Shazam! Box Office: DC's Latest Is Off To An Impressive Start

Shazam! Box Office: DC's Latest Is Off To An Impressive Start

Things weren't looking so good for the DC Extended Universe after the release of Zack Snyder's Justice League. Not only did it receive a rather serious thrashing from critics, but it also failed to meet box office expectations. Fortunately, however, the franchise has been on a much better path ever since. Released last December, James Wan's Aquaman has become the most successful DC Comics adaptation ever made, and now David F. Sandberg's Shazam! is off to a fantastic start as well. Check out its numbers, as well as the rest of the Top 10, below, and join me after for analysis!

The numbers aren't exactly record-shattering, but after its third day in wide release Shazam! is definitely in a good place, and Warner Bros. must surely be happy about the performance. Early estimates suggested that the film wouldn't only make $40-$50 million during its opening weekend, and it was able to not only clear that bar, but add a few extra million on top of it. Add in the fact that it's one of the less expensive modern day superhero blockbusters - made for a reported $100 million - and you have the makings of a legitimate winner in the DC Comics realm.

What surely helped in a major way with this one is just the buzz that the film has received. The studio clearly knew they had a winner with this one, and thanks to a whole lot of early screenings Shazam! has been riding high on positive word of mouth for quite a while now. It's received the second highest Rotten Tomatoes score of any DC Extended Universe title, with its 91% only just a little below the 93% earned by Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman back in 2017. On top of that, audiences are also showing some very real appreciation for it, as CinemaScore is reporting an "A" grade for the release - which makes a whole lot of sense when you consider what a crowd-pleaser the feature is.

Adding to the good news is that Shazam! is also off to a wonderful start in foreign territories as well. The movie is now out in most places, and ticket sales from abroad have already significantly bolstered the worldwide box office totals. To date it has made $102 million abroad, which brings its global total to $158.8 million. When you factor in publicity and advertising costs, it still probably has to make a bit more money before it gets to be called profitable, but this is a great place for the film to be after just three days. It's technically the slowest start for a DC Extended Universe title, but the previous film with that distinction was Aquaman, and we know how things turned out with that.

Perhaps part of the reason why Shazam! didn't open bigger is because it had some real competition at the box office, as Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer's Pet Sematary also put up some legitimate numbers this past weekend. Critics (61% on Rotten Tomatoes) and audiences ("C+" on CinemaScore) didn't respond to it quite as well as the big new superhero release, but the $25 million it brought it is nothing to shake a stick at. Not only did the horror film only cost $21 million to make, but it actually had the second best opening ever for a Stephen King adaptation - which is a pretty big deal when you consider how popular King is, and how many movies have been made based on his books. Obviously it came nowhere close to Andres Muschietti's IT, which pulled in a shocking $123.4 million during its first three days back in September 2017, but it made enough to take the second place spot away from Mikael Hafstrom's 1408, which made $20.6 million back in 2007. It's also doing pretty well in foreign territories, having made $17.3 million outside of North America so far.

Robin Bissell's The Best Of Enemies was the only other big title to hit theaters this weekend, though it had a relatively small wide release with only 1,705 theaters showing it. Still, with the star power of Taraji P. Henson and Sam Rockwell, and a powerful true story to tell, the movie managed to take sixth place over all, and make $4.5 million in its initial release. That's not too shabby when you consider the $10 million budget. It won't ultimately be as big as The Upside, which made $107.6 million for STX Entertainment earlier this year, but it may still wind up making some money for the studio.

Beyond the new releases, unfortunately, there wasn't a ton of good news for Hollywood this time around. After winning the box office last week with a disappointing $45 million take, Tim Burton's Dumbo fell by 60.4 percent in its second Friday-to-Saturday stretch. As of now it $213.7 million globally, which seems like a lot, but that number doesn't look so great when you consider that it was made with a $170 million budget. It's going to be seriously tough for the film to be ultimately considered profitable - but the good news for Disney is that they still have Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's Captain Marvel performing exceptionally, having crossed the $1 billion milestone earlier this week.

Jordan Peele's Us is also starting to fade a bit, but at this point ever dollar the movie makes is pure profit. Made for just $20 million, the horror hit has already brought in $216.6 million worldwide, which is only just a big short of the $255.4 million that Get Out made when it was released in 2017. That's absolutely remarkable.

