Disney may have just learned a very expensive lesson about late-night TV.
After suspending Jimmy Kimmel Live, the company’s market value reportedly dropped by a staggering $3.87 billion overnight. That’s not a typo. Billion, with a “B.”
The decision instantly sparked waves of backlash online, where hashtags calling for a Disney boycott gained traction.
And we’re not just talking about skipping a theme park vacation. People were vowing to avoid anything with the Disney stamp on it, including ABC, ESPN, Disney+, and even Marvel.
That’s where things got even messier. Actress Tatiana Maslany threw her support behind the boycott. She headlined her own Disney+/Marvel series, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
It’s rare for a studio actor to openly criticize their employer while still technically working for them, which is why Maslany’s stance lit up social media almost as much as the news of Kimmel’s suspension itself.
Whether this backlash will cool off or grow into a full-on cultural standstill is still up in the air. What is clear is that Disney’s financial hit shows how quickly fan frustration can turn into real-world consequences.
But it was just announced that Kimmel will be returning to his show starting tonight… so we’ll see if the boycotts continue, now that he has his job back.
It sounds like the start of a Marvel movie, but nope, this one’s real: A wasp nest contaminated with radiation was recently discovered near a nuclear facility in South Carolina.
The Department of Energy confirmed that a radioactive nest was found on July 3rd just outside the Savannah River Site, a sprawling Cold War-era nuclear facility located near the Georgia border.
The site, which once produced plutonium for the U.S. military, has long been associated with leftover radiation, often referred to as “legacy contamination.”
Savannah River Site
“Moderately high” levels of radiation detected
Tests showed the nest was emitting 100,000 disintegrations per minute (DPM)—a term used to measure radioactive decay. That number puts it in the “moderately high” range, though it’s still far below the kind of levels you’d see in something catastrophic like Chernobyl.
Officials were quick to clarify there’s no active leak or immediate danger to the public.
So how did the wasps become radioactive?
No one’s sure, but the insects may have picked up old contaminants while building the nest, possibly from soil or materials around the aging nuclear facility.
While it sounds horrifying, this isn’t the first time nature has had an awkward meet-cute with radioactive leftovers. Similar incidents have occurred over the years, usually involving small animals or plant life near long-decommissioned nuclear sites.
In response, crews treated the nest like any other radioactive waste. They sprayed it down and disposed of it according to nuclear safety protocols.
The nest is gone, but the wasps are still M.I.A.
One weird detail: A local report said the nest didn’t contain any actual wasps when it was found. That’s either a relief—or a setup for the sequel, where the mutant wasp swarm emerges. (We’re half-kidding. Probably.)
The story is a strange reminder of the long environmental shadow cast by Cold War nuclear production. While the situation sounds alarming, energy officials and local authorities maintain there’s no reason to think there’s an ongoing leak or elevated risk to people nearby.
So no, you don’t need to stock up on wasp spray and hazmat suits just yet. But if you live in the area and hear a suspicious buzzing sound… maybe stay inside.
Stock photo of wasps building a nest. Not the radioactive kind… the normal, huggable kind. Photo by David Hablützel
Move over, designer handbags and limited-edition sneakers—there’s a new must-have collectible in town, and it’s full of popcorn. Marvel fans, meet the Fantastic Four Galactus popcorn bucket, a snack accessory so extra, it just broke a Guinness World Record.
That’s right: Marvel Studios’ new popcorn bucket is officially the largest commercially available popcorn container on the planet. It’s even recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records. Shaped like the head of the towering cosmic villain Galactus, this thing measures 20 inches wide, 17.5 inches high, and holds a mind-blowing 341 ounces of popcorn. That’s roughly the same as filling up four and a half standard movie theater buckets.
Naturally, it’s not just about size.
The bucket also lights up, because why wouldn’t Galactus’s glowing eyes stare into your soul while you eat your extra-buttered snack?
The bucket dropped at AMC theaters for $80, and despite the steep price tag, it sold out instantly in theaters across the U.S.
But don’t panic just yet, Marvel collectors: the Galactus bucket is still available for pre-order through the AMC Theatre Shop online, with shipments expected in early December.
