Month: June 2021

The top film at the box office is going to come down to the wire this weekend, which is the first “crowded” weekend since the pandemic began. Not all theaters have fully reopened and with capacity restrictions still in place, there’s still limited seating, which means that the ceiling for the box office may still be capped slightly. What that meant this week is that there weren’t any $50 million grosses, but there were 5 films in the $6-$11 million range.

That comes as a disappointment for Jon Chu’s In the Heights, an audience pleaser (and one of the best movies of the year) based on Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first Broadway play. Unfortunately, despite great reviews (96 percent on Rotten Tomatoes), and an A Cinemascore, the film failed to meet expectations. Warner Brothers had hoped for $20 million or more over the weekend, but the musical only managed to muster around $11.4 million.

There are caveats, of course. The film was also released on HBO Max on the same day, and for a title without a lot of IP value, audiences may have opted to watch it at home. It also explains why, according to Deadline, a large percentage of its business came from New York City, where the movie is set (and where Broadway audiences are more familiar with the title). It didn’t help, either, that Lin-Manuel Miranda — the biggest name associated with the film — only had a small role in the musical. Still, it’s something of a bummer, because it’s a movie that deserves to be seen with a large audience. It’s hard to overstate what a genuinely fun film In the Heights is to experience.

The film, however, narrowly lost out to A Quiet Place Part II for the top spot, even though it’s the third weekend in the marketplace for the John Krasinski directed sequel. It continues to perform fairly well, earning $11.7 million to become the first film since the pandemic began to cross $100 million (it sits at $108 million now). It might help, too, that A Quiet Place Part II is not available anywhere else but in theaters now, although it will land on Paramount+ in about three weeks.

Sony’s Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway, meanwhile, looks like it will open with around $10.4 million, less than half of the $25 million opening of the original Peter Rabbit, which went on to earn $115 million stateside. Critics were mixed (68 percent on RT), although kid-friendly audiences liked it a lot (A- Cinemascore). The film was delayed by the pandemic and missed a more opportune March/April opening, but don’t cry for Sony. The film was modestly budgeted at $45 million, which it’s already managed to earn overseas.

It looks like Peter Rabbit will also lose out to The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, which looks as though it will earn around $11.3 million, good for third place and a $45 million running total in 10 days. Recall, too, that The Conjuring sequel is also still airing on HBO Max. In fifth place, meanwhile, with $6.7 million is Cruella, which has now earned $56 million after three weekends, plus however many tens of million of dollars it has earned on $30 surcharges on Disney+. Spirit Untamed, meanwhile, landed in sixth place with $2.9 million and $11.3 million overall, which is notable if only because there are now enough films in the marketplace to extend the box-office to the top six movies!

Next weekend will see one new wide release, The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, which actually opens on Wednesday, probably to get an extra two days before F9: The Fast Saga opens on June 25th and gives us a good idea of just how much earnings are possible in theaters right now.

Source: Deadline, Box Office Mojo

UFC 263 was more or less the talk of the sports world on Saturday night, but ringside commentator Joe Rogan had his own headlines to deal with in Los Angeles as well. Apparently someone paid a skywriter to call out his height over one of the most populous cities in the United States, bewildering people who noticed it and going viral online in the process.

The puffy writing appeared over Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon and was captured by a number of people taking photos and videos. Apparently the phrase “Joe Rogan is literally 5 foot 3” was displayed over the skies, and no one seemed to know why. Also, a letter was missing in the word “literally.”

Making it all that much weirder, the whole thing was apparently part of a marriage proposal. Someone asked a “Mollie Pratt” by name to marry them, then had the message about Rogan on the end of it.

TMZ estimated that the skywriting may have cost “upwards” of $10,000, a pretty hefty price for an engagement and also a way to call out Rogan. No one seems to know why he was included in the message, but it could be related to his podcast where he’s hosted conspiracy theorists and Proud Boys and expressed anti-vaccine rhetoric in recent months. In any case as many said online, it’s certainly a level of pettiness that’s aspirational at best for most people not also trying to get engaged on a Saturday afternoon.

The Phoenix Suns are one game away from the Western Conference Finals, and at this point, it’s really hard to bet against them getting there right away. Phoenix has looked the far better team through three game against a visibly exhausted Denver Nuggets squad, opening up a 3-0 series lead and making a statement that they are, legitimately, an NBA Finals contender.

Of course, one really good way to get back in the series is to have the best player on the floor, and while Phoenix has some absolutely wonderful basketball players, none of them are the league MVP. Nikola Jokic looks gassed every night, yes, but even his bad games are marvels — in Game 3, Jokic went for 32 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 assists with two turnovers in a loss. Any path back for Denver runs through the big fella, and fortunately for them, he’s good enough to make magic happen.

Can Denver live to fight another day, or will Phoenix take care of business on Sunday night and punch their ticket to the conference finals? There’s only one way to find out.

