One of the great things about Netflix is that even as it contributes to the slow mediocritization of filmmaking, it continues to broaden our collective cultural horizons. Yes, for every Kevin Hart's "Lift," which inexplicably had Netflix viewers enraptured earlier this year, there's a foreign film or series that we'd otherwise never have a chance to see. Last year, Indian thriller "Jaane Jaan" topped the Netflix charts in the U.S. while Mexican series "Thursday's Widows" saw similar streaming success stateside.
Now, it's Spain's turn. The country has had a mixed record when it comes to its streaming exports. Last year, god awful Spanish slasher "Killer Book Club" somehow had the Netflix charts in a stranglehold, but the country somewhat redeemed itself with the Oscar-nominated "Society of the Snow," which hit Netflix in January 2024. Now, España has delivered yet another Netflix hit with "El Correo" or "The Courier."
This...
Now, it's Spain's turn. The country has had a mixed record when it comes to its streaming exports. Last year, god awful Spanish slasher "Killer Book Club" somehow had the Netflix charts in a stranglehold, but the country somewhat redeemed itself with the Oscar-nominated "Society of the Snow," which hit Netflix in January 2024. Now, España has delivered yet another Netflix hit with "El Correo" or "The Courier."
This...
- 5/15/2024
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
Emily Morgan’s Quiddity Films, the UK producer of Felipe Galvez’s Cannes 2023 title The Settlers, has landed strategic investment from Mexican production services outfit The Lift.
The Lift’s backing will support the development of Quiddity’s upcoming projects, and the companies will collaborate on select titles. It marks The Lift’s first international investment.
Morgan’s company is further expanding by hiring its first head of production, Filiz-Theres Erel, and first head of development, Alex Hitch.
Erel’s past credits include production manager on Netflix’s Persuasion and Roger Michell’s The Duke, while Hitch worked as a development executive for Ray Pictures.
The Lift’s backing will support the development of Quiddity’s upcoming projects, and the companies will collaborate on select titles. It marks The Lift’s first international investment.
Morgan’s company is further expanding by hiring its first head of production, Filiz-Theres Erel, and first head of development, Alex Hitch.
Erel’s past credits include production manager on Netflix’s Persuasion and Roger Michell’s The Duke, while Hitch worked as a development executive for Ray Pictures.
- 5/15/2024
- ScreenDaily
WME has hired Julie Haffner as its head of motion picture business affairs. In the new role, she will oversee motion picture client deals and serve as an advisor to WME agents, executives and clients on structuring and negotiating motion picture and talent deals, in addition to advising on overall strategies for navigating the ever-changing media landscape.
Prior to WME, Haffner served as senior director of business and legal affairs at Netflix, where she negotiated high-level deals for the original studio film group’s slate of motion pictures, and was responsible for projects including “Hillbilly Elegy,” “Yes Day,” “The Christmas Chronicles,” “Lift” and the upcoming projects “The Union” and “Back in Action.”
She also negotiated and managed overall deals for producers including 21 Laps (Shawn Levy), Hartbeat (Kevin Hart), Archewell (Harry and Meghan) and Wonderland (McG).
Haffner previously worked in the motion picture group at Paramount Pictures, and was VP of...
Prior to WME, Haffner served as senior director of business and legal affairs at Netflix, where she negotiated high-level deals for the original studio film group’s slate of motion pictures, and was responsible for projects including “Hillbilly Elegy,” “Yes Day,” “The Christmas Chronicles,” “Lift” and the upcoming projects “The Union” and “Back in Action.”
She also negotiated and managed overall deals for producers including 21 Laps (Shawn Levy), Hartbeat (Kevin Hart), Archewell (Harry and Meghan) and Wonderland (McG).
Haffner previously worked in the motion picture group at Paramount Pictures, and was VP of...
- 5/13/2024
- by Katcy Stephan
- Variety Film + TV
Shrek has now been a part of pop culture for more than 20 years, which is a wild thought for any millennial who remembers when the Mike Myers-voiced swamp-dweller first arrived on the big screen in 2001. Though he'd previously been the focus of William Steig's 1990 picture book "Shrek!," it wasn't until the first movie debuted that the character became fully embraced by the mainstream. Since then, Hollywood has done its thing and produced a stultifying amount of "Shrek" sequels and spin-offs, to the point you'll probably need a refresher on the correct order to watch the Shrek movies before delving in. But if you wanted to just stick with the perennially charming original, we wouldn't blame you. Luckily enough, that very movie can now be found on the biggest streamer in the game.
Yes, Netflix, which this year has already managed to remind us all of the late Angus Cloud...
Yes, Netflix, which this year has already managed to remind us all of the late Angus Cloud...
- 5/10/2024
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
If you watch the new Netflix special, Groat’s The Greatest Roast Of All Time: Tom Brady, it will propel you to question the former National Football League legend Tom Brady. Why on Earth did you do it, Brady? Appearing on the show has certainly made him uncomfortable.
Tom Brady in The Greatest Roast Of All Time: Tom Brady | Netflix
Amid other roasting experts, Kevin Hart came with perhaps the strongest dose, as he referred to Brazilian fashion model Gisele Bundchen, who is Brady’s ex-wife. The duo tied the knot with a vow to never be apart until it all ended in 2022 as the former couple divorced. However, for the roasters, making fun of it at Brady’s expense was just source materials for the show.
Kevin Hart Knows How To Make Tom Brady Uncomfortable Tom Brady in The Greatest Roast Of All Time: Tom Brady | Netflix
Comedian/actor Kevin Hart,...
Tom Brady in The Greatest Roast Of All Time: Tom Brady | Netflix
Amid other roasting experts, Kevin Hart came with perhaps the strongest dose, as he referred to Brazilian fashion model Gisele Bundchen, who is Brady’s ex-wife. The duo tied the knot with a vow to never be apart until it all ended in 2022 as the former couple divorced. However, for the roasters, making fun of it at Brady’s expense was just source materials for the show.
Kevin Hart Knows How To Make Tom Brady Uncomfortable Tom Brady in The Greatest Roast Of All Time: Tom Brady | Netflix
Comedian/actor Kevin Hart,...
- 5/6/2024
- by Lachit Roy
- FandomWire
Margot Robbie and Rosamund Pike are among the nominees for the National Film Awards.The stars of 'Barbie' and 'Saltburn' respectively will compete against talent including Patricia Hodge ('Arthur's Whiskey'), Jo Hartley ('Swede Caroline'), Eiza Gonzalez ('The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare') and Emma Stone ('Poor Things)' in a star-studded Best Actress category.This year's ceremony is set to take place on July 3 at the Porchester Hall in London and marks the 10th anniversary of the prestigious awards. It will feature a lineup of nominees from around the globe consisting of seasoned acting veterans and emerging young talents.The Best Actor category is equally competitive with stars including Barry Keoghan ('Saltburn), Kevin Hart ('Lift') and Ewan McGregor ('Bleeding Love') competing for the prize with Kane Robinson ('The Kitchen') and Lakeith Stanfield ('Book of Clarence').Meanwhile,...
- 4/30/2024
- by Joe Graber
- Bang Showbiz
Kevin Hart has become a popular face in the world of comic actors and is one of the most prolific comedians currently. The actor has entertained audiences over the years with his impeccable comic timing and unique humor. The success of his films in the 2010s like About Last Night, Get Hard, Central Intelligence, the Ride Along films, and the Jumanji franchise have made him a big star.
Kevin Hart in 2017’s Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
The actor has amassed a great fortune over the years with many box office hits. The actor was recently interviewed by 60 Minutes about his life and career. When asked whether he was a billionaire, Hart put on his sarcastic wit and provided a hilarious yet sensible answer to the question.
Kevin Hart Sets The Record Straight When Asked Whether He’s a Billionaire
In addition to films, Kevin Hart also hosts the...
Kevin Hart in 2017’s Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
The actor has amassed a great fortune over the years with many box office hits. The actor was recently interviewed by 60 Minutes about his life and career. When asked whether he was a billionaire, Hart put on his sarcastic wit and provided a hilarious yet sensible answer to the question.
