Exactly ten years after the genre-mixing, canine-driven Hungarian thriller “White God” landed the Prix Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival, this year’s ceremony culminated in the same prize going to a somewhat corresponding title: Chinese director Guan Hu’s “Black Dog,” a fusion of western, film noir and offbeat comedy with a highly lovable mutt at its center. The film, about a damaged loner returning to his desert hometown after a spell in prison and finding a kindred spirit in an equally world-weary greyhound, beat 17 other titles to take the top prize in the festival’s second-most prestigious competitive section. (The festival’s Official Competition awards will be handed out tomorrow night.)
Jury president Xavier Dolan, the actor-auteur behind such films as “Mommy” and “Laurence Anyways,” commended Guan’s film for “its breathtaking poetry, its imagination, its precision [and] its masterful direction.” He echoed the enthusiasm of Variety critic Jessica Kiang,...
Jury president Xavier Dolan, the actor-auteur behind such films as “Mommy” and “Laurence Anyways,” commended Guan’s film for “its breathtaking poetry, its imagination, its precision [and] its masterful direction.” He echoed the enthusiasm of Variety critic Jessica Kiang,...
- 5/24/2024
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
Late screenwriter-director Sophie Fillières’ seventh and final feature, “This Life of Mine” was the opening film at this year’s Directors’ Fortnight and today wrapped things up as the France Writers’ Guild’s favorite French-language feature, winning the Sacd Authors’ Favorite Prize.
In the film, Barbie, once a devoted mother and partner, faces the realities of middle age as she turns 55. Following a classic three-act structure, the film advances from comedy to tragedy to epiphany, at times toying with the absurd.
Said Anne Villacèque, Sacd administrator: “This year, we had to decide from a particularly eclectic selection. Choosing between novel and poetry, right arm and left arm, grandiose or more modest films. We chose the film whose heart beat the strongest and continued to move us long after seeing it.
“A daring, delicate, unpredictable film, the culmination of a work full of dissonance and side steps, as its director liked to say,...
In the film, Barbie, once a devoted mother and partner, faces the realities of middle age as she turns 55. Following a classic three-act structure, the film advances from comedy to tragedy to epiphany, at times toying with the absurd.
Said Anne Villacèque, Sacd administrator: “This year, we had to decide from a particularly eclectic selection. Choosing between novel and poetry, right arm and left arm, grandiose or more modest films. We chose the film whose heart beat the strongest and continued to move us long after seeing it.
“A daring, delicate, unpredictable film, the culmination of a work full of dissonance and side steps, as its director liked to say,...
- 5/23/2024
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
“Emilia Pérez,” the Spanish-language musical drama starring Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez and Karla Sofía Gascón which scored enthusiastic reviews after its Cannes premiere, is nearing a deal for U.S. and U.K. rights with Netflix.
Sources said the deal, which could also include additional territories, is for approximately $12 million, and there’s still the possibility that the ongoing negotiations could fall apart.
Saldaña stars as Rita, an undervalued lawyer whose firm is more inclined to help criminals than seek justice. She finds an unexpected way out when a feared drug cartel leader Manitas (Gascón) recruits her to aid him in surreptitiously completing a sex change operation to become the woman he’s always wanted to be. Gomez plays his unsuspecting wife. In an exclusive interview with Variety, Audiard described the movie as an “opera libretto in four acts,” as the actors break out into original songs to advance the plot.
Sources said the deal, which could also include additional territories, is for approximately $12 million, and there’s still the possibility that the ongoing negotiations could fall apart.
Saldaña stars as Rita, an undervalued lawyer whose firm is more inclined to help criminals than seek justice. She finds an unexpected way out when a feared drug cartel leader Manitas (Gascón) recruits her to aid him in surreptitiously completing a sex change operation to become the woman he’s always wanted to be. Gomez plays his unsuspecting wife. In an exclusive interview with Variety, Audiard described the movie as an “opera libretto in four acts,” as the actors break out into original songs to advance the plot.
- 5/23/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission.
“Dune: Part Two” is barreling to streaming. The epic sci-fi sequel, starring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, is now available to stream on Max, after becoming available on 4K Uhd, Blu-ray and DVD earlier this month.
Stream Dune: Part Two On Max $9.99/Month
After releasing in theaters in March, the Denis Villeneuve film has become the highest-grossing film of 2024 at the domestic and worldwide box office, surpassing the $500 million mark. As of this writing, it has collected more than $665 million worldwide.
Based on the second half of Frank Herbert’s seminal 1965 novel, the story continues the mythic quest of Chalamet’s Paul Atreides, who seeks safety in the desert after powerful royals betray his family. Austin Butler, Florence Pugh and Christopher Walken join the sprawling cast of Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson,...
“Dune: Part Two” is barreling to streaming. The epic sci-fi sequel, starring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, is now available to stream on Max, after becoming available on 4K Uhd, Blu-ray and DVD earlier this month.
Stream Dune: Part Two On Max $9.99/Month
After releasing in theaters in March, the Denis Villeneuve film has become the highest-grossing film of 2024 at the domestic and worldwide box office, surpassing the $500 million mark. As of this writing, it has collected more than $665 million worldwide.
Based on the second half of Frank Herbert’s seminal 1965 novel, the story continues the mythic quest of Chalamet’s Paul Atreides, who seeks safety in the desert after powerful royals betray his family. Austin Butler, Florence Pugh and Christopher Walken join the sprawling cast of Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson,...
- 5/22/2024
- by Anna Tingley
- Variety Film + TV
At a Cannes press conference for his new film “Anora” on Wednesday, Sean Baker discussed his affinity for making films about sex workers — and teased his next film.
“Anora,” which premiered at the film festival on Tuesday, follows a strip club worker who falls in love with the son of a Russian oligarch. When asked about how sex workers came to be the subject of the last five of his movies, Baker said after making 2012’s “Starlet,” he was “introduced to the adult film world.”
“I became friends with [sex workers] and realized there were a million stories from that world. If there is one intention with all of these films, I would say it’s by telling human stories, by telling stories that are hopefully universal,” he said. “It’s helping remove the stigma that’s been applied to this livelihood, that’s always been applied to this livelihood.”
Baker said...
“Anora,” which premiered at the film festival on Tuesday, follows a strip club worker who falls in love with the son of a Russian oligarch. When asked about how sex workers came to be the subject of the last five of his movies, Baker said after making 2012’s “Starlet,” he was “introduced to the adult film world.”
“I became friends with [sex workers] and realized there were a million stories from that world. If there is one intention with all of these films, I would say it’s by telling human stories, by telling stories that are hopefully universal,” he said. “It’s helping remove the stigma that’s been applied to this livelihood, that’s always been applied to this livelihood.”
Baker said...
- 5/22/2024
- by Ellise Shafer and Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
The Cannes Film Festival is one of the most important cinematic events of the year. Not only is it a popular market for future and unreleased movies, but it is also the place where many films have their premiere and where the audiences can see them for the first time. After the premieres of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and Megalopolis, another upcoming hit also had its premiere yesterday and it seems that the critics are absolutely amazed with the movie! We have already written about Yorgos Lantihmos’ upcoming film, Kinds of Kindness, and we can confirm that the early reviews point to the Greek director having another major hit for us!
In case you have forgotten, Kinds of Kindness is based on an original script co-written by Efthimis Filippou and Lanthimos himself. Lanthimos described the film as “a contemporary film, set in the US – three different stories, with four...
In case you have forgotten, Kinds of Kindness is based on an original script co-written by Efthimis Filippou and Lanthimos himself. Lanthimos described the film as “a contemporary film, set in the US – three different stories, with four...
- 5/18/2024
- by Arthur S. Poe
- Fiction Horizon
At this point, any actor signing on for a Yorgos Lanthimos film knows they wont be resting on their laurels. Literally. One of his trademarks is a kind of heightened physicality — whether its Rachel Weisz and Joe Alwyn twerking in “The Favourite,” Emma Stone “furious jumping” in “Poor Things” or Nicole Kidman lending a man a hand, so to speak, in a parking lot in “The Killing of a Sacred Deer.”
This kind of movement, be it awkward, sexy or just bizarre, came up on Saturday during the Cannes Film Festival press conference for Lanthimos’ latest, “Kinds of Kindness.” Reunited with Stone, Willem Dafoe and Margaret Qualley, and newcomers Jesse Plemons, Mamoudou Athie, Hunter Schafer and Hong Chau, the new project sees the acting troupe engage in group sex, hardcore breakdancing, reckless driving and some light cannibalism. Another day on a Lanthimos set.
“I certainly don’t mistreat the body,...
This kind of movement, be it awkward, sexy or just bizarre, came up on Saturday during the Cannes Film Festival press conference for Lanthimos’ latest, “Kinds of Kindness.” Reunited with Stone, Willem Dafoe and Margaret Qualley, and newcomers Jesse Plemons, Mamoudou Athie, Hunter Schafer and Hong Chau, the new project sees the acting troupe engage in group sex, hardcore breakdancing, reckless driving and some light cannibalism. Another day on a Lanthimos set.
