The latest box office numbers are in, and Bad Boys for Life started strong to win the weekend. The action movie starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence pulled in an estimated $59.2 million for the January 17-19 weekend in the US and Canada to top all other movies, while its international results have the movie closing in on $100 million worldwide.
Bad Boys for Life is the first new entry in the action series since 2003’s Bad Boys II. The $59.2 million opening-weekend figure for Bad Boys for Life is the best domestic start for the series, surpassing Bad Boys II ($47 million), and Bad Boys ($15.6 million).
The new movie also stars Kate del Castillo, Paola Nunez, Alexander Ludwig, Joe Pantoliano, and Vanessa Hudgens. Bad Boys for Life is directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah. Action movie giant Michael Bay directed the first two Bad Boys movies; he has a cameo in Bad Boys for Life.
Bad Boys For Life made $38.6 million over the weekend from international markets, pushing the total haul to close to $100 million. The film is expected to surpass $100 million once the final weekend numbers come in, according to Variety. The movie reportedly had a $90 million budget before marketing.
Last week’s No. 1 movie, 1917, pulled in another $22 million to finish this weekend in the No. 3 position. The Robert Downey Jr. movie Dolittle finished second, with $23 million. That is a very low result, given the movie reportedly had a $175 million budget. It was Robert Downey Jr.’s first post-Marvel movie. The film could end up losing $100 million, according to The Wrap.
Rounding out the top five were Jumanji: The Next Level ($10 million) and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker ($8.4 million). This is the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend in the US, so box office numbers will eventually include Monday figures once they come in.
Xbox Achievements remain a core part of the Xbox ecosystem, and having a high gamerscore in a game–or finally snagging a difficult Achievement–can feel pretty good. Xbox achievement tracking site True Achievements has created a tool, called #MyDecadeOnXbox, to give you some insight into your own play habits.
Log into your Xbox account and the site’s tracker will tell you how many games you played over that decade on Xbox, how many achievements and gamerscore you unlocked, how many of those achievements were rare, and much more. It tracks your best month and day for achievements, gives you a platform breakdown, and lists your rarest achievements.
It’s worth noting that this is not an official Microsoft initiative–you will need a True Achievements account, and you’ll need to give them access to your Xbox account information to get these figures.
It’s an interesting list of statistics, and a good way to chart how your play habits on Xbox systems have or have not changed. Xbox Achievements have changed a lot over the decade, as the distinction between retail and “arcade” games has been dropped, and Microsoft has been less rigid over how many Achievements a game can or can’t have. You can even earn them on Switch, but only in a tiny handful of games.
Achievements will likely remain a big part of the Xbox Series X when it launches in late 2020. There are still plenty of Xbox One games on the horizon as well, though, so Achievement hunters will be able to keep busy this year.
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Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has been in theatres for over a month now, but we’re still learning more about the billion-dollar blockbuster. The secret cameo role that singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran had in the movie has now been seemingly confirmed, and it comes as a big surprise.
Images shared before Rise of Skywalker’s release showed Sheeran in a Stormtrooper outfit, but it appears he played a different role. Oh My Disney reports that the “Shape of You” singer played an alien member of the resistance–the iguana-looking creature, to be more specific. You can see an image of the character at Oh My Disney.
It’s possible Sheeran has two cameos in Rise of Skywalker, or that he was on set in a Stormtrooper outfit as a gag or to throw people off.
Star Wars is not the first gigantic franchise featuring Sheeran in a cameo. He also played a character in Game of Thrones. After a mixed reaction from fans, this character ultimately died in a horrific manner.
The Rise of Skywalker received mixed reviews, and it was also the only one of the new Star Wars movies to not get an “A” Cinemascore rating. The movie was directed by JJ Abrams, who also made 2015’s The Force Awakens.
The Rise of Skywalker was Disney’s seventh 2019 movie to make $1 billion, following Avengers: Endgame ($2.79 billion), The Lion King ($1.65 billion), Frozen II ($1.37 billion), Captain Marvel ($1.12 billion), Toy Story 4 ($1.04 billion), and Aladdin ($1.05 billion).
