Top News
Not exactly the opening weekend that dreams are made of.
Director John Krasinski’s “If,” a fantasy-comedy that promises your imaginary friends from childhood are real, fell slightly short of box office expectations with $35 million. Heading into the weekend, “If” was expected to bring in at least $40 million in its first weekend of release. Based on Friday’s turnout, it looked like “If” would open to $30 million but projections were revised up after Saturday’s strong showing. Ticket sales were enough for first place, but it’s a wobbly start for a PG family film that cost $110 million to make and many millions more to market. It collected an additional $20 million overseas for a global total of $55 million.
The good news for Paramount Pictures, which distributed “If,” is that audiences dug the film, giving it an “A” CinemaScore. Ideally, it’ll have staying power like recent original kid-friendly movies, including “Migration” and “Elemental,...
Director John Krasinski’s “If,” a fantasy-comedy that promises your imaginary friends from childhood are real, fell slightly short of box office expectations with $35 million. Heading into the weekend, “If” was expected to bring in at least $40 million in its first weekend of release. Based on Friday’s turnout, it looked like “If” would open to $30 million but projections were revised up after Saturday’s strong showing. Ticket sales were enough for first place, but it’s a wobbly start for a PG family film that cost $110 million to make and many millions more to market. It collected an additional $20 million overseas for a global total of $55 million.
The good news for Paramount Pictures, which distributed “If,” is that audiences dug the film, giving it an “A” CinemaScore. Ideally, it’ll have staying power like recent original kid-friendly movies, including “Migration” and “Elemental,...
- 5/19/2024
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Yorgos Lanthimos can’t stop (won’t stop!) working with Oscar winner Emma Stone, casting the actress once again as leading lady for his next project “Bugonia.”
The drama will also star Jesse Plemons who, along with Stone, appears in Lanthimos’ forthcoming “Kinds of Kindness.” That three-chapter feature just premiered on Friday at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
“Bugonia” follows two conspiracy-obsessed young men who kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company, convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth. The script is from heat-seeking “Succession” and “The Menu” writer Will Tracy.
Focus Features has won domestic rights to distribute the project. Universal Pictures will roll out the film in global territories, save Korea where “Parasite” producer Cj Enm will release. The latter is financing the film with Fremantle. CAA Media Finance and WME Independent brokered the rights deal.
This package is loaded with pedigree.
The drama will also star Jesse Plemons who, along with Stone, appears in Lanthimos’ forthcoming “Kinds of Kindness.” That three-chapter feature just premiered on Friday at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
“Bugonia” follows two conspiracy-obsessed young men who kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company, convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth. The script is from heat-seeking “Succession” and “The Menu” writer Will Tracy.
Focus Features has won domestic rights to distribute the project. Universal Pictures will roll out the film in global territories, save Korea where “Parasite” producer Cj Enm will release. The latter is financing the film with Fremantle. CAA Media Finance and WME Independent brokered the rights deal.
This package is loaded with pedigree.
- 5/18/2024
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
When Cate Blanchett starts shooting a new movie or show, it’s always the same story.
“It’s like Groundhog Day,” Blanchett said at the Kering Women in Motion Talks at the Cannes Film Festival on Monday. “I do the head count, and I’m back in the same place, working with men who I love working with and respect, [but] I’m walking on set and there’s 50 people on set and there’s three women. When is this going to deeply, profoundly shift?”
Blanchett is trying to change a system that remains male-dominated despite all the panels and protests and calls for action. In addition to debuting her latest film “Rumours” (which she also executive produced), the Oscar-winner is at the festival to promote Proof of Concept, an accelerator program she co-founded last year to elevate the perspectives of women, trans and nonbinary people by financially backing their short “proof of concept” films.
“It’s like Groundhog Day,” Blanchett said at the Kering Women in Motion Talks at the Cannes Film Festival on Monday. “I do the head count, and I’m back in the same place, working with men who I love working with and respect, [but] I’m walking on set and there’s 50 people on set and there’s three women. When is this going to deeply, profoundly shift?”
Blanchett is trying to change a system that remains male-dominated despite all the panels and protests and calls for action. In addition to debuting her latest film “Rumours” (which she also executive produced), the Oscar-winner is at the festival to promote Proof of Concept, an accelerator program she co-founded last year to elevate the perspectives of women, trans and nonbinary people by financially backing their short “proof of concept” films.
- 5/20/2024
- by Brent Lang
- Variety - Film News
The Apartment to Produce ‘Rosebushpruning,’ Starring Kristen Stewart, Josh O’Connor and Elle Fanning
Fremantle’s The Apartment will partner with The Match Factory, Mubi, Kavac Film and Rai Cinema to produce Karim Aïnouz’s next feature film “Rosebushpruning.”
Directed by Aïnouz, the film’s lead cast includes Kristen Stewart (“Love Lies Bleeding,” “Spencer”), Josh O’Connor (“Challengers,” “God’s Own Country”) and Elle Fanning (“Teen Spirit,” “The Great”). Aïnouz is directing from a script written by Efthimis Filippou (Kinds of Kindness, Dogtooth, The Lobster), which is an adaptation from Marco Bellocchio’s debut feature Fists in the Pocket.
Viola Fügen and Michael Weber are producing “Rosebushpruning” for The Match Factory, who are also handling worldwide sales for the film. The adaptation rights have been acquired from Kavac Film also attached at the production team with Simone Gattoni. The Apartment, a Fremantle Company, is co-producing, with Annamaria Morelli as executive producer. Rachel Dargavel for Crybaby Films is co-producing in the UK. Mubi is financing production alongside...
Directed by Aïnouz, the film’s lead cast includes Kristen Stewart (“Love Lies Bleeding,” “Spencer”), Josh O’Connor (“Challengers,” “God’s Own Country”) and Elle Fanning (“Teen Spirit,” “The Great”). Aïnouz is directing from a script written by Efthimis Filippou (Kinds of Kindness, Dogtooth, The Lobster), which is an adaptation from Marco Bellocchio’s debut feature Fists in the Pocket.
Viola Fügen and Michael Weber are producing “Rosebushpruning” for The Match Factory, who are also handling worldwide sales for the film. The adaptation rights have been acquired from Kavac Film also attached at the production team with Simone Gattoni. The Apartment, a Fremantle Company, is co-producing, with Annamaria Morelli as executive producer. Rachel Dargavel for Crybaby Films is co-producing in the UK. Mubi is financing production alongside...
- 5/20/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety - Film News
As the 77th Cannes Film Festival (May 14-25) arrives at its halfway point, here is THR executive editor of awards Scott Feinberg’s assessment of the awards prospects — at the Cannes closing ceremony and later in the fall — of the films that have screened at the fest so far.
The Two That Popped
One cannot know what the specific preferences and priorities of the Greta Gerwig-led main competition jury are, but one can categorically state that two competition films — both of which are so original and out-there that they have to be seen to be believed — have been particularly well received. Both garnered nine-minute standing ovations and rave reviews, including particular praise for their leading lady.
The first is The Substance, a body-horror flick from French filmmaker Coralie Fargeat that might be described as Sunset Blvd. meets Freaks, and an instant classic. Demi Moore, in a gutsy career-best turn...
The Two That Popped
One cannot know what the specific preferences and priorities of the Greta Gerwig-led main competition jury are, but one can categorically state that two competition films — both of which are so original and out-there that they have to be seen to be believed — have been particularly well received. Both garnered nine-minute standing ovations and rave reviews, including particular praise for their leading lady.
The first is The Substance, a body-horror flick from French filmmaker Coralie Fargeat that might be described as Sunset Blvd. meets Freaks, and an instant classic. Demi Moore, in a gutsy career-best turn...
- 5/20/2024
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
On Monday night, all eyes in Cannes will be on the launch of “The Apprentice,” the high-profile drama that stars Sebastian Stan as a young Donald Trump. The filmmakers and stars haven’t done any press on the ground at Cannes ahead of the film’s world premiere, and few have seen it, with plot details shrouded in mystery.
But one person who has seen it is Dan Snyder, the billionaire former owner of the Washington Commanders who is an investor in “The Apprentice.” And he isn’t happy.
Behind the scenes, a nasty battle has played out between the Snyder-backed company Kinematics and the filmmakers over the creative direction of the film. “The Apprentice,” directed by Ali Abbasi, covers Trump’s early years when he was mentored by political fixer Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong) and his marriage to his first wife, Ivana (Maria Bakalova).
Sources say Snyder, a...
But one person who has seen it is Dan Snyder, the billionaire former owner of the Washington Commanders who is an investor in “The Apprentice.” And he isn’t happy.
Behind the scenes, a nasty battle has played out between the Snyder-backed company Kinematics and the filmmakers over the creative direction of the film. “The Apprentice,” directed by Ali Abbasi, covers Trump’s early years when he was mentored by political fixer Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong) and his marriage to his first wife, Ivana (Maria Bakalova).
