Men's Journal's Blog, page 156

Incredible Keanu Reeves 'John Wick' Admission Left Fans in Disbelief

While Keanu Reeves has starred in a number of high-profile movies throughout his career, you’d be hard-pressed to find many who’d argue that the John Wick series isn’t among his best work.

Fans worldwide seem to agree with that sentiment, as the four John Wick films have combined to top $1 billion at the global box office. However, on a film-by-film basis, it seems the popular series has a bit of a rival in the form of Reeves' recent film after the surprising box office numbers were released.

John Wick: Chapter 4 earned north of $440 million worldwide, the highest total of the series by more than $110 million, as The Numbers detailed. 

And while those numbers are impressive, Reeves and the star-studded cast of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 managed to supplant every John Wick film globally.

‘SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3’ has now passed all of Keanu Reeves’ ‘JOHN WICK’ movies internationally. pic.twitter.com/CYdRwus4Yv

— Cartoon Base (@TheCartoonBase) March 23, 2025

Between Sonic's $236 million-plus domestically and $254 million-plus internationally, the 2024 film has a worldwide box office number just north of $491 million.

The numbers fueled a bit of a debate among fans of both film series. One side wasn't surprised by Sonic's huge box office pull, citing a "hugely popular video game franchise with cross-generational appeal."

"You're surprised that a hugely popular video game franchise with cross generational appeal that was turned into a series of well-written, well-acted movies with cross generational appeal has become more hugely popular than a fun to watch action series with more limited appeal?" read one comment.

However, that wasn't the most common response to the film, where Reeves plays Shadow the Hedgehog. 

"First Jim Carrey, now Keanu. This is crazy," said another commenter.

pic.twitter.com/QmkycUrAV4

— John Sherwin Eleazar (@JSEleazar1994) March 24, 2025

"Who would ever think that Sonic 3 movie would overcome John Wick movies. Keanu Reeves is now in pinnacle of his career like Jim Carrey who i think is greatest Robotnik (over to the game, movie or any another version)," replied one fan.

The cast also includes Ben Schwartz as Sonic, Idris Elba as Knuckles, Colleen O'Shaughnessey as Tails and Jim Carrey as Dr. Ivo Robotnik. While Reeves has earned lofty praise for his work in John Wick, it's apparent that Sonic fans have just as much appreciation for his work as Shadow.

Related: Ana de Armas's Telling Admission on Keanu Reeves After Filming ‘John Wick’ Spin-Off

WNBA Legend Has Strong Words For Caitlin Clark

During her rookie season with the Indiana Fever, Caitlin Clark immediately emerged as the biggest star the league has ever seen. And it sounds like one WNBA legend thinks that the other players in the league should be grateful for what she's done for the WNBA.

During a recent interview with USA Today, WNBA legend Lisa Leslie had some strong words for Caitlin Clark as she made it clear that she thinks other players should be more appreciative of the attention Clark has brought to the league.

"I think we have to understand that when one player eats, we’re all eating and we all get more opportunities. It just opens it up for everyone else," Leslie said during the interview. "I love that she’s not the player that makes it all about her. She’s given love and homage to the players that have come before her. She shares the wealth with her teammates and she doesn’t have to do that."

The three-time WNBA MVP pointed out that the league has never seen the sort of attention that Clark brought to the WNBA, and she does not think that any criticism directed towards her is merited.

"We can’t deny what Caitlin Clark has done for the women’s game," Leslie said. "Have we ever had teams that need larger arenas? Are we gonna get upset about 5, 6, 10 games less on TV? We have access to these games now in a way that we’d never had before!"

Leslie is one of the most decorated players in the history of women's basketball, winning three MVP awards, two WNBA championships, and eight WNBA All-Star Game appearances.

Clearly, Leslie thinks that Clark has already established herself as a superstar in the league, and she thinks the other players should be more grateful for what she's done.

