PITTSBURGH (Newsradio KDKA) - Will this be a DC dominated weekend?
The Suicide Squad opens with Marvel veteran Director/Writer James Gunn (The Guardians of the Galaxy) taking the reins. Gunn looks to take the 2016 reboot to the heights that the first picture couldn't seem to reach. The consensus of those in the know was that the first Squad missed on all cylinders despite an overall worldwide haul of 3/4 of a billion dollars. Tune in Friday morning to 100.1 FM or 1020 KDKA AM as I discuss with Larry Richert and Kevin Battle of the KDKA morning show.
Last weekend's box office went pretty much as planned. Disney's Jungle Cruise led the way with a more than predicted $34+ million dollar take ( plus another $30 million from its Disney Plus streaming service.) Originally scheduled to be released in July of 2020 July, Jungle Cruise may be one of the costliest victims of the covid-19 pandemic. With a reported production budget of over $200 million and having spent over a year on the shelf, Cruise has an up-river trek to try and gain profitability.
The R-rated medieval fantasy The Green Knight finished slightly lower than the previous weeks M Night thriller Old. Matt Damon's Stillwater came in the 5th position behind Marvel's Black Widow.
The Suicide Squad (R)
Starring: Margot Robbie, Idris Elba and John Cena
Rarely does a sequel surpass the original but The Suicide Squad with new writer/director James Gunn, does just that. The 2016 Suicide Squad was a financial success but critics and fans alike were left scratching their heads. More reboot than sequel, this James Gunn turn ratchets up the crazy and lets the heroes and supervillains do what they do best in a delirious mashup of head cracking and humor!
Sent to the fictional South American Island of Corto Maltese, the crew is tasked with settling a coup that threatens to let loose a giant starfish being. If the maniacal giant starfish is set free the balance of our world will be toppled. The squad gathers to do violent battle and save the world. Meet the new squad with some OG holdovers:
Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie)
The Peacemaker (John Cena)
Bloodsport (Idris Elba)
Col. Rick Flag (Joal Kinnaman)
Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior)
Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian)
King Shark (Steve Agee, voiced by Sylvester Stallone)