Latest / Culture Brief - Christian perspectives on the week's biggest news, sports & pop-culture stories / Trump goes to China, summer box office predictions, Hantavirus & UFO files dropped | Ep. 69

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Trump goes to China, summer box office predictions, Hantavirus & UFO files dropped | Ep. 69 · Culture Brief - Christian perspectives on the week's biggest news, sports & pop-culture stories

0:05
[SPEAKER_03]: Hi, I'm Connor Jones.
0:06
[SPEAKER_03]: I'm Mike Atown-The-Sella.
0:08
[SPEAKER_03]: And this is CultureBeat.
0:09
[SPEAKER_03]: A Dinnison Form podcast where we navigate the constant stream of top stories and news, politics, sports, pop culture, technology, and so much more.
0:16
[SPEAKER_03]: And we do it all from a Christian perspective in Micah.
0:19
[SPEAKER_03]: I just feel like it's the beginning of summer.
0:21
[SPEAKER_03]: I know some people might still be in school, some people may be taking finals over in college.
0:26
[SPEAKER_03]: They're really trying to get on their first summer vacation.
0:29
[SPEAKER_03]: I don't know.
0:30
[SPEAKER_03]: I wore the shirts get some palm trees on it golf carts.
0:32
[SPEAKER_03]: I'm going to the beach next week.
0:33
[SPEAKER_03]: I'm ready to do.
0:33
[SPEAKER_03]: I'm ready for the summer.
0:35
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's go.
0:35
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm I'm I'm ready for the summer, too.
0:38
[SPEAKER_01]: That's my facial hair.
0:39
[SPEAKER_01]: Everybody is going to be watching the video.
0:41
[SPEAKER_01]: Got a good little summer stash going on.
0:43
[SPEAKER_01]: It's a little controversial.
0:45
[SPEAKER_01]: Having on going discussions with my wife about it.
0:47
[SPEAKER_01]: But what's done is done.
0:48
[SPEAKER_01]: And so we'll see what happens next.
0:50
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I mean, it's definitely there.
0:52
[SPEAKER_03]: Well, what are we going to be diving into today?
0:54
[SPEAKER_03]: Mike, it's definitely there.
0:56
[SPEAKER_03]: No comment.
0:56
[SPEAKER_01]: Just like, it's definitely on your upper lip.
0:58
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I think so.
0:59
[SPEAKER_01]: We're so encouraging.
1:01
[SPEAKER_01]: All right.
1:01
[SPEAKER_01]: So we're going to talk about Trump.
1:03
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, he's going to China.
1:04
[SPEAKER_01]: So we're going to talk about what's going on there and all the.
1:08
[SPEAKER_01]: The big implications that play there with an American, a sitting US president going to China and bringing a lot of the top brass in the government and a lot of the biggest business leaders, technology leaders in America with them.
1:23
[SPEAKER_01]: It's going to be really interesting.
1:25
[SPEAKER_01]: And then we're going to do, I know everybody's been waiting for this, heading into summer, bus the block year two.
1:31
[SPEAKER_01]: But this year, I'm going to be hosting it because as we know, I'm not a big movie goer, got other important things going on in my life.
1:38
[SPEAKER_01]: We're going to be bringing on a special guest who's going to be competing with Connor who might.
1:42
[SPEAKER_01]: Just might have some of his movie knowledge and skill that seemingly no one's been able to match.
1:48
[SPEAKER_01]: So far, we'll talk about the hand-to-virus and a few more things, maybe UFOs too.
1:53
[SPEAKER_01]: So let's jump into the brief.
1:55
[SPEAKER_01]: The brief.
1:57
[SPEAKER_03]: Yep, you said it might could trump he is set to arrive in Beijing on I believe Wednesday night.
2:02
[SPEAKER_03]: So we're recording us on Tuesday.
2:03
[SPEAKER_03]: Wednesday night is the day.
2:05
[SPEAKER_03]: He's supposed to arrive, but Thursday Friday.
2:06
[SPEAKER_03]: If you're listening to this on Thursday today is the day of the big meetings.
2:10
[SPEAKER_03]: He's going to be meeting with President Xi Jinping over there.
2:13
[SPEAKER_03]: Mostly on Thursday and Friday.
2:14
[SPEAKER_03]: And then, you know, the White House is describing this as kind of a trip of their quote is tremendous symbolic significance, which is a whole lot of jargon for
2:22
[SPEAKER_03]: Nobody really knows what's going to happen.
2:24
[SPEAKER_03]: It's a big deal that's happening, but we don't know what's going to come out of this, right?
2:27
[SPEAKER_03]: This is the first state visit to China since Trump actually went in 2017.
2:31
[SPEAKER_03]: So Joe Biden never went.
2:33
[SPEAKER_03]: This is not a common occurrence.
2:35
[SPEAKER_03]: This is maybe once in a decades situation.
2:36
[SPEAKER_03]: Now they have planned for cheat to come over here at some point to the US later this year, and maybe a little bit more back and forth.
2:43
[SPEAKER_03]: But we'll see.
2:44
[SPEAKER_03]: I want to quote Axios here because I thought they defined the significance of this meeting pretty well.
2:49
[SPEAKER_03]: And they said this and their Monday news letter.
2:50
[SPEAKER_03]: They said beneath the pageantry sits the defining geopolitical question of the century.
2:55
[SPEAKER_03]: Whether the world's two superpowers can manage their rivalry, or are destined for economic rupture and military confrontation.
3:04
[SPEAKER_03]: The summit was also once seen as the de facto deadline for stabilizing the Iran war.
3:08
[SPEAKER_03]: But Air Force One is set to land and Beijing on Wednesday evening with the war on result.
3:13
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, my, I think that's true.
3:14
[SPEAKER_03]: Right.
3:14
[SPEAKER_03]: I mean, Trump is going over there, uh, the intention was initially to go back in March, but the war was raging on right in March with with I ran.
3:23
[SPEAKER_03]: So they postponed.
3:24
[SPEAKER_03]: They deleted.
3:24
[SPEAKER_03]: There's already kind of a set back to this whole meeting sequence.
3:27
[SPEAKER_03]: And now, here we are, a few months later, the idea was I ran with supposed to be wrapped up, we were supposed to already have this whole thing short up, but really, that's how the sale mate, even Trump this week said that the negotiations for a P-Steel are currently on life support.
3:40
[SPEAKER_03]: Nobody really knows what's going to happen there either.
3:41
[SPEAKER_03]: They are not coming to an agreement whatsoever.
3:44
[SPEAKER_03]: There's been some skirmishes here and there with the navy, with the UAE and everything else.
3:48
[SPEAKER_03]: So, I don't know, Mike, what do you think right now is Trump heads over to China?
3:54
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, I mean, it could mean everything.
3:55
[SPEAKER_01]: It could also mean nothing.
3:57
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, that's what's interesting about calling this like a symbolic gesture, right?
4:01
[SPEAKER_01]: Is, you know, this isn't some planned piece talk.
4:05
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, this isn't the Geneva Convention.
4:07
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, this is...
4:09
[SPEAKER_01]: This isn't Davos like I don't know, name anything that gets this isn't a NATO meeting, I mean like the list goes on and on however the most powerful people in the world will be there and so I mean I guess we'll just have to see what happens I mean I think I think you could come away with some concessions.
4:26
[SPEAKER_01]: on the American side to have something to rally around and you could come away with some concessions on the Chinese side to have something to rally around.
4:33
[SPEAKER_01]: I think China can put their thumb on the scale more with what's happening in the world with Iran.
4:40
[SPEAKER_01]: And so I just wonder what given take is going to happen because then people start getting into
4:45
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, as Trump gonna make some sort of concession regarding Taiwan because China has stated explicitly by 2027, at least starting in 2027, they very well might try to take over Taiwan and American support is kind of up in the air on what would happen.
5:01
[SPEAKER_01]: There's just a lot that comes from this and that's just, that's some of the specifics outside of
5:07
[SPEAKER_01]: Hey, these two countries that have been somewhat in a cold war with each other for years, competing in on every single level, the two biggest superpowers in the world by far while they're about to sit down for a couple of days.
5:21
[SPEAKER_01]: So I guess buckle up and in the words of T.O.
5:25
[SPEAKER_01]: Teralones, get your popcorn ready.
5:28
[SPEAKER_01]: T.O.
5:29
[SPEAKER_02]: Good to see you out there.
5:30
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I love T.O.
5:31
[SPEAKER_03]: from back in the Cowboys, hey, day.
5:33
[SPEAKER_03]: Uh, yeah, you're right.
5:35
[SPEAKER_03]: This is probably the two most powerful men on the planet.
5:37
[SPEAKER_03]: You could argue that Putin is somewhere in there as well.
