BY SUNIT JANGIR

California, July 28 - Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), but in a new avatar as the actor has been revealed to play villainous Victor Von Doom in the next two Avengers movies, to be directed by the Russo Brothers - Joe Russo and Anthony Russo. ## The blockbuster announcement was made during the San Diego Comic-Con 2024 event where Marvel has held a panel for the first time since 2022. Downey Jr. will be introduced as Doctor Doom in Avengers 5, which is now titled Avengers: Doomsday, and Avengers: Secret Wars. Both the movies are scheduled to be released in 2026 and 2026, respectively## Over the years, Robert Downey Jr. has been an integral part of the MCU as the iconic protagonist Iron Man/Tony Stark since his debut in the 2008 Iron Man movie, and reprised the role in 10 Marvel films, including next 2 Iron Man movies, "The Incredible Hulk", "The Avengers", "Captian America: Civil War", "Avengers: Age of Ultron", "Spider-Man: Homecoming", "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame". ## Downey's character as Iron Man died in Avengers: Endgame, and since then, there have been speculations that he might return in future MCU movies considering how the franchise has been shaping up with the Multiverse and Mutant saga. However, the actor's casting as Victor von Doom comes as a massive shock to everyone. ## The Hollywood superstar has replaced Jonathan Majors who was supposed to play Kang in Avengers 5, which was originally titled Avengers: Kang Dynasty, and Secret Wars. However, the actor was fired after being found guilty of reckless assault and harassment last year.## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK TEAM

Mumbai, July 27 - After the huge opening day of approximately 21 crores net (approx. 27 crores gross), Marvel Studios' superhero comedy Deadpool and Wolverine has witnessed a jump of around 10% on its second day at the Indian box office which is good for an A-rated Hollywood title. ## According to the early estimates, the Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman-starrer blockbuster scored in the range of 22.50-23.50 crores net (28-30 crores gross) on its second day, pushing the 2-days total to around 44 crores net and 55+ crores gross in all versions.## The jump in the collection indicates the positive word of mouth among the moviegoers. These types of films tend to stay flat after the big opening. The Marvel tag, however, is a big plus as it is a popular movie brand in India and with positive reception, Marvel movies have done well in the past and Deadpool 3 should be the next on this list. ## The Shawn Lavy's directorial is heading for around 67-70 crores net (85+ crores gross) on the opening weekend which is an excellent result for the movie.## On the other hand, the Tamil movie Raayan has a super solid hold on its second day after delivering the career-best opening for actor Dhanush with approximately 15.75 crores gross in India. On its second day, the action thriller scored an estimated 15.50-16.50 crores gross (13.50-14.50 crores net) in all versions.## South Indian movies tend to see a drop on their second day after the big opening but this was not the case with Raayan which is riding high on the positive word of mouth. Despite the A-rating, the movie has minted around 27.50+ crores net (32 crores gross) in 2 days. The first weekend headed to 41-43 crores net collection.## Stay tuned...

BY SUNIT JANGIR

Chennai, July 27 - Tamil action thriller Raayan has had an excellent start at the domestic box office with approximately 15.75 crores gross collection. It is now the biggest opening for actor Dhanush, beating his previous high of approximately 12 crore gross with Karnan in 2021. ## At the overseas box office, the A-rated title scored approximately 7.25 crores gross, for approximately 23 crores worldwide on opening day, again the biggest for the actor beating Captain Miller which scored approximately 14 crores gross.## The domestic box office of 15.75 crores of Raayan includes approximately 10.60 crores in Tamil Nadu which is again the biggest for the actor in the state. The Telugu version of the movie also fared decently with approximately 2 crores gross in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, followed by 1.80 crores in Karnataka, 90 lakh in Kerala and 40 lakh in the rest of India market.## It is the second biggest opening for a Tamil movie of 2024, behind only Kamal Haasan's Indian 2 which scored 30.25 crores gross in India and 56.25 crores worldwide on the opening day. For Raayan, word of mouth is positive which should lead to a big first weekend at the domestic and worldwide box office. ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK TEAM