The popcorn bucket hype has become a bizarre but beloved part of movie culture in recent years. From Barbie’s glittery accessories to Dune’s sandworm-themed tubs, film studios are turning snack holders into collector’s items and viral marketing gold. But this Galactus release just took things to a new level—literally.
Are you planning on seeing Fantastic Four: First Steps? Because it opens TODAY! Which got us thinking, what are the best superhero movies of all time?
The new Superman movie, which came out on July 8th, is already flying high — at least when it comes to superhero rankings.
It has already landed on a fresh list of the 50 Best Superhero Movies of All Time, securing the #26 spot. Not bad for a movie that audiences are just starting to see. Whether it climbs higher in the years to come (or plummets faster than a speeding bullet) remains to be seen, but for now, it’s rubbing capes with some all-time greats.
So what did make the top of the list? Here’s a look at the Top 20 Superhero Movies according to the new ranking — and yes, nostalgia plays a big role:
Superman: The Movie (1978)
The Dark Knight (2008)
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Batman (1989)
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
The Avengers (2012)
Black Panther (2018)
The Incredibles (2004)
Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Logan (2017)
Unbreakable (2000)
Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
The Rocketeer (1991)
The Batman (2022)
X-Men (2000)
Batman Begins (2005)
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
It’s a list that leans heavily on Marvel and DC icons, with multiple appearances by Batman, Spider-Man, and the Avengers. But there’s also room for wild cards like The Rocketeer and Unbreakable — cult classics that helped shape the genre in subtler ways.
Of course, lists like these always stir up debate. (No love for “Iron Man”? Really?) But with the new Superman movie already earning a spot among the caped elite, it’s safe to say the hype is real.
And, do we think Fantastic Four: First Steps will land on this list? Pedro Pascal has to count for something.
DC just unleashed the latest “Superman” on the world, and Marvel’s up next, with Friday’s release of “Fantastic Four: First Steps.”
But not all superheroes are created equal. In fact, some of them kind of suck. But not necessarily in a bad way. Here are 10 of the best not-so-super superheroes:
1. “The Toxic Avenger” (1984)
The years-delayed remake starring Peter Dinklage and Kevin Bacon is finally hitting theaters at the end of the summer, but let’s not forget the movie that still fuels the demented engine of Troma Films, and almost-kinda-sorta made New Jersey cool.
Melvin the Mop Boy is pranked by the patrons at the health club where he works, causing him to fall into a vat of toxic waste, which transforms him into “a hideously deformed creature of superhuman size and strength.”
This hideously deformed creature is driven to not only fight crime, but to literally tear it limb-from-limb in such graphic and gory fashion that even he starts to wonder if he’s not such a nice guy. Don’t worry, his doubt doesn’t last. Nor does the evil in Toxie’s beloved Tromaville.
2. “Super” (2010)
Before he became a Hollywood darling, “Superman” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” director James Gunn got his start at the aforementioned Troma Films. As such, his pre-Marvel and DC output was pretty weird, and often wonderful.
In “Super,” Rainn Wilson is brilliant as Frank Darbo, a depressed and possibly schizophrenic short order cook who decides to rescue his wife when she falls back into addiction, and back in with a gang of drug dealers led by a sleazy Kevin Bacon. (Yes, second mention of Kevin Bacon so far, but sadly, probably the last.)
To achieve his goals, Frank becomes a “superhero” called The Crimson Bolt, with the equally delusional Elliot Page as his female sidekick Boltie. But Frank is no superhero, nor does he become one in the end. He does more or less save the day, but ultimately, he’s just as pathetic as ever.
3. “Chronicle” (2012)
What if three high school kids suddenly got super powers? Would they become champions of the people and spend the rest of their lives fighting for truth, justice, and the American way. Hell no. They’d screw around until things went sideways and people started getting hurt.
That’s what happens in the brilliant “Chronicle,” which employs the found footage conceit better than most horror movies, and features a still-gestating Michael B. Jordan as one of the super teens.
4. “Batman” (1966)
It actually took people a while to realize that the ’60s TV Batman wasn’t bad, it was a brilliant, before-its-time superhero parody, and it might be even more relevant in this age of Marvel and DC overkill. Made during the original run of the TV series, the movie was just as good or better.
