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Rush Hour 2 needs no introduction. When the first movie came out in 1998, no one could have imagined the acclaim and success it would achieve – earning millions at the box office and basically begging for the next part. Usually, nothing exceptional ever comes out of sequels and neither is it expected.

Almost every time, the virgin feeling of the movie concept is absent, the storyline is on a similar pattern, there is no plot mystery and the viewer's feeling for expecting something new is usually not there. It is because, in most cases, the second or third part feels like the continuation of the same idea or maybe something new but on a slightly different tangent. Rush Hour 2 feels just like that. However, it is not implied in any way that the movie is bad – In fact the complete opposite.

You will find watching Rush Hour 2 like coming...

It looks like American born actor and martial artist Andy On has a new online movie gracing the small screen almost every week. “To Live through Death” sees him team up with another iQIYI regular, Hong Kong veteran action star Louis Fan Siu Wong as leads for the first time. Written by first time mainland director Ren Gao Liang, this action movie released by iQIYI, one of Beijing’s top video on-demand streaming platforms, is one of the countless movies flooding the web.

Joint Street, Tangda Island, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean where migrant workers come to settle. Lin Hai Ya, a small-time thug, robs a stack of gold bars for gang boss Paquin (Yu Kang) who holds his wife and young daughter as hostages. The gangsters kill his family regardless and Lin takes off with the gold to his uncle’s clinic to get a facelift to change his appearance and disappears.

Stars: Jackie Chan, Wei Xiang, Han Yanbo, Temur Mamisashvili, Shi Ce | Written by Meng Yida, Xu Wei | Directed by Zhang Luan

Panda Plan (aka Xiong Mao Ji Hua) opens on a highly meta note as action star Jackie Chan, played by Jackie Chan takes out an entire squad of terrorists while filming a scene for his latest film. After wondering if he’s supposed to be playing a superhero, he and his agent David review a list of possible off-screen activities. That list includes a housewarming party at Stallone’s new mansion and a celebrity golf tournament.

Jackie passes on all of them to accept an offer from the Noah Zoo to adopt Big Babe, their media star baby panda. What they don’t know is that the leader of what appears to be the evil equivalent of The Untouchables has been offered $100,000,000 to pandanap Big Babe.

With his right hand man James in charge,...

“Agent 86,” a rare China-Tunisia coproduction film, will have its world premiere on Friday in Tunisia, ahead of a commercial release in Tunisian theaters from Sept. 25.

The film is pitched as “a fast-paced action thriller following an international Special Task Force that comes together to fight cross border drug trafficking after a devastatingly addictive drug named Devil’s Breath goes on sale in Hong Kong.”

The driving force behind the movie is Tunisian actor-director Bassem Khayati, who produced and directed the film and also appears as its co-lead.

Khayati is a veteran of several Jackie Chan movies including “Dragon Blade,” “Kung Fu Yoga” and “Vanguard,” as well as action roles in numerous other Chinese titles including “Fox Hunting,” “Mojin, The Lost Legend” and “Go Away Mr. Tumor.” In the west, Khayati has had various action and stunt roles in the John Cena-starring “Hidden Strike,” the Scott Adkins-starring “Abduction” and...

John Cena and Awkwafina star in the action-comedy Jackpot!, where Awkwafina's character wins the Grand Lottery, but becomes a target for those seeking her multi-billion dollar jackpot. The first trailer spotlights the humorous chemistry between its leads, as well as the various foes they will fight in the film, including Simu Liu's rival to Cena. Director Paul Feig and the collaboration with Awkwafina and Simu Liu could help Jackpot! redeem Cena's recent action-comedy disappointments.

John Cena and Awkwafina return to the world of action comedies in the first Jackpot! trailer. Awkwafina leads the star-studded cast as Katie, an aspiring actor who moves to 2030 Los Angeles and finds herself the winner of the Grand Lottery, though doesn't realize this pits her as the target for anyone to kill her by sundown and claim her multi-billion dollar jackpot. Cena stars in Jackpot! as Noel Cassidy, a lottery protection agent who works...

From WWE champion to successful action star in Hollywood, John Cena has made the seamless transition from sports to acting like his colleague, Dwayne Johnson. The celebrity used his physicality to perfection and proved his mettle in many action-oriented roles in films like The Marine and The Fast and the Furious franchise, before bagging the marquee role of Peacemaker in DC.

Hollywood star John Cena (image credit: Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons)

In the field of wrestling, the star has given spectators many memorable moments and has often been viewed as the king of promos, which is an important aspect of the sport. But even he could not live down one particular promo appearance that fans have dug out from the archives, that shows The Wall star completely hamming it.

WWE Fans Are Finding A Promo Of John Cena Cringeworthy

Along with Dwayne Johnson, John Cena has been one of the...

Jackie Chan taking the mic and performing a rendition of Elvis Presley’s hit song Can’t Help Falling in Love was something the studio audiences of Howie Mandel never imagined. Most interestingly, he didn’t fumble words while singing as he did with his lines in the English language films. Even years after this soulful rendition, fans keep discovering Chan’s secret talent.

Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith in 2010’s The Karate Kid | Columbia Pictures

Last year, Chan did the film Hidden Strike alongside none other than John Cena. Fans will soon get to see Chan and Chris Tucker team up in the fourth installment of Rush Hour. There’s always more to expect from this 70-year-old action star.

Jackie Chan’s Beautiful Singing Is The Only Thing Fans Need to Hear To Make Their Day

Jackie Chan in The Drunken Master | Seasonal Film Corporation

During an old appearance on The Howie Mandel Show,...

(Photo Credit – IMDb)

A year and a half after the horrific snowplow accident, Jeremy Renner is returning to the screen with Mayor Of Kingstown Season 3. The actor proved that the show must go on, as he shot for the Paramount+ crime thriller while still recovering from his injuries.

Apart from Renner’s inspiring journey, the darker theme of the new season has also gotten the viewers hyped as Mike is expected to go on a murderous path. Want to know the premiere date, plot, and cast of Mayor Of Kingstown Season 3? We have got you covered!

Mayor Of Kingstown Season 3: Release Date

Mayor Of Kingstown Season 3 is all set to premiere on Paramount+ on Sunday, June 2nd, 2024. The number of episodes in the new season has not been confirmed yet; however, it is expected to feature 10 episodes like the previous two installments. Paramount+ follows a weekly release schedule, so...

Bionic On Netflix: Release Date, Cast, Plot, & Everything We Know So Far ( Photo Credit – Netflix )

The Brazilian sci-fi action movie Bionic, also known as Biônicos, is coming to Netflix this May. The director, Afonso Poyart, promises an adrenaline-pumping experience unlike anything else in this film.

Bionic takes us on an engrossing voyage into the future while exploring potential moral dilemmas. Anticipate suspenseful action mixed with contemplations on how technology affects ancient customs such as sports. If you’re looking for release date, plot details, and cast details, look no further. Read below to learn everything we know so far about the movie Bionic.

When is Bionic going to be released?

Bionic will be released on Netflix on May 29, 2024. To watch the film, you must have a subscription to the streaming service.

Trending Will There Be A Season 2 Of The Sympathizer On HBO? Hidden Strike: Jackie Chan, John Cena...

Jackie Chan and John Cena’s Hidden Strike Defies Poor Reviews With Over 73 Million Views On Netflix ( Photo Credit – IMDb )

In an unexpected pairing, Hidden Strike stars Jackie Chan and John Cena in an action-packed martial arts adventure. They play ex-special forces soldiers tasked with escorting civilians along Baghdad’s infamous Highway of Death. Directed by Scott Waugh and written by Arash Amel, this film emerged as one of the top streaming hits of 2023.

Premiering on July 6, 2023, in the UAE and hitting Netflix on July 28, Hidden Strike didn’t make it to U.S. theatres, leading to a box office total of under $1 million against its $80 million budget. However, it found success on Netflix. According to the “What We Watched: A Netflix Engagement Report” for July to December 2023, Hidden Strike was the sixth most viewed movie, with 73.3 million views and nearly 126 million hours watched.

Despite its massive streaming success, Hidden Strike received lacklustre critical ratings,...

Hidden Strike ranked 6th on Netflix's list of most viewed movies in 2023, with over 73 million views and 126 million hours watched. Critics panned Hidden Strike with a 24% Rotten Tomatoes score, but it received a 55% audience score, proving more popular with viewers. Despite negative reviews, the Chan and Cena combo drew in massive viewership, indicating potential for a sequel or even a theatrical release.

The John Cena and Jackie Chan action movie Hidden Strike ended up being one of the biggest streaming movies of 2023. Directed by Scott Waugh and written by Arash Amel, Hidden Strike pairs the unlikely duo of Chan and Cena in an action-packed martial arts adventure film. Chan and Cena play two ex-special forces soldiers who are tasked with escorting a group of civilians along the "Highway of Death" in Baghdad, marking their first-ever onscreen appearance in either film or television.

Hidden Strike initially premiered on July 6, 2023, in...

Gal Gadot Led Heart Of Stone Becomes #2 On Netflix’s Most Watched Movies In Latter Half Of 2023. (Photo Credit – IMDb)

Netflix is one of the leading streaming platforms globally, catering to a wide variety of entertainment. Several movies find their home on the Ott platform after their theatrical release, while some are released directly there. The streaming giant has released data on films with the most views from July 1 to December 31, 2023. Gal Gadot’s Heart of Stone has beaten several other movies to grab the #2 spot, but can you guess which movie is at the top of the list?

The movie Heart of Stone featured Gal, Jamie Dornan, and Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt in leading roles. The plot revolves around an international intelligence operative who must go on a mission to protect a mysterious artificial intelligence system known as The Heart.

Heart of Stone was directed by Tom Harper. Its reported budget was $150 million,...

