When Universal released “The Mummy” starring Tom Cruise in 2017, the results were horrific.
The big-budget reboot cost $350 million to make and promote, so the studio lost a sizable chunk of change when the film ended its box office run with $409 million globally. “The Mummy” was intended to kick off an interconnected cinematic universe — dubbed the “Dark Universe” — based on its iconic monsters. But after the pricey cinematic train-wreck, the studio shifted its strategy away from weaving together its classic characters for the horror equivalent of what Marvel pulled off with the Avengers and instead opted to create standalone stories that best suit each movie.
The new approach was put on display this weekend with “The Invisible Man,” a sci-fi thriller with Elisabeth Moss that debuted to $29 million. Blumhouse, led by horror maestro Jason Blum, produced the film for $7 million, excluding marketing and distribution expenses. Though its opening weekend was similar to “The Mummy” ($31 million), ticket sales for “The Invisible Man” put this film on the glide path to profitability, proving horror works best as a low-budget genre. “The Invisible Man” made an additional $20 million at the international box office, despite fears that coronavirus would impact moviegoing in parts of the world.
“You don’t need to spend a lot on a really good horror movie,” said Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst with Comscore. “‘The Invisible Man’ proves that. It’s really about that core story and how it resonates with audiences. That’s been always the best thing about horror.”
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In the age of streaming, studios have begun to favor movies that cost a ton (think: “Avengers: Endgame,” “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”) or almost nothing at all (see: “Midsommar,” “Get Out”), leaving little room for mid-budget offerings. Horror has been a reliable moneymaker amid the uncertainty, but Hollywood companies are finding out the hard way that movies in the genre don’t work as well when they get too expensive. There are exceptions — like Warner Bros.’ “It: Chapter 2” — to be sure. But movies like “The Mummy,” “Alien: Covenant,” “Dark Shadows” and more recently, “Doctor Sleep” also from Warner Bros., demonstrate that overstuffed budgets don’t equal outsized returns. “Doctor Sleep,” a sequel to “The Shining,” cost $45 million and earned $72 million.
Director Leigh Whannell said the smaller budget worked in favor of the film’s realism. He credits Blumhouse, which has become synonymous with affordable horror hits, for knowing “how to milk every dollar out of the budget you have.”
“A lot of times when you see movies with huge budgets, the CG really calls attention to itself,” Whannell told Variety. “You’re so aware that you’re watching something that was created in a computer. What I’m trying to do is something completely different.”
“The Invisible Man,” a modern take on the novel by H.G. Wells, put the spotlight on Cecilia Kass (Moss), a woman being hunted by her abusive ex-boyfriend. When he dies by suicide, she has to prove her sanity and that she’s being stalked by someone that nobody can see. Critics and audiences alike praised the film for delivering on the scares without compromising on quality. Variety’s Owen Gleiberman called Whannell’s vision “ingenious and entertaining,” adding that “the thrills don’t just goose you; they have an emotional import.”
Opening weekend crowds were almost evenly split between genders, and well over half (64%) were over the age of 25. The film brought out a diverse audience: 46% of ticket buyers were caucasian, while 20% were African American, 18% were hispanic and 11% were Asian.
“Our partners as Blumhouse don’t cut corners when it comes to quality,” Universal’s president of domestic distribution Jim Orr said. “They consistently deliver hit after hit.”
For Universal, there was a lot was riding on the opening weekend of “The Invisible Man.” Though its efforts to build a Dark Universe were for naught, the studio has a handful of projects based on its monsters in the works, including Dracula and Bride of Frankenstein. Elizabeth Banks is also working on a separate film, “Invisible Woman,” for Universal. After the success of “The Invisible Man,” it appears to be on the right track.
“That Universal changed up its plans so quickly is a huge testament to their non-monolithic way of dealing with it,” Dergarabedian said. “They course-corrected, and it paid off big.”
A hairstylist from Sacramento, Calif., Crawley was the runner-up of Season 18 of “The Bachelor” in 2014, which featured the polarizing Juan Pablo Galavis in the driver’s seat.
Crawley later appeared on the first and second seasons of “Bachelor in Paradise,” before joining the cast of “The Bachelor Winter Games” in 2018. She and fellow contestant, Canada’s Benoit Beausejour-Savard, got engaged during the show’s finale. They called it quits in April of that year.
“Honestly for me, the most important thing is the man who will take off his armor, is strong, open himself up and be vulnerable,” she said. “I want a man that can do that.”
The premiere date for Season 16 of “The Bachelorette” has not yet been announced.
Kim Kardashian and her older sister, Kourtney Kardashian, both rose to fame on Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Both sisters share a fondness of posting pictures of themselves on Instagram.
The two are also both parents. Kim Kardashian has four children with rapper Kanye West. Meanwhile, Kourtney Kardashian has three kids that she shares with her ex-boyfriend, Scott Disick.
Still, Kim Kardashian and Kourtney Kardashian have cultivated very different personas. In general, they seem to have very different approaches to parenting. However, there’s one important point on which both sisters wholeheartedly agree — the issue of screen time for their kids.
Kim Kardashian drastically limits screen time
Kim Kardashian | Jared Siskin/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
Kim Kardashian is one of America’s biggest reality television stars, but in recent years, she has expanded her brand to truly remarkable heights. She operates several successful businesses, including a cosmetics line and an always sold-out shapewear line.
She’s also hard at work in her effort to become a lawyer. She’s also a mom to four kids that she shares with West.
Kardashian and West have two young daughters, North and Chicago, and two sons, Saint and Psalm. She frequently shares pictures of her adorable kids on social media, and while Kardashian seems pretty laid-back in her parenting style, she does tend to draw the line with some things.
