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Hey, remember Y2K (Aka “the millenium bug”)? In the months leading up to the year 2000, everybody was in an uproar, believing there would be a complete shutdown of resources upon midnight of December 31 / January 1 of 2000.

In a nutshell, many computer programs were not set up for the change of “19” to “20” that year, and the possibility existed that files would become unreachable, the power grid would shut down, etc.

Of course, there were some technical issues upon the stroke of midnight, but thankfully, nowhere near the disaster that so many people believed was inevitable. Well, A24’s newest film, appropriately called Y2K, uses the panic as the basis for its plot.

Set on December 31, 1999 Y2K stars Jaeden Martell, Rachel Zegler, Julian Dennison Australian rapper the Kid Laroi, Fred Durst and Alicia Silverstone.

Although A24 has become mostly known for its serious horror films such as The Witch, Hereditary, Midsommar and Talk to Me,...

First, let’s get this out of the way: We will talk about George Nolfi’s “Elevation” in a minute. Yes, it stars Anthony Mackie and Morena Baccarin, and takes place in a world where monsters have taken over the planet and the only safe place to live is over 8,000 feet. Yes, it’s a decent B-movie, flaws and all. But before we get there, we have to talk about the elephant in the room, because yes, this is also another “A Quiet Place,” and that’s not a criticism. It’s a neutral observation about a subgenre that’s currently being formed.

There’s a special place in the history books for films that inspire their own subgenre. “Night of the Living Dead,” “Die Hard” and “Halloween,” to name a few, spawned endless waves of knockoffs, some of which inspired subgenres of their own. And while none of these...

It has been quite some time since we’ve seen one of Nicolas Cage’s movies earn an Oscar nod, but he’s certainly no stranger to winning the prestigious award. Despite being one of the older veterans in the movie game today, Cage has also been more active than some actors who regularly receive nominations for some of the biggest awards in the industry.

Nicolas Cage and Nicholas Hoult in Renfield | Credits: Universal Pictures

Between 2023 and this year, the 60-year-old starred in nine movies including Renfield alongside Nicholas Hoult, Flash, Arcadian, and Sympathy for the Devil. But his most recent release, Longlegs, has generated a lot of buzz online. Some also believe his performance is Oscar-worthy!

Neon launches a FYC campaign for Nicolas Cage’s performance in Longlegs Nicolas Cage in Longlegs | Credits: C2 Motion Picture Group/Neon

Longlegs was released earlier this year and since then, it has...

To the outside observer it may seem like every single year is called “one of the best years for horror ever,” but I’m going to let you in on a little secret: It’s never a bad year for horror. The entertainment industry damn near runs on scary movies, which are cheap to produce and able to take artistic risks that bigger budget genre films — the ones that have to sell tickets to everybody just to break in — are too timid to even consider. You can always find great horror movies. The trick is knowing where to look.

And that right there is the trick, because smaller movies don’t have huge advertising budgets, and they don’t drive traffic so publications can’t always allocate the resources to cover them. Great horror movies fall through the cracks all the time. Heck, even major theatrical releases don’t get...

Nicolas Cage and Sydney Sweeney added new layers to the horror genre this year with their amazing films Longlegs and Immaculate. In addition to those two, the year has been great for the genre as it offered various inventive narratives that spooked audiences and most of them also did good business at the box office.

Sydney Sweeney’s Immaculate had a bloody and bonkers ending | Credits: Neon

Late Night With the Devil, Cuckoo, Abigail, and recently Alien: Romulus, were other films that also made a mark this year with their twisted and narratively creative approach to horror. However, the film that exceeded most people’s expectations was Damian Mc Carthy’s Oddity. Fans are blown away by the bold and audacious storytelling of the film that sent chills down their spine.

In A Year Blessed With Great Horror Offerings, Fans Are Most Impressed By Oddity

Oddity left fans truly horrified...

World-ending apocalypses are inherently terrifying, but sometimes what comes after is even scarier. The remnants of humanity are left to pick up the pieces of a world torn apart by devastating catastrophe, with resources far scarcer than ever-present threats.

This week’s streaming picks belong to post-apocalyptic horror movies that explore life after the world as we know it has ended, where conditions are harsh and survival odds are low.

While the frequent recurring theme of post-apocalyptic movies highlights how humankind is its own worst enemy, these five titles take drastically different approaches. Some favor retro style, while others infuse their wastelands with a heaping helping of inhuman monsters.

Here’s where you can stream them this week.

For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.

Arcadian – AMC+, Shudder

For fifteen years since an unexplained global event decimated the population, Paul (Nicolas Cage) has raised his two sons, Joseph and Thomas,...

