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A 'Star Wars' actor confirmed he'll be making a surprise cameo in 'Rogue One'

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Star Wars Bail Organa

You really can't sneak anything by "Star Wars" fans — especially cameos. 

Jimmy Smits, the actor who plays Senator Bail Organa (Princess Leia's adoptive father), confirmed that his character will be making an appearance in the upcoming spin-off "Rogue One."

Fans thought that they spied the Rebellion leader from Alderaan in the background of a shot in the behind-the-scenes trailer that Disney shared earlier this summer at Star Wars Celebration Europe.

Screen_Shot_2016 08 08_at_9_30_40_AM

In an appearance on "The Talk" last week, Smits, who is also known for his role in "The West Wing," tried to be coy when the hosts confronted him with the rumor.

"People got nothing better to do than look at this!" he joked. "There's stuff going on in the world!"

Eventually, he came clean and confirmed that, yep, it was him in the trailer.

"Can you say 'cameo?'" he told the hosts. "Can you say 'small part?'"

As an early leader of the Rebel Alliance, it would make sense for Bail Organa to appear in "Rogue One," which follows a group of Rebels as they attempt to steal plans for the Death Star, the Empire's infamous superweapon. Organa actually dies along with the rest of his planet in "Episode IV" when Darth Vader uses the Death Star to destroy Alderaan, so it's somewhat fitting that he has a small part to play in the weapon's eventual destruction.

Keep a look out for Organa when "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" hits theaters on December 16.  

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NOW WATCH: Disney just released 3 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage from the new 'Star Wars' movie


This one image shows how the tone of 'Suicide Squad' changed dramatically behind the scenes

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harley quinn suicide squad

"Suicide Squad" just crushed the August box-office record at theaters this weekend. Despite having a huge $135 million record-breaking weekend, the film reportedly had a lot of drama behind the scenes though. 

Birth.Death.Movies first reported in late March the film underwent reshoots to make the movie more fun. Apparently, all of the jokes in the film were in the trailers. A long investigation in The Hollywood Reporter before the movie's release claims that response to the film's first teaser trailer resulted in Warner Bros. making a different cut of the film than director David Ayers' using Trailer Park, the team who created the movie's trailer.

According to THR, Ayer's version of "Suicide Squad" was set to be more somber. That's not a surprise since DC's movies are known to be darker and grittier than Marvel's lighter fanfare. Just look at "Batman v Superman." THR reports that Instead of Ayer's somber cut of the film, audiences received the studio-favored lighter, more fun version of the film with "more characters introduced early in the film and jazzed-up graphics."

With that in mind, Do Something's Chief Growth Officer Calvin Stowell pointed out you can easily see how the tone of the film became lighter and "more fun" through the film's trailers. Just look at the film's logo side by side in three of the trailers released:

Crazy, right? Let's break that down a little bit.

Here's the logo from the first Comic-Con trailer released online July 13:

suicide squad logo

The trailer, to the tune of a cover of the Bee Gees' "I Started a Joke," went over so well with fans because it was unlike anything you had ever seen before from the superhero genre. This isn't a movie about superheroes or good guys. Forget Batman and the Son of Krypton. You're asked to root for the bad guys and it felt refreshingly awesome.

It didn't have the fun, zany feel of the later trailers, and that was okay. The song set the tone of the movie, which felt like a grounded film telling the backstories of many Batman and Flash villains and how they wound up working on this squad. As we've seen with other on-screen narratives (ABC's "Once Upon A Time"), it looked like we were going to learn that there was more to life as a villain than just being the bad guy. It felt like there would be a very human element to the film with a focus on Dr. Harleen Quinzel's tragic descent into the crazed Harley Quinn. 

I still enjoy this trailer a lot and think it's worth a watch:

The second trailer for the film, dubbed the film's first official trailer, came out January 19, 2016. Here's the movie logo, now shrouded in psychadelic colors:

suicide squad trailer

The January trailer appears to play the movie out to be a little more light-hearted and carefree. Now, instead of introducing us to a bunch of villains who all appear to have some serious baggage, the trailer plays as if this is a silly, ragtag group of crazy inmates thrown together.  

Oh look, Deadshot (Will Smith) thought he could take on a group of cops by himself (he couldn't).

deadshot suicide squadsuicide squad copswill smith suicide squad

Captain Boomerang's (Jai Courtney) having a fit, punching some people in the face. Isn't that funny?

captain boomerang

Seconds later when Slipknot (Adam Beach) is introduced in the trailer (and the film), he's seen punching a woman square in the face. 

slipknot

Gunfire and punches are matched to the beats of "Bohemian Rhapsody" for added effect. 

This trailer ended up getting less views than the Comic-Con one (60.2 million views vs. 68.5 million views on WB's official YouTube page.)

Here's the full trailer (which is also pretty great).

