Did You Hear? is a weekly examination of headlines in the entertainment industry and a take on what they could mean for the future of the industry and (often), the little geeky bubble that we occupy!
“The Rise of Skywalker” Reactions Mixed
The Rise of Skywalker doesn’t officially open until tonight and the internet is already full of chatter about the potential success of failure in what is being called – for the third time in 40 years – “the end of the Skywalker saga”. Screenings began on Sunday and critics have already cracked the geeksphere in half with their immediate thoughts and reactions.
Even NBC weighed in on the reactions to The Rise of Skywalker:
The largely negative reviews were unlikely to dent the commercial fortunes of the global entertainment behemoth. “Skywalker” delivered roughly $40 million from Thursday night showings, and the movie was reportedly on track to earn a robust $170 million to $200 million through the weekend.
… they write after sighting a number of fan tweets that note the movie is a bit of a mess, although they come down positive on the movie overall.
They also quote Vox critic Emily Todd VanDerWerff:
In the previous episode, “The Last Jedi,” Force-using Rey learns that her parents were junk traders, not powerful Jedi or royal rulers — suggesting that the mystical Force had been democratized. The reversal in “Skywalker, … crushing disappointment.
Most fans like to take a note from Rotten Tomatoes (the review aggregator), which currently gives The Rise of Skywalker a 57% score from critics, with a much higher and more apologetic audience rating of 86%.
I’ve written it before on Did You Hear? and I will write it again: the bottom dollar is what really counts in situations like these. Earlier this year in the wake of Solo: A Star Wars Story we did see plans for future standalone Star Wars Stories scrapped and moved over to Disney+, where fans are currently streaming The Mandalorian each week. If The Rise of Skywalker does exception numbers this opening weekend (and internationally), the future of the Star Wars franchise seems secure. The real question to come out of this climate of mixed reactions is whether or not the more casual Star Wars fans will keep away from Episode IX as a result of early negative comments.
“The Witcher” Premiers on Netflix Today!
Current-cum-former Superman, Henry Cavill’s latest forray into genre performance hits streaming giant, Netflix, today. Cavill stars as Geralt of Rivia, the lead of the popular video game franchise, The Witcher.
THE WITCHER | FINAL TRAILER | NETFLIX
On a Continent riddled with evil, the paths of a monster hunter, a sorceress and a runaway princess converge. The Witcher, starring Henry Cavill, arrives December 20, only on Netflix.
The Witcher fans have expressed a desire to see a rougher-around-the-edges performer playing Geralt, although the response to Cavill’s casting has been largely popular. The actor went after this part based on his affection for the property.
The Witcher stands poised to capture some of the audience left behind in the wake of HBO’s Game of Thrones coming to an end after eight seasons. Watchmen and His Dark Materials are the latest genre offerings from HBO, itself, although they haven’t matched the numbers the A Song of Ice and Fire adaptation made. The Witcher also stands poised to be the first adaptation of a video game in the streaming era to be quote-unquote “done right”.
Will you be bingeing The Witcher? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments section!
