The release of Avengers: Endgame and its subsequent $2.74 billion (Dh10bn) box office haul suggested that studios still knew how to entice audiences into cinemas. But this month has made a folly of such claims, with Men in Black: International the latest big-money casualty of what has been a cruel summer for films.
The movie, which will be in UAE cinemas from Thursday, is unlikely to be successful. Put simply, it is not a good movie. When you compare it to 1997's original Men in Black, it is so unimaginative, hackneyed and lame as to become genuinely frustrating to watch.
First of all, let's look at the actors leading the two films. In 1997, the boundless charisma and energy of Will Smith combined with Tommy Lee Jones's stern and deadpan performance was a match made in cinematic heaven, with the duo generating plenty of laughs, while selling the plot so well that you were willing to believe the Men in Black existed in the real world.
Why franchises fail
But casting Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth in Men in Black: International so soon after they'd starred together in 2017's Thor: Ragnarok didn't only lack imagination, it made it seem as though Men in Black: International was trying to piggyback on Marvel's massive success. Hemsworth and Thompson never stood a chance of rivalling Smith and Jones, as there is a complete lack of originality in Men in Black: International.
Screenwriter for the original Men in Black movie, Ed Solomon, who also wrote the Bill & Ted movies, was able to craft a comedy that genuinely unsettled viewers. This was then heightened by the film's creepy yet beguiling alien designs, effects and make-up, which were much more in line with Lowell Cunningham's bleak comic book series.
In an attempt to reboot the Men in Black series for an audience addicted to modern blockbuster franchises, writers Art Marcum and Matt Holloway were recruited, with the pair having previously written Iron Man and Transformers: The Last Knight. That meant there was no room for creatures that might unnerve audiences. Instead the aliens were replaced by family-friendly monsters seemingly designed to sell toys. At the same time, the eclectic humour, energy and tone of Men in Black was replaced by sarcastic and dry quips that have the cadence of a joke but aren't actually funny.
Rather than trying to surprise or connect with you, Men in Black: International is simply intent on making sure you're not bored. That's why its story ties itself in knots in an attempt to be interesting, while its action set pieces fly by so quickly you're unable to make sense of them. Thankfully, this year, audiences are rejecting the various lazy approaches to franchise filmmaking.
Are we facing franchise fatigue?
The warning signs could actually be seen in January. Despite being billed as the end of the Unbreakable trilogy, which had been 19 years in the making, Glass grossed about $30 million less than 2016's Split. That was quickly blamed on its poor reviews, albeit its $247m haul from a $20m budget also meant this disappointment could be easily ignored.
Such a luxury couldn't be extended to the poor performances of The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part and Happy Death Day 2U over back-to-back weekends in February. The initial movies in those franchises had good reviews and returned strong box office numbers, while Warner Bros Animation and Blumhouse Productions planned the follow-ups to be the first of many.
However, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part amassed only $191.1m compared to 2014's The Lego Movie's $469.1m, with Happy Death Day 2U grossing $61.3m less than Happy Death Day's $125.5m, even though it was released only 16 months earlier. Both movies were praised by critics and expanded their worlds in new and interesting ways, but they failed to connect with audiences who had been enraptured by the earlier films.
Since then, the attempt to reboot Hellboy with a 15 rating and shove it down the path paved by Deadpool exploded in flames immediately after its release, as it lacked the star power, irreverence, reviews and positive hearsay to entice casual moviegoers in the same way. Even the cute and cuddly critters in The Secret Life of Pets 2 have flopped into insignificance, after making only $48m in its opening weekend. The same could be said for Godzilla: King of the Monsters, which is likely to gross significantly less than Godzilla's $529.1m.
But the most glaring example of franchise fatigue came earlier this month with the release of Dark Phoenix. The 19-year X-Men saga grossed about $5.75bn over the course of the franchise, but concluded with a film that could lose 20th Century Fox about $100m.
Rather than pay attention to the failure of 2016's X-Men: Apocalypse, Fox doubled down on a stale and increasingly convoluted franchise that was plagued by its association with Bryan Singer, failed to compete with Marvel, and should have ended when Hugh Jackman bowed out with 2017's Logan.
Yet there's still hope
The problem is, Marvel made building a cinematic universe look easy. But while its rivals have tried to rigidly replicate its formula for success, Marvel hasn't simply made the superhero genre its own. Alongside Disney's live-action reboots, Marvel has a taken a stranglehold of the box office and other studios can't compete.