And then there's the third trailer. Out April 10, entitled the "Blitz" trailer, the final "Suicide Squad" trailer just goes all out. 

suicide squad

As the trailer song, "Ballroom Blitz," and trailer logo suggest, the film is a romping good time with DC's "worst of the worst." "Suicide Squad" is an all-out shoot-em-up feel good villain movie with some great Will Smith asides.

This last trailer for the film received the least amount of views on WB's YouTube page with just under 12 million views.

Here are the three logos side by side again:

suicide squad trailer logos

Though reviews for the movie have been widely negative, it did have a massive and record-shattering opening weekend. So it seems fans may like the lighter tone after all.

SEE ALSO: The first reviews of 'Suicide Squad' are here, and people hate it

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NOW WATCH: 9 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage of the making of 'Suicide Squad'

Margot Robbie says she wants to play Harley Quinn from 'Suicide Squad' 'forever'

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harley quinn

Critics aren't exactly thrilled about "Suicide Squad," but one thing they seem to agree on is that Margot Robbie is a standout. 

Good thing, too, because a standalone Harley Quinn film is apparently in the works.

Fortunately, the actress can't get enough of playing the kooky character. When asked by ComicBook.com how long she hopes to play Harley Quinn, Robbie replied, "I hope forever."

"I really, I could play Harley for a long time. I don't know how long. We've signed on, I mean I think everyone's committed to a couple of films," Robbie told ComicBook. "There's so much you can do. They're the sort of characters that you could keep exploring and find so many more, so much more to do."

DC Comics and Warner Bros. would like to turn the characters into a lucrative franchise, despite the critical beating "Squad" has taken. Actor Jai Courtney suggests that all the stars are signed on for "a few movies." So here's hoping they appreciate that Robbie is the real gem.

SEE ALSO: The first reviews of 'Suicide Squad' are here, and people hate it

DON'T MISS: 'Suicide Squad' star Margot Robbie is blowing up — here's how the Aussie took over Hollywood

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NOW WATCH: Disney just released 3 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage from the new 'Star Wars' movie

People are saying this Olympic archer looks exactly like Leonardo DiCaprio

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Brady Ellison

Leonardo DiCaprio finally won an Oscar this year. Now, you could say he's an Olympic athlete. 

People have been noting that Brady Ellison, a U.S. Olympic archer, is basically a spitting image of Leonardo DiCaprio.

Several people, including New York Magazine, have noticed the similarity.

 

 

Even Team USA has noticed:

27-year-old Brady Ellison hails from Arizona and is one of the top archers in the world. He goes by the nickname "The Prospector" because of his ability to "find gold." And while he's earned his spot at The Olympics, it's really hard to shake the Leo similarity.

Look at Ellison firing his bow and arrow:

Brady Ellison Rio Olympics

And here's DiCaprio, about to fire his rifle in "The Revenant":

Leo DiCaprio The Revenant

And if you needed a little more proof:

Brady Ellison Rio Olympics

Leonardo DiCaprio

Ellison isn't the world's first DiCaprio doppelgänger: he has a Russian lookalike named Roman Burtsev and another one in Sweden named Konrad Annerud.

Here's hoping all four of them can grab a drink one day.

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A 'Suicide Squad' Easter egg may answer one of the biggest questions from 'Batman v Superman'

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Suicide Squad Robin Harley Quinn

Warning: There are spoilers ahead if you haven't seen "Suicide Squad."

"Suicide Squad" was jam-packed with heroes and villains from the DC Universe, but one character who didn't grace the screen was Robin, because the sidekick had kicked the bucket prior to the events of the film. However, an Easter egg suggests that one of the protagonists had a hand in murdering the Boy Wonder. 

During the lengthy opening scene that introduces all the members of the squad along with some background information about their past misdeeds, we learn that Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn was supposedly involved in Robin's death. 

The words "accomplice to the murder of ROBIN," flash across the screen, as seen in this shot via by Cosmic Book News, hinting that Harley helped the Joker kill the young hero.  

Suicide Squad Harley Quinn killed Robin easter egg

The director of Suicide Squad confirmed that the deceased Robin was a character from the comics named Jason Todd in interviews earlier this year. He also dismissed a popular fan theory that the Joker actually was Robin in this film universe, rather than his apparent killer, as appears to be the case.

In the original Batman comics, the Joker killed Robin in a story arc called "Death in the Family." Jason Todd was the second person to take up the Robin mantle, but he proved to be very unpopular with fans. In response, DC wrote a story that ended with a cliffhanger on whether or not Robin survived a brutal encounter with the Joker, and asked readers to call a special number to vote on whether he lived or died. 

They voted that he died.

Jason Todd death from Batman comics

Jason Todd came back to life years later because nobody really stays dead in comics, but the murder remains an infamous moment in comics history.

Harley Quinn had nothing to do with Robin's death in the comics because the character hadn't been created yet. "Death in the Family" came out in 1988, and Harley debuted in "Batman: The Animated Series" in 1992 before making her first comics appearance in 1999. 