Professional Dating Coach Reveals What To Do if She Sends a ‘Spicy’ Pic

A professional dating coach has shared her tips for what to do if you're on the receiving end of a "spicy" picture.

Few people would admit it, but sending photos you wouldn't want mom or dad to see can be a common part of the dating game. Of course, this should probably only happen once you've developed some kind of trustworthy relationship with someone. And, obviously, everything should be done respectively.

But how should a guy respond if he's on the receiving end of a spicy photo from a dating prospect?

Blaine Anderson, a professional dating coach, has given out her tips on social media.

Blaine is here to help.

Blaine Anderson/IG

Anderson, who attended the University of Arizona before getting to work in the travel industry, launched her dating coaching business, Dating By Blaine, a couple of years ago.

She recently revealed what you should do if you are on the receiving end of a spicy photo. The biggest thing: Delete them if you break up.

"If she sends you spicy pictures, first of all, congrats," Anderson joked.

"But second, never share them with anyone else. Leaking intimate pictures is disrespectful, dishonorable and immature. Even if things end badly, do the right thing, be a gentleman and delete the photos from your phone."

Anderson says that it might seem like simple advice, though not everyone will take it.

'Maybe this seems obvious, but it’s sadly not to many guys. Be the gentleman — what goes around comes around!" she added.

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A post shared by Blaine Anderson • Matchmaker & Dating Coach For Men (@datingbyblaine)

Anderson, with her 700,000-plus followers, is giving out helpful tips and suggestions on social media daily.

Jason Statham’s ‘A Working Man’ Puts ‘Snow White’ to Sleep at the Box Office

Jason Statham is used to kicking a** on-screen. This weekend, he kicked it at the box office, too.

A Working Man, Statham’s newest film, surprised box office prognosticators during its opening weekend by earning an impressive $15.2 million domestically in 3,262 theaters, which was ahead of projections. 

Related: Jason Statham Action-Comedy Is Suddenly a Hit—10 Years After Its Release

The film—about a black ops agent-turned-construction worker who gets mixed up with Russian sex traffickers (as one does)—reunites Statham with his The Beekeeper (2024) director David Ayer. Ayer co-wrote the Working Man script with Sylvester Stallone, another longtime Statham collaborator; the two worked together on The Expendables franchise and the action-thriller Homefront (2013), which Stallone penned.

The bigger story, however, is the box office’s runner-up: Disney’s live-action Snow White. In its second week in theaters, the $370 million flick managed to squeeze just $14.2 million out of U.S. moviegoers’ pockets, marking a sharp week-over-week drop of 66 percent. It’s a number that will surely terrify Disney executives who seem to be watching one of their tentpole films bomb in real time.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, however, “Disney isn’t waving the white flag of defeat, and says its movie could still avoid biting the poison apple because of rolling spring breaks over the next few weeks and little competition in terms of films targeting girls and females.”

Only time will tell if the studio’s hope becomes a reality. The weekend’s box office was rounded out by The Chosen: The Last Supper (Part One), a Christian historical epic that came in third place with $11.5 million from 2,234 theaters; The Woman in the Yard, Jaume Collet-Serra’s new horror film, earned $9.5 million from 3,050 theaters to win fourth place; and the horror-comedy Death of a Unicorn, starring Jenna Ortega and Paul Rudd, came in fifth with a fairly disappointing $5.6 million from 2,842 cinemas.

'Mad Max' Star and Famed Fight Choreographer Dead at 75

Hollywood has lost one of its real-life action heroes with the passing of Richard Norton.

On Sunday, March 30, Norton’s wife, Judy Green, took to his official Instagram page to announce the formidable stuntman, fight coordinator, martial arts expert, trainer, and actor’s death at the age of 75. The cause of death was not shared.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Richard Norton (@rjnorton70)

“I am numb and devastated,” wrote Green. “I have no words. I have lost my everything.”