Next week we will once again be seeing a lot of variety hitting the big screen nationwide, with Neil Marshall's Hellboy, Tina Gordon Chism's Little, Laika's Missing Link, and Jenny Gage's After all arriving in wide release. Collectively they should all do a pretty nice job shaking up the Top 10, so be sure to tune in next Sunday to see how it all turns out.

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How Godzilla: King Of Monsters Is Different Than Other Movies In The Franchise

How Godzilla: King Of Monsters Is Different Than Other Movies In The Franchise

After traveling back to 1973 to tell King Kong’s take in Kong: Skull Island, the MonsterVerse is jumping back to the present day this summer for Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Due to the events of 2014’s Godzilla, the public now aware of the Titans’ existence, and King of the Monsters will see more of these giant beasts awakening to wreak havoc on the world. But monsters are just one half of the equation in these kaiju movies. There are also the human players directly involved, and according to King of the Monsters star Vera Farmiga, a big way this sequel distinguishes itself from its predecessors is that it places a mother/daughter relationship front and center. In Farmiga’s words:

The previous Godzilla really focused on the relationship of a father and a son. At the heart of our film is this relationship between a mother and daughter.

Obviously the main draw of these types of movies is to see monsters battling one another, but the human stories also help keep the narrative grounded, so to speak. In Godzilla, the relationship between Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Ford Brody and his father Joe, played by Bryan Cranston, was explored during the first half of the movie, and for the sequel, we get to see Vera Farmiga’s Dr. Emma Russell interacting with her daughter Madison, played by Millie Bobby Brown. Emma’s ex-husband and Madison’s father, Kyle Chandler’s Dr. Mark Russell, will also appear in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, but as Farmiga told Syfy Wire, it’s Emma and Madison’s relationship will get a lot of attention.

Godzilla didn’t have much time to focus on Ford and Joe Brody’s dynamic since Joe died after the awakening of the first MUTO, but it doesn’t look like Godzilla: King of the Monsters will repeat that formula. The sequel sees Emma and Madison Russell being kidnapped by a mysterious organization, presumably due to Emma’s work on communicating with and possibly controlling the Titans. Strangely, though, the first King of the Monsters trailer framed Emma as a seemingly willing participant in whatever this group has planned, and both Madison and Mark expressing disappointment and disgust at her actions, although admittedly, it could just look that way thanks to how the preview was edited.

Either way, Emma and Madison will be among the main human characters getting the spotlight in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and since the previous MonsterVerse movies, let alone most monsters movies, don’t highlighted mother/daughter relationships, this makes for a nice change of pace. That said, while both Millie Bobby Brown and Kyle Chandler are confirmed to appear in Godzilla vs. Kong, Vera Farmiga has not been announced as part of that cast. It’s possible that Farmiga’s involvement either hasn’t been cemented or she’ll have a smaller role in the fourth MonsterVerse entry, but perhaps, just like how Ford Brody lost his father, Madison will lose her mother during King of the Monsters. That’d be tragic, but in the MonsterVerse, tragedy comes in large supply.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters rampages into theaters on May 31, so stay tuned to CinemaBlend for continuing coverage. Don’t forget to look through our 2019 release schedule to learn what other movies are coming out this year.

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First Look At James McAvoy’s Bill Denbrough In IT Chapter 2

First Look At James McAvoy’s Bill Denbrough In IT Chapter 2

2017 brought us the first installment of director Andy Muschietti’s adaptation of Stephen King’s legendary novel IT. It also brought the suspense of having to wait for the second half of the story, as the doorstopping length of that source book inspired Muschietti to split the story into two parts.

The first chapter delivered the childhood portion of the story, and now with a brand new photo from the director himself, we have our first look at the adult form of Bill Denbrough in IT: Chapter 2, played by James McAvoy:

While it’s not a full-body shot of McAvoy’s adult incarnation of the character originated by Jaeden Lieberher in IT, it looks like we’re seeing Bill indulging in one of his old habits. As the posture of James McAvoy’s body in the photo suggests, it looks like Bill’s riding a bike, more than likely his childhood steed Silver.

Bill is certainly going to need that bike, and any other support from his childhood memories he can get, as he and the entire Loser’s Club gang are reuniting in Derry to take on the evil known as Pennywise The Clown once again. After thirty years of relative peace, with his group of friends being scattered all over, it’s going to take more than just a slingshot to defeat the greatest fears of Bill and the rest of the gang.

