In 2017, box office numbers fell to a three-year low. In 2018, folks returned to their beloved theatres in droves, making it a year for blockbuster movies to make a comeback. And some definitely conquered, while others, not so much.

Hollywood tuned into the fact that diverse casts = diverse audiences = $$. It was a year that celebrated varied storylines and characters who move us. But it was also a year of surprising losses.

Here’s a round-up of the biggest box-office hits and flops of 2018.

HIT: “Black Panther”: On a budget of US$210 million, Ryan Coogler’s superhero film — the first to feature a predominantly black cast — grossed more than US$700 million domestically (third highest all-time, not accounting for inflation) and US$1.3 billion worldwide. It became the first movie to top the weekend box office five times in a row since “Avatar.”

MISS: “Solo: A Star Wars Story”: Not everything Disney did in 2018 was perfect; “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” and “A Wrinkle in Time” also fizzled. But few disappointments were more acutely felt than the extensively retooled Han Solo spinoff directed by Ron Howard after original directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were jettisoned. On a production budget of at least US$250 million, the heavily promoted spinoff grossed US$392.9 million worldwide.

It did worse than every previous “Star Wars” film, and the negative reaction from fans and critics forced Disney to reconsider its future plans for the franchise.

HIT: “A Quiet Place”: With just a US$17 million budget, John Krasinski’s horror thriller grossed US$340.7 million worldwide. The Paramount Pictures release was the biggest original hit of a year typically dominated by sequels, superheroes and reboots. Of course, “A Quiet Place” will get its own sequel, slated for release in 2020.

MISS: “Mortal Engines”: One of the year’s worst bombs arrived just as 2018 was coming to a close. The Peter Jackson-produced US$100 million fantasy, from Universal, opened with a mere US$7.5 million last weekend. Young Adult fantasies aren’t selling like they used to, especially when they come with big budgets and a 27 per cent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

HIT: “Crazy Rich Asians”: Rom-coms have for years been largely absent from theatres, but the Warner Bros. adaption of the bestselling novel grossed US$238 million worldwide on a US$30 million budget. As the first studio release in 25 years to feature a predominantly Asian-American cast, it was another example of how diversity sells at the box office.

MISS: “The Happytime Murders”: Who could have foreseen that an R-rated puppet comedy would disappoint? The STX Entertainment release starred one of the most bankable stars in comedy, Melissa McCarthy, but it has managed only US$27.5 million worldwide on a US$40 million budget.

HIT: “Incredibles 2”: Success is usually expected of Pixar; all but one of their 20 releases has opened No. 1 (and the one that didn’t, “Inside Out,” grossed US$857.6 million globally). But even by their high standards, Brad Bird’s “Incredibles” sequel was a massive hit. With US$1.24 billion in worldwide sales from a US$200 million budget, “Incredibles 2” ranks second behind only “Frozen” among animated movies in ticket sales.

MISS: “Robin Hood”: Just as audiences didn’t want another “Girl in With the Dragoon Tattoo,” they had little interest in more Robin Hood. The Taron Egerton-led return to Sherwood Forest, released by Lionsgate, cost US$100 million to make but made out with just US$72.9 million worldwide.

HIT: “Halloween”: Horror continued to dominate the box office — the “Conjuring” spinoff “The Nun” also ranked as one of the year’s most lucrative hits. But Blumhouse’s “Halloween” sequel, 40 years after the original, grossed US$253.5 million worldwide on a budget of just $10 million. Starring Jamie Lee Curtis, 60, it now holds the record for best opening weekend for a film with a female lead over 55.

MISS: “London Fields”: It cost a modest US$8 million to make, but the long-delayed Martin Amis adaptation starring Amber Heard was among the most widely ignored films of the year. After being held up for years by lawsuits, it opened with just US$160,000 on 613 screens — a per-screen average of US$262. It ranks as among the worst performing wide releases ever.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – For the third time this season, Oregon grabbed the top spot in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll, announced Tuesday by the Association.

Receiving 18 first place votes and 786 points, the Ducks (44-5) returned to their familiar spot after sweeping then-No. 18 California in convincing fashion over the weekend. Oregon opened with a 5-2 win on Friday night and then outscored the Bears 26-1 in a pair of run-rule victories (9-0 / 17-1) on Saturday and Sunday. The victories extended a pair of winning streaks for the Ducks, who have won 14 straight and 11 consecutive Pac-12 games.