Since getting his start as a stuntman and actor in 1980, Norton has contributed his talents to more than 100 projects, including the two most recent films in the Mad Max saga: 2015’s Fury Road and last year’s Furiosa, where he was a fight coordinator and played The Prime Imperator in both films.

The Australia-born stuntman trained dozens of Hollywood’s biggest stars, including Scarlett Johansson, Ben Affleck, Liam Neeson, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlize Theron, Margot Robbie, and Jackie Chan.

Related: 'Mad Max' Director Says 'No Excuse' for Tom Hardy's Behavior on 'Fury Road' Set

Many of Norton’s former colleagues responded to Green’s Instagram post to express their condolences. James Gunn, who worked with Norton on 2016’s and 2021’s The Suicide Squad, replied with three red hearts.

Norton’s road to Hollywood began with an early interest in the martial arts. He began training as a fighter, which led to several gigs as a bodyguard for the likes of Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones, ABBA, James Taylor, and Linda Ronstadt. It was Ronstadt who encouraged him to pursue a career in entertainment.

Norton was a friend, collaborator, and contemporary of legendary martial artist, and his first foray into the movies was opposite Norris in 1980’s The Octagon. He continued to play small roles in films where he was part of the stunt or fight coordination team. One of his final roles was in George Miller’s Furiosa, where he reprised his role as The Prime Imperator from Fury Road.

Richard Norton was a wonderfully talented stunt performer, stunt coordinator, and actor. He was also a friend. I met Richard as the fight choreographer on The Suicide Squad; he choreographed the Harley escape scene, Peacemaker vs Rick Flag Jr. and more. He was a tough but sweet… pic.twitter.com/dEq3lGVudn

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) March 30, 2025

In addition to his Instagram reply, Gunn posted a tribute to Norton on his X (formerly Twitter) page, describing Norton as “a tough but sweet Australian dude with a hearty laugh and a million stories about his years making movies. I’d constantly grill him for tales about working on the ‘90s Hong Kong movies we both loved so much, and he was always happy to oblige.”

Max, Formerly Known as HBO Max, Changed Its Logo

Max, formerly known as HBO Max, officially has a new logo on Sunday night, March 30.

The new logo for Warner Bros. Discovery's steaming platform was unveiled on Sunday evening. The new logo gives a nod to HBO's classic logo. The new logo was "quietly" launched on Sunday evening, according to Variety.

The streaming service has ditched its colorful logo in place of something more in line with what HBO has. According to Variety, the streaming platform has ditched "its shiny blue user interface for a new monochrome color palette that, either purposefully or not, evokes the longtime branding of HBO."

The new logo looks more like the classic black-and-white logo used by HBO for decades.

Max has launched their new logo. pic.twitter.com/6otI8BL9Xm

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) March 30, 2025

The logo reportedly updated on the streaming service on Sunday morning. Millions will be watching "The White Lotus" via the Max streaming app on Sunday night - and they should notice the new logo.

Variety had more:

The rebrand, which was updated on the service and its social media outlets Sunday morning, now matches Max with the same palette of the HBO logo, which may help consumers associate the two brands with one another. (Both Warner banners share the same CEO in Casey Bloys.) The new look also resembles the monochrome branding of Apple TV+, another streamer that is largely associated with mature programming.

The jump to black-and-white branding is not Max’s first aesthetic intervention. When Warner Bros. first launched the streamer in 2020, it was introduced to the market under the name “HBO Max,” brandishing a deep purple palette. But after the film and television studio was spun-off by AT&T to merge with Discovery, Inc. in 2022, the newly formed Warner Bros. Discovery announced plans to change the branding.

Max previously switched from purple to blue branding, detailing their decision.

Then-global CMO Patrizio Spagnoletto told AdWeek that the company felt blue was best.

“There’s different types of blue, and if you put us in juxtaposition to Disney or Paramount or Prime, they look different,” Spagnoletto said at the time. “With our blue and the way that the logo is designed, what we were going for is a combination of premium but accessible.”