An actual apex legend plugged his PlayStation 4 into a TV at Portland International Airport on Thursday to play Apex Legends.
According to Oregon Live (via Kotaku), the man commandeered a TV that was displaying a map of the airport. Security officials walked over and asked the traveler to stop playing. Kama Simonds from Port of Portland said that the man “very politely” asked if he can finish his game. Security denied his request, and the man stopped his game.
“Apparently it was a very polite and cordial interaction,” Simonds said.
Picture from Oregon Live
The television takeover occurred early in the morning on Thursday. Simonds said this was, “a good reminder of what not to do at the airport.”
US Gamer pointed out that the man decided to play a ranked match judging by a badge on the corner of the screen.
Apex Legends launched almost a year ago on February 4, 2019. The game has continued adding new events including the Grand Soirée event, which is currently going on until January 28. One of the events is an option to play in third-person mode.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia has yet to be renewed for Season 15, but co-creator Rob McElhenney apparently has no plans for the series to end any time soon.
While promoting his upcoming Apple TV+ series Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet at the Television Critics Association winter press tour, McElhenney told reporters that he and Mythic Quest co-creator Charlie Day (who also stars on Always Sunny) are able to juggle the scheduling of the two shows to ensure that It’s Always Sunny isn’t impacted, after a reporter observed that Sunny seems likely to run forever.
“It takes us about five months to make a season of Sunny, we have that period of our lives carved out just for that,” McElhenney revealed. “And yes, we’re gonna keep doing it forever, as long as people keep watching it.”
This reiterates a recent Tweet from McElhenney promoting the Mythic Quest trailer, in which the showrunner noted, “Charlie Day & I would like to cut the death threats off by saying this will in no way affect Sunny. Sunny Always. Always Sunny. But also Mythic Quest. There’s room for both you animals.”
Here’s the new show. Charlie Day & I would like to cut the death threats off by saying this will in no way affect Sunny. Sunny Always. Always Sunny. But also @mythic_quest There’s room for both you animals. Enjoy! pic.twitter.com/nKSZ3W4OGr
FX boss John Landgraf recently told Deadline that discussions are currently underway with the It’s Always Sunny team for a potential Season 15: “We’re actively talking to them about more,” he said.
Mythic Quest, co-created by McElhenney, Day, and fellow Sunny executive producer Megan Ganz, is a live-action comedy series that follows a team of video game developers as they navigate the challenges of running a popular video game. It stars McElhenney, David Hornsby (aka Always Sunny’s Cricket), F. Murray Abraham, Charlotte Nicdao, Imani Hakim, Danny Pudi, Ashly Burch, and Jessie Ennis, and premieres on Apple TV+ on February 7. Check out our review of It’s Always Sunny’s Season 14 finale here.
The last episode of the second series of Short Treks dropped recently, and not surprisingly “Children of Mars” serves as a prelude to the new Picard show which debuts on January 23. Up until now, the creators of Star Trek: Picard — which sees the return of Patrick Stewart to the iconic title role after an almost 20-year break — have kept pretty quiet about what the show will be about. But “Children of Mars” clearly sets up what will surely be a major element of the show.
The short is mostly a wordless but effective tale about a couple of schoolgirls on Earth whose parents work out at the Federation shipyards on (and above) Mars. The two wind up in a spat, which escalates over time into a full-blown physical fight, but when tragedy strikes, they find themselves united. And it’s that tragedy that connects to Star Trek: Picard.
On viewscreens at the girls’ school, we see an emergency unfolding in real time back on Mars, where the girls’ parents are based. The planet is under attack by “rogue synths” and some 3,000 people are believed dead (although it looks like most of the planet is being carpet-bombed from space, so who knows what the actual casualty total is). We also briefly see an image of Jean-Luc Picard on the Federation news network, with the caption “Devastating: Admiral Picard reacts to Mars attack.”