5:39
[SPEAKER_03]: Probably a top three most powerful men on the planet.
5:41
[SPEAKER_03]: Uh, but two of them are here meeting.
5:43
[SPEAKER_03]: They're going to be in the room together trying to hash out deals that ultimately will affect billions of people including you and I'm I got and probably most people listen to this.
5:51
[SPEAKER_03]: We will be impacted by decisions made in that room.
5:53
[SPEAKER_03]: And I think that's just very crucial to remember.
5:55
[SPEAKER_03]: It's like they're going to hash out economic details.
5:57
[SPEAKER_03]: AI details or details are going to be spread for this.
6:01
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
6:02
[SPEAKER_03]: We should be.
6:02
[SPEAKER_03]: And that's kind of the call here is this has a lot of implications and it's going to be very far reaching.
6:08
[SPEAKER_03]: We need to pray for this.
6:09
[SPEAKER_03]: We need to pray for the discernment in that room.
6:11
[SPEAKER_03]: We need to pray for freedom of religion and China.
6:14
[SPEAKER_03]: There are so many Christians who are hiding out of the mountain.
6:16
[SPEAKER_03]: That's actually something Trump may bring up as a couple of pastors who have been arrested in China and are currently in prison.
6:21
[SPEAKER_03]: He might try to seek their release, which would be very awesome and obviously, you know, many prayers of people over there who are praying for the release of these
6:30
[SPEAKER_03]: who have been wrongly rounded up.
6:33
[SPEAKER_03]: But in China, it's not legal to preach the gospel of Jesus.
6:36
[SPEAKER_03]: And so everybody doing over there has to do it underground.
6:39
[SPEAKER_03]: Beyond that, the geopolitical implications, they're also just big.
6:42
[SPEAKER_03]: I mean, China likes the war with Iran because one is depleting our munitions.
6:46
[SPEAKER_03]: They like seeing our missiles get used, our weapons get used, our aircraft,
6:50
[SPEAKER_03]: You know, get more wear and tear on them.
6:52
[SPEAKER_03]: All of this, the aircraft carriers being not in their vicinity anymore, but over in the Middle East.
6:57
[SPEAKER_03]: It just opens the door for future conflicts with Taiwan to look different for them.
7:02
[SPEAKER_03]: It might be easier if they can have a weakened US military that has used up a lot of their stockpile.
7:07
[SPEAKER_03]: They also like when Americans are frustrated with their government.
7:09
[SPEAKER_03]: They know
7:11
[SPEAKER_03]: The just massive or deal that it is for a culture to be upset and frustrated with the government that they it would there's not really a rallying cry behind the war that ran for much of America And then they know that you know gas prices over here are really high, but they're also high in China.
7:26
[SPEAKER_03]: That's part of the problem that China has is they are higher in China higher.
7:30
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I mean, yeah, they need oil for my ran.
7:32
[SPEAKER_03]: That's where they get a bulk of their oil
7:34
[SPEAKER_01]: And so which is why they've been quietly pushing Iran to do some things, but they're also funding certain things and also giving pieces of info and material to the Iranians.
7:48
[SPEAKER_01]: So it's
7:50
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know, man, it's kind of like a catch 22, but I think for China, probably the long game is better for them if taking Taiwan is like their main goal, but I think in the short term, they're filling the crunch plus some right now.
8:02
[SPEAKER_03]: They definitely are.
8:03
[SPEAKER_03]: And I think a lot of the Chinese people probably are as well.
8:06
[SPEAKER_03]: Of course, their information there in China is not as robust as we get here.
8:09
[SPEAKER_03]: It's very crowded down on, but the people in power in China are trying to figure out a way forward as well.
8:14
[SPEAKER_03]: And they need the US.
8:15
[SPEAKER_03]: I mean, trade is so important.
8:17
[SPEAKER_03]: with the US.
8:17
[SPEAKER_03]: That's where so much of their product sells to.
8:20
[SPEAKER_03]: They need the US economy to be trading with them.
8:23
[SPEAKER_03]: The US needs China to help manufacture and to help keep our prices lower on things.
8:28
[SPEAKER_03]: It is a both countries do not like each other.
8:30
[SPEAKER_03]: They do not see the world eye to eye, but they need each other.
8:33
[SPEAKER_03]: So they have to come to some sort of agreement.
8:36
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, and China, specifically, the Washer Journal had an interesting article this week titled China, has dazzling technology in military muscle, but it is also an economic mess, and it's just talking about how Qi has led the country through a military revival.
8:49
[SPEAKER_03]: He has built up the military, but in the midst of that, they've had just so much economic wreckage, they've built massive cities that sit empty, they can't figure out the real estate, they have a massive property bus that's destroyed trillions of dollars in wealth.
9:01
[SPEAKER_03]: consumer confidence and there's really not a big job market there and the jobs that are available are kind of depressing You know, they sit in factories and a lot of these big cities all day long.
9:11
[SPEAKER_03]: No sunshine fluorescent lights all day So much so that they have to build nets around the roofs of these buildings.
9:17
[SPEAKER_03]: It's really a sad situation for many people in China And they would like to be free of that.
9:21
[SPEAKER_03]: I am sure
9:22
[SPEAKER_03]: So yeah, Trump's just got to go into this.
9:23
[SPEAKER_03]: He's got to decide does he want to play hardball with G or is he kind of want to cut a deal that could include some sort of Chinese investment in the U.S., maybe purchasing of American crops, soy beans, all of that.
9:33
[SPEAKER_03]: Or does he want to go in and play more hardball, clamp down on things, clamp down on an AI and fentanyl production, all of that.
9:41
[SPEAKER_03]: So yeah, AI specifically, this is something else that we're kind of in an arms race with China here.
9:45
[SPEAKER_03]: in AI.
9:46
[SPEAKER_03]: So I think we'll get some details on how China and the US are both feeling about AI with each other.
9:52
[SPEAKER_03]: But as we already said, I would just encourage everybody to join us in praying for this meeting.
9:57
[SPEAKER_03]: I mean, if you think of it, if you see it in the headlines, remember to just stop and pause and pray for a minute and pray for
10:04
[SPEAKER_03]: ultimately just the decision makers there.
10:05
[SPEAKER_03]: You may not like any of the individuals in the room.
10:08
[SPEAKER_03]: I mean, it's really hard to like dictators like gee, you may really dislike Trump, but doesn't mean we can't pray for the situation.
10:13
[SPEAKER_03]: It's got such a big impact.
10:16
[SPEAKER_03]: And so, so consequential.
10:19
[SPEAKER_03]: You know, we may not have any influence over the decisions that are made.
10:22
[SPEAKER_03]: We likely won't.
10:22
[SPEAKER_03]: I mean, unless you are in power in one of these positions, and you haven't, you know, you're close to trump or cheer, something you're not going to have a whole lot of power here.
10:29
[SPEAKER_03]: We kind of just have to wait and see what comes out of it.
10:31
[SPEAKER_03]: That impacts the rest of us.
10:33
[SPEAKER_03]: But, you know, we can make parallels.
10:34
[SPEAKER_03]: We are all trying to mint relationships in our lives.
10:37
[SPEAKER_03]: We're all trying to make relationships go forward.
10:39
[SPEAKER_03]: So, you know, if we're going into a situation, thinking, are we going to win the conversation?
10:43
[SPEAKER_03]: That might not be the best mentality, or are we trying to make a deal like Trump and Chi might try to do here?
10:49
[SPEAKER_03]: Just think about that as you go forward with your conversations this week, with your relationships.
10:54
[SPEAKER_03]: Go into them as Jesus did, and that was humbly.
10:57
[SPEAKER_03]: Jesus was obviously just the prime example of humility.
11:02
[SPEAKER_03]: He showed us how it looks to act graciously and use words of love and healing, not of competition, not of power, and all of that.
11:10
[SPEAKER_03]: You know, when Jesus died for our sins on the cross, He showed
11:13
[SPEAKER_03]: That humbling oneself and approaching humanity with grace and love always triumphed over self-exultation and selfish ambition
11:21
[SPEAKER_03]: Both of those characteristics, my God, I would say, have stunted the impact of kings and presidents and prime ministers and popes over many centuries.
11:28
[SPEAKER_03]: We have watched greed and self-entitlement totally stop people from becoming who they could have been, including King Saul.
11:36
[SPEAKER_03]: You know, God had allowed him to become king over Israel and it just he became so wrapped up in his own
11:43
[SPEAKER_03]: power his own desire to maintain that power that he did not allow, God's will to be played out.
11:50
[SPEAKER_03]: And that's why he continued to chase after David, and his heart was hardened in that way.
11:54
[SPEAKER_03]: But Colossians 213 to 15 tells us, and you, who were dead in your trespasses and the unsurconcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands.
