Halfway through the year, and more showbiz news, so time for another round-up!

Thor: Love and Thunder (see "’Thor’ Trailer") opened with a $143 million weekend, the best opening of the Thor franchise, according to Deadline. Worldwide the film took in $302 million.  This is the 12th largest opening for a Marvel Cinematic Universe film. Marvel supported with plenty of advertising, and a worldwide McDonald’s Happy Meal program raised the visibility.

Stranger Things writers, directors, and exec producers the Duffer Brothers have formed Upside Down Pictures as part of their overall deal with Netflix, the streamer announced.  The biggest project on the slate is a Stranger Things spin-off series based on idea by the bros.  They also plan a live action series adaptation of hit manga series Death Note (Netflix released a live action feature in 2017, see "’Death Note’ Trailer"), a series adaptation of The Talisman, and a stage play in the Stranger Things world, among others.

Lionsgate dropped a trailer for Kevin Smith's new Clerks III movie (see trailer below), which went into production in 2021 (see "'Clerks III'").  The trailer features a return of most of the cast from the previous Clerks movies, including Jason Mews, Jeff Anderson, Brian O'Halloran, Trevor Fehrman, and Rosario Dawson.  The movie also has cameos by Ben Affleck, Justin Long, and Fred Armisen.  This movie will debut on September 4 in Red Bank, New Jersey and be shown on a tour featuring live appearances by Kevin Smith throughout the U.S. and Canada for the following 30 days, with a broader release via Fathom on September 13 and 15.

Universal Pictures revealed new key art for Rob Zombie's The Munsters movie.  The new poster features Sherri Moon Zombie as Lily Munster, Jeff Daniel Phillips as Herman Munster, and Daniel Roebuck.  This movie is scheduled to be released in 2022 (see "'Munsters' Teaser").

Warner Bros. has announced two new features based on DC properties for release on disc and digital this fall.  Batman: The Long Halloween – Deluxe Edition, which will include the two animated films as a single feature with added mature content (trailer below), will be released on September 20.  Batman and Superman: Battle of the Supersons, Warner Bros. Animation’s first all-CG feature, will feature 11-year-old Jonathon Kent and Damian Wayne battling to rescue their fathers and save the planet.  Release date is October 18.

Crunchyroll released news, images, and info on three manga- based anime it will be releasing in North America at Anime Expo.  Crunchyroll has acquired Tomo-chan Is a Girl!, the anime adaptation of the manga by the same name, which was written and illustrated by Fumita Yanagida (see "'Danganronpa' Sequels").  The anime will be produced by Lay-duce, and it will be simulcast in January 2023. Crunchyroll released a trailer for TRIGUN STAMPEDE, the latest anime based on the manga by Yasuhiro Nightow, which will stream in 2023.  Crunchyroll also released a visual (see Gallery below) for the anime adaptation of The Tale of Outcasts, with no release date announced.

Click Gallery below for The Munsters, Batman movie, and anime images!