“Children of Mars”
But what is a rogue synth anyway? It seems they’re some kind of androids like Picard’s old friend and shipmate Data (Brent Spiner). But why are they attacking a Federation site and murdering its citizens?
Rogue Synths, Androids, and Data
During the Star Trek: The Next Generation time period, Data was the only android in existence. Mostly. Of course, it eventually turned out that he also had an evil “brother” named Lore, because TV. He also had a “daughter” named Lal (Hallie Todd) who he built in the third-season episode “The Offspring,” but because of the advanced — even by Star Trek standards! — tech of an android’s brain, her neural net failed and she died that same episode. Not even Data could fix her.
Then there was another long-lost brother of Data’s, named B-4, who appeared in the last TNG film, Star Trek: Nemesis. While Data died at the end of that story, B-4 was still functioning and had possibly absorbed his brother’s memories. It’s currently unknown if he will figure into Star Trek: Picard.
There were a couple of other androids who popped up here or there, but generally, they were one-offs and the basic concept was that Data was the only stable, functioning example of his kind. As such, he was also something of a valuable asset, and coveted by a variety of folks, be it Saul Rubinek’s greedy uber-collector from “The Most Toys,” or the nasty Starfleet scientist Commander Maddox (Brian Brophy) from the great Season 2 episode “The Measure of a Man.”
Star Trek: TNG’s “The Measure of a Man”
In that segment, which was written by Melinda Snodgrass and nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award — a rare recognition for Star Trek at the time — the crew of the Enterprise encounter Commander Maddox while visiting a starbase. The cybernetic lifeforms expert is from the Daystrom Institute (a nice nod to the Original Series episode “The Ultimate Computer”), and he’s arrived in order to study Data’s positronic brain and figure out what makes the android tick… which will include taking Data apart!
Data assesses the risks of the procedure, and since he’s freaking Data and smarter than everyone else, he realizes that he may not survive this one. Maddox doesn’t see the issue as he doesn’t consider Data to be an actual sentient person, and it all winds up having to be resolved via a classic Trek trope: a courtroom drama. But the episode is so much better than it sounds, with Jonathan Frakes’ guilt-ridden Riker forced to prosecute the case against his friend while Captain Picard defends Data. In the end, Picard wins the day for Data — Data’s day! — thanks in part to a rousing speech from Patrick Stewart:
“Now sooner or later, this man — or others like him — will succeed in replicating Commander Data. The decision you reach here today will determine how we will regard this creation of our genius. It will reveal the kind of people we are; what he is destined to be. It will reach far beyond this courtroom and this one android. It could significantly redefine the boundaries of personal liberty and freedom, expanding them for some, savagely curtailing them for others. Are you prepared to condemn him — and all who will come after him — to servitude and slavery? Your honor, Starfleet was founded to seek out new life. Well, there it sits! Waiting.”
It looks like the captain’s words have finally come to fruition and the rogue synths are part of a race of androids by the time of Star Trek: Picard. We even get a glimpse of them in the Picard trailers.
But could it be that what Picard feared most back in “The Measure of a Man” has come to pass, and that these beings are being treated as less than equals?
There is precedent for this, as we would learn on Star Trek: Voyager regarding the Emergency Medical Holographic programs. Played by Robert Picardo on that series, the EMH was essentially a sentient computer given physical form via hologram. He was considered a part of the crew of the USS Voyager, which was lost on the other side of the galaxy. But back in Federation space hundreds of the original EMH programs were eventually deemed obsolete and replaced by more advanced models. As such, they were consigned to less desirable jobs such as mining or other hard labor, apparently with no say in the matter of their own.
The fact is the people of the Federation and Starfleet aspire to high ideals of liberty and freedom for all, but they also carry with them a history of occasional wrongdoing, and sometimes even grave criminal acts against those they don’t understand or who are simply in their way. Just ask Commander Maddox.
So perhaps there’s more to the story of the rogue synths of Star Trek: Picard than at first meets the eye. Maybe they have a reason to attack their makers. Of course, the slaughter of 3,000 people cannot be justified, but this, it appears, is war.