Clearly, things went differently in the DC Cinematic Universe, and Harley was around for Robin's murder. Unless, of course, she lied to the authorities and her dossier was wrong. She is notoriously unreliable, after all. 

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NOW WATCH: 9 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage of the making of 'Suicide Squad'

Here’s the killer workout Margot Robbie did to get in shape for ‘Suicide Squad'

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harley quinn

Margot Robbie always looks amazing, but to wear Harley Quinn's short shorts in "Suicide Squad," the actress only had three weeks to get in killer shape.

The 26-year-old Australian actress's fitness trainer Andie Hecker told People that Robbie worked out three hours a day for three weeks during filming in order to get toned for her role as a maniacal supervillain in the DC Comics film.

"She was a total trooper. It was very satisfying to see her body change into exactly what she wanted it to look like in such a short time," Hecker told People.

When she isn't filming, Robbie generally meets with Hecker four to five times a week for hour-long sessions. But because she'd be showing off a lot of her body in "Suicide Squad," the actress decided to up her training sessions and go into fitness overdrive.

Margot Robbie

"There's a scene in Suicide Squad where she changes clothes in front of a bunch of dudes, so her abs needed to be impeccable," Hecker said. "And in those tiny shorts Harley wears, her butt was constantly on display."

Hecker helped Robbie sculpt and tone her body in such a short amount of time through virogous sessions of pilates, ballet, and other fitness modalities.

The amped-up workout routine also mixed in non-bulking cardio, including jump robe, rebounder (a type of trampoline), and ballet jumps, which Hecker said are "surprisingly the most challenging form of cardio" she's ever come across. And, given Harley Quinn's barely there ensemble, the two placed a huge emphasis on working out Robbie's backside.

"We did a lot of heavy-weighted, low reps of arabesque pulls hooked up to resistance pulleys, as well as arabesque lifts with heavy ankle weights in order to build and lift the butt," Hecker said.

"We also did a ton of side series outer thigh work, targeting outer glutes with high reps and low weights, to pull those muscles in and create a beautiful line from the waist to the upper thigh."

"Suicide Squad" is in theaters now.

SEE ALSO: 'Suicide Squad' star Margot Robbie is blowing up — here's how the Aussie took over Hollywood

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Sorry Olympians, but Gwyneth Paltrow was cupping way before you

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Gwyneth Paltrow

Athletes at the Rio Olympics aren't only making headlines for their amazing performances. Instead, many of them have also garnered a ton of attention for sporting huge red circles all over their skin.

US swimmers Michael Phelps and Natalie Coughlin are among the athletes who have been practicing cupping therapy, which has resulted in the weird red circles.

The ancient Asian technique uses suction cups to allegedly help with pain, back problems and other aches. However, modern science has not been able to confirm the benefits beyond a placebo effect, according to Business Insider's Rebecca Harrington.

But the therapy was in the mainstream media consciousness long before the Rio Olympians started showing off the strange red circles on their skin. That's because, as celebrity gossip guru Elaine Lui of Lainey Gossip pointed out, actress Gwyneth Paltrow popularized cupping more than a decade before these athletes.

Paltrow showed up at the 2004 premiere of "Anchorman" showing off the same telltale cupping marks on her back as the Olympic athletes.

At the time, the images inspired a media storm, with publications across the world writing about the practice that resulted in the strange marks on her back. Five years later, in a post on Paltrow's lifestyle website Goop, the actress wrote of her love for Eastern medicine and cupping in particular.

"Eastern medicine has a different approach than Western medicine — it’s more holistic," Paltrow wrote. "The root of the problem is addressed, as opposed to a symptom being attended to with prescription medication, only to return."

The actress added that she's "thankful as hell" for antibiotics or surgery when necessary, but that she's been helped "tremendously by various practices that help the body heal itself."

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Why we'll have to wait a while to see Channing Tatum's awesome superhero character

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Channing Tatum Gambit

Channing Tatum was cast as Gambit nearly two years ago, but it seems like we're still not any closer to seeing his version of the X-Men character any time soon.

"X-Men" producer Simon Kinberg told Slash Film that the character's voice still needs to be found.

"I think the truth is when you have these movies that need a very special and unique tone, it takes a little while to find that tone," Kinberg told Slash Film.

"'Deadpool' feels like it exploded out of nowhere but it was a ten-year development process on that movie," he continued. "I think it was honed over those ten years. I hope that 'Gambit' doesn’t take ten years but it takes a little honing to get that tone and that voice exactly right. The character has such a specific voice in the comic in the same way that 'Deadpool' has a specific voice in the comic, that we want to make sure that we capture that voice on the page. Really it’s just about getting a screenplay that is worthy of that character and I think we’re really close right now."

Seeing as how "Deadpool" was a box-office juggernaut, it's no surprise 20th Century Fox wants to hold off on the project. (It also has those "Avatar" sequels to take care of.)

The project is already on its second director, Doug Liman, after it lost original director Rupert Wyatt because of scheduling conflicts. 