Sources say Snyder, a...
- 5/20/2024
- by Tatiana Siegel
- Variety - Film News
A new Saudi Arabian film studio with deep pockets and Hollywood connections is launching from the Cannes Film Festival with a slate of film and TV projects.
The Los Angeled-based 3SIX9 Studios – announced at an event on a yacht in the bay of Cannes – is co-founded by actor and producer Daya Fernández, who serves as CEO; Inga V. Smith, who is a former VP of production at Paramount and is the company’s president; “Prison Break” star Amaury Nolasco; and Saudi businessman Sheikh Mohammed Youssef El Khereiji, chairman of Global Group of Companies, who will serve as chairman.
Sheikh Mohammed is a billionaire who wears many hats including CEO of media advertising and investment entity Engineer Holding Group (Ehg). He has been an investor in Hollywood movies in the past. Now, “His recent backing of 3SIX9 Studios is a testament to Saudi Arabia’s commitment to nurturing creativity and innovation in global cinema,...
The Los Angeled-based 3SIX9 Studios – announced at an event on a yacht in the bay of Cannes – is co-founded by actor and producer Daya Fernández, who serves as CEO; Inga V. Smith, who is a former VP of production at Paramount and is the company’s president; “Prison Break” star Amaury Nolasco; and Saudi businessman Sheikh Mohammed Youssef El Khereiji, chairman of Global Group of Companies, who will serve as chairman.
Sheikh Mohammed is a billionaire who wears many hats including CEO of media advertising and investment entity Engineer Holding Group (Ehg). He has been an investor in Hollywood movies in the past. Now, “His recent backing of 3SIX9 Studios is a testament to Saudi Arabia’s commitment to nurturing creativity and innovation in global cinema,...
- 5/20/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety - Film News
British authorities have granted Julian Assange leave to appeal his U.S. extradition order in a victory for the WikiLeaks founder amid his ongoing legal battle.
The two U.K. judges deferred a decision in March on whether Assange, who is hoping to avoid being prosecuted in the States over espionage charges, could take his case to another appeal hearing.
The 52-year-old had been granted an appeal only if the Biden administration was unable to provide the court with suitable assurances, including that he is ensured freedom of speech protections and will not receive the death penalty.
The decision follows a British court ruling in April 2022 that Assange could be sent to the U.S. That ruling came after a legal battle that went all the way to the U.K. Supreme Court. Assange’s appeal was his only remaining legal avenue in the U.K. justice system.
The U.
The two U.K. judges deferred a decision in March on whether Assange, who is hoping to avoid being prosecuted in the States over espionage charges, could take his case to another appeal hearing.
The 52-year-old had been granted an appeal only if the Biden administration was unable to provide the court with suitable assurances, including that he is ensured freedom of speech protections and will not receive the death penalty.
The decision follows a British court ruling in April 2022 that Assange could be sent to the U.S. That ruling came after a legal battle that went all the way to the U.K. Supreme Court. Assange’s appeal was his only remaining legal avenue in the U.K. justice system.
The U.
- 5/20/2024
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
British filmmakers Sean Cronin and Peter Stylianou’s latest feature, “Drained,” has wrapped post-production and is being sold by Cronin’s Magnificent Films at the Cannes Film Market.
Cronin is also an actor who has appeared in “Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation” and “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.” He has played villains in some 89 films, besides directing several titles.
“Drained,” a vampire film, co-directed and produced by Cronin and Stylianou from a screenplay by Stylianou, follows Thomas, a jobless post-graduate artist who falls for Rhea, a mysterious woman who is revealed to be a vampire. As their dark romance progresses, Thomas’s health declines, plunging him into a chaotic spiral.
The cast features Ruaridh Aldington (“Dirty Boy”) and Madalina Bellariu Ion (“Dampyr”) as the doomed lovers. Supporting roles are filled by Craig Conway (“Dog Soldiers”), Angela Dixon (“Never Let Go”), Andrew Lyle-Pinnock, Natasha Patel (“The Witcher: Blood Origin...
Cronin is also an actor who has appeared in “Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation” and “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.” He has played villains in some 89 films, besides directing several titles.
“Drained,” a vampire film, co-directed and produced by Cronin and Stylianou from a screenplay by Stylianou, follows Thomas, a jobless post-graduate artist who falls for Rhea, a mysterious woman who is revealed to be a vampire. As their dark romance progresses, Thomas’s health declines, plunging him into a chaotic spiral.
The cast features Ruaridh Aldington (“Dirty Boy”) and Madalina Bellariu Ion (“Dampyr”) as the doomed lovers. Supporting roles are filled by Craig Conway (“Dog Soldiers”), Angela Dixon (“Never Let Go”), Andrew Lyle-Pinnock, Natasha Patel (“The Witcher: Blood Origin...
- 5/20/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety - Film News
An epic drama series about Iran’s last monarchy is in the works, Variety has learned.
Inspired by “The Crown,” Netflix’s sweeping dramatization of the British royal family, “The Last Shah” is set to span four decades beginning during World War II, when the young monarch, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, ascended to the throne, and ending in 1979 with the Islamic Revolution and U.S. embassy hostage crisis in Tehran.
The series, which is in development at writer Morrie Rosmarin’s production company Random Access Media, will follow the story of Pahlavi and his third wife, Queen Farah Pahlavi. Often compared to Jackie Kennedy,...
Inspired by “The Crown,” Netflix’s sweeping dramatization of the British royal family, “The Last Shah” is set to span four decades beginning during World War II, when the young monarch, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, ascended to the throne, and ending in 1979 with the Islamic Revolution and U.S. embassy hostage crisis in Tehran.
The series, which is in development at writer Morrie Rosmarin’s production company Random Access Media, will follow the story of Pahlavi and his third wife, Queen Farah Pahlavi. Often compared to Jackie Kennedy,...
- 5/20/2024
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety - TV News
Free Association
The 27-member European Film Agency Directors Association and the Asian Film Alliance Network, which was established this time last year and currently has seven members, have agreed to work together on topics of common interest and to jointly develop a better world film ecosystem.
At a meeting this week held on the sidelines of the Cannes Film Festival, Efad and Afan promised to enhance understanding and collaboration between Asian and European national film agencies. Topics included: dialog on policy and regulations; the development of the film industry in both regions; and addressing new media and challenges ahead.
Separately, the founding Afan members convened for a closed-door roundtable discussion on May 16. Japan’s National Film Archive and Agency of Cultural Affairs Japan and Thailand’s National Soft Power Development Subcommittee in Film Industry also participated as observers.
Afan discussions put a spotlight on some of the top film markets...
The 27-member European Film Agency Directors Association and the Asian Film Alliance Network, which was established this time last year and currently has seven members, have agreed to work together on topics of common interest and to jointly develop a better world film ecosystem.
At a meeting this week held on the sidelines of the Cannes Film Festival, Efad and Afan promised to enhance understanding and collaboration between Asian and European national film agencies. Topics included: dialog on policy and regulations; the development of the film industry in both regions; and addressing new media and challenges ahead.
Separately, the founding Afan members convened for a closed-door roundtable discussion on May 16. Japan’s National Film Archive and Agency of Cultural Affairs Japan and Thailand’s National Soft Power Development Subcommittee in Film Industry also participated as observers.
Afan discussions put a spotlight on some of the top film markets...
- 5/20/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety - Film News
Federation Spain, the Madrid-based arm of top indie European studio Federation Entertainment, has inked to co-produce Xavier Rull’s feature debut “My Stalker,” selected for this year’s Frontières Platform in Cannes.
Structured as a Spain-Mexico-u.S. co-production, “My Stalker” is set up at Monster Box, the horror indie outfit recently launched by Rull with awarded Mexican filmmaker Jack Zagha.
“My Stalker” follows a rising young singer in the music industry, stalked by a mysterious dangerous man who can possess people astrally.
As she struggles to compose a new album, deal with the pressures of fame, and evade her stalker, she descends into a dark world where music, nightmares, and the supernatural collide.
The film was co-created and co-scripted by Rull and María Rocher, Federation Spain’s head of co-production and support strategy.
“‘My Stalker’ is a psychological thriller with an original high concept,” Rull said.
“It explores the gradual...
Structured as a Spain-Mexico-u.S. co-production, “My Stalker” is set up at Monster Box, the horror indie outfit recently launched by Rull with awarded Mexican filmmaker Jack Zagha.
“My Stalker” follows a rising young singer in the music industry, stalked by a mysterious dangerous man who can possess people astrally.
As she struggles to compose a new album, deal with the pressures of fame, and evade her stalker, she descends into a dark world where music, nightmares, and the supernatural collide.
