Better Than 'Star Wars'

SEE ALSO: New 'Star Wars' Sequel Will Take Place 30 Years After 'Return Of The Jedi'

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The worldwide motion picture theater industry descends on Caesars Palace in Las Vegas today for the fourth annual CinemaCon, the official convention of NATO [National Association of Theater Owners] that runs through March 27.

CinemaCon is the largest annual gathering of cinema owners and operators from around the world, drawing filmmakers, distributors and exhibitors alike for a four-day celebration of the theaters and films we love.

We’ll be celebrating CinemaCon this week by highlighting theaters and the films that’ll be filling them this coming summer. We start today by looking at five unique, technically advanced or just down right gorgeous theaters in America.

These are the places that remind you why there is simply no substitute for seeing a film in a theater; whether it’s mind-blowing technology, an unbeatable environment, or the joy of watching a film with hundreds of fellow movie lovers (or a combination of all three), here’s a brief look at some fantastic places to take in a movie.

1. The Hackworth IMAX Dome Theater, San Jose, California

Northern California’s only domed IMAX theater can immerse you and 279 of your closest friends in a giant wrap-around screen (four times the size of a typical movie screen) with crystal clear images eight stories high, a projector the size of a Volkswagon Beetle, and 13,000 watts of wrap-around digital surround sound.

2. The Uptown Theater, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis has long been a unostentatious Mecca for fantastic art, and the Landmark Uptown Theater fits right into a city that includes the world renown contemporary art center the Walker among its jewels.

Located in the middle of the city’s Uptown District, the historic Uptown Theater (originally built as the Lagoon Theater in 1916, which eventually burned down) had a long stint as a repertory theater, eventually becoming a world class art film theater in 1985.

It underwent extensive renovations in 2012, and now boasts a full bar, reserved seating, its beloved balcony and the 50-foot tower that was originally a beacon to orient residents that they were, indeed, uptown.

3. AFI Silver Theater, Silver Spring, Maryland

It’s not surprising that the AFI Silver Theater is a technical marvel, considering its mandate is “seeing the screen itself as a source of literacy, learning and vision for the future.” The exceptional technical facilities that define the AFI Silver include film formats from 16 to 70mm, high-definition digital cinema video projection, and broadcast quality video recording. The historic Silver theater was saved from destruction by a partnership between Montgomery Country, Maryland and the American Film Institute.

Due to its namesake institute, the theater also includes distance learning capabilities via satellite, fiber and the Internet, as well as a moving image exhibition and cultural center. “Whether it’s silent film at the proper frame rate with live musical accompaniment, 70mm wide screen spectaculars or digital cinema, the AFI Silver offers state-of-the-art technology in each of its three theatres — with seating for 400, 200 and 75, respectively,” their website states. It’s one of the premiere theaters, right in the heart of the nation’s capital. 

4. The Dolby Theater, Los Angeles, California

It helps that the Dolby Theater has access to all the insane technology Dolby creates, including their breakthrough audio experience, Atmos. Atmos delivers the most natural, life-like sensory experience in the world (including last year’s Gravity, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, and the upcoming Noah). The theater doesn’t slouch on the screen, either—Dolby is secretly becoming a powerhouse image technology company, and the Dolby 3D screen here is astounding. The specs of the theater are massive—180,000-square-feet and 3,400-seats.

5. The 21st Street Warren Theater, Wichita, Kansas

This beloved Wichita location has an IMAX theater, stadium seating, a classic diner and malt shop and even an enclosed ‘Cry room,’ where parents with small children can watch the movie (with their kids’ often unwanted additional soundtrack) with its own sound-system separate from the theater.

SEE ALSO: 10 Of The Best Dine-In Theaters In America

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We overestimate the passion for movie-star acting that some performers might have.

Acting, certainly, is a passion, and a worthy one. But you act to act, you act to perform, you act to find new truths, new depths. You don’t act to become a movie star, and the bigger the star you are, the less acting you’re actually doing. And in the age of superhero movies and endless franchises, your creative expression is limited if you wear a mask and hold a shield and run through explosions. 

Such is the case for Chris Evans, who reaffirmed to Variety that he’s done with acting and plans to retire upon the end of his Marvel contract. This new passion is directing, which he’s given a shot thanks to 1:30 Train, a drama he shot in 19 days in New York City starring himself and Alice Eve. Which is actually a pretty glamorous, movie star thing to do also, but what can you do? Evans is a handsome young dude, and when you have money and charm in Hollywood, that’s the sort of thing you do. 