Gambit is a mutant who can manipulate kinetic energy at his will. He is skilled in card-throwing and often uses playing cards as weapons when energized with his power. Taylor Kitsch played the character in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine."

"Gambit" was originally slated for a October 2016 release but is likely going to take up one of the slots listed on Fox's lineup as untitled Marvel projects for October 2017 or January 2018.

SEE ALSO: THEN & NOW: The cast of the original 'X-Men' 16 years later

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NOW WATCH: The directors of 'Catfish' and 'Nerve' reveal how to make it in Hollywood without going to film school


Here's the trailer for the new Matthew McConaughey movie that was booed at Cannes

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The Sea Of Trees YouTube A24 final

It sounds like a movie you'd want to see: Matthew McConaughey and Naomi Watts starring in a drama about life and love directed by Gus Van Sant ("Good Will Hunting,""Milk"). 

But after "The Sea of Trees" premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last year, where it was booed and regarded by some critics as the worst movie of Van Sant's career, many were wondering if the movie would ever see the light of day. 

Following a surprise acquisition of the movie by A24 ("Room,""Swiss Army Man"), the movie will be released in theaters on August 26. 

Here's the trailer. Will you go see it?

 

SEE ALSO: The 10 best and worst TV shows this summer

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Disney just released 3 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage from the new 'Star Wars' movie

The new 'Captain Marvel' actress is going to direct a movie

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brie larson michael buckner getty

Oscar-winning actress and future Captain Marvel Brie Larson will make her directorial debut with "Unicorn Store." She'll also star in and produce the movie.

"Unicorn Store" will follow "a woman named Kit, who, after moving back in with her parents, receives a mysterious invitation to a store that will test her ideas of what it really means to grow up,"according to The Hollywood Reporter, which originally reported the news.

Right now, Larson is most famous for "Room," which landed her an Oscar for best actress earlier this year. She'll also soon star in "Captain Marvel," the Marvel Cinematic Universe's first female-led superhero movie, the King Kong movie "Kong: Skull Island," and "The Glass Castle," based on the best-selling memoir by Jeannette Walls.

"Unicorn Store" was supposed to star Rebel Wilson and be directed by Miguel Artera way back in 2012, but the timing didn't work out, according to THR. Now we'll see Larson's vision. The studio is planning to start the shoot this fall.

The movie industry doesn't give many women the chance to direct, so it's refreshing that Larson will have the reins. For independent movies like "Unicorn Store," you can look at the statistics from the Sundance Film Festival, where women direct only one in seven movies. For big studio films, the statistics are even worse.

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Before making movies, these were the first 7 jobs of the 'Guardians of the Galaxy' director

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james gunn guardians of the galaxy

"Guardians of the Galaxy" director James Gunn wasn’t always a filmmaker.

The hashtag #FirstSevenJobs has been making the rounds the past several days on Facebook, asking people to share their early places of employment, and the always social media savvy filmmaker took to Facebook Monday to share his first several jobs before making it behind the camera.

Among the jobs he listed were bus boy, cashier/employee in a CD store, and waiter. He even recalled working as a telephone marketer for a day, a job which he hated so much that "at the end of the day I told my manager that I wasn't going to come back."

Here’s his full list of early jobs, in Gunn’s own words.

List your #‎FirstSevenJobs below. Here are mine:

1. Busboy
2. Waiter (Steak N' Shake, y'all)
3. I don't know what to call this. I worked in a factory that cleaned and supplied industrial uniforms and other supplies. I was a general mule, working in shipping and delivery, doing a lot of manual labor.
4. Quarry worker
5. Hospital orderly (see The Toy Collector)
6. Bar musician (touring around in a band)
7. Cashier/employee in a mall CD store.

My actual 7th job was once again waiting tables (at Denny's this time), but, for variety's sake, I made number 8 number 7.

Gunn noted that it wasn't until maybe his tenth job that he became a filmmaker, reminding those who are pursuing similar careers, or any dream job for that matter, that everyone has to start somewhere.

So, yes, to all of you aspiring Hollywood screenwriters and directors who are currently waiting tables, there is hope.

Check out Gunn’s full note below:

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NOW WATCH: 'Guardians of the Galaxy 2' reveals who is playing Star-Lord's Father and 3 new members from the sequel at Comic-Con

A ‘Man of Steel’ sequel is happening whether you want it or not

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Man of Steel sequel

"Suicide Squad" opened last weekend to truly awful reviews, and DC is now zero for three when it comes to making a good superhero movie. So naturally the studio behind them just announced that they're going to make a sequel to "Man of Steel."

The 2013 Superman flick was the first entry into the current DC Cinematic Universe, and although the title character reappeared in "Batman v Superman" earlier this summer, Warner Bros. hadn't announced a solo sequel until today, according to The Wrap

It's unclear what the "Man of Steel" sequel's release date will be since DC's schedule is pretty full at the moment. "Wonder Woman" and "Justice League" will come out in June and November of next year, respectively, while "Aquaman" will hit theaters in July of 2018. There's also supposed to be a Batman solo film helmed by Ben Affleck at some point.