If you were creeped out after dialing the number on the Longlegs‘ billboard, you should probably brace yourself before peeking a glance at a first look of Nicolas Cage as the petrifying serial killer that is guaranteed to give you nightmares.

Longlegs (2024) | Neon

With what is being touted as the scariest, most nerve-jangling film of this year a day away from release, the air is thick with a skittish synergy of nerves and excitement. And the first reveal of Cage’s look as the haunting villain in the film just magnified the sensation.

You’re Not Ready For Nicolas Cage’s Spine-Chilling Look in Longlegs

The genius marketing tactics associated with Oz Perkins’ Longlegs already caused a wave of uproar and anticipation among fans waiting for the scare of their lifetime. Adding to that frenzy is the first look at Nicolas Cage as the sinister serial killer, and it’s terrifying,...

“Maybe three or four more lead roles,” says Nicolas Cage as he clarifies his eventual plan to quit movies: more on his words this way.

It was late last year when Nicolas Cage announced that he only had “three or four movies left in him”, signalling that his time making films (which stretches all the way back to a brief appearance in 1982’s Fast Times At Ridgemont High) was almost over.

As we reported here, Cage finally got around to watching Breaking Bad and was so taken with Bryan Cranston’s lead role in that series that his head was alive to the possibility of acting in other media beyond cinema.

“I feel I’ve pretty much said what I’ve had to say with cinema,” said Cage at the time. “And I’d like to leave on a high note and say, ‘Adios.’ I think I have to do...

“Arcadian”, the new post-apocalyptic monster movie directed by Ben Brewer, starring Nicolas Cage, Jaeden Martell and Maxwell Jenkins, streams Fall 2024 on AMC+ and Shudder:

“…in a near future, ‘Paul’ and his two sons, ‘Thomas’ and ‘Joseph’, have been living a half-life – tranquility by day and torment by night.

“Every night, after the sun sets, they face the unrelenting attacks of a mysterious and violent evil.

“One day, when Thomas doesn’t return home before sundown, Paul must leave the safety of their fortified farm to find him. A nightmarish battle ensues that forces the family to execute a desperate plan to survive…”

Click the images to enlarge…...

The Nicolas Cage-starring creature feature Arcadian heads to Shudder this month! And it’s not the only must-see horror arriving on streaming in July.

Look for the streaming service to celebrate Cage in a big way when Arcadian arrives on July 12. Additional Nicolas Cage films will also be available on the service in July, including Bangkok Dangerous, Sympathy for the Devil, A Score to Settle, Mandy, Prisoners of the Ghostland, and Color Out of Space.

Caitlin Cronenberg‘s eat-the-rich feature debut Humane arrives on Shudder on July 26. Season 6 Episodes of “The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs” continues its biweekly Live premieres on Shudder TV. Look for new episodes on Friday, July 5 and Friday, July 19.

Read on for additional repertory titles arriving in July:

July 1

Dr. Giggles

The Shining

A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where a sinister presence influences the father into violence, while...

Michael Sarnoski’s disaster horror prequel proves to be a surprisingly emotional journey. Here’s our A Quiet Place: Day One review.

This year’s Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga proved that great prequels are possible. George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road precursor was a fine film in its own right, but also fit into the world of Mad Max effortlessly.

Pig director Michael Sarnoski attempts the same with A Quiet Place: Day One, a prequel which promises to show us the day “the world went quiet”. Based on the franchise kickstarted by John Krasinski with his 2018 hit A Quiet Place and its 2021 follow-up A Quiet Place Part II, Day One is, by design, a completely different type of film than its predecessors.

The film follows Lupita Nyong’o’s Sam, a terminally ill woman who just happens to be in New York City as aliens land on Earth, wreaking havoc all around the place.

Shudder's lineup for the month of July features two new feature films, Arcadian and Humane, more of The Last Drive-in and a healthy dose of rep titles in the Shudder Resurrected programming. Our own Josh caught Benjamine Brewer's monster flick, Arcadian, when it premiered at SXSW earlier this year. You will find his full review here. ... by the time the shit hits the fan, we know and care for these characters and equally important, we understand that they care for each other. While it may not display quite the same level of scares as The Descent, Arcadian definitely takes a page from that film’s care and character building. Brewer’s confident direction, the vast unbroken Irish desolation, and an effective score all support...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

AMC Networks’ Shudder has announced the titles that will be available on the streaming service next month. The Shudder July 2024 slate includes horror, thriller, and supernatural titles.

The July highlights include the films Arcadian and Humane, as well as new episodes of The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs. Numerous repertory titles will also be available throughout the month.

Shudder’s expanding library of films, TV series, and original content is available on most streaming devices in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.

Shudder July 2024 Highlights

The Shudder premiere schedule for next month.