“I certainly don’t mistreat the body,...
- 5/18/2024
- by Matt Donnelly and Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
Unspooling May 18 as part of an overall Swiss Focus at the Marché du Film, Solothurn Film Festival Goes to Cannes marks the first collaboration between the long-standing Swiss festival and the Cannes market, but also a first for many of the talents and producers carefully picked for the event.
Two of Switzerland’s top documentary filmmakers Jacqueline Zünd, winner of a 2019 Crystal Bear nominated for “Where We Belong,” and Nicholas Steiner, director of “Above & Below”, ranked among Variety reviewer Peter Debruge’s Top 10 films of 2015, are set to attract buyers, sales agents and programmers’ attention with their star-stubbed fiction debuts.
In “Do You Believe in Angels, Mr Drowak,” Steiner has hired Karl Markovics, star of the 2008 Oscar winner “The Counterfeiters”, rising acting talent Lune Wedler, Lars Eidinger and Dominique Pinon.
“After two cinematic documentaries that ran worldwide and an original Netflix series [“Dig Deeper-The Disappearance of Birgit Meier”], I was excited to create this technically demanding,...
Two of Switzerland’s top documentary filmmakers Jacqueline Zünd, winner of a 2019 Crystal Bear nominated for “Where We Belong,” and Nicholas Steiner, director of “Above & Below”, ranked among Variety reviewer Peter Debruge’s Top 10 films of 2015, are set to attract buyers, sales agents and programmers’ attention with their star-stubbed fiction debuts.
In “Do You Believe in Angels, Mr Drowak,” Steiner has hired Karl Markovics, star of the 2008 Oscar winner “The Counterfeiters”, rising acting talent Lune Wedler, Lars Eidinger and Dominique Pinon.
“After two cinematic documentaries that ran worldwide and an original Netflix series [“Dig Deeper-The Disappearance of Birgit Meier”], I was excited to create this technically demanding,...
- 5/18/2024
- by Annika Pham
- Variety Film + TV
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission.
Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers” is swinging into streaming. The Zendaya-led drama is now available to rent/purchase on Prime Video and Apple TV+.
Rent 'Challengers' Online $19.99
“Challengers” follows the rivalry between tennis pros Art Donaldson (Mike Faist) and Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor), who are vicious competitors on and off the court as they pine for the love tennis prodigy turned coach Tashi (Zendaya).
Guadagnino’s steamy sports drama has been met with much praise from critics and fans alike, making it a likely contender come awards season. Variety’s Peter Debruge deemed “Challengers” a “critic’s pick,” calling the film “the steamiest (and funniest) sports-centric love triangle since ‘Bull Durham.'” The film currently sits at 89% on Rotten Tomatoes with a B+ CinemaScore.
“Challengers” opened with...
Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers” is swinging into streaming. The Zendaya-led drama is now available to rent/purchase on Prime Video and Apple TV+.
Rent 'Challengers' Online $19.99
“Challengers” follows the rivalry between tennis pros Art Donaldson (Mike Faist) and Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor), who are vicious competitors on and off the court as they pine for the love tennis prodigy turned coach Tashi (Zendaya).
Guadagnino’s steamy sports drama has been met with much praise from critics and fans alike, making it a likely contender come awards season. Variety’s Peter Debruge deemed “Challengers” a “critic’s pick,” calling the film “the steamiest (and funniest) sports-centric love triangle since ‘Bull Durham.'” The film currently sits at 89% on Rotten Tomatoes with a B+ CinemaScore.
“Challengers” opened with...
- 5/17/2024
- by Jack Dunn
- Variety Film + TV
The latest Yorgos Lanthimos / Emma Stone team-up, a film called Kinds of Kindness (previously known as And), is set to reach theatres on June 21st – but first, it’s having its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, which is now underway. The first reviews of Kinds of Kindness are now arriving online, and they’re describing this 165 minute “triptych fable” as dark, bizarre, insidious, intriguing, brilliant, bonkers, disturbing, puzzling, funny, surreal, creepy, mind-bending, twisted, and innovative. We have rounded up some of them below led by one from our own Eric Walkuski!
Our man @ericwalkuski just caught #KindsofKindness: Yorgos Lanthimos' Kinds of Kindness defies easy description; it's a trilogy of morbid tales that will beguile some, repel others. Uneven as a whole, the film still has enough shock value and absurd dark humor to keep you on your…
— JoBlo.com (@joblocom) May 17, 2024
Vulture‘s Bilge Ebiri says, Lanthimos can “reclaim his...
Our man @ericwalkuski just caught #KindsofKindness: Yorgos Lanthimos' Kinds of Kindness defies easy description; it's a trilogy of morbid tales that will beguile some, repel others. Uneven as a whole, the film still has enough shock value and absurd dark humor to keep you on your…
— JoBlo.com (@joblocom) May 17, 2024
Vulture‘s Bilge Ebiri says, Lanthimos can “reclaim his...
- 5/17/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
The long-awaited Cannes premiere of Francis Ford Coppola’s passion project Megalopolis has finally happened and while the audience at Cannes seemingly loved the movie, the critics are… well… polarized, to say the least. We have already seen some mixed reviews not long after the secret buyers’ screening, which did not go as planned for Coppola, and while the filmmaker has put a lot of effort into the marketing campaign, Cannes was the next important stop for the movie, which is still looking for a distributor. The movie is expected to get a limited theatrical release this year ahead of the awards season, but based on the early reactions, Megalopolis might not be as grand as the story behind it suggests.
Megalopolis is an interesting story altogether. The movie was conceived way back in 1979, while Coppola was filming Apocalypse Now, one of the greatest war movies ever made and it...
Megalopolis is an interesting story altogether. The movie was conceived way back in 1979, while Coppola was filming Apocalypse Now, one of the greatest war movies ever made and it...
- 5/17/2024
- by Arthur S. Poe
- Fiction Horizon
Francis Ford Coppola shared his thoughts on the current studio system during the Cannes Film Festival press conference for his self-financed epic “Megalopolis,” saying that they might not be around much longer.
“I fear that the film industry has become more of a matter of people being hired to meet their debt obligations because the studios are in great, great debt. And the job is not so much to make good movies, the job is to make sure they pay their debt obligations,” Coppola said in response to a question from Variety. “Obviously, new companies like Amazon and Apple and Microsoft, they have plenty of money, so it might be that the studios we knew for so long, some wonderful ones, are not to be here in the future anymore.”
The presser also veered into the political, with Coppola being asked if the film is a commentary on Donald Trump,...
“I fear that the film industry has become more of a matter of people being hired to meet their debt obligations because the studios are in great, great debt. And the job is not so much to make good movies, the job is to make sure they pay their debt obligations,” Coppola said in response to a question from Variety. “Obviously, new companies like Amazon and Apple and Microsoft, they have plenty of money, so it might be that the studios we knew for so long, some wonderful ones, are not to be here in the future anymore.”
The presser also veered into the political, with Coppola being asked if the film is a commentary on Donald Trump,...
- 5/17/2024
- by Matt Donnelly, Ellise Shafer and Tatiana Siegel
- Variety Film + TV
The Swiss/French “Dog on Trial” is set to disrupt, move and entertain the Croisette from what is revealed in a first clip from sales outfit MK2 Films, exclusively shared with Variety.
The film world premieres at Cannes Un Certain Regard May 19.
Writer/actor-turned-director Laetitia Dosch, who delivered what Variety reviewer Peter Debruge called a ‘blazing-wildfire performance’ in the 2017 Camera d’or winner “Jeune Femme”, is herself taking a chance this year on the coveted award. Meanwhile Cosmos the Dog (aka Kodi in the film) will battle for the leather dog collar Palme Dog win.
As the main protagonist Alice, Dosch wears an attorney’s gown to defend the four-legged Cosmos, accused of multiple bite attacks. Known for taking up lost causes, she will rise to the challenge, confront the legal system and advocate both for animal rights and women’s rights.
Next to Dosch and the dog Kodi, the...
The film world premieres at Cannes Un Certain Regard May 19.
Writer/actor-turned-director Laetitia Dosch, who delivered what Variety reviewer Peter Debruge called a ‘blazing-wildfire performance’ in the 2017 Camera d’or winner “Jeune Femme”, is herself taking a chance this year on the coveted award. Meanwhile Cosmos the Dog (aka Kodi in the film) will battle for the leather dog collar Palme Dog win.
As the main protagonist Alice, Dosch wears an attorney’s gown to defend the four-legged Cosmos, accused of multiple bite attacks. Known for taking up lost causes, she will rise to the challenge, confront the legal system and advocate both for animal rights and women’s rights.