Game 4 TV Info

Tip Time: Sunday, June 13; 8:00 p.m. ET
TV Network: TNT

Game 4 Betting Lines (via DraftKings Sportsbook)

Series Prices: Suns (-10000), Nuggets (+1700)
Spread: Suns -3 (-112), Nuggets +3 (-109)
Money Line: Suns (-148), Nuggets (+120)

Game 3 between the Brooklyn Nets and the Milwaukee Bucks really stunk. It was an all-out rock fight between two teams that looked absolutely exhausted, could not hit any shots, and played the kind of cagey, next-basket-wins battle that defined basketball an era or two before the modern day. Ultimately, the Bucks survived, 86-83.

It was a monstrous win for the Bucks. A loss would have put them in an insurmountable, 3-0 hole against a Nets team that is capable of blowing the doors off of an opponent on a given night. Instead, Milwaukee is one game away from tying this series up on their home floor against a Brooklyn side that does not have James Harden — or, rather, they have not had Harden, but there’s been no indication about his ability to play in Game 4.

A 2-2 series shifting back to New York after the Bucks have won two in a row is markedly different than a 3-1 series in the Barclays Center where the Nets have the opportunity to put it away. This one is going to be fun.

Game 4 TV Info

Tip Time: Sunday, June 13; 3:00 p.m. ET
TV Network: ABC

Game 4 Betting Lines (via DraftKings Sportsbook)

Series Prices: Nets (-385), Bucks (+290)
Spread: Nets -2 (-110), Bucks +2 (-112)
Total: Over 228.5 (-108), Under 228.5 (-113)
Money Line: Nets (-127), Bucks (+107)

Coming off the first loss of his professional career, Israel Adesanya (21-1) left no question who the king of the middleweight division is, successfully defending his title against Martin Vettori (17-5-1) at UFC 263 from Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

Vettori didn’t waste any time putting his gameplan into play, catching a low kick by Adesanya and putting the champ on his back. Unlike his fight against Jan Blachowicz in March, Adesanya found his way back to his feet with relative ease. Adesanya set things up with a nice collection of thigh kicks before moving to the head with a slew of combinations.

Adesanya continued to chip away at Vettori’s leg in the second, fighting off a takedown attempt early to keep things on their feet. Adesanya’s calm demeanor was on full display through the first two rounds as he continued to pick apart Vettori.

Vettori came out aggressive in the third, taking Adesanya onto the ground less than a minute into the round and putting his weight on the champ. As Adesanya attempted to get out of the guard, Vettori took his back. Adesanya seamlessly transitioned out and moved into the guard before allowing Vettori back to his feet. Adesanya continued to work on Vettori’s leg as the two exchanged shots up top.

Vettori took Adesanya to the ground yet again in the fourth, but the champ had no problem returning to his feet. A clearly exhausted Vettori ate shot after shot as Adesanya picked him apart over and again.

The fifth followed the same pattern of the prior four rounds, with Adesanya waiting for Vettori to come forward and the champ just knocking him back.

The main event featured the first title defense that was a rematch of Adesanya’s career, coming on the heels of the champ losing in his attempt to move up to light heavyweight in March. He came into Saturday night with two years worth of victories across the middleweight division, handing losses to Kevin Gastelum, Robert Whittaker, Yoel Romero and Paulo Costa.

But his opponent, Vettori, claimed he’d seen holes in Adesanya’s tilt with Blachowicz. Despite those apparent holes, Adesanya handed Vettori his first defeat since his 2018 loss at the hands of the champ. Before Saturday night, Vettori had rattled off five consecutive wins.

Five rounds wasn’t enough for Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno back in December, but Moreno needed just three rounds to win the flyweight championship at UFC 263 from Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona. With the win, Moreno made history as the first Mexican-born champion in UFC history.

Figueiredo waited more than a minute into the first round before unloading his first shot, allowing Moreno to feel his way into the fight with precise combinations. Moreno continued walking back Figueiredo, hurting the champ with a glancing jab that sent him to the ground. Figueiredo found his way back to his feet, but continued to eat strikes through the end of the round.

Early in the second, Moreno hurt Figueiredo again with a jab, but the champ shot in with a body lock and took his opponent to the ground. As Figueiredo attempted to lock his hands for a guillotine, Moreno transitioned out, took the his back and moved into the full guard back on the ground. Moreno was aggressive to open the third, taking Figueiredo to the ground, getting his back and choking the champion out.

Moreno was 4-0-1 in his last five bouts with the knockout at UFC 255, three decisions and a draw. Figueiredo has been dominant since losing the only fight of his career in March 2019 to Jussier Formiga. After missing weight in his initial bout with Joseph Benavidez in February, Figueiredo submitted Benavidez to win the division crown in July.

A low blow cost Figueiredo an outright win back in December, but Moreno didn’t leave it up to the judges in their rematch.

Two years removed from his last walk to the Octagon, Nate Diaz returned at UFC 263 in a blood-splattered effort that saw Leon Edwards dominate from bell to almost bell in a decision victory from Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

Edwards hurt Diaz from the opening bell, wearing away one of the toughest UFC fighters with stinging leg kicks. Diaz’s gamesmanship was on display early on, often turning and showing disinterest before jumping into attack. Edwards was locked in though, continuing to wear away at Diaz’s leg, with some visible swelling and bruising early in the second.