Ubisoft is suing a website that allegedly sells subscriptions to a server that distributes denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks on Rainbow Six: Siege players, according to a report by Polygon.
The lawsuit was filed on Thursday against website SNG.ONE. On the outside, the website sells plans to companies who want to evaluate the security of their website, according to Eurogamer. When Ubisoft went to investigate, they found they could get access to servers from Epic Games’ Fortnite, EA’s FIFA 20, Activision’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) and more.
“When executed, the DDoS Attacks flood the R6S Servers, overload its network, slow down the servers, and often cause a complete server crash, disconnecting all players engaged in an R6S match on the targeted server (and thereby ending their game prematurely),” the lawsuit reads. “Even when the DDoS Attacks do not result in a server crash, however, they nonetheless disrupt and interfere with access to the R6S Servers. Defendants have weaponized these DDoS Attacks, providing some R6S players looking for an unfair advantage with the ability to cheat.”
Ubisoft announced plans to counter DDoS attacks in September that resulted in a 93% decrease in attacks by the end of October.
The lawsuit mentions a time when it’s believed SNG.ONE responded to Ubisoft’s original plans. In September, the Twitter account for SNG wrote “Good job, @UbisoftSupport Keep the work up.” Accompanied with the post is a picture from The Simpsons with Bart writing on the chalkboard. The writing on the chalkboard appears to be edited to read, “We will ban every ddoser.”
The tweet has since been taken down, according to Polygon, but a screenshot of it was placed in the lawsuit. Ubisoft claims in the lawsuit that this means SNG was “well aware” of both Ubisoft’s actions as well as their own.
Screenshot from the Ubisoft lawsuit
For now, Ubisoft is seeking damages and court fees while it petitions a court to shut down the alleged DDoS service.
Rainbow Six Siege was first launched by Ubisoft in December 2015. The support for the game hasn’t stopped by Ubisoft or the community. The game is the fourth most-played game on Steam at the time of this writing and Ubisoft keeps adding new characters to play as.
England’s top mental health nurse wants game publishers to restrict microtransaction sales to children because of its possible relation to gambling.
Claire Murdoch, National Health Service England’s mental health director, released a report that calls for “fair and realistic spending limits” on loot boxes and for gaming publishers to give consumers a “percentage chance they have of obtaining the items they want before they purchase.”
The report also called for some serious reckoning on behalf of the video game industry, calling for “the gaming industry to face up to responsibilities to protect players from potential harms” and “an industry levy to support independent research on long-term effects of gaming.”
“Frankly no company should be setting kids up for addiction by teaching them to gamble on the content of these loot boxes,” Murdoch said. “No firm should sell to children loot box games with this element of chance, so yes those sales should end.”
The report from Murdoch wants gaming companies to do more about restricting younger players from playing games with a rating outside of their age range. It also mentions that half of U.K. parents let their children play a game with a mature rating without having seen any of the game themselves, and that there have been cases of children purchasing microtransactions without their parents’ knowledge.
Up to 15 new gambling clinics will be available in England to address people aged 13-25 who are struggling with mental health addiction in topics related to social media and video games.
“Young people’s health is at stake, and although the NHS is stepping up with these new, innovative services available to families through our Long Term Plan, we cannot do this alone, so other parts of society must do what they can to limit risks and safeguard children’s wellbeing,” Murdoch said.
Apple TV+ has revealed the release date and first look image for its upcoming anthology series Amazing Stories, which is set to premiere on the streamer on Friday, March 6, 2020. The announcement was made at the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour in Pasadena.
Amazing Stories is a reimagining of the 1985 series of the same name created by Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg. The iconic filmmaker will serve as an executive producer for the Apple TV+ show alongside showrunners Eddy Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. And just like the original show, each adventure will be a standalone episode with its own unique narrative.
For a look at 34 shows we can’t wait to watch in early 2020, click through the gallery below:
The image below is from the episode titled “The Rift,” one of five Amazing Stories episodes premiering on March 6. The episode is directed by Mark Mylod and stars Kerry Lynn Bishé, Whitney Coleman, Trisha Mashburn, Austin Stowell, Edward Burns, and Juliana Canfield.
