Category: Entertainment

Superhero fatigue is no match for Peter Parker.

Sure, comic book movies have been on the fritz. But Marvel’s friendly neighborhood web-slinger is about to change the narrative, with Sony and Marvel Studios’ “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” swinging to a truly heroic box office debut. Estimates are ranging from $260 million to $280 million from 4,300 North American theaters, which means it’s tracking to land one of the biggest opening weekends in history. Projections have been climbing and climbing in the days leading up to the release, with some bullish box office watchers suggesting a start over $300 million isn’t out of the question. Sony is suggesting a more conservative launch around $190 million to $195 million, though basically everyone else believes the film’s opening will be at least $250 million.

These are rarified box office heights. Only nine films have ever crossed $200 million in a single weekend while just one, Marvel’s 2019 behemoth “Avengers: Endgame,” surpassed $300 million in its debut. “Avengers: Endgame” holds the record for the biggest opening of all time with $357 million domestically and a mind-blowing $1.2 billion globally. The second-largest domestic opening weekend belongs to 2021’s “Spider-Man: No Way Home” with $260 million, followed by 2018’s “Avengers: Infinity War” with $257 million and 2015’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” with $247 million.

“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” is projected to earn at least $275 million to $300 million at the international box office, although the final number will likely eclipse the studio’s estimates. Spidey’s prior adventure “No Way Home” opened to $327 million internationally and $587 million globally, registering as the third-best worldwide start. Meanwhile “Infinity War” ranks as the No. 2 global debut with $640 million. “Brand New Day,” which cost a sizable $225 million to produce, could crush those metrics. That’s because it’s landing day-and-date in China, where “No Way Home” didn’t play at all but 2019’s “Spider-Man: Far From Home” launched to $95 million.

“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” is benefiting as the follow-up to “No Way Home,” which generated a staggering $1.9 billion — and that’s without China, a major market for Marvel movies. That sequel ended on a huge cliffhanger; Tom Holland‘s Peter Parker made the difficult decision to erase his identity from the world in order to save the multiverse, leaving his girlfriend (Zendaya) and best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) to forget about him. So it’s safe to say a lot of people have been waiting a while to find out the ramifications of Spidey’s fateful choice. Demand for tickets has been so intense that some major theater chains are scheduling showtimes every 15 minutes from dusk to dawn on opening weekend.

“Spider-Man” will screen on premium large formats except Imax, where Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” has the entire network for three weekends. With “The Odyssey” expected to remain a force in its third frame, this could power the biggest collective weekend in domestic box office history. “The Odyssey” is expected to earn another $50 million to $60 million over the weekend, though Nolan’s latest has been defying expectations, too. Currently the three biggest weekends at the domestic box office were tied to the releases of “Avengers: Endgame” ($402 million collectively), “Avengers: Infinity War” ($314 million collectively) and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” ($313 million collectively). It’ll be a particularly exciting weekend for the recently married Holland and Zendaya, who star in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” and “The Odyssey.”

All the hype around the newest “Spider-Man” underscores the reality that Peter Parker is totally and completely impervious to Marvel fatigue. At a time when Disney’s once-impenetrable Marvel Cinematic Universe has been exhibiting concerning signs of wear and tear at the box office, Spider-Man is getting more and more powerful. It’s the rare series to keep growing and improving upon the last. Holland’s first foray, 2017’s “Homecoming,” ignited to $117 million domestically and ended its run with $880 million worldwide. Then “Far From Home” launched to $92 million domestically but powered to $1.13 billion worldwide. And of course, “No Way Home” was far and away the biggest with nearly $2 billion worldwide. (Although Disney backs most Marvel movies, Sony has the rights to Spider-Man. Kevin Feige produces all of the entries in the sprawling Marvel Cinematic Universe, the biggest film franchise of all time.)

“Superhero fatigue is real, but Spider-Man fatigue is not,” says analyst Jeff Bock of Exhibitor Relations. “This is the first big superhero film of the summer, and there is so much goodwill following Spider-Man.”

Spider-Man joins Batman and Superman as some of the most prolific superheroes of all time. The character — portrayed in prior adventures by Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield — has appeared in nine standalone, live-action films in the past 24 years. (Holland’s web-slinging vigilante has made several appearances in Marvel Cinematic Universe crossover events, such as “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Endgame.”) These days, Peter Parker might be more popular than the ubiquitous Clark Kent — although that’s not an entirely fair comparison because the Warner Bros.-owned DC Studios is in the process of rebooting its own superhero universe. Last year’s “Superman,” which introduced David Corenswet as the Man of Steel, was modestly successful with $616 million. “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” will outgross the entire run of “Superman” in just one weekend.