The Gators (49-5) picked up the final 14 first-place nods and are just six points (780) behind the Ducks in the No. 2 position. In the first of two tightly contested SEC series, five total runs decided the outcome of all three games in Columbia, Mo. UF edged then-No. 11 Missouri 7-6 and 9-6 in the first two contests, before the Tigers salvaged game three, 3-2 in eight innings, snapping the Gators’ 17-game winning streak. With those two wins, coupled by an Auburn defeat on Sunday, UF claimed its fifth SEC regular season title and the top seed at the league tournament.

The third, fourth and fifth ranked programs stayed put for a second straight week. Riding a 17-game winning streak, No. 3 Michigan (48-6) was crowned Big Ten regular season champions for the eighth consecutive season. The Wolverines swept through Penn State in their league series (8-0, 14-2, 10-2) for the outright league title and will face either Maryland or the Nittany Lions in their first Big Ten tournament game.

The Crimson Tide (41-11) swept their final SEC series with three road wins at Arkansas (9-1 / 14-2 / 1-0) and will be the third seed at the conference tournament. The Sooners (45-7) picked up three non-conference victories before entering the final week of Big 12 play. OU topped North Texas (6-2) on the road, thanks to Lauren Chamberlain’s go-ahead grand slam and NCAA-record 91^st career home run. The Sooners then shut out Utah Valley State (13-0 / 14-0), which saw freshman Paige Parker twirl her fourth perfect game of the series in the finale, matching a Division I single-season record.

UCLA and Auburn shifted up one spot each to No. 6 and 7, respectively as LSU fell two spots to No. 8. In a battle of Tigers, the orange and blue Tigers of Auburn earned two hard-fought one-run (2-1 / 1-0) wins in Baton Rouge, La. Before the purple and gold Tigers of LSU came out on top in the finale, 7-1. With the two triumphs, AU finishes second in the SEC, its highest finish ever. By virtue of its game-three triumph, LSU, the host of the 2015 SEC Tournament, slid into the fourth seed and earned the final first-round bye in the single-elimination tournament.

Rounding out the top 10 are No. 9 Florida State (42-12) and No. 10 Louisiana-Lafayette (37-8). There was some shifting throughout the rest of the poll, but all 25 teams remained the same for the third straight week 

The regular season winds down this week with several conference tournaments and culminates with the announcement of the 64-team field for the 2015 Women’s College World Series on Sunday at 10:00 p.m. ET.

The USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll is voted on by 32 NCAA Division I head coaches, one representing each conference.  Current 2015 records are shown and first-place votes are in parentheses.

USA Today/NFCA Division I Softball Poll – May 5, 2015

Rank

Team

2015 Record

Totals

Prev. Rank

1

Oregon (18)

44-5

786

2

2

Florida (14)

49-5

780

1

3

Michigan

48-6

733

3

4

Alabama

41-11

688

4

5

Oklahoma

45-7

642

5

6

UCLA

44-8

638

7

7

Auburn

46-9

617

8

8

LSU

44-10

577

6

9

Florida State

42-12

532

9

10

Louisiana Lafayette

37-8

496

10

11

Tennessee

39-13

470

12

12

Minnesota

46-8

449

13

13

Missouri

38-13

441

11

14

Georgia

39-13

371

14

15

UCF

46-7

360

15

16

Baylor

37-13

298

17

17

Arizona

37-15

286

16

18

James Madison

44-6

261

19

19

California

35-16

220

18

20

Washington

38-14

193

20

21

Notre Dame

40-12

144

23

22

Texas A&M

38-17

95

25

23

South Alabama

35-10

87

22

24

Arizona State

32-19

72

24

25

Kentucky

29-23

59

21

New to Poll: None

Dropped out: None 

Others Receiving Votes: North Dakota State (42), Utah (26), Texas (13), USC Upstate (9), Kansas (5), Western Kentucky (4), South Carolina (3), Cal State Northridge (1), Hofstra (1), North Carolina State (1).

Life likes to deal us surprises from time to time — a job loss, a chronic illness, an unfortunate fender bender. As a homeowner, any one of these sudden changes can throw you off your game, financially speaking, but if you’re house poor, even a minor expense change can have catastrophic consequences.

House poorness occurs when a large portion of your income goes towards your housing expenses, leaving little leftover for savings, discretionary spending or emergency funds. House poorness is not uncommon; an Ipsos poll by MNP published in January found that nearly half of Canadians are $200 or less away from being unable to pay their bills. A fluctuation in interest rates or a sudden expense can bring a house poor owner to their knees, Laurie Campbell, CEO of Credit Canada Debt Solutions explains.