The film was co-created and co-scripted by Rull and María Rocher, Federation Spain’s head of co-production and support strategy.
“‘My Stalker’ is a psychological thriller with an original high concept,” Rull said.
“It explores the gradual...
- 5/20/2024
- by Emiliano De Pablos
- Variety - Film News
Kevin Costner defended his depiction of the old West in his latest film, particularly the portrayal of Native American, Black and Asian characters, saying he “is absolutely conscious of what’s at stake” when it comes to representation.
Speaking at the Cannes film festival after Sunday night’s world premiere of Horizon: An American Saga – Part 1, the first of a planned four-part Western epic, Costner said he aimed to show Native and minority characters in the film as “well-rounded people” much in the same way as he did with Dances With Wolves more than three decades ago.
“I can’t fill every box every time I try to make a movie. But I’m absolutely conscious of what’s at stake,” said Costner. “The Chinese [for example] are a very important part [of American frontier history], as were African Americans obviously, who also began to populate the West. So they’re important to me.”
Horizon, which stars Costner alongside Sienna Miller,...
Speaking at the Cannes film festival after Sunday night’s world premiere of Horizon: An American Saga – Part 1, the first of a planned four-part Western epic, Costner said he aimed to show Native and minority characters in the film as “well-rounded people” much in the same way as he did with Dances With Wolves more than three decades ago.
“I can’t fill every box every time I try to make a movie. But I’m absolutely conscious of what’s at stake,” said Costner. “The Chinese [for example] are a very important part [of American frontier history], as were African Americans obviously, who also began to populate the West. So they’re important to me.”
Horizon, which stars Costner alongside Sienna Miller,...
- 5/20/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
German Films celebrated its 70th anniversary at Cannes on Sunday, with its guests looking back but also looking forward.
“It has gotten much better,” Managing Director Simone Baumann told Variety at the event.
“We’ve had Oscar-winning ‘All Quiet on the Western Front,’ Oscar-nominated ‘The Teachers’ Lounge’ [for best international feature], films by Wim Wenders and with Sandra Hüller! Sure, Wim showed a Japanese movie and Sandra a French one [‘Perfect Days’ and ‘Anatomy of a Fall’], but it doesn’t matter: It’s more ‘mixed’ these days and I am proud of it, to be honest.”
At Cannes, 14 German productions and co-productions have been selected this year, including Match Factory’s main competition offerings “Motel Destino” by Karim Aïnouz – who also attended the bash – and Miguel Gomes’ “Grand Tour.” Run Way Pictures is behind Mohammad Rasoulof’s anticipated “The Seed of the Sacred Fig.”
As festivals get “more competitive,” underlines Baumann, international collabs are here to stay.
“It has gotten much better,” Managing Director Simone Baumann told Variety at the event.
“We’ve had Oscar-winning ‘All Quiet on the Western Front,’ Oscar-nominated ‘The Teachers’ Lounge’ [for best international feature], films by Wim Wenders and with Sandra Hüller! Sure, Wim showed a Japanese movie and Sandra a French one [‘Perfect Days’ and ‘Anatomy of a Fall’], but it doesn’t matter: It’s more ‘mixed’ these days and I am proud of it, to be honest.”
At Cannes, 14 German productions and co-productions have been selected this year, including Match Factory’s main competition offerings “Motel Destino” by Karim Aïnouz – who also attended the bash – and Miguel Gomes’ “Grand Tour.” Run Way Pictures is behind Mohammad Rasoulof’s anticipated “The Seed of the Sacred Fig.”
As festivals get “more competitive,” underlines Baumann, international collabs are here to stay.
- 5/20/2024
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety - Film News
Over the last century, the small but mighty island Republic of Malta has cemented itself as an appealing global destination for major film productions, with features such as Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator,” Robert Altaman’s “Popeye,” and Steven Spielberg’s “Munich” shooting there. Scott recently wrapped production on the long-awaited follow-up to his 2000 Roman epic, and the country is prepping for the upcoming shoot of the newest installment of the “Jurassic World” franchise.
Speaking with Variety, director and co-founder of Maltese service provider Valletta Pictures, Joshua Cassar Gaspar, said that the requests to film on the island have “come in like crazy” following the U.S. strikes in 2023. “It’s an incredibly busy time. The next two years will be huge for us.”
“The strikes didn’t affect us because the independent productions kept going, and many of us in Malta service TV shows, which were also unaffected,” Gaspar continued.
Speaking with Variety, director and co-founder of Maltese service provider Valletta Pictures, Joshua Cassar Gaspar, said that the requests to film on the island have “come in like crazy” following the U.S. strikes in 2023. “It’s an incredibly busy time. The next two years will be huge for us.”
“The strikes didn’t affect us because the independent productions kept going, and many of us in Malta service TV shows, which were also unaffected,” Gaspar continued.
- 5/20/2024
- by Rafa Sales Ross
- Variety - Film News
At first, the violence seems limited to news reports. Every time a gangster is gunned down or a car bomb goes off in the streets of Corsica, the local channel flashes footage of the crime scene. So long as the killings are confined to television, it’s easy for 15-year-old Lesia to pretend they’re neither real nor relevant, that the people involved aren’t members of her father’s inner circle. But as “The Kingdom” unfolds, the attacks keep getting closer, slowly infiltrating the film itself, until finally, they’re happening right in front of her face.
Corsica, like nearby Sicily, has a serious problem with organized crime, which escalated dramatically in the 1990s, when “The Kingdom” is set. The birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte, it’s an unusual island: technically part of France, but too independent-minded to let outsiders manage its affairs. The Corsican flag depicts a decapitated Moorish...
Corsica, like nearby Sicily, has a serious problem with organized crime, which escalated dramatically in the 1990s, when “The Kingdom” is set. The birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte, it’s an unusual island: technically part of France, but too independent-minded to let outsiders manage its affairs. The Corsican flag depicts a decapitated Moorish...
- 5/20/2024
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety - Film News
The shadow of The Godfather looms large over French director Julien Colonna’s formidable feature debut, The Kingdom (Le Royaume), and not only because one of the characters in it is literally called “Godfather.”
Set in Corsica in 1995, at a time when the island was wracked by warfare among nationalist groups and crime families, the film focuses on one mafioso clan that’s beset by enemies on all sides and needs to survive by any means necessary. The head of that clan is a very casually dressed Don Corleone named Pierre-Paul (Saveriu Santucci), and he needs to both preserve his leadership and protect his teenage daughter, Lesia (the illuminating Ghjuvanna Benedetti), as they run from cops and mobsters alike.
So yes, it’s a very Godfather-like scenario — but it’s as if the Coppola classic were told from the viewpoint of a young Connie, chronicling how a girl on the...
Set in Corsica in 1995, at a time when the island was wracked by warfare among nationalist groups and crime families, the film focuses on one mafioso clan that’s beset by enemies on all sides and needs to survive by any means necessary. The head of that clan is a very casually dressed Don Corleone named Pierre-Paul (Saveriu Santucci), and he needs to both preserve his leadership and protect his teenage daughter, Lesia (the illuminating Ghjuvanna Benedetti), as they run from cops and mobsters alike.
So yes, it’s a very Godfather-like scenario — but it’s as if the Coppola classic were told from the viewpoint of a young Connie, chronicling how a girl on the...
- 5/20/2024
- by Jordan Mintzer
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Saudi Arabia’s fast-growing entertainment sector added a high-profile new film company this week.
3SIX9 Studios was launched at the Cannes Film Festival this week by Saudi Sheikh Mohammed El Khereiji, who has invested in Hollywood films for years and will serve as chairman; Daya Fernández, who has worked with Tom Cruise and will be CEO; Inga V. Smith, a former Paramount executive who will be president; and Amaury Nolasco, an actor/producer best known for the TV series Prison Break.
The company will strive to usher in “a new era in Hollywood-Saudi entertainment collaboration,” the quartet said in a statement issued Monday, by employing strategic partnerships with key Saudi leaders in finance, production and business — and Yellow Camel Productions, a preeminent Saudi Arabian production company — to support a slate of new productions.
Projects already in the works, according to the company, include Bunny Run, a fast-paced action comedy written by Jayson Rothwell,...
3SIX9 Studios was launched at the Cannes Film Festival this week by Saudi Sheikh Mohammed El Khereiji, who has invested in Hollywood films for years and will serve as chairman; Daya Fernández, who has worked with Tom Cruise and will be CEO; Inga V. Smith, a former Paramount executive who will be president; and Amaury Nolasco, an actor/producer best known for the TV series Prison Break.
The company will strive to usher in “a new era in Hollywood-Saudi entertainment collaboration,” the quartet said in a statement issued Monday, by employing strategic partnerships with key Saudi leaders in finance, production and business — and Yellow Camel Productions, a preeminent Saudi Arabian production company — to support a slate of new productions.