With Andy Muschietti previously confirming that a lot of detail went into finding actors that could look and feel like their childhood incarnations, we’re starting to see that work really pay off. See for yourself, by comparing the photo of James McAvoy above with this photo of Jaeden Martell’s version of Bill from IT:

While we’ll have to wait until later this year to see how McAvoy’s performance captures the essence of Lieberher in IT: Chapter 2, there’s certainly a strong resemblance between the two actors in this photo from Andy Muschietti’s Instagram. This isn’t the first we’ve seen when it comes to the adult versions of The Losers Club, as we were treated to some footage of another scene at this year’s CinemaCon.

Through the clips shown to us from IT: Chapter 2, it sounds like James McAvoy isn’t the only example of adult actors sticking the landing on their aged portrayals of their younger counterparts. With a lot of that particular look at the film showing us Jessica Chastain’s Bev, and a few snippets of other Losers being shown, it feels like the fires of hype surrounding this momentous finale are starting to be stoked higher than ever.

IT: Chapter 2 invades our dreams, nightmares, and local theaters, on September 6; but if you want to see what else is heading our way in the months prior to the return to Derry, head over to the 2019 release schedule for further information.

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Wonder Park's Opening Beat Expectations But It Could Still Lose A Lot Of Money

Wonder Park's Opening Beat Expectations But It Could Still Lose A Lot Of Money

Wonder Park just opened in theaters with no credited director. It took five years to get it to the big screen. It reportedly cost close to $100 million even before marketing and distribution. Critics ripped it, and moviegoers seemed to think it was just OK.

But at least they watched it!

Wonder Park was initially expected to make around $10 million for its opening weekend, per THR. Instead, it opened to $16 million. That's not one of the world's great success stories, but the PG film overperformed from projections.

Wonder Park made $16 million at the domestic box office and another $4.3 million in 19 international markets. So the current worldwide total is $20.3 million. The film clearly has a long way to go to recoup the $80M-$100M it reportedly cost to make the movie even before distribution. But it could've been worse! Just saying. Find those silver linings where you can.

Wonder Park managed to take second place at the March 15-17 box office, behind repeat winner Captain Marvel but ahead of fellow newcomer Five Feet Apart.

In other good news, Wonder Park has a B+ CinemaScore from moviegoers polled on opening night. In less good news, Wonder Park currently has a 30% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 42% rating from the audience. That 30% from critics is even lower than our own CinemaBlend projection.

In January 2018, when Wonder Park was still called Amusement Park, director Dylan Brown was fired from the movie. Multiple women accused him of "inappropriate and unwanted conduct" in the workplace. Paramount responded by saying they conducted a thorough investigation and Brown was no longer employed by the company.

No one else was hired as a director so the film opened on March 15, 2019 with no credited director.

Wonder Park features the all-star voice cast of Jennifer Garner, Matthew Broderick, John Oliver, Mila Kunis, Kenan Thompson, Ken Jeong, and more. In the movie, a young girl named June (Brianna Denski) and her mother (Garner) dream up a magical amusement park run by animals, called Wonderland. June ends up transported from her room to a life-size version of the park.

André Nemec, a screenwriter and producer on the film, told EW about the plan for making the movie:

We thought it would be really fascinating to have that amusement park be a product of the girl’s imagination, to see when children are freed from the constraints of the everyday world around them and they get this opportunity to create and design. There’s this beautiful freedom to this idea that an amusement park on a life-size scale could be built in the image of a girl whose buildings blocks are the things we find at home, in the way that kids learn how to build.

Wonder Park is now playing in theaters as one of the many movies packing theaters in 2019. A Wonder Park television series based on the film is still expected on Nickelodeon in 2019.

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Meagan Good Loves A Very Specific Part About Her Top Secret Shazam Role

Meagan Good Loves A Very Specific Part About Her Top Secret Shazam Role

Warning: This story contains major SPOILERS for Shazam!

In one of the best kept superhero movie secrets in recent memory, the end of Shazam! saw Billy Batson transform his foster siblings into the Shazam Family to help him defeat Doctor Sivana. This necessitated adult actors to play the grown up, superhero versions of the kids. Among them was Meagan Good, who plays the superhero version of Faithe Herman’s Darla Dudley.