In terms of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, its movies that revolve around established heroes — such as 2024’s “Deadpool & Wolverine” and 2022’s “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” — have remained huge box office draws. Installments that centered around lesser-known characters, like 2025’s “Captain America: Brave New World,” “Thunderbolts” and “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” or sequels that didn’t establish a compelling reason to exist, such as 2023’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” were unsuccessful at breaking out beyond the franchise’s core fanbase.

“Audiences are tired of seeing the same thing. There are too many connected storylines, and it’s turning entertainment into homework,” says Bock. He believes there’s something called “consequence fatigue” in a cinematic universe where the laws of nature don’t apply. “If every death can be reverse and every universe can be replaced, why should audiences be invested? People gravitate toward Spider-Man because Sony has always done a good job of balancing the superhero and everyday person who inhabits the costume.”

It also helps that “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” aside from the character’s massive popularity, has a compelling hook and positive reviews. Destin Daniel Cretton, who helmed the well-received 2021 Marvel adventure “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” took over directing duties from Jon Watts, who helmed the first three “Spider-Man” films with Holland. “Spider-Man 4″ arrives a few months before Marvel’s “Avengers: Doomsday,” which will bring back the kitchen sink of comic-book characters on Dec. 18 and could rival “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” as the year’s biggest release.

Beyond this calendar year, Marvel has heavy hitters like “Avengers: Secret Wars” in 2027 and “Black Panther 3” in 2028, as well as question marks like the newly announced “Ghost Rider” reboot with Ryan Gosling and an untitled “X-Men” movie in development. After a bumpy run following the epic culmination of “Endgame,” Marvel expressed a desire to focus on quality over quantity. (MCU had been cranking out as many as four films a year.) It’s unclear what that’ll look like over the long run. But with an opening weekend like the one that “Brand New Day” is about to enjoy, Spidey will certainly keep swinging back for new adventures — at least until the 30-year-old Holland’s knees give out.

“The Spider-Man story and its hero are dependable and archetypal — an awkward, powerless person accidentally finds his superpower and uses it to help others,” says David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. “It’s a winning formula, every time.”

Jennifer Aniston is set to star in Olivia Wilde’s Universal comedy “Naughty,” playing a single mom named Mallory — whose “trash-bag ex” is Santa Claus.

Peter Dinklage takes on the role as the king of Christmas.

Wilde — fresh off the success of her latest directorial effort “The Invite” — directs “Naughty,” which centers on Mallory, whose “only hope of securing custody of her son from her gaslighting trash-bag ex is to find Santa Claus and convince him to testify in her divorce hearing.”

Jimmy Warden (“Cocaine Bear,” “Borderline”) wrote the screenplay and original spec script. LuckyChap (the company led by Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley, Josey McNamara and Milan Popelka), Wilde and Warden will produce.

The project was first announced in 2023 and described as “Bridesmaids” set at the North Pole. Universal has dated the movie for theatrical release on Nov. 5, 2027.

Executive VP of production development Sara Scott and director of production development Jacqueline Garell will oversee the project on behalf of the studio.

The casting update comes as Emmy and Golden Globe winner Aniston wraps up her tenure as executive producer and star of “The Morning Show” with its forthcoming fifth and final season on Apple TV. (Aniston also won SAG-AFTRA’s Actors Award for her performance as news anchor Alex Levy.) Meanwhile, Dinklage — who won a record four Emmys for “Game of Thrones” — recently booked a key role on FX’s “Alien: Earth” for its upcoming season.

Aniston, Dinklage, Wilde, Warden and LuckyChap are represented by CAA.

Aniston is also repped by Lighthouse Management & Media, and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, and Dinklage by Jackoway Austen Tyerman.

Wilde is also repped by Untitled Entertainment, Narrative and Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole; Warden by Untitled Entertainment, Sunshine Sachs Morgan & Lylis and Ziffren Brittenham; and LuckyChap by Entertainment 360, Narrative and attorney Jeff Bernstein. 

Deadline first reported the news.

Evan Rachel Wood isn’t among the “Practical Magic” cast members returning for the forthcoming sequel — and she’s opening up about her disappointment. Speaking to “Entertainment Tonight” at the red carpet premiere of her new series “The Shards,” Wood called it “sad” not to be asked back for “Practical Magic 2.”

“It is sad, because we bonded with that cast so much as children, and so to miss out on the opportunity to look at that cast and look at that house as an adult and see the history in our eyes, it’s something that can’t be faked,” the actor said. “I’m sad that doesn’t get to exist, especially for the fans.” 

In the 1998 movie, Wood and Alexandra Artrip played Kylie and Antonia Owens, the daughters of Sandra Bullock’s witch character. In the sequel, Wood is replaced by “The Act” star Joey King, while Artrip’s younger-sister character is played by “Game of Thrones” standout Maisie Williams.