Adam West’s Batman was so decent and square, he was the cool one (a concept James Gunn co-opted for the new “Superman”). And the fact that he would just happen to carry “Shark Repellent Bat-Spray” in case an obviously rubber shark might latch onto his leg? Why not?
(And the “Some days you just can’t get rid of a bomb” scene? Chef’s kiss. In my opinion one of the great comedy routines of all time.)
5. “Mystery Men” (1999)
This one should have been a hit. A stellar cast, including Ben Stiller, William H. Macy, Hank Azaria, Janeane Garofolo, and Geoffrey Rush . . . not to mention Paul “Pee Wee Herman” Reubens as the Spleen, whose weapon is flatulence so foul it debilitates anyone downwind of him.
In the end, our heroes overcome the evil Casanova Frankenstein, as well as the fact that they’re not very good superheroes, with a GROUP HUG. Or, as Macy’s The Shoveller puts it: “We struck down evil with the mighty sword of teamwork and the hammer of not bickering.”
This movie needs a sequel, stat.
6. “Brightburn” (2019)
Is this a superhero movie or a horror flick? Any attempt to answer that question would give too much away. It’s basically the Superman origin story, but with a twist: Alien baby’s space capsule crash lands in the Midwest, and baby is adopted by farmers.
But was he sent here to do good or evil? Any similarities to the new “Superman” movie are most likely not coincidental, since “Brightburn” was produced by James Gunn, and written by his brothers Brian and Mark.
7. “Kung Fury” (2015)
Even though it’s only 31 minutes long, this is one of the greatest superhero movies ever made. An homage to everything ’80s, from Miami-cool to buddy cop movies, martial arts flicks, VHS, and even the Nintendo Power Glove, and beyond.
“Kung Fury” is a cop who was supercharged by being struck by lightning AND bitten by a cobra at the same time. He travels through time to defeat no less than Adolf Hitler, with the aid of his partner Triceracop, his retro tech wiz ally Hackerman, some sexy female Viking warriors, and an actual T-rex.
(Bonus: You can watch the whole thing on YouTube. Oh, and did I mention the David Hasselhoff cameo?)
FYI, a sequel featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger as the president was made a few years ago, but remains criminally unreleased.
8. “Italian Spiderman” (2007)
A series of short films meant to parody not only superheroes, but Eurotrash cinema of the ’70s and early ’80s, Italian Spiderman isn’t even Italian. It was made by an Australian collective and starred “Franco Franchetti” (not his real name) in the title role.
He’s out of shape, he has a creepy pornstache, and he probably smokes too much . . . but he’s just as amazing as his American cousin, although for vastly different reasons.
9. “The Machine Girl” (2008)
If you asked me to name the 100 weirdest movies I’ve ever seen, it’s a strong bet that at least 75 of them would be Asian. And “Machine Girl” would probably make the list.
Ami Hyūga is an orphaned schoolgirl (Because Japan, obvi) whose arm is cut off by the yakuza. So she does what any orphaned schoolgirl would do: She slaps a machine gun on her stump and starts wasting bad guys who come at her with chainsaws, flying guillotines, and the dreaded drill bra. (Trailer)
10. “Batpussy”
To paraphrase cult movie god Bruce Campbell, this movie wasn’t released, it escaped. And we are all the worse for it. This porn flick was discovered in the storeroom of an adult movie theater in Memphis in the mid-1990s
Nobody knows who made it or when, but best guesses say late ’60s or early ’70s. There’s also no indication who the “actors” are, but boy, must we use that term loosely.
The “film” starts with a highly unappealing couple having highly unerotic sex, while insulting each other the entire time. Soon Batpussy arrives via hippity-hop… I’m not joking… and we have what’s got to be the most sack-deflating threesome ever committed to film.
This could easily be the worst porn flick ever made, the worst superhero movie ever made, and even the worst movie ever made. I’d also bet my mortgage that in the 30 years since it was uncovered, no one has ever masturbated to it. And anyone who has needs to be on some kind of watch list.
But if your mission is to seek out the worst that film has to offer, that mission can never be complete until you’ve watched Batpussy at least once.
(Here’s the safe-for-work four-plus-minute hippity hop scene. It includes a pee break and a little crimefightin’ on the side.)