Projects already in the works, according to the company, include Bunny Run, a fast-paced action comedy written by Jayson Rothwell,...
- 5/20/2024
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Kevin Costner got candid about partly self-financing his new movie, “Horizon: An American Saga,” at a Cannes Film Festival press conference on Monday.
Costner put much of his own fortune into making the $100 million-plus film, including mortgaging his ranch. He directs and stars in the film, which he also produced and co-wrote.
When asked about his struggle to finance the film, Costner said, “I don’t know why it was so hard.”
“You saw the movie. I don’t know why it was so hard to get people to believe in the movie that I wanted to make,” he continued. “You know, I don’t think my movie is better than anybody else’s movie, but I don’t think anybody else’s movie is better than mine. I don’t go out into the world with something I don’t think is good.”
“Horizon” is meant to be a four-part saga,...
Costner put much of his own fortune into making the $100 million-plus film, including mortgaging his ranch. He directs and stars in the film, which he also produced and co-wrote.
When asked about his struggle to finance the film, Costner said, “I don’t know why it was so hard.”
“You saw the movie. I don’t know why it was so hard to get people to believe in the movie that I wanted to make,” he continued. “You know, I don’t think my movie is better than anybody else’s movie, but I don’t think anybody else’s movie is better than mine. I don’t go out into the world with something I don’t think is good.”
“Horizon” is meant to be a four-part saga,...
- 5/20/2024
- by Tatiana Siegel and Brent Lang
- Variety - Film News
A new Italian distribution and international sales company called PiperFilm is launching in Cannes, having scored rights for Italy to Paolo Sorrentino’s Cannes competition title “Parthenope.”
Former Vision Distribution managing director Massimiliano Orfei is president of PiperFilm, while Luisa Borella, who is also a former top-level Vision Distribution executive, serves as the new media company’s COO.
PiperFilm is adopting an innovative distribution model by striking an agreement with Netflix under which the streaming giant will have the first exclusive post-theatrical window for Italy on their titles, while Warner Bros. Entertainment Italia will handle the operational distribution of their lineup of movies in Italian theatres.
“This procedure will ensure that films branded PiperFilm will reach Italian film audiences in their entirety,” the company said in a statement, which noted that they are “building a new business model thanks to a partnership with the largest players on the Italian and international market.
Former Vision Distribution managing director Massimiliano Orfei is president of PiperFilm, while Luisa Borella, who is also a former top-level Vision Distribution executive, serves as the new media company’s COO.
PiperFilm is adopting an innovative distribution model by striking an agreement with Netflix under which the streaming giant will have the first exclusive post-theatrical window for Italy on their titles, while Warner Bros. Entertainment Italia will handle the operational distribution of their lineup of movies in Italian theatres.
“This procedure will ensure that films branded PiperFilm will reach Italian film audiences in their entirety,” the company said in a statement, which noted that they are “building a new business model thanks to a partnership with the largest players on the Italian and international market.
- 5/20/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety - Film News
London’s Raindance Film Festival is making a significant calendar shift for its 32nd edition, moving from its traditional fall slot to a new summer schedule.
Raindance kicks off with the U.K. premiere of Tilman Singer’s “Cuckoo,” a horror feature starring Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens that previously played at Berlin and SXSW. Closing the festival is the European premiere of “National Anthem” by Luke Gilford, starring Charlie Plummer as a construction worker joining a community of queer rodeo performers. The film, which was at Toronto and SXSW, leads into the Pride in London weekend with a wild West End party.
This year, Germany is the festival’s guest of honor. The festival will showcase new German films, including “Cuckoo,” “Eternal You” and “What You See of Me.” A dedicated shorts program and industry panels, including a session with production designer Mona Cathleen Otterbach, will highlight Germany’s cinematic achievements.
Raindance kicks off with the U.K. premiere of Tilman Singer’s “Cuckoo,” a horror feature starring Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens that previously played at Berlin and SXSW. Closing the festival is the European premiere of “National Anthem” by Luke Gilford, starring Charlie Plummer as a construction worker joining a community of queer rodeo performers. The film, which was at Toronto and SXSW, leads into the Pride in London weekend with a wild West End party.
This year, Germany is the festival’s guest of honor. The festival will showcase new German films, including “Cuckoo,” “Eternal You” and “What You See of Me.” A dedicated shorts program and industry panels, including a session with production designer Mona Cathleen Otterbach, will highlight Germany’s cinematic achievements.
- 5/20/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety - Film News
Demi Moore said performing in Coralie Fargeat’s body horror shocker The Substance required accepting a “level of vulnerability and rawness” with regard to her own body on screen.
Moore put it all out there for the film, a gory, campy satire on beauty standards, toxic masculinity and female self-hatred, with the movie’s frequent and prominent nudity, as well as its gruesome violence, attracting a lot of attention after its world premiere in Cannes. Moore plays Elisabeth Sparkle, an acclaimed actress turned celebrity host of a daytime exercise program who gets replaced by a younger, more beautiful star (Margaret Qualley), sparking a confrontation between the two women. One of the more graphic scenes in the movie shows Moore and Qualley having a naked, no-holds-barred bloody fight. The Cannes audience loved it, giving the film a rapturous reception Sunday night.
“I had someone who was a great partner,” said Moore of Qualley.
Moore put it all out there for the film, a gory, campy satire on beauty standards, toxic masculinity and female self-hatred, with the movie’s frequent and prominent nudity, as well as its gruesome violence, attracting a lot of attention after its world premiere in Cannes. Moore plays Elisabeth Sparkle, an acclaimed actress turned celebrity host of a daytime exercise program who gets replaced by a younger, more beautiful star (Margaret Qualley), sparking a confrontation between the two women. One of the more graphic scenes in the movie shows Moore and Qualley having a naked, no-holds-barred bloody fight. The Cannes audience loved it, giving the film a rapturous reception Sunday night.
“I had someone who was a great partner,” said Moore of Qualley.
- 5/20/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Demi Moore’s new film, the feminist body horror “The Substance,” sees her bare it all, with several scenes featuring full nudity. At the Cannes Film Festival press conference for the film on Monday, the 61-year-old actor discussed the “vulnerable experience.”
“Going into it, it was really spelled out — the level of vulnerability and rawness that was really required to tell the story,” Moore said. “And it was a very vulnerable experience and just required a lot of sensitivity and a lot of conversation about what we were trying to accomplish.”
In the film from “Revenge” helmer Coralie Fargeat, Moore plays a fading celebrity who uses a black market drug the film is named for — a cell-replicating device that winds up creating a young, better version of herself (Margaret Qualley). Not only must she share a space with this new creature, she has to spend half her time in a...
“Going into it, it was really spelled out — the level of vulnerability and rawness that was really required to tell the story,” Moore said. “And it was a very vulnerable experience and just required a lot of sensitivity and a lot of conversation about what we were trying to accomplish.”
In the film from “Revenge” helmer Coralie Fargeat, Moore plays a fading celebrity who uses a black market drug the film is named for — a cell-replicating device that winds up creating a young, better version of herself (Margaret Qualley). Not only must she share a space with this new creature, she has to spend half her time in a...
- 5/20/2024
- by Matt Donnelly and Ellise Shafer
- Variety - Film News
Sandhya Suri’s fiction feature debut “Santosh,” which bows in the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard strand, has unveiled its first clip.
In the film, a government scheme sees newly widowed Santosh inherit her slain husband’s job as a police constable in the rural badlands of northern India. When an underage girl from one of India’s so-called “lower castes” is murdered, Santosh is pulled into the investigation by charismatic feminist inspector Sharma.
Suri is known for her documentaries “I for India” (2005), which bowed at Sundance, and “Around India with a Movie Camera” (2018) and Toronto-winning and BAFTA nominated fiction short “The Field” (2018). The “Santosh” script, which predates “The Field,” participated in the Sundance lab. “I was researching things about violence against women and trying to make a sort of anatomy of a violence and I couldn’t find a way to do it in documentary. So I found this way into fiction,...
In the film, a government scheme sees newly widowed Santosh inherit her slain husband’s job as a police constable in the rural badlands of northern India. When an underage girl from one of India’s so-called “lower castes” is murdered, Santosh is pulled into the investigation by charismatic feminist inspector Sharma.
Suri is known for her documentaries “I for India” (2005), which bowed at Sundance, and “Around India with a Movie Camera” (2018) and Toronto-winning and BAFTA nominated fiction short “The Field” (2018). The “Santosh” script, which predates “The Field,” participated in the Sundance lab. “I was researching things about violence against women and trying to make a sort of anatomy of a violence and I couldn’t find a way to do it in documentary. So I found this way into fiction,...
