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New 'Lord of the Rings' Films Announced by Warner Bros

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez in London on August 30, 2022. Niklas HALLE'N AFP
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez in London on August 30, 2022. Niklas HALLE'N AFP
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New 'Lord of the Rings' Films Announced by Warner Bros

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez in London on August 30, 2022. Niklas HALLE'N AFP
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez in London on August 30, 2022. Niklas HALLE'N AFP

Multiple new "Lord of the Rings" films are on the way from Warner Bros, the Hollywood studio behind Peter Jackson's blockbuster Oscar-winning trilogy said Thursday.

David Zaslav, CEO of parent group Warner Bros. Discovery, told an earnings calls that recently appointed studio chiefs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy had struck an agreement to make more movies based on JRR Tolkien's epic fantasy books.

"Today, I'm thrilled to announce that Mike and Pam signed a deal to make multiple Lord of the Rings movies," he said.

"'Lord of the Rings' is one of the most iconic storytelling franchises of all time, and we're so excited. Stay tuned for more to come on this front."

Zaslav did not provide further details, but Jackson said in a statement to AFP that he and his collaborators have been kept "in the loop every step of the way."

"We look forward to speaking with them further to hear their vision for the franchise moving forward," Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens said.

No details were provided on which storylines or timelines from Tolkien's sprawling books would provide the source material for the new films.

They will be developed by Warner subsidiary New Line Cinema, which made Jackson's original trilogy.

Rival studio Amazon last September released the first season of its own television adaptation, "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power."

That series -- a prequel to the "Lord of the Rings" books -- is planned to run for five seasons, with a reported total cost of more than $1 billion.

The first season provided the Prime Video streaming platform its biggest premiere, with 25 million viewers on its first day, but received a lukewarm response from critics.

Jackson's original three "Lord of the Rings" movies grossed nearly $3 billion at theaters, and won 17 Oscars, including best picture for 2003 trilogy finale "The Return of the King."

They starred Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen and Cate Blanchett.

A subsequent trilogy based on Tolkien's "The Hobbit" was also a massive box office hit, despite a poor critical response.

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Entertainment

‘Venom: The Last Dance’ Misses Projections as Superhero Films’ Grip on Theaters Loosens

Tom Hardy poses for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film "Venom: The Last Dance" on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024, in London. (AP)
Tom Hardy poses for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film "Venom: The Last Dance" on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024, in London. (AP)
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‘Venom: The Last Dance’ Misses Projections as Superhero Films’ Grip on Theaters Loosens

Tom Hardy poses for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film "Venom: The Last Dance" on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024, in London. (AP)
Tom Hardy poses for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film "Venom: The Last Dance" on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024, in London. (AP)

“Venom: The Last Dance” showed less bite than expected at the box office, collecting $51 million in its opening weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday, significantly down from the alien symbiote franchise’s previous entries.

Projections for the third “Venom” film from Sony Pictures had been closer to $65 million. More concerning, though, was the drop off from the first two “Venom” films. The 2018 original debuted with $80.2 million, while the 2021 follow-up, “Venom: Let There Be Carnage,” opened with $90 million even as theaters were still in recovery mode during the pandemic.

“The Last Dance,” starring Tom Hardy as a journalist who shares his body with an alien entity also voiced by Hardy, could still turn a profit for Sony. Its production budget, not accounting for promotion and marketing, was about $120 million — significantly less than most comic-book films.

But “The Last Dance” is also performing better overseas. Internationally, “Venom: The Last Dance” collected $124 million over the weekend, including $46 million over five days of release in China. That’s good enough for one of the best international weekends of the year for a Hollywood release.

Still, neither reviews (36% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) nor audience scores (a franchise-low “B-” CinemaScore) have been good for the film scripted by Kelly Marcel and Hardy, and directed by Marcel.

The low weekend for “Venom: The Last Dance” also likely ensures that superhero films will see their lowest-grossing year in a dozen years, not counting the pandemic year of 2020, according to David A. Gross, a film consultant who publishes a newsletter for Franchise Entertainment.

Following on the heels of the “Joker: Folie à Deux” flop, Gross estimates that 2024 superhero films will gross about $2.25 billion worldwide. The only upcoming entry is Marvel’s “Kraven the Hunter,” due out Dec. 13.

Even with the $1.3 billion of “Deadpool & Wolverine,” the genre hasn’t, overall, been dominating the way it once did. In 2018, for example, superhero films accounted for more than $7 billion in global ticket sales.

Last week’s top film, the Paramount Pictures horror sequel “Smile 2,” dropped to second place with $9.4 million. That brings its two-week total to $83.7 million worldwide.

The weekend’s biggest success story might have been “Conclave,” the papal thriller starring Ralph Fiennes and directed by Edward Berger (“All Quiet on the Western Front”). The Focus Features release, a major Oscar contender, launched with $6.5 million in 1,753 theaters.

That put “Conclave” into third place, making it the rare adult-oriented drama to make a mark theatrically. Some 77% of ticket buyers were over the age of 35, Focus said. With a strong opening and stellar reviews, “Conclave” could continue to gather momentum both with moviegoers and Oscar voters.