Why Slender Man Wasn’t This Year’s IT at the Box Office
Sony’s Screen Gems rolled out their new thriller Slender Man in theaters this weekend, although it could only muster up a fourth-place debut with $11.3 million. The good news is the movie only cost the studio $10 million to make, but given this middling debut, this thriller starring Joey King and Javier Botet as the title character, is most likely dead on arrival, with a domestic total that will likely top out between $25 million and $30 million. Much like last year’s blockbuster IT, Slender Man had some intriguing and unique origins, which developed a big fan base around a series of memes (much like how the original Tim Curry Pennywise memes/GIFs kept IT in the pop culture zeitgeist), but Slender Man just couldn’t capitalize on that same momentum like IT did, and now we’re going to break down why.
Gandalf’s Death in Lord of the Rings Was Major Influence for George R.R. Martin in Killing off GoT Characters
Creator of Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin shared his influence from J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series in an interview with PBS, according to BGR.
PBS sat down with Martin for The Great American Read event where celebrities and authors weigh in on which book they think is the most-loved book in America, with anyone be allowed to vote for their favorites.
Martin's Game of Thrones series is on the list, but he thinks Tolkien's fantasy series should win the honor over his own books.
Back to School: The Best Laptops and PCs
If you buy something through this post, IGN may get a share of the sale. For more, read our Terms of Use.
Great news: you don't need to bring an abacus with you to school anymore. Finally! These powerful, excellent computers can do everything an abacus can do, plus tons more. Whether you're looking for a laptop to maximize your classroom efficiency and battery life, or want a daily driver powerful enough to do some light gaming on, one of these laptops is sure to fit your needs and budget. We've also included some essential laptop accessories anyone going back to school this fall should consider.
Best Back to School Laptops
Fortnite: The Giant Rift Is Slowly Shrinking and Will Disappear Next Week
The massive rift in Fortnite's sky is starting to shrink and will continue to disappear over the next week.
An update released this past Saturday started the closure of the rift where small sections began to vanish every day. According to leaker @FNBRLeaks, the rift will completely disappear on August 21.
During Season 4, the impressive rocket launch event took place during the season's ninth week and ultimately created the giant rift we see today. Teases for the event like the skulls appearing on TV screens and the rocket holograms began appearing during the season's seventh week.
15 Actors Who Almost Played Avengers
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is home to some of the biggest stars in Hollywood. At this point it's practically a rite of passage for actors to cut their teeth playing a major Marvel hero or villain. But for some actors, a field trip to the Marvel Universe just isn't in the cards.
From Tom Cruise's Iron Man to Emily Blunt's Black Widow, here are 15 examples of actors who almost had the chance to play an Avenger until things fell through...
Tom Cruise (Iron Man)
Teen Choice Awards 2018 Winners: Marvel Wins Big with Infinity War, Thor, Black Panther
Marvel Studios was the big winner coming out of Sunday night's 2018 Teen Choice Awards.
Marvel swept the movie categories, with Avengers: Infinity War winning the Choice Action Movie and Robert Downey Jr. winning Choice Action Movie Actor for his performance as Tony Stark/Iron Man.
Meanwhile, Black Panther won the Choice Sci-Fi Movie and Chris Hemsworth won the Choice Sci-Fi Movie Actor. In the TV categories, Riverdale was the biggest winner with Choice Drama TV Show.
Below is the full list of all the Teen Choice Awards 2018 winners:
MOVIES
Choice Action Movie
Avengers: Infinity War
Choice Action Movie Actor
First Look at Disney’s Live Action Mulan Released as Production Begins
Production on the live action remake of Disney's Mulan has officially begun, and here is a first look at actress Liu Yifei in costume as Hua Mulan.
This remake appears to follow the general plot of the 1998 animated film, and is described as "the epic adventure of a fearless young woman who masquerades as a man in order to fight Northern Invaders attacking China. The eldest daughter of an honored warrior, Hua Mulan is spirited, determined and quick on her feet. When the Emperor issues a decree that one man per family must serve in the Imperial Army, she steps in to take the place of her ailing father as Hua Jun, becoming one of China’s greatest warriors ever."
Liu Yifei as Hua Mulan.
How an NCAA Lawsuit Made Madden Mobile a Monster
The early 2010’s were not great for Electronic Arts. After a series of lawsuits over the rights of student athletes to be compensated for their likeness being used in merchandise, EA lost the license to NCAA branding and decided to discontinue the NCAA Football game series for at least the near future.
“I will never forget the day that I had to stand in front of the Tiburon studio and break the news that we were going to stop building our college football games,” EA Sports Executive Vice President Cam Weber said. “I kind of felt like we ripped the heart and soul out of the studio that day.”
Out This Week: World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth, Telltale’s The Walking Dead: The Final Season
With so many new games and movies coming out, it can be hard to keep up. Lucky for you, IGN is here to help with a weekly round-up of the biggest releases each and every week. Check out the latest releases for this week, and be sure to come back next Monday for a new update.
Note: The prices and deals compiled below are accurate at the time we published this story, but all are subject to change.
Uncharted Movie Has a Script, Is Nearing Production
It appears that the Uncharted film is beginning to pick up some steam, and is closer than ever to entering production.
In an interview with The Playlist, Uncharted director Shawn Levy gave an update to the elusive film, saying it has a solid script, star, and is nearer to the horizon than his other film, Starman.
"As of right now, the closest to the starting line is Uncharted in that it’s a massive title," said Levy. "We now have a very good script and we have our star in Tom Holland. That is now subject to schedule and additional casting. But I would say as of right now, that seems to be the most near horizon. And it’s a movie I’m very excited about."