Stars: Rory Kinnear, Henry Cavill, Freddie Fox, Alan Ritchson, Henry Golding, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Alex Pettyfer, Eiza González, Babs Olusanmokun, Cary Elwes | Written by Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson, Arash Amel | Directed by Guy Ritchie

Guy Ritchie is back with The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. Based on what is allegedly the first “Black Ops” mission it’s a variation on The Dirty Dozen and all the knock-offs that followed, right up to and including Inglourious Basterds.

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare opens with a boat having just been boarded by several members of the German Navy. As they pour gasoline over the deck, they tell its occupants they have the choice of staying on board and burning to death, or jumping overboard and drowning. For some reason, however, they don’t seem very worried.

From there we jump back 25 days, to Churchill watching newsreel footage about Hitler’s U-boats keeping American troops from entering the war.

Mumbai, April 16 (Ians) The Taiwanese film ‘Demon Hunters’, which stars Indian actor Arjan Bajwa, is heading to Cannes Film Festival.

The film is an action-comedy, and its first look will be unveiled at the French Riviera next month. The film is headlined by Arjan Bajwa and Jc Lin.

It is directed by Mei-Juin Chen, who is known for her work on ‘The Gangster’s Daughter’, and has camera handled by veteran cinematographer Tony Cheung. Tony is known for his work on films like ‘Dragon Blade’ and ‘Hidden Strike’ starring Jackie Chan and John Sena.

With a stellar international cast and crew, including Regina Lei and seasoned actor Jack Kao, known as Al Pacino of the South East and Harry Chang from the popular Netflix Series Gatao, the film is set to captivate audiences worldwide.

Arjan Bajwa said: “Being a part of ‘Demon Hunters’ has been an incredible experience. The opportunity...

The first footage from India-Taiwan co-production “Demon Hunters” will be unveiled at the upcoming Cannes Film Market.

The action-horror-comedy film is directed by Chen Mei-Juin (“The Gangster’s Daughter”) and produced by Light House Productions (Taiwan) and Kleos Entertainment Group (India), with the backing of the Taiwan government.

The cast is headlined by India’s Arjan Bajwa (Prime Video series “Bestseller”) and Taiwan’s J.C. Lin (“Breaking and Re-entering”) and also includes Regina Lei (“Antikalpa”), Jack Kao (“Seven Killings”) and Harry Chan (“A Boy and a Girl”). The DoP is Hong Kong veteran Tony Cheung (“Hidden Strike”).

Cindy Shyu of Light House Productions said: “‘Demon Hunters’ is a testament to the power of collaboration. We are thrilled to bring this unique blend of action and comedy to the global stage, and Cannes provides the perfect platform to showcase our vision.”

Gayathiri Guliani of Kleos Entertainment Group added: “‘Demon Hunters’ embodies...

Exclusive: MindRiot Entertainment, the transatlantic indie behind Danielle Deadwyler’s Parallel, and the upcoming OceanGate pic Salvaged is moving into production on Trash Talk, a docuseries about NBA Hall-Of-Famer Gary Payton.

Filmmaker Scott Waugh will direct the series. Cameras are set to officially begin rolling Thursday in Nashville, Tennessee, where Payton will make an appearance at the Ama Supercross Championship.

Specific details on the series and its focus are currently under wraps, but MindRiot COO Randa Minkarah told Deadline that audiences “will get to see Payton aka “The Glove” — whose legendary athletic grit and tongue was showcased on Netflix’s The Last Dance – talk trash while on horseback with rodeo cowboys, fly fishing with producer John Dietsch (A River Runs Through It), and maybe even go head to head selling cookies with a bad-ass troupe of kids.”

MindRiot founder Jonathan Keasey and the company’s Head of Sports Content,...

John Cena's recent Rotten Tomatoes streak has been disappointing, including his most recent film, Ricky Stanicky Notably, Cena's critics' scores are low, but his audience scores' are high, meaning he needs a really well-made movie to break his streak With upcoming projects like Grand Death Lotto and Heads of State, Cena has a chance to redeem himself on Rotten Tomatoes.

Although John Cena is a well-known and appreciated name among Hollywood actors, his most recent performances have led to a pretty dismal streak on Rotten Tomatoes that, hopefully, can be fixed via his next two releases. In the late 1990s, John Cena moved to California to start a career in bodybuilding, and then, wrestling. For more than a decade, Cena held a spot of acclaim among professional wrestlers, winning countless championships and perfecting his rapper-turned-superhero character. In the early 2000s, Cena became a notable wrestler-turned-actor, but only in the...

Cena's recent live-action movies on Rotten Tomatoes are mostly "Rotten," with only one hit in the past few years. Cena's cameo in Barbie breaks his eight-movie "Rotten" streak for live-action roles. Accepting the cameo in Barbie saved Cena's streak from the poorly-reviewed projects.

John Cena has appeared in multiple films that have achieved "Fresh" status on Rotten Tomatoes, but as of late, his movies have been deemed "Rotten" except for one hit that featured a cameo by the actor. Cena's most recent film — the 2024 comedy Ricky Stanicky — has a 47 percent score on the review-aggregation website as of the writing of this article. Since projects need at least a 60 percent score to reach "Fresh" status, it seems as if the Amazon Prime Video movie will remain "Rotten," even as more reviews flood in following its premiere on March 7.