12:11
[SPEAKER_03]: This, he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
12:14
[SPEAKER_03]: He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by triumphing over them in him.
12:21
[SPEAKER_03]: So yeah, we may not be dealing with more leaders in our daily life.
12:25
[SPEAKER_03]: Most of us probably are not, but we do have the opportunity every day to show love to the people that are in our lives.
12:31
[SPEAKER_03]: Mike, are you having thoughts to add to that?
12:33
[SPEAKER_01]: I love a man.
12:34
[SPEAKER_01]: It's a good way to wrap up the discussion because it's a situation that's seemingly so far above our heads, but you're right decisions made in those next 48 hours.
12:43
[SPEAKER_01]: Really could have an impact on.
12:47
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh goodness, I mean, it's just the billions of people, you know, if you want to combine the populations, China, USA, but really anything, our country and their country does affects the world.
12:58
[SPEAKER_01]: I would just say one way that I try to look at things is God has kind of been working on my heart and discipling me, hosting this podcast, consuming more news.
13:10
[SPEAKER_01]: is how can I take what's going on out there?
13:12
[SPEAKER_01]: And instead of just accepting it at face value, that this is something to do with me, this is happening all the way over there, what on earth can I do about it?
13:21
[SPEAKER_01]: There's a certain piece in that.
13:24
[SPEAKER_01]: You shouldn't be carrying what you weren't meant to carry.
13:27
[SPEAKER_01]: We'll let them deal with that.
13:29
[SPEAKER_01]: Ultimately, we'll say a prayer and we'll let God deal with that, because God is the Lord over China and the Lord over the USA.
13:36
[SPEAKER_01]: But I would just say, how do we take it?
13:40
[SPEAKER_01]: How do I approach my conversations more humbly?
13:43
[SPEAKER_01]: How do I approach those around me instead of looking at what can I gain from them?
13:47
[SPEAKER_01]: How can I serve them?
13:50
[SPEAKER_01]: How can I be humble in the way that I approach things and do my work and have relationships and interact with family and friends and raise my kids and serve my wife?
14:01
[SPEAKER_01]: How do I...
14:03
[SPEAKER_01]: implement the ways of Jesus into every aspect of my life and so I just think that there's something that God can teach us through these negotiations, through these symbolic meetings that are above our head.
14:14
[SPEAKER_01]: I think God can teach us something, through that.
14:16
[SPEAKER_01]: And I just think sometimes we need to slow down and pay attention to what God is trying to say to us.
14:20
[SPEAKER_01]: Totally completely agree.
14:22
[SPEAKER_03]: What a great way to wrap that up.
14:24
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, be praying for this meeting and we'll just see what comes out of it.
14:27
[SPEAKER_03]: We'll probably touch on that next week.
14:29
[SPEAKER_03]: But for now, let's talk about movies.
14:33
[SPEAKER_03]: okay so the summer blockbuster season is officially here it's upon us we're gonna break it down we're gonna do the same way we did last year Mikey mentioned at the top of the episode it's time for year two of bust the block now if you were here last year listen we're gonna sing it together of bust the block that was terrible oh yeah wow that we did not we were excited though
14:56
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, we are.
14:56
[SPEAKER_03]: It's a kind of, you know, like give a vibe of like a 70s game show, you know, where they were all like price is right, you know, like there was an opportunity there.
15:05
[SPEAKER_03]: We, we, we've loved it.
15:06
[SPEAKER_03]: But because of this, we, you know, we played last year.
15:10
[SPEAKER_03]: We're going to play it again.
15:10
[SPEAKER_03]: It was a popular game.
15:11
[SPEAKER_03]: I think people liked playing alongside us.
15:13
[SPEAKER_03]: And Mike and I did it as a competition last year.
15:15
[SPEAKER_03]: But there is one issue.
15:22
[SPEAKER_03]: I think Mike and you probably check out maybe one big movie a year, but that's okay because we have our friend AJ joining us.
15:31
[SPEAKER_03]: AJ, welcome to the show.
15:33
[SPEAKER_00]: Thanks for having me.
15:36
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm excited.
15:36
[SPEAKER_03]: So we brought AJ on because she actually is a movie person.
15:40
[SPEAKER_03]: She likes movies.
15:41
[SPEAKER_03]: She goes to the movies.
15:42
[SPEAKER_03]: We talked about this the other day.
15:43
[SPEAKER_03]: She's like, yeah, I see most of the big summer blockbuster movies, which same.
15:46
[SPEAKER_03]: Hey, I'm right there with the AJ.
15:47
[SPEAKER_03]: So it made sense to bring AJ on to come play this game.
15:50
[SPEAKER_03]: So Mike is going to host us through us the block here.
15:52
[SPEAKER_03]: AJ is our graphic designer.
15:54
[SPEAKER_03]: Here at Dinnison Ministries.
15:55
[SPEAKER_03]: She's incredibly talented at just designing all kinds of art.
15:58
[SPEAKER_03]: If you see any big graphics from us at Dinnison Forum, we're going to need our other brands that we've got at Dinnison Ministries.
16:03
[SPEAKER_03]: There's a good chance either Micah's wife Emily has been behind it, or AJ has been behind it.
16:07
[SPEAKER_03]: They are graphic designers here, so what a blessing that is to have them on this team.
16:12
[SPEAKER_03]: That said, I think we can probably start diving into this and just with a preface of, hey, the movies are kind of back.
16:18
[SPEAKER_03]: A couple of years ago, there was a big fear that movie theaters were really going to struggle and that movies were going away.
16:22
[SPEAKER_03]: But already this year, 14% up on last year in the box office, a lot of that's from Project Hail Mary and the movie Michael on Michael Jackson being huge hits.
16:30
[SPEAKER_03]: The devil wears brought it to you, came out last week in massive hit.
16:34
[SPEAKER_03]: So this success is kind of probably going to bleed into the summer.
16:36
[SPEAKER_03]: That's what movie studios are hoping.
16:37
[SPEAKER_03]: So we're going to break down.
16:39
[SPEAKER_03]: I think I've got 11 of the biggest movies.
16:41
[SPEAKER_03]: We're not going to do every single release this summer, but we got 11 big movies that we're going to just kind of offer a little preview on and our predictions.
16:47
[SPEAKER_03]: Micah, I'm going to hand it off to you.
16:50
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, so I'm going to list the rules of the game here.
16:53
[SPEAKER_01]: So again, I'm not the one competing anymore because Connor wanted a fair fight.
16:56
[SPEAKER_01]: So he brought on somebody who's more on his level in movie knowledge.
17:01
[SPEAKER_01]: I appreciate you both for single handedly keeping a dying movie industry alive.
17:07
[SPEAKER_01]: No, I'm just kidding.
17:08
[SPEAKER_01]: Movie theater industry.
17:09
[SPEAKER_01]: But again, the numbers are up.
17:10
[SPEAKER_01]: I do hope it continues.
17:12
[SPEAKER_01]: Movie theaters are good for communities and for our country, right?
17:16
[SPEAKER_01]: I agree.
17:17
[SPEAKER_01]: Totally.
17:17
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
17:18
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay.
17:18
[SPEAKER_01]: Good.
17:18
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
17:19
[SPEAKER_01]: All right.
17:19
[SPEAKER_01]: So I'm going to list off some or movies.
17:21
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to list off the whole slate like Connor talked about that are releasing in theaters, not streaming only.
17:26
[SPEAKER_01]: So for people like me, I cannot hate going to the movies.
17:29
[SPEAKER_01]: I just have young kids and it's like, well, I don't just do something else.
17:32
[SPEAKER_01]: Like we, Emily and I watch a lot of movies, but we kind of wait until it comes out on streaming or just watch streaming only movies.
17:39
[SPEAKER_01]: But these are only movies that are being released in the theaters.
17:42
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay.
17:42
[SPEAKER_01]: Because we're going to be talking budgets.
17:43
[SPEAKER_01]: We're going to be talking about all
17:46
[SPEAKER_01]: and I'll tell you guys the budget of each movie.
17:48
[SPEAKER_01]: Then you're going to say if you plan to see the movie.
17:51
[SPEAKER_01]: If you're excited, if you are, you need to talk about what you're excited about and most importantly, if you think the movie will, break even, which either hits the industry's 2.5 times metric for determining if a field breaks even.
18:04
[SPEAKER_01]: Recooping the film's productions in marketing costs, right?
18:07
[SPEAKER_01]: So, break even as simple as it going to make back what was put in, bust the block.
18:12
[SPEAKER_01]: Make at least three times the budget, big profits, flop.
18:17
[SPEAKER_01]: It's not going to recoup its budget, okay?
18:19
[SPEAKER_01]: Big losses at the end of the summer will review the results.
18:22
[SPEAKER_01]: And each corrected prediction is worth one point.
