Author: Trafficblast

The first footage of Game of Thrones Season 8 was released during the Golden Globes ceremony this week, and now we’re getting even more insight into the final season. HBO chief executive officer Richard Plepler told Variety that the final six episodes are like six movies. He said he’s seen the final episodes two times already, and though the CG work wasn’t finished, he was still blown away.

“It’s a spectacle. The guys have done six movies,” he said. “The reaction I had while watching them was, ‘I’m watching a movie,'” he said.

Plepler said showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff knew the bar was already high, and they took things even further. “They’ve exceeded the bar. I’ve watched them twice without any CGI and I’m in awe. Everybody’s in for an extraordinary treat of storytelling and of magical, magical production.”

Game of Thrones Season 8 premieres in April, and it is expected to be a thrilling, dramatic conclusion to the acclaimed HBO fantasy show. As mentioned, there are only six episodes, but each one could be as long as a movie. Not only that, but HBO shot what sounds like an incredibly epic battle sequence that took 55 nights to shoot.

While the mainline Game of Thrones series is ending, HBO has a prequel series in the works, starring Naomi Watts and Josh Whitehouse. It’s titled The Long Night.

More details about Venom 2 have come to light. According to Variety’s Jeff Sneider, Sony is bringing back Venom 1 writer Kelly Marcel (Fifty Shades of Grey, Saving Mr. Banks) to write the screenplay for the sequel. She will also executively produce the film.

Tom Hardy is set to return as Venom/Eddie Brock, with Woody Harrelson starring as the bad guy Carnage. Michelle Williams is also set to return as Anne Weying.

According to Variety, Marcel is getting a “significant” payday for Venom 2, though a specific figure was not disclosed. Venom 1 was directed by Rubin Fleischer, but it’s not confirmed yet if he’s coming back for the sequel. He will be busy with Zombieland 2, and that could limit his availability for Venom 2.

Venom made more than $855 million worldwide, making it one of the biggest movies of 2018. It was tremendously commercially successful despite getting a very poor reception from critics. The film fared much better with audiences, however.

No release date has been confirmed for Venom 2, but it’s rumoured to premiere in October 2020.

It just got more expensive to visit Disneyland in California. As it regularly does, Disney recently raised ticket prices, and this time the hike comes not long before the opening of the new Star Wars area, Galaxy’s Edge, this summer.

According to The Los Angeles Times, the cheapest ticket to get into Disneyland now costs more than $100, while daily parking prices are increasing from $20 to $25. In 2016, Disneyland launched a demand-based pricing scheme that offers lower prices on days that are less in demand and higher prices for popular days like weekends and holidays.

A one-day, one-park ticket for Disneyland or California Adventure for a “low-demand” day is now $104, which is up from $97. The same ticket for a regular-demand day is jumping from $117 to $129. And the daily ticket price of a high-demand day is now $149, and that’s up from $135.

Prices are also increasing for annual passes, while access to the MaxPass app that lets you digitally reserve seats on rides is now $15 instead of $10.

According to The Los Angeles Times, Disneyland raises ticket prices every year in part to help keep crowds at manageable levels. However, demand has remained strong, and even more visitors are expected at Disneyland when Galaxy’s Edge opens in June.

Disney CEO Bob Iger told Barron’s that Disney is trying to be “much smarter” as it relates to the pricing strategy for its parks. “To try to spread attendance and reduce attendance in the peak periods so we can improve guest satisfaction. Crowding is an issue,” he said.

A similar park is opening at Disney World in Florida in Fall 2019; it’s not immediately clear if daily ticket prices are increasing at Disney World as well.

Disneyland’s Galaxy’s Edge is a massive 14-acre park featuring a number of new rides, including one that lets you pilot the Millennium Falcon. Another ride lets you join the Resistance and fight the First Order, including Kylo Ren.