Mumbai, July 27 - Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar is gearing up to release his third movie of the year Khel Khel Mein. While the previous two movies, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Sarfira ended up with box office failure, the hopes have now been pinned on KKM to change the fate. ## Directed by Mudassar Aziz, Khe Khel Mein recently launched the first song and the makers are now gearing up to release the much-awaited trailer. According to the report by Pinkvilla, the trailer of the film will be out on August 2 at a grand event in Mumbai. ## It is said that the makers have planned a unique media event involving a bus on August 2 in Mumbai in the presence of the entire star cast alongside the director Mudassar Aziz and the producers Bhushan Kumar, Vipul D Shah, Ashwin Varde and Rajesh Bahl. ## The trailer is 3 minutes and 8 seconds long and is loaded with gags and unfolds the core plot of this film for the first time for the viewers. The film will be released on August 15, and clash with Stree 2 and Vedaa at the box office. ## Produced by T-Series, Wakaoo Films and White World Productions, the movie features an ensemble cast of Akshay Kumar, Taapsee Pannu, Fardeen Khan, Vaani Kapoor, Ammy Virk, Pragya Jaiswal and Aditya Seal.## Stay tuned...

BY SUNIT JANGIR

Mumbai, July 27 - Marvel studios' superhero comedy Deadpool and Wolverine, starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, has taken a very good opening at the Indian box office with approximately 25.50 crores gross collection in all versions. ## The Shawn Levy's directorial blockbuster came a little above the projection to score the 6th biggest opening day for a Hollywood movie in India. It is easily the biggest Hollywood start in India for an A-rated title, beating Christopher Nolan's last year blockbuster Oppenheimer which minted approximately 17.25 crores gross.## For the Deadpool franchise, the third instalment has more than 2X opening of Deadpool 2 which opened to approximately 12.75 crores in 2018. For an MCU title, Deadpool 3 has the best opening since Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness which scored 36+ crore in 2022.## Here are the top 10 biggest opening days for Hollywood in India (gross collection) -## 1. Avengers: Endgame - 65 crores## 2. Avatar: The Way of Water - 48.75 crores## 3. Spider-man: No Way Home - 41.50 crores## 4. Avengers: Infinity War - 41 crores## 5. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness - 36.25 crores## 6. Deadpool and Wolverine - 26.80 crores## 7. Thor: Love and Thunder - 22 crores## 8. Oppenheimer - 17.25 crores## 9. Furious 7 - 16.75 crores## 10. Captain Marvel - 15.75 crores## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK TEAM

Mumbai, July 27 - After debuting with the huge blockbuster success of Uri: The Surgical Strike, director Aditya Dhar's second directorial feature to be headlined by Ranveer Singh and the film was officially announced on July 27, Saturday. ## The yet-untitled film will be produced by Jyoti Deshpande along with Lokesh Dhar and Aditya Dhar under the banners of Jio Studios and B62 Studios. Ranveer Singh will lead the stellar cast which also includes Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal, Akshaye Khanna, and R. Madhavan. ## As reported earlier, the film is set in the golden era of Indian Intelligence Agencies and is said to be based on some incredible true events from the history books of R&AW. Sanjay Dutt will be playing the antagonist role while Akshaye Khanna, R Madhavan, and Arjun Rampal will be on the side of Ranveer as R&AW agents.## While the official announcement is yet to be made, the movie has reportedly been titled Dhurandar and has already commenced filming on July 25. It will have a grand release in 2025.## This is what movie dreams are made of! Helmed by #RanveerSingh, directed by #AdityaDhar, this much-anticipated collaboration between #JioStudios & #B62Studios is all set to dazzle you with a stellar cast like never before.@RanveerOfficial @duttsanjay #AkshayeKhanna… pic.twitter.com/2Gd4o0Mzkk— Jio Studios (@jiostudios) July 27, 2024 ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK TEAM

