The Worst Episodes of Great TV Shows
Warning: Spoilers for specific episodes follow. Proceed at your own risk...
Journeying through a terrific TV show can be a wholly rewarding experience. A story told right, paced well, and presented impeccably - there's nothing quite like it. But even the best TV shows can have an off week (or season). Some stumble at the start and then find better footing. Others make some mid-run mishaps while trying to fill in time before the endgame. And then there are those that flub the finish, providing an unsatisfying ending to an otherwise grand experience.
No, not every show can be Breaking Bad (which we insist never had a bad episode - though we're well aware of "The Fly" haters out there), but then again what show - no matter how good - can be perfect for its entire run?
Good Dinosaur Poised to be Pixar’s First Box Office Bust
Pixar may have its first major flop on its hands, as The Good Dinosaur struggles to find an audience among moviegoers.
So far, the film has made just $131.3 million, after seeing a 60 percent drop in sales during its second week at the box office. With a production budget of $200 million and another $150 million invested in marketing, analysts estimate The Good Dinosaur will need to earn $500 million to break even.
Unfortunately for Disney and Pixar, however, it doesn't look like that will likely happen. According to Variety, current projections suggest the film will be lucky to hit $400 million in sales. If that proves true, The Good Dinosaur will join the ranks of A Bug's Life, which earned an underwhelming $363.4 million when it released back in 1998.
Why Defenders Probably Won’t Be in Infinity War
The Defenders won't likely be making an appearance in Marvel's The Avengers: Infinity War, according to co-director Anthony Russo.
As for why the four Netflix heroes (Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist) won't be included in the two-part film series, Russo discussed the logistical complications in making a crossover like that happen. "It’s complicated. When we start to serialize the telling of stories it’s difficult," Russo told SUPER Interessante (via Heroic Hollywood).
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is “Respectful” of the EU
According to Star Wars: The Force Awakens screenwriters J.J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan, they didn't turn to the Star Wars expanded universe to develop ideas for the new film. There had some speculation that the new film would draw inspiration from the now-non-canon EU, but Kasdan said at the Force Awakens press conference that he and Abrams were simply inspired by what excited them.
When asked if developing the story for Force Awakens had more to do with the events of the EU or what happened at the end of Return of the Jedi, Kasdan said, "I think it had more to do with Jedi and the continuation of 4, 5 and 6. This is 7. We were aware, we were respectful of the canon, but we really wanted to tell a story that interested us and delighted us. We didn't really want any rules and parameters.
Funko Announces Bleach and Toyko Ghoul Pop! Vinyl Figures
Funko is adding Bleach and Tokyo Ghoul Pop! vinyl figures to its Animation library early next year.
From Bleach, Ichigo and Rukia, the main characters of the series, have been replicated in the simplistic Pop! style.
The Tokyo Ghoul line features the One-Eyed Ghoul Ken Kaneki and fan-favorite Touka Kirishima. Hot Topic also has an exclusive glow-in-the-dark Ken Kaneki figure currently available for pre-order for $8.75.
The standard figures stand at 3 3/4" tall and are releasing on February 29, 2016. Pre-orders are available on Amazon for $19.99.
New Hot Shots Golf Features Character Creation, Fishing
New Hot Shots Golf, which is a working title, will feature more than just the club-and-ball sport.
Sony is also bringing character creation, fishing and golf-cart driving to the PlayStation 4 exclusive, according to the PlayStation Blog. While unlocking golfers was a key part of previous installments in the franchise, New Hot Shots Golf starts with players making their own avatar.
New Hot Shots Golf characters will then level up as players progress, increasing strength for driving and precision skills for putting. And Sony is promising a "robust online experience" for created golfers as well.
Out This Week: SteamWorld Heist, FAST Racing NEO
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.
Marvel’s Civil War 2 Enlists Creative Team
Marvel has confirmed the Civil War II event series will be penned and drawn by the current Invincible Iron Man team, Brian Michael Bendis and David Marquez.
The news comes by way of a Diamond Comics Distributors promotional calendar. The May entry shows a promotional image of Captain America and Iron Man at it again. Though it's Sam Wilson, the current Captain America, rather than Steve Rogers from the original 2006 miniseries.
While Cap is currently on the outs with much of the U.S. government in his own series, he and no-longer-billionaire Tony Stark are currently teammates on Marvel's flagship All-New, All-Different Avengers. The promo gives no details on the source of their impending conflict
Agents of SHIELD’s Fall Finale is This Week’s TV Highlight
As we close in on Christmas, the season of fall finales fully sets in. Many shows wrap up their 2015 runs this week - The Flash (with The Trickster!), Arrow (with...a big death?), Bones, and more. Plus, Scream Queens ends its first sorority-based season, You're the Worst closes out its Season 2, and The League ends after seven years on the air. Oh, and WWE airs its annual TLC PPV, headlined by Roman Reigns challenging Sheamus for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
But the TV highlight this week is Agents of SHIELD's midseason finale (which paves the way for Marvel's Agent Carter to fill in for a few months), "Maveth," featuring a dangerous return to the planet Simmons was stranded on for months. A place featuring a frighteningly powerful Inhuman. A being that was banished centuries ago. And a force that - as we just recently discovered - has been at the root of HYDRA's fanatical worship of extraterrestrial tech.
Marvel/Netflix’s Iron Fist Gets Showrunner
The Marvel/Netflix Iron Fist series has found a showrunner.
According to Comicbook.com and Heroic Hollywood, Scott Buck has been named as showrunner for the series. Buck's previously served as an executive producer on Dexter and a producer on Six Feet Under, among other TV credits.
The Iron Fist series does not yet have a release window on the subscription-based streaming service, although it has been expected that it would air before the Defenders miniseries Marvel and Netflix have planned for the future.