Kevin Hart Sets The Record Straight When Asked Whether He’s a Billionaire
In addition to films, Kevin Hart also hosts the...
- 4/22/2024
- by Rahul Thokchom
- FandomWire
Comedian and box office powerhouse Kevin Hart and his Hartbeat production banner have signed with WME for representation in all areas.
The signing comes as Hart continues to develop, star in and produce feature films, TV series, commercials and podcasts via Hartbeat as it expands its portfolio of multiplatform IP. WME had been representing Hart for comedy touring and is now expanding its relationship. Hartbeat was created in 2022 when Hart merged his existing entertainment companies Hartbeat Productions and Laugh Out Loud.
The company now consists of three divisions: Hartbeat Studios, which finances, develops and produces IP; Hartbeat Media, which distributes content through channels including the Lol! Network; and Pulse, a brand-funded entertainment studio and marketing consultancy. Hartbeat released 23 projects across TV, film, digital and audio last year and opened a new headquarters in Los Angeles.
The company boasts strategic partnerships with NBCUniversal, Netflix, SiriusXM, Sundance Institute, P&g, Walmart, Chase,...
The signing comes as Hart continues to develop, star in and produce feature films, TV series, commercials and podcasts via Hartbeat as it expands its portfolio of multiplatform IP. WME had been representing Hart for comedy touring and is now expanding its relationship. Hartbeat was created in 2022 when Hart merged his existing entertainment companies Hartbeat Productions and Laugh Out Loud.
The company now consists of three divisions: Hartbeat Studios, which finances, develops and produces IP; Hartbeat Media, which distributes content through channels including the Lol! Network; and Pulse, a brand-funded entertainment studio and marketing consultancy. Hartbeat released 23 projects across TV, film, digital and audio last year and opened a new headquarters in Los Angeles.
The company boasts strategic partnerships with NBCUniversal, Netflix, SiriusXM, Sundance Institute, P&g, Walmart, Chase,...
- 4/18/2024
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Kevin Hart and his global entertainment company Hartbeat have signed with WME for representation in all areas.
Hart will continue to develop, star in and produce feature films, television, commercials, and podcasts via Hartbeat. Hart was represented by WME for comedy touring, and is now expanding his relationship with the agency. The move to WME comes as Hart and Hartbeat continue to expand their portfolio of multi-platform IP.
Hart, who was named by Billboard as the highest grossing comedian in 2023, recently announced his “Acting My Age” tour.
Last month, he received the Kennedy Center’s annual Mark Twain Prize for American Comedy, as the 25th recipient and the youngest honoree to date. Hart has received multiple Grammy and Emmy award nominations over his decades-spanning career and is also a two-time New York Times best selling author.
A successful entrepreneur, Hart is chairman of Hartbeat, which develops, creates, distributes, and markets...
Hart will continue to develop, star in and produce feature films, television, commercials, and podcasts via Hartbeat. Hart was represented by WME for comedy touring, and is now expanding his relationship with the agency. The move to WME comes as Hart and Hartbeat continue to expand their portfolio of multi-platform IP.
Hart, who was named by Billboard as the highest grossing comedian in 2023, recently announced his “Acting My Age” tour.
Last month, he received the Kennedy Center’s annual Mark Twain Prize for American Comedy, as the 25th recipient and the youngest honoree to date. Hart has received multiple Grammy and Emmy award nominations over his decades-spanning career and is also a two-time New York Times best selling author.
A successful entrepreneur, Hart is chairman of Hartbeat, which develops, creates, distributes, and markets...
- 4/18/2024
- by Katcy Stephan
- Variety Film + TV
Director Renny Harlin's career is fascinating. The Finnish filmmaker grew up loving Hollywood movies and later managed to insert himself into that very industry, making a slew of successful '80s and '90s movies from "The Long Kiss Goodnight" to "A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master." More recently, however, his output has been a little more uneven.
Last year, Harlin's Pierce Brosnan-starring film "The Misfits" made a surprise comeback on Netflix. I say a "surprise" because "The Misfits" did not fare well at the box office when it was first released in 2021, and despite Harlin's efforts to rekindle the magic of his '90s actioners, simply functioned, according to critic Chris Bumbray, as "ad for Abu Dhabi tourism." Thankfully, the man who gave us such classics as "Die Hard 2" and "Cliffhanger" has not simply been reduced to churning out streaming movies that desperately...
Last year, Harlin's Pierce Brosnan-starring film "The Misfits" made a surprise comeback on Netflix. I say a "surprise" because "The Misfits" did not fare well at the box office when it was first released in 2021, and despite Harlin's efforts to rekindle the magic of his '90s actioners, simply functioned, according to critic Chris Bumbray, as "ad for Abu Dhabi tourism." Thankfully, the man who gave us such classics as "Die Hard 2" and "Cliffhanger" has not simply been reduced to churning out streaming movies that desperately...
- 4/18/2024
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
"Borderlands" is one of the most popular video game franchises of the 2000s. Now, it's becoming a movie, with Lionsgate hoping to turn it into a franchise for the big screen. Directed by Eli Roth, this video game adaptation has been in the works for a long, long time, but it's finally hitting theaters this summer. That being the case, the studio brought some new footage from the film to this year's CinemaCon in Las Vegas, and I was on hand to see what Roth cooked up.
One thing the movie has going for it is a stellar A-list cast led by Cate Blanchett ("Thor: Ragnarok") as Lilith. The ensemble also includes Jack Black ("The Super Mario Bros. Movie"), Kevin Hart ("Lift"), Jamie Lee Curtis ("Halloween"), Ariana Greenblatt ("Barbie"), Florian Munteanu ("Creed II"), and Edgar Ramirez ("Yes Day"). It also, at one point, had "The Last of Us" and "Chernobyl") writer Craig Mazin attached,...
One thing the movie has going for it is a stellar A-list cast led by Cate Blanchett ("Thor: Ragnarok") as Lilith. The ensemble also includes Jack Black ("The Super Mario Bros. Movie"), Kevin Hart ("Lift"), Jamie Lee Curtis ("Halloween"), Ariana Greenblatt ("Barbie"), Florian Munteanu ("Creed II"), and Edgar Ramirez ("Yes Day"). It also, at one point, had "The Last of Us" and "Chernobyl") writer Craig Mazin attached,...
- 4/10/2024
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
Last week, Denzel Washington's thriller "The Little Things" topped the Netflix charts after having originally debuted in 2021 and failing to make much of an impact. It was a nice little post-release bump for the film, which, though it wasn't all that well received initially, had grand ambitions to do something different with the crime thriller genre by providing no actual answers to its central mystery. Now, a week later, "The Little Things" is maintaining its dominance on the Netflix charts. But all the while Denzel has been reigning supreme, two other films have been threatening him to usurp him.
Back in 2017, director M. Night Shyamalan debuted "Split," a self-financed stealth sequel to his 2000 film "Unbreakable." Rather than marketing the film as such, he kept the revelation that this was a follow-up to his earlier, Bruce Willis-led thriller, under wraps. Even Universal didn't know about the twist ending before seeing the movie,...
Back in 2017, director M. Night Shyamalan debuted "Split," a self-financed stealth sequel to his 2000 film "Unbreakable." Rather than marketing the film as such, he kept the revelation that this was a follow-up to his earlier, Bruce Willis-led thriller, under wraps. Even Universal didn't know about the twist ending before seeing the movie,...
- 4/8/2024
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
During the pandemic, most of us apparently watched Chris Hemsworth's actioner "Extraction" more than anything else, with the 2020 film becoming the most popular Netflix original movie at the time. But I remember being much more excited for "The Little Things."