Next to Dosch and the dog Kodi, the...
- 5/17/2024
- by Annika Pham
- Variety Film + TV
Spoiler Alert: This story contains spoilers for Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis,” which premiered at Cannes Film Festival on May 16.
The wait is over: Francis Ford Coppola’s sci-fi drama “Megalopolis” has finally premiered at Cannes Film Festival, shocking and dividing critics.
The film, a $120 million epic starring Adam Driver, Aubrey Plaza, Giancarlo Esposito and Shia Labeouf, was financed by Coppola himself — and has yet to secure a distributor in the United States. Regardless, the movie earned a 7-minute standing ovation from Cannes, as Coppola hugged Driver and Esposito and delivered an emotional speech dedicating the film to hope and family.
Variety chief film critic Peter Debruge wrote in his review that the film “is positively awe-inspiring in some places and an absolute eyesore in others, until you pull back and try to take it all in.” Though reactions have been mixed, the film was undoubtedly jam-packed with scenes that...
The wait is over: Francis Ford Coppola’s sci-fi drama “Megalopolis” has finally premiered at Cannes Film Festival, shocking and dividing critics.
The film, a $120 million epic starring Adam Driver, Aubrey Plaza, Giancarlo Esposito and Shia Labeouf, was financed by Coppola himself — and has yet to secure a distributor in the United States. Regardless, the movie earned a 7-minute standing ovation from Cannes, as Coppola hugged Driver and Esposito and delivered an emotional speech dedicating the film to hope and family.
Variety chief film critic Peter Debruge wrote in his review that the film “is positively awe-inspiring in some places and an absolute eyesore in others, until you pull back and try to take it all in.” Though reactions have been mixed, the film was undoubtedly jam-packed with scenes that...
- 5/16/2024
- by Ellise Shafer and Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
“Civil War,” Alex Garland’s film about journalists navigating a fractured United States, has set a digital release date.
The A24 film, which inspired plenty of critical debate, is set to debut on VOD on May 24. It will be available to rent/purchase on both Prime Video and Apple TV+.
Starring Kirsten Dunst, Cailee Spaeny, Wagner Moura, Stephen McKinley Henderson and Nick Offerman, the film set an A24 record with a $25 million opening weekend.
When speaking with Variety in a cover story about the film, Dunst said the work is intentionally meant to spark debate.
“The whole movie is open to interpretation,” Dunst said. “For me, there were things I just accepted that were unexplained. It allows the audience to fill in their own feelings about what they’re watching.”
Garland agreed it was best for him not to connect too many dots.
“I have my own answers to these questions.
The A24 film, which inspired plenty of critical debate, is set to debut on VOD on May 24. It will be available to rent/purchase on both Prime Video and Apple TV+.
Starring Kirsten Dunst, Cailee Spaeny, Wagner Moura, Stephen McKinley Henderson and Nick Offerman, the film set an A24 record with a $25 million opening weekend.
When speaking with Variety in a cover story about the film, Dunst said the work is intentionally meant to spark debate.
“The whole movie is open to interpretation,” Dunst said. “For me, there were things I just accepted that were unexplained. It allows the audience to fill in their own feelings about what they’re watching.”
Garland agreed it was best for him not to connect too many dots.
“I have my own answers to these questions.
- 5/15/2024
- by William Earl
- Variety Film + TV
Léa Seydoux addressed France’s growing #MeToo movement at the Cannes Film Festival press conference for Quentin Dupieux’s comedy “The Second Act,” which opened the fest on Tuesday night.
“It’s a wonderful thing that women are now speaking out. Things are clearly changing and it was high time it did,” she said. “I have the impression that this change has indeed taken place. The film also plays with this idea, it also talks about very current events and this movement, where women are now speaking out, and that was of fundamental importance for this change to take place.”
Seydoux continued, “#MeToo is very important. It’s a very serious issue. However, I think it is also necessary to be able to talk about it with humor. In the film, this is highlighted in a very funny way.”
Addressing the impact of #MeToo on the way actresses are treated on set,...
“It’s a wonderful thing that women are now speaking out. Things are clearly changing and it was high time it did,” she said. “I have the impression that this change has indeed taken place. The film also plays with this idea, it also talks about very current events and this movement, where women are now speaking out, and that was of fundamental importance for this change to take place.”
Seydoux continued, “#MeToo is very important. It’s a very serious issue. However, I think it is also necessary to be able to talk about it with humor. In the film, this is highlighted in a very funny way.”
Addressing the impact of #MeToo on the way actresses are treated on set,...
- 5/15/2024
- by Ellise Shafer and Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
The stormy clouds outside the Palais might have dampened some spirits as the credits rolled on the opening night film of the 77th Cannes Film Festival. Or maybe it was the movie itself.
“The Second Act,” Quentin Dupieux’s talky French comedy about the making of the first movie directed by AI, mustered a lukewarm 3.5-minute standing ovation on Tuesday night in Cannes.
Dupieux attedned the premiere along with his French cast of Léa Seydoux, Louis Garrel, Vincent Lindon and Raphaël Quenard. The four actors all politely stood as a camera quickly passed by through the tepid applause.
In the meta film, these French stars play actors making a romantic comedy they know is pointless, as it’s the first movie written and directed by AI. In the opening scenes, we learn that Florence (Seydoux) wants to take things to the next level with David (Garrel), but he is no...
“The Second Act,” Quentin Dupieux’s talky French comedy about the making of the first movie directed by AI, mustered a lukewarm 3.5-minute standing ovation on Tuesday night in Cannes.
Dupieux attedned the premiere along with his French cast of Léa Seydoux, Louis Garrel, Vincent Lindon and Raphaël Quenard. The four actors all politely stood as a camera quickly passed by through the tepid applause.
In the meta film, these French stars play actors making a romantic comedy they know is pointless, as it’s the first movie written and directed by AI. In the opening scenes, we learn that Florence (Seydoux) wants to take things to the next level with David (Garrel), but he is no...
- 5/14/2024
- by Ramin Setoodeh and Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine’s age-gap romantic adventure “The Idea of You” attracted nearly 50 million worldwide viewers in its first two weeks on Prime Video, becoming Amazon MGM’s No. 1 romantic-comedy debut of all time, according to the studio.
As Amazon did not detail exactly what counts as a “view,” it should be noted that streaming viewership numbers self-reported by platforms still come with many caveats. Some brands solely report total minutes or hours watched, while others divide that total by each projects runtime to arrive at an estimated number of views. Streamers almost never disclose the exact number of viewers who watched the entirety of their titles, and as Amazon did not define their metric regarding “The Idea of You,” it is possible that a significant portion of the 50 million reporter viewers only watched a short piece of the movie.
“The Idea of You,” which premiered at SXSW...
As Amazon did not detail exactly what counts as a “view,” it should be noted that streaming viewership numbers self-reported by platforms still come with many caveats. Some brands solely report total minutes or hours watched, while others divide that total by each projects runtime to arrive at an estimated number of views. Streamers almost never disclose the exact number of viewers who watched the entirety of their titles, and as Amazon did not define their metric regarding “The Idea of You,” it is possible that a significant portion of the 50 million reporter viewers only watched a short piece of the movie.
“The Idea of You,” which premiered at SXSW...
- 5/14/2024
- by Ethan Shanfeld
- Variety Film + TV
Following a buzz-worthy premiere at this year’s SXSW Festival, Universal Pictures released “The Fall Guy” nationwide on May 3. The film directed by David Leitch and written by Drew Pearce is loosely based on the 1980s TV series about stunt performers. Oscar nominee Ryan Gosling stars as Colt Seavers, a stuntman working on his ex-girlfriend’s (Emily Blunt) directorial debut action film, only to find himself involved in a conspiracy surrounding the film’s lead actor.
Early reviews for the action comedy have been overwhelmingly positive. It holds fresh at 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the critics consensus reading, “With action, comedy, romance, and a pair of marvelously matched stars, ‘The Fall Guy’ might be the rare mainstream movie with something to entertain everyone.” Read our full review round-up below.
See Box office preview: Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt’s action rom-com ‘The Fall Guy’ kicks off Summer 2024
Adrian Horton of The Guardian writes,...
Early reviews for the action comedy have been overwhelmingly positive. It holds fresh at 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the critics consensus reading, “With action, comedy, romance, and a pair of marvelously matched stars, ‘The Fall Guy’ might be the rare mainstream movie with something to entertain everyone.” Read our full review round-up below.
See Box office preview: Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt’s action rom-com ‘The Fall Guy’ kicks off Summer 2024
Adrian Horton of The Guardian writes,...
- 5/4/2024
- by Vincent Mandile
- Gold Derby
Ryan Gosling said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal Magazine that he is no longer picking roles that are too psychologically twisted in order to maintain his mental health for the sake of his family. The Oscar nominee has two children with partner and fellow actor Eva Mendes. Gosling’s recent movies, the comedy “Barbie” and the action romance “The Fall Guy,” certainly reflect this career choice.