Kerry Lynn Bishé and Duncan Joiner
“Amazing Stories is a beloved show that has captured our imaginations, and we couldn’t be more excited to share its next thrilling iteration with a global audience of all ages,” said Matt Cherniss, head of development for Apple TV+.
Additional cast members include Dylan O’Brien (The Maze Runner), Victoria Pedretti (You), Josh Holloway (Lost), Sasha Alexander (Shameless,) and in his final role before passing away last October, Robert Forster. Other episodic directors for the series include Chris Long (The Americans), Michael Dinner (Unbelievable), Susanna Fogel (Utopia) and Sylvain White (Stomp The Yard).
For a special behind-the-scenes look at Disney’s new theme park ride, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, watch the video below:
The weekend always bring a wide array of deals with it. This time is no different, as we see great discounts on 4K UHD TVs from Sony, Yamaha sound products on sale, a great Oculus bundle that comes with a free Star Wars game, and so much more.
Free Vader Immortal with Oculus Quest VR Headset (Back in Stock on Amazon)
The Oculus Quest has been one of the hottest selling gaming peripherals over the holidays and it’s sold out practically everywhere. Although you can get it from Oculus directly, it ships out at in March. Today, Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy all currently have restocked their inventory with an earlier ship date. For a limited time, purchase an Oculus Quest and you’ll get all three episodes of the Vader Immortal VR game for free.
There are many reasons why the Quest is the best VR headset to get right now. It’s completely untethered with no external sensors to set up, it’s powerful enough to play games like Vader Immortal, Beat Saber, and Pistol Whip, and it’s far less expensive than all the other newer generation VR headsets that have been released. An Oculus Link beta software is also out in the wild, which allows you to connect the Quest to a PC using a Type C cable and use it like a regular VR headset powered by your gaming PC.
If you’ve been sleeping on this amazing Star Wars experience, then we highly recommend you consider this deal. You’ll have a great time and save some money along the way. Make sure to activate the coupon when purchasing!
Tis the season of 4K, and Sony is starting the year of right with some great sales on their higher end models. Each of these is a Smart UHD 4K TV with a wide suite of of extra features.
Newest Apple AirPods 2 Wireless Earphones for $139
The AirPods 2 sale has let off a little bit, but they are still on sale for $139, which is definitely better than paying full price, so if you missed buying these before, you still have a chance now.
Pre-Order The Elder Scrolls Online: Greymoor Collector’s Edition for $129.99
ESO will soon be dropping another expansion, taking you back into Skyrim, but in a very new way. This Collector’s Edition pre-order comes with an intense looking Vampire Lord Statue, map, steelbook and more.
Humble Australia Fire Relief: Pay $25, Score 29 Games and Help a Cause
Humble offers 29 PC games, including Hollow Knight and Void Bastards, for only $25 (that’s 86 cents per game). Best of all, you’d be doing a good deed. 100% of the proceeds from your bundle purchase go to help the wildlife and animals affected by the Australian bush fires through WIRES, RSPCA, Australian Red Cross, and the World Wildlife Fund via the PayPal Giving Fund. The bush fires in Australia have been on a rampage for months (and still raging now), have burned millions of acres, destroyed thousands of homes, and have taken the lives of an estimated 1 billion animals .
Humble Bundle is owned by Ziff Davis, the parent company of IGN. Humble Bundle and IGN operate completely independently, and no special consideration is given to Humble Bundle announcements or promotions for coverage.
Grab This Yamaha Sound Bar and Subwoofer for Black Friday Style Savings
This Yamaha Soundbar has just been put on sale, and is back down to the price we saw for it during Black Friday. With an excellent level of sound, and easy to connect Bluetooth functions, it’s a steal of a purchase at this price.