If anything, this reflects the sad reality of the movie making business. Big blockbusters used to give you clout to make any other type of movie in your spare time, and you could leverage that popular fame to ensure your other pictures were worthy of financing, or out-and-out hits. You could build a career as an actor while also being a star. That’s changed considerably, as audiences have become more devoted to brands and franchises over actual people, with many actors having absolutely no profile outside of their precious tent poles. And with sequels being made closer together, necessitating the availability of some actors, it rarely gives them time to develop a relationship with the audience in any other role. 

Since 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger, Evans has done three non-superhero movies. He’s fantastic in Puncture, a legal drama based on a true life case regarding negligent medical procedures and the corruption of the medical supplies industry. He also showed up in the frothy romantic comedy What’s Your Number? as a beefcake to fawn over. And he had a gonzo supporting role in The Iceman as an ice cream truck-driving killer.

These films have something in common: nobody saw any of them. What’s Your Number? was a wide release that only managed a piddling $14 million. The Iceman couldn’t crawl over $2 million. And Puncture, where Evans gives the best performance of his career, made a little over (this is not a typo) $68,000. His next film is Snowpiercer, an ensemble piece that’s been a huge success overseas, but hasn’t been able to even secure a release in America due to commercial re-edits being applied by distributor The Weinstein Company. Evans admits in the Variety piece, ruefully, "No one sees my good little movies, man." 

It’s not as if Evans is struggling to make great art or to suffer for his craft.

Evans claims he was reluctant to take the part and turned Marvel down many times. "The problem was initially, it was a nine-movie contract," he says. "And they said, if these movies take off and do very well, and my life changes and I don’t respond well, I don’t have the opportunity to say, listen, I need a f---ing break. That just scared me." Evans, whom the Avengers cast credits as "the captain of team spirit," will ostensibly star in Captain America 3 in May 2016, his fifth appearance as the character since 2011.

Considering the heavy between-shoot regiment of staying in shape, interviews and press surrounding the films, that’s an awful lot of time to devote to Captain America and less to any other movie. Or having a kid. Taking a lover. Recording an album. Doing charity. Literally anything else. Not every actor is Scarlett Johansson, who is under contract from Marvel while also appearing in three to four other movies a year. But even she admits, "It can feel like a gilded cage at times… it’s something that obviously allows you the opportunity to do things like go and direct your first feature and have a built-in audience for that. At the same time, at the end of the job, there’s always a super suit in your future." 

Managing these franchises has been an act of squeezing actors into fixed roles and keeping them from any sort of freedom. If you ask David O. Russell, it’s "slavery":that‘s what he said of the annual Hunger Games commitments that Lawrence tends to in between receiving Oscar nominations for his movies (let alone X-Men films). And while he very quickly regretted his choice of words, it helps explain why rumors circulate that Lawrence could be looking at a brief retirement: it’s also why Shailene Woodley was forced to choose between the role of Mary Jane in The Amazing Spider-Man sequels and the continuing Divergent series. And, ultimately, it’s why Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart are no longer considered A-List leading actors, just years after they fronted a box office sensation. 

It’s not all bad, really: Andrew Garfield has almost no public profile, but he’ll show up in the next Martin Scorsese movie in between Spider-Man films. Of course, look what happened to Tobey Maguire: his commitment to Spidey saw him use his A-List cache to pop up in supporting roles in Seabiscuit and The Good German as his sole parts during that franchise. He keeps busy as a producer, but he’s not at all a blockbuster leading man any longer, and a look at the projects he passed over during the web-slinging years reveals a host of great-sounding unmade scripts like Tokyo Suckerpunch and The Quiet Type. 

No one is weeping for these people, who are gorgeous, wake up gorgeous and go to sleep richer. Especially not Evans, who now gets to pursue the dream of directing, one he’ll live out by directing another film at the end of this year. He credits Captain America for the opportunity, saying, "Without these movies, I wouldn’t be directing. They gave me enough overseas recognition to greenlight a movie." But he then adds, "And if I’m speaking extremely candidly, it’s going to continue to do that for as long as the Marvel contract runs… If I’m acting at all, it’s going to be under Marvel contract, or I’m going to be directing. I can’t see myself pursuing acting strictly outside of what I’m contractually obligated to do."

Evans is a wonderful onscreen presence, an actor of great skill and dexterity, not to mention starling beauty. You’d hate to think that playing a superhero has extinguished any desire he might have to appear before the camera. Don’t be surprised if he’s not the last actor to feel this way. 