While Ricky Stankicky mostly received poor reviews, Cena's films in the past few...

Jackie Chan is set to star in an action comedy called Panda Plan where he will play an international action star version of himself. The movie's plot revolves around Chan attempting to foil a plan to kidnap a group of baby pandas from China's Noah Zoo, including one who has become a worldwide sensation. This idea of Chan playing himself mirrors Nicolas Cage's role in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, and is particularly exciting due to Chan's incorporation of comedy into so many of his roles.

Jackie Chan is undertaking a fun Nicolas Cage-like twist in his upcoming action comedy, Panda Plan. After dazzling Chinese audiences throughout the 1980s, Chan finally became a breakout star in America in the 1990s. The 69-year-old martial artist and actor is best known for starring in hits like Police Story, Rush Hour, Shanghai Knights, The Foreigner, and, recently, Hidden Strike, and he...

Mandarin Motion Pictures to launch sales at the American Film Market (AFM).

Hong Kong’s Mandarin Motion Pictures has secured sales rights to Jackie Chan action comedy Panda Plan and will launch the film at the American Film Market (AFM).

Zhang Luan directs the Chinese feature, in which a baby panda with just one dark circle around his eye becomes a worldwide sensation after being born at China’s Noah Zoo. When a Middle Eastern tycoon dispatches mercenaries to snatch baby pandas from the zoo, iconic action star Chan – playing a version of himself – becomes involved to protect the animals at the wildlife park.

Fresh from his horse wrangler film Ride On, Jackie Chan has lined up an action comedy flick centering on baby pandas. The 69-year-old screen icon is set to star in Panda Plan, directed by mainland Chinese filmmaker Zhang Luan (Song of Youth, Give Me Five) and produced by Mandarin Motion Pictures and Wishart Media Co.

The project was announced on the last day of Tokyo’s Tiffcom content market and will make its sales debut at the American Film Market in Los Angeles next week.

The film centers on a rare baby panda with a dark circle around just one eye, who becomes a worldwide sensation when he’s born at China’s Noah Zoo. But when a Middle Eastern tycoon dispatches international mercenaries to kidnap the zoo’s baby pandas, Chan, playing a version of himself as an international action star, is forced to get involved in a rescue mission.

Freelance is an action comedy film directed by Pierre Morel, from a screenplay by Jacob Lentz. The film revolves around Mason Pettits, a retired Special Forces operator who takes on the job of providing protection to Claire Wellington as she interviews the president of Paldonia Juan Venegas. But things go awry when a military coup breaks out in the middle of the interview and all three of them have to run for their lives. Freelance stars John Cena and Alison Brie in the lead roles with Juan Pablo Raba, Christian Slater, and Alice Eve starring in leading roles. So, if you love the action comedy film here are some similar movies you could watch next.

The Hitman’s Bodyguard (Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Lionsgate

Synopsis: The world’s top protection agent [Ryan Reynolds] is called upon to guard the life of his mortal enemy, one of the world’s most notorious hitmen [nm0000168 autoSamuel L.

Actor Arjan Bajwa, a pan-Indian actor who has appeared in Hindi and South films, has secured a prominent role in an international production titled ‘Demon Hunters’. Talking about the gig, Arjan said that he was absolutely thrilled to be chosen.

Detailing his selection process, the ‘Rustom’ actor said: “It’s an exhilarating character, and I’m thrilled to have been chosen to portray a computer geek seeking vengeance for his grandfather’s death.”

He added: “The casting team reached out to me about six to eight months ago. They carefully reviewed my body of work, and after meticulous and detailed meetings, things fell into place. We engaged in workshops and training before the shoot, which was an amazing learning experience.”

A power packed-action-comedy feature, the venture is helmed by director Mei-Juin Chen (‘Gangster’s Daughter’) along with celebrated director-cinematographer Tony Cheung. ‘Demon Hunters’ is produced by the global company Light House Productions.

Actor Arjan Bajwa, a pan-Indian actor who has appeared in Hindi and South films, has secured a prominent role in an international production titled ‘Demon Hunters’. Talking about the gig, Arjan said that he was absolutely thrilled to be chosen.

Detailing his selection process, the ‘Rustom’ actor said: “It’s an exhilarating character, and I’m thrilled to have been chosen to portray a computer geek seeking vengeance for his grandfather’s death.”

He added: “The casting team reached out to me about six to eight months ago. They carefully reviewed my body of work, and after meticulous and detailed meetings, things fell into place. We engaged in workshops and training before the shoot, which was an amazing learning experience.”

A power packed-action-comedy feature, the venture is helmed by director Mei-Juin Chen (‘Gangster’s Daughter’) along with celebrated director-cinematographer Tony Cheung. ‘Demon Hunters’ is produced by the global company Light House Productions.