Superman, we should note, is currently dead in the film's continuity. We expect he'll come back to life in time for his sophomore solo effort. Maybe he'll even have more than 43 lines this time around. 

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: 9 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage of the making of 'Suicide Squad'

Why Hollywood hasn't learned anything from a miserable summer of box-office bombs

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tmnt

It turns out there isn't mass hysteria at the major movie studios following a weak summer movie season, in which ticket sales were down 10% from last year.

In fact, moviegoers should expect little change in the kinds of movies that are released over the summer in the next few years, according to industry players who talked with Business Insider. So get ready for the endless stream of superheroes and franchises to continue apace.

Last year broke records at the box office. Domestic earnings totaled over $11 billion, and Universal topped all studios after it earned over $5.5 billion worldwide thanks to summer releases "Jurassic World" and "Minions," each of which earned over $1 billion worldwide.

This summer has had a few big hits, too. "Finding Dory" has made over $871 million to date, and "Captain American: Civil War" is the latest Marvel movie to earn over $1 billion worldwide.

But many titles over the summer didn't live up to the hype.

"Warcraft" hasn't even crossed the $50 million mark at the domestic box office. (It's at $47.2 million — though it's done much better overseas at over $385 million.) Steven Spielberg's "The BFG" has puzzled audiences and is one of the rare Disney titles not connecting with them this year, as it has only taken in $113 million worldwide (the worst wide release ever for a Spielberg film). And "The Legend of Tarzan" has done modestly, with $335 million worldwide.

And then there are the poor performances by numerous sequels that, frankly, no one asked for.

zoolander 2 thumb"Independence Day: Resurgence,""Alice Through the Looking Glass,""Zoolander 2," and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows" are some of the major summer sequels that seemed to be made more for business reasons by studios — many of them paying a pretty penny for the intellectual properties — rather than genuine interest from creatives or fans.

"Keeping up with trends is essential for the lifeblood of a studio," Jeff Bock, a senior box-office analyst at Exhibitor Relations, told Business Insider. "This is a message from moviegoers: Stop with the formulaic sequels."

Rotten Tomatoes Editor-in-Chief Matt Atchity looks at this year's summer movie season as a big collection of ideas studios were late on.

"'Independence Day,' we needed that 10 years ago," Atchity told Business Insider. "'Angry Birds' is four years too late, 'Legend of Tarzan,' even 'Warcraft' — I think executives are not all that in touch with what the audience really wants."

Popstar UniversalAnd Atchity notes that when the studios took "risks" (aka original stories) — like The Lonely Island comedy "Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping" or the Ryan Gosling/Russell Crowe buddy comedy "The Nice Guys"— they got burnt. Those films have earned $9.5 million and $36.3 million, respectively.

However, some titles broke through this summer without the help of a franchise tag.

Thrillers like "The Shallows" and "Lights Out" had better-than-expected openings, and the comedy "Bad Moms" is the strongest-performing release in the 2-year life of its studio, STX Entertainment.

"I think all of these are performing because there's a level of originality to them, but also these movies deliver a great group experience," Lawrence Grey, the producer of "Lights Out," told Business Insider.

With the immense amount of content now available to binge on streaming services ("'Stranger Things' is talked about as much as any movie at the moment," Atchity said of the Netflix sensation), and the cost of movie tickets, audiences are much more selective about the movies they go to the theater to see.

"Someone who wants to get out of their house and drive to a theater, I think they want to go to have a big, visceral experience," Grey said.

***

But here's the thing: Studios aren't made to survive on modestly budgeted genre hits, even when they overperform. They need the dollars that come with blockbusters, and because of that, they have to continue to create them. Often it's sequels that come from proven franchises that continue to get the green light.

"I don't believe that what we are seeing is evidence that audiences are tired of tentpoles, franchises, and sequels," Adam Fogelson, STX Entertainment's motion picture chairman, told Business Insider.

Bock agrees.

"Despite the massive sequel slump this summer, don't expect continuing sagas to fall off the face of the earth anytime soon," he said. "In fact, the next three summers are already mapped out and look very similar to 2016. The only difference we might see is smaller studio films populating the release schedule as they attempt to make up some of the sequel slack."

lights_out_still_0In fact, Warner Bros. adjusting its summer release schedule is how "Lights Out" found its eventual release.

Grey said that originally the studio was going to put out the movie in September, an ideal time for a thriller. But after moving the tentpole "King Arthur" from its summer spot, executives replaced it with "Lights Out" following the overwhelmingly positive test scores they got from its screenings — which proves you don't have to replace a big summer movie with an equally big title.

But that's a rare case. The summer movie season will continue to be the time of year when studios show off their massive projects, frankly, because even when they are bad, we tend to go in droves to see them.