SEE ALSO: Why Marvel may start killing off major heroes

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Warner Bros. released a teaser trailer for a new disaster movie "Into the Storm" today.

The film stars stars Richard Armitage ("The Hobbit") and Sarah Wayne Callies ("The Walking Dead,""Prison Break") as they try to escape a series of tornadoes.

Here's the plot synopsis via Warner Bros.:

"In the span of a single day, the town of Silverton is ravaged by an unprecedented onslaught of tornadoes. The entire town is at the mercy of the erratic and deadly cyclones, even as storm trackers predict the worst is yet to come. Most people seek shelter, while others run towards the vortex, testing how far a storm chaser will go for that once-in-a-lifetime shot.

Told through the eyes and lenses of professional storm chasers, thrill-seeking amateurs, and courageous townspeople, “Into the Storm” throws you directly into the eye of the storm to experience Mother Nature at her most extreme."

The teaser doesn't give away much. It just sets an ominous tone for the upcoming movie. The full trailer will be released tomorrow at 1 PM tomorrow.

“Into the Storm” will premiere in theaters August 8.

Here's the full trailer that debuted Thursday:

Here are a few photos Warner Bros. released from the film:

SEE ALSO: Tom Cruise fights for eternity in new "Edge of Tomorrow" trailer

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Every parent believes his children are capable of anything, but most of these fantasies are limited to paltry goals like becoming a doctor or being elected President of the United States. Dreamworks animator Daniel Hashimoto had bigger dreams for his son James: the thrilling life of a 24/7 action movie hero. 

Under the YouTube pseudonym 'Action Movie Kid,' Hashimoto transformed James' innocent playtime into adorable (and funny) action sequences. The young boy jack knifes deep into a puddle at the hardware store, uses his state of the art Nerf 'grappling gun,' wrecks a Toys 'R Us with a 'real' lightsaber, and blasts off into space from a fast food playground.

"Upon viewing the lightsaber and Iron Man videos," Hashimoto told us, "My son replied, 'Why if I did that for real-sies, Dad?'" Heart-melting. 

These short bursts of movie magic are also typical of creators like Vine artist Zach King, who cuts his Vines together with professional editing software to make the impossible possible (plus, of course, some serious magic skills). Hashimoto uses Adobe AfterEffects for his "new favorite hobby." You can see Hashimoto's public YouTube channel, the one not devoted to making his kid an action star, here.

We'd love to see what would happen if Action Movie Kid ever encountered Bat Dad, the Vine maestro who keeps Gotham safe from his Honda Odyssey. 

Image via

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“The Wolf of Wall Street” not only won over the box office, it also generated a lot of interest in stockbroker jobs. 

The movie, of course, follows the rise and fall of Jordan Belfort’s Stratton Oakmont brokerage firm.

According to a four-month study by job site Indeed.com, there was a spike in the number of searches for stockbroker positions leading up to and around the release of the Martin Scorsese film.

Indeed saw a 79.6% increase in stockbroker job searches in the U.S. and a 44% increase in the U.K.

The study sampled more than 100 million job search queries on its site.

The company also conducted an additional two-year study to confirm this is the "most significant" Indeed has seen in stockbroker job search queries.

Indeed did not have any results on how many people applied for related jobs.

SEE ALSO: The Rock looks ridiculously awesome as "Hercules" in first trailer

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A new trailer for summer movie "Jupiter Ascending" is out. The sci-fi flick is the next adventure from the Wachowskis — the creators of "The Matrix" trilogy. 

Mila Kunis plays Jupiter a janitor who is secretly royalty, but doesn't know it. Only after she's kidnapped and Caine (Channing Tatum) comes to save her from being hunted does she find out her real identity and gets swept away from Earth.

Here's the official plot synopsis:

"Jupiter Jones (Kunis) was born under a night sky, with signs predicting that she was destined for great things. Now grown, Jupiter dreams of the stars but wakes up to the cold reality of a job cleaning other people’s houses and an endless run of bad breaks. Only when Caine (Tatum), a genetically engineered ex-military hunter, arrives on Earth to track her down does Jupiter begin to glimpse the fate that has been waiting for her all along—her genetic signature marks her as next in line for an extraordinary inheritance that could alter the balance of the cosmos."

The trailer is filled with gorgeous backdrops of a futuristic planet. It definitely looks different from any other sci-fi film we've seen in a while.

"Jupiter Ascending" will be released July 18.

SEE ALSO: A teaser for disaster movie "Into the Storm"

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