“You’re really fighting a situation where anything that happens becomes too much,” she says.

Watch: Stunning energy-efficient mansion for sale in Vancouver. Story continues below.

House poorness falls on a spectrum of intensity. For some, not having much financial wiggle room means no vacations or new cars. For others, it’s the difference between paying the mortgage and saving for retirement.

“The more serious version of house poor that I think people are just starting to see, and possibly for a couple more years, is people who not only can’t afford to do those discretionary spending types of things, but who also cannot save for retirement, save for children’s education, other things that are really important to do as well,” says Jason Heath, managing director of Objective Financial Partners Inc.

While the prospect of house poorness is frightening, it can be prevented through detailed planning, budgeting and thinking into the future. Campbell and Heath share how you can avoid house poorness, even before you sign those mortgage documents.

Want to retire? Buy from the bottom

While it’s expected that Canada’s hottest housing markets won’t cool off entirely this year, affordable housing remains inaccessible for many. Campbell is concerned that in the current market conditions, some new buyers are still purchasing above what they can afford. In the event of a interest rate rise, she says that those who’ve bought beyond their means could be on a course for financial hardship.

“Even a quarter point could result in immediate financial discord for a family that has really bought at the top of their income,” says Campbell.

Heath has worked with a number of clients, who, after several years of house poorness, have not been able to efficiently save for retirement. In order to recoup their losses, Heath says that house poorness has forced some homeowners to make downsizing an inevitable part of their financial plan. He fears that those overpaying in today’s market will follow the same fate.

“Particularly if and when home interest rates rise, mortgages payments will rise accordingly,” says Heath. “I worry that you’ve got a whole generation of young people who may be putting a lot of their retirement plans into their home as opposed to saving in a traditional manner.”

Preventing house poorness starts with buying at the bottom of the market, where the prices are the lowest, but Campbell adds that it also requires ignoring the pressures of needing to buy right now — home prices may decline further yet. By monitoring the price of homes in the markets in which you want to buy, you’ll build your knowledge of a fair evaluation of prices in your desired area and skip overpaying, Campbell explains.

“Even if you want to buy a house a year from now, start doing your research now,” she says. “Know what the real cost of housing in the area you want to buy is so you can make sure you’re evaluating the houses that are up for sale with experience.”

Taking on a smaller mortgage loan may also prevent house poorness, especially in the event of an unexpected income change. Borrowing under the maximum amount a mortgage lender approves you for, Heath says, leaves a good buffer in your financial budget in case any unanticipated changes should occur.

“I think it’s a really good lesson to people before they buy to appreciate that job loss happens, health issues happen,” says Heath. “There are extraordinary financial situations that you may not be able to anticipate that could put you into difficulty if you bite off more than you can chew in the first place.”

Skip the McMansion — think long term

Like we keep a spare tire in the event of a flat, or a box of bandaids for those little accidents, avoiding house poorness requires establishing some safeguards in case of unforeseen circumstances. This means having a well thought out financial budget, and a good cushion of emergency funds.

When it comes to budgets, Heath says it takes a very personalized approach to get it right. The mortgage stress test does not factor in personal spending, so financial budgets for homeownership should reflect your own spending habits and expenses.

“The mortgage qualification process does not take into account things like your discretionary spending or the activities that your children are enrolled in, for example,” says Heath. “You can have two families with the same income and the same mortgage approval, but spend very different amounts of money month to month on housing related stuff.”

Beyond budgets, Campbell says it’s also important to account for the long-term lifestyle you’ll want under your mortgage. Owning a home in your early thirties with no children will mean different financial priorities compared to your late forties with post-secondary education fees and retirement in mind. It’s important that your mortgage accommodates your long-term savings and planned changes to family and income. Campbell says this starts with sticking to a budget.

“You don’t need the McMansion,” she says. “A lot of people think the bigger the house, the better it is and a lot of people regret that. So make sure that it’s within the budget that you have within an emergency fund that you need to develop around that budget and you’re able to do the things that you’ve wanted to do over time that won’t be impacted by the decisions you make with that home.”

Don’t give up everything

Owning a home ain’t cheap: there’s renovations, regular maintenance, seasonal upkeep and at least one emergency repair that you’ll need to fork out for at some point. Heath says that new home buyers tend to overlook these expenses — but they are critical to account for in any homeowner budget.