Arcadian (Shudder Exclusive Film)

Streaming on Shudder July 12 (Available in the US and CA)

Set in the near future, life on Earth has been decimated. Paul (Nicolas Cage) and his twin teenage sons, Thomas (Jaeden Martell) and Joseph (Maxwell Jenkins), find tranquility by day but torment by night. When the sun sets, ferocious...

To celebrate the release of Arcadian, which opens in UK cinemas this week, we sat down with some of its young cast to learn about this critically acclaimed new post-apocalyptic tale.

In a near future, normal life on Earth has been decimated. Paul (Nicolas Cage) and his two sons, Thomas and Joseph, have been living a half-life – tranquility by day and torment by night. Every night, after the sun sets, they face the unrelenting attacks of a mysterious and violent evil. One day, when Thomas doesn’t return home before sundown, Paul must leave the safety of their fortified farm to find him. A nightmarish battle ensues that forces the family to execute a desperate plan to survive.

Chatting to Sadie Soverall (Charlotte), we discuss the appeal of the script, why it is very different from other alien/creature invasion films you may have seen, why the human story at...

RankFilm (distributor)Three-day gross (June 14-16)Total gross to dateWeek 1. Inside Out 2 (Disney) £11.3m £11.3m 1 2. Bad Boys: Ride Or Die (Sony) £1.9m £7.1m 2 3. If (Paramount) £414,673 £11.4m 5 4. Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes (Disney) £389,000 £15m 6 5. The Garfield Movie (Sony) £354,829 £7.9m 4

Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.27.

Disney’s Inside Out 2 stirred up plenty of emotions at the UK and Ireland box office this weekend after its £11.3m debut made it the biggest opening of the year so far and the third-highest of all time for an animated feature.

The Pixar sequel opened in 684 sites, for an impressive £16,520 location average.

Disney is hoping to perk up the summer box office with eagerly-anticipated Pixar sequel Inside Out 2 at 684 sites, making it this weekend’s widest new release.

Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust return for the follow-up, that once again dives into the emotional fabric of lead character Riley. This time, puberty has turned up, and it’s bringing with it Anxiety, voiced by Maya Hawke, and Ennui, portrayed by Adèle Exarchopoulos. Returning voice cast members include Amy Poehler and Kyle MacLachlan. Kelsey Mann directs.

The first film, back in 2015, opened to £7.4m from 608 sites.

Re-releases out this weekend include...

As Arcadian hits UK cinemas, we chat to director Benjamin Brewer about working with Nicolas Cage and crafting an apocalyptic thriller with a low budget.

Parenting teenagers is a challenge in regular circumstances, but in Arcadian, it’s even more nightmarish. Thanks to global warming, society has collapsed and strange, terrifying creatures roam the land at night. Nicolas Cage plays Paul, father to Joseph (Jaeden Martell) and Thomas (Maxwell Jenkins). Thomas particularly has a habit to stay out a little too late and after one particularly late trip, Paul is forced to go look for him while Joseph stays behind.

Things go wrong. Very, very wrong.

Arcadian was made on a relatively low budget, but director Benjamin Brewer set out to make the most of it. You can read our full chat with the director below.

First of all, congratulations on Arcadian. I loved the opening scene. It was very The Last of Us.

Nicolas Cage tries to protect his two young sons at the tail end of the apocalypse. Here’s our review of Arcadian.

Stories about the end of the world are increasingly popular in both cinema and television. They make particularly potent horror films or shows, but it’s a highly saturated market and it’s tougher and tougher to stand out, which is the biggest challenge director Benjamin Brewer faces with his horror thriller Arcadian.

Nicolas Cage plays Paul, a single father raising two teenage boys in a post-apocalyptic setting. The family lives in a remote farmhouse far away from whatever remains of civilisation, and life seems to be relatively unremarkable during the day, but mysterious creatures attack their house after nightfall.

It’s hard being a teenager in regular society, never mind one that has been completely decimated. One of Paul’s sons, Thomas (Maxwell Jenkins), harbours a crush...

When we first see Paul (Nicolas Cage) in Ben Brewer’s Arcadian, he’s roaming rubble-filled streets while alarms blare. We don’t understand what’s happening, but it’s clear things have gone horribly wrong. Fifteen years later, we see Paul and his twin sons living peacefully, but there’s a stifling quiet that permeates the air. Something isn’t right.

Michael Nilon’s script immerses you in its world and avoids the typical post-apocalyptic cliché of expository newsreels explaining whatever outbreak turned the world on its head. This lack of explanation is a welcome touch — after all, if the world suddenly plunged into chaos and technology was no more, how would you ever figure out exactly what happened?

The creatures prove more than creepy.

Cage continues his current hot streak, turning in a great performance as a father trying to keep a stable home under impossible circumstances, but...