Bengaluru, July 27 - Rishab Shetty's Kantara was a box office phenomenon upon its release in September 2022. The movie shattered many records in Karnataka before it was dubbed into other languages, including Hindi and scored the same success. ## After the monstrous success at the Pan India level, Hombale Films and Shetty announced its Kantara 2, the prequel to the first part. It will explore the backstory of the folklore featured in the first part. The movie is shaping into a proper Pan India blockbuster with huge anticipation among the audiences. ## The filming of Kantara 2 commenced towards the end of 2023 and over the last year, the makers have extensively shot the film at real locations and in the studio set-up. According to the report by Pinkvilla, Rishab Shetty and the team have completed the outdoor portions for Kantara 2 and only 15 to 20 days of indoor shoot remains before the makers call it wrap. ## The pre-production work, however, has already begun as it's a big-budget visual spectacle and the makers are investing a lot of time to get the VFX right. Kantara 2 is a lot bigger than the first part, with the introduction of prequel and mythological elements in the story.## The report further revealed that Kantara 2 is eyeing a summer 2025 release date and the official announcement will be made later this year. The first assest of the movie is expected to be released by October this year. It is written and directed by Rishab Shetty who also plays the lead role. ## The first film, which was released on September 30, 2022, grossed over 400 crores at the worldwide box office, including 364 crores in India. It is the second highest-grossing Kannada movie, behind KGF: Chapter 2 of all time. ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK TEAM

Mumbai, July 26 - Marvel Studios' highly-anticipated superhero comedy Deadpool & Wolverine has taken a very good start at the Indian box office, coming ahead of the projections. It was easily the number-one movie of the day and finally gave a solid start for a Hollywood title this year.## The Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman-fronted threequel scored superb pre-sales in India, indicating a huge start at the box office and that's what happened as according to the early estimates, Deadpool 3 scored 21-23 crores net (26+ crores gross) on opening day in India for all languages. ## It scored easily the biggest opening for a Hollywood movie of 2024 in India, beating Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire which scored 13.25 crores net first day for 39 crores net weekend. Depending on where the actual first-day collection lends, Deadpool 3 will be aiming for 70+ crores first weekend total which is excellent for an 'A' rated title.## Tamil star Dhanush's action thriller Raayan, another A-rated title, has taken the career-best opening for the actor. The movie was released in the original Tamil along with the dubbed versions of Telugu and Hindi, and according to early estimates, it has scored in the range of 12-13 crores net (14+ crores gross) in all versions.## The Tamil version remains the major contributor for an estimated 11+ crores net (13 crores gross) while the Telugu and Hindi versions mint in the range of 1.50 crores net (estimates). The movie got positive reviews and the initial word of mouth also seems on the positive side which should lead to an excellent first weekend. ## Stay tuned...

BY SUNIT JANGIR

Los Angeles, July 26 - The third Deadpool movie, Deadpool and Wolverine celebrated its Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) debut with the record-breaking opening for an R-rated movie ever after scoring a monstrous $38.5 million on Thursday previews at the domestic (North America) box office.## The high-profile Deadpool threequel, starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman as Deadpool and Wolverine, respectively, beats its predecessor, Deadpool 2's previews earning of $18.6 million to score the biggest start for an R-rated title by more than a double margin. ## Other than being a record start for an R-rated, Deadpool & Wolverine is at 8th on the list of top previews among all films, not adjusted for inflation. It is a little short of Avengers: Infinity War ($39 million) and ahead of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ($36 million). ## Here are the top 10 biggest previews at the North American box office (via The Numbers) - ## 1. Avengers: Endgame - $60 million## 2. Star Wars Ep. VII: The Force Awakens - $57 million## 3. Spider-Man: No Way Home - $50 million## 4. Star Wars Ep. VIII: The Last Jedi - $45 million## 5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II - $43.5 million## 6. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - $40 million## 7. Avengers: Infinity War - $39 million## 8. Deadpool & Wolverine - $38.5 million## 9. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness - $36 million## 10. The Dark Knight Rises - $30.6 million## Deadpool 3 was projected to earn $160+ million in its 3-day+Thursday previews domestic opening weekend but it is now aiming $200+ million start as projected by very few tracking sites. Meanwhile, at the worldwide box office, it has already crossed $100 million and is aiming for $400+ million opening weekend. ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK TEAM