This neo-noir crime thriller from writer-director John Lee Hancock seemed to have it all — especially if you happened to be a '90s kid with fond memories of "Seven." The trailer for "The Little Things" promised Denzel Washington in full jaded cop mode as Kern County Sheriff's Office deputy Joe Deacon, tracking down a serial killer in early-'90s Los Angeles with the help of a much younger, idealistic L.A. cop in the form of Rami Malek's James Baxter. It might have sounded a tad formulaic, but I'll take any noir-tinged thriller promising to give us a peek under California's carapace and reveal the seedy underworld therein.
This neo-noir crime thriller from writer-director John Lee Hancock seemed to have it all — especially if you happened to be a '90s kid with fond memories of "Seven." The trailer for "The Little Things" promised Denzel Washington in full jaded cop mode as Kern County Sheriff's Office deputy Joe Deacon, tracking down a serial killer in early-'90s Los Angeles with the help of a much younger, idealistic L.A. cop in the form of Rami Malek's James Baxter. It might have sounded a tad formulaic, but I'll take any noir-tinged thriller promising to give us a peek under California's carapace and reveal the seedy underworld therein.
- 4/5/2024
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
In 2023, "Euphoria" star Angus Cloud sadly passed away at the age of 25. It was a particularly tragic loss as the young actor, who played Fezco "Fez" O'Neill on the hit HBO series, was clearly very talented, possessed a seemingly endless amount of charisma, and had a slate of exciting projects in the works at the time he passed. He'll soon posthumously star in the upcoming Universal Monsters film "Abigail," in which kidnappers battle a vampire ballerina, from "Scream" and "Ready or Not" directors, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. But that's far from the only project outside "Euphoria" that Cloud had in the works.
"Freaky Tales," from "Captain Marvel" directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, caused a small stir at Sundance earlier this year, though a wide release is still being hashed out. The Pedro Pascal-led indie drama focuses on four interconnected stories in 1987 Oakland, and paid tribute to Cloud at its Sundance debut.
"Freaky Tales," from "Captain Marvel" directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, caused a small stir at Sundance earlier this year, though a wide release is still being hashed out. The Pedro Pascal-led indie drama focuses on four interconnected stories in 1987 Oakland, and paid tribute to Cloud at its Sundance debut.
- 3/18/2024
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
It is a controversy more befitting of a Real Housewife than a royal princess. On Monday, Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, posted a personal message — via the Kensington Royal social pages — to apologize for any “confusion” caused by a Mother’s Day photograph. (In the U.K., Mother’s Day falls on the second Sunday of March.) “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused,” the post read. “I hope everyone...
- 3/13/2024
- by Louis Staples
- Rollingstone.com
Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.
Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:
Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys
2024 Oscars Predictions:
Best Documentary Feature
Weekly Commentary: With the Directors Guild of America and BAFTA Awards in hand, in addition to the tragic news of the death of Alexei Navalny, the subject of the Oscar-winning “Navalny” last year, “20 Days in Mariupol” is too important to ignore.
Will Win:...
Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:
Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys
2024 Oscars Predictions:
Best Documentary Feature
Weekly Commentary: With the Directors Guild of America and BAFTA Awards in hand, in addition to the tragic news of the death of Alexei Navalny, the subject of the Oscar-winning “Navalny” last year, “20 Days in Mariupol” is too important to ignore.
Will Win:...
- 3/7/2024
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Stars: Kevin Hart, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sam Worthington, Jean Reno, Vincent D’Onofrio, Úrsula Corberó, Billy Magnussen, Yun Jee Kim, Viveik Kalra, Jacob Batalon | Written by Daniel Kunka | Directed by F. Gary Gray
After behind-the-scenes conflict marred the final cut of 2019’s Men In Black: International, director F. Gary Gray returns with a simpler premise for Lift. The story initially begins at an auction in Venice, where international thief Cyrus Whitaker (Kevin Hart) arrives to bid on an item. Keeping an eye on Cyrus is Interpol agent Abby Gladwell (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), although it becomes clear that this is part of the plan when Cyrus’ team evades the agents to simultaneously kidnap an Nft artist and steal a Van Gogh painting.
Under the orders of her boss (Sam Worthington), Abby offers a deal to Cyrus and his team for immunity. In exchange, they agree to steal the $500 million in gold that billionaire Lars Jorgensen...
After behind-the-scenes conflict marred the final cut of 2019’s Men In Black: International, director F. Gary Gray returns with a simpler premise for Lift. The story initially begins at an auction in Venice, where international thief Cyrus Whitaker (Kevin Hart) arrives to bid on an item. Keeping an eye on Cyrus is Interpol agent Abby Gladwell (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), although it becomes clear that this is part of the plan when Cyrus’ team evades the agents to simultaneously kidnap an Nft artist and steal a Van Gogh painting.
Under the orders of her boss (Sam Worthington), Abby offers a deal to Cyrus and his team for immunity. In exchange, they agree to steal the $500 million in gold that billionaire Lars Jorgensen...
- 3/6/2024
- by James Rodrigues
- Nerdly
So far, 2024 has seen everything from a cult favorite sci-fi comedy to a forgotten Alexander Skarsgård and Margot Robbie film hitting the Netflix Top 10 charts. Frankly, it was nice to see something other than Kevin Hart's "Lift" in the charts, as this most recent effort from the standup star seems to be the latest in an endless supply of middling streaming movies that somehow come to dominate Netflix's most-watched rankings. Thankfully, Hart has now departed the charts to make way for more popular films and TV on Netflix, and this month there's a particular Canadian franchise that's managed to capture viewers' attention.
"Code 8" started life as a 2016 short film that essentially served as a trailer for a larger crowd-funded project. That project finally arrived in 2019 in the form of a feature-length "Code 8" movie, a science fiction actioner written and directed by Jeff Chan. The film stars...
"Code 8" started life as a 2016 short film that essentially served as a trailer for a larger crowd-funded project. That project finally arrived in 2019 in the form of a feature-length "Code 8" movie, a science fiction actioner written and directed by Jeff Chan. The film stars...
- 3/5/2024
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
Video game movies have come a long way in the last several years, with the likes of "Sonic the Hedgehog" and "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," among others, making great strides. As a result, many Hollywood studios are turning to the gaming world in hopes of finding the next great big-screen franchise. To that end, Lionsgate is set to release "Borderlands" as one of this summer's big blockbusters and yes, it is based on an extremely popular series of games.
This one has been in the works for a long time and even finished filming several years ago. But it's finally arriving this year and fans will soon know if this will be the next step in the right direction for video game movies. We're here to give you all of the need-to-know details about the film so you can be ready when it hits theaters -- from who is...
This one has been in the works for a long time and even finished filming several years ago. But it's finally arriving this year and fans will soon know if this will be the next step in the right direction for video game movies. We're here to give you all of the need-to-know details about the film so you can be ready when it hits theaters -- from who is...
- 2/28/2024
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
For the first time since the show became exclusive to Peacock, The Office has made the weekly streaming rankings.
The long-running comedy series racked up 602 million minutes of viewing time for the week of Jan. 22-28, good enough for ninth place among library series. It’s the first appearance for The Office — which was a regular entrant in the early days of the Nielsen rankings — since it left Netflix for Peacock at the beginning of 2021.
At the top of the rankings for the week is Griselda, Netflix’s drama about the infamous drug queenpin starring Sofia Vergara. The series had 1.59 billion minutes of watch time over its first four days of release (it premiered Jan. 25). Reacher (741 million minutes) hung on in second place among original series a week after its second season finale on Prime Video, beating out Netflix’s docuseries American Nightmare (676 million).
Kids’ favorite Bluey led the acquired...
The long-running comedy series racked up 602 million minutes of viewing time for the week of Jan. 22-28, good enough for ninth place among library series. It’s the first appearance for The Office — which was a regular entrant in the early days of the Nielsen rankings — since it left Netflix for Peacock at the beginning of 2021.
At the top of the rankings for the week is Griselda, Netflix’s drama about the infamous drug queenpin starring Sofia Vergara. The series had 1.59 billion minutes of watch time over its first four days of release (it premiered Jan. 25). Reacher (741 million minutes) hung on in second place among original series a week after its second season finale on Prime Video, beating out Netflix’s docuseries American Nightmare (676 million).