18:26
[SPEAKER_01]: Last year Connor did beat me five two.
18:29
[SPEAKER_01]: So we will tell you the scores at the end of the summer and see how it shakes out All right, you guys ready to play bust the block year two.
18:35
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, let's do it.
18:37
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, let's go all right on May 22nd I'm excited about this one.
18:40
[SPEAKER_01]: This might be the type of one that I go and see I'll give a preface for each one or at least that I think might be interesting All right, so the Mandalorian and Grogo
18:49
[SPEAKER_01]: budget, 166 million, break even point would be $415 million.
18:57
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm gonna go back and forth and let you guys go first on this first one.
19:01
[SPEAKER_01]: Connor will go first and then we'll go back and forth on who goes first.
19:04
[SPEAKER_01]: Connor, what say you?
19:06
[SPEAKER_03]: Mandalorian and Grogu is obviously a big movie because it is Star Wars.
19:09
[SPEAKER_03]: I mean there's a lot of people that are going to go out just to see this because it's the Star Wars realm.
19:13
[SPEAKER_03]: The Mandalorian TV show was, obviously, a huge hit.
19:15
[SPEAKER_03]: Grogu aka Baby Yoda, just a massive fan favorite.
19:20
[SPEAKER_03]: So I think this movie will do good.
19:22
[SPEAKER_03]: I just don't think it's ever going to get to the point where previous Star Wars films did.
19:26
[SPEAKER_03]: So that leads me to believe it's going to be break even.
19:30
[SPEAKER_01]: Break even, okay.
19:31
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's say U.A.J.
19:33
[SPEAKER_00]: I think this one's going to be pretty good too because everyone loved the Mandalorian on Disney Plus.
19:38
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
19:38
[SPEAKER_00]: And this is the first one of the theaters.
19:40
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
19:41
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know if it's going to break the block, but I think it might be one of the best movies in the summer.
19:46
[SPEAKER_00]: I probably, I might see it.
19:48
[SPEAKER_00]: I feel a little behind because I haven't seen any of the other Mandalorian, but I think it would be pretty good.
19:53
[SPEAKER_03]: That is kind of the problem here is it requires a little bit of homework to like know who this character is, who Grogo is all that.
19:58
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I didn't even say it, but I don't plan on seeing this because I don't like.
20:02
[SPEAKER_03]: Mike and I've had the Star Wars debate here.
20:04
[SPEAKER_03]: I think Star Wars is fine.
20:05
[SPEAKER_03]: I'm not like a massive fan.
20:06
[SPEAKER_01]: I went to Star Wars a lot more than Connor does, which is interesting about that.
20:11
[SPEAKER_01]: But AJ just for tallying purposes, is this going to break even or bust the block?
20:16
[SPEAKER_00]: Try not to let Connors answer a fluency.
20:18
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't say fuss about.
20:21
[SPEAKER_01]: Stand on business 10 shows down, bust a block, love it.
20:25
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, next one being released.
20:26
[SPEAKER_01]: May 29th, back rooms, okay?
20:30
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't even know what this one is.
20:31
[SPEAKER_01]: Back rooms, budget is 10 million.
20:34
[SPEAKER_01]: Break even point would be a cool 25 mil.
20:36
[SPEAKER_01]: Again, these are not small amounts of money, like a matching getting a group of people together.
20:41
[SPEAKER_01]: and your budget's 10 million.
20:42
[SPEAKER_01]: You can do a lot with 10 million.
20:44
[SPEAKER_01]: But coming right off of that $166 million budget for Mandalorian Groku, it does seem a little bit smaller.
20:50
[SPEAKER_01]: So AJ, what is your prediction for backwards?
20:56
[SPEAKER_00]: I think this one will definitely break even just because it's a pretty low budget.
21:02
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm excited about this one.
21:04
[SPEAKER_00]: I love A24 and I love a psychological thriller, so I'm definitely receiving this one.
21:08
[SPEAKER_00]: I love trying to figure out what the heck's going on.
21:12
[SPEAKER_00]: So.
21:13
[SPEAKER_03]: Love it.
21:13
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, if you don't know what this is I suggest watching the trailer or the YouTube video that this is based off of that came out like three or four years ago It's like an 18-year-old kid made a YouTube video got seen by a like 75 million views the YouTube video is called backrooms So yeah, naturally a 24 is like hey man take your eight-minute video and make it a whole movie and that's why so cheap They just hired this 21-year-old kid to literally direct a movie Any famous internet or no?
21:38
[SPEAKER_03]: Uh, kind of like some B-level actors, um, people who's facing my recognized, but nobody's super famous, that's part of the way they keep the budget so low.
21:46
[SPEAKER_03]: But I think there's bust the block because I believe that this will be one of those kind of like psychological thriller horror type movies that just...
21:53
[SPEAKER_03]: You know, it out does its budget.
21:55
[SPEAKER_01]: It's good.
21:56
[SPEAKER_01]: It's going to be one of those things where like I think with Mandalorian grow go.
21:59
[SPEAKER_01]: If on the first weekend, I mean, there's no way they make 415 million on the first weekend right, but like on the first weekend, let's say the reviews are super bad.
22:07
[SPEAKER_01]: Then it might not make it right because it'll discourage other people from going.
22:11
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's say in that first weekend, backrooms makes like 2 million, but then everybody on social media and all the movie critics are like, my goodness, you gotta go see this.
22:18
[SPEAKER_01]: And it will absolutely bust the block, right?
22:20
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, there's so much rise on that first weekend, so much rise on that premier, just with how quickly people's voice, you know, everybody has a platform these days, right?
22:31
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I mean, that word of mouth is going to be huge for a movie like this, and that's typically what happens with this cheaper horror movies, word of mouth sends them and propels them, and they then you get all new franchise out of it.
22:40
[SPEAKER_03]: So yeah, it could be a fun movie.
22:43
[SPEAKER_01]: All right.
22:43
[SPEAKER_01]: So AJ said, break, even and Connor said bust the block.
22:48
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay.
22:49
[SPEAKER_01]: All right.
22:49
[SPEAKER_01]: Next one is Masters of the Universe being released on June 5th.
22:54
[SPEAKER_01]: Here's the budget 170 million bigger than Mandalorian in Grogo.
22:58
[SPEAKER_01]: Break even point would be 425 million a cool 425 mil Connor.
23:04
[SPEAKER_01]: What's say you?
23:05
[SPEAKER_03]: This is going to be a massive flop.
23:07
[SPEAKER_03]: It's already trending in that direction.
23:08
[SPEAKER_03]: This is from the the He-man universe which maybe are older audiences like oh I like he-man that was from I want to say the 70s and 80s like a cartoon.
23:16
[SPEAKER_03]: But dude our generation has no clue.
23:18
[SPEAKER_03]: He man is in this movie the trailer just looks terrible This is and it was really expensive man.
23:23
[SPEAKER_01]: They paid a lot of money to do this more than huge flow more than Disney spent on their movie man.
23:27
[SPEAKER_00]: That's crazy I was saying I think this was like an off-brand of ventures after watching the trailer You cannot Hey, he's great value Avengers Avengers lie.
23:38
[SPEAKER_01]: Uh-huh Good and gather Avengers, you know for my target fans out there.
23:43
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, so you're gonna say floppy j
23:46
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay.
23:46
[SPEAKER_01]: All right.
23:47
[SPEAKER_01]: Next one.
23:48
[SPEAKER_01]: June 12th.
23:48
[SPEAKER_01]: We got another good one coming disclosure day.
23:51
[SPEAKER_01]: Let me hit you with this budget.
23:52
[SPEAKER_01]: 200 million.
23:54
[SPEAKER_01]: Break even points.
23:55
[SPEAKER_01]: It's going to be $500 million.
23:58
[SPEAKER_01]: Just easy half a billion dollars.
24:02
[SPEAKER_01]: AJ, what's at you?
24:05
[SPEAKER_00]: I think this one will break even.
24:06
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know.
24:07
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know if we can get to that 500 million.
24:10
[SPEAKER_00]: But Steven Spielberg, awesome.
24:12
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's a pretty
24:17
[SPEAKER_03]: Oh yeah, man you'll catch me there day one.
24:20
[SPEAKER_03]: This is one of the movies I've been looking for too for a long time Love a Spielberg film.
24:23
[SPEAKER_03]: Can you tell us a little about it Connor?
24:25
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, context.
24:26
[SPEAKER_03]: Here's the deal.
24:26
[SPEAKER_03]: It's about UFOs.
24:28
[SPEAKER_03]: I don't know you can come out of better time the whole idea It was a closure day like disclosure about UFOs.
24:33
[SPEAKER_03]: We just kind of somewhat we just did that kind of yeah
24:36
[SPEAKER_03]: A little bit, but then I think we're actually going to see UFOs and aliens and that's a thing that Steven Spielberg's always loved.