While Expend4bles underperformed at the box office this weekend, the movie might find more of an audience once it hits streaming in the next few months. While I didn’t love the film, I still had a decent enough time with it. Director Scott Waugh, who previously directed Act of Valor and Need for Speed, kept the movie moving quickly and packed it with some good action, including a big fight between bad guy Iko Uwais and Jason Statham’s Lee Christmas. In our exclusive interview, Waugh explains how he made sure the fight was more two-sided than usual for a Statham scrap. Waugh also explains what it was like making an Expend4bles movie where Stallone’s role is pretty small. He also tells us about an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie he’s making, Breakout. He reacts to the surprising success of Hidden Strike, a Jackie Chan/ John Cena movie he...

Need for Speed director Scott Waugh had a heartwarming reunion with filmmaker Steven Spielberg before filming the movie. Spielberg remembered Waugh from their previous collaboration on Hook, showing his incredible ability to remember everyone he has worked with. Despite the possibility of a Need for Speed 2, it seems Waugh won't be involved, but the first film still brought them together after 21 years apart.

Need for Speed director Scott Waugh has opened up about his heartwarming reunion with filmmaker Steven Spielberg before filming of the video game adaptation began. The 2014 action film stars Aaron Paul as mechanic Tobey Marshall, who sets out for revenge against Dino Brewster (Dominic Cooper), a man who framed Tobey for a crime he didn't commit. The film was produced under DreamWorks Pictures, of which Spielberg is a co-founder.

Related: 7 Movies & Shows That Prove The Video Game Adaptation Curse Is Dead

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter,...

Before John Wick ushered in a new era of stuntmen turned directors, Expend4bles director Scott Waugh was one of the few exceptions to pull off the feat. Following in the footsteps of his older brother Ric Roman Waugh, the younger Waugh made his own luck by funding 2012’s Act of Valor and co-directing the action film alongside Mouse McCoy. The film starred active-duty Navy Seals, and its success then opened the door for Waugh to direct Need for Speed for Disney, as well as DreamWorks head Steven Spielberg.

Expend4bles is now Waugh’s fifth feature film, and he managed to cross off a major bucket-list item in working with Sylvester Stallone. The duo were supposed to join forces with Jackie Chan on Waugh’s other 2023 film, Hidden Strike, but the volatility of Hollywood schedules led to Stallone’s exit. However, Waugh still managed to bring a bit of Chan’s...

When "The Expendables" first exploded into theaters back in 2010, the cast of aging action icons were already getting a little long in the tooth. Seeing Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis in the same scene together was still worth the price of admission, however. Incredibly, it's already been 10 years since "Expendables 3" came out as the weakest entry in the series, as it proved to be a marketing mistake to give the third installment a PG-13 rating. Part of the fun of this throwback franchise is seeing outlandish sequences of graphic violence. The audience for this wants to feel the arterial blood spray hitting the screen. As a result, the series has made the right course correction by making "Expendables 4" (aka "Expend4bles") R-rated. 

Opening this weekend, it will be interesting to see if "Expendables 4" can recapture the box office glory it once enjoyed by putting old faces...

This weekend sees the release of Expend4bles (read my review), and its director, Scott Waugh, is already planning a follow-up action movie. This time, instead of Sylvester Stallone, he’s tearing up with another action icon: Arnold Schwarzenegger. As previously reported, the film, Breakout, stars Arnold as “Terry Reynolds. When his stepson, Daniel, is framed and sentenced to 25 years in a foreign country, Reynolds makes a daring jailbreak to save him and must overcome an overzealous prison warden in a race against time to avoid capture and flee the country.”

Recently, we spoke to Waugh and asked him about making Arnold’s latest. While he admitted that the strikes have brought the film to a temporary stop, he seems excited about its possibilities: “I think Breakout’s gonna be a really cool movie for Arnold. It’s really gonna get back to real hard Arnold. There’s not much comedy...

The Expendables 4 is finally hitting theaters after almost a decade, bringing back the franchise's hard R rating and tongue-in-cheek mayhem. The film's new director, Scott Waugh, aims to return to the roots of the franchise while bringing his unique eye for visceral thrills. The movie features a star-studded cast of newcomers, adding a fresh focus to the series while still including series regulars like Sylvester Stallone and Dolph Lundgren.

After a long wait, The Expendables 4 (EXPEND4BLES) is hitting theaters, bringing the franchise back to a hard R rating and continuing its unique brand of tongue-in-cheek mayhem. It’s been a long time coming; the last franchise entry was released in 2014, making it nearly a decade between films. Perhaps for this reason, The Expendables 4’s star-studded cast of newcomers shifts focus from the cadre of all-time great action stars—not to say that series regulars like Sylvester Stallone...

Key Release Dates

Expend4bles Release Date: 2023-09-22 The Expendables 4 returns to its R-rated roots with an action-packed crew of mercenaries, combining old favorites with new faces for an exciting evolution of the franchise. Martial arts legends Tony Jaa and Iko Uwais elevate the fight scenes in The Expendables 4, delivering visceral and engaging action that surpasses previous installments. Stunt coordinator Alan Ng had creative freedom to create thrilling fight scenes despite time constraints, with Jason Statham placing trust in Ng and his team to deliver impressive sequences.