The sequel, out September 11, is adapted from “The Book of Magic” by Alice Hoffman, a sequel to her own novel “Practical Magic,” which inspired the first film.

“I read the book and it seems like they’re not following the book,” Wood said. “I think in the book it would have made sense to bring me back; I think in the way they’re redoing it and approaching it, it didn’t make sense.” 

This isn’t the first time Wood has spoken out about the film; last year, she wrote on Instagram” “I offered my services, even if it was one scene or one line. I was told they are re-casting. I am sorry to disappoint the fans. It was not in my control or my choice. I would have happily rejoined my sisters.”

Returning cast members include leads Bullock and Nicole Kidman as sisters and fellow practitioners of magic, as well as Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest as their loopy aunts. Wood, who was 11 when “Practical Magic” came out, counts the movie as one of her very first roles; among the leading child stars of her generation, she went on to appear in “Thirteen,” “The Upside of Anger” and the TV series “Once and Again” before making the transition to grown-up stardom on “True Blood” and “Westworld.” Literary adaptation “The Shards,” on which Wood plays a wealthy L.A. mom in the 1980s, debuts on FX August 5.

Mary Beth Barone knows her debut Netflix special, “Galaxy Brain,” might piss some people off. In fact, she’s keeping a list — on it are J.K. Rowling, Mark Zuckerberg and male comedians in general, to name a few.

“I’m just fully ready to get it out there and see who’s mad at me,” Barone tells Variety over Zoom with a sly smile. For the comedian and actor — who got her start in the New York City club scene before breaking through with comedy podcasts “Obsessed” and “Ride” alongside collaborator and bestie Benito Skinner — this moment has been a long time coming.

Over the past two years, Barone had been workshopping material for a potential special while touring, and decided last summer to start putting feelers out to buyers. Then, things happened fast — a few weeks after an L.A. gig in August, Netflix called.

“I don’t feel excitement very much, but that was a moment where I was like, ‘Holy shit, this is actually happening,’” she says. “It’s such a career milestone for any comedian and I just felt like, ‘Woah, they said yes.’”

But that doesn’t mean that Netflix is safe from being the butt of Barone’s jokes. In the first 10 minutes of “Galaxy Brain” — filmed at New York City’s Skirball Center in March — she razzes the streamer for the rarity of women-led specials and riffs on their advice for winning over viewers. It sets the tone that Barone is willing to go there, and over the next hour, no topic is off limits as she tackles bad behavior from the men in her field, Ozempic, sex, politics and more.

“I’m sure some of [the jokes] will be a little bit shocking, but I think women and queer people get shit on enough,” Barone says. “And it’s time to shit on people back.”

Below, Barone tells Variety more about “Galaxy Brain” (out now on Netflix), making jokes she wouldn’t be able to say online and what’s in store for Season 2 of “Overcompensating,” the Prime Video comedy series she co-writes and stars in with Skinner.

What was your process for workshopping material for the special, and how much did it change?

When I first started doing the hour, I would say it was probably 90% different material. Obviously, our lives are constantly changing and I always want the set to feel current but also sort of evergreen. So if there’s any topical references, just making sure that will be relevant whenever it comes out and as long as the special is available — I guess until we all drown from global warning when the sea levels rise. It’s a tough process because sometimes there’s jokes that you love that just weren’t playing as well. But I wanted to balance anything topical with things that happened a really long time ago, so the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, for example, or Jack the Ripper, things like that that are sort of timeless in their own way. I think one of the only super topical references was “Wicked,” and I thought about changing that out to be something that happened more recently — but then I just thought like, “Wicked” is forever.

You don’t hold back in “Galaxy Brain.” In the beginning of the special, you point out how rare it is for women to actually get Netflix specials and share advice they gave you for winning people over within three minutes. Why was it important for you to cheekily call that out?

They were really great about… they didn’t have me cut anything. They definitely gave me some best practices — that thing about getting people’s attention in the first three minutes was an actual conversation that we had. And I’m a good student, so of course I was going to try to do that. I used to have a joke in the beginning of the set that was poking fun at cities that aren’t New York, L.A. or Chicago, and they said, “You have three minutes to catch people’s attention, to win them over. You don’t want to alienate them right away.” So it was genuinely me on tour trying to figure out what to say in three minutes to make people want to keep watching, and working that into the set just felt really natural.

I think there’s a lot of edgy moments in the special. I want it to feel cheeky and also like, stand-up is such a specific performance piece that I can’t imagine going on stage and just launching in and not acknowledging the moment — that we’re all in a room together and I have a microphone and I’m going to try to make you laugh now.

Do you think the situation for women in comedy is improving at all?