24:43
[SPEAKER_03]: E.T.
24:43
[SPEAKER_03]: 30 encounters with the third kind.
24:46
[SPEAKER_03]: One of the name of that movie.
24:47
[SPEAKER_03]: I cannot think of the full name there.
24:49
[SPEAKER_03]: And then obviously, War of the World, too.
24:51
[SPEAKER_03]: In Spielberg, dude, it's Steven Spielberg.
24:53
[SPEAKER_03]: Coach, I'm going to go see this.
24:54
[SPEAKER_03]: Yep.
24:56
[SPEAKER_03]: But by the way, I do think it's going to bust the block.
24:59
[SPEAKER_03]: This is going to be a classic June summer blockbuster.
25:03
[SPEAKER_01]: And AJ said, break even.
25:04
[SPEAKER_01]: Right?
25:06
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, all right.
25:07
[SPEAKER_01]: You guys need to make it clear.
25:08
[SPEAKER_01]: All right.
25:09
[SPEAKER_01]: I got it.
25:09
[SPEAKER_01]: I got to keep.
25:10
[SPEAKER_01]: I got to keep us on track.
25:11
[SPEAKER_01]: You both.
25:12
[SPEAKER_01]: You both aren't making it super clear.
25:13
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, you're both in nerd net on these movies.
25:15
[SPEAKER_01]: Make it clear.
25:16
[SPEAKER_01]: All right.
25:17
[SPEAKER_01]: Got to do 19th toy story five.
25:21
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay.
25:21
[SPEAKER_01]: I've see the trailer for this one.
25:23
[SPEAKER_01]: All right.
25:24
[SPEAKER_01]: And it's like,
25:25
[SPEAKER_01]: not toys anymore, it's like tablets and games and phones and like social media and stuff like that, which is just going to be really interesting and we've all grown up on Toy Story.
25:33
[SPEAKER_01]: Here's the budget, 150 million, obviously a very stacked cast, but it's, you know, a cartoon.
25:38
[SPEAKER_01]: And then the break even point is 375 million.
25:41
[SPEAKER_01]: Connor, what's say you?
25:43
[SPEAKER_03]: do this is going to bust the block it is toy story this franchise always makes money and it's really good and you're right dude this one looks so fun because the bad guy being an iPad I'm here for it the idea that I better like disrupting childhoods and they're putting away their toys and they're just sitting on a screen
26:00
[SPEAKER_03]: And Toy Story is coming to fight back against this, which is funny, because Disney is its own big tech company.
26:04
[SPEAKER_03]: And in the trailer, they're just like tech, tech, tech is like the bad guy.
26:07
[SPEAKER_03]: I love it because we're all going to go see this movie.
26:10
[SPEAKER_03]: Probably a lot of people are going to watch it on their iPads, but nonetheless, it's a good premise.
26:15
[SPEAKER_03]: It's going to bust a lot.
26:16
[SPEAKER_02]: Bust a lot, okay?
26:17
[SPEAKER_02]: AJ.
26:18
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it's gonna bust a lot as well.
26:20
[SPEAKER_00]: My first thought was, how many toy stories can we make?
26:23
[SPEAKER_00]: But then I watched a trailer and I was like, okay, this is pretty genius plot.
26:26
[SPEAKER_00]: And they never do bad, and the kids always want to see them.
26:30
[SPEAKER_00]: So I think parents are gonna be taking them.
26:32
[SPEAKER_01]: How many toy stories can we make?
26:33
[SPEAKER_01]: How many mission possible is can we make?
26:35
[SPEAKER_01]: How many,
26:37
[SPEAKER_01]: how many fast stories can we make how many Star Wars movies can we make right i mean the list goes on and on toy stories just their fifth one i mean they could do they could do 10 or 15 however much they wanted to do you know um i don't normally like a movie preaching to me
26:53
[SPEAKER_01]: but I would love to see a good story out of this one.
26:56
[SPEAKER_01]: I'd love to be preached at a little bit as this generation, a generation who's already kind of grown up has grown up on screens and not outside, not playing with toys and it's affecting all of us.
27:06
[SPEAKER_01]: We all struggle with the addiction to the screen.
27:09
[SPEAKER_01]: So this is the type of concept I'd like for them to preach at me a little bit if it's done the right way.
27:14
[SPEAKER_03]: But you know, there's even this cool scene in the trailer.
27:18
[SPEAKER_03]: It's very brief, but the dad is telling his daughter no more screen time.
27:21
[SPEAKER_03]: Well, the dad is sitting there scrolling down his phone.
27:23
[SPEAKER_03]: He's trying to get her off the screen.
27:24
[SPEAKER_03]: But he said, it's like, we can all relate.
27:26
[SPEAKER_03]: Right.
27:26
[SPEAKER_03]: So I think they're hitting on something that a lot of people can relate to.
27:29
[SPEAKER_01]: It's no doubt.
27:30
[SPEAKER_01]: All right.
27:30
[SPEAKER_01]: Good stuff.
27:31
[SPEAKER_01]: Next one.
27:31
[SPEAKER_01]: June 26.
27:32
[SPEAKER_01]: We've got super girl coming out.
27:34
[SPEAKER_01]: Not super man.
27:35
[SPEAKER_01]: Super girl budget.
27:37
[SPEAKER_01]: 150 million.
27:38
[SPEAKER_01]: Break even point.
27:38
[SPEAKER_01]: 375 million.
27:42
[SPEAKER_01]: Who went first in the last one?
27:43
[SPEAKER_01]: Uh-oh.
27:44
[SPEAKER_01]: I think I did.
27:45
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay.
27:45
[SPEAKER_01]: AJ, what's say you?
27:48
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know about this one.
27:49
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it's my flop.
27:51
[SPEAKER_00]: As much as I wanted to do well.
27:52
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know if people are super excited about the girl's superhero movies.
27:57
[SPEAKER_00]: As much as I want them to be.
27:58
[SPEAKER_01]: Who's who's in it, do we know who's in it?
28:01
[SPEAKER_00]: I recognize actors.
28:02
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know her name.
28:04
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I think it's Millie Alcock.
28:05
[SPEAKER_03]: And she is from several different TV shows.
28:07
[SPEAKER_03]: She's from one of the game at their own spin-offs.
28:09
[SPEAKER_03]: Again, another franchise there.
28:10
[SPEAKER_03]: She British.
28:11
[SPEAKER_03]: I believe she's British.
28:12
[SPEAKER_03]: And so, yeah, she's coming.
28:14
[SPEAKER_03]: She was super British.
28:15
[SPEAKER_03]: She was British British.
28:16
[SPEAKER_03]: Uh, come on now.
28:18
[SPEAKER_03]: Come on.
28:19
[SPEAKER_03]: Seems wrong.
28:19
[SPEAKER_03]: It's like an American James Bond.
28:22
[SPEAKER_03]: Just seems wrong.
28:22
[SPEAKER_01]: We keep hiring British people to play Americans.
28:24
[SPEAKER_01]: Can we just hire Americans to play Americans?
28:26
[SPEAKER_03]: Like, we're going to get these all on this homegrown talent.
28:29
[SPEAKER_01]: I know, man.
28:30
[SPEAKER_01]: They're like a factory over there, man.
28:32
[SPEAKER_01]: Just turning out all these actors and actresses.
28:34
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay.
28:34
[SPEAKER_01]: So AJ, you think flop?
28:36
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
28:37
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay.
28:37
[SPEAKER_01]: Connor.
28:38
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
28:38
[SPEAKER_01]: AJ, did you see Superman Lesser?
28:40
[SPEAKER_00]: I didn't.
28:41
[SPEAKER_00]: But that's something I would like to see.
28:44
[SPEAKER_00]: Did you see it?
28:46
[SPEAKER_03]: It was a very okay movie.
28:47
[SPEAKER_03]: It was very mid, which leads me to believe that this will be even worse because it's not around the main title character of Superman.
28:53
[SPEAKER_03]: I'm sure he's going to be featured in it, right?
28:55
[SPEAKER_03]: They're going to bring him in for a cameo, but this movie looks like an off-brand Guardians of the Galaxy.
28:59
[SPEAKER_03]: It's all like space space.
29:00
[SPEAKER_03]: This is not for me.
29:01
[SPEAKER_03]: I don't think it's for a lot of people.
29:02
[SPEAKER_03]: I do believe it's going to flop.
29:04
[SPEAKER_03]: Maybe it breaks even, but my actual prediction for the record is flop.
29:08
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, both both predicting flop, you know, Connor, he's a great resource because anytime I'm ever thinking about all right We're gonna get babysitting.
29:16
[SPEAKER_01]: We're gonna go on a date.