The Expendables 4, a.k.a. EXPEND4BLES, returns to the hard R-rated beginnings of the franchise, delivering over-the-top action thanks to a believably rowdy and dangerous crew of mercenaries. The series has long succeeded in part thanks to its impressive cast of action icons; this time around, new faces join the old favorites and tease an evolution of the franchise. Still,...

Vacation Friends 2 has received the worst Rotten Tomatoes score for a John Cena movie since 2011, marking a significant fall in quality compared to his recent films. Viewers have criticized Vacation Friends 2 for its unengaging and unoriginal plot, lack of humor, and distracting plot elements that don't fit the sequel's story. The negative reception of Vacation Friends 2 contrasts with John Cena's success in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, highlighting the highs and lows of his career in August 2023.

Vacation Friends 2 is John Cena's newest comedy movie, but it is also the actor's worst Rotten Tomatoes score in 12 years. While John Cena has been in some great projects, like Peacemaker and the Fast and Furious franchise, he has also been in some real stinkers that have gotten critically panned. Although there wasn't much buzz around Vacation Friends 2, its reception has been surprisingly bad, with the new...

The return of Futurama found a place on the streaming charts for the final week of July. Suits spent another week as the overall No. 1, though it declined (slightly) for the first time since it hit the charts in late June.

Futurama’s revival on Hulu (along with the rest of its catalog) delivered 506 million minutes of viewing time for the week of July 24-30, tying for third place among original series with Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer. Sweet Magnolias remained the top original for a second week with 1.42 billion minutes of viewing, up from 1.22 billion a week earlier.

Suits tallied 3.6 billion minutes of watch time for the week, its sixth straight as the top overall title. Since first hitting the charts in the week of June 19-25, the series has racked up 20.31 billion minutes of viewing time on (mostly) Netflix and Peacock. That’s the second largest total for...

The Expendables aRe back! So says the new red-band trailer for Expend4bles, which promises a blood-soaked return to for for the fellas.

The Expendables III concluded with new blood joining the team. Now, even newer blood will form the small group of mercenaries that originated in the 2010 film, The Expendables, which starred action legends Sylvester Stallone, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, with appearances by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis. Then rising action star Jason Statham played the right-hand man to Stallone’s Barney Ross, Lee Christmas. Statham gets promoted to the star in this entry, although Stallone will still make an appearance. Lionsgate has just released the newest trailer for the franchise that celebrates the action movies of old.

The official synopsis from Lionsgate reads,

“A new generation of stars join the world’s top action stars for an adrenaline-fueled adventure in Expend4bles. Reuniting as the team of elite mercenaries, Jason Statham,...

In Scott Waugh's "Hidden Strike," two former special forces veterans — Dragon (Jackie Chan) and Chris (John Cena) — band together to carry out a dangerous mission with massive stakes. The Chan x Cena combination is certainly an interesting one, as both stars bring their specific brand of humor to their roles, and perform in tandem during action scenes that highlight their strengths as leading stars in the action genre. This chemistry is integral to the success of "Hidden Strike," which has been sitting comfortably in the global Top 10 Netflix charts for the past few weeks, thanks to its buddy-cop premise and a plot that doesn't require serious investment for it to be entertaining.

While the Chan-Cena element of the film is a no-brainer in terms of its success, "Hidden Strike" underwent a long gestation period before release, spending five years in post-production before seeing the light of day. Any other...

Two years after co-starring in Netflix‘s hit “Red Notice” with Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds, Gal Gadot is back in the Top 10 charts for the week of August 7 with her action-thriller “Heart of Stone.” Read on for this week’s analysis.

Gadot’s undeniable star power was on full display as “Heart of Stone” only premiered on the streamer this past Friday, and it was able to easily top the English-language list with 33.1 million views worldwide. It was the #1 watched film in most of the Americas (except Canada), Africa, Asia and Europe, and a great start for what should be another Netflix hit. “Red Notice” is famously Netflix’s most-watched movie ever, with 230.9 million global views total, but “Heart of Stone” will give Gadot a good opportunity to show that she doesn’t need the boys to get viewers watching.

At the same time, Jennifer Lopez‘s hit action-thriller...

It looks like the obscure and long-shelved Jackie Chan/ John Cena vehicle Hidden Strike’s reign at the top of the Netflix charts is over, with Gal Gadot’s spy thriller Heart of Stone topping the global charts. Curiously, Hidden Strike, while still coming in at number 2 on the international charts, completely fell out of the top 10 on the U.S. chart, which seems strange considering how well it did last week (read our review of the underwhelming film here).

Gal Gadot’s mostly well-reviewed Heart of Stone raked in 33.1 Million views and 69.6 hours viewed. While promising, that puts the movie well behind a pair of Netflix’s most recent action flicks, Extraction 2, which raked in 88.4 hours viewed in its first week, and The Mother, which was watched for 83.7 hours. In fact, the latter film, which stars Jennifer Lopez, has turned into Netflix’s biggest hit of the year,...

Gal Gadot has made her Netflix return after starring in the streamer’s most popular film of all time, Red Notice.

Her new film, Heart of Stone, was No. 1 on the English-language film list for the week of August 7 to August 13 with 33.1M views.