CinemaBlend got to speak with Meagan Good in St. Louis while she was promoting her new film The Intruder. During the conversation, the actress spoke about the very specific part she loved about her top secret Shazam! role. She said:

More action. More action, more fighting. I also love, because I definitely wanted to do the action and be kick-ass, but I love that I get to be a little girl. I love that I get to show the goofy side of myself because I don’t get to show that in most of the characters that I play, so it’s kind of like the best of two worlds.

Like most actors it seems, Meagan Good was thrilled to do all of the fun action and fighting that her superhero role required, but the part that she really loved was that her character was a kid. Although Superhero Darla may look like an adult on the outside, on the inside she was still just the sweet and precocious little girl that we had seen throughout the film.

The nature of the role allowed Meagan Good to let her inner kid come out, have fun with her performance and act goofy. As she said, her goofiness is not the kind of thing that she usually gets to show in most of her roles, and certainly not in something like The Intruder, which is a thriller that pits her against an insane Dennis Quaid.

You see that goofiness in Meagan Good’s performance in Shazam! and it really sells the fact that this is a little girl that has suddenly found herself with incredible powers in an adult superhero body.

So the actress loved her secret cameo as Superhero Darla in Shazam! because it gave her something different to do than what she generally does from an acting perspective, while also allowing her to express herself and show a side of her personality that people don’t often get to see.

Combine that with the opportunity to do a bunch of kick-ass action, and it really made Shazam! a rewarding experience for Meagan Good. Hopefully that experience gets to continue and play an even bigger part of the story in Shazam! 2. Although a sequel hasn’t been confirmed as of yet, there are some signs that it is in the works and it would be a shame if we didn’t get to see more after one of the DCEU’s best films to date.

You can listen to Meagan Good speak to CinemaBlend about her top secret role in Shazam! in the video below:

While we don’t know when you’ll be able to see Meagan Good back in the superhero realm, you can still catch the actress on the big screen now in The Intruder. Next year she stars in the video game adaptation Monster Hunter. For everything heading to theaters this year, check out our 2019 Release Schedule.

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Hotel Mumbai Wants To Leave Its Audience With A Message

Hotel Mumbai Wants To Leave Its Audience With A Message

In the wake of tragedies like the one that took place at the Taj Hotel in 2008, people start to ask questions surrounding the aftermath of such an event. The same is true for when people see those incidents depicted on film, much as Hotel Mumbai takes that very terrorist attack and commits it to the silver screen. The one question that tends to unite the two subjects is, of course, what can be learned through such atrocities, be it through their direct examination or their cinematic dissection. In that same spirit, I asked co-writer/director Anthony Maras what he wanted audiences to take away from his film, and he explained to CinemaBlend:

The one thing I think that’s important to try and get across to audiences is this idea that even in the darkest of times, we can find a common humanity that can get us through. Again, when you have people from all these different backgrounds coming together to survive, and find a common humanity, I think is important.

This question was among others CinemaBlend had asked him during the recent press day for Hotel Mumbai's theatrical release. In the case of Maras, the film's ultimate purpose is to show that even in the darkest of times, the recurring theme of common humanity mustn't be forgotten. While there were those who perpetrated such heinous acts on that fateful day in November 2008, there was also a heroic compliment of staff members at the Taj Hotel, as well as a number of guests, who banded together and worked to survive the unthinkable together.

Naturally, no matter how much a person can understand the survival instinct of the victims depicted in Hotel Mumbai, there's also another key component of the equation to understand: The actions of those who committed said acts. This is what one of the film's stars, Dev Patel, discussed with us. When asked to provide what he felt the film's big takeaway, he offered this:

I feel we’re in a society now where everything is so temporary, so fleeting. You know, you can read something or watch something on the news that is so horrific, and then maybe you might go to the extent of texting a friend about it. Then you’ll go, ‘alright, back to my breakfast then.’ To create a movie like this, and to make people actually simmer in a situation, actually force them to really be in it, and understand it, the nuts and bolts of the situation. To understand the sheer suffering that people went through, to see the blank look in those young teenagers’ eyes, wielding those AK-47s. It’s really important, I think, at the pace things are going at today.

