It’s official— “Spider-Man: No Way Home” has done what no other pandemic-era film has done so far, earning more than $1 billion worldwide. And the film did it in only 12 days. So, the box office is fully recovered, the pandemic is over, and we can go back to those coveted 2019 numbers, right? Well, not so much. 

LISTEN: ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’: The Best Live-Action Spidey Ever Or Just A Sony Legacy Cash Grab?

Continue reading ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Becomes First Pandemic-Era Film To Pass $1 Billion As ‘Matrix’ & ‘King’s Man’ Struggle At The Box Office at The Playlist.

What came first, the chicken or the egg? And in the case of “The Matrix Resurrections,” was the film first conceived purely as a way for Lana Wachowski to tell an epic love story, or was the meta sequel the result of boardroom discussions and urging from the studio? When you watch the film, you can’t really tell, as ‘Resurrections’ truly feels like a film at war with its own existence.

Continue reading ‘The Matrix Resurrections’: Lana Wachowski Navigates A Meta Minefield To Tell A Sci-Fi Love Story [The Playlist Podcast] at The Playlist.

Do you hear that? Can you feel it underneath your seat? 2021 finally gave us the chance to return to cinemas, that rare gift where a handful of carefully curated trailers whets our appetites for the year ahead—without having to desperately refresh browser windows with a looming sense of dread with no end in sight. 

READ MORE: The Best Film Posters Of 2021

That’s not to say we’re completely out of the woods, but it’s certainly offered a new sense of gratitude for the very best trailers of the year as we’ve been able to appreciate them the way they should be: big, loud, full of hope and optimism for the wondrous selection of movies this year and the next will have to offer us—wherever we watch them. 

“Licorice Pizza”
The first glimpse of Paul Thomas Anderson’s blissful valentine to the San Fernando Valley was teased in a small handful of cinemas around the world, building anticipation and then crashing into focus all at once—as the revered filmmaker has always done with his work.

Continue reading The Best Movie Trailers Of 2021 at The Playlist.

It speaks to the month’s quality that to kick things off there’s the release of Jane Campion’s beauty, “The Power of the Dog,” starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Kirsten Dunst on Netflix following a limited theatrical run last month. December is positively overwhelming in titles to discover both big and small, from independent darlings that have danced the festival circuit all year to the latest – and last – Marvel film of the year, the much talked about “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”

We couldn’t even fit everything about to release on the below list (see reviews in each link) where applicable).

Continue reading 19 Films To See In December: ‘Nightmare Alley,’ ‘Don’t Look Up,’ ‘Tragedy Of Macbeth’ & More at The Playlist.

If there’s an actor’s name who consistently comes up in all fan-casting for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s almost always Keanu Reeves. In the past, Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige has said the company is “committed” to finding a role for Reeves, and it seems like only a matter of time before he joins the fold. So, in a recent interview with Esquire promoting the upcoming “The Matrix Resurrections,” the subject of the MCU naturally came up.

Continue reading Keanu Reeves Keen To Join The MCU, & Seems “Multiverse” Conversant: “It Would Be An Honor” at The Playlist.

“The Matrix Resurrections” should prove to be fascinating exercise in Warner Bros‘ attempt to revive a thought-to-be-long dead franchise. While profitable at the box office, the ‘Matrix‘ sequels weren’t exactly as genre-bending as the original, seen as a disappointment by some, and seemed to end the franchise on sort of a sour note. However, after nearly 20 years, co-creator Lana Wachowski decided to return for a fourth installment that very well could launch a new franchise, if the massive buzz around “The Matrix Resurrections” teaser trailer is any indication.

Continue reading ‘Matrix 4’: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Confirms He’s Morpheus, But Won’t “Duplicate Or Challenge” Original at The Playlist.

Obviously, when it comes to the spectrum of how people feel about day-and-date releases of feature films on streaming platforms and in theaters, folks like the CEO of IMAX are going to be on the side of exclusive theatrical windows. But one of the main ways he defends this stance, in a recent interview with Puck, is by pointing out the record levels of piracy that have been seen after Warner Bros.

Continue reading IMAX CEO Predicts Huge Piracy Issue For ‘Matrix: Resurrections” Due To HBO Max Release at The Playlist.

When it was announced that Warner Bros. was going to team up with Lana Wachowski to make a new ‘Matrix’ film, fans were excited. But in that excitement, there was also the question of why? Why now would the filmmaker come back to the franchise to make a new film after nearly 20 years? Well, judging by her recent comments at Berlin’s International Literature Festival (via ScreenRant), it was a very personal, emotional decision.

Continue reading Lana Wachowski Resurrected ‘The Matrix’ As A “Comfort” After The Death Of Her Parents at The Playlist.

It’s been eighteen years since Lana & Lilly Wachowski‘s last installment in “The Matrix” series premiered. And for those of you who remember, “The Matrix Revolutions” was a critical dud despite grossing over $400 million worldwide. However, have mixed reviews ever stopped Hollywood filmmakers from returning to tired franchises well after their cultural relevance expires? Of course not.

READ MORE: Fall 2021 Movie Preview: 60+ Must-See Films

So, flash-forward to 2021, and Lana Wachowski has brought Neo, Trinity, and others back from the dead: “The Matrix: Resurrections” is set to hit theaters and HBO Max this December.

Continue reading ‘The Matrix: Resurrections’ Trailer: Neo, Trinity & More Return In Lana Wachowski’s Latest Matrix Sequel This December at The Playlist.

Even though it was more than two decades ago, “The Matrix” used the internet in its marketing campaign in a pretty effective way, especially given that the internet was still in its relative infancy. And it appears Warner Bros. is ready to get the marketing machine rolling on “The Matrix: Resurrections” by once again utilizing the internet.

WB just launched a new website for “The Matrix: Resurrections,” and while it’s clearly just a way to hype up the new trailer that is dropping in a couple of days, fans of the franchise are going to get a little giddy clicking on either the red or blue pill.

Continue reading WB Launches ‘The Matrix: Resurrections’ Teaser Website Offering First Real Glimpse At New Sequel at The Playlist.

Trust us when we say we hope there’s a day when the words pandemic and COVID-19 are never written on the pages of this website again, specifically in any intros to any features. However, the reality is that the collective disruption of 2020 was difficult, and it made 2021’s release schedule something of a log-jammed shitshow. That Delta variant could play havoc with things too, but we’re all starting to learn to live with a world that’s in flux. 

READ MORE: The Best Films Of 2021, So Far

All that said, the delays of 2021 have had their pluses.

Continue reading Fall 2021 Movie Preview: 60+ Must-See Films at The Playlist.

Recently, the first footage for “Matrix 4” was shown at CinemaCon and the official title was announced as “The Matrix: Resurrections,” an obvious nod to the titling of previous sequels, “The Matrix: Reloaded” and “The Matrix: Revolutions.”

READ MORE: Neil Patrick Harris Describes Lana Wachowski’s Relaxed ‘Matrix 4’ Filming Process: “She Made It Feel Very Intimate”

Though the title might be similar, there is one major difference between the first three ‘Matrix’ films and the upcoming ‘Resurrections.’ We’re all excited for the return of director Lana Wachowski, who is co-writing and directing the latest sequel, but outside of a couple of quick comments made by her sister, we’ve been curious why co-director/sibling Lilly Wachowski decided to sit on the sidelines.

Continue reading Lilly Wachowski Found The Idea Of Returning To Direct ‘Matrix 4’ “Expressly Unappealing” at The Playlist.