He added: “Consumers will tell us if we got it right, and we think we did. But there’s enough room in the world of blue to still differentiate ourselves.”

It seems like consumers have told Max that they got it wrong, as the switch was made on Sunday.

Hulk Hogan's Daughter Sends Final Message on Family Drama

Earlier this week Linda Hogan, the ex-wife of wrestling legend Hulk Hogan, created a firestorm when she claimed she hadn't spoken to their daughter Brooke in eight years after being "cut out."

“It’s been 15 — or longer — years since I left Hulk Hogan and my family is in the worst mess,” Linda claimed in the since-expired video. “Brooke doesn’t talk to us. She’s had twins. She got married, she didn’t tell us. She had a huge fight with Terry. I don’t know how that reflected onto me, but she cut me out too.”

Brooke fired back, claiming the "no contact" decision stemmed from the fact she was “extremely verbally and mentally abused” during her childhood, which would allegedly “frequently turn physical.” Brooke did not name her alleged abuser but stressed that the claims were “not pointed” at either of her parents.

“This vicious pattern has robbed me of any sense of self-esteem or confidence I’ve been trained to pretend to have,” she added. “It took me many years to figure out the things that were seemingly done ‘for me’ really benefited someone else in a greater capacity. ... No child or human should ever experience something like this.”

Her mom fired back once again, claiming she "never treated her the way she’s painting it. They had cell phones. She could’ve posted horrible things about me back when all of this was supposedly happening, but nothing she didn’t because nothing was happening, but when she took her dad‘s side after the divorce and wrote the wonderful Mom song, and went to all the tabloids because Terry was using her as a tool.. her memory is completely skewed about the treatment that she received growing up in our household, and you can talk to anyone. You can ask anybody you can ask Terry ... that none of the stuff ever happened.”

Following the back-and-forth with her mother on social media, Brooke sent a final message. "Back to reality," she said with a picture of her husband.

View the original article to see embedded media.

Two other photos showcased her twins Oliver and Molly, who were born in January.

Related: Hulk Hogan’s Ex-Wife Releases Statement in Surprising Family Drama Twist

Ellen DeGeneres Makes Decision on Home After Fleeing United States

Ellen DeGeneres and her wife, actress Portia de Rossi, fled the United States toward the end of last year.

The longtime comedian and her wife reportedly fled the country in November of 2024. DeGeneres and de Rossi are reportedly now living in the English countryside. However, they continued to own homes in the United States.

Their real estate holdings are decreasing, though.

About a week after one of their West Hollywood homes was listed, another one of their California homes has sold. DeGeneres and de Rossi have reportedly unloaded their Montecito, California home - at well over asking.

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 17:(L-R) Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi are seen as RH Celebrates The Unveiling of RH San Francisco, The Gallery at the Historic Bethlehem Steel Building on March 17, 2022 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images for RH)

Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images

The couple reportedly placed their stunning California home on the market through Riskin Partners Estate Group of Village Properties/Forbes Global Properties. Within days, they have several offers.

Ultimately, the sprawling home sold for $5.2 million, roughly $300,000 more than its $4.9 million asking price.

The couple purchased the home in 2021, so they didn't have it for very long. It was reportedly built in 1954, but underwent serious remodeling in 2012. The 1,691-square-foot home includes some nice outdoors space and a lot of greenery.

DeGeneres and de Rossi had sold another multimillion-dollar home in Montecito in August 2024, about three months before their move overseas.

According to PEOPLE, the couple began house hunting for their overseas move during the fall.

"Ellen was in England house hunting in the beginning of October," a source told People at the time. "She ended up finding a house that she loved and purchased it shortly after."

Neither DeGeneres nor de Rossi have done much commenting on their move overseas, though it seems like they are trying to cut ties with a lot of their homes back in the United States.

Meghan Markle Accused of Causing Major Disruption at Charity Event

Meghan Markle reportedly caused a major "disruption during a charity event last year.