The latest example is Warner Bros.' DC Comics movie "Suicide Squad," which took in an estimated $135.1 million its first weekend — the biggest opening ever for an August release. Yet the movie has a 26% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Its press has been universally bad.

"For all the audience's complaints about being sick of sequels and adaptations, just look at the top 10 box office for the summer and see how many original stories there are," Atchity said.

The answer would be only two: the animated movie "The Secret Life of Pets" and the Kevin Hart/Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson comedy "Central Intelligence."

It was a summer of slumps. But for Hollywood, the rules of the game remain the same.

SEE ALSO: The 10 best and worst TV shows this summer

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: The directors of 'Catfish' and 'Nerve' reveal how to make it in Hollywood without going to film school

Here's who Jared Leto says inspired his Joker in 'Suicide Squad'

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suicide squad joker bowie

There's a bit of the Goblin King in Jared Leto's portrayal of the Joker in "Suicide Squad."

The actor told NME that he spoke with a "famous writer in the world of DC" and David Bowie was mentioned when discussing how to create the character.

"We discussed David Bowie a bit — not necessarily the music of David, but his class, his elegance, his timelessness," Leto said.

Bowie's alter-ego Ziggy Stardust was certainly an afficiando of makeup and kooky costumes, and Bowie even played an antagonist in the cult classic "Labryinth."

Leto even has a music side gig as the lead vocalist for rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars.

"I think David Bowie’s probably an inspiration for, like, almost anything you could do creatively," Leto said. 

Watch the full NME interview with Leto:

SEE ALSO: The first reviews of 'Suicide Squad' are here, and people hate it

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: The directors of 'Catfish' and 'Nerve' reveal how to make it in Hollywood without going to film school

A star of the 'Harry Potter' spinoff thought she bombed her audition

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Fantastic Beasts

"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" star Katherine Waterson didn't expect to be cast in the movie.

When Warner Bros. offered her an audition for the "Harry Potter" spinoff, Waterson thought "that’s way above my pay grade, and it’s not going to happen,"she told Entertainment Weekly. But she auditioned anyway and thought "it really couldn’t have gone worse."

Here's how she described the experience to EW:

"Well, the casting director had just eaten a lot of cake, and he said, 'I’m sorry, I just ate a lot of cake,' and then he had like indigestion during my audition, and he didn’t seem to be watching me. So I thought, 'Oh, I’m boring him.' So I was very surprised to hear that they wanted to put me through the ringer and do a test, and then that’s just a nightmare because then you’re really attached by that point and you’re fantasizing and thinking about the character and why you’re the only person who can play her because of whatever reasons you’ve dreamed up. You start wanting to play the scenes."

To her happy surprise, Waterson got the role. She'll be playing Porpetina Goldstein, an ex-auror at the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA), now demoted to a desk job. She and her sister cross paths with Newt Scamander, the main character in the movie, in 1920s New York.

For her role, Waterson — who's been in "Inherent Vice" and "Steve Jobs"— got to determine a lot about her character, like her wand. We'll see her performance when "Fantastic Beasts" is in theaters on November 19.

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A new character in the ‘Harry Potter’ spinoff takes this magical power to the next level

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Queenie Goldstein Alison Sudol Fantastic Beasts

In the "Harry Potter" series, we learn about the magical art of Legilimency. It's a way to search into someone's mind, read their thoughts, and understand them.

In "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," the J.K. Rowling-written "Harry Potter" spinoff movie coming out this November, we'll be introduced to a new, more powerful kind of Legilimency.

Queenie Goldstein, who works a desk job at the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA), sounds like a very skilled legilimens — even more so than other characters we've seen from the "Harry Potter" series such as Severus Snape or Voldemort. 

Alison Sudol, the actress who play Queenie, says she's able to pick up the thoughts and feelings of everyone around her. She's "like an antenna,"according to Entertainment Weekly.

Here's how Sudol described playing her magical character to EW:

"She’s basically a complete and utter magical empath. [...] She’s able to read people — so it’s not just reading somebody’s thoughts. She’s can read into someone’s story, she can see people’s goals. And so even though she’s able to do magic with her wand, a lot of her magic is actually internal, which makes her a different type of wizard or witch. And she’s incredibly fun, playful, joyful, and free-spirited, kind and wise, and also has a sort of stillness about her because she’s always tuning into people, so she’s quite an interesting character to play — very vivacious and lively, yet very centered and aware."

In the movie, we know that Queenie is the sister of Porpentina Goldstein, who works in the same department in MACUSA as her sister. They cross paths with Newt Scamander, the main character of the film, in New York.

Legilimency is normally thought of as a sort of dark magic in the "Harry Potter" series. It's used by Voldemort to interrogate minds. It's also normally used with a spell, although objects can also be enchanted to use the skill, like the Sorting Hat.

In Queenie's case, it seems more like an innate magical ability, much like Metamorphmagi, who can change their physical appearance without using a wand.

