Warner Bros. has struck a deal with Cineworld over its theatrical roll-out of movies in 2022. The world’s second largest cinema chain, which owns Regal theaters in the US, will have an exclusive 45-day window to show the studio’s films.
As reported by Deadline, Warner’s movie will open exclusively in Regal theaters in the US in 2022, and, providing they open to a mutually agreed box office threshold, they can stay there for 45 days. This threshold has not been revealed, but it will possibly change, depending on the movie. Big Warner movies currently scheduled for release in 2022 include The Batman, Aquaman 2, and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 3.
What happens to the movies after 45 days hasn’t been confirmed yet, but a release on HBO Max seems likely. Throughout 2021, Warner is releasing its films simultaneously to HBO Max and into theaters. However, the studio has stated that this will only be for a year, and the Cineworld deal confirms its intention to continue with a theatrical model, albeit with a drastically reduced window.
In a statement, Cineworld SEO Mooky Greidinger said, “We are very happy for the agreement with Warner Bros. This agreement shows the studio’s commitment to the theatrical business and we see this agreement as an important milestone in our 100 year relationship with Warner Bros.”
In related news, Regal theaters will start reopening in the US from next week. A limited number of sites will open on Friday, April 2 when Godzilla Vs. Kong releases, with more locations to follow on April 16 with Mortal Kombat. Cineworld closed all 536 Regal theaters last October following the second delay of the James Bond movie No Time To Die.
If you’ve been upset about Stasis abilities dominating in Destiny 2‘s Crucible since the release of the Beyond Light expansion, the end of your long nightmare is finally here. Bungie’s update for the game finally addresses Stasis rebalancing, tuning down some of the abilities that have been getting heavy use in Destiny 2 PvP.
Bungie previously gave a preview of the changes in Update 3.1.1.1, but the hotfix is still pretty extensive, as the developer detailed on its website. Some of the most notable changes to Stasis will make its deadliest abilities a little less deadly, at least in PvP. The notorious Shatterdive ability for Hunters has been tuned to eliminate the damage resistance it grants players using it in PvP, making them easier to kill–something their opponents have been clamoring for. Another notable alteration is one that lowers to magnetic draw of Duskfield grenades, which have been so powerful that players can use them to yank one another out of cover or around corners for easy kills.
The patch notes also detail a few other fixes, including one Bungie mentioned recently in its This Week at Bungie blog post. It turns out that drop rates for the Eyes of Tomorrow Exotic rocket launcher, which is only available as a random reward in the final encounter of the Deep Stone Crypt raid, weren’t being adjusted correctly. Normally, raid drops like that one have “bad luck protection” that slowly raise your chances of receiving it every time you clear the raid, but for Eyes of Tomorrow, the math wasn’t being done correctly. Bungie’s fixed that, which means it should be slightly easier to get the Exotic, especially if you run the raid often.
This update also corresponds with the release of a new Strike in the game, called Proving Grounds. The Strike is currently only available for players who’ve purchased the season pass, but it’ll join the playlist for free-to-play Guardians on March 30. You’ll also see a Nightfall version of the Strike on that date.
Check out the complete patch notes below.
Hotfix 3.1.1.1 Patch Notes
ACTIVITIES
Presage
Fixed an issue where players could respawn into the void, instantly bringing an end to their feeble attempts to survive this activity at Master difficulty.
Wrathborn Hunts
Fixed an issue where “Immune” text appears when players deal damage to the High Celebrant.
Destinations
Fixed an issue where players would die instantly if they stood in a particular spot of the Quitter’s Well in Tangled Shore.
Fixed an issue that prevented Scan and Heroic VIP patrols from appearing on Europa.
Battlegrounds
Fixed an issue where players could regenerate infinite Super energy from teammates running through hallways.
Fixed an issue where players would incorrectly receive an “online privileges” dialog when trying to launch specific Battlegrounds activities or the Battlegrounds playlist with a fireteam member who hadn’t unlocked the activity.
Fixed an issue where the Cabal Pyro Flamethrower projectile generated a lot of network usage, leading to strange combatant behaviors within Battlegrounds activities.