- 5/20/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety - Film News
Alan Partridge is officially back as evidenced by a new first look image from his upcoming BBC documentary “And Did Those Feet… with Alan Partridge.”
Filming has officially commenced on the show, in which comedian Steve Coogan (who was twice nominated for Oscars his work on 2013 comedy-drama “Philomena”) reprises his role as the hapless interviewer.
The six-part mockumentary follows Partridge as he returns to Norfolk following a year in Saudi Arabia and struggles to reintegrate.
“One of the first – if not the first – documentary to address the issue of mental wellness, the six-part series follows the revered and beloved broadcaster...
Filming has officially commenced on the show, in which comedian Steve Coogan (who was twice nominated for Oscars his work on 2013 comedy-drama “Philomena”) reprises his role as the hapless interviewer.
The six-part mockumentary follows Partridge as he returns to Norfolk following a year in Saudi Arabia and struggles to reintegrate.
“One of the first – if not the first – documentary to address the issue of mental wellness, the six-part series follows the revered and beloved broadcaster...
- 5/20/2024
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety - TV News
The Mediterrane Film Festival, held in the Maltese capital of Valletta, returns for its second edition between June 22-30 with a revamped programming structure led by new artistic director Teresa Cavina. The inaugural Golden Bee Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cinema will be awarded to British filmmaker Mike Leigh, following last year’s Memorandum of Understanding between the British and Malta’s film commission to enhance the collaboration between the countries’s screen industries.
Speaking with Variety before unveiling this year’s festival program, Malta’s film commissioner Johann Grech said the festival was a “brainchild” of his, adding that the event is a “platform to keep us building our image. We want to push for further dialogue and cooperation between countries, and not just Mediterranean countries.”
“The size of our country has not stopped us from thinking big,” he continued. “The festival will not only allow us to strengthen our film brand globally,...
Speaking with Variety before unveiling this year’s festival program, Malta’s film commissioner Johann Grech said the festival was a “brainchild” of his, adding that the event is a “platform to keep us building our image. We want to push for further dialogue and cooperation between countries, and not just Mediterranean countries.”
“The size of our country has not stopped us from thinking big,” he continued. “The festival will not only allow us to strengthen our film brand globally,...
- 5/20/2024
- by Rafa Sales Ross
- Variety - Film News
The Anne Hathaway- and Jessica Chastain-starring psychological thriller “Mothers’ Instinct” is set for release in Chinese theaters.
Directed by cinematographer-turned-helmer Benoît Delhomme, the 1960s film depicts a pair of model homemakers and next-door neighbors whose close friendship is severely undone by sudden tragedy. The film is an English-language remake of the 2108 French-language effort by Belgium’s Olivier Masset-Depasse’s film, which was an adaptation of the 2012 novel “Derriere La Haine” by Barbara Abel.
The film will release in China on May 24 on 2,500 screens. That likely sets it in competition with “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” as another English-language title releasing on that date, Variety has confirmed.
The film has had a handful of international releases and is also set for a North American outing at an unspecified date through Neon. The China release follows an agreement between sales firm Anton Corp and Chinese distributor Jl Film.
Jl Film...
Directed by cinematographer-turned-helmer Benoît Delhomme, the 1960s film depicts a pair of model homemakers and next-door neighbors whose close friendship is severely undone by sudden tragedy. The film is an English-language remake of the 2108 French-language effort by Belgium’s Olivier Masset-Depasse’s film, which was an adaptation of the 2012 novel “Derriere La Haine” by Barbara Abel.
The film will release in China on May 24 on 2,500 screens. That likely sets it in competition with “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” as another English-language title releasing on that date, Variety has confirmed.
The film has had a handful of international releases and is also set for a North American outing at an unspecified date through Neon. The China release follows an agreement between sales firm Anton Corp and Chinese distributor Jl Film.
Jl Film...
- 5/20/2024
- by Patrick Frater and Alex Ritman
- Variety - Film News
Barcelona-based sales company Film Factory has picked up global rights to Alberto Gastesi’s sci-fi thriller “Singular,” a former Sitges Pitchbox winner that will begin shooting this month.
“Singular” is the story of Diana, a university professor who works with artificial intelligence linguistic models. When Martín, Diana’s ex and the father of her late son Martín, invites her to spend a day at the lake, she’s shocked to meet a young man named Andrea, who undeniably resembles her deceased child. Given Martín’s expertise in robotics, Diana begins to suspect that the man has created an android version of their child. While every part of her wants to deny Andrea, she feels compelled to help free the boy from the prison-like grasp that Martín holds over him.
Spanish Academy Goya Award winners Patricia López Arnaiz (“20 000 Species of Bees”) and Javier Rey (“Twin Murders: The Silence of the White City...
“Singular” is the story of Diana, a university professor who works with artificial intelligence linguistic models. When Martín, Diana’s ex and the father of her late son Martín, invites her to spend a day at the lake, she’s shocked to meet a young man named Andrea, who undeniably resembles her deceased child. Given Martín’s expertise in robotics, Diana begins to suspect that the man has created an android version of their child. While every part of her wants to deny Andrea, she feels compelled to help free the boy from the prison-like grasp that Martín holds over him.
Spanish Academy Goya Award winners Patricia López Arnaiz (“20 000 Species of Bees”) and Javier Rey (“Twin Murders: The Silence of the White City...
- 5/20/2024
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety - Film News
Filming in Hungary offers everything from a massive amount of production space and a 20-year strong tax rebate to eight symphony orchestras and thermal baths.
On a panel during the Cannes Film Festival at the Marche du Film, film commissionaire Csaba Kael, and producers Ildikó Kemeny, Robert Lantos, and Mike Goodridge spoke about the experiences of filming in Hungary.
Kael noted that commercial film production began in the country in the early 1900s. “It is built into our DNA,” said Kael of filmmaking. Only the U.K. has more film production than Hungary, he said. This year, Hungary is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its offered tax rebate program, which offers films produced in Hungary a 30 percent rebate based on their expenditure.
Lantos, who has been filming in the country since the 1990s prior to the tax credits, said, “Whenever I have a project that needs a European-looking city, my direct path is to Budapest.
On a panel during the Cannes Film Festival at the Marche du Film, film commissionaire Csaba Kael, and producers Ildikó Kemeny, Robert Lantos, and Mike Goodridge spoke about the experiences of filming in Hungary.
Kael noted that commercial film production began in the country in the early 1900s. “It is built into our DNA,” said Kael of filmmaking. Only the U.K. has more film production than Hungary, he said. This year, Hungary is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its offered tax rebate program, which offers films produced in Hungary a 30 percent rebate based on their expenditure.
Lantos, who has been filming in the country since the 1990s prior to the tax credits, said, “Whenever I have a project that needs a European-looking city, my direct path is to Budapest.
- 5/20/2024
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
For more than two decades, French auteur Christophe Honoré has made provocative features, frequently exploring romantic entanglements or focusing on gay characters that reflect his sexuality. His third Palme d’Or-nominated film premiering May 21, “Marcello Mio,” is a comic change of pace that may be his most commercial and entertaining project to date. After Honoré’s longtime collaborator Chiara Mastroianni, playing a version of herself, gets compared to her movie star father, Marcello Mastroianni, she decides to adopt his look and personality, creating chaos with her mother, Catherine Deneuve, and co-stars like Melvil Poupaud, who also play themselves. With help from a French translator, Variety spoke to Honoré about his work.
You’ve written and directed a wide range of projects, including the Palme d’Or contenders “Love Songs” and “Sorry Angel.” Which are you proudest of?
The one that I made before this one, “Le lycéen (Winter Boy).” It...
You’ve written and directed a wide range of projects, including the Palme d’Or contenders “Love Songs” and “Sorry Angel.” Which are you proudest of?
The one that I made before this one, “Le lycéen (Winter Boy).” It...
- 5/20/2024
- by Gregg Goldstein
- Variety - Film News
Katy Perry said goodbye to American Idol after seven seasons on Sunday night’s live finale.
As a tribute to the singer, the ladies of the top 12 performed a medley of Perry’s hits, including “Teenage Dream,” “Dark Horse” and “California Gurls.”
Perry, who was eating a slice of pizza when the performance began, jumped onto the judges’ table at the end of the performance and gave a strong-arms salute.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by American Idol (@americanidol)
Perry also performed “What Makes a Woman” alongside competitor Jack Blocker during the three-hour finale.
Meanwhile, Abi Carter was named the winner of Season 22 on Sunday night. She performed “What Was I Made For?” from the Barbie movie, during which Perry could be seen getting emotional.
Perry announced in February that she would be leaving the ABC singing competition.
Appearing on an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Perry...
As a tribute to the singer, the ladies of the top 12 performed a medley of Perry’s hits, including “Teenage Dream,” “Dark Horse” and “California Gurls.”