29:18
[SPEAKER_01]: We're gonna go see this movie.
29:19
[SPEAKER_01]: I always run it by Connor first I'll even run Older movies like I find on Netflix by Connor and so I'm sometimes I'm just like, hey, have you seen this and it'll just be like no Period, and I'm like, okay, hey, thanks so much for your help buddy have a good night.
29:32
[SPEAKER_01]: You know what?
29:32
[SPEAKER_01]: He doesn't understand how frustrating that is.
29:34
[SPEAKER_03]: He's supposed to have seen them all and tell me if it's worth my time or not I mean, I think when I respond no, it's me telling you it wasn't worth my time So it's probably not worth yours.
29:42
[SPEAKER_01]: You know when I say when I say no like no, no like when I say should I watch it And you're like no I haven't seen it or like whatever it might be or yeah You just clearly state it's not worth it.
29:53
[SPEAKER_01]: So I do appreciate that all right next one July 1st Minions and monsters
29:59
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, okay, interesting budget 100 milli break even point 250 million quarter of a billion dollars Connor, what say you this is like toy story.
30:10
[SPEAKER_03]: It's just it's just printed money It's gonna be a bustle block situation because minions They bring out the masses and there's gonna be so many people who go to see this movie even if it's really bad It probably will be just bad personally I'm not gonna see it my kids not old enough to like go enjoy these movies yet one day when he is I'd probably take him to a minion's movie, but I go
30:28
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I'm not going to be the adult guy who goes to see minions by myself surrounded by a bunch of families and then of course Probably the groups of teenagers who show up in their suits because that's what they do too They always get a viral trend going on.
30:37
[SPEAKER_03]: Oh, this movie will make probably $800 million in just a complete Wow That's why I wrote prediction Connor.
30:45
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, yeah, dude.
30:47
[SPEAKER_01]: These are these myths about bustle lock.
30:48
[SPEAKER_01]: That's a blow it up, dude
30:50
[SPEAKER_03]: Dispickle me and minions people love it.
30:53
[SPEAKER_03]: They love it.
30:53
[SPEAKER_01]: It's the funny movies.
30:54
[SPEAKER_01]: They're goofy.
30:55
[SPEAKER_01]: Yep.
30:56
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, AJ stand on business.
30:57
[SPEAKER_00]: What you think I was going to say break even.
31:00
[SPEAKER_00]: I guess right at down is that, but Connor's committed to me otherwise do not let him convince you of anything.
31:06
[SPEAKER_00]: No, yeah, but break even.
31:07
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm tired of the minions, but I don't think the kids are yet unfortunately.
31:12
[SPEAKER_01]: No, they're not they're not okay.
31:13
[SPEAKER_01]: Next one.
31:14
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay.
31:14
[SPEAKER_01]: We have three more to go.
31:15
[SPEAKER_01]: No, no.
31:15
[SPEAKER_01]: Four more to go.
31:16
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's keep going.
31:17
[SPEAKER_01]: All right.
31:17
[SPEAKER_01]: July 10th, we've got Moana.
31:19
[SPEAKER_01]: Another Moana coming out.
31:21
[SPEAKER_01]: Budget 200 million, break even point 500 million.
31:24
[SPEAKER_01]: The first Moana movie.
31:26
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay.
31:27
[SPEAKER_01]: The second one was great.
31:28
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, they were, I mean, my kids love them.
31:31
[SPEAKER_01]: This is live action, right?
31:34
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, okay, uh, Connor, let's say you.
31:38
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, live action.
31:39
[SPEAKER_03]: It's got the rock reprising his role from the animated movies.
31:43
[SPEAKER_03]: I'm sure Lin manual Miranda's in here.
31:45
[SPEAKER_03]: Maybe they've kind of thrown a new song that's not in the animated films.
31:49
[SPEAKER_03]: I think this is really just a recreation of the original Moana film.
31:51
[SPEAKER_03]: No, this is kind of like what they did with Lion King, right?
31:53
[SPEAKER_03]: Like they just took the movie and just made it like a live action per se.
31:56
[SPEAKER_03]: But nothing super changes and I'm like this movie was kind of recent.
32:01
[SPEAKER_03]: I mean, I wouldn't remember going to the agency this one I was totally like very recent.
32:04
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, this is weird and honestly it just looks like a washed out movie Like that they took the color away.
32:10
[SPEAKER_03]: It's all filmed in this interior studio in Atlanta, Georgia like I for me I'm like this is not this is not a success You know algorithm in my image Georgia.
32:20
[SPEAKER_01]: What's the Georgia song?
32:22
[SPEAKER_01]: Made in Georgia, you know what I'm talking about at the end of movies or shows they put that little peach up there and it sings the song.
32:29
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, they do this.
32:31
[SPEAKER_03]: No, it's a thing because Georgia gets so many film companies to come out there and film in their state because they've got all right.
32:36
[SPEAKER_01]: I didn't mean to interrupt but I can't miss out on an opportunity to sing a good Jingle you all know that about me Connor what's your official prediction before I interrupt it?
32:44
[SPEAKER_03]: I do think this is gonna at least break even because it is Moana It's popular tons of things you're gonna go see this right even AJ
32:51
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it's gonna break even, too.
32:52
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't think it's gonna be anything spectacular, but I think the kids are running.
32:56
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, if you make 200 million on a movie, I mean, people are going to see your movie.
33:00
[SPEAKER_01]: It's not a small amount of money, either.
33:01
[SPEAKER_01]: Totally.
33:02
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm with you.
33:03
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, July 17th, the Odyssey.
33:06
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, budget.
33:08
[SPEAKER_01]: 250 million, break even point.
33:11
[SPEAKER_01]: 625 million.
33:12
[SPEAKER_01]: This is the biggest budgeted movie we are going to be talking.
33:15
[SPEAKER_01]: No, it's not.
33:16
[SPEAKER_01]: No, it is not.
33:18
[SPEAKER_01]: There's one right after it that hasn't even a larger budget.
33:20
[SPEAKER_01]: I was speaking too soon.
33:22
[SPEAKER_01]: So again, the break even point 625 million AJ, what's you?
33:27
[SPEAKER_00]: I think this is going to bust the block easily.
33:30
[SPEAKER_00]: I think this is the movie of the air.
33:31
[SPEAKER_00]: Christopher Nolan, everyone's in this movie.
33:35
[SPEAKER_01]: And it's a cloud music's gonna be great.
33:37
[SPEAKER_01]: You know the music's gonna be great too.
33:38
[SPEAKER_01]: Right.
33:39
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
33:39
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, yeah.
33:40
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll definitely be seeing that.
33:42
[SPEAKER_01]: All right.
33:43
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, same.
33:45
[SPEAKER_03]: I mean, just bust the block.
33:46
[SPEAKER_03]: Chris for Nolan is the director of our lifetime, the music is just going to be one piece of it.
33:52
[SPEAKER_03]: It's going to be incredible.
33:54
[SPEAKER_01]: Chris for Nolan, right?
33:55
[SPEAKER_01]: There's no one's like fan of him, right?
33:56
[SPEAKER_03]: favorite director of all of his movies.
33:59
[SPEAKER_03]: The only poem could be if he starts to bring in like sexual content into this film that makes me not want to go see it because that is part of the the story of the Odyssey.
34:08
[SPEAKER_03]: Hopefully they kind of don't do that.
34:09
[SPEAKER_03]: But do this task, this task, Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zindaya, Robert Pattinson, Anne Hathaway, John Burnthal, Charlize Thieron, and then I saw this morning.
34:19
[SPEAKER_03]: Travis Scott is in there too.
34:21
[SPEAKER_03]: I don't know what
34:23
[SPEAKER_03]: Okay, yeah, and it's so many more people and then there's always people you don't expect until you show up at the theater And it's like whoa this versus in that movie, and then that's the Nolan effect man Everybody wants to be in his movies.
34:33
[SPEAKER_03]: He is the best record of our time totally and all of his movies Oppenheimer made a billion dollars.
34:38
[SPEAKER_03]: So this one.
34:38
[SPEAKER_03]: This has got to make a totally that too, right?
34:41
[SPEAKER_01]: Do you think do you think that Spielberg kind of I mean Spielberg's with this obviously still, but do you think he like kind of past the the torch on to Christopher Nolan like it was Spielberg and now it's Nolan
34:52
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I mean, what do you think I do?
34:55
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know, I just think of both of them as to the greats, but I don't know really much whether or not.
35:01
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, that's a really good point.
35:02
[SPEAKER_03]: They are both just, Spielberg was the guy in the 80s and 90s, right?
35:06
[SPEAKER_03]: And then Nolan kind of took over the 2000s with the Batman movies and he's just, he's kind of cooking right now, dude.
35:12
[SPEAKER_03]: He's at the prime of his career.