The internet, of course, has done really, really good things for comedy and then some not so good things for comedy. But what’s great is it’s made comedy more democratic, because people can start with live performance and post online and then they create their own audience; the right people find them. And I think that’s translated into having more women and queer people who are stand-up comedians that can tour and support themselves financially. That’s been really fun to watch since I started comedy, when it was dominated by the club scene and if you couldn’t get in there and work your way up and be one of the boys, there was less opportunity. Now with all these indie venues — especially in New York and in so many other cities like Pittsburgh, Denver, Chicago — it’s been wonderful to be surrounded by more and more women and the LGBTQ+ community, because those are the people that I want to make laugh and those are the people that I want to be friends with.

You also don’t shy away from calling out male comedians.

They’re some of the worst people that we have!

You mention specific people, including Chris D’Elia, and later jokes mention J.K. Rowling, Woody Allen, Mark Zuckerberg and more. How did you decide who to call out specifically?

I wanted to strike a balance between cultural references and general experiences and moving through the world with my unique point of view, but there were just certain names that I felt like belonged in the canon of this special. What I try to do is write the joke about that person that no one else would or could write. So I do hope that’s where I landed with these ones, and I’m sure some of them will be a little bit shocking, but I think women and queer people get shit on enough and it’s time to shit on people back.

There are some jokes in the special that you say you wouldn’t be able to post online, including one about Ozempic that riffs on Kim Kardashian’s infamous “get your fucking ass up and work” quote — which she said to Variety, by the way. What’s the line for you when it comes to risky jokes and possibly offending people?

Here’s the thing about that — I understood what she meant and I think it started a conversation. And that, to me, is a successful interview.

With that joke specifically, part of what is so almost absurd about it is that it probably will end up online with a comments section, and that’s just part of putting out a special these days … But I think for me it’s like, of course I’m going to explore uncomfortable topics at times, but I don’t find joy or feel a sense of accomplishment punching down. I always want to feel like my jokes are punching up. And sometimes you find just by doing the jokes that they’re not always on the correct side of that line. But yeah, it’s difficult. I want to make the right people uncomfortable, and I want to offend the correct people. Sometimes it is trial and error.

Since the internet is forever, what’s your advice for comedians coming up now when it comes to navigating social media?

I’m sure there’s an instinct if you’re starting out to just post as many clips as possible and try to gain traction that way. But I would say that there’s no substitute for experience and stage time, and the more real-world experience you can get playing off of an audience — you need that foundation because you can’t really fake that.

And the comments section is always something you can look away from. I really struggle with that; I read comments. I’m trying to stop, and I’ve definitely created more boundaries for myself. There’s more and more people that I meet in the industry who don’t have internet access or they don’t use social media at all, they pay someone to post for them. It’s hard as a comedian, because I want my online presence to be an extension of me and feel very authentic, but I know people reach a limit where it’s just not healthy. I can, even now where I’m at, see how people completely lose themselves and their grip on reality … So I feel a lot of gratitude that things have happened really gradually for me. I’m 35 now, so I have so many friends from before, I have an amazing family, I have a lot of support and people that I can surround myself with that are not in the industry to ground me.

I do believe that the age you blow up at is the mental age you can be stuck at forever.

The other side of that too, which we see especially with comedians, is potentially a level of being out of touch where you have to fall back on just being offensive in order to feel like you’re saying something. So my pledge to the public is that if I ever reach a point where I can’t write about something that’s relatable, I just won’t do a stand-up special. I think when you have a totally frictionless life and you’re flying in a private jet everywhere and everyone around you is just saying yes to your every whim, that’s probably when you should just sit back and count your money and leave the public alone.

You’re wearing a stunning dress in the special. Who designed it and what inspired the look?

That is a dress by Jackson Wiederhoeft. We met with their team last year — pretty much as soon as we knew we were going to make the special, I knew that I wanted them to design the dress. And so the references that we gave were the dress in “The Little Mermaid” when she comes out of the water; so fabulous, so beautiful, burned in my brain as a kid. And then Megara from “Hercules” also sort of came in as a reference. I knew I wanted it to be lilac, and it was actually such a specific color that they had to custom dye the fabric and just completely blew me away with what they were able to create. And then on the corset, we had beading done in the shape of the Gemini constellation — because I’m a Gemini — so that felt like a fun tie-in to the sort of overall theme.

I also want to ask about “Overcompensating” Season 2 because I know you just wrapped filming. What can you tease about Grace’s arc this season?

It’s sadder but also funnier. What was cool about arriving to Season 2 was that the characters already felt really lived in, so Benny’s approach was like, what can we do that’s surprising but also fan service? I do think the direction it goes is going to surprise a lot of people, but I can say I have a really wonderful love interest this season and I am excited to see it on screen.

This interview has been edited and condensed.