What Patel describes above is certainly one of the reasons why Hotel Mumbai works as well as it does. Rather than just focusing on one particular side or facet of participants, the film takes a more robust look at both sides of the action. While we obviously see the hostages trying to survive throughout various parts of the hotel, we do also see those who carry out the acts of terrorism coming into Mumbai.

The film shows their ultimate motivation, as these young men take their actions as holy charges set upon them by their overseer; a man who encourages them to keep him on the phone so he can hear the screams and carnage take place. Digging into that portion of the subject a little deeper, Dev Patel, who also serves as an executive producer on Hotel Mumbai, had the following remarks to offer:

To put a microscope to those sorts of situations, because they once probably were a rarity, and now they’re not. It’s sad to say, but it feels like it’s a trend. And solving it is not gonna be getting more guns, it’s by understanding that the root of the cancer. We need education and things like that. I really hope that films like this can do that by shaking people from their core, electrifying them into action and discussion.

At its best, films can help educate the world and instill a sense of empathy for victims of historical events such as the attack on the Taj Hotel. It was with that intent that Anthony Maras and Dev Patel set off to make Hotel Mumbai the admirable film that it is, and it testifies to the power of understanding both sides of history when discussing such events. By feeling and processing this infamous series of events, people can begin to truly work through their recurrence, in hopes that one day it won't ever have to happen again. You can hear such a message resonate in the tones of both Maras and Patel's voices, as they speak through the video provided from our interviews below:

Hotel Mumbai opens in theaters on Friday.

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What We Want To See From The Star Wars: Episode IX Trailer

What We Want To See From The Star Wars: Episode IX Trailer

It has been roughly 1 year and 4 months since Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the last film in the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, hit theaters. In all that time we have yet to see so much as a single frame from the next and final film in the trilogy, J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: Episode IX. Fortunately, that long wait will soon be at an end.

Star Wars Celebration begins this week in Chicago, and with a Star Wars: Episode IX panel featuring director J.J. Abrams and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy scheduled for Friday, April 12, the prevailing wisdom and expectation is that is when we will finally get the trailer for the film. A trailer for a new Star Wars film would be eagerly anticipated regardless, but this one has even more riding on it.

This trailer, which is for the final movie in the Skywalker Saga, comes after the bumpy patch of Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Solo: A Star Wars Story. Those factors mean that this trailer has to deliver. So what do we want from the Star Wars: Episode IX trailer to make it worth the wait? Here are a few things we’d like to see.

A Title

This one is obvious and pretty much a given (how weird would it be if we got a trailer but no full title?) but that doesn’t diminish the fact that we want to know what this movie is called. This will be the latest we have found out the title of any movie in the Sequel Trilogy and while the title doesn’t matter insofar as the quality of the film is concerned, on a macro level, it is important. This is the end of the Skywalker Saga and an over 40-year journey, the concluding chapter title is more than a point of speculation. It should have weight and meaning and sound cool.

In our long wait for the title reveal, there have been a ton of rumored and potential contenders thrown out there, from Son of Darkness and The New Order to Balance of the Force and Skywalkers. We’ll soon find out if any of these guesses were right. I expect that this title reveal will be done as it was for Avengers 4, with the title being revealed at the end of the trailer. If it’s a banger, it will be a heck of a way to close out the first trailer for Star Wars: Episode IX and send fans into a frenzy.

The Knights Of Ren

Glimpsed in the first full trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Rey’s lightsaber vision in the film) and talked about in both Episode VII and Episode VIII, we still have yet to see the enigmatic Knights of Ren in person in the sequel trilogy. Rumors have indicated that Kylo Ren’s coterie of force-wielders will finally show up in Star Wars: Episode IX and if that’s true, they need to be in the trailer.

At this point, the villains are just Supreme Leader Kylo Ren, General Hux, and a bunch of faceless First Order soldiers. The Star Wars: Episode IX trailer could up the stakes and the threat level in a major way by giving us a group of badass darksiders showcasing some serious skills and powers or doing something menacing. J.J. Abrams introduced the idea of the Knights of Ren all the way back in 2015’s The Force Awakens, its time to finally deliver and that should happen starting with the Episode IX trailer.