35:14
[SPEAKER_01]: He's cooking, man.
35:15
[SPEAKER_01]: It's getting hot in that kitchen.
35:16
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay.
35:17
[SPEAKER_01]: All right.
35:17
[SPEAKER_01]: Cool.
35:18
[SPEAKER_01]: All right.
35:18
[SPEAKER_01]: Next one.
35:19
[SPEAKER_01]: July 31st.
35:20
[SPEAKER_01]: Spider-Man.
35:23
[SPEAKER_01]: budget.
35:24
[SPEAKER_01]: 275 million break even point.
35:28
[SPEAKER_01]: 687 million five hundred thousand.
35:32
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, we'll round up 688 million.
35:36
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, Connor, what's that you?
35:38
[SPEAKER_03]: This is an interesting one.
35:40
[SPEAKER_03]: I should go to say a bustle block.
35:42
[SPEAKER_03]: I don't know that it's going to make three times the profit because I think People's desire for all these Avenger type movies Marvel movies has dissipated and it's losing a team where years out This is also come in the weekend after Tom Holland and Zendaya are in another movie together the Odyssey like the the kind of like Anything you were hoping to get out of them being your stars is juiced out a little bit because people have seen them the weekend before I don't know man spider means great my favorite superhero.
36:07
[SPEAKER_03]: I love Tom Holland a spider man
36:08
[SPEAKER_03]: I'll probably go see this.
36:10
[SPEAKER_03]: I don't know.
36:10
[SPEAKER_03]: It'll be opening weekend.
36:12
[SPEAKER_03]: I think this one just breaks even.
36:13
[SPEAKER_03]: I'm not sure it's going to be a blockbuster.
36:18
[SPEAKER_00]: I think I say break even because it's so high such a big number.
36:23
[SPEAKER_00]: I feel personally behind with this fighter man's with Tom Holland, even though I love Tom Paul in the end of the day, one thing they do have going for them is that they got married here.
36:32
[SPEAKER_00]: So I'm my bring a lot brings girls out like me.
36:36
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, because Zinday is so popular.
36:38
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't even know they got married good for them.
36:40
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
36:41
[SPEAKER_01]: I love them.
36:42
[SPEAKER_01]: I got their awesome.
36:42
[SPEAKER_01]: I knew they had been together for a long time.
36:44
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, good for them.
36:45
[SPEAKER_01]: Get married.
36:45
[SPEAKER_01]: That's good.
36:47
[SPEAKER_01]: That's a good thing.
36:48
[SPEAKER_03]: Okay, argument to be made is a PR stunt to build up, you know, popular air.
36:52
[SPEAKER_03]: Going into the summer because their Zinday is also in Dune later this year too.
36:56
[SPEAKER_03]: And then they get the other Avengers movie December.
36:58
[SPEAKER_03]: It could have been a PR stunt.
36:59
[SPEAKER_03]: But hey, they're married.
37:00
[SPEAKER_03]: There's a ring on it.
37:02
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know, at this point, they've been together for a while.
37:04
[SPEAKER_01]: Long time, long time.
37:06
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, so we're both saying break even, right?
37:09
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay.
37:09
[SPEAKER_01]: And again, that would be making at least 275 million.
37:12
[SPEAKER_01]: That's a lot of people going to see your movie, you know?
37:15
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, all right, last one.
37:16
[SPEAKER_01]: Thanks for riding with us.
37:18
[SPEAKER_01]: August 14th, we've got the end of Oak Street.
37:22
[SPEAKER_01]: So, movie, you can go see right before school starts.
37:25
[SPEAKER_01]: Budget, 85 million break even point would be
37:32
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know.
37:34
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm curious about this one.
37:35
[SPEAKER_00]: I think they'll break even.
37:36
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, it has a pretty good cast as well.
37:41
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm curious.
37:42
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't really know.
37:43
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know what to think, Connor.
37:44
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, the concept is interesting.
37:46
[SPEAKER_03]: It's Anne Hathaway and you and McGregor as the stars here and the idea is like they wake up one morning and their neighborhood and their street oak street that's the title of the movie has just landed in the jungle somewhere.
37:56
[SPEAKER_03]: It's been moved and they are they wake up in a jungle.
37:59
[SPEAKER_03]: That's kind of all you get from the trailer.
38:01
[SPEAKER_03]: Apparently this is based off of a popular book.
38:02
[SPEAKER_03]: So I think it'll do pretty well.
38:04
[SPEAKER_03]: It's not a huge franchise situation.
38:06
[SPEAKER_03]: I think it breaks even as well.
38:08
[SPEAKER_03]: Most of just there's good word of mouth people will go.
38:11
[SPEAKER_03]: I don't think it's going to be a flop.
38:12
[SPEAKER_03]: It could be my official answer is break even.
38:14
[SPEAKER_03]: So I think really we came away from this with only one real flop predicted.
38:19
[SPEAKER_03]: And he is just one.
38:21
[SPEAKER_03]: So hey, that could be a good sign for the block, but for the box office this summer, right?
38:24
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, yeah, we both said super girl would flop.
38:27
[SPEAKER_01]: You both said that.
38:28
[SPEAKER_01]: And the masters of the universe actually masters of the universe.
38:32
[SPEAKER_01]: So two two flops.
38:33
[SPEAKER_01]: Yep, and you guys were both on the same page about those flops as well So a lot of the competition will be did it perform to standard did it exceed Expectations between break even and bust the block that is my time.
38:46
[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you all for playing bust the block year two Connor
38:49
[SPEAKER_01]: Take it away.
38:50
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, well, and we'll come back at the end of the summer.
38:52
[SPEAKER_03]: AJ will we'll have to reconcile our predictions here and see.
38:56
[SPEAKER_03]: All right.
38:56
[SPEAKER_03]: Who won?
38:57
[SPEAKER_03]: Who won the game?
38:57
[SPEAKER_03]: Well, we'll come back and see just how these movies actually performed last year of surprise.
39:01
[SPEAKER_03]: We made some predictions and then the movies did either way better or way worse than we had expected.
39:05
[SPEAKER_03]: Uh, you know, guys, this is kind of just a silly game about movies that I did to help you understand what's coming down the line.
39:11
[SPEAKER_03]: Because honestly, these movies are big cultural moments.
39:13
[SPEAKER_03]: You can think back to other summer blockbuster hits.
39:15
[SPEAKER_03]: Think of Top Gun Maverick in 2022.
39:17
[SPEAKER_03]: We were coming out of this pandemic here.
39:19
[SPEAKER_03]: Some people needed something to help like revive their, uh, excitement and hope even in America and like a uniting movie.
39:25
[SPEAKER_03]: That was a huge deal.
39:27
[SPEAKER_03]: And then the next summer was the Barb andheimer thing.
39:29
[SPEAKER_03]: We're so many people wanted to see.
39:30
[SPEAKER_03]: uh... you know a happy bright pink movie with barbie and then at the same time they went to go see up and hi madark and gritty serious movie about nuclear weapons uh... there's a lot we can learn about our culture from these movies and so as we think about that and we look at what's coming down the line to share what movies are going to pop off that's going to tell us stuff about our culture and how we can even respond biblically like our people going to movies that they are like please i just want some hope i just want some brightness of my life i want to be able to detach from the world and go see this
39:57
[SPEAKER_03]: happy movie or they say something totally different um well will learn a lot about our culture i think from these movies and you know at the end of the day these people are making movies they may not realize it but in a way they're glorifying God by using their talents God has given them talents to be creative um and make things that can bring people together um and at the end of the day my hope would be that a lot of them would come to find Jesus and that their talents would be used for incredible glorifying reasons um always so we'll see what culture loves the summer it'll be fun
40:25
[SPEAKER_03]: Okay, that's bus the block, Micah.
40:28
[SPEAKER_03]: What do we got to check into?
40:32
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, let's talk about the, how do we say it?
40:34
[SPEAKER_01]: Hontavirus, Hontavirus, how do we say it?
40:37
[SPEAKER_01]: AJ, how do you say it?
40:39
[SPEAKER_00]: Which is Hontca?
40:40
[SPEAKER_00]: Hontca, Conter one say it.
40:42
[SPEAKER_00]: You got it.
40:43
[SPEAKER_03]: Well, I say everything wrong.
40:45
[SPEAKER_03]: So whatever I say, it's, you know, I mean, in my mind, I've been reading as Hontavirus, which is probably totally off.
40:51
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, you said Hannah virus at first, like you took the T out.
40:55
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, so let's, so let's call it, let's call it, hey, on to virus, on to virus.
41:00
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, yeah.
41:01
[SPEAKER_01]: So we've got 17 to 18 Americans that were flown back to the U.S. after their crews, they,
41:06
[SPEAKER_01]: just put your, like, you know, I'm making light, but at the same time, this could end up being something super serious.