UI/UX
General
Fixed an issue where the Prismatic Recaster was not displaying all available engram types on a single page.
GAMEPLAY
Armor
Updated Mantle of Battle Harmony to function in PvP.
Grants small amount of super energy when defeating Guardians with weapons matching the damage type of your Super.
Grants small damage bonus when defeating enemies with weapons matching the damage type of your Super while your Super is full, but at a shorter duration than when you defeat combatants in PvE.
Weapons
Fixed an issue that caused Eyes of Tomorrow to do less damage than intended against yellow bar enemies.
Fixed an issue where Guardians could embrace their darker side and damage their teammates using the Frenzy perk.
Added Unrelenting as a possible perk for THE SWARM Machine Gun.
Hunters
Shatterdive
Removed damage resistance from Shatterdive.
Added a 4s cooldown between activations of Shatterdive.
Withering Blade
Decreased Withering Blade damage against players from 90 to 65 damage. PvE damage is unchanged.
Decreased Withering Blade slow stacks applied to players from 60 to 40 stacks. PvE slow stacks are unchanged.
Decreased the target acquisition range of Withering Blade after it impacts a player from 12m to 8m. Range after impacting PvE enemies is unchanged.
Titans
Glacial Quake
Removed AoE freeze against players on Super cast. Will still freeze PvE enemies on cast.
Reduced damage resistance while in Super from 60 percent to 50 percent.
Increased the energy cost of using Shiver Strike while in Glacial Quake from three percent to seven percent Super energy.
Using the combo of a Shiver Strike into a Heavy slam attack will now cost the full Super energy of both the Shiver Strike and the slam (this previously only cost energy for the slam).
Shiver Strike
Increased downwards velocity applied to Shiver Striking players when they are slowed to more quickly pull them out of the air.
Fixed an issue where Shiver Strike (or Thundercrash) could get the player stuck against soft ceilings in Crucible maps.
Warlocks
Winter’s Wrath
Improved tracking of Winter’s Wrath projectiles, now tracking strength decays from its max value over 10s instead of 2.2s.
Increased the size of the Warlock Super projectile’s proximity detonation radius 1.5m – 1.65m.
The proximity detonation now starts at its largest and scales down to 40 percent over time.
Penumbral Blast
Decreased Penumbral Blast damage against players from 80 to 30 damage. PvE damage is unchanged.
Iceflare Bolts
Fixed a bug where Iceflare Bolts would continuously try to switch targets.
Increased target acquisition range of Iceflare Bolts by 33 percent.
Increased turning speed of Iceflare Bolts so they can more effectively hit nearby targets.
Chaos Reach
Decreased the amount of Super energy refunded when cancelling Chaos Reach early.
General Stasis Tuning
Duskfield Grenade
Reduced how strongly Duskfield Grenade pulls players inwards, effectively reducing the pull range from 9.5m to ~6m. PvE pull impulse is unchanged.
Reduced the slow stacks applied to players by the grenade detonation from 20 to 10 stacks. Detonation slow stacks are unchanged in PvE.
Reduced the slow stacks applied to players on each tick of the grenade from ten to five stacks. Per-tick slow stacks are unchanged in PvE.
Adjusted the UI presentation of the “Slowed” status to display slow stacks as X/100 instead of X/10, to increase readability when adding slow stack amounts that are fewer than ten.
Stasis Crystals
Reduced crystal shatter damage against players from (85 max, 55min) to (55 max, 25 min). PvE damage is unchanged.
Whisper of Chains
Reduced Whisper of Chains damage resistance bonus while in Super from 25 percent to five percent. Damage resistance when not in Super is unchanged. This only affects damage from other Guardians.
INVESTMENT
Stasis Fragment Quests
Significantly reduced objective completion values for all Crucible fragment quests.
Bounties and Pursuits
Fixed an issue where players could earn Exotic Cyphers with a full inventory, resulting in the loss of their reward.
Triumphs
Fixed an issue that prevented the “Trash the Thresher” Triumph from completing even when the conditions were met.