Kids’ favorite Bluey led the acquired...
- 2/22/2024
- by Rick Porter
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Former Warner Bros. exec Jay Levine has joined Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat as its new chief executive officer. Levine replaces ex-ceo Thai Randolph, who exited the company in November after nearly seven years at the helm.
In his new role, Levine will oversee all aspects of the company’s activities including development, production, marketing, distribution and other exploitation of its IP and experiences.
His hire comes amid a strong period of growth for Hartbeat. Last year, the company released 23 projects across TV, film, digital and audio, nearly doubled its staff, and opened its new Los Angeles headquarters.
Levine spent over a decade at Warner Bros. and Warner Media before he departed after the Discovery merger. Most recently, he led strategy and operations for the WarnerMedia Studios and Networks Group, which included WB Pictures Group, HBO, and HBO Max Programming, WB Television Group, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, WB Animation, TBS, TNT,...
In his new role, Levine will oversee all aspects of the company’s activities including development, production, marketing, distribution and other exploitation of its IP and experiences.
His hire comes amid a strong period of growth for Hartbeat. Last year, the company released 23 projects across TV, film, digital and audio, nearly doubled its staff, and opened its new Los Angeles headquarters.
Levine spent over a decade at Warner Bros. and Warner Media before he departed after the Discovery merger. Most recently, he led strategy and operations for the WarnerMedia Studios and Networks Group, which included WB Pictures Group, HBO, and HBO Max Programming, WB Television Group, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, WB Animation, TBS, TNT,...
- 2/20/2024
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat has appointed Jay Levine, who previously spent more than a decade at Warner Bros. and WarnerMedia, as CEO.
Levine takes over the chief executive role from Thai Randolph, who exited Hartbeat last fall after seven years with the company. As Hartbeat’s CEO, Levine will oversee all aspects of the multiplatform entertainment company’s activities including development, production, marketing, distribution and other exploitation of its intellectual property and experiences.
Most recently, Levine led strategy and operations for the WarnerMedia Studios and Networks Group, which included WB Pictures Group, HBO and HBO Max Programming, WB Television Group, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, WB Animation, TBS, TNT, DC, Consumer Products, Global Brands & Experiences, and other traditional and digital content businesses. He exited the company in October 2022 after Discovery’s acquisition of WarnerMedia to form Warner Bros. Discovery.
During his tenure at WB, Levine worked with all main creative divisions across development,...
Levine takes over the chief executive role from Thai Randolph, who exited Hartbeat last fall after seven years with the company. As Hartbeat’s CEO, Levine will oversee all aspects of the multiplatform entertainment company’s activities including development, production, marketing, distribution and other exploitation of its intellectual property and experiences.
Most recently, Levine led strategy and operations for the WarnerMedia Studios and Networks Group, which included WB Pictures Group, HBO and HBO Max Programming, WB Television Group, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, WB Animation, TBS, TNT, DC, Consumer Products, Global Brands & Experiences, and other traditional and digital content businesses. He exited the company in October 2022 after Discovery’s acquisition of WarnerMedia to form Warner Bros. Discovery.
During his tenure at WB, Levine worked with all main creative divisions across development,...
- 2/20/2024
- by Todd Spangler
- Variety Film + TV
The week of Jan. 15-21 was a big one for streaming.
Seven titles — three original series, three acquired shows and one movie — each drew more than 1 billion minutes of viewing for the week, the most that have ever hit that mark in the four-year history of Nielsen’s streaming charts. The previous high was six, which has happened four times (including two weeks earlier).
Kids’ favorite Bluey was the overall No. 1, with just over 1.5 billion minutes on Disney+. Reacher (1.23 billion) reclaimed the top spot among original shows from the prior week‘s leader, Fool Me Once, which fell by more than 50 percent to 1.06 billion minutes of watch time. Netflix’s heist movie Lift grew by 19 percent week-to-week, scoring 1.04 billion minutes.
Young Sheldon (1.16 billion minutes), Netflix’s docuseries American Nightmare (1.12 billion) and Grey’s Anatomy (1.09 billion) also hit the billion-minute mark.
Former NBC series This Is Us was the latest recipient of...
Seven titles — three original series, three acquired shows and one movie — each drew more than 1 billion minutes of viewing for the week, the most that have ever hit that mark in the four-year history of Nielsen’s streaming charts. The previous high was six, which has happened four times (including two weeks earlier).
Kids’ favorite Bluey was the overall No. 1, with just over 1.5 billion minutes on Disney+. Reacher (1.23 billion) reclaimed the top spot among original shows from the prior week‘s leader, Fool Me Once, which fell by more than 50 percent to 1.06 billion minutes of watch time. Netflix’s heist movie Lift grew by 19 percent week-to-week, scoring 1.04 billion minutes.
Young Sheldon (1.16 billion minutes), Netflix’s docuseries American Nightmare (1.12 billion) and Grey’s Anatomy (1.09 billion) also hit the billion-minute mark.
Former NBC series This Is Us was the latest recipient of...
- 2/15/2024
- by Rick Porter
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“This Is Us” has joined the list of titles seeing major viewership bumps after being added to Netflix. The series, which was already available on Hulu and was added to Netflix on Jan. 8, was watched for 929 million minutes across both services between Jan. 15 and Jan. 21 and landed in the No. 8 position of Nielsen’s weekly streaming rankings.
Two other titles on the Jan. 15-21 chart have enjoyed the same effect: “Young Sheldon,” which took third place with 1.2 billion minutes watched, continuing the hot streak that began when it was added to Netflix in November; and “Suits” which became America’s No. 1 most streamed title of 2023 after its addition to Netflix in June and this week landed at No. 10 with 732 million minutes watched.
With 1.5 billion minutes watched, the No. 1 title of the week was “Bluey” (which was the second-most-streamed title of 2023 after “Suits”). “Reacher” took second place with 1.2 billion minutes watched; notably,...
Two other titles on the Jan. 15-21 chart have enjoyed the same effect: “Young Sheldon,” which took third place with 1.2 billion minutes watched, continuing the hot streak that began when it was added to Netflix in November; and “Suits” which became America’s No. 1 most streamed title of 2023 after its addition to Netflix in June and this week landed at No. 10 with 732 million minutes watched.
With 1.5 billion minutes watched, the No. 1 title of the week was “Bluey” (which was the second-most-streamed title of 2023 after “Suits”). “Reacher” took second place with 1.2 billion minutes watched; notably,...
- 2/15/2024
- by Selome Hailu
- Variety Film + TV
Veritonic, the industry’s comprehensive audio analytics and research platform, announced today a new tier of their Brand Lift solution, Brand Lift Pulse. The self-serve solution is the first of its kind, removing long-standing barriers to brand health and campaign performance data.
Brand Lift Pulse provides brands with access to actionable awareness, favorability, use, intent, and recall data for audio campaigns of all sizes. Additionally, audio platforms and networks can now offer this highly coveted data to clients at every spend level and campaign size, providing invaluable insights that were historically reserved for substantial campaign investments.
“At Veritonic, we are firm believers in democratizing access to essential data for audio success, advocating for the principle that every brand, agency, and platform should have the tools they need, irrespective of their size, scale, or investment capacity,” said Scott Simonelli, Founder and CEO of Veritonic. “Brand Lift Pulse not only levels the playing field,...
Brand Lift Pulse provides brands with access to actionable awareness, favorability, use, intent, and recall data for audio campaigns of all sizes. Additionally, audio platforms and networks can now offer this highly coveted data to clients at every spend level and campaign size, providing invaluable insights that were historically reserved for substantial campaign investments.
“At Veritonic, we are firm believers in democratizing access to essential data for audio success, advocating for the principle that every brand, agency, and platform should have the tools they need, irrespective of their size, scale, or investment capacity,” said Scott Simonelli, Founder and CEO of Veritonic. “Brand Lift Pulse not only levels the playing field,...