That means that Queenie's brand of Legilimency will be quite unlike anything we've ever seen before from the "Harry Potter" series. And that's a good thing.

We can't wait for November.

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'Bad Santa 2' looks even more raunchy than the original in the new trailer

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It's been 13 years since we were given the hilariously offensive "Bad Santa," starring Billy Bob Thornton as an often drunk conman whose front is playing Santa Claus over the holidays so he can rob the malls he works at.

The movie quickly became a cult hit and now Thornton's despicable Willie has returned for the sequel.

"Bad Santa 2" looks even more raunchy than the original, with Tony Cox starring once more as Willie's sidekick. Brett Kelly, who played the strange kid Willie befriends in the original, is also back. Meanwhile, Christina Hendricks and Kathy Bates are new additions to the franchise.

Watch the NSFW Red Band trailer below:

    

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This Amy Adams movie about an alien arrival looks like the sci-fi thriller of the year

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Before giving us his upcoming "Blade Runner" sequel that's shrouded in mystery, director Denis Villeneuve ("Sicario,""Prisoners") has the sci-fi movie "Arrival" that is getting incredible word of mouth.

And this teaser that was released on Tuesday shows that the hype might be real. 

In the movie, Amy Adams plays an expert linguist whom the military call upon to help find out if the alien craft that has suddenly landed on Earth comes in peace or is hostile.

Adam's subtle acting and the typically gorgeous, haunting visuals from Villeneuve make this one we're happy to watch out for.

Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker also star. 

The movie opens November 11. Watch the teaser below.

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The 8 best animated movies for adults

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fantastic mr. FoxAround the time Pixar was making new classics like "The Incredibles,""Ratatouille," and "WALL-E," something awfully annoying started happening.

More than a few think pieces started coming out about how the mighty animation house was outpacing most big studios in sheer storytelling prowess. In a way, the writers of these pieces were dead on. "WALL-E" showed a more nuanced and ironclad understanding of physical comedy than arguably any movie in the aughts. "The Incredibles" still embarrasses every single movie based on a DC or Marvel property in formal cohesion and emotional resonance. With the exception of "Big Night," has any movie about cooking and artistic passion felt so imbued with extensive, hard-won experience as "Ratatouille"?

The accolades were well deserved, but the fervor stirred up over these movies also touched on a certain, ongoing strain of shallow American exceptionalism. Much like every idiot who says that movies aren’t as good as they used to be is clearly not paying attention to 98% of foreign films, the embrace of Pixar seemed to suggest an ignorance of a long line of underground and foreign animated movies. Pixar’s CEO John Lasseter has an open obsession and affinity for Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli, the production house behind "My Neighbor Totoro" and "Princess Mononoke," but beyond Miyazaki’s influential work, Ghibli’s output has been relegated to cult status. Clearly, those who saw a revolution in anything but strictly American animation in Pixar had missed "Only Yesterday,""Grave of the Fireflies," or "The Triplets of Belleville," amongst a host of other gems.

Part of the issue is that these movies are bleak, more suited for adults in substance than anxious children. Pixar’s ingenuity was in not condescending to children, to treat the audience as attentive, intelligent, and empathetic. Even today, that’s a big deal. When compared to something as thunderously political and visually astounding as "Waltz with Bashir," however, Pixar’s triumphs stopped at the water’s edge, rarely even grazing the sublime and the metaphysical. Their movies remain joyous, rewarding, and often hilarious. Still, one wonders what would happen if they took the plunge and made a movie strictly for adults, or adapted something so seemingly impossible to calibrate in live-action as "Geek Love" or, until recently, Neil Gaiman’s "American Gods."

sausage partyThe times are a changing, though. For one, Adult Swim exists. More pointedly, bracingly explicit animated series like "Rick and Morty" and the unparalleled "BoJack Horseman" have dedicated, impassioned fan-bases that span all ages, and Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s "Sausage Party" looks to be doing what Pixar never deigned to do, even if it’s tied to a lot of dick jokes and enough curse words to make George Carlin blush. Not surprisingly, this year saw ecstatic audiences packing in for revival theatrical releases for "Only Yesterday" and the uncanny "Belladonna of Sadness." Both of those films appear on the list of the best adult-oriented animated films below, which I took up in honor of "Sausage Party’s" release later this week. If ever there were a reason to spend some money on Amazon Prime or iTunes, these wild wonders of boundless imagination would fit the criteria nicely.

A quick note: more than a few of these films could be construed as being made with children in mind. They very well might have been. My thinking here is to single out films that reach beyond the simple yet still stunning wonder of the animated image to touch on thematic concerns that only adults can fully appreciate.

In other words, your kids might love these movies, but they won’t fully understand the depth of their existential, societal, and political meaning.

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"Waltz with Bashir"

Even on this list, "Waltz with Bashir" stands out. Released in 2008 to wild acclaim, "Waltz with Bashir," along with another entry on this list, "$9.99," was the first Israeli animated film in over 45 years to secure stateside release or, really, release at all. It’s not surprising that the one place where the film was expressly banned was Lebanon.