The studio has expanded the Marvel Cinematic Universe with more diverse and intriguing characters such as Captain Marvel, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Ant-Man and Spider-Man, and merged them perfectly with their established superheroes, before putting them in increasingly fraught, dramatic and epic stories. Avengers: Endgame was its apex, and any cinematic rival will feel inferior in comparison.
But there is perhaps one positive to take from all of these underperforming movies. Jordan Peele's Us, an original story that made $254.1m from a budget of $20m became a cultural phenomenon. Meanwhile, the critically acclaimed third John Wick film, directed by Chad Stahelski, became the highest-grossing entry to the franchise yet. The success of movies such as these could convince other studios that embracing talented, ambitious filmmakers with new and distinctively cinematic stories to tell is the way to generate profits.
But with The Boy 2, Hobbs & Shaw, Terminator: Dark Fate, Zombieland: Double Tap, Rambo: Last Blood, The Angry Birds Movie 2, Jumanji 3, and Angel Has Fallen all due out before the end of the year, audiences will have to stay away from many more franchise films before studios really get the point.
THE BIO
Ms Al Ameri likes the variety of her job, and the daily environmental challenges she is presented with.
Regular contact with wildlife is the most appealing part of her role at the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi.
She loves to explore new destinations and lives by her motto of being a voice in the world, and not an echo.
She is the youngest of three children, and has a brother and sister.
Her favourite book, Moby Dick by Herman Melville helped inspire her towards a career exploring the natural world.
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
WHAT%20IS%20THE%20LICENSING%20PROCESS%20FOR%20VARA%3F
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Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
Roger Federer's record at Wimbledon
Roger Federer's record at Wimbledon
1999 - 1st round
2000 - 1st round
2001 - Quarter-finalist
2002 - 1st round
2003 - Winner
2004 - Winner
2005 - Winner
2006 - Winner
2007 - Winner
2008 - Finalist
2009 - Winner
2010 - Quarter-finalist
2011 - Quarter-finalist
2012 - Winner
2013 - 2nd round
2014 - Finalist
2015 - Finalist
2016 - Semi-finalist
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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Everybody%20Loves%20Touda
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Points Classification
1. Marcel Kittel (Germany / Quick-Step) 63
2. Arnaud Demare (France / FDJ) 38
3. Andre Greipel (Germany / Lotto) 25
4. Sonny Colbrelli (Italy / Bahrain) 24
5. Mark Cavendish (Britain / Dimension Data) 22
6. Taylor Phinney (U.S. / Cannondale) 21
7. Geraint Thomas (Britain / Team Sky) 20
8. Thomas Boudat (France / Direct Energie) 20
9. Stefan Kueng (Switzerland / BMC Racing) 17
10. Michael Matthews (Australia / Sunweb) 17
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Company%20Profile
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Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Emirates Cricket Board Women’s T10
ECB Hawks v ECB Falcons
Monday, April 6, 7.30pm, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
The match will be broadcast live on the My Sports Eye Facebook page
Hawks
Coach: Chaitrali Kalgutkar
Squad: Chaya Mughal (captain), Archara Supriya, Chamani Senevirathne, Chathurika Anand, Geethika Jyothis, Indhuja Nandakumar, Kashish Loungani, Khushi Sharma, Khushi Tanwar, Rinitha Rajith, Siddhi Pagarani, Siya Gokhale, Subha Srinivasan, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish
Falcons
Coach: Najeeb Amar
Squad: Kavisha Kumari (captain), Almaseera Jahangir, Annika Shivpuri, Archisha Mukherjee, Judit Cleetus, Ishani Senavirathne, Lavanya Keny, Mahika Gaur, Malavika Unnithan, Rishitha Rajith, Rithika Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Shashini Kaluarachchi, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi, Vaishnave Mahesh
MATCH INFO
Liverpool 4 (Salah (pen 4, 33', & pen 88', Van Dijk (20')
Leeds United 3 (Harrison 12', Bamford 30', Klich 66')
Man of the match Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Jawan
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RESULTS
6.30pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 Group One (PA) US$65,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
Winner RB Money To Burn, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer).
7.05pm Handicap (TB) $175,000 (Turf) 1,200m
Winner Ekhtiyaar, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson.
7.40pm UAE 2000 Guineas Trial Conditions (TB) $100,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner Commanding, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
8.15pm Singspiel Stakes Group Two (TB) $250,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner Benbatl, Christophe Soumillon, Saeed bin Suroor.
8.50pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner Zakouski, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
9.25pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 Group Two (TB) $350,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner Kimbear, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
10pm Dubai Trophy Conditions (TB) $100,000 (T) 1,200m
Winner Platinum Star, Christophe Soumillon, Saeed bin Suroor.
10.35pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner Key Victory, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