Sony’s “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” debuted atop the U.K. and Ireland box office with £3.8 million ($4.9 million), according to numbers from Comscore.

In second place, in its fourth weekend, Paramount’s “If” collected £866,474 for a running total of £10.8 million. In third position, in its third weekend, Sony’s “The Garfield Movie” earned £729,503 for a total of £7.3 million.

In fourth place, in its fifth weekend, Disney’s “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” added a further £620,911 for a total of £14.3 million. Rounding off the top five was Warner Bros.’ “Furiosa,” which collected £436,983 in its third weekend for a total of £5.5 million.

There were two more debuts in the Top 10. Warner Bros.’ “The Watched” bowed in sixth place with £387,339 and Signature Entertainment’s “The Dead Don’t Hurt” in eighth with £95,827.

There are a welter of releases the upcoming weekend, the widest of which is Disney’s animation sequel “Inside Out 2.

Written by Michael Nilon and directed by Benjamin Brewer, this terrifying post-apocalyptic horror thriller premiered at South by Southwest this past March. It stars Nicolas Cage, Jaeden Martell, Maxwell Jenkins and Sadie Soverall.

In a near future where earth has been decimated by an undisclosed catastrophe, Paul (Cage) barely escapes alive from the city alongside his infant twin boys. Years later, Paul and his teenage sons Joseph (Martell) and Thomas (Jenkins) are living in a remote farmhouse miles away from their nearest neighbours at Rose Farm. During the day, the boys and their father work the land and gather provisions, but at night the threesome are under siege from killer creatures that roam the land.

The trio’s quotidian life of humdrum chores and trying to survive each night at a time, is thrown into chaos when Thomas, the more rebellious of the two brothers, fails to return before nightfall one evening.

Killer Collectibles highlights five of the most exciting new horror products announced each and every week, from toys and apparel to artwork, records, and much more.

Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Steelbook 4K Uhd from Sony

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire busts onto physical media on June 25 via Sony, including a Steelbook 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital edition. The latest installment in the Ghostbusters franchise is directed by Ghostbusters: Afterlife co-writer Gil Kenan.

Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Mckenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard, Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt, Celeste O’Connor, Logan Kim, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, and Annie Potts star. Kenan co-wrote the script with Afterlife’s Jason Reitman.

Special features include: commentary by Kenan; deleted and extended scenes; Easter Eggs Unleashed; Manifesting Garraka; New York, New Gear; Welcome to the Paranormal Discovery Center; Knowing the Score; Return to the Firehouse: Making Ghostbusters Frozen Empire; and...

Nicolas Cage deserves at least one more installment to his action adventure National Treasure franchise. However, even after 17 years of the release of the second installment, the updates on the movie franchise have been vehemently silent. While most fans want National Treasure to be a trilogy, Cage would need an addition of one more movie to complement that.

Nicolas Cage with his co-stars in National Treasure. Credit: Walt Disney Pictures

National Treasure has been quite a success, but Disney somewhat moved away from the movie series. While the studio put the Cage’s franchise into a coma, a new Dinesy show, National Treasure: Edge of History, was at work but not featuring Cage. After one season, the show was canceled. Now, fans finally have a positive update on the original franchise.

National Treasure 3 Is In Early Development

Nicolas Cage in National Treasure. Credit: Walt Disney Pictures

National Treasure 3...

Nicolas Cage and horror fans are feasting this summer as Cage headlines two horror films. Here’s the trailer for Arcadian.

Here at Film Stories, we’re big fans of Nicolas Cage. We’re very much looking forward to the summer, then, because we’re getting not one, but two new films starring the man himself.

The first one is Arcadian, which comes to us courtesy of Vertigo Releasing. Cage plays a father of two sons, trying his best to protect them from a mysterious evil in an post-apocalyptic world.

Take a look at the new Arcadian trailer:

We’re getting strong It Comes At Night vibes here, with a hint of 28 Days Later and The Last Of Us when it comes to the setting.

Jaeden Martell and Maxwell join Cage in Arcadian as his two sons while Sadie Soverall plays Charlotte, a girl one of the sons has a crush on.

“Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” (Warner Bros.), the year’s second-biggest grossing film so far (after the same studio’s “Dune: Part Two”). The $19.99 rental was an immediate #1 on both the iTunes (transaction counting) and Fandango (revenue) VOD charts.

The release comes 46 days after its theatrical opening, a fairly standard delay if not a bit longer. Meanwhile, “Godzilla Minus One” (Toho), the sleeper Japanese success and Oscar Visual Effects winner, has now passed the five-week mark since its domestic release with no home viewing options in sight.