The Original Trilogy Characters

In the official Star Wars: Episode IX casting announcement, Lucasfilm let us know that Mark Hamill would be reprising his role as Luke Skywalker, Billy Dee Williams would be returning to the franchise as Lando Calrissian, and the late Carrie Fisher would appear as Leia Organa thanks to unused footage from the previous two films. Although the focus of this film will likely be on the new characters like Rey, Finn, and Kylo, the trailer for Episode IX, the end of the Skywalker Saga, should honor its history by showing these Original Trilogy characters.

Lucasfilm made the bold decision to reveal that Luke Skywalker would be back (in some form) in Episode IX, choosing not to keep it a secret despite his death in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. With Luke returning being public knowledge, we should see him in the trailer. With regards to Leia, without knowing how much footage they had to work with, I wouldn’t want too much revealed ahead of time, but just a shot or two would be enough. And Donald Glover’s Lando stole the show in the Solo trailers, and just seeing Billy Dee Williams as Lando again in the Episode IX trailer would be great.

Lightsaber Moments

There are few inventions in fiction as cool and beloved as the lightsaber, and seeing an awesome lightsaber ignite or some signature lightsaber combat is a great way to have people freaking out over a trailer. Just think back to the trailer for Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace when you saw Darth Maul whip out a double-bladed lightsaber or in the teaser for The Force Awakens when Kylo Ren pulled his jagged crossguard lightsaber. The trailer for Episode IX should have a similar ‘Holy Shit!’ lightsaber moment.

I know Rey’s/Anakin’s blue saber is/was broken and I’m not saying we need to see a new kind of lightsaber in the trailer, but it feels like we do need to see some kind of lightsaber moment that surprises you and has you pumping your fist. The Last Jedi didn’t feature any lightsaber on lightsaber battles but I hope and expect J.J. Abrams to give us plenty of that in this film. If we could see some of that in the trailer it would help get everyone back on board with this saga and hyped about this film.

The New Characters

Star Wars: Episode IX may be the last film in this trilogy and the Skywalker Saga at large, but there are still new faces that will be introduced. Richard E. Grant, Keri Russell, Dominic Monaghan, and Naomi Ackie are all joining the cast in roles that are yet to be officially revealed. There is also still something of an open question whether or not Matt Smith is in this movie. Exciting new characters interacting with our faves and doing cool things is a good way to build the hype for the film and hopefully the Episode IX trailer does just that by showing them.

That said, there is a caveat to this wish list item; if any of the new characters or their roles in the film are meant to be a surprise, like Yoda in The Last Jedi, I’m fine with omitting them from the trailer, as I don’t think any of us want major plot beats spoiled. But we should be able to see at least some of these new characters in the trailer, if only enough to whet our appetites and give us something to speculate over until December.

An Idea Of The Story

Generally speaking, I’m a huge advocate of trailers that go light on plot details and heavy on establishing the tone of a film, and while that latter part is also important, I think that the first trailer for Star Wars: Episode IX needs to really give us an idea of what the story is. This isn’t a teaser that’s arriving a year before the film releases, this is a trailer that’s giving us our first anything from this film a mere eight months before its release.

Unlike The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi didn’t leave us with a cliffhanger or a ton of huge questions in need of answering, so the story feels wide open with where it could go in Episode IX. This trailer needs to give us some idea of where it is going, what’s at stake in this film and what the characters will be up to. Obviously it will be a battle between The First Order and the Resistance, but what’s the current dynamic between those forces after the time jump? What are the characters up to and what’s going on with Kylo and Rey? Is there a new enemy or a quest that must be completed? I feel like tone alone isn’t enough; we need at least a few plot details (nothing too spoilery, of course).

These are just a few of the things that we’d like to see in the Star Wars: Episode IX trailer. The wait alone for this trailer has built up a ton of anticipation and that means expectations are sky high. This is the last time we'll ever see the first trailer from a Skywalker Saga film for the first time. That's momentous and the trailer should convey that.

Whatever it includes or doesn’t, this trailer has a lot of work to do to get everyone excited and on board for a new Star Wars film after the past two entries haven’t been universally beloved. The Episode IX trailer can do that by delivering on some of these elements, feeling epic and maybe even including a surprise or two.

Star Wars: Episode IX blasts into theaters on December 20. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule for all of this year’s biggest movies. We’ll keep you updated on all the latest Star Wars news as it drops and let us know in the comments below what you want to see in the Episode IX trailer.

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