- 2/15/2024
- Podnews.net
Griselda, the limited series starring and executive produced by Sofía Vergara, spent its third week atop the English TV list. It dropped to 10.3M views, from its previous week’s 20.6 million, but was still far ahead of No. 2., Season 1 of The Tourist, which moved from Max to Netflix in the U.S., with 6.8M views. One Day, the limited series starring Ambika Mod and Leo Woodall, adapted from David Nicholls’ romance novel that was previously adapted as a movie, debuted in third place with 5.3M views. Netflix says it reached the Top 10 in 75 countries.
Back on the list for the week of Feb. 5-Feb. 11, are the docuseries Alexander: The Making of a God at #3 (3.5M views), Harlan Coben’s crime thriller Fool Me Once at #5 (3.3M views), true crime docuseries American Nightmare at #6 (3M views) and Season 2 of Love on the Spectrum US at #10 (1.2M views).
At the top of...
Back on the list for the week of Feb. 5-Feb. 11, are the docuseries Alexander: The Making of a God at #3 (3.5M views), Harlan Coben’s crime thriller Fool Me Once at #5 (3.3M views), true crime docuseries American Nightmare at #6 (3M views) and Season 2 of Love on the Spectrum US at #10 (1.2M views).
At the top of...
- 2/13/2024
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Kevin Hart’s latest movie, Lift, sees him try to steal $500 million worth of gold from a plane. Will he succeed with Interpol hot on his tail? The movie follows Hart in the lead role as a master criminal, leading a band of thieves to thwart a terrorist attack while getting a little something for themselves on the side. Director F. Gary Gray, known for his work in movies like The Italian Job, Set If Off, and Straight Outta Compton worked on this movie leaving his mark in most scenes. Despite some bad reviews on social media and a dismal 30% on Rotten...
- 2/12/2024
- by Isabel k
- TVovermind.com
The drought is over — or at least, it seems to be ending.
After a slow few months for streaming originals (with the exception of Amazon’s Reacher), several managed to crack Nielsen’s overall Top 10 for the week of January 8 to 14.
The top title this week was Netflix’s Fool Me Once with nearly 2.4B viewing minutes. No surprise there, since the series cracked the streamer’s own most popular list this week. This looks to be the first of many weeks in the Nielsen Top 10 for the show.
Of course, Reacher was still around. This week, the series took No. 3 with just over 1B minutes viewed. With the Season 2 finale approaching in the next measurement period, this seems to be another title that will stick around for a bit.
In its second week on Netflix, The Brothers Sun made it onto the Top 10 at No. 6, raking in 960M minutes viewed across eight episodes.
After a slow few months for streaming originals (with the exception of Amazon’s Reacher), several managed to crack Nielsen’s overall Top 10 for the week of January 8 to 14.
The top title this week was Netflix’s Fool Me Once with nearly 2.4B viewing minutes. No surprise there, since the series cracked the streamer’s own most popular list this week. This looks to be the first of many weeks in the Nielsen Top 10 for the show.
Of course, Reacher was still around. This week, the series took No. 3 with just over 1B minutes viewed. With the Season 2 finale approaching in the next measurement period, this seems to be another title that will stick around for a bit.
In its second week on Netflix, The Brothers Sun made it onto the Top 10 at No. 6, raking in 960M minutes viewed across eight episodes.
- 2/8/2024
- by Katie Campione
- Deadline Film + TV
Netflix’s The Brothers Sun had a solid opening on Nielsen’s streaming charts, but the show took a sizable leap forward in its second week of release.
The series, starring Michelle Yeoh, Sam Song Li and Justin Chien, grew by 38 percent over its debut week to record 960 million minutes of viewing for Jan. 8-14. That was good for third place among original series, behind Fool Me Once (2.4 billion minutes of viewing) — which was also the No. 1 overall title for the second straight week — and Reacher (1.06 billion), which recorded its fifth straight week over the billion-minute mark.
Disney+ and Hulu also saw a good start for Echo, its first binge-released Marvel series and the first Marvel show in the Disney+ era to receive a TV-ma rating. The five-episode show drew 731 million minutes of viewing for the week. That’s above recent premieres for shows like Loki and Secret Invasion, but...
The series, starring Michelle Yeoh, Sam Song Li and Justin Chien, grew by 38 percent over its debut week to record 960 million minutes of viewing for Jan. 8-14. That was good for third place among original series, behind Fool Me Once (2.4 billion minutes of viewing) — which was also the No. 1 overall title for the second straight week — and Reacher (1.06 billion), which recorded its fifth straight week over the billion-minute mark.
Disney+ and Hulu also saw a good start for Echo, its first binge-released Marvel series and the first Marvel show in the Disney+ era to receive a TV-ma rating. The five-episode show drew 731 million minutes of viewing for the week. That’s above recent premieres for shows like Loki and Secret Invasion, but...
- 2/8/2024
- by Rick Porter
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“Echo,” the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s newest TV show, made its debut on Nielsen’s weekly streaming rankings in 10th place for the week of Jan. 8-14. The series was watched for 731 million minutes in its first six days of availability on Disney+.
This marks a success for the MCU, as its TV projects typically fail to make Nielsen’s overall Top 10 chart when they first premiere, instead debuting on the streaming originals chart and progressing towards the overall chart over a matter of weeks. For example, Season 2 of “Loki” premiered in October but didn’t appear on the chart until its finale aired in November.
It should be noted, however, that “Echo” had a measurement advantage: All five episodes of the limited series dropped at once, helping to boost its total minutes watched. With a lack of upcoming episodes, “Echo” will likely also fall off the Nielsen charts more quickly than other Marvel shows.
This marks a success for the MCU, as its TV projects typically fail to make Nielsen’s overall Top 10 chart when they first premiere, instead debuting on the streaming originals chart and progressing towards the overall chart over a matter of weeks. For example, Season 2 of “Loki” premiered in October but didn’t appear on the chart until its finale aired in November.
It should be noted, however, that “Echo” had a measurement advantage: All five episodes of the limited series dropped at once, helping to boost its total minutes watched. With a lack of upcoming episodes, “Echo” will likely also fall off the Nielsen charts more quickly than other Marvel shows.
- 2/8/2024
- by Selome Hailu
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix’s Global Top 10 Films: From Lift To The Super Mario Bros Movie, See The Full List! ( Photo Credit – IMDb )
After being on the list of Netflix’s Top 10 Films for ten weeks, the animated movie Leo is one more on it! The latest list sees some new entries, with The Super Mario Bros Movie still hanging in there. Lift has been dethroned from its #1 position to #3. The streaming platform is here with the report card for the week of January 29-February 4. Scroll below to find out which films are keeping the subscribers busy.
Netflix brings out the Global Top 10 list for TV shows in English and non-English and films in English and non-English. They tally the number of views a movie receives and the number of hours the subscribers spend on them. The process is the same for TV shows. We will be covering the TV Shows in a separate article.
After being on the list of Netflix’s Top 10 Films for ten weeks, the animated movie Leo is one more on it! The latest list sees some new entries, with The Super Mario Bros Movie still hanging in there. Lift has been dethroned from its #1 position to #3. The streaming platform is here with the report card for the week of January 29-February 4. Scroll below to find out which films are keeping the subscribers busy.
Netflix brings out the Global Top 10 list for TV shows in English and non-English and films in English and non-English. They tally the number of views a movie receives and the number of hours the subscribers spend on them. The process is the same for TV shows. We will be covering the TV Shows in a separate article.
- 2/7/2024
- by Esita Mallik
- KoiMoi
Netflix kicked off February with news of the streaming service’s 2024 film slate.
The steamer, which landed 18 Oscar nominations this year – including seven for Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro” – will debut numerous populist films in 2024, including new projects from Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz, Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry, Jenifer Lopez, Millie Bobby Brown, Eddie Murphy, and more.