EVOO Gaming 17-Inch 1080p 144Hz Intel Core i7-9750H GTX 1660 Ti Gaming Laptop with 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD, RGB Mechanical Keyboard for $999
If you’re looking for a 17″ gaming laptop, it’s hard to find a deal better than this. This EVOO laptop comes equipped with a 9th gen Intel Core i7 processor, RTX 2060 video card (which is better than the GTX 1060 or GTX 1660 Ti, and almost comparable to the GTX 1070), 16GB of memory, and a very generous 1TB solid state drive all for under $1K. It even sports a 144Hz refresh rate, THX tuned display and speakers, and an RGB mechanical laptop keyboard.
Just in Time for Super Bowl LIV: HDTV Deals With Bonus Gift Cards Are Back at Dell
It’s been a while since we’ve seen Dell offer free gift cards on top of HDTV discounts… not since Black Friday, actually. Because Dell matches the lowest prices found at competitors before factoring in the gift card, this is usually the cheapest way to score a specific TV model. The promotional gift card can be used on almost everything at Dell (computers, monitors, electronics, consoles, video games, etc) and carries a 90-day expiration.
65″ LG OLED65B9 4K HDR OLED Smart HDTV with $150 Gift Card for $1799 at Dell
55″ LG OLED55E8 4K HDR OLED Smart HDTV with $150 Gift Card for $1429 at Dell
75″ Sony XBR75X900F 4K HDR Smart HDTV with $400 Gift Card for $1698 at Dell
65″ Sony XBR65X900F 4K HDR Smart HDTV with $300 Gift Card for $1098 at Dell
55″ Sony XBR55X950G 4K HDR Smart HDTV with $250 Gift Card for $998 at Dell
86″ LG 86UM8070 4K Smart HDTV with $200 Gift Card for $1897 at Dell
75″ LG 75UM7570 4K Smart HDTV with $150 Gift Card for $999 at Dell
50″ Vizio V505-G9 4K Smart HDTV with $100 Gift Card for $299.99 at Dell
43″ LG 43UM6910 4K Smart HDTV with $25 Gift Card for $229.99 at Dell
Out 3/14: Nioh 2 Special Edition Now Up for Preorder (Includes Season Pass)
We rated Nioh an “Amazing” 9.6/10 and have high expectations for the sequel. This PS4 exclusive is out in two months and the Special Edition just went up for preorder this week. The Special Edition includes the game with steelbook case, season pass, and an art book for only $20 more than the base edition. Preorder it now and you’ll automatically be adjusted for any and every price drop the game might see before its release.
The 2019 TCL 6-series might have the best image quality of any 55″ TV under $500. The biggest upgrade from the 2018 model is the Quantum LED (QLED) technology. In addition, this is a fully HDR capable TV thanks to its excellent wide color gamut and local dimming.
Out Today: Dragon Ball Z Kakarot Collector’s Edition
Kakarot is out today and you can check out our review in progress for our opinion so far. Unlike FighterZ, which is a versus fighter, Kakarot promises to be a big open world adventure (with tons of fighting too, of course). This collector’s edition includes the game with steelbook case, an 8″x8″x8″ diorama statue, 10″x12″ hardcover artbook, and some DLC. Kakarot is the biggest game for this month, and it’s out this Friday.
Clip the 5% off coupon on the product page to get the price of this chair down to the lowest it’s ever been on Amazon. This chair features leather upholstery with high density foam fill, included lumbar and headrest pillows, adjustable arm rests, up to 180-degree reclinability, quiet rubber casters, and a gas-lift that can support up to 300lbs. This is one of our picks for best gaming chairs of 2020.
Disney+ offers a 7-day free trial for you to decide whether or not you want to sign up for the service. The excellent Mandalorian Season 1 TV series is over. Considering the fact that it’s only comprised of eight 30-minute episodes, it’s super easy to run through it during the trial. The live action Aladdin just launched on D+, and The Lion King is coming later this month.
Afterwards you’ll be paying $6.99 per month (or better yet, get a $69.99 annual subscription). You can also sign up for Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ all for $12.99 per month. The included Hulu subscription is with limited commercials but there is a way to get ad-free Hulu.