The timing is tied to agreements between Legendary Films (the domestic “Godzilla” licensee) and the franchise’s Japanese owner to not directly compete with each other. As the Warners film advances in its home availability ($5.99 rentals and Max streaming still to come), it remains to be seen when Toho’s film will be permitted.

At the other end of the spectrum, Netflix...

Takashi Yamazaki’s Godzilla Minus One is leading the piracy charts. (Photo Credit – IMDb)

Takashi Yamazaki’s Godzilla Minus One, which made history by winning the first Academy Award in the venerable 70-year-old Godzilla franchise this year, reportedly also broke the record for the most pirated movie ever.

Set in the aftermath of Japan’s defeat in World War II, Godzilla Minus One, made for a reported $15 million, became a global phenomenon earning $116 Million worldwide.

The movie, which had a limited theatrical release in December 2023 due to low box office expectations, has ended up being the most pirated movie of all time, followed by Dune: Part Two. The data extrapolated by Torrent Freak, the go-to site for all things piracy, said the movie is the most pirated film in the chart, followed by Dune: Part Two and Arcadian.

Trending Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Box Office (Domestic): Scores...

Theaters are in a slump longer than they should be. The last five weekends averaged about $70 million total, while in 2019, the same five weekends with lower ticket prices averaged $190 million. That means success in VOD revenue is all that more important for studios. Even so, on the two top 10 lists from iTunes (ranking by transactions) and Fandango (by revenue), half the slots are taken by companies other than the usual top five.

Results overall reflect the cutback in releases due to last year’s strikes, some longer windows for bigger-grossing studio releases, and, in most cases, a weaker response to other films that made little theatrical impact. All that made it easy for “Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.), by far the year’s biggest hit, to repeat as #1 on both charts for the third week. And that’s with a higher price than usual.

Jerry Seinfeld’s feature directorial debut “Unfrosted,...

Nicolas Cage has a knack for picking interesting films lately. Even if the final product isn’t so great, there’s no denying Cage likes to perform in films that are unique. And his latest, titled ‘The Carpenter’s Son” looks to be no different.

Read More: ‘Arcadian’ Review: Nic Cage-Led Monster Movie Manages Heart & Horror in Equal Measure

According to Deadline, Nicolas Cage is set to star opposite FKA Twigs, Noah Jupe, and Souheila Yacoub in the upcoming supernatural horror film, “The Carpenter’s Son.” The film, directed by Lotfy Nathan takes inspiration from the Bible and Jesus’ childhood to tell the story of a boy who discovers he has powers after rebelling against his guardian.

Continue reading ‘The Carpenter’s Son’: Nicolas Cage, FKA Twigs & More Star In Horror Film Inspired By Jesus’ Childhood at The Playlist.

Clockwise L to R: The First Omen (Moris Puccio/20th Century Studios), Abigail (Universal Pictures), Immaculate (Neon), Late Night With the Devil (Shudder/IFC Films)Graphic: The A.V. Club

We’ve officially reached the magical point in the year where Halloween is finally just six months away. We’re now heading downhill towards Spooky Season,...

Abigail releases April 19th, 2024.

Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett had one of the surprise hits of 2019 with their horror-comedy-action-thriller romp Ready or Not. It was a hit with critics and audiences alike, leading it to become yet another horror money-maker at the box office. It featured creative action, no shortage of gore, plenty of laughs, and a fully committed cast. I’m not the biggest horror fan, but horror movies like this reel me in every time. The trailers for Abigail, the pair’s latest horror-action-comedy promised more of the same, giving off serious “spiritual sequel” energy. So how does this new release stack up?

The cast of Abigail (2024) Abigail Plot

Taking inspiration from the 1936 film Dracula’s Daughter, Abigail kicks off with a criminal crew kidnapping the eponymous Abigail from her home after returning from ballet practice. The plan is simple enough: hold her captive until her insanely wealthy...

Two things that make any movie better when added to the mix are monsters and Nic Cage. With Arcadian we get both. The sixty-year-old actor has gone through a significant career shift in his later years. He certainly hasn’t slowed down, starring in five films released last year and popping-in for a quick (and confusing) cameo for DC’s The Flash. Beginning around 2013’s Joe and continuing with films like Mandy, Pig and Dream Scenario he’s gravitated towards smaller films with a focus on character exploration amidst extraordinary circumstances. 2024 continues that trend with a successful spin on the post-apocalyptic genre.

Arcadian Plot Nicolas Cage (left), Maxwell Jenkins (center) and Jaeden Martell (right) in Arcadian Also Read: “Don’t look at Disney…it’s not there”: Nicolas Cage Addresses National Treasure 3 But His Remarks Seemingly Confirms Actor Won’t Come Back as Ghost Rider Either

Paul (Nicolas...

