Mikey Weinstein, the president and founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, said the nonprofit received reports from eight bases around the world that U.S. military members were being "pressured" to see "Melania." "People are scared," said Weinstein, a former Air Force officer and attorney who said his group is made up of nearly 100,000 current and former members of the U.S. military and represents those who feel pressured or coerced into unconstitutional religious observances.
Amazon paid $40 million to acquire "Melania" and is reportedly spending $35 million to promote it. So even though the documentary is outperforming pre-release estimates predicting a $3 to $5 million opening weekend, it's unlikely to make a profit in theaters. Amazon's bid came in $26 million ahead of the next highest bidder, Disney, leading critics to suggest the deal had less to do with the film's box office potential and more with winning over the Trump administration.
Released earlier this year, Tron: Ares was a box office bomb. The movie grossed only $142 million worldwide and received lukewarm critical reception at best. Audience reviews have been kinder, and while the film may not have reached the same heights as the original Tron or 2010's Tron: Legacy, there is still appreciation for how it pushes the franchise's concepts further and for its hard-hitting Nine Inch Nails soundtrack.
In the Now You See Me movies, the so-called explanations for the big tricks are even more ridiculous than the tricks themselves; they're not built on the characters' skill or determination or cleverness, but on narrative convenience and screenwriter contrivance. These films are anti-magic: They quash the wonder of both a perfectly executed trick and its oh wow reveal. (This also makes them bad heist movies, by the way.)
You kissed me during an SNL sketch and then apologized afterwards for opening your mouth too much. Be honest, did you do that on purpose?
It's fair to say that A Minecraft Movie was divisive. Critics by and large loathed it, but kids adored it on a colossal scale, catapulting it into multiple meme-driven frenzies. There was the thing about throwing popcorn, the Lava Chicken song, and a heartfelt tribute to a Minecraft YouTuber legend. It seemed to find that perfect spot of crowd-pleasing delight, while being close to impossible to defend on a critical level. (Although I maintain it spoke powerfully on toxic masculinity.)