Bengaluru, July 26 - After scripting box office history with Prashanth Neel's directorial action drama KGF: Chapter 2, superstar Yash will be returning to the big screen with National Award-Winning director, Geetu Mohandas' gangster-based action film Toxic - A Fairy Tale of Grown-Ups. ## The film was announced last year with the official release date of April 10, 2025. The movie commenced its shoot recently, and according to the reports, the makers have locked a solid female cast in the form of Kiara Advani, Nayanthara, Tara Sutaria, Shruti Haasan, and Huma Qureshi. ## Now, according to the report by Pinkvilla, Toxic will no longer be released on April 10, 2025, as announced. It is a huge-budgeted film and the makers are taking their time to mount it on the right scale. Due to the massive star cast, the scheduling of the dates of the actors is also a challenge for the makers and they are trying to align all the dates to shoot together.## The movie is produced by Yash under his banner Monster Mind Creations in association with KVN Productions. The movie will announce the new release date keeping the shoot schedule and post-production in mind as they are aware of the massive expectations fans have from this film.## As reported earlier, Nayanthara is playing the role of Yash's sister while Huma Qureshi plays the antagonist turn. The character details of Kiara Advani, Tara Sutaria and Shruti Haasan, have been kept under wraps now. ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK TEAM

Mumbai, July 26 - Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar and Arshad Warsi's comedy-drama Jolly LLB 3 is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated Indian movies of 2025. The movie, directed by Subhash Kapoor, has wrapped up filming and is currently in the post-production stage. Meanwhile, the makers have locked a release date for the same. ## According to the report by Pinkvilla, the hugely-awaited film has been locked to be released on April 10, 2025, on account of Mahavir Jayanti and then reap the benefit of the Ambedkar Jayanti Holiday on Monday, April 14 as well. It's a 5-day extended holiday weekend for the blockbuster. ## The report also revealed that superstar Yash-fronted Toxic, which is scheduled to be released on April 10, 2025, has been postponed due to a scheduling conflict and it will now be released on some other date, and without wasting any time, the Jolly LLB 3 makers occupied this slot for their movie.## Produced by Star Studios and Kangra Talkies, Jolly LLB 3 pits Akshay Kumar and Arshad Warsi against each other inside the court, marking the first time when the duo coming together in this 3-film franchise (including the third instalment). Earlier, Arshad Warsi headlined the first movie in 2013 while Akshay headlined Jolly LLB 2 in 2017. ## Apart from Akshay and Arshad who reprise their roles as Advocate Jagdishwar "Jolly" Mishra and Advocate Jagdish Tyagi, respectively, the movie also marks the return of Huma Qureshi as Pushpa Pandey Mishra, Amrita Rao as Sandhya Tyagi and Saurabh Shukla as Justice Sunderlal Tripathi. ## Stay tuned...

BY SUNIT JANGIR

Mumbai, July 26 - Pan India superstar Prabhas-fronted Kalki 2898 AD reached 280 crores net after a good fourth week at the Hindi box office. The film's collection was hit by Bad Newz which scored over 40 crores net in the first week but still, Kalki was the second choice of the moviegoers. ## Directed by Nag Ashwin, the sci-fi epic scored approximately 14 crores net collection, making it the 5th biggest South Indian grosser in the 4th week in the dubbed Hindi version. Baahubali 2 remains the top South Indian grosser, followed by KGF: Chapter 2, Kantara, and RRR in the 4th week.## Rishab Shetty's Kantara is the new entry in the top 5 South Indian grossers in Hindi in the weekly chart. It was a word-of-mouth sensation which went on to score 85 crores net collection in Hindi in its lifetime run, creating enough buzz for its upcoming prequel to go bang bang in the dubbed version. ## Top 5 South Indian Grossers in Hindi in The 4th Week (Net Collection) - ## 1. Baahubali 2 - The Conclusion - 29.40 crores## 2. KGF: Chapter 2 - 22.75 crores## 3. Kantara - 18.10 crores## 4. RRR - 14.72 crores## 5. Kalki 2898 AD - 13.90 crores## Kalki 2898 AD remains in the race of hitting 300 crores net in Hindi, however, its pursuit to enter this prestigious box office club may get a hit by Marvel Studios' highly-anticipated Deadpool and Wolverine which has been released on July 26.## Stay tuned...