Alex Garland’s dystopian thriller Civil War scored the biggest North American opening weekend in A24’s history and became the company’s first to debut at number one as it arrived on an estimated $25.7m.

Delivering A24’s biggest debut weekend since Hereditary arrived on $13.6m in 2,964 sites, the story of a journalist, played by Kirsten Dunst, who reports on an unfolding crisis in a divided America not only exceeded box office predictions of $20m, but overperformed in markets ranging from Los Angeles to El Paso in Texas.

Arriving on 3,838 theatres, the $50m production was also the company’s widest release from the outset.

Alex Garland’s dystopian thriller Civil War scored the biggest North American opening weekend in A24’s history and became the company’s first to debut at number one as it arrived on an estimated $25.7m.

Delivering A24’s biggest debut weekend since Hereditary arrived on $13.6m in 2,964 sites, the story of a journalist, played by Kirsten Dunst, who reports on an unfolding crisis in a divided America not only exceeded box office predictions of $20m, but overperformed in markets ranging from Los Angeles to El Paso in Texas.

Arriving on 3,838 theatres, the $50m production was also the company’s widest release from the outset.

Plot: Nicolas Cage stars as a father desperately trying to take care of his two sons in equally heartfelt and innovatively terrifying post-apocalyptic vision from director and lauded visual effects artist Ben Brewer.

Review: It’s hard not to perk up when seeing Nicolas Cage‘s name attached to a project these days. Not only is it guaranteed to have a great performance, but he tends to take on very interesting work. Hell, I can’t remember the last generic movie the man was in. And no matter his role, he always elevates the material. So slap Mr. Cage in the middle of a post-apocalyptic world and I feel right at home. But where Arcadian stumbles is its lack of true identity.

Arcadian follows Paul (Cage) as he’s trying to take care of his sons in a terrifying post-apocalyptic world. Most of society has been wiped out and there...

Alex Garland’s “Civil War” opened to an estimated $25.7 million this weekend, nearly double the best wide opening for any previous A24 title. It’s also about $7 million more than the combined openings last weekend for “Monkey Man” (Universal) and “The First Omen” (Disney).

Despite its B- Cinemascore, the near-future domestic dystopia came in over 25 percent better than projections. The A24 brand, the indefatigable war theme, advance interest (including a widely covered SXSW premiere), topicality, originality, IMAX sales, and mostly positive reviews propelled it to success.

With a reported production cost of at least $50 million, and uncertainty about foreign interest (initial grosses incomplete), it will need to be more than an initial sensation. Even so, particularly with likely significant post-theatrical interest, it initially appears that A24’s risk will pay off.

An opening on this scale for a non-franchise independent title only adds to A24’s bona fides. In recent...

April has been a slower month compared to March, but if nothing else, this weekend saw a popular indie studio break a few personal records with what might have been a controversial release. Read on for the weekend box office report.

A24 released Alex Garland‘s fourth feature as a director, “Civil War,” starring Oscar nominee Kirsten Dunst, Cailee Spaeny, Wagner Maura, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Nick Offerman, and Jesse Plemons, into 3,838 theaters on Friday – the studio’s widest release ever. It came into the weekend with a reported production budget of $50 million – another record for the studio – and mostly decent reviews with 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, following a premiere at the SXSW Film and TV Festival.

It was able to make $2.9 million in Thursday and earlier previews, which were compiled into the movie’s $10.8 million opening day, and it then ended with an estimated $25.7 million to take first place on opening weekend.

Sasquatch Sunset directors Nathan and David Zellner always wondered what these hairy giants do when they’re not walking – the only Bigfoot footage available has been a minute of a supposed Sasquatch wandering in the northern California woods. They decided to flesh that out in unique dialogue-free comedic imagining of the creatures’ daily life – eating, fighting, etc. Stars Jesse Eisenberg, Riley Keough, Christophe Zajac-Denek and Nathan Zellner are unrecognizable as the hairy tribe of four that entranced Sundance (see Deadline review). Bleecker Street is opening the film, written by David Zellner, executive produced by Ari Aster, in 9 theaters in New York, LA, San Francisco and Austin, ahead of a big jump to about 800 screens next week.

IFC Films opens Nicolas Cage-starring Arcadian on 1,100 screens. Premiered at SXSW, see Deadline review. Eying a low single-digits start. The Benjamin Brewer directed movie follows a father and his...

Alex Garland’s Civil War could make A24 history by becoming the studio’s biggest earner out of the gate at the box office. The doom-tinged drama marched on $2.9M during Thursday night previews and could secure $20M throughout the weekend. Civil War gives A24 its best preview number, doubling Hereditary’s preview take of $1.3M. While theater owners and A24 are excited by the film’s early earnings, the film’s good fortune must continue to gain the project’s expenses back.