Stat Trackers
Reset raid completion time stat trackers for any player who has exactly five minutes time recorded in the stat tracker.
Rewards
Fixed an issue that prevented bad luck protection for Eyes of Tomorrow from accumulating properly on accounts where players raided on multiple characters.
Fixed issues with the Frozen in Time ornament for the Exotic Pulse Rifle No Time To Explain.
The ornament will no longer display “Exclusive Item” which prevented players from socketing it.
Chosen Seal and Title Requirements
Replaced the “Bound in Memory” Triumph with “All the Scattered Memories” to ensure players who missed a week of playing the Presage activity could earn the seal before the Season ended.
As part of Disney’s wider release date shakeup on Tuesday, the company announced a new release date for the Ryan Reynolds video game movie Free Guy.
The film, in which Reynolds plays a character who realizes they are an NPC in a video game, will now debut in theaters on August 13. The film was previously slated to release in May, but it shifted due in part to the pandemic and to match up better with Disney’s other moves.
After that comes Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on September 3, in theaters, and The King’s Man on December 22 for a theatrical release. Disney’s Deep Water will then release theatrically on January 14, with Dead on the Nile following on February 11, 2022, also in theaters.
In addition to Reynolds, Free Guy stars Jodie Comer, Taika Waititi, Joe Keery, Lil Rey Howery, and Utkarsh Ambudkar. It’s directed by Stranger Things’ Shawn Levy from a screenplay by Matt Lieberman and Zak Penn.
n celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Resident Evil series, we’re taking a look back at some of the best transformations we’ve seen over the years from villains such as Albert Wesker and Eveline. Join Persia as she talks about these gruesome and gory fights from various titles in the series such as Resident Evil 5, RE 2 Remake, Revelations 2, and more. Warning! There will be spoilers ahead!
When it comes to zombies, gore, and unimaginable creatures, Resident Evil has hit the mark on them all and likely did so with a few rocket launchers. The series has created lasting memories and always leaves us eager for more which can be easily said for Resident Evil Villiage. While we wait patiently for Lady Dimitrescu, it’s always nice to take a look back on the series.
In this video, Persia talks about some of the best Resident Evil villain transformations. From the gruesome and gory phases of William Birkin’s transformations in the Resident Evil 2 Remake to the iconic Uroboros-fueled transformation of Albert Wesker in Resident Evil 5, Persia covers a variety of titles from the legendary series as we celebrate its 25th anniversary this year.
For more Resident Evil news, breakdowns, and round-ups, be sure to visit our channel!
William Shakespeare’s Avengers: The Complete Works “reimagines all four films as plays by the Bard of Avon, complete with authentic meter and verse, stage directions, and entertaining Easter eggs.” Readers will get to experience “their favorite scenes, characters, and lines in a new–yet fully faithful–way, through monologues and dialogue by everyone from Captain America to Groot (‘Tis I!).”
Quirk Books is a natural fit for the collection, as it’s also published Shakespearean-style reimaginings of Star Wars: The Force Awakens (William Shakespeare’s The Force Doth Awaken), Back to the Future (William Shakespeare’s Get Thee Back to the Future!), and Mean Girls (William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Mean Girls). Ian Doescher, author of all three of those titles, will be penning this stylistic adaptation, which “more than just an entertaining read… [is also] an eminently giftable franchise bible that elevates and celebrates the movies, making it a must-have for fans of the MCU and the Avengers alike.”
Epic Games has begun teasing what appears to be the next Fortnite Crew Pack, which subscribers will receive in April, but a would-be cryptic tweet from the team has arrived a bit deflated because the Fortnite Crew Pack for April seems to have, in part, already leaked.
On the Fortnite Twitter page, Epic shared an image of some of the game’s original characters taking glamorous photos of someone on stage. We can’t see the character on stage save for their boot, but this image is itself presented as a Polaroid-like photo in the hand of a character.
This wouldn’t be much to go on by itself, but a recent leak seems to match the character in the image with the April Crew set. As you can see below, the leaked character, apparently named Lynx, has the same long sleeves and boots as the mystery character in the captionless image.