In late 2019, Kardashian opened up about how she doesn’t believe in too much screen time for her kids.
“When I raise my kids, I think about screen time, phone time, what to post, what not to post,” Kardashian stated.
She also revealed that even though she has a massive social media following, she believes that social media has its drawbacks — and can cause mental health problems in children who aren’t properly monitored on social media.
Kourtney Kardashian’s holistic approach to parenting
Kourtney Kardashian is the oldest sibling in the Kardashian-Jenner clan, and one of the most private. When Keeping Up with the Kardashians first premiered in 2007, she was often at the forefront of the drama.
However, as the years have gone by, she has become much more reserved. These days, she has taken somewhat of a step back from regular appearances on the family’s reality show.
Kardashian has always been open about her love for her three kids — Mason, Penelope, and Reign — and how she considers her first priority to be parenting her kids. She is notoriously strict with her children’s diets and prefers for them to eat gluten-free.
Kardashian follows a very holistic lifestyle and believes in strictly limiting screen time for her kids. In fact, she limits her kids to thirty minutes of television and video game time during the week and restricts all forms of technology during meals, preferring for mealtimes to be all about communication and conversation.
Is limiting screen time good for kids?
Although the Kardashians don’t always do what society recommends, experts seem to be united on the issue of screen time for children. While many studies have reported that some screentime for children isn’t likely to cause harm, increased amounts of screen time for young children can potentially lead to behavioral problems, sleeping issues, obesity, and trouble concentrating.
While many experts recommend tailoring screen time to the needs of each specific family situation, it is inarguable that too much screen time can certainly lead to problems. Still, there are certain types of programs that might be more beneficial than others.
And, of course, the standard rules of screen time don’t apply in certain situations, like when video chatting with distant relatives.
Judy Sheindlin, the star of reality court show "Judge Judy," announced in an interview with Ellen DeGeneres released Monday that the show's upcoming 25th season will be its last.
While promising that the new season – a start date for which has not formally been announced, though "Judy" typically picks up with a new season in September – would be "our best year" yet, Sheindlin said she has had "a 25-year-long marriage with CBS and it's been successful.
"Next year will be our 25th season: Silver anniversary," she continued. "And CBS, I think, sort of felt they wanted to optimally use the repeats of my program, because now they have 25 years of re-runs. So what they decided to do was to sell a couple of years worth of reruns."
The TV host, who set the Guinness World Record in 2015 for longest career as a TV judge, was estimated by Forbes in 2018 to be the year's highest paid TV host.
She ranked No. 1 for the first time that year after selling the rights to her show's extensive library for an estimated $100 million last year. Pair that with $47 million a year hosting "Judge Judy" and producing "Hot Bench," that made Sheindlin among America's richest self-made women, let alone TV host.
But don't worry, Judy fans: Sheindlin isn't going away for long.
"I'm not tired," she added. "So 'Judy Justice' will be coming out a year later... If you're not tired, you're not supposed to stop."
Sheindlin told DeGeneres she "can't tell you yet" where the new show would air. USA TODAY has reached out to her representatives for more information about the show.
"That's exciting news," Sheindlin concluded. "'Judge Judy,' you'll be able to see next year – full year, all new shows... The following couple of years, you should be able to catch all the reruns that CBS has sold to the stations that are currently carrying 'Judy,' and 'Judy Justice' will be going elsewhere. Isn't that fun?"
Hall of Fame Hip hop group Public Enemy announced on Sunday they are "moving forward" without Flavor Flav -- their founding member and hype man of nearly 40 years -- after the rapper sent a cease-and-desist letter to Bernie Sanders on Friday.
“Public Enemy and Public Enemy Radio will be moving forward without Flavor Flav,” the group said in a statement, according to Rolling Stone. “We thank him for his years of service and wish him well.”
The move was made in response to a letter sent by Flavor Flav's lawyer Matthew Friedman after member Chuck D planned to perform at the candidates' California rally on Sunday.
Flavor Flav accused the campaign of using his likeness and trademarked oversized clock at the rally even though he "has not endorsed any political candidate in this election cycle."
Hall of Fame Hip hop group Public Enemy is "moving forward" without Flavor Flav -- their founding member and hype man of nearly 40 years -- after the rapper sent a cease-and-desist letter to Bernie Sanders on Friday.
“While Chuck is certainly free to express his political view as he sees fit -- his voice alone does not speak for Public Enemy,” the letter obtained by Fox News said. “The planned performance will only be Chuck D of Public Enemy, it will not be a performance by Public Enemy. Those who truly know what Public Enemy stands for know what time it is, there is no Public Enemy without Flavor Flav."
The letter added that "Sanders had promised to 'Fight the Power' with hip-hop icons Public Enemy, but this Rap Icon will not be performing at the Sanders rally."
Chuck D clarified on Twitter Sunday afternoon the last straw between the two was long ago, adding that "FLAV" refused to support Sankofa, a social justice organization described to give voices to those in need and promote "peace & equality."
"It's not about BERNIE with Flav... he don’t know the difference between BarrySanders or BernieSanders he don’t know either," he said.
Flavor Flav had previously sued Chuck D and their management firm in 2017 over unpaid profits, the paper said.
Sanders' rally is being held at the Los Angeles Convention Center. An ad for the event claimed that "Public Enemy Radio" is set to perform, according to the candidate's website.
"Join Bernie Sanders, Sarah Silverman, and Dick Van Dyke, with a special performance by Public Enemy Radio. Doors open at 3:00 p.m. and the event starts at 5:00 p.m. Capacity is limited and admission is granted on a first-come, first-served basis," the website stated.
Fox News' Melissa Roberto contributed to this report