The wife of Prince Harry, known first for starring on "Suits" and "Deal or No Deal" before becoming a member of the Royal Family, reportedly helped play a role in a major charity event going poorly last year.

Dr. Sophie Chandauka, the chair of his Sentebale charity, recently spoke out about a charity event that took place in 2024. The charity event reportedly featured several "disruptions," thanks in part to Markle bringing a very famous friend to the event at the last second.

Dr. Chandauka, speaking with Sky News’ “Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips,” spoke out about what happened.

First off, the Zimbabwean corporate finance lawyer said that the charity had to switch venues, because Prince Harry wanted to bring his Netflix camera crew to film the polo event.

“We had a very generous family that was happy for us to use their polo grounds at a material discount,” she said.

“And then about a month before the event was about to take place, Prince Harry called the team and said, ‘I’m doing a Netflix show and I would love to bring a camera crew so that I can shoot some footage in this show.'”

When the host family found out about the camera crew, they increased their price. This led to the charity seeking another more affordable location.

Then, when the day of the event arrived, more "disruption" was caused, when Markle brought a very famous friend at the last second.

She ended up bringing Serena Williams.

“The duchess decided to attend, but she told us she wasn’t attending, and she brought a friend, a very famous friend,” she told Sky News.

“We would have been really excited had we known ahead of time, but we didn’t. And so, the choreography went badly on stage because we had too many people on stage."

There were a lot of headlines at the time and, according to Chandauka, Prince Harry asked her to issue a statement of support. But she refused.

“I said I wouldn’t. Not because I didn’t care about the duchess, but because I knew what would happen if I did so, number one,” she said.

“And number two, because we cannot be an extension of the Sussexes.”

Meanwhile, sources close to the charity suggest that Dr. Chandauka's accounts of the day aren't completely accurate. However, neither Prince Harry nor Meghan have spoken out in response.

Mark Cuban, Ex-Mavericks Employee Have Tense Exchange Over Luka Doncic Trade Comments

As the Dallas Mavericks’ 2024-25 NBA season continues to be tough for fans (for a few different reasons), former team owner Mark Cuban still finds himself in the crosshairs over a decision he had no impact on.

Cuban, who sold the majority stake of the Mavericks to the family of Miriam Adelson, maintains a 27% ownership stake in the franchise. However, he is not involved in the franchise's day-to-day decision-making, which was a noteworthy talking point after general manager Nico Harrison traded 26-year-old star Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Mavericks fans have continually voiced their displeasure with the trade, which was finalized on February 2. Recently, a former Mavericks employee joined those who are making their feelings known on social media, stating that Cuban "should be run out of Dallas."

When Cuban caught wind, though, he didn't hold back in a NSFW response, as Front Office Sports highlighted.

**Warning: The graphic below has language that is NSFW.

A former Mavs employee posted on Facebook that Mark Cuban "should be run out of Dallas."

Cuban did not hold back in the comments. pic.twitter.com/9BrYDO1SMw

— Front Office Sports (@FOS) March 29, 2025

This wasn't the end of the back-and-forth either, as Mulloy proceeded to ask Cuban if he lied when he stated he was going to "maintain basketball ops control" or if he just made "a terrible business deal by not getting that in writing."

Cuban responded, citing that the new owners didn't "stick to their word" after he expected to run basketball operations.

"Actually I fully expected to run basketball. The nba wouldn’t let me put it in the contract. They took it out. Just like they won’t let the Celtics put it in," Cuban wrote.

"I thought they would stick to their word because they didn’t know the first thing about running a team. Someone obviously changed their mind."

Cuban's comment regarding his expected role running basketball operations for the Mavericks is noteworthy. Following the sale, it was believed that Cuban, who owned the franchise for 23 years, would remain in control of the day-to-day decision-making, but as fans have since seen, that hasn't been the case.

Related: Warriors' Steph Curry Explains 1 Moment vs. Kobe Bryant That Changed His NBA Career