Perry, who was eating a slice of pizza when the performance began, jumped onto the judges’ table at the end of the performance and gave a strong-arms salute.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by American Idol (@americanidol)
Perry also performed “What Makes a Woman” alongside competitor Jack Blocker during the three-hour finale.
Meanwhile, Abi Carter was named the winner of Season 22 on Sunday night. She performed “What Was I Made For?” from the Barbie movie, during which Perry could be seen getting emotional.
Perry announced in February that she would be leaving the ABC singing competition.
Appearing on an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Perry...
- 5/20/2024
- by Kimberly Nordyke
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
John Oliver addressed the past week in commencement gaffes on Sunday’s edition of Last Week Tonight.
Noting that ceremonies in general have been “a little chaotic this year, both because of the continuing protest over Gaza, but also for weirder reasons,” he kicked off the segment by showing footage from the Thomas Jefferson University College of Nursing graduation ceremony, where the announcer struggled to pronounce common names like Sarah, Meghan, Elizabeth, Molly — and Thomas.
The commencement presenter at Thomas Jefferson University accidentally read off the phonetic spellings of each graduate’s name and oh my god. pic.twitter.com/DVLGibmnRZ
— Michael Collier (@MikeACollier) May 10, 2024
“That is magnificent!” Oliver quipped. “Mispronouncing ‘Thomas’ at Thomas Jefferson University is just spectacular.”
He noted that the school later said the problem was due to the fact that the names had been spelled phonetically.
A message to the graduates of the Jefferson College of Nursing.
Noting that ceremonies in general have been “a little chaotic this year, both because of the continuing protest over Gaza, but also for weirder reasons,” he kicked off the segment by showing footage from the Thomas Jefferson University College of Nursing graduation ceremony, where the announcer struggled to pronounce common names like Sarah, Meghan, Elizabeth, Molly — and Thomas.
The commencement presenter at Thomas Jefferson University accidentally read off the phonetic spellings of each graduate’s name and oh my god. pic.twitter.com/DVLGibmnRZ
— Michael Collier (@MikeACollier) May 10, 2024
“That is magnificent!” Oliver quipped. “Mispronouncing ‘Thomas’ at Thomas Jefferson University is just spectacular.”
He noted that the school later said the problem was due to the fact that the names had been spelled phonetically.
A message to the graduates of the Jefferson College of Nursing.
- 5/20/2024
- by Kimberly Nordyke
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“The Last Frenzy,” a comedy film about a dying man’s last hurrah, returned to the top spot in mainland Chinese cinemas in its third weekend of release.
“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” which a week earlier had been the biggest title, slipped to fourth place.
In another China disappointment for Hollywood, “The Fall Guy” opened outside the Chinese top ten. Universal Pictures estimates that it earned $900,000 from 10,000 screens. Another data provider Ent Group provisionally reports that the film took $740,000 over three days.
The broader picture, however, shows that there was little difference in performance among the top four titles and a lowish nation-wide aggregate of just $37.1 million. Theatrical momentum, which has made China the world’s biggest cinema market so far this year, is beginning to slow in the flat spot between the May Day holiday and China’s own summer season.
Consultancy firm, Artisan Gateway calculates...
“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” which a week earlier had been the biggest title, slipped to fourth place.
In another China disappointment for Hollywood, “The Fall Guy” opened outside the Chinese top ten. Universal Pictures estimates that it earned $900,000 from 10,000 screens. Another data provider Ent Group provisionally reports that the film took $740,000 over three days.
The broader picture, however, shows that there was little difference in performance among the top four titles and a lowish nation-wide aggregate of just $37.1 million. Theatrical momentum, which has made China the world’s biggest cinema market so far this year, is beginning to slow in the flat spot between the May Day holiday and China’s own summer season.
Consultancy firm, Artisan Gateway calculates...
- 5/20/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety - Film News
Though Julia-Louis Dreyfus didn’t make an appearance in the final Curb Your Enthusiasm episode that called back to the Seinfeld series finale, she’s a fan of how Larry David wrapped up his follow-up series.
“I loved it,” she told The Hollywood Reporter of last month’s Curb ending. “I loved everything about it.”
Curb‘s 12th and final season finished with a cameo from Jerry Seinfeld in which he and star-creator David, both playing fictional versions of themselves, reference the famously divisive Seinfeld end. After Larry is convicted of violating Georgia’s Election Integrity Act, he’s sentenced to a year in prison. But Jerry intervenes.
He discovers that one of the trial’s jurors broke the sequestering rule, causing a mistrial to be declared and Larry to walk free.
“Larry,” Jerry says, “is a free man!”
He adds, winking to the poor reception to the Seinfeld finale:...
“I loved it,” she told The Hollywood Reporter of last month’s Curb ending. “I loved everything about it.”
Curb‘s 12th and final season finished with a cameo from Jerry Seinfeld in which he and star-creator David, both playing fictional versions of themselves, reference the famously divisive Seinfeld end. After Larry is convicted of violating Georgia’s Election Integrity Act, he’s sentenced to a year in prison. But Jerry intervenes.
He discovers that one of the trial’s jurors broke the sequestering rule, causing a mistrial to be declared and Larry to walk free.
“Larry,” Jerry says, “is a free man!”
He adds, winking to the poor reception to the Seinfeld finale:...
- 5/20/2024
- by Hilary Lewis
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Spoiler Alert: Don’t read on if you haven’t watched “Tunnel Vision,” the final episode of “CSI: Vegas” that aired on Sunday, May 19.
“Things are about to go kaboom.” That’s what Beau (Lex Medlin) says on Friday night’s series finale of “CSI: Vegas” as he prepares to detonate a series of bombs. But he might be describing everyone’s minds, as the show’s characters discover midway through the episode (“Tunnel Vision”) that they’ve been chasing the wrong villain all season.
With Max (Paula Newsome) kidnapped and Chris (Jay Lee) injured by some sort of nerve agent and in the hospital,...
“Things are about to go kaboom.” That’s what Beau (Lex Medlin) says on Friday night’s series finale of “CSI: Vegas” as he prepares to detonate a series of bombs. But he might be describing everyone’s minds, as the show’s characters discover midway through the episode (“Tunnel Vision”) that they’ve been chasing the wrong villain all season.
With Max (Paula Newsome) kidnapped and Chris (Jay Lee) injured by some sort of nerve agent and in the hospital,...
- 5/20/2024
- by Michael Schneider
- Variety - TV News
Local blockbuster, “The Roundup: Punishment” extended its dominance of the South Korea theatrical box office for a fourth weekend. That lifted its cumulative total to a powerful $75 million.
“Punishment,” the fourth part of a brutal action comedy film franchise produced by and starring Don Lee (aka Ma Dong-seok), earned $3.05 million between Friday and Sunday, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). While the film’s week-on-week performance was a 46% decrease, “Punishment” still enjoyed a 36% share of the Korean theatrical market.
After nearly four weeks on release, it has accumulated a total of $75.2 million from 10.7 million admissions. The year’s biggest title to date remains “Exhuma” with $84.8 million earned from 11.9 million ticket sales.
Those two films have dominated proceedings at the Korean box office this year and helped Korea stage a belated recovery in theatrical trends. Both March and April were recent records.
“Punishment,” the fourth part of a brutal action comedy film franchise produced by and starring Don Lee (aka Ma Dong-seok), earned $3.05 million between Friday and Sunday, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). While the film’s week-on-week performance was a 46% decrease, “Punishment” still enjoyed a 36% share of the Korean theatrical market.
After nearly four weeks on release, it has accumulated a total of $75.2 million from 10.7 million admissions. The year’s biggest title to date remains “Exhuma” with $84.8 million earned from 11.9 million ticket sales.
Those two films have dominated proceedings at the Korean box office this year and helped Korea stage a belated recovery in theatrical trends. Both March and April were recent records.
- 5/20/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety - Film News
Who says the pop star is dead? At his triumphant tour stop in Los Angeles Saturday night, Justin Timberlake led a revival for the reigning Prince of Pop, with a setlist of greatest hits and new material that proves the Grammy-winning entertainer is here to stay.
Timberlake took the stage shortly after 9 p.m. at Kia Forum in Inglewood, for the tenth stop on his “Forget Tomorrow” World Tour, and the second of two nights in L.A. The sold out tour, in support of his sixth studio album, Everything I Thought It Was, was billed as a chance for fans to hear songs from the new LP along with “everyone’s favorite hits,” and Timberlake expertly blended them into a two-hour, feel-good fest.
Dressed in a glittery black suit and trousers, the singer opened with “No Angels,” a disco-lite cut off Eitiw that immediately had the crowd on its feet.