Speaking of the most popular list, remember that Jennifer Lopez thriller The Mother? The action thriller entered Netflix’s all time most popular list in June after dominating the Top 10 for several weeks.

Well now it’s 91-day premiere window is officially over, and it has cemented itself in seventh place among Netflix’s biggest English-language films with 136.4M views, bumping Extraction and Glass Onion down a spot.

This is one of the first high-profile Netflix projects to complete its measurement window since the streamer updated its viewership metrics in June. A few weeks ago, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story solidified itself at No. 10 on the...

The second part of Netflix’s “The Lincoln Lawyer” Season 2 battled against titles from Disney+, Peacock, Apple TV+ and Paramount+ to win the top spot in the latest Wrap Report.

The David E. Kelly legal drama, based on novels by Michael Connelley, owes part of its success to Netflix’s unique two-part release model with part one debuting on July 6 and the second released close to a month later on Aug. 3, letting it dominate streaming viewing for the week of July 31-Aug. 6.

The Wrap Report provides an exclusive first look at the most-watched movies and TV series from the past week across both streaming and linear television sourced from viewership trends collected from Samba TV’s panel of more than 3 million households drawn from over 25 million connected TVs, balanced to the U.S. Census.

Top streaming shows, July 31-Aug. 6, 2023, U.S. (Samba TV)

New data from Samba TV found that almost three-quarters,...

Plot: Two ex-special forces soldiers must escort a group of civilians along Baghdad’s “Highway of Death” to the safety of the Green Zone.

Review: Released last week with minimal promotion, the new action flick Hidden Strike shocked everyone by becoming the number-one movie on Netflix in the United States and over fifty other countries. It should come as no surprise that a movie starring Jackie Chan and John Cena would do as well as this. With the marketplace desperate for products due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes limiting the new content at their disposal, Hidden Strike is a surprising success story in a year where a new Indiana Jones movie became one of the biggest box office bombs ever. While Hidden Strike‘s long journey to the screen saw it shift stars from Sylvester Stallone to John Cena while relying on lots of CGI to make...

Jackie Chan and John Cena star in Hidden Strike, an action movie which sat on a shelf for five years only to become a surprise hit on Netflix. How’s that for a glow-up? The streaming service has dropped its Top Ten for the past week and Hidden Strike has taken the number one spot for the second week in a row with 23.5 million views.

Jackie Chan and John Cena play two ex-special force soldiers who must escort a group of civilians along Badhdad’s Highway of Death to the safety of the Green Zone. Hidden Strike was shot back in September 2018, so this one has remained under the radar for quite some time.

Related Hidden Strike Review

The film was directed by Scott Waugh (Need for Speed) from a script by Arash Amel (The Titan) but was an entirely Chinese-funded project filmed in China using local crews. “Some Western...

The second half of Season 2 of “The Lincoln Lawyer” put the popular crime drama back atop the Top 10 charts for the week of July 31, as far as the English TV list, but how did “Heartstopper” Season 2 fare after its August 3 debut? Read on for this week’s analysis.

It seems appropriate that we start with the TV chart this week, since two returning shows topped the English series list with the second half of the second season of “Lincoln Lawyer” receiving 6.7 million views, followed by “Heartstopper” in second place with 6.1 million views. “Lincoln Lawyer” was the #1 watched show in the United States, Canada, four European countries, as well as Australia and New Zealand, while “Hearstopper” was #1 in Mexico and a few other European countries, including the United Kingdom.

“The Witcher” Season 3 took third place on that chart with 5.4 million views, followed by Season 3 of “Sweet Magnolias” with 2.9 million views. The...

Netflix‘s adaptation of Alice Oseman‘s Heartstopper makes hearts flutter after debuting on Netflix’s Top 10 TV List, with The Lincoln Lawyer returning to the top spot. The chart tabulating Netflix’s English-language series shows Heartstopper drawing 6.1M views, with fans returning to see Nick and Charlie’s trip to France and witness the evolution of their new relationship. Meanwhile, after debuting its final episodes, The Lincoln Lawyer found 6.7M views approaching the bench from July 31 to August 6.

The Witcher, featuring Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia for the last time before Liam Hemsworth assumes the role, fell from number one to number 3, tossing 5.4M views to its coffers. Completing the top five were Sweet Magnolias Season 3, in fourth place, and How to Become a Cult Leader, debuting in fifth with 2.3M views.

On the English Films list, Hidden Strike, an action-adventure flick starring Jackie Chan and John Cena,...

The second half of “The Lincoln Lawyer” Season 2 has pushed its way to the top of Netflix’s top 10 English-language TV list.

Since its return on Thursday, Part 2 of the legal drama has secured 6.7 million views for the week, bringing the season’s total views to 23.3 million. The first half of this installment was released over a month ago on July 6. Season 1 of the David E. Kelley series also reappeared on the list, securing the No. 6 spot with 2.1 million views.