Lynx also features a backwards baseball cap, blue face paint, long pink hair that extends almost to her knees, and an orange and blue jacket. What hasn’t leaked is what else, if anything, may also be a part of next month’s pack. Things like Back Bling and a Harvesting Tool may be included like they are this month with the Llambro character, but we should find out more soon.
Epic hasn’t commented on the leak, nor would we expect it to. Fortnite content leaks frequently thanks to an active datamining community, but the developer has always remained tight-lipped until official channels start discussing things for themselves.
Fortnite Crew is a monthly subscription service that doles out V-Bucks, exclusive cosmetics, and the seasonal Battle Pass for $12 per month. While most characters in the Fortnite Crew series have been original characters, earlier this year Epic featured DC’s Green Arrow as a subscription-only cosmetic.
Comic actor and screenwriter Thomas Middleditch, best known for his role as Richard Hendricks in the HBO series Silicon Valley, has been accused of sexual misconduct in allegations stemming from a now-closed Hollywood club, according to The Los Angeles Times. In the recently published article, roughly 10 women so far–including four former staffers–at the now-shuttered, members-only Cloak & Dagger club say the business’ co-founders turned a blind eye to a pattern of sexual misconduct by patrons, including Middleditch.
In the report, former Cloak & Dagger member Hannah Harding detailed an experience with Middleditch that occurred on October 22, 2019, saying he approached her on the dance floor and made “lewd sexual overtures” toward her and her girlfriend. After she turned him down, he allegedly “kept pursuing her, groping her in front of her friends and several employees, including the club’s operations manager, Kate Morgan.” Harding also shared Instagram messages from Middleditch, expressing regret and shame for his actions.
Morgan told The Los Angeles Times that she asked her bosses, Adam Bravin and Michael Patterson, to eject Middleditch from the premises and revoke his membership, but they “dismissed it.” Bravin and Patterson supplied the Los Angeles Times with a joint statement that in part read: “We dealt with every single issue brought to our attention… our goal from day one was to create the safest space possible.”
Middleditch, who has not yet made a public statement or response, is currently starring in Hulu’s Solar Opposites and the Marco Pennette (Ugly Betty) CBS comedy, B Positive. Neither show has yet responded to these accusations. Most in Middleditch’s immediate professional orbit have not reacted publicly to the allegations, but his former Silicon Valley co-star Alice Wetterlund, who played engineer Carla Walton for six episodes, recently tweeted: “Tried to warn you all about Middleditch but noooooo not everyone’s favorite tinyman who looks like he lives in a clock!”
While you’re catching up on the latest rumors concerning a potential Nintendo Switch hardware revision later this year, don’t forget that your current Switch is still home to some stellar games. That will soon include Monster Hunter Rise, which has garnered rave reviews from critics.
Launching this Friday, March 26, Monster Hunter Rise is the first original game in the series for the hybrid console, following Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate, a port of the Nintendo 3DS title. Many reviewers agree that the lessons learned with the highly successful Monster Hunter World have been thoughtfully applied here, complimenting a structure that is more akin to Monster Hunter titles of old while evolving the formula to be compelling to both newcomers and veterans of the series.
The biggest addition that critics almost universally adore is wire-dashing. This move allows you to pull off stunning dexterous maneuvers, speeding up traditional traversal though a level or saving you from a disastrous fall during a fight. Combined with the introduction of Palemutes–new mounts that will also fight with you during hunts–and there’s a lot of new possibilities to explore with the traditional Monster Hunter combat.
Game: Monster Hunter Rise
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Developer: Capcom
Release Date: March 26
Price: $60 / £50 / $80 AUD
Below are a selection of some review excerpts to give you an idea of what critics think about Monster Hunter Rise. Head over to GameSpot sister site Metacritic for more reviews on the game.