Well-known directors with movies set to premiere on Netflix this year include Tyler Perry (two titles), McG, Richard Linklater, and Lee Daniels. Comedian Jerry Seinfeld will also make his directorial debut with “Unfrosted: The Pop-Tart Story.”
On the awards front, while it’s too early to tell which projects might pop – and what movies Netflix might acquire for release this year, similarly to how the studio purchased Todd Haynes’ “May December” at the Cannes Film Festival last year – titles to flag include “The Piano Lesson” from Malcolm Washington with Samuel L. Jackson and John David Washington,...
The steamer, which landed 18 Oscar nominations this year – including seven for Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro” – will debut numerous populist films in 2024, including new projects from Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz, Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry, Jenifer Lopez, Millie Bobby Brown, Eddie Murphy, and more.
Well-known directors with movies set to premiere on Netflix this year include Tyler Perry (two titles), McG, Richard Linklater, and Lee Daniels. Comedian Jerry Seinfeld will also make his directorial debut with “Unfrosted: The Pop-Tart Story.”
On the awards front, while it’s too early to tell which projects might pop – and what movies Netflix might acquire for release this year, similarly to how the studio purchased Todd Haynes’ “May December” at the Cannes Film Festival last year – titles to flag include “The Piano Lesson” from Malcolm Washington with Samuel L. Jackson and John David Washington,...
- 2/1/2024
- by Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
Dean Israelite Tapped To Direct Thriller ‘Can You Hear Me?’ For Hartbeat, The Hideaway Entertainment
Exclusive: Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat and The Hideaway Entertainment will partner to produce Can You Hear Me?, a new thriller scripted by Taylor Anthony Hopkins (The Last Reverie) and Luke Kelly-Clyne. Set to direct the pic, which is currently casting, is Emmy and DGA Award nominee Dean Israelite (Little Wing).
Can You Hear Me? follows a telephone scammer who learns that his nephew has been kidnapped and must collect a sum of money to get him back. Financed by The Hideaway Entertainment, the film’s producers are Kevin Hart, Bryan Smiley, Patricia Braga and Luke Kelly-Clyne for Hartbeat, along with Jonathan Gray, Matthew Rhodes and Kristy Grisham for The Hideaway. Ty Walker and Kevin Healey are exec producing for Hartbeat, along with Ryan Cassells for The Hideaway. Jen Cox serves as co-producer, with production to kick off this summer.
“‘Can You Hear Me?’ furthers Hartbeat’s commitment to...
Can You Hear Me? follows a telephone scammer who learns that his nephew has been kidnapped and must collect a sum of money to get him back. Financed by The Hideaway Entertainment, the film’s producers are Kevin Hart, Bryan Smiley, Patricia Braga and Luke Kelly-Clyne for Hartbeat, along with Jonathan Gray, Matthew Rhodes and Kristy Grisham for The Hideaway. Ty Walker and Kevin Healey are exec producing for Hartbeat, along with Ryan Cassells for The Hideaway. Jen Cox serves as co-producer, with production to kick off this summer.
“‘Can You Hear Me?’ furthers Hartbeat’s commitment to...
- 1/31/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
“Griselda” reigned supreme as a queenpin of the Netflix Top 10 following its Jan. 25 premiere. Inspired by the life of notorious cartel boss Griselda Blanco scored 20.6 million total views during the Jan. 22-28 viewing window, and was No. 1 in 89 countries, making it the most watched title of the week. Starring and executive produced by Sofia Vergara, the series is created by Eric Newman and directed by Andres Baiz.
Meanwhile on the film side, “Leave the World Behind,” which previously spent several weeks at No. 1, joined, entered the Most Popular English Films List at No. 8 with 136.3 million views in its first 52 days on the streamer.
Also, F. Gary Gray and Kevin Hart’s “Lift” continued its No. 1 run on the English Films chart with 17.4 million views as Daniel Kaluuya’s dystopian directorial debut “The Kitchen” took third place with 7.7 million views and Adam Sandler’s “Leo” spent its 10th week among the top 10 with 2.9 million views.
Meanwhile on the film side, “Leave the World Behind,” which previously spent several weeks at No. 1, joined, entered the Most Popular English Films List at No. 8 with 136.3 million views in its first 52 days on the streamer.
Also, F. Gary Gray and Kevin Hart’s “Lift” continued its No. 1 run on the English Films chart with 17.4 million views as Daniel Kaluuya’s dystopian directorial debut “The Kitchen” took third place with 7.7 million views and Adam Sandler’s “Leo” spent its 10th week among the top 10 with 2.9 million views.
- 1/30/2024
- by BreAnna Bell
- Variety Film + TV
Leave the World Behind has officially become one of Netflix’s most popular films of all time.
Sam Esmail’s thriller has been steadily moving toward the English Films list for several weeks and finally crossed the threshold during the week of January 22 to 30, debuting at No. 8 with 136.3M views in its first 52 days. Since Netflix now uses a 91-day premiere window to measure the success of its titles, the film still has plenty of time to cement itself higher on the list.
In fact, it’s likely that Leave the World Behind will jump quickly past The Mother, which is currently at No. 7 with just 136.4M views in its premiere window.
Also headed to the most popular list is Berlin, which has tallied 50.1M views in its first 31 days on Netflix — enough to get it to No. 10 on the Non-English language list. The Money Heist franchise now holds four...
Sam Esmail’s thriller has been steadily moving toward the English Films list for several weeks and finally crossed the threshold during the week of January 22 to 30, debuting at No. 8 with 136.3M views in its first 52 days. Since Netflix now uses a 91-day premiere window to measure the success of its titles, the film still has plenty of time to cement itself higher on the list.
In fact, it’s likely that Leave the World Behind will jump quickly past The Mother, which is currently at No. 7 with just 136.4M views in its premiere window.
Also headed to the most popular list is Berlin, which has tallied 50.1M views in its first 31 days on Netflix — enough to get it to No. 10 on the Non-English language list. The Money Heist franchise now holds four...
- 1/30/2024
- by Katie Campione
- Deadline Film + TV
Actress Shruti Haasan will headline India-uk film co-production ‘Chennai Story’. She said that she is all ready to take forward a culturally-rooted story to an international audience.
Shruti said: “Hailing from Chennai, a story showing the diversity and uniqueness of Chennai is so special to me – collaborating with Phil is something I’m so excited to experience, telling global and rooted stories through international collaboration is what making cinema is all about. I’m all up for Sunitha Tati’s vision of taking a culturally-rooted story to an international audience through ‘Chennai Story’.”
Shruti, who is also a renowned musician, has acting credits across India’s various language film industries. In 2023, she was one of the leads in “Salaar,” one of India’s biggest hits of the year, and led British thriller ‘The Eye’. In 2019, she had a key role in US series ‘Treadstone’, reports Variety.
Adapted from Timeri N. Murari...
Shruti said: “Hailing from Chennai, a story showing the diversity and uniqueness of Chennai is so special to me – collaborating with Phil is something I’m so excited to experience, telling global and rooted stories through international collaboration is what making cinema is all about. I’m all up for Sunitha Tati’s vision of taking a culturally-rooted story to an international audience through ‘Chennai Story’.”
Shruti, who is also a renowned musician, has acting credits across India’s various language film industries. In 2023, she was one of the leads in “Salaar,” one of India’s biggest hits of the year, and led British thriller ‘The Eye’. In 2019, she had a key role in US series ‘Treadstone’, reports Variety.
Adapted from Timeri N. Murari...
- 1/24/2024
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
Indian star Shruti Haasan will headline India-u.K. film co-production “Chennai Story.”
Haasan, who is also a renowned musician, has acting credits across India’s various language film industries and in the U.S. and U.K. In 2023, she was one of the leads in “Salaar,” one of India’s biggest hits of the year, and led British thriller “The Eye.” In 2019, she had a key role in USA series “Treadstone.”
