This week’s news recap is certainly less bleak than the top 5 stories from last week. Two more trailers, a China takeover, and the attempted cancellation of one of Hollywood’s biggest names headline the entertainment world this week. So. Let’s see what we’ve got going on in the world of movies and entertainment this last week:

1. Netflix released a trailer for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Chadwick Boseman’s Final Film.

You can watch the trailer below:

In my opinion, Chadwick Boseman was an incredibly talented actor. His performances made only more remarkable having learned of his battle cancer diagnosis. I would be surprised if Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom isn’t one of his best. Mad respect, Mr. Boseman.

2. China takes over the mantle as world’s largest box office

Chinese box office ticket sales for 2020 rose to $1.988 billion on Sunday, bypassing North America's total of $1.937 billion. With draconian coronavirus lockdowns preventing many theaters in major markets from opening in the United States the gap is projected to widen considerably. Last year, the North American box office was ahead of a rising Chinese box office $11.4 billion to $9.2 billion. Liam Neeson’s Honest Thief garnered $3.7 million this past weekend while a local China blockbuster - My People, My Homeland earned a more respectable $19.1 million over the same time frame.

SOURCE: Hollywood Reporter

In my opinion, China is a growing market but only overtook the North American box office thanks to overbearing coronavirus lockdowns. The North American box office (and the Chinese for that matter) were hit incredibly hard by COVID dropping 84% & 78% year over year respectively. It’s still only a matter of time until the world’s most populous nation becomes a mainstay at the top of the global box office, but not for a few more years.

3. Raya & The Last Dragon gets a new teaser trailer.

Disney Animation Studios has released a new teaser trailer for Raya And The Last Dragon, their newest animated adventure. The film stars Star Wars’ Kelly Marie Tran voicing Raya, the lead character. Kelly Marie Tran seems to fit the role of Raya perfectly in what is hopefully a productive move away from the controversy of her involvement in Star Wars. Raya is slated to release March 12, 2021. Check out the trailer in the source link below.

SOURCE: ForReel Movie News & Reviews

In my opinion, there is no doubt in my mind that Raya and The Last Dragon will follow in the footsteps of Disney coming of age stories the likes of Moana and Frozen. I look forward to watching this with my daughter, probably over and over again.

4. Chris Pratt faces online backlash for not attending Biden fundraiser, Avengers Cast assembles to defend him.

Chris Pratt received substantial backlash online after his Avengers co stars teamed up for a Biden fundraiser and Pratt was noticeably absent from the list. In response, the internet acted as the internet does by accusing Pratt of supporting President Donald Trump and being a homophobic white supremacist among other vitriol despite no evidence to support such assertions. Director Joe Russo dispelled those rumors stating that Pratt wasn’t even invited to participate. In his defense of Pratt, fellow Avenger Mark Ruffalo stated Pratt is very apolitical. Given the following previous statements from the Guardians star, that seems to be correct.

“I don’t feel represented by either side,” Pratt says. He also states, “I really feel there’s common ground out there that’s missed because we focus on the things that separate us. You’re either the red state or the blue state, the left or the right. Not everything is politics. And maybe that’s something I’d want to help bridge, because I don’t feel represented by either side.”

SOURCE: Washington Examiner & Screen Geek & NowThis

In my opinion, we need more Chris Pratts out there. This was a ridiculous smear campaign because someone may or may not believe the exact thing you want them to. Bravo to the Avengers stars for standing up to the mob.

5. Quibi, the new mobile streaming service, is shutting down.

Quibi, the mobile streaming app built on the premise of big budget short-form videos, is shuttering operations after merely six months in existence. The company struggled from the get-go and at least partially blames it’s failure on releasing during the COVID-19 pandemic. It appears that consumers simply weren’t interested in that particular form of streaming service.

SOURCE: CNN

To quote fellow ForReel writer, Thomas Stoneham-Judge, when he heard the Quibi news, “Quibi has struggled from day one. That's a service that will land in history along with MoviePass as another colossal failure in entertainment business modeling and marketing.”