GameSpot – 9/10 (Review In Progress)
“Going toe-to-toe with these intimidating beasts is the unmistakable core of the Monster Hunter experience, and Rise still feels like a distinctly Monster Hunter game, even if it’s more of a fully-fledged action title than any other entry in the series. This renewed focus doesn’t diminish its layered RPG mechanics, nor does it dumb down on any single aspect of the hunt. Certain changes make Rise a more approachable game for newcomers, but you also have the freedom to tailor the experience to your liking. The moment-to-moment combat is as impeccable as it’s ever been and puts Rise on a pedestal as one of the feathers in the Nintendo Switch’s cap.” — Richard Wakeling [Full Review]
IGN – 8/10
“Monster Hunter Rise mixes classic Monster Hunter ideas with some of World’s best improvements and a whole bunch of clever new mechanics of its own. Not all of them are slam dunks, but they are all fun–and the introduction of Wirebugs and the mobility they bring to every fight is so great I never want to give them up. The post-launch updates Capcom is already teasing can’t come soon enough, but Monster Hunter Rise is still a thrilling step forward in the series’ evolution toward the new normal World so boldly introduced.” — Tom Marks [Full Review]
VG247 – 4/5
“While it does feel like a smaller package in terms of grand story presentation, the new additions and quality-of-life fixes make it less grindy to play, with greater flexibility in exploration, navigation, and resource collection adding to the portable possibilities. With just five locales to house the vast roster of creatures though, it will be interesting to see whether Rise can have the same long-lasting appeal as its predecessors. More monsters have already been promised, with the first free post-launch drop slated for April 2021.” — James Billcliffe [Full Review]
Game Informer – 7.75/10
“Beyond mounting monsters and using the wirebug to wall-run in spectacular fashion, not much else distinguishes Monster Hunter Rise from the installments that came before. It has enough endgame content to keep you occupied long after the credits roll (if you don’t mind copious amounts of grinding) and multiplayer is still the optimal way to play, but the excitement of my early hunts waned before long. Monster Hunter Rise is far from being the next definitive chapter in the series. Nevertheless, if you’re looking for a polished-but-conventional adventure with a few small-scale nuances, then you’ll be right at home in Kamura Village.” — Jason Guisao [Full Review]
Click To Unmute
Monster Hunter Rise: Hunting 101 – Overview
Size:
Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?
“Monster Hunter Rise takes the accessible foundation that Capcom built in World and expands on it without breaking what makes Monster Hunter fun, including the deep combat and the feeling of progression as you defeat, skin, and wear one monster to fight the next. If World was the first step forward into a new era of Monster Hunter, Rise takes it even further. Monster Hunter: World was a game I would recommend to friends, with some caveats. But Rise’s gameplay variety and mobility — all fueled by that little Wirebug — make it a must-try game for Monster Hunter skeptics and hardcore fans alike.” — Ryan Gilliam [Full Review]
Eurogamer – Essential
“It’s all enough to make me believe that this really might be the Monster Hunter for all, and as much as World pushed the series into the mainstream it’s Rise that could yet propel it to be a phenomenon – and at the very least it’ll earn the series some new fans along the way. If you’ve been put off by the challenge, the investment or even the action, Rise does its very best to smooth the path and open up Monster Hunter’s charms to all. If you’re already smitten with the series like I am? Well, Monster Hunter Rise might well be as good as video games can get.” — Martin Robinson [Full Review]
VentureBeat – 4/5
“Rise is great by yourself (with the help of your Palico and Palamute) or with online hunters. Capcom did have its servers active for a portion of the review period. Joining someone’s game was easy, and I was surprised by how smooth the online experience felt. When it comes to Switch, my expectations are always low when it comes to online capabilities, but Capcom seems to have it figured out. Of course, we’ll see just how stable things are once the game launches and many more players flood those servers. Honestly, I’d be just fine playing Rise by myself. The core gameplay loop of hunting monsters so you can make stronger equipment in order to hunt more monsters is captivating, and Rise has put that formula into a package that works great on Switch.” – Mike Minotti [Full Review]
The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.
Click To Unmute
Size:
Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?
The latest teaser for Call of Duty: Warzone‘s rumored nuke event has arrived, this time suggesting that zombies are headed to Verdansk’s bank. Activision is sending out piggybanks to influencers with a message that warns of zombies headed to the Acropolis National Bank.