Civil War reportedly cost north of $50M, with an estimated $20M in promotional materials. Garland’s divisive film plays in 3,800 theaters, with IMAX screens as an additional option. Interestingly, reactions to the Civil War’s subject matter are mixed, with some viewers reporting disturbances in theaters as people get riled up. With social tensions in a fragile place within the United States, Garland’s film can send the wrong message to some.

“Arcadian” is a new post-apocalyptic horror feature, directed by Ben Brewer, starring Nicolas Cage, Jaeden Martell and Maxwell Jenkins, releasing April 12, 2024 in theaters:

“…in a near future, ‘Paul’ and his two sons, ‘Thomas’ and ‘Joseph’, have been living a half-life – tranquility by day and torment by night.

“Every night, after the sun sets, they face the unrelenting attacks of a mysterious and violent evil.

“One day, when Thomas doesn’t return home before sundown, Paul must leave the safety of their fortified farm to find him. A nightmarish battle ensues that forces the family to execute a desperate plan to survive…”

Click the images to enlarge…...

Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on Wbgr-fm on April 10th, 2024, reviewing “Arcadian,” a new horror film set during a post apocalyptic event, featuring Nicolas Cage. In theaters on April 12th.

Rating: 3.5/5.0

Nicolas Cage is a Dad named Paul in this post apocalyptic world. The invasion that is leading to the destruction of the humanity is a highly mutant race of aliens that are born under the earth and attack the above ground habitants from within that position. This affects the twin boys Joseph and Thomas (Jaeden Martell and Maxwell Jenkins) and they are reluctant survivalists, with Joseph being particularly jealous of a bunkered and wealthier family down the road, where the lovely teenage Charlotte (Sadie Soverall) resides. Can the few survivors continue to exist in such a world?

“Arcadian” is in theaters on April 12th. Featuring Nicolas Cage, Jaeden Martell, Maxwell Jenkins and Sadie Soverall.

We are now one full month into Spring 2024, which kicked off on Tuesday, March 19 and comes to an end with the start of Summer on Thursday, June 20. This year’s summer movie season has a whole bunch of exciting horror highlights, including A Quiet Place: Day One, MaXXXine, and Alien: Romulus, but let’s hold that particular thought until June rolls around.

We’re here today to talk about Spring 2024 and the many horrors we still have left before the weather gets warmer and we find ourselves in the heat of one hell of a spooky summer.

Here are 12 horror movies you don’t want to miss in Spring 2024!

Sting – April 12

Two words: Spider Horror. Writer/Director Kiah Roache-Turner (Wyrmwood) hopes to induce eight-legged terror with his brand new horror movie Sting, only in theaters April 12.

Of particular note, Sting features practical spider effects from 5-time Academy Award Winner Weta Workshop,...

A father and his twin teenage sons fight to survive in a remote farmhouse at the end of the world. In the new Rlje indie “Arcadian,” Nicolas Cage must try and parent and keep his children alive during a perilous post-apocalyptic setting where pollution has destroyed much of the world and created dangerous mutated creatures.

The film stars Cage, Jaeden Martell, Maxwell Jenkins, and Sadie Soverall, but if you’re looking for “rage Cage,” you’ve come to the wrong place.

Continue reading ‘Arcadian’ Clip: Nicolas Cage Tries To Hold Out Hope During The Post-Apocalypse In New Indie [Exclusive] at The Playlist.

In Benjamin Brewer’s compelling solo directorial debut, “Arcadian,” humanity’s last remnants grapple with the harrowing aftermath of a mysterious apocalypse, where our species survival hangs by a thread amidst the looming threat of monstrous adversaries that come in the night. This atmospheric tale manages to blend family domesticity and raw emotion with gripping horror and excellent creature effects, weaving a fresh and engaging narrative. Despite this being a tale we’ve definitely seen before, the film should manage to make horror audiences clutch their pillows or popcorn with its sharply crafted scares and potentially even tug at the heartstrings of those with children.

Continue reading ‘Arcadian’ Review: Nic Cage-Led Monster Movie Manages Heart & Horror in Equal Measure at The Playlist.

After a quieter April opening weekend, we get a slightly busier one with one high profile wide release and a handful of smaller releases. Read on for Gold Derby’s box office preview.

The big release of the weekend is “Civil War,” filmmaker Alex Garland‘s fourth feature film as a director, and one that is reportedly A24’s biggest budget production, reportedly costing $50 million. Set in a dystopian war-torn future America, the movie stars Oscar nominee Kirsten Dunst and Cailee Spaeny from “Priscilla” as two wartime journalists heading to D.C. to interview the President (Nick Offerman), who is about to be deposed by a group of opposing rebels. The movie also stars Jesse Plemons, Wagner Moura and Stephen McKinley Henderson.