The film’s writer-director Ari Folman, is a veteran of the Lebanon War, and the film recounts both his memories of those days and his present-day conversations with the men who lived through it with him. Here, the animated form offers a distancing mechanism, a way of conveying the slippery, unreliable nature of memory. There’s a pickled humor to the documentary-like interactions, and the flashbacks are boldly colorful, enthrallingly experiential, and wildly creative. It’s a wonder to behold, but the film hits like a sledgehammer, depicting not just the melancholy of age and fading remembrances but the horrors of war, as much for the dead as for the survivors.



"Grave of the Fireflies"

There are certain movies you just don’t want to talk about. Some, like, say, "A Serbian Film," just shouldn’t be discussed in mixed company; other are directed by Michael Haneke and just zap all the hope out of your body. "Grave of the Fireflies," though not without its sense of inventive wonder, belongs in the latter camp. Directed by longtime Studio Ghibli heavyweight Isao Takahata, whose own family bore the horrors of the USA’s bombing of Japan in World War II, the film focuses on a young girl and her older brother left orphaned after the hellfire of the first round of bombings.

To explain just how they get along in a decimated world, and where they end up, is too much for me to bear right now, frankly, but needless to say, this gorgeous, devastating work sinks down into your stomach like too much of a bad meal. Takahata sees war as true hell, one where even innocent children’s deaths are ignorable for the glory, pride, and idealism of a nation. The director doesn’t ignore Japan’s own hand in the war – it’s right out front, in fact – but blaming one nation is besides the point. Everyone is guilty for what happens to these children, because everyone, even those who protest it, is implicit in the endless pain and unexpected consequences of war.



"Mary & Max"

The stop-motion-animated "Mary & Max" belongs in the same camp of daunting yet tremendously rewarding works as "Grave of the Fireflies." It should come as a surprise, then, that the film is actually about a friendship. Over the years, letters are sent between the young girl who becomes a lonely woman, voiced by Toni Colette, and the severely depressed Jewish city-dweller of the title. The world is not easy on either of them. Domestic and emotional abuse are rampant, everyday horrors visit them and their loved ones often, and their minute hopes are often dashed right at the moment when their luck seems to be changing.

The gorgeous use of black, white, and grey in the surroundings and characters underlines a certain overriding pessimism. And that seems to be the point. Where so many films simply ask you to believe in the power of friendship because of a good deed or acting like a human, "Mary & Max" considers even the faintest connection reason enough to push along in life. That the late, inimitable Philip Seymour Hoffman voices Max with delicate yet robustly humorous panache is at once fitting and something of a cruel joke when all is said and done.



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13 superhero movies that brutally demolished the cities they were supposed to save

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Superheroes are supposed to save us.

But they seem to tear into their cities more and more, especially in the movies. Whatever happened to that Spider-Man aphorism, "With great power comes great responsibility?"

Of course, epic battles mean there will be epic destruction. Marvel Comics went meta with its series "Damage Control," which focuses on a company that cleans up the property damage caused by super-fights.

The latest comic-book movie, "Suicide Squad," didn't even wreak that much havoc compared to its peers.

These 13 superhero movies couldn't contain themselves and were the worst offenders of city destruction.

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"Man of Steel"

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The worst offender. Zack Snyder's first installment in the DC Extended Universe demolished a city like no other film. Not only does Superman uncharacteristically kill in this movie, but he also never attempts to take the fight out of Metropolis. He first turned his attention to the terraform that was in the middle of nowhere, rather than try to handle the one in the center of the city. And then even when his and Zod's fight went into space, they still crashed back into Metropolis. 

It's what spurred the action of "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," but the damage overall was estimated to cost about $700 billion (in a fictional world, of course), according to Buzzfeed.



"X-Men: Apocalypse"

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Apocalypse uses Magneto's powers to manipulate the earth's magnetic poles and cause worldwide destruction, such as crushing the Sydney Opera House. The climactic battle between the X-Men and Apocalypse's Four Horsemen takes place in Cairo, a city not often featured in superhero movies. Unfortunately, its first appearance is also its last because the Egyptian city is turned to rubble. 

"Apocalypse" also sees the destruction of the X-Mansion — though everyone is saved in another great Quicksilver montage — and, at the hands of Magneto, also the destruction of Auschwitz, an unnecessary emotional and shocking moment. 



"Avengers: Age of Ultron"

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"Ultron" features the worst destruction in a Marvel film. There's the obvious destruction from when Ultron raises most of Sokovia so that its fall would wipe out civilization. Another city is turned to rubble. 

There's also the unnecessary fight between Iron Man and Hulk. Hulk goes on a rampage and terrorizes a city, and Iron Man has no choice but to match his terror and wreck a market area, high-rises, and the streets to try to get him to stop.



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