41:13
[SPEAKER_01]: Obviously, if you people died on the cruise from contracting this, so you got these Americans coming back.
41:18
[SPEAKER_01]: Imagine you, you go halfway across the world, you go on this cruise, you go on this vacation, you've been budgeting for it, you go on the vacation, you enjoy yourself, and then all of a sudden this,
41:28
[SPEAKER_01]: Absolute disease starts breaking out while you're on the cruise ship everyone in the world is talking about you You then have to fly back and go to Omaha, Nebraska
41:39
[SPEAKER_01]: All right.
41:39
[SPEAKER_01]: So you got 17 Americans that were flown back.
41:42
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, and they were taken to the national quarantine unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
41:47
[SPEAKER_01]: In Omaha, one passenger has, that is American has tested positive for the haunt of virus and another has been showing mild symptoms so they were transported in specialized.
41:57
[SPEAKER_01]: Seriously, specialized individual bio-containment units.
42:02
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, health officials continue to stress that the overall public risk is very low.
42:06
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, they keep saying that no one panic at the same time, just for me personally.
42:11
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm not following forward again.
42:13
[SPEAKER_01]: In terms of all of the hysteria and everything that came from COVID, I'm just hoping we as Americans have learned something.
42:20
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm not making a lot of a sickness or a disease, but you better show me some real facts.
42:24
[SPEAKER_01]: before churches and schools and businesses start getting closed.
42:28
[SPEAKER_01]: We're far from that, but you can sense some of the anxiety and culture over this.
42:33
[SPEAKER_01]: I do not think this is what this is, but you can sense some of that anxiety and again, health officials are stressing.
42:40
[SPEAKER_01]: This is overall a very low public risk, but they're taking extra precautions.
42:44
[SPEAKER_01]: And those people will be monitored for up to 42 days and then they'll be able to go home if they're cleared.
42:53
[SPEAKER_01]: They will have to stay in Omaha in these containment centers for that long.
42:57
[SPEAKER_01]: What do you guys think about this?
42:59
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I mean, there's definitely parallels to COVID, right?
43:02
[SPEAKER_03]: The idea of like starting on a cruise ship, and that's not where COVID started, but that's where a lot of people sort of recognizes like, hey, there's these cruise ships filled with a bunch of sick people, and they're not letting them port here in America.
43:11
[SPEAKER_03]: Like something was going on right there in February, March of 2020, with those cruise ships.
43:15
[SPEAKER_03]: There's parallels there.
43:16
[SPEAKER_03]: There's these people who were recording their vacations posting them on Instagram.
43:19
[SPEAKER_03]: I don't know if you've seen these videos on TikTok and Instagram of these people who are like,
43:22
[SPEAKER_03]: We're in an article with the penguins and then like three days later they're like we're quarantined in our room.
43:25
[SPEAKER_03]: You know like they were kind of documenting the thing go down and they've become kind of celebrity see this whole thing and they're also traumatized like we've been stuck on this boat.
43:33
[SPEAKER_03]: We're scared for our lives.
43:34
[SPEAKER_03]: This is a very deadly virus.
43:36
[SPEAKER_03]: It just doesn't spread that easy.
43:37
[SPEAKER_03]: It's also the virus that killed Gene Hackman's wife.
43:39
[SPEAKER_03]: Remember last year Mike and when we were talking about Gene Hackman and his wife just randomly died it was they discovered she had hand to virus.
43:45
[SPEAKER_03]: She got it from rodents.
43:46
[SPEAKER_03]: They're their droppings essentially had landed in her food and it killed her and then Gene Hackman had dementia and was unable to take care of himself She was his primary caregiver.
43:55
[SPEAKER_03]: Do you remember that like that's I was like, why do I know the name of the story?
43:58
[SPEAKER_03]: I know was the same disease same thing just a different part of the world different different wow strain of the disease, but yeah, man.
44:05
[SPEAKER_03]: It's kind of scary.
44:06
[SPEAKER_03]: What do you think AJ?
44:07
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, I haven't done a lot of research on it, but I feel like people have a little PTSD.
44:13
[SPEAKER_00]: I hope that people don't freak out.
44:17
[SPEAKER_00]: I think, yeah, I didn't spread that easily.
44:18
[SPEAKER_00]: So I'm not too concerned and I think they'll be cautious about it, especially if you kind of go in.
44:23
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
44:24
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
44:24
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
44:24
[SPEAKER_03]: It's just the imagery of people and like full on, you know, medical suits going out there to, to grazing people off these plain.
44:30
[SPEAKER_03]: It just, what else is, is reminiscent?
44:33
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, guys, something else that I mentioned with the movie Disclosure Day is, as you know, we've probably got, I would say they were okay videos of UFOs from this UFO file drop.
44:44
[SPEAKER_03]: Apparently there's more coming, but yes, Trump did order a few months ago.
44:46
[SPEAKER_03]: We talked about it the release of files that the Department of Defense and the FBI CIA had in new videos that the public had never seen, but some congressional members had seen of these apparent UAPs or UFOs, whatever you want to call them.
44:58
[SPEAKER_03]: The deal is these videos all look the same.
45:00
[SPEAKER_03]: They're gray.
45:01
[SPEAKER_03]: They're from like sonar cameras on drones or aircraft or ships and you can't really tell that much It's these objects far off in the distance.
45:08
[SPEAKER_03]: They're kind of blurry.
45:08
[SPEAKER_03]: They're moving fast Something looks weird with each of them.
45:11
[SPEAKER_03]: Of course, but I want to say anybody came away thinking yep That's definitely an alien ship or yep.
45:16
[SPEAKER_03]: That's definitely this and then there was this rumor that pastors had been pulled into some secret clan Destined meeting because there's gonna be you know this
45:23
[SPEAKER_03]: specifically magnificent it's going to change the way Christians see the world or whatever that has kind of been proven to probably not actually happened uh that's kind of these like YouTube pastors were like yeah we were pulled into this meeting and the god i'm sure you were i'm sure you were famous youtube pastor yeah yeah so if you see that take it all the days all maybe there's some truth there somewhere um but the deal is here's what i would say
45:47
[SPEAKER_03]: Should we ever find out anything crazy which seems very unlikely and I don't think the government even knows what half these things are and they didn't they even say that in these files They're like, well, we still don't know what this is.
45:56
[SPEAKER_03]: We're just like giving you the video, but we don't know what it was You cannot let it shake your your faith.
46:01
[SPEAKER_03]: You cannot let it shake the core of your faith We know who our goddess we know she just came to die for our sins, right?
46:05
[SPEAKER_03]: That that's what I would say As we just tried to figure out what's what's going on here even Trump posted he's like
46:10
[SPEAKER_03]: The videos are out.
46:12
[SPEAKER_03]: The people can decide for themselves what the heck is going on.
46:14
[SPEAKER_03]: Have fun and enjoy.
46:15
[SPEAKER_03]: So Trump isn't saying, we don't know, you guys take a look.
46:17
[SPEAKER_03]: Maybe you'll figure it out.
46:18
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know.
46:19
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm sure.
46:20
[SPEAKER_03]: I'm sure there's more files coming.
46:21
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I'm sure.
46:22
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm sure they're figured out.
46:24
[SPEAKER_01]: And again, just like with all these file releases, it's just never enough.
46:28
[SPEAKER_01]: It's never enough.
46:28
[SPEAKER_01]: However,
46:29
[SPEAKER_01]: The UFO stuff is super interesting.
46:31
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's see what else comes from that.
46:32
[SPEAKER_01]: All right.
46:33
[SPEAKER_01]: Let me make sure to mention the mail bag and then I'll close this out here.
46:36
[SPEAKER_01]: We want to continue to hear from all of you.
46:38
[SPEAKER_01]: Please make sure that you're sending your your questions, your topic ideas, things you love, things you don't like, whatever it might be to culturebrief at dinnisonform.org and you can follow us on Instagram at culturebrief podcast send us a DM on there and you can
46:53
[SPEAKER_01]: Send us what you'd like, and we'll do our best to cover it.
46:56
[SPEAKER_01]: AJ, thank you so much for joining us today.
46:58
[SPEAKER_01]: You made us better today.
46:59
[SPEAKER_01]: We really enjoyed having you.
47:00
[SPEAKER_01]: And thank you, loyal, culture brief audience.
47:03
[SPEAKER_01]: For joining us for this week's episode of Culture Brief, A Dennis and Forum podcast, and remember.
47:09
[SPEAKER_01]: All articles videos mentioned everything we talk about it will be listed in the show notes linked in the show notes If you want to help us reach more believers with truth in today's chaotic very chaotic culture Please share this podcast around and leave a five star review and we'll see you next Thursday