Adapted from Timeri N. Murari’s bestselling 2004 novel “The Arrangements of Love,” “Chennai Story” is a coming-of-age romantic comedy set against the backdrop of Wales and India where Haasan takes on the pivotal role of Anu, a spunky private detective. The role was previously supposed to be played by Samantha Ruth Prabhu who is now taking a year’s sabbatical due to health reasons. The cast also includes Viveik Kalra, who was the lead in “Blinded by the Light...
Haasan, who is also a renowned musician, has acting credits across India’s various language film industries and in the U.S. and U.K. In 2023, she was one of the leads in “Salaar,” one of India’s biggest hits of the year, and led British thriller “The Eye.” In 2019, she had a key role in USA series “Treadstone.”
Adapted from Timeri N. Murari’s bestselling 2004 novel “The Arrangements of Love,” “Chennai Story” is a coming-of-age romantic comedy set against the backdrop of Wales and India where Haasan takes on the pivotal role of Anu, a spunky private detective. The role was previously supposed to be played by Samantha Ruth Prabhu who is now taking a year’s sabbatical due to health reasons. The cast also includes Viveik Kalra, who was the lead in “Blinded by the Light...
- 1/24/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
English actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw was born to a South African father, Dr. Patrick Mbatha, and an English mother, Anne Raw, a nurse. Born in Oxford, England, Mbatha-Raw developed a passion for acting at an early age. Like many English actors before her, Mbatha-Raw began her acting career on stage. Gugu Mbatha-Raw has starred in several noteworthy movies, co-starring with top Hollywood talents. She began 2024 playing the female lead on Netflix’s heist comedy Lift, where she plays Interpol agent Abby alongside Kevin Hart and Spanish actress Úrsula Corberó. Besides her credits in several popular television series like Loki, here are...
- 1/23/2024
- by Onyinye Izundu
- TVovermind.com
Lift was once again Netflix’s most-watched title.
For the second consecutive week, the action heist dominated the streamer with 36.7M views from January 15 to 21. According to Netflix, the film was in the Top 10 in 93 countries.
The Legend of Tarzan came in second on the English-language film list, while the new dystopian film The Kitchen took third. Kibwe Tavares and Daniel Kaluuya made their directorial debut, collecting 5.6M views in the film’s first full week on the platform.
Adam Sandler’s Leo made it on the list for the ninth time with another 3.3M views, securing tenth place.
Over on the non-English language film list, Society of the Snow is still putting up impressive numbers after securing a spot on the most popular list. With another 13.4M views, the film rose to No. 4 on that all-time list, just in time to secure two Oscar nominations on Tuesday.
On the TV side of things,...
For the second consecutive week, the action heist dominated the streamer with 36.7M views from January 15 to 21. According to Netflix, the film was in the Top 10 in 93 countries.
The Legend of Tarzan came in second on the English-language film list, while the new dystopian film The Kitchen took third. Kibwe Tavares and Daniel Kaluuya made their directorial debut, collecting 5.6M views in the film’s first full week on the platform.
Adam Sandler’s Leo made it on the list for the ninth time with another 3.3M views, securing tenth place.
Over on the non-English language film list, Society of the Snow is still putting up impressive numbers after securing a spot on the most popular list. With another 13.4M views, the film rose to No. 4 on that all-time list, just in time to secure two Oscar nominations on Tuesday.
On the TV side of things,...
- 1/23/2024
- by Katie Campione
- Deadline Film + TV
Released on January 12, 2024, Lift became Netflix’s first action comedy thriller for 2024. Starred one of Hollywood’s most successful comic actors, Kevin Hart, in an against type role, easily rode Lift to success amongst audiences. Lift debuted on Netflix with 32.8 million views, as revealed by the streaming giant. Lift‘s plot revolves around a team of professional thieves led by Cyrus. When Interpol receives intel of a terrorist attack, Cyrus’ Interpol agent ex-girlfriend convinces him to help intercept and steal $500 million worth of gold scheduled as payment for the terror attack. Cyrus and his band of thieves must...
- 1/22/2024
- by Onyinye Izundu
- TVovermind.com
As we once again find ourselves in the midst of another year at the movies, we eagerly look forward to the films scheduled for release in the coming year. There is probably something coming out that should be over interest to everyone (at least that’s probably the hope of most filmmakers). As always, there will be the usual sequels and big blockbusters, as well as a plethora of additional titles in multiple genres to choose from. We hope you find this list of the upcoming films of 2024 and their release dates useful and that it helps you plan what you’re going to look forward to over the next twelve months.
The list below gathers all of the titles we know (right now at least) that are coming in 2024 by their current release date. Remember, these dates are subject to change. So, as dates change (and time permits) we...
The list below gathers all of the titles we know (right now at least) that are coming in 2024 by their current release date. Remember, these dates are subject to change. So, as dates change (and time permits) we...
- 1/21/2024
- by Mike Tyrkus
- CinemaNerdz
Kevin Hart has gotten far in life thanks to his natural comedic abilities. But earlier in his career, he wanted to get even further and tried to impress the same person who helped find Eddie Murphy. Hart, however, didn’t get the response he might’ve wanted after his performance.
Kevin Hart was told he didn’t measure up to comedians like Eddie Murphy Eddie Murphy and Kevin Hart | Maury Phillips / Getty Images
Like many comedians, Eddie Murphy was one of the comics who the Lift star looked up to. Hart considered himself to be funny from a young age. He described himself as a class clown who got the comedy bug after performing stand-up on a whim. Although he was working as a shoe salesman then, Hart seemed to have found his calling.
“My energy was great. I made my co-workers smile all the time. And I was a good salesman.
Kevin Hart was told he didn’t measure up to comedians like Eddie Murphy Eddie Murphy and Kevin Hart | Maury Phillips / Getty Images
Like many comedians, Eddie Murphy was one of the comics who the Lift star looked up to. Hart considered himself to be funny from a young age. He described himself as a class clown who got the comedy bug after performing stand-up on a whim. Although he was working as a shoe salesman then, Hart seemed to have found his calling.
“My energy was great. I made my co-workers smile all the time. And I was a good salesman.
- 1/21/2024
- by Antonio Stallings
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Kevin Hart joined The Independent for a recent interview in which he called Jo Koy a “phenomenal” stand-up comedian following the disastrous reviews Koy earned as the host of the 2024 Golden Globe Awards. Hart made headlines earlier this month when he said he will never host the Oscars because award shows “just aren’t comedy-friendly environments anymore,” and he doubled down on that opinion while talking about Koy. He argued that Koy had a far more difficult time connecting to the celebrities in the room because he’s just not an industry comic.
“Look, the climate of comedy attached to award shows has just changed drastically,” Hart said. “And as a talent, if you don’t have the relationships that are in that room, those rooms can be cold. I don’t consider [awards shows] to be good gigs at this point.”
“When you look at those that have had a high level of success — Ricky Gervais,...
“Look, the climate of comedy attached to award shows has just changed drastically,” Hart said. “And as a talent, if you don’t have the relationships that are in that room, those rooms can be cold. I don’t consider [awards shows] to be good gigs at this point.”
“When you look at those that have had a high level of success — Ricky Gervais,...
- 1/18/2024
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety Film + TV
Kevin Hart just can't seem to stop making stuff. The comedian can be found everywhere right now, from his Peacock talk show to his standup specials, and of course, Netflix. The biggest current streaming platform has hosted many a Hart-led project in recent years, and most of them have kind of come and gone without too much fanfare. Which is a shame because, at one point, the man convinced the great Wesley Snipes to appear alongside him in "True Story," a limited series partly based on Hart's own experiences. "True Story" topped the Nielsen streaming chart but, as the Chicago Tribune surmised, it sadly "lack[ed] any depth beyond what Snipes is bringing to it."
Now, Hart's at it again, this time with a new film helmed by "Straight Outta Compton" director F. Gary Gray that looks ... similarly kind of ok. In late 2023, the "Lift" trailer arrived, promising a $500 million...
Now, Hart's at it again, this time with a new film helmed by "Straight Outta Compton" director F. Gary Gray that looks ... similarly kind of ok. In late 2023, the "Lift" trailer arrived, promising a $500 million...