Timberlake took the stage shortly after 9 p.m. at Kia Forum in Inglewood, for the tenth stop on his “Forget Tomorrow” World Tour, and the second of two nights in L.A. The sold out tour, in support of his sixth studio album, Everything I Thought It Was, was billed as a chance for fans to hear songs from the new LP along with “everyone’s favorite hits,” and Timberlake expertly blended them into a two-hour, feel-good fest.
Dressed in a glittery black suit and trousers, the singer opened with “No Angels,” a disco-lite cut off Eitiw that immediately had the crowd on its feet.
- 5/20/2024
- by Tim Chan
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Note: This story contains spoilers from “The Sympathizer” Episode 6.
In Sunday’s episode of “The Sympathizer,” the Captain (Hoa Xuande) murders his nemesis Sonny (Alan Trong) in his apartment, following the General’s (Toan Le) orders after concerns surfaced about his reporting on their covert mission.
But the decision is fueled by more than just the directive, after The Captain learned that his girlfriend Sofia Mori (Sandra Oh) had been having an affair with Sonny while he was away, working as a Vietnamese interpreter on Nikos’ (Robert Downey Jr.) movie.
“We have a rivalry that’s obviously spanned through our childhood because we have very similar backstories. The Captain and Sonny had American education before they split ways, so they see their causes for the Vietnamese people very similarly, but they obviously act upon it in very different ways,” Xuande told TheWrap. “I can only speak on behalf of the...
In Sunday’s episode of “The Sympathizer,” the Captain (Hoa Xuande) murders his nemesis Sonny (Alan Trong) in his apartment, following the General’s (Toan Le) orders after concerns surfaced about his reporting on their covert mission.
But the decision is fueled by more than just the directive, after The Captain learned that his girlfriend Sofia Mori (Sandra Oh) had been having an affair with Sonny while he was away, working as a Vietnamese interpreter on Nikos’ (Robert Downey Jr.) movie.
“We have a rivalry that’s obviously spanned through our childhood because we have very similar backstories. The Captain and Sonny had American education before they split ways, so they see their causes for the Vietnamese people very similarly, but they obviously act upon it in very different ways,” Xuande told TheWrap. “I can only speak on behalf of the...
- 5/20/2024
- by Lucas Manfredi
- The Wrap
Note: The following story contains spoilers from the “Tracker” Season 1 finale.
In Sunday night’s Season 1 finale of “Tracker,” Colter Shaw (Justin Hartley) learned there are even more mysteries surrounding his late father than he realized — and that everyone else in his family seems to know more about it than he does.
TheWrap spoke with Hartley before the episode premiered about what we can expect in Season 2, plus some of the unusual stats that his character racked up in Season 1.
Hartley also told us how much we can expect to see Colter’s siblings Russell (Jensen Ackles) and Dory (Melissa Roxburgh), as well as the actor’s real-life wife Sofia Pernas, who plays fellow reward-seeker Billie Matalon.
TheWrap: In the finale, we find out there’s a mysterious box with papers that belonged to Colter’s father, that his sister Dory has it for some reason — and that his father...
In Sunday night’s Season 1 finale of “Tracker,” Colter Shaw (Justin Hartley) learned there are even more mysteries surrounding his late father than he realized — and that everyone else in his family seems to know more about it than he does.
TheWrap spoke with Hartley before the episode premiered about what we can expect in Season 2, plus some of the unusual stats that his character racked up in Season 1.
Hartley also told us how much we can expect to see Colter’s siblings Russell (Jensen Ackles) and Dory (Melissa Roxburgh), as well as the actor’s real-life wife Sofia Pernas, who plays fellow reward-seeker Billie Matalon.
TheWrap: In the finale, we find out there’s a mysterious box with papers that belonged to Colter’s father, that his sister Dory has it for some reason — and that his father...
- 5/20/2024
- by Sharon Knolle
- The Wrap
A hidden speakeasy, hosted by Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade and Queen Latifah, with a guest list that includes Masked Singer and The Hangover star Ken Jeong, late night host Jimmy Kimmel, Lakers legend Magic Johnson and WNBA stars Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso?
No, it isn’t real life, but the NBA made it exist, at least for its just-released ad campaign called “The Toast” to tout the upcoming NBA Finals.
Watch:
“We wanted to really ensure that we could generate some emotion for fans, and we wanted for it to feel like we had reverence and appreciation for the season that we had just witnessed, but also get that sort of tingly on your fingertips feeling of anticipation,” says Tammy Henault, the CMO of the NBA, in an interview. “We wanted to have this anticipatory feeling while also coming together as a big celebration and celebrating this big moment,...
No, it isn’t real life, but the NBA made it exist, at least for its just-released ad campaign called “The Toast” to tout the upcoming NBA Finals.
Watch:
“We wanted to really ensure that we could generate some emotion for fans, and we wanted for it to feel like we had reverence and appreciation for the season that we had just witnessed, but also get that sort of tingly on your fingertips feeling of anticipation,” says Tammy Henault, the CMO of the NBA, in an interview. “We wanted to have this anticipatory feeling while also coming together as a big celebration and celebrating this big moment,...
- 5/20/2024
- by Alex Weprin
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It says a lot about the human condition that we all love “Garfield.” Jim Davis’s nearly 50-year-old comic strip tells the ongoing story of Jon Arbuckle, a lovelorn sad-sack loser, and his snide, pompous, hedonistic cat Garfield. Neither of them are conventional heroes. They rarely even leave their house. Jon symbolizes the misery that stems from seeking external acceptance, while Garfield symbolizes the inner peace that stems from accepting yourself, vices and all. Or maybe it’s just about kicking helpless dogs and eating lasagna. Your mileage might vary.
The point is there’s something about “Garfield” that endures. So they keep cranking him out in every way imaginable and we keep buying it. That comic strip is somehow still running, even though the funny pages are harder and harder to find. The cat’s iconic face has been slapped on clothing, toys, video games, telephones, typing tutorials and...
The point is there’s something about “Garfield” that endures. So they keep cranking him out in every way imaginable and we keep buying it. That comic strip is somehow still running, even though the funny pages are harder and harder to find. The cat’s iconic face has been slapped on clothing, toys, video games, telephones, typing tutorials and...
- 5/20/2024
- by William Bibbiani
- The Wrap
The lasagna-obsessed feline with a near-pathological aversion to Mondays, who first came into popular consciousness in the late ‘70s as a comic strip, is a diluted version of himself in “The Garfield Movie.” Not only is his suave apathy mostly replaced by an excessive excitedness with only sporadic glimpses of his endearingly negative qualities, but this Garfield jumps off trains, stages a heist, and is subjected to trite physical comedy by way of numerous predictable action sequences. The ordeal mimics a rehashed plot from the dull “The Secret Life of Pets” franchise with Garfield forcefully plugged in.
All of these choices amount to a production that fundamentally misunderstands Garfield’s appeal as a lovingly indifferent, self-centered glutton whose greatest aspiration is to do nothing and have all his needs catered to him. It’s a Garfield movie for audiences who have never heard of Garfield, which reads as an attempt...
All of these choices amount to a production that fundamentally misunderstands Garfield’s appeal as a lovingly indifferent, self-centered glutton whose greatest aspiration is to do nothing and have all his needs catered to him. It’s a Garfield movie for audiences who have never heard of Garfield, which reads as an attempt...
- 5/20/2024
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Variety - Film News
As anyone familiar with cartoonist Jim Davis’ iconic feline character knows, Garfield doesn’t like to move around very much. He likes to eat, particularly pepperoni pizza and lasagna, and he likes to lie around and make sarcastic comments. In other words, he’s not a cat of action. And yet for some reason, the creators of the new animated film revolving around him think that what the audience really wants is to watch Garfield engage in Mission: Impossible-style, stunt-laden violent mayhem. It’s as if Charlie Brown was starring in the new James Bond movie.
And in case you think I’m stretching things to make a point, The Garfield Movie employs the Mi theme during one scene and features that film series’ Ving Rhames as the voice of a bull who orchestrates the derring-do. After one particularly harrowing sequence, Garfield, voiced by Chris Pratt, comments, “In case you’re wondering,...
And in case you think I’m stretching things to make a point, The Garfield Movie employs the Mi theme during one scene and features that film series’ Ving Rhames as the voice of a bull who orchestrates the derring-do. After one particularly harrowing sequence, Garfield, voiced by Chris Pratt, comments, “In case you’re wondering,...
- 5/20/2024
- by Frank Scheck
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Arriving in the middle of the art smorgasbord that’s the Cannes Film Festival, a three-hour Western directed by Kevin Costner sounded like it might be just the ticket for a perfect night of counterprogramming: a grandly scaled slice of neo-classical Hollywood. That, after all, describes the other two Westerns Costner has directed (“Dances with Wolves” and “Open Range”), as well as his quirky sci-fi pseudo-Western “The Postman.” There’s no question that “Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1,” Costner’s fourth outing as a director, gives off some of that traditional flavor.
