| | | | What's news: Oppenheimer crosses $700m worldwide. The Outsiders musical will open on April 11, 2024. $4 cinema tickets will be available on National Cinema Day. Donald Trump has confirmed he will not take part in the Republican presidential primary debates. — Abid Rahman
Do you have THR's next big story? Confidentially share tips with us at tips@thr.com. |
Korea Box Office Manipulation Was "Open Secret" for Years ►The specter of ghost screenings. Allegations of a massive, multi-year pattern of box office fraud has rocked the Korean film industry. THR's Soomee Park and Patrick Brzeski write that industry veterans allege that exhibition chains often required them to bulk-buy promotional tickets to their own movies as an upfront cost of getting screen time — and that the case isn't as simple as Seoul police have portrayed. The story.
—How much?!? National Cinema Day is back in time to ring out summer. On Aug. 27, thousands of theaters across the U.S. will slash movie ticket prices to $4 for any title in any format. The second annual National Cinema Day hopes to build on the success of a similar offering over Labor Day weekend last year, when tickets were just $3. The overall initiative is the brainchild of the Cinema Foundation, a relatively new nonprofit organization that’s affiliated with the National Association of Theatre Owners. The story.
—ICYMI. The Los Angeles Unified School District has canceled school on Monday amid a tropical storm warning in the Southern California area. Superintendent Alberto Carvalho made the announcement Sunday afternoon in a live press conference covered by local TV news stations as heavy rainfall was hitting Southern California. The story.
—Wake up babe, new Barbie content! Atlantic Records has released a behind-the-scenes look at Ryan Gosling and his Barbie costars' performance of “I’m Just Ken.” The video takes viewers behind the scenes of the filming of