“I don’t really take roles that are going to put me in some kind of dark place,” Gosling told the publication. “This moment is what I feel like trying to read the room at home and feel like what is going to be best for all of us. The decisions I make, I make them with Eva and we make them with our family in mind first.”
“I think ‘La La Land’ was the first,” Gosling added about when he started to shift his career.
“I don’t really take roles that are going to put me in some kind of dark place,” Gosling told the publication. “This moment is what I feel like trying to read the room at home and feel like what is going to be best for all of us. The decisions I make, I make them with Eva and we make them with our family in mind first.”
“I think ‘La La Land’ was the first,” Gosling added about when he started to shift his career.
- 5/2/2024
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety Film + TV
On May 2, 2024, Amazon Prime Video premiered ‘The Idea of You,” a critical hit out of this year’s South by Southwest Festival starring Oscar winner Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine. The rom-com directed and co-written by Michael Showalter holds fresh at 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, and is based on the acclaimed novel of the same name by Robinne Lee.
“The Idea of You” centers on Solène (Hathaway), a 40-year-old single mom who begins an unexpected romance with 24-year-old Hayes Campbell (Galitzine), the lead singer of August Moon, the hottest boy band on the planet. When Solène must step in to chaperone her teenage daughter’s trip to the Coachella Music Festival, she has a chance encounter with Hayes and there is an instant, undeniable spark. As they begin a whirlwind romance, it isn’t long before Hayes’ superstar status poses unavoidable challenges to their relationship, and Solène soon discovers that life...
“The Idea of You” centers on Solène (Hathaway), a 40-year-old single mom who begins an unexpected romance with 24-year-old Hayes Campbell (Galitzine), the lead singer of August Moon, the hottest boy band on the planet. When Solène must step in to chaperone her teenage daughter’s trip to the Coachella Music Festival, she has a chance encounter with Hayes and there is an instant, undeniable spark. As they begin a whirlwind romance, it isn’t long before Hayes’ superstar status poses unavoidable challenges to their relationship, and Solène soon discovers that life...
- 5/2/2024
- by Vincent Mandile
- Gold Derby
Disney has released the first trailer for “Mufasa: The Lion King,” a prequel to the 2019 photorealistic remake of “The Lion King,” and revealed that Blue Ivy Carter has joined the voice cast.
From “Moonlight” director Barry Jenkins, “Mufasa” will explore the titular lion’s origin story, depicting his childhood with his brother Taka aka Scar, who becomes the main antagonist in “The Lion King.” Aaron Pierre and Kelvin Harrison Jr. will voice the younger versions of Mufasa and Scar, respectively. James Earl Jones voiced Mufasa in both the 1994 original film and 2019 remake. Jeremy Irons voiced Scar in 1994, while Chiwetel Ejiofor took over in 2019.
Many members of the 2019 voice cast are returning, including John Kani as Rafiki, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, Billy Eichner as Timon, Donald Glover as Simba and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as Nala. Beyoncé’s daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, will play Kiara, the daughter of King Samba and Queen Nala.
From “Moonlight” director Barry Jenkins, “Mufasa” will explore the titular lion’s origin story, depicting his childhood with his brother Taka aka Scar, who becomes the main antagonist in “The Lion King.” Aaron Pierre and Kelvin Harrison Jr. will voice the younger versions of Mufasa and Scar, respectively. James Earl Jones voiced Mufasa in both the 1994 original film and 2019 remake. Jeremy Irons voiced Scar in 1994, while Chiwetel Ejiofor took over in 2019.
Many members of the 2019 voice cast are returning, including John Kani as Rafiki, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, Billy Eichner as Timon, Donald Glover as Simba and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as Nala. Beyoncé’s daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, will play Kiara, the daughter of King Samba and Queen Nala.
- 4/29/2024
- by Caroline Brew and Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
Game, set, now what to make of this match?
“Challengers,” a sexy, subversive, R-rated drama set in the world of tennis, easily took first place at a sluggish domestic box office this weekend with $15 million from 3,477 locations. On one hand, it’s a respectable result for an artsy movie aimed at discerning, adult audiences, but what keeps it from being a championship performance is that “Challengers” has a hefty $55 million budget (to say nothing of its marketing costs). The Amazon MGM Studios release will need strong word-of-mouth if it’s going to keep rallying — and next week brings Universal’s “The Fall Guy,” a Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt action-comedy that marks the start of summer blockbuster season. The competition only stands to get fiercer from here.
Amazon MGM would probably argue that “Challengers” doesn’t need to be a box office phenomenon in order to be successful. The higher...
“Challengers,” a sexy, subversive, R-rated drama set in the world of tennis, easily took first place at a sluggish domestic box office this weekend with $15 million from 3,477 locations. On one hand, it’s a respectable result for an artsy movie aimed at discerning, adult audiences, but what keeps it from being a championship performance is that “Challengers” has a hefty $55 million budget (to say nothing of its marketing costs). The Amazon MGM Studios release will need strong word-of-mouth if it’s going to keep rallying — and next week brings Universal’s “The Fall Guy,” a Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt action-comedy that marks the start of summer blockbuster season. The competition only stands to get fiercer from here.
Amazon MGM would probably argue that “Challengers” doesn’t need to be a box office phenomenon in order to be successful. The higher...
- 4/28/2024
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Game, set… but there’s not much of a match. “Challengers,” a steamy tennis drama starring Zendaya and directed by Luca Guadagnino, is poised to lead the domestic box office without much in the way of competition.
The film, from Amazon MGM, is projected to collect $12 million to $15 million from 3,400 North American theaters in its opening weekend. Although those are modest projections for any nationwide release, it’s this weekend’s only major new movie and shouldn’t have trouble claiming first place from A24’s “Civil War,” the reigning champion. Last weekend, “Civil War” topped the box office for the second consecutive frame with $11.1 million and has grossed $70 million globally to date. Overall, the domestic box office is 20% behind the same point in 2023, according to Comscore.
The steamy, R-rated “Challengers” was originally slated to premiere at 2023’s Venice Film Festival and hit the big screen last fall. But the...
The film, from Amazon MGM, is projected to collect $12 million to $15 million from 3,400 North American theaters in its opening weekend. Although those are modest projections for any nationwide release, it’s this weekend’s only major new movie and shouldn’t have trouble claiming first place from A24’s “Civil War,” the reigning champion. Last weekend, “Civil War” topped the box office for the second consecutive frame with $11.1 million and has grossed $70 million globally to date. Overall, the domestic box office is 20% behind the same point in 2023, according to Comscore.
The steamy, R-rated “Challengers” was originally slated to premiere at 2023’s Venice Film Festival and hit the big screen last fall. But the...
- 4/24/2024
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Henry Cavill’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare has been receiving mixed to positive reviews from critics, but the box office numbers appear very weak for the movie made on a $60 million budget. But fans are not blaming Cavill for having a bit of bad luck in theaters recently for the impending doom of the movie. While Guy Ritchie’s film needs a miracle to recoup its budget, the film couldn’t have made any more bad choices with its release.
Henry Cavill’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is heading for a disaster based on opening weekend numbers
Fans were confused as to why the film did not go for a worldwide theatrical release. Lionsgate picked up the domestic distribution rights for the film, while the film will reach international audiences through Prime Video Pay TV.
Fans Believe Poor Decisions Sealed The Fate of Henry Cavill’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare...
Henry Cavill’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is heading for a disaster based on opening weekend numbers
Fans were confused as to why the film did not go for a worldwide theatrical release. Lionsgate picked up the domestic distribution rights for the film, while the film will reach international audiences through Prime Video Pay TV.
Fans Believe Poor Decisions Sealed The Fate of Henry Cavill’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare...
- 4/22/2024
- by Hashim Asraff
- FandomWire
“The People’s Joker,” a scandalous IP-on-acid coming-out comic-book psychodrama, is a movie that has all the earmarks of an underground/ midnight/guerrilla-cinema sensation. Vera Drew, who directed and co-wrote it, plays the title character, a mentally fractured aspiring stand-up comedian who bills herself as Joker the Harlequin. She wears a green wig parted down the middle, white makeup with big jagged dark blotches around the eyes, a razory red lipstick grin, along with a purple jacket and fishnets that make her, in every way possible, a transgressive presence. Onstage, when she puts an inhaler up to her mouth and draws in a breath of Smylex, the feel-happy drug prescribed to her as a child, she’ll let out a cackle of laughter so derisive it sounds like she’s going to fracture her own rib. She’s the maniacal Joker of DC legend, as well as an outlaw parody of...
- 4/6/2024
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Halle Bailey is set to join Universal Pictures’ untitled Pharrell Williams and Michel Gondry project.