Garland established himself as a screenwriter with films like Danny Boyle‘s “28 Days Later” and the 2012 “Dredd” movie starring Karl Urban, but his 2015 directorial debut “Ex Machina...

Benjamin Brewer’s Arcadian runs on the sort of day/night mechanic found in many survival video games. When the sun is up, it’s an intimate family drama featuring a trio of strong performances and a script that never says more than it has to. And when the sun goes down, it turns into a strikingly effective creature feature, starring some of the most inventively designed and viscerally realized monsters to scuttle across the screen in some time.

Arcadian takes place in a patch of idyllic countryside that lives up to the film’s title. Paul (Nicolas Cage) and his twin sons, Joseph (Jaeden Martell) and Thomas (Maxwell Jenkins), live in a farmhouse surrounded by rolling green hills. It’s an inviting, peaceful place, but as sundown approaches, Paul anxiously corrals his boys back into the farmhouse and the three of them reinforce every door and window with hefty wooden shutters.

Nicolas Cage takes charge when one of his sons doesn’t make it back by sunset in an exclusive new clip for upcoming creature feature Arcadian. The clock is ticking when the world has been invaded by creatures that hunt at night.

Arcadian arrives in theaters this Friday, April 12, 2024. After the film’s theatrical release, it’s coming to Shudder and AMC+ later this year.

In Arcadian, which looks to take a page out of the Quiet Place playbook, “After a catastrophic event depopulates the world, a father and his two sons must survive their dystopian environment while being threatened by mysterious creatures that emerge at night.”

The creature feature has been rated “R” by the MPA for “Bloody images.”

Ben Brewer (The Trust) directed the film, written by Mike Nilon (Braven).

Jaeden Martell (It 2017), Maxwell Jenkins (Lost in Space) and Sadie Soverall (Fate: The Winx Saga) also star in...

It’s always a big week for the genre when a horror icon slashes back into our lives, and this week marks the return of killer doll “Chucky” to the small screen. But he’s not coming alone…

Here’s all the new horror releasing April 8, 2024 – April 14, 2024!

For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.

Director Lawrence Fowler has been carving out his own little space on the indie horror scene with the Jack in the Box franchise, which began with 2019’s The Jack in the Box and continued with 2022’s The Jack in the Box: Awakening. Up next? The Jack in the Box Rises.

The brand new sequel comes to VOD and DVD Today from 4 Digital Media.

In this third installment, “When Raven is sent to an all-girls boarding school, she unleashes a demon from a mysterious vintage Jack-in-the-box hidden on the school grounds.

I can’t say it was difficult finding nine posters to talk about this month––most new April releases were given the bad Photoshop treatment. Some, like Cash Out, scream Dtv. Some, like Arcadian, try their best to at least make the lighting and coloring look real. Some go the collage route, e.g. The Long Game. And then there are those like Blood for Dust where the actors resemble flat cutouts and their heads bobbling balloons pasted on top.

I’ll never understand a studio’s desire to go that route when a simple film still with effective typography can garner attention for its beauty rather than its superficiality, but that mindset doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon. Thankfully there are still those who get it––those who commission posters as an art form and a marketing tool. You can have both.

Shadows

While not as provocative as the poster for Collective,...

This SXSW round-up is a bit like our living (and growing) scrapbook from this year’s big event. We’ll continue to update the article as more video interviews and entries become available.

The SXSW festival has changed and changed again in its 35-plus years. Originally begun as “just” a music festival, the event has become an intersection that’s ever expanding. Bringing in the best of film, television, gaming, and even the cutting edge of technology, it is sometimes hard to quantify what isn’t SXSW these days. Even the Film Festival is now the Film & TV Festival. Still, Den of Geek tried to cover it all, so here’s a look at all the exciting projects we got an early glimpse at in our studio.

7 Beats Per Minute

For those with the passion—and lung capacity—freediving is an aquatic activity that has divers plunge the depths of...

“Arcadian” is a new post-apocalyptic horror feature, directed by Ben Brewer, starring Nicolas Cage, Jaeden Martell and Maxwell Jenkins, releasing April 12, 2024 in theaters:

“…in a near future, ‘Paul’ and his two sons, ‘Thomas’ and ‘Joseph’, have been living a half-life – tranquility by day and torment by night.

“Every night, after the sun sets, they face the unrelenting attacks of a mysterious and violent evil.

“One day, when Thomas doesn’t return home before sundown, Paul must leave the safety of their fortified farm to find him. A nightmarish battle ensues that forces the family to execute a desperate plan to survive…”

Click the images to enlarge…...