“The Lincoln Lawyer” was then followed by the romantic return of Nick and Charlie thanks to Season 2 of “Heartstopper.” The young-adult series has received 6.1 million views since its Thursday premiere, putting it right ahead of last week’s TV leader, “The Witcher” Season 3 Part 2. The Henry Cavill fantasy thriller only secured 5.4 million views compared to last week’s 7.8 million views.

As for the rest of the English-language TV list, “Sweet Magnolias...

Court was back in session last week as The Lincoln Lawyer Season 2 climbed back into first place among Netflix’s English-language series.

Following the release of the final episodes, the sophomore season drew 6.7M views for the week of July 31 to August 6. That brings Season 2’s total since launch to 23.3M views. The buzz around the remaining episodes was also enough to boost Season 1 back into the rankings at No. 6 with 2.1M views.

Audiences were also eager to jump back into Nick and Charlie’s love story in Heartstopper Season 2. The second installment flew to No. 2 on the English-language list with 6.1M views.

The Witcher Season 3 fell from the top spot into third place, collecting another 5.4M views this week. Rounding out the top five were Sweet Magnolias Season 3 at No. 4 and How to Become a Cult Leader, which debuted in fifth place with 2.3M views.

Fatal Seduction, Too Hot to Handle,...

A Chinese and American production shot in 2018, but mainly funded by mainland China, this feature film starring Jackie Chan and John Cena was then put on the shelf because of whatever setbacks, perhaps due to Covid19. However, a good five years later and with a change in name from its original names “Project X-traction”, “Project Ex Baghdad” and so on, “Hidden Strike” finally appeared on the streaming platform Netflix.

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Obviously, “Need for Speed” director Scott Waugh and screenwriter Arash Amel are trying to recreate the mood of the buddy cops action-comedy films like “Rush Hour” with the pairing of Chan and Cena. Set in a near future desert in Baghdad, a huge Chinese-owned oil refinery is under attack by mercenaries which puts all their almost five hundred workers and their families at risk. In order to transport them to the safer Green Zone,...

For Sony, a big win this week: The studio has announced that “Insidious: The Red Door” ($19.99) is now the biggest-grossing horror film worldwide for 2023. That’s a little surprising, but a $182 million take tops both “M3GAN” and “Scream 6” for the honors.

However, it’s faring a little differently on VOD. Released to PVOD after its fourth weekend, the latest entry in the horror franchise had an uneven debut over three different platforms. It is #1 at Vudu (which ranks by revenue) but is currently only #5 at iTunes and #7 at Googleplay (which calculate by transactions). It got as high as #3 at iTunes after its Tuesday release.

Two other films placed atop the others: “The Little Mermaid” (Disney), also $19.99, repeated at #1 on iTunes, while “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” (Paramount), just reduced to $5.99, leads at GooglePlay.

“Insidious” was the only new entry on the charts this week. Along with “Mermaid” and “Transformers,...

"Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" are rightfully the talk of the town these past weeks, as both movies have been filling up multiplexes in a clear sign that the American theatrical experience isn't quite dead yet. While "Barbie" is set to cross the billion dollar mark this weekend and "Oppenheimer" screenings are so full that even Steven Soderbergh apparently couldn't nab a ticket, another movie also proved to be a hit with audiences who stayed home. According to The Wrap's data from Samba TV, Netflix's "They Cloned Tyrone" was the most-streamed movie for the last week of July, reaching more households than any other film on streaming or linear TV.

While Netflix is historically known for less-than-transparent viewership data (an issue that the Hollywood unions on strike are hoping to correct in their fight for streaming residuals), it's worth noting that The Wrap pulled from a much more reliable third-party analytics company.

While critics may not love them, audiences love the adventures of Sylvester Stallone’s Barney Ross, Jason Statham’s Lee Christmas, and the rest of the gang.The Expendables 4 (which is actually called Expend4bles) recently got it’s first full, official trailer (embedded above), which is pretty last minute considering the movie is set for a September 22, 2023 release date. Given how soon it’s coming out, we figured it’s time to try to assemble everything we know about the fourth movie in the Expendables series.

The Release Date

The fourth film, created and produced by Millennium Media and Campbell Grobman Films, as well as being distributed by Lionsgate, has been through quite a bit of development hell over the past decade. As previously stated, the last movie was released in 2014 with the sequel being released in 2012 and the original premiering back in 2010. Following this pattern, the fourth movie...

The success of the new Chinese action-comedy on Netflix, Hidden Strike, has sparked curiosity about the potential for a sequel starring Jackie Chan and John Cena, as their chemistry is a key driver behind the film's success. Hidden Strike became the number-one movie on Netflix in the US and 53 other countries, despite receiving negative reviews from critics. The film's popularity on the streaming platform, with 37.8 million hours watched in its first three days, may influence the decision to greenlight a sequel. While Hidden Strike 2 has not been confirmed yet, if it were to happen, it is likely that both Jackie Chan and John Cena would reprise their roles as the main heroes. The sequel would probably follow a similar formula to the first film, with the two characters facing another high-stakes situation in a different location.

With the new Chinese action-comedy starring Jackie Chan and John Cena becoming a highly anticipated hit in the US,...