“I think it’s really important to, either on your own or with a professional, to try to assess what the true homeownership cost is going to be in that home,” says Heath. “Particularly, if you’re moving from a condo into a house, or from a rental into a homeownership position.”

Failing to accommodate regular home upkeep and extra costs in the budget can skew the true cost of homeownership. It can also be a drain on your finances. House poorness is marked by a lack of disposable income, which not only leads to skipping those needed repairs, but also the inability to go out and enjoy living life.

“People will often say, ‘We’ll give up everything to buy this house,’ but everything gets really boring very fast to have given up everything,” says Campbell.

Heath recommends making a detailed budget for the medium- to long-term financial outcomes of buying a home in order to assess true ownership costs.

Breaking up is hard to do

If you’re in a position of house poorness, don’t give up — there are options.

Campbell says that boosting your income is a good first step. You can do this by getting a part-time job, or creating side hustle from your home by renting out your extra rooms on Airbnb. But, if your mortgage payments have simply become too much, Heath says that you may need to consider selling and downsizing.

“There are situations where people need to consider the home that they own and whether it is too expensive,” he says.

If selling is the last resort, Campbell advises not to do so hastily. While there could be a mounting urge to get cash — and fast — selling quickly could cost you value in your home.

“Don’t wait until you really hit the dirt, and then try to sell your house, because chances are you’re going to have to sell it very quickly, and if you need to sell it very quickly, you’ll probably going to sell at a lower rate than you wanted to get,” says Campbell.

If you buy something through this post, IGN may get a share of the sale. For more, read our Terms of Use.

Hulu is a great way to watch some of the best shows on TV whenever and where ever you want, and right now new subscribers can get a full year of Hulu for just 99-cents per month. The offer was supposed to expire last night, but it’s been extended through 10 AM PT/1 PM ET today.

HOW TO GET THIS DEAL: Open up this page and click on the Hulu icon in the upper left to see the 99-cent offer.

This deal expires today, so if you want to get yourself complete access to every episode of shows like Rick & Morty, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, as well as movies, Hulu originals, anime, documentary series and more.

After the first year, the plan switches to only $7.99 a month for the limited commercial options, but you can cancel whenever you want. So if you decide it’s not for you, there’s no commitment. For 99 cents, what more could you ask for?

The deal expires today, so if you want to get Hulu for what might be the best possible price of any streaming service right now, you don’t have much time.

Reminder, to get this deal you need to open up this page and click on the Hulu icon in the upper left to see the 99-cent offer.

Seth Macy is IGN’s tech and commerce editor. You can find him on Twitter @sethmacy.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Senior Michelle Duncan tossed her second straight shutout of the championship as No. 4 Dixie State blanked Adelphi, 2-0, in the second winner’s bracket game (Game 6) of the 2015 NCAA Division II Championship, on a cool and wet Friday evening at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium.

With the victory, the Red Storm (51-7) earn a day off and a trip to the semifinals on Sunday, May 24 at 2:30 p.m. at OGE Energy Field. The Panthers (31-21) fall to the elimination bracket and will face the winner of game seven between North Georgia and St. Mary’s (Texas), tomorrow, May 23 at 5:00 p.m. CT.

Duncan improved to 31-0 with her strong performance in the circle. She scattered five hits, struck out three and did not walk a batter.

Adelphi hurler Lindsay Mapes (19-10) held her own, putting forth another solid showing. In a complete game effort, she only allowed four hits, struck out six and walked two to keep her Panthers within striking distance.

Dixie State scored in the first and fourth innings. A bases loaded hit-by-pitch in the top of the first gave the Red Storm an early 1-0 lead. Dixie State doubled its advantage in the fourth, courtesy of a two-out RBI triple by Josie Hartman. Hartman and three other Red Storm recorded hits on the evening.

Both teams had their chances in the game leaving a combined 15 runners on base (DSU 8/AU 7).

Krista King was 2-for-4 and Megan Lewis went 2-for-2 with a double at the plate for the Panthers.

— Photo courtesy of Richard T. Clifton

OSHAWA, Ont. — Unionized workers at the General Motors assembly plant in Oshawa, Ont., are holding another sit-down protest over the planned closure of the facility.

The union confirmed the work stoppage this morning following an earlier protest on Tuesday.