The movie, set in 1859 in territories that sprawl from Wyoming to Kansas, has stately mesa backdrops that look like they’d fit right into Monument Valley. It’s got a rousing 1950s-syle musical score (by John Debney) that lays on the Old West sentimentality even when dire things are happening. And a good portion of the movie is...
The movie, set in 1859 in territories that sprawl from Wyoming to Kansas, has stately mesa backdrops that look like they’d fit right into Monument Valley. It’s got a rousing 1950s-syle musical score (by John Debney) that lays on the Old West sentimentality even when dire things are happening. And a good portion of the movie is...
- 5/19/2024
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety - Film News
Three days after the It Ends With Us trailer took the internet by storm, director and star Justin Baldoni is opening up about the reaction and some of the most buzzed-about changes from the book to the movie.
The film, starring Baldoni, Blake Lively and Brandon Sklenar, is adapted from Colleen Hoover’s hit novel of the same name and follows Lily Bloom (Lively), a woman who overcomes a traumatic childhood to embark on a new chapter. Along the way she sparks an intense connection with charming neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni), but she begins to see sides of him that remind her of her parents’ relationship.
At the Los Angeles premiere of The Garfield Movie on Sunday, Baldoni — who is an executive producer on the animated film — spoke about the reaction to the trailer, telling The Hollywood Reporter, “Rightfully so, there was just a lot of anticipation and people I...
The film, starring Baldoni, Blake Lively and Brandon Sklenar, is adapted from Colleen Hoover’s hit novel of the same name and follows Lily Bloom (Lively), a woman who overcomes a traumatic childhood to embark on a new chapter. Along the way she sparks an intense connection with charming neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni), but she begins to see sides of him that remind her of her parents’ relationship.
At the Los Angeles premiere of The Garfield Movie on Sunday, Baldoni — who is an executive producer on the animated film — spoke about the reaction to the trailer, telling The Hollywood Reporter, “Rightfully so, there was just a lot of anticipation and people I...
- 5/19/2024
- by Kirsten Chuba
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Cannes Film Festival went apeshit for the jaw-dropping, nauseating, defiant, hilarious “The Substance” — a body horror thriller from French director Coralie Forgeat starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley — on Sunday night with an 11-minute standing ovation.
It’s the tale of a once-great actress (Moore) whose certain age has relegated her to a Jane Fonda-style fitness show. When she’s fired, she is offered a trial of the medical treatment the film is named for. It promises a younger, better version of herself through a cell replicating process.
Moore takes a leap of faith and winds up on the bathroom floor, spine split open like a Christmas ham, when this new version — played by Qualley — comes slithering out of her back. Young, supple and brimming with possibilities, the two characters are allowed to coexist with one important caveat: they must trade one week on, one week off in each body.
It’s the tale of a once-great actress (Moore) whose certain age has relegated her to a Jane Fonda-style fitness show. When she’s fired, she is offered a trial of the medical treatment the film is named for. It promises a younger, better version of herself through a cell replicating process.
Moore takes a leap of faith and winds up on the bathroom floor, spine split open like a Christmas ham, when this new version — played by Qualley — comes slithering out of her back. Young, supple and brimming with possibilities, the two characters are allowed to coexist with one important caveat: they must trade one week on, one week off in each body.
- 5/19/2024
- by Matt Donnelly and Ellise Shafer
- Variety - Film News
The Substance, a gruesome body-horror flick, had its world premiere on Sunday night in competition at the Cannes Film Festival and was greeted with a nine-minute standing ovation from the crowd at the Grand Lumiere Theatre.
The sophomore directorial effort and English-language debut of the French filmmaker Coralie Fargeat — she also wrote, produced and edited the film — stars Demi Moore, Dennis Quaid and Margaret Qualley (Qualley also appears in another competition title at this year’s fest, Kinds of Kindness), all of whom were on hand for the screening.
A gory fantasia that is a twisted cross between the classic films Sunset Blvd. and Freaks, it is one of the most out-there Cannes competition films since Titane — and, with the right mix of jurors, could follow that film to a major festival award, if not for the film then perhaps for Moore.
Produced by Working Title’s art house mavens Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner,...
The sophomore directorial effort and English-language debut of the French filmmaker Coralie Fargeat — she also wrote, produced and edited the film — stars Demi Moore, Dennis Quaid and Margaret Qualley (Qualley also appears in another competition title at this year’s fest, Kinds of Kindness), all of whom were on hand for the screening.
A gory fantasia that is a twisted cross between the classic films Sunset Blvd. and Freaks, it is one of the most out-there Cannes competition films since Titane — and, with the right mix of jurors, could follow that film to a major festival award, if not for the film then perhaps for Moore.
Produced by Working Title’s art house mavens Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner,...
- 5/19/2024
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jon Stewart told a “Daily Show” studio audience that none other than fellow late-night TV king David Letterman gave him the best advice he’s ever received — and also managed to insult him at the same time.
Stewart responded to an audience member who asked about the best advice he’d ever received, commenting that it was “such an end-of-life question” and joked, “Nobody ever comes to like a 22-year-old and like, ‘Best advice.’ They’re like, ‘Well, beer before liquor, never been sicker.'”
The host then added that he didn’t exactly have a mentor when he was coming up in the comedic world, with mentors not being as talked about as they are now when he was rising in the 1970s and ’80s. “I was raised feral,” Stewart explained — but that’s when a memory hit him. “Oh, here’s one,” he continued. “This is a good one.
Stewart responded to an audience member who asked about the best advice he’d ever received, commenting that it was “such an end-of-life question” and joked, “Nobody ever comes to like a 22-year-old and like, ‘Best advice.’ They’re like, ‘Well, beer before liquor, never been sicker.'”
The host then added that he didn’t exactly have a mentor when he was coming up in the comedic world, with mentors not being as talked about as they are now when he was rising in the 1970s and ’80s. “I was raised feral,” Stewart explained — but that’s when a memory hit him. “Oh, here’s one,” he continued. “This is a good one.
- 5/19/2024
- by Stephanie Kaloi
- The Wrap
The Los Angeles LGBT Center held their annual gala in downtown Los Angles Saturday night, where attendees gathered at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall for a dinner hosted by comedian Joel Kim Booster.
Wicked star Cynthia Erivo was presented with the Rand Schrader award in recognition of her achievements in entertainment and activism championing the LGBTQ+ community. The Emmy, Grammy and Tony award winner was introduced by actress Jada Pinkett Smith, who gushed about Erivo’s “immense talent and spirit” during her remarks.
“Beyond her artistic achievements, Cynthia is a steadfast advocate helping bring visibility to the intersection of black and queer identity,” Pinkett Smith told the crowd.
“She uses her platform to fight for justice, for love and acceptance, and empowered individuals to live their truth authentically and without fear,” she continued.
Erivo accepted the award to much applause, beginning what would be a moving speech by telling...
Wicked star Cynthia Erivo was presented with the Rand Schrader award in recognition of her achievements in entertainment and activism championing the LGBTQ+ community. The Emmy, Grammy and Tony award winner was introduced by actress Jada Pinkett Smith, who gushed about Erivo’s “immense talent and spirit” during her remarks.
“Beyond her artistic achievements, Cynthia is a steadfast advocate helping bring visibility to the intersection of black and queer identity,” Pinkett Smith told the crowd.
“She uses her platform to fight for justice, for love and acceptance, and empowered individuals to live their truth authentically and without fear,” she continued.
Erivo accepted the award to much applause, beginning what would be a moving speech by telling...
- 5/19/2024
- by Nicole Fell
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
While often lacking in depth, there remains a value to a documentary like Oliver Stone’s “Lula.” This is not just because of its subject, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who went from being imprisoned to holding the country’s highest office, but because of who he defeated to do so.
Jair Bolsonaro, the former president who is currently under investigation over whether he incited a failed coup after losing in 2022, is but one of the more recent sore loser right-wing authoritarians to gain power and then be rather unwilling to let it go when ultimately voted out.
Making a documentary about this upheaval of politics in Brazil, how it was that we got here and what it means for the future of the country as well as the world writ large, is a worthwhile pursuit. Stone doesn’t always get there as robustly or as comprehensively as one would hope him to,...
Jair Bolsonaro, the former president who is currently under investigation over whether he incited a failed coup after losing in 2022, is but one of the more recent sore loser right-wing authoritarians to gain power and then be rather unwilling to let it go when ultimately voted out.
Making a documentary about this upheaval of politics in Brazil, how it was that we got here and what it means for the future of the country as well as the world writ large, is a worthwhile pursuit. Stone doesn’t always get there as robustly or as comprehensively as one would hope him to,...
- 5/19/2024
- by Chase Hutchinson
- The Wrap
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