“Acropolis National Bank has been operating as a zombie institution for years, but nobody thought their assets would end up six feet under … Hope you have Diamond Hands, Operator,” the message says.
Previous teasers included hospital scrubs and a prison jumpsuit that referenced how zombies were headed to Verdansk’s other major points of interest.
Players have speculated that the zombie infestation could grow more and more out of control until eventually, Verdansk will get nuked to solve the undead problem. This event is supposed to happen sometime around the end of Season 2, which would be in April. The ongoing theory is that Warzone will then re-launch with a Black Ops theme after the nuke event.
In addition to these swag-related teasers, Activision has released a few notices from Armistice Central Command telling players about the zombie spread and informing them it’s no problem at all. This is likely in-universe propaganda–the zombie infestation is looking more real all the time.
Fortnite Season 6 is the first in the game’s long history to introduce wild animals for hunting and taming. With creatures like chickens, boar, and wolves roaming the island, they can provide some crucial support at just the right time, but only if you know how to tame them.
Here we’ll walk you through how to tame animals in Fortnite so you can turn any frightened chicken, charging boar, or hungry wolf into a new best friend.
How to tame boar in Fortnite
First we’ll go over the boar. All animals can roam anywhere on the island, though woodsy, more natural areas seem to populate them more often. We recommend looking west of Lazy Lake or in Weeping Woods, or just anywhere that isn’t covered in stuff like gas stations, houses, and other buildings.
To tame a boar, you’ll need to feed it a foraged item. Fortnite has quite a variety of foraged items, including apples, bananas, peppers, and more. These are typically used as health items and other buffs for you, and the boar doesn’t seem to be picky. Find foraged items inside green boxes like the one you see below, or head to the farm at Colossal Crops where cornstalks stand ready to be chopped down into equippable corn on the cob.
Keep the food in your inventory and find a boar. You can usually hear them making their grunting noises before you see them. Unlike wolves, boar don’t tend to attack on sight, so move in and throw the food nearby. It should approach and eat it, and you may notice a visual cue hinting that it’s eyeing the food: blue streaks surrounding the animal, like an aura. While it’s eating, quickly move close to the boar and select the interact button when you’re prompted.
If you do it fast enough, the boar will then have little hearts over it signifying it’s been tamed. From there, it’s a bit like hiring an NPC. The boar will follow you and lend you a tusk in battle. Note that it can die, though, and while they can be helpful, boar aren’t so quick to keep up with you as you move across the island.
How to tame wolves in Fortnite
The process to tame wolves in Fortnite is nearly identical to taming boar, with one exception. Wolves don’t want fruits and veggies; they want to eat meat. To acquire meat, you’ll first need to kill other animals, so look (and listen) for a chicken, wolf, or boar. Frogs can be spared as they don’t drop meat.
Once you’ve found an animal, killed it, and placed its meat in your inventory, look for a wolf. The convenient thing about wolves is they usually spawn in packs, so if you kill one, you can use its meat to tame another right away. Throw the meat near the wolf and, like with the boar, you’ll have a short window in which you can approach the animal while it eats and select the interaction to tame it when it appears. If done right, you will have a new furry friend by your side until you win–or until one of you is eliminated.
How to glide with a chicken in Fortnite
While you can’t tame a chicken, they do still offer their own unique gameplay feature for Fortnite Season 6. You can glide with them, just like Link himself. When you approach a chicken, it will likely run away. You can chase it down eventually, though it may take a bit longer than you want it to in a mode like Battle Royale. Instead, you could try using a Hunter’s Cloak which masks your scent and allows you to get in close. We’ve already got a complete guide on how to craft a Hunter’s Cloak too.
Once you’ve got a hold of the chicken, simply jump from anywhere and you’ll see how it allows you to glide softly back to earth without fear of fall damage. Just don’t touch your inventory while wielding a feathered friend or you’ll unequip it and crash back to the island.
More animals to come
While frogs don’t offer meat or bones (get those stink sacs for crafting though), other animals are rumored to show up later this season, namely velociraptors. We’ll be sure to update this guide if and when you can tame raptors like Chris Pratt’s Jurassic World character later in Fortnite Season 6.