Watch: Canada’s auto industry has an expiration date, but a turnaround is possible. Story continues below.

Unifor president Jerry Dias sat down with GM on Tuesday to talk about proposals the union had made to extend the life of the Ontario plant, but came away empty-handed.

The company has said the options suggested by the union, including extending the life of the Chevy Impala and Cadillac XTS produced at the plant or shifting production slated for Mexico to the plant, are not economically viable.

David Paterson, vice-president of corporate affairs at GM Canada, says the union should instead work with the company on timing and transition plans for the approximately 3,000 workers who are losing their jobs.

GM said it has identified job opportunities, is willing to pay for retraining and is open to negotiations on packages for workers on top of what is already included in contracts.

Also On HuffPost:

It was the Emmy win Canada was hoping for: a Tatiana Maslany vs. Sandra Oh trophy face-off. An “Orphan Black” swan song, up against a television veteran who became the first woman of Asian descent to be nominated for a lead acting Emmy, returning with the female-driven show “Killing Eve.”

Instead, the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series statue went to Claire Foy for “The Crown.”

Foy opened her acceptance speech with five simple words, “This wasn’t supposed to happen.” And perhaps it was a shocker.

But do not cry for Maslany, Canada. She’s an Emmy veteran, having won back in 2016, nabbing a viral embrace with Amy Schumer in 2015, and winning five (out of five!) Canadian Screen Awards for embodying all those clones. This year, she came to have a ball, win or lose.

“To be part of that category, [which] is so stacked with such incredible artists in it, I look up to so many of them,” said Maslany in a pre-show interview with PeopleTV. “I’m just in awe of their work, so I’m very happy.”

Her glee was hard to contain on the gold carpet too, or while clapping for Regina King’s triumph.

Dressed in a custom lime, chartreuse and black Christian Siriano jumpsuit, accented by a silver Planned Parenthood pin at the waist, Maslany’s look had a hybrid halter neckline with a long piece of fabric draped from her left shoulder to her waist. Dressed by Lupita Nyong’o’s stylist Micaela Erlanger, she tied her ensemble together with slicked-back hair and a bold coral lip. Her plus one? Since longtime boyfriend Tom Cullen is filming in Prague, her “Orphan Black” co-star Kristian Bruun stepped in; a fellow Canadian, and her clone Alison’s lovable oafish husband Donny.

The Regina-born star will appear opposite Nicole Kidman in the gritty cop thriller “Destroyer.”

During her pre-show interview, she also gave a nod to Sandra Oh.

“Sandra Oh is incredible,” said Maslany, to PeopleTV. “She’s a fellow Canadian, so very proud of that, but also her work has always been incredible, and ‘Killing Eve’ is amazing. And she’s also just a really good person. You get that sense from watching her, and just meeting her. It’s incredible.”

In fact, Maslany and Oh first met at a BAFTA (The British Academy of Film and Television Arts charity) pre-Emmy party over the weekend, which gave us all the feels.

It remains to be seen if the two will cheers to their shared Emmy fate, but Maslany did tease about how she planned to celebrate her big night.

“Oh man, you don’t want to know,” said Maslany. “I’ll probably be in bed by nine with a puzzle and a tea.”

True or not, this 32-year-old will next have her shot at a Tony, when she joins Bryan Cranston in the stage adaptation of “Network” this fall, in her Broadway debut. One way or another, she’s struck the motherlode.

More on HuffPost:

The death-defying feats of British magician Drummond Money-Coutts, or DMC for short, will make their way to Netflix in a brand-new series, titled Death By Magic.

Premiering on Netflix on November 30, “British magician DMC travels the globe to recreate the stunts that have cost famous magicians their lives. From being buried under wet concrete to escaping a collision with a speeding train, DMC must avoid the fate that met those before him,” according to the synopsis. 

For an exclusive look at Death By Magic, check out the thrilling trailer below.

A seasoned veteran of the magical trade, DMC has been performing for over 15 years. During his journey on Death By Magic, DMC will not only try to discover what went wrong during those disastrous stunts, but he will also share his love of magic with others. The series “spans four continents and eight cities around the world,” according to Netflix. DMC definitely brings a distinct flair to his shows, with his tailored suits and lovely British accent.

The production company is A Smith & Co. Executive Producers are Arthur Smith, Toby Gorman, Martin Turner, and Simon Dinsell. Drummond Money-Coutts is also an executive producer on the project. Death By Magic premieres on Netflix on Friday, November 30.