In the third, Edwards opened a big cut over Diaz’s left eye with a sharp elbow from the ground. He continued to show his dominance whether they were on their feet or on the ground, transitioning seamlessly with control in both situations.

Through the fourth and fifth, Edwards moved away from the leg kicks, instead headhunting and looking to finish the elder Diaz. With a minute remaining in the fifth, Diaz hurt Edwards bad with big flurry, but couldn’t finish the welterweight contender.

Diaz hadn’t fought since 2019, when he earned a decision victory over Anthony Pettis before suffering a TKO to Jorge Masvidal, unable to continue after he blew his nose at the end of the third, causing his eye to swell shut.

Edwards hasn’t lost since he dropped a decision to Kamaru Usman in 2015. Since then, he’s rattled off eight consecutive wins and a no contest, when he drew with Belal Muhammad in March. After his win over Diaz, Edwards again called for the next shot at Usman’s belt.

For the second series in a row this postseason, the Los Angeles Clippers found themselves in an 0-2 hole after two games. And just like the last time, the Clippers were able to stop the bleeding in Game 3, as the team played host to the Utah Jazz on Saturday night and picked up a 132-106 win to cut the series deficit in half. While they still face an uphill climb, the series now sits at 2-1.

The Clippers were powered by big nights from both of their stars. While the game opened up with the team falling into an 8-0 hole, huge performances from Kawhi Leonard and Paul George helped them overcome the early deficit and race past the 1-seed. Leonard was out of his mind, scoring 34 points with 12 rebounds, five assists, two steals, and a block. George was equally impressive, scoring 31 points and leading the team with six made triples.

The pair were deputized by hot shooting from Reggie Jackson and Nic Batum. Both of the Clippers’ sharpshooters scored 17 points, with Jackson hitting five triples and Batum hitting four. That hot shooting was a team-wide phenomenon, as Los Angeles shot 50-for-89 (55.7 percent) from the field and 19-for-36 (52.8 percent) from three. While the Clippers had been ok from the field during the series, getting home must have given them a boost.

While Utah made the same number of threes as the Clippers and made two more free throws, L.A. was far more efficient inside the arc. The Clippers nearly made as many twos (31) as the Jazz made shots altogether (36) and outscored the road team on midrange points, 18-2.

Unsurprisingly, Donovan Mitchell gave Utah a shot on Saturday night, although it wasn’t enough. The star of the first two games of this series scored 30 points, pulled down five rebounds, doled out four assists, and recorded a pair of steals in 32 minutes of work.

There was a bit of concern late in the game, as Mitchell appeared to hurt his right ankle, which cost him the last month of the regular season. The team did say he was available to return, but with things out of hand, Mitchell put ice on his foot and used the blowout as a chance to rest his bum wheel.

Aside from him, Joe Ingles had a big night, scoring 19 points and hitting five triples, while Jordan Clarkson provided 14 points off the bench. Both Rudy Gobert and Royce O’Neale had 12-point outings.

Game 4 between the Clippers and Jazz will take place on Monday, June 14. The game will tip off at 10 p.m. EST from the Staples Center on TNT.

If there is one thing — one thing! — you would assume a Major League Baseball pitcher could do pretty reliably, it is throw a ball to a catcher. They don’t necessarily have to do it well, relative to other Major League-level pitchers, but theoretically, these are folks who have done this hundreds of thousands of times in their life and they should be able to do this in their sleep.

And yet, the Seattle Mariners exist. The M’s traveled to northeast Ohio to take on the Cleveland Indians on Saturday night, and despite a good outing by Yusei Kikuchi, the team looked primed to head to extra after the bullpen couldn’t take them home. Paul Sewald came in during the bottom of the 10th inning, and after allowing a Amed Rosario single, the team opted to intentionally walk Jose Ramirez to load up the bases and have force outs everywhere.

And then, Harold Ramirez stepped to the dish and hits a lazy grounder to Sewald. All he had to do was get the force out at home and OH MY DEAR GOD HOW?

The Indians came out on top as a result of this, 5-4. This is a one-in-a-million circumstance, but unfortunately for the Mariners, that meant being on the opposite end of a walk-off.

The Phillie Phanatic has garnered a reputation for being one of the biggest jerks in all of sports, at least among the world of mascots. This isn’t a dig — the Phanatic’s job is to get Phillies fans fired up during games and is really, really good at doing it at the expense of the opposing team.

The latest example of this came on Saturday when the New York Yankees traveled down to the City of Brotherly Love. At one point, the Phanatic placed a Yankees helmet on the ground while Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” played and proceeded to smash it to a bunch of little pieces.

At this point, the camera cut to Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton, who had a look on his face that made it seem like he was prepared to go fight a mascot.

Now, as a Yankees fan and a former intern in the Phillies minor league system who had to follow the Phanatic around for a game, I am uniquely positioned to find a middle ground here. Giancarlo, please don’t fight the mascot. Phanatic, please do not destroy a Yankees helmet, in large part because having to clean that up is probably a pain in the neck. Now please, hug it out, fellas.