Prepare for many, many headlines making terrible puns about sinking, as this weekend's new releases couldn't manage to compete with Marvel and Disney's superhero team-up.  The Avengers continues to dominate the domestic box office, according to the estimated grosses, while wide releases Battleship, The Dictator, and What to Expect When You're Expecting all basically had to settle for also-ran status.

Back in March, director Peter Berg (The Kingdom) previewed Battleship at WonderCon 2012 and the director had a lot to answer for as the film has been surrounded by criticism practically since it went into production. The new film is, of course, based on the popular Hasbro board game of the same name and opens in theaters everywhere on May 18th. In addition to the somewhat ridiculous idea of basing a movie on a board game, it has also received criticism for its cast, which includes non-actors Rihanna, and Brooklyn Decker, as well as the alien invasion aspect of the film that has nothing to do with the original source material it is based on.

After a successful WonderCon presentation and panel, which included co-stars Alexander Skarsgard (HBO’s True Blood), and Brooklyn Decker (Just Go with It), director Peter Berg took some time out of his busy schedule to speak with IAR and several other members of the press about the upcoming film, its controversial cast, the origins of the project, and of course … aliens.

Synopsis: Inspired by the Hasbro board game, this story follows a U.S. Naval Fleet on routine exercises in the Pacific Ocean.  When an extraterrestrial force arises from the seas to invade Earth, it's up to the military servicemen to fight off the technologically advanced alien villains.

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Synopsis: Peter Berg (Hancock) produces and directs Battleship, an epic action-adventure that unfolds across the seas, in the skies and over land as our planet fights for survival against a superior force. Based on Hasbro's classic naval combat game, Battleship stars Taylor Kitsch as Lt. Alex Hopper, a Naval officer assigned to the USS John Paul Jones; Brooklyn Decker as Sam Shane, a physical therapist and Hopper's fiancee; Alexander Skarsgard as Hopper's older brother, Stone, Commanding Officer of the USS Sampson; Rihanna as Petty Officer Raikes, Hopper's crewmate and a weapons specialist on the USS John Paul Jones; and international superstar Liam Neeson as Hopper and Stone's superior (and Sam's father), Admiral Shane.

Yesterday, we saw a clip from Battleship that featured no aliens whatsoever, but instead focused on three humans in a bar, far away from even the ocean.  Today, there's another new Battleship clip, and this one actually takes place on a battleship and also features an extraterrestrial.  In fact, the extraterrestrial is the focus of the thing, so even though there's 100% less Brooklyn Decker than yesterday's clip, this one does offer a first look at unmasked alien bad guy.

There's a brand-spanking new clip from Battleship online today, and unlike most of what we've seen from this Universal release, there is nary a battleship nor even a trace of an alien invasion force on the high seas.  Instead, this clip takes place on land and comes from early in the film before the misanthropic hero played by Taylor Kitsch joins the Navy.  It's Alex Hopper's birthday, and while he's being lectured by older brother Stone Hopper, played by Alexander Skarsgard, Hopper very much recalls Tim Riggins, Kitsch's ne'er do-well from Friday Night Lights.

Summer movie season gets closer every day, and the big May movies are all getting their promotional swagger going.  The first official clip from Universal and Hasbro's Battleship has debuted online in order to tickle your hype bone with the promise of properly huge summer movie action.

Someone in the marketing department at Universal Pictures has an obvious affinity for the featurette, at least when it comes to Battleship.  Today, the third slickly put-together little featurette promoting the event movie version of Hasbro's board game has debuted online for your viewing pleasure.

When Universal first announced Battleship, an event movie based on the durable Hasbro board game of the same name, most assumed the film would have two earthbound naval forces engaged in an earthbound battle of wills and guesswork.  When it eventually leaked that U.S. Naval forces would, in fact, be up against aliens, the response was largely befuddlement.  A new two-minute featurette from Battleship has arrived online to explain just what the extraterrestrials are doing in the Pacific Ocean.