- 1/18/2024
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
Netflix’s Top 10 Most Viewed Films (Jan 8-14) ( Photo Credit – IMDb )
Ott platforms bring us a variety of movies from across the globe in the palm of our hands. Netflix plays a big part in keeping us entertained, and people love watching their favorite movies over and over again, sometimes as they call it their comfort flicks. Let’s see which films kept the viewers hooked and helped the streaming giant generate their list of Top 10 Most Viewed films from January 8-January 14.
The competition is cutthroat, and there is sometimes a very narrow difference between the views that decide a movie’s spot on the list. It can change any week, and it does, too. Scroll below for more.
The animated film Leo and The Super Mario Bros Movie has been on the list for a long time, and this week, there are some action-packed films, some coms, and sci-fi movies too.
Ott platforms bring us a variety of movies from across the globe in the palm of our hands. Netflix plays a big part in keeping us entertained, and people love watching their favorite movies over and over again, sometimes as they call it their comfort flicks. Let’s see which films kept the viewers hooked and helped the streaming giant generate their list of Top 10 Most Viewed films from January 8-January 14.
The competition is cutthroat, and there is sometimes a very narrow difference between the views that decide a movie’s spot on the list. It can change any week, and it does, too. Scroll below for more.
The animated film Leo and The Super Mario Bros Movie has been on the list for a long time, and this week, there are some action-packed films, some coms, and sci-fi movies too.
- 1/18/2024
- by Esita Mallik
- KoiMoi
Charlize Theron’s 2002 critically panned thriller, Trapped, finds new popularity on Netflix’s Top 10
Sometimes, movies that fail to make a splash when they’re initially released find a new audience later in life. It isn’t unheard of that a movie that flopped and exhibited a low critical response can gain a cult following or even newfound popularity. John Carpenter’s career is kind of filled with movies like this. The early 2000s had seen a slew of mid-budget thrillers in an era before mega-budget franchises took over cinemas. One of those films is a 2002 psychological thriller titled Trapped.
Trapped would seemingly get lost in a sea of movies like Along Came a Spider or Enough, as well as similar crime-thriller genre movies made popular by Ashley Judd with films like Double Jeopardy, High Crimes and Twisted. According to ScreenRant, the Charlize Theron and Kevin Bacon film has found new popularity when it cracked Netflix’s Top 10 Movies along with new movies like The Equalizer 3,...
Trapped would seemingly get lost in a sea of movies like Along Came a Spider or Enough, as well as similar crime-thriller genre movies made popular by Ashley Judd with films like Double Jeopardy, High Crimes and Twisted. According to ScreenRant, the Charlize Theron and Kevin Bacon film has found new popularity when it cracked Netflix’s Top 10 Movies along with new movies like The Equalizer 3,...
- 1/17/2024
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
Kevin Hart has proven himself to be a capable dramatic actor in his own right. And after Lift, Hart was even more eager to show audiences what he could do as a leading man.
What the future holds for Kevin Hart after ‘Lift’ Kevin Hart | Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images
Lift belongs in the category of some of Hart’s less comedic efforts. The actor plays the leader of a band of thieves in the Netflix feature, which was a role that kept the jokes to an absolute minimum. Speaking with Collider, Hart confided that playing a more grounded character was what attracted him to the project. It also fit the exciting new direction that the actor is trying to take his career in.
“I just think that I’m at a point in my career where it’s a lot of years and a lot of IP under my belt,...
What the future holds for Kevin Hart after ‘Lift’ Kevin Hart | Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images
Lift belongs in the category of some of Hart’s less comedic efforts. The actor plays the leader of a band of thieves in the Netflix feature, which was a role that kept the jokes to an absolute minimum. Speaking with Collider, Hart confided that playing a more grounded character was what attracted him to the project. It also fit the exciting new direction that the actor is trying to take his career in.
“I just think that I’m at a point in my career where it’s a lot of years and a lot of IP under my belt,...
- 1/17/2024
- by Antonio Stallings
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Fool Me Once collected another week atop Netflix’s TV charts.
While the UK crime thriller was down fairly significantly from its viewership a week prior, the series still put up an impressive 23.9M views from January 8 to 14, claiming No. 1 among English-language series (and there was not a close second).
That marks 61M views in its first two weeks on Netflix, putting it on the fast track toward the streamer’s most popular list. In tenth place currently is Queen Charlotte with 81M views in its first 91 days. Fool Me Once still has more than 70 days to amass 20M more views and take over that spot. In fact, at this rate, it could move to an even more prominent position on the list, given how much time it has left in its premiere window.
As noted above, second place was not a close second. The Brothers Sun managed 6.9M views...
While the UK crime thriller was down fairly significantly from its viewership a week prior, the series still put up an impressive 23.9M views from January 8 to 14, claiming No. 1 among English-language series (and there was not a close second).
That marks 61M views in its first two weeks on Netflix, putting it on the fast track toward the streamer’s most popular list. In tenth place currently is Queen Charlotte with 81M views in its first 91 days. Fool Me Once still has more than 70 days to amass 20M more views and take over that spot. In fact, at this rate, it could move to an even more prominent position on the list, given how much time it has left in its premiere window.
As noted above, second place was not a close second. The Brothers Sun managed 6.9M views...
- 1/16/2024
- by Katie Campione
- Deadline Film + TV
In the latest Netflix film ‘Lift’, the energetic world of heist films finds a refreshing break from clichés with the captivating and authentic performance of Úrsula Corberó. As Camilla, the skilled wheel woman with a penchant for piloting private planes, Corberó brings a unique blend of youthful energy and mature dedication to her role. The true magic, however, lies in the unexpected chemistry that developed naturally among the cast, transcending differences in personality, background, and culture.
In ‘Lift’, Camilla (played by Úrsula Corberó) finds herself faced with the task of flying a private plane as part of the crew’s elaborate plan to intercept a jet carrying gold without alerting air traffic control. Despite the immense pressure, Camilla rises to the challenge, showcasing her character’s determination and skill.
When asked about the strong bond between the cast members, Úrsula Corberó credits it to the natural chemistry that unfolded during the production.
In ‘Lift’, Camilla (played by Úrsula Corberó) finds herself faced with the task of flying a private plane as part of the crew’s elaborate plan to intercept a jet carrying gold without alerting air traffic control. Despite the immense pressure, Camilla rises to the challenge, showcasing her character’s determination and skill.
When asked about the strong bond between the cast members, Úrsula Corberó credits it to the natural chemistry that unfolded during the production.
- 1/16/2024
- by Editorial Desk
- GlamSham
When “The Color Purple” (Warner Bros.) opened on Christmas Day, it grossed over $18 million, fueled by marketing campaign that focused on group sales to attract its core audiene. Its total was $40 above what “Les Miserables” did on December 25, 2012 (its opening day) before it grossed nearly $150 million in the U.S./Canada.
Unfortunately for the musical adaptation of Alice Walker’s novel (and Steven Spielberg’s 1985 movie), the operation was a success but the patient did less well. Through three weeks of play, despite an A Cinemascore suggesting strong audience response, it has grossed only $58 million, barely three times its opening day. The recent weekend, its third, took in under $2 million after losing almost two-thirds of its theaters.
On Tuesday, after 22 days in theaters, it will become the first holiday release to reach home audiences on PVOD (at $19.99 to rent). Perhaps it can find greater success there.
It comes as Netflix,...
Unfortunately for the musical adaptation of Alice Walker’s novel (and Steven Spielberg’s 1985 movie), the operation was a success but the patient did less well. Through three weeks of play, despite an A Cinemascore suggesting strong audience response, it has grossed only $58 million, barely three times its opening day. The recent weekend, its third, took in under $2 million after losing almost two-thirds of its theaters.
On Tuesday, after 22 days in theaters, it will become the first holiday release to reach home audiences on PVOD (at $19.99 to rent). Perhaps it can find greater success there.
It comes as Netflix,...
- 1/15/2024
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
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