'Devil' Slays 'Kombat'

Andy Gorham, self-titled gentle giant and vanilla gorilla of “Action Twitter,” joins to discuss, obviously, Mortal Kombat II. What went right (an actual Mortal Kombat tournament), what went wrong (the return of Kano meant Cage was redundant), and whether a solid ($38.5 million, and now with $41 million in four days) domestic opening is enough to compensate for a mediocre ($21.5 million) overseas debut?

Did the caveats and complications around Project Popcorn and COVID mask that this was another “nobody cares outside of North America and a handful of overseas markets” franchise/IP? Could MK ever be more than a niche property? And why the hell didn’t we get at least one “Babality”?

The big curtain raiser question concerns our favorite Hugh Jackman performances, during which Lisa Laman makes me regret having co-hosts by naming my personal pick first and beating me to the “He won’t phone it in even for nonsense like Pan” compliment, thus forcing me to pick (among many worthy contenders) on the fly.

She makes up for it by offering a hellish, darkest-timeline Greatest Showman casting choice, complete with another terrifyingly good impression. By the way, not unlike Anne Hathaway, Jackman has been at this for so long and with such a varied filmography that he’s got a slew of turns that for others might be all-timers, but for him is “Tuesday.”

Meanwhile, alongside why I do think Todd Garner’s pre-release online broadside against critics (for a film that came out of the gate with superlative reviews) did a hell of a lot more harm than good, we discuss sky-high grosses for The Devil Wears Prada 2 and Michael, alongside increasing optimism over The Mandalorian and Grogu (and further down the line) Street Fighter.

We make time to discuss why Billie Ellish: Hit Me Hard and Soft was such a delight and the tragic end to James Cameron’s 32-year “every film earns at least $1.45 billion worldwide” streak. Speaking of optimism, Jeremy offers his tentative thoughts on a tentative agreement between SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP, and everyone celebrates a better-than-hoped-for opening for the better-than-expected The Sheep Detectives.

Recommended Reading (or Listening)…

* Scott Mendelson argued that the success of The Devil Wears Prada 2 shows why, if it must dumpster-dive for nostalgia-targeted IP revivals, Hollywood should stick to the films that were actually popular in their day.

* Jeremy Fuster dug into the details of a tentative deal/potential four-year contract between SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP.

* Lisa Laman offers her picks for the five summer blockbusters that had the most macro-sized impact on the seasonal Hollywood landscape.

* Ryan Scott discusses how a theoretical Mortal Kombat 3 will have to deal with a surplus of heroes and villains all demanding their moment in the sun.

* Max Deering couldn’t make this week’s episode, but he did go long on Mortal Kombat II on Action For Everyone.

* Andrew Gorham’s latest Star Wars-centric podcast offers a recap of The Mandalorian’s first two seasons in advance of The Mandalorian and Grogu.

If you like what you hear, please like, share, comment, and subscribe (using a cartoon mallet) with every justified ounce of strength and passion. If you’d like to reach out and offer good cheer, request in-show discussions, or suggest ideas for bonus episodes, please email us at Asktheboxofficepod@gmail.com.

* Scott Mendelson - The Outside Scoop and Puck News

* Jeremy Fuster - TheWrap

* Lisa Laman - Dallas Observer, Pajiba, Looper, Comic Book and Autostraddle

* Ryan C. Scott - SlashFilm, Fangoria and Inverse

* Max Deering - Fangoria and Action For Everyone

* Andrew Gorham - Imperial Scum