Bailey will co-star opposite Kelvin Harrison Jr. and join newly minted Oscar winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph in this coming-of-age musical set in Virginia Beach in the summer of 1977, inspired by Atlantis Apartments, Williams’ childhood neighborhood.
Michel Gondry is set to direct the project based on a script by Martin Hynes and Steven Levenson.
Williams and Mimi Valdés will produce through i am Other and Gil Netter will produce through Gil Netter Productions.
Universal’s senior vice president of production development, Ryan Jones, and director of production development, Christine Sun, will oversee the project for the studio.
In 2023, Bailey led Disney’s live-action adaptation of “The Little Mermaid” alongside Melissa McCarthy. Variety‘s Peter Debruge praised her performance, writing in his review, “Halle Bailey is all the reason that any audience should need to justify Disney revisiting this classic.
Bailey will co-star opposite Kelvin Harrison Jr. and join newly minted Oscar winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph in this coming-of-age musical set in Virginia Beach in the summer of 1977, inspired by Atlantis Apartments, Williams’ childhood neighborhood.
Michel Gondry is set to direct the project based on a script by Martin Hynes and Steven Levenson.
Williams and Mimi Valdés will produce through i am Other and Gil Netter will produce through Gil Netter Productions.
Universal’s senior vice president of production development, Ryan Jones, and director of production development, Christine Sun, will oversee the project for the studio.
In 2023, Bailey led Disney’s live-action adaptation of “The Little Mermaid” alongside Melissa McCarthy. Variety‘s Peter Debruge praised her performance, writing in his review, “Halle Bailey is all the reason that any audience should need to justify Disney revisiting this classic.
- 4/4/2024
- by Katcy Stephan
- Variety Film + TV
Unlike many celebrity-driven documentaries, Morgan Neville’s “Steve! (Martin): A Documentary in Two Pieces” about the writer and comedian wasn’t deliberately made as a marketing device tied to a new TV series or movie. The two-part docu is also not your traditional career-encompassing overview of Martin’s life. Instead Neville, who garnered an Oscar in 2014 for “20 Feet From Stardom,” created feature-length installments called “Then” and “Now” that are told from two points of views using two different formats. “Then” chronicles Martin’s early struggles and meteoric rise to revolutionize standup before walking away at age 35. “Now” focuses on Martin’s present day life, retracing the transformation that led to newfound happiness in his art and personal life.
Neville began filming “Steve!” in spring 2021 after meeting Martin for lunch to discuss the possibility of making the docu. “We had a great conversation,” says Neville. “I think one of...
Neville began filming “Steve!” in spring 2021 after meeting Martin for lunch to discuss the possibility of making the docu. “We had a great conversation,” says Neville. “I think one of...
- 3/29/2024
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
David Robert Mitchell’s mysterious new feature film with Bad Robot now has a title and release date. “Flowervale Street,” starring Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor, will be released by Warner Bros. on May 16, 2025, in Imax.
Mitchell will direct the script he wrote for the film, which he’ll also produce alongside J.J. Abrams, Hannah Minghella, Matt Jackson and Tommy Harper.
Plot details are still under wraps, but the film has been previously described as a thriller. As Variety previously reported, Christian Convery and Maisy Stella round out the lead cast.
14-year-old Convery has led Netflix’s dystopian sci-fi series “Sweet Tooth” for two seasons, and previously starred in Elizabeth Banks’ “Cocaine Bear.” He is currently in production on Academy Award winner Guillermo Del Toro’s “Frankenstein” with Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Oscar Isaac and Christoph Waltz.
Stella, who got her start on “Nashville,” was recently seen in the Sundance...
Mitchell will direct the script he wrote for the film, which he’ll also produce alongside J.J. Abrams, Hannah Minghella, Matt Jackson and Tommy Harper.
Plot details are still under wraps, but the film has been previously described as a thriller. As Variety previously reported, Christian Convery and Maisy Stella round out the lead cast.
14-year-old Convery has led Netflix’s dystopian sci-fi series “Sweet Tooth” for two seasons, and previously starred in Elizabeth Banks’ “Cocaine Bear.” He is currently in production on Academy Award winner Guillermo Del Toro’s “Frankenstein” with Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Oscar Isaac and Christoph Waltz.
Stella, who got her start on “Nashville,” was recently seen in the Sundance...
- 3/29/2024
- by Katcy Stephan
- Variety Film + TV
Anne Hathaway revealed in her new Vanity Fair cover story that she was told she had zero sex appeal when she was a young actor just starting out in Hollywood. Not that she ever bought into the claim: “I was like, ‘I’m a Scorpio. I know what I’m like on a Saturday night,’” she said.
Hathaway started her career as a teenager, filming her breakout role in Disney’s “The Princess Diaries” when she was 17 years old. She said the cultural definition of what it means to be sexy was much more narrow during her early days of Hollywood stardom than it is now.
“The male gaze was very dominant and very pervasive and very juvenile,” Hathaway said, noting that she her feelings are far more important in the film and television business nowadays than her physical appearance.
Hathaway’s latest role is that of single mother Solène in “The Idea of You.
Hathaway started her career as a teenager, filming her breakout role in Disney’s “The Princess Diaries” when she was 17 years old. She said the cultural definition of what it means to be sexy was much more narrow during her early days of Hollywood stardom than it is now.
“The male gaze was very dominant and very pervasive and very juvenile,” Hathaway said, noting that she her feelings are far more important in the film and television business nowadays than her physical appearance.
Hathaway’s latest role is that of single mother Solène in “The Idea of You.
- 3/25/2024
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety Film + TV
Maisy Stella, who delivered a star-making turn in this year’s Sundance hit “My Old Ass,” has booked the third lead in a mysterious new project from Bad Robot and Warner Bros. Pictures.
Stella joins Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor in the untitled feature from director David Robert Mitchell. Plot details have been under wraps since the project was announced, but the movie is categorized as a thriller in numerous film indexes.
Mitchell directs from his original script and will produce alongside J.J. Abrams and Hannah Minghella for Bad Robot and Matt Jackson of Jackson Pictures. Jake Weiner and Chris Bender of Good Fear Content will serve as executive producers. Sheila Walcott and Zach Hamby will oversee for the Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group.
Stella’s “My Old Ass” premiered in January at Sundance to strong reviews, under the stewardship of director Megan Park and producer LuckyChap. The film was...
Stella joins Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor in the untitled feature from director David Robert Mitchell. Plot details have been under wraps since the project was announced, but the movie is categorized as a thriller in numerous film indexes.
Mitchell directs from his original script and will produce alongside J.J. Abrams and Hannah Minghella for Bad Robot and Matt Jackson of Jackson Pictures. Jake Weiner and Chris Bender of Good Fear Content will serve as executive producers. Sheila Walcott and Zach Hamby will oversee for the Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group.
Stella’s “My Old Ass” premiered in January at Sundance to strong reviews, under the stewardship of director Megan Park and producer LuckyChap. The film was...
- 3/20/2024
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
L to R: Ryan Gosling, David Leitch and Logan Holladay on the set of The Fall Guy, directed by David Leitch. Eric Laciste/Universal Pictures. © Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
The upcoming The Fall Guy, in theaters on May 3rd, and a salute to stunt people, had it’s premiere at SXSW earlier this week.
AP reported:
The SXSW premiere of “The Fall Guy” came with some of its own stunts. A pair of motorcycles sped through the crowds milling outside the Paramount Theater before Blunt and Gosling arrived in the back of a pick-up. Blunt and Gosling weren’t the only ones fresh from the Academy Awards. Leitch and his wife, Kelly McCormick, (a producer on “The Fall Guy”) produced a clip reel of stunts for the telecast. Though stunt performance isn’t an Oscar category (a sore point that comes up in “The Fall Guy”), Leitch thinks it will happen soon.
The upcoming The Fall Guy, in theaters on May 3rd, and a salute to stunt people, had it’s premiere at SXSW earlier this week.
AP reported:
The SXSW premiere of “The Fall Guy” came with some of its own stunts. A pair of motorcycles sped through the crowds milling outside the Paramount Theater before Blunt and Gosling arrived in the back of a pick-up. Blunt and Gosling weren’t the only ones fresh from the Academy Awards. Leitch and his wife, Kelly McCormick, (a producer on “The Fall Guy”) produced a clip reel of stunts for the telecast. Though stunt performance isn’t an Oscar category (a sore point that comes up in “The Fall Guy”), Leitch thinks it will happen soon.
- 3/14/2024
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Update: After this story was published, the “Origin” Twitter account was deleted.
Previously: After the release of her latest film “Origin,” director Ava DuVernay was vocal about her disappointment that the movie failed to garner widespread attention or awards buzz. Now, the X/Twitter account for “Origin” is taking aim at the distributor Neon, calling out the company for not inviting the filmmakers to its Oscar party.
Quote-tweeting a photo from the party, the account posted one day after the Academy Awards: “Is it odd that the filmmakers of Neon’s current film in theaters weren’t invited to this Neon celebration? Nope. Standard operating procedure for [founder Tom] Quinn and team. That’s how Neon rolls. More on this later.”
The event was hosted at the Hollywood Athletic Club by Neon, which touted its Oscar win for “Anatomy of a Fall,” which picked up best original screenplay on Sunday and was also nominated for best picture,...
Previously: After the release of her latest film “Origin,” director Ava DuVernay was vocal about her disappointment that the movie failed to garner widespread attention or awards buzz. Now, the X/Twitter account for “Origin” is taking aim at the distributor Neon, calling out the company for not inviting the filmmakers to its Oscar party.
Quote-tweeting a photo from the party, the account posted one day after the Academy Awards: “Is it odd that the filmmakers of Neon’s current film in theaters weren’t invited to this Neon celebration? Nope. Standard operating procedure for [founder Tom] Quinn and team. That’s how Neon rolls. More on this later.”
The event was hosted at the Hollywood Athletic Club by Neon, which touted its Oscar win for “Anatomy of a Fall,” which picked up best original screenplay on Sunday and was also nominated for best picture,...
- 3/12/2024
- by Ethan Shanfeld
- Variety Film + TV
Kristen Stewart is not a fan of many of the sex scenes she watches in movies these days. Ahead of the release of her A24 crime thriller “Love Lies Bleeding,” Stewart told NBC News that she’s “so sick” of methodical movie sex scenes that aren’t remotely close to how sex happens in real life. Stewart and her “Love Lies Bleeding” co-star Katy O’Brian filmed several sex scenes for the new film, directed by Rose Glass. Stewart previously told Variety the film’s sex scenes would “shock people” because of how direct they are.
“The run-of-the-mill, like, just-go-for-it simulated sex thing is so rote,” Stewart told NBC News. “And it’s like actors do have this default thing where, like, ‘Ok, we’re supposed to make out and have sex now.’ That’s just not how people have sex, and I’m so sick of seeing it.”
Stewart said...
“The run-of-the-mill, like, just-go-for-it simulated sex thing is so rote,” Stewart told NBC News. “And it’s like actors do have this default thing where, like, ‘Ok, we’re supposed to make out and have sex now.’ That’s just not how people have sex, and I’m so sick of seeing it.”
Stewart said...
- 3/7/2024
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety Film + TV
Magnolia Pictures and Participant have partnered to jointly acquire North American rights to “The Grab,” a new documentary from “Blackfish” director Gabriela Cowperthwaite.
The film, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, follows journalists from The Center for Investigative Reporting as they work high-profile sources and utilize a cache of secret data to uncover the money and influence being used by countries, corporations and members of the uber-elite to control the planet’s most vital resources. Participant and Magnolia are positioning the film as a “high-stakes global thriller,” one that takes viewers from Arizona to Zambia as the moviemakers examine the food and water scarcity that’s resulting from this little-known power grab.
“We’re thrilled to reunite with our good friends at Participant and the great Gabriela Cowperthwaite who has, yet again, brought to light a nail biting, explosive, and essential story,” said Magnolia Pictures co-ceo’s Eamonn Bowles and Dori Begley.
The film, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, follows journalists from The Center for Investigative Reporting as they work high-profile sources and utilize a cache of secret data to uncover the money and influence being used by countries, corporations and members of the uber-elite to control the planet’s most vital resources. Participant and Magnolia are positioning the film as a “high-stakes global thriller,” one that takes viewers from Arizona to Zambia as the moviemakers examine the food and water scarcity that’s resulting from this little-known power grab.
“We’re thrilled to reunite with our good friends at Participant and the great Gabriela Cowperthwaite who has, yet again, brought to light a nail biting, explosive, and essential story,” said Magnolia Pictures co-ceo’s Eamonn Bowles and Dori Begley.
- 3/6/2024
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
It’s a “Dune” boon for the box office. Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment’s “Dune: Part Two” touched down with an impressive $32.1 million gross on opening day from 4,071 locations, a figure that also includes $12 million from Thursday evening and earlier event preview screenings.
That’s already the biggest opening weekend of the year, surpassing the $28.6 million three-day total of “Bob Marley: One Love.” “Dune: Part Two” has also nearly matched the $41 million debut that its predecessor landed back in October 2021, when Warner Bros. simultaneously launched the film on its streamer (né HBO Max) and the theatrical landscape was still in a state of heavy rebuild as Covid lockdowns eased. Even with those caveats though, that’s a remarkable step-up for a heady, epic-length follow-up.
The question now is how high can “Dune” go. Heading into the weekend, industry projections for the Denis Villeneuve-directed feature had ballparked an opening between $70 million and $80 million,...
That’s already the biggest opening weekend of the year, surpassing the $28.6 million three-day total of “Bob Marley: One Love.” “Dune: Part Two” has also nearly matched the $41 million debut that its predecessor landed back in October 2021, when Warner Bros. simultaneously launched the film on its streamer (né HBO Max) and the theatrical landscape was still in a state of heavy rebuild as Covid lockdowns eased. Even with those caveats though, that’s a remarkable step-up for a heady, epic-length follow-up.
The question now is how high can “Dune” go. Heading into the weekend, industry projections for the Denis Villeneuve-directed feature had ballparked an opening between $70 million and $80 million,...
- 3/2/2024
- by J. Kim Murphy
- Variety Film + TV
Oscar winner Damien Chazelle confirmed on the “Talking Pictures” podcast (via World of Reel) that he is currently at work writing his new movie, which would mark his follow-up to 2022’s “Babylon.” As many cinephiles know, “Babylon” was one of the biggest studio disasters in recent memory. Made for a budget in the $80 million range, the Paramount-backed Hollywood epic flopped with only $15 million at the domestic box office and $63 million worldwide despite A-list star power from Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie and Chazelle himself coming off his Oscar-winning “La La Land.”
“I’ve been head in the sand. I’ve been sort of busy writing. So I’ll get a real taste of how it’s changed or not [since ‘Babylon’] once I get to finish this script and try to actually get it made,” Chazelle said on the podcast when asked if his relationship to Hollywood has changed after the flop.
“I’ve been head in the sand. I’ve been sort of busy writing. So I’ll get a real taste of how it’s changed or not [since ‘Babylon’] once I get to finish this script and try to actually get it made,” Chazelle said on the podcast when asked if his relationship to Hollywood has changed after the flop.
- 3/1/2024
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety Film + TV
It’s finally time to return to Arrakis.
Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Two” has arrived, making a mighty $12 million in previews at the box office from more than 3,400 theaters. Big-screen Imax showings made up $4.5 million of that huge haul.
Warner Bros. and Legendary’s epic sci-fi sequel is projected to make between $70 million and $80 million in its opening weekend, with some estimates even putting it at the $90 million mark. A debut that big would make it the largest movie opening since last October’s horror hit “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” which launched with $80 million.
The preview grosses are more than double those of “Dune: Part One,” which made $5.1 million while debuting simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max during the pandemic. “Part One” opened with $41 million and ended its run with $402 million worldwide, one of the few box office successes of the pandemic.
Timothée Chalamet and his A-list “Dune...
Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Two” has arrived, making a mighty $12 million in previews at the box office from more than 3,400 theaters. Big-screen Imax showings made up $4.5 million of that huge haul.
Warner Bros. and Legendary’s epic sci-fi sequel is projected to make between $70 million and $80 million in its opening weekend, with some estimates even putting it at the $90 million mark. A debut that big would make it the largest movie opening since last October’s horror hit “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” which launched with $80 million.
The preview grosses are more than double those of “Dune: Part One,” which made $5.1 million while debuting simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max during the pandemic. “Part One” opened with $41 million and ended its run with $402 million worldwide, one of the few box office successes of the pandemic.
Timothée Chalamet and his A-list “Dune...
- 3/1/2024
- by Jordan Moreau
- Variety Film + TV
Ticket sales at the box office this weekend will be flowing as freely as spice on the desert planet of Arrakis.
Director Denis Villeneuve’s big-budget sequel “Dune: Part Two,” where “spice” is an all-powerful commodity, is targeting $70 million to $80 million in its opening weekend. Warner Bros., the studio behind the sci-fi epic, is conservatively projecting a $65 million start, though most box office prognosticators believe that revenues could near the $90 million mark. At the international box office, the follow-up to 2021’s “Dune” is projected to collect $80 million to $90 million from roughly 70 markets.
No matter where the initial tally ends up, “Dune: Part Two” will deliver a massive, necessary jolt for movie theaters. It was originally slated to hit the big screen last fall, but it was delayed to spring because the actors strike prevented Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya and their co-stars from being able to promote the movie. Now, it’s...
Director Denis Villeneuve’s big-budget sequel “Dune: Part Two,” where “spice” is an all-powerful commodity, is targeting $70 million to $80 million in its opening weekend. Warner Bros., the studio behind the sci-fi epic, is conservatively projecting a $65 million start, though most box office prognosticators believe that revenues could near the $90 million mark. At the international box office, the follow-up to 2021’s “Dune” is projected to collect $80 million to $90 million from roughly 70 markets.
No matter where the initial tally ends up, “Dune: Part Two” will deliver a massive, necessary jolt for movie theaters. It was originally slated to hit the big screen last fall, but it was delayed to spring because the actors strike prevented Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya and their co-stars from being able to promote the movie. Now, it’s...
- 2/27/2024
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Sebastian Stan corrected a journalist at the Berlin Film Festival press conference for his new film, the psychological thriller “A Different Man,” when they used insensitive language to describe a character with facial disfigurement.
The film follows Edward (Stan), who, after undergoing facial surgery, becomes fixated on another man playing him in a stage production based on his former life. In the first act of the movie, Stan wears heavy makeup to portray a character with a facial disfigurement, and after the surgery, his face returns to its typical look.
At Friday’s press conference, a journalist asked, “What do you think happens after the transformation from this so-called beast, as they call him, to this perfect man?”
“I have to call you out a little bit on the choice of words there, because I think part of why the film is important is because we often don’t have the right vocabulary,...
The film follows Edward (Stan), who, after undergoing facial surgery, becomes fixated on another man playing him in a stage production based on his former life. In the first act of the movie, Stan wears heavy makeup to portray a character with a facial disfigurement, and after the surgery, his face returns to its typical look.
At Friday’s press conference, a journalist asked, “What do you think happens after the transformation from this so-called beast, as they call him, to this perfect man?”
“I have to call you out a little bit on the choice of words there, because I think part of why the film is important is because we often don’t have the right vocabulary,...
- 2/16/2024
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
In the movie biz, Sydney Sweeney really showed her stuff as Julia Carpenter in Madame Web. Known for her acting chops, the 26-year-old went all in for a scene in her latest film that took place underwater. She totally nailed the mysterious vibe of her character, and it was intense.
Sydney Sweeney in Euphoria
Sydney’s dedication to bringing Julia to life led to a big change for her as an actress. It’s now one of her favorite moments on set, and she’s very proud of how it turned out.
Suggested“That terrified me”: Sydney Sweeney Refused to Audition for Disney Because of Crippling Stage Fright Sydney Sweeney Cherishes Madame Web’s Water Tank Scene
Sydney Sweeney’s been killing it lately, landing roles left and right and rocking them like a pro. Just like with any celeb we’re all obsessed with, it’s only natural...
Sydney Sweeney in Euphoria
Sydney’s dedication to bringing Julia to life led to a big change for her as an actress. It’s now one of her favorite moments on set, and she’s very proud of how it turned out.
Suggested“That terrified me”: Sydney Sweeney Refused to Audition for Disney Because of Crippling Stage Fright Sydney Sweeney Cherishes Madame Web’s Water Tank Scene
Sydney Sweeney’s been killing it lately, landing roles left and right and rocking them like a pro. Just like with any celeb we’re all obsessed with, it’s only natural...
- 2/16/2024
- by Muskan Chaudhary
- FandomWire
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After hitting theaters in November, the Joaquin Phoenix-led historical epic “Napoleon” will begin streaming on Apple TV+ on March 1.
Stream Now: napoleon on apple tv+ $9.99/Month
Ridley Scott’s two-and-a-half-hour film chronicles the life of the notorious French military commander Napoleon Bonaparte, from his beginnings through his ruthless climb to emperor — viewed through the prism of his addictive and often volatile relationship with his wife Joséphine, played by Vanessa Kirby.
In addition to reuniting with Phoenix, Scott reunited with “All the Money in the World” screenwriter David Scarpa, who penned the film. Scott also serves as a producer alongside Mark Huffam and Kevin J. Walsh; co-producers Winston Azzopardi, Raymond Kirk and Janine Modder and executive producer Aidan Elliott.
“Napoleon” received three Oscar nominations for visual effects, production design and costume design.
After hitting theaters in November, the Joaquin Phoenix-led historical epic “Napoleon” will begin streaming on Apple TV+ on March 1.
Stream Now: napoleon on apple tv+ $9.99/Month
Ridley Scott’s two-and-a-half-hour film chronicles the life of the notorious French military commander Napoleon Bonaparte, from his beginnings through his ruthless climb to emperor — viewed through the prism of his addictive and often volatile relationship with his wife Joséphine, played by Vanessa Kirby.
In addition to reuniting with Phoenix, Scott reunited with “All the Money in the World” screenwriter David Scarpa, who penned the film. Scott also serves as a producer alongside Mark Huffam and Kevin J. Walsh; co-producers Winston Azzopardi, Raymond Kirk and Janine Modder and executive producer Aidan Elliott.
“Napoleon” received three Oscar nominations for visual effects, production design and costume design.
- 2/15/2024
- by Caroline Brew
- Variety Film + TV
Roses are red, violets are blue, two new movies will open in theaters on Valentine’s Day, but neither are expected to break through.
Paramount’s musical biopic “Bob Marley: One Love” is projected to collect $30 million to $35 million between Wednesday and President’s Day on Monday. Those ticket sales should be enough to lead over Sony’s comic book adventure “Madame Web,” which looks to generate $22 million to $25 million during the same six-day period.
Given the budgets of each film — “Bob Marley” cost $70 million and “Madame Web” cost $80 million, not including marketing — those aren’t especially encouraging estimates. Even worse, those anemic figures span six days, not the traditional three-day weekend.
The presence of two new offerings will be a welcome boost for cinemas. But it won’t be enough to revive the domestic box office as it remains down 15% from 2023. Comparisons to last year will be tough because...
Paramount’s musical biopic “Bob Marley: One Love” is projected to collect $30 million to $35 million between Wednesday and President’s Day on Monday. Those ticket sales should be enough to lead over Sony’s comic book adventure “Madame Web,” which looks to generate $22 million to $25 million during the same six-day period.
Given the budgets of each film — “Bob Marley” cost $70 million and “Madame Web” cost $80 million, not including marketing — those aren’t especially encouraging estimates. Even worse, those anemic figures span six days, not the traditional three-day weekend.
The presence of two new offerings will be a welcome boost for cinemas. But it won’t be enough to revive the domestic box office as it remains down 15% from 2023. Comparisons to last year will be tough because...
- 2/13/2024
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
“The Color Purple” will make its streaming debut on Max on Feb. 16.
The movie musical remake from Warner Bros. and director Blitz Bazawule is up for an Academy Award and received two SAG Award nominations and 17 NAACP Image Award nods. It stars Fantasia Barrino, who reprises the role of Celie after playing her on Broadway in 2007, as well as Danielle Brooks, who received a Tony nomination for the Broadway role and is now competing for a best supporting actress Oscar.
Colman Domingo, Taraji P. Henson and Halle Bailey also star in “The Color Purple,” which boasts producers including Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Scott Sanders and Quincy Jones, and is a film adaptation of the Broadway musical, which itself adapted the 1985 Spielberg film based on Alice Walker’s novel.
“Spielberg did justice to Alice Walker’s Pulitzer-winning novel, but he also left room to expand and improve,” wrote Variety chief film...
The movie musical remake from Warner Bros. and director Blitz Bazawule is up for an Academy Award and received two SAG Award nominations and 17 NAACP Image Award nods. It stars Fantasia Barrino, who reprises the role of Celie after playing her on Broadway in 2007, as well as Danielle Brooks, who received a Tony nomination for the Broadway role and is now competing for a best supporting actress Oscar.
Colman Domingo, Taraji P. Henson and Halle Bailey also star in “The Color Purple,” which boasts producers including Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Scott Sanders and Quincy Jones, and is a film adaptation of the Broadway musical, which itself adapted the 1985 Spielberg film based on Alice Walker’s novel.
“Spielberg did justice to Alice Walker’s Pulitzer-winning novel, but he also left room to expand and improve,” wrote Variety chief film...
- 2/9/2024
- by Ethan Shanfeld
- Variety Film + TV
“Will & Harper,” a heartfelt and heartbreaking documentary about Will Ferrell’s cross-country road trip with his best friend Harper Steele, who recently came out as transgender, sold to Netflix after its Sundance Film Festival debut. Financial terms of the pact were not disclosed, but “Will & Harper” was drawing interest from several buyers.
The film, directed by “Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar” filmmaker Josh Greenbaum, was warmly embraced in Park City with two standing ovations after the credits rolled.
“We are thrilled about how audiences received the movie with open arms at Sundance,” the filmmakers said in a statement. “It’s a movie about the power of friendship and acceptance, that we hope can help shift the culture, and so we are excited to have a partner in Netflix that has the ability to reach the largest possible audience worldwide.”
Ferrell and Steele were hired at...
The film, directed by “Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar” filmmaker Josh Greenbaum, was warmly embraced in Park City with two standing ovations after the credits rolled.
“We are thrilled about how audiences received the movie with open arms at Sundance,” the filmmakers said in a statement. “It’s a movie about the power of friendship and acceptance, that we hope can help shift the culture, and so we are excited to have a partner in Netflix that has the ability to reach the largest possible audience worldwide.”
Ferrell and Steele were hired at...
- 2/1/2024
- by Rebecca Rubin and Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
“Dìdi,” a coming-of-age drama that won the U.S. dramatic audience award at Sundance, has sold to Focus Features. The semi-autobiographical film was written, produced and directed by Sean Wang in his feature debut.
The film follows a 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy in the throes of an awkward adolescence, as he enjoys the last month of summer before high school begins. He experiences the pangs of first love, becomes friends with some skaters (after promising to make videos of them), fights with his older sister and gets a hard-earned understanding of his mom. It is set in 2008, when MySpace was still a thing and TikTok had yet to explode.
Wang says he hopes that audiences will be able to see a version of themselves in the film, which stars Izaac Wang as the filmmaker’s cinematic alter-ego and Joan Chen (“The Last Emperor”) as his onscreen mother.
“’Dìdi (弟弟)’ is...
The film follows a 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy in the throes of an awkward adolescence, as he enjoys the last month of summer before high school begins. He experiences the pangs of first love, becomes friends with some skaters (after promising to make videos of them), fights with his older sister and gets a hard-earned understanding of his mom. It is set in 2008, when MySpace was still a thing and TikTok had yet to explode.
Wang says he hopes that audiences will be able to see a version of themselves in the film, which stars Izaac Wang as the filmmaker’s cinematic alter-ego and Joan Chen (“The Last Emperor”) as his onscreen mother.
“’Dìdi (弟弟)’ is...
- 1/31/2024
- by Brent Lang and Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
“Thelma,” an adventure-comedy starring June Squibb, has sold to Magnolia Pictures out of Sundance.
Directed by Josh Margolin, the film follows a grandmother who embarks on a quest to recoup her money after she loses $10,000 in a phone scam. “Thelma,” which cheekily riffs on “Mission: Impossible,” also stars “White Lotus” breakout Fred Hechinger, the late Richard Roundtree (in his final screen performace), Parker Posey, Clark Gregg and Malcolm McDowell. The film is loosely based on an event that happened to Margolin’s own grandma, the 103-year-old Thelma Post.
“Tom Cruise jumping out of a plane is as dangerous as my grandma getting onto a bed,” Margolin told Variety ahead of the film’s Sundance premiere. “I wanted to treat Thelma’s mission with the sincerity and stakes that you would Ethan Hunt globe-trotting to track down the bad guy.”
“Thelma” marks the first leading film role of Squibb’s career.
Directed by Josh Margolin, the film follows a grandmother who embarks on a quest to recoup her money after she loses $10,000 in a phone scam. “Thelma,” which cheekily riffs on “Mission: Impossible,” also stars “White Lotus” breakout Fred Hechinger, the late Richard Roundtree (in his final screen performace), Parker Posey, Clark Gregg and Malcolm McDowell. The film is loosely based on an event that happened to Margolin’s own grandma, the 103-year-old Thelma Post.
“Tom Cruise jumping out of a plane is as dangerous as my grandma getting onto a bed,” Margolin told Variety ahead of the film’s Sundance premiere. “I wanted to treat Thelma’s mission with the sincerity and stakes that you would Ethan Hunt globe-trotting to track down the bad guy.”
“Thelma” marks the first leading film role of Squibb’s career.
- 1/30/2024
- by Ethan Shanfeld
- Variety Film + TV
Gru and the Minions are back, as Universal and Illumination’s “Despicable Me 4” has released its first trailer.
The film, which hits theaters on July 3, 2024, continues the popular animated franchise, which follows the reformed supervillain Gru (Steve Carell) trying to do good and finding family while he’s at it. Kristen Wiig, Miranda Cosgrove, Steve Coogan, Chris Renaud, Dana Gaier and Pierre Coffin also return for the fourth installment.
“Despicable Me 4” introduces new characters voiced by Will Ferrell, Joey King, Sofia Vergara, Stephen Colbert, Chloe Fineman and Madison Polan. Ferrell voices Gru’s new nemesis Maxime Le Mal, while Vergara plays Maxime’s femme fatale girlfriend Valentina.
The first movie featured Gru adopting three daughters, while the second installment saw Gru finding love with Lucy Wilde (voiced by Wiig). “Despicable Me 3” had a shocking reveal with the appearance of Gru’s long-lost twin brother, Dru (also voiced...
The film, which hits theaters on July 3, 2024, continues the popular animated franchise, which follows the reformed supervillain Gru (Steve Carell) trying to do good and finding family while he’s at it. Kristen Wiig, Miranda Cosgrove, Steve Coogan, Chris Renaud, Dana Gaier and Pierre Coffin also return for the fourth installment.
“Despicable Me 4” introduces new characters voiced by Will Ferrell, Joey King, Sofia Vergara, Stephen Colbert, Chloe Fineman and Madison Polan. Ferrell voices Gru’s new nemesis Maxime Le Mal, while Vergara plays Maxime’s femme fatale girlfriend Valentina.
The first movie featured Gru adopting three daughters, while the second installment saw Gru finding love with Lucy Wilde (voiced by Wiig). “Despicable Me 3” had a shocking reveal with the appearance of Gru’s long-lost twin brother, Dru (also voiced...
- 1/28/2024
- by Valerie Wu
- Variety Film + TV
Rapper Travis Scott stars in the first trailer for his and director Harmony Korine’s indie film “Aggro Dr1ft,” which was shot entirely in infrared.
The short trailer is bathed in the starkly contrasted colors of the infrared lens, and it follows an assassin on his journey. “Breaking away from the traditional parameters of cinema, ‘Aggro Dr1ft’ explores the onslaught of digital ephemera and interrogates modern life through the vernacular of video games. Shot entirely through an infrared lens, the film follows a Miami Beach hitman as he embarks on the relentless pursuit of his next target,” reads the logline.
“As it is, ‘Aggro Dr1ft’ is visually thrilling but somewhat tedious to sit through — better as wallpaper than the main attraction,” wrote Variety chief film critic Peter Debruge in his review. “Still, as with James Cameron’s ‘Avatar,’ there’s wisdom in the generic quality of his script. Cameron was...
The short trailer is bathed in the starkly contrasted colors of the infrared lens, and it follows an assassin on his journey. “Breaking away from the traditional parameters of cinema, ‘Aggro Dr1ft’ explores the onslaught of digital ephemera and interrogates modern life through the vernacular of video games. Shot entirely through an infrared lens, the film follows a Miami Beach hitman as he embarks on the relentless pursuit of his next target,” reads the logline.
“As it is, ‘Aggro Dr1ft’ is visually thrilling but somewhat tedious to sit through — better as wallpaper than the main attraction,” wrote Variety chief film critic Peter Debruge in his review. “Still, as with James Cameron’s ‘Avatar,’ there’s wisdom in the generic quality of his script. Cameron was...
- 1/25/2024
- by McKinley Franklin
- Variety Film + TV
IFC Films and Sapan Studio have acquired the North American rights to “Ghostlight” following its world premiere at Sundance Film Festival, where the tender-hearted drama drew strong reviews.
The film is the sophomore feature from Alex Thompson and Kelly O’Sullivan and follows their critically acclaimed 2019 debut “Saint Frances.” It stars a real-life family of actors — Keith Kupferer, Tara Mallen and their daughter Katherine Mallen Kupferer — as well as Golden Globe nominee Dolly De Leon, a breakout for her turn in “Triangle of Sadness.” IFC Films plans to release the film in theaters later this year.
“Ghostlight” centers around Dan, a melancholic construction worker who unexpectedly joins a local theater’s production of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” But as the onstage drama mirrors his own life, Dan and his family are forced to grapple with a recent tragedy. In his Variety review, Peter Debruge wrote that the story was “beautifully told,...
The film is the sophomore feature from Alex Thompson and Kelly O’Sullivan and follows their critically acclaimed 2019 debut “Saint Frances.” It stars a real-life family of actors — Keith Kupferer, Tara Mallen and their daughter Katherine Mallen Kupferer — as well as Golden Globe nominee Dolly De Leon, a breakout for her turn in “Triangle of Sadness.” IFC Films plans to release the film in theaters later this year.
“Ghostlight” centers around Dan, a melancholic construction worker who unexpectedly joins a local theater’s production of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” But as the onstage drama mirrors his own life, Dan and his family are forced to grapple with a recent tragedy. In his Variety review, Peter Debruge wrote that the story was “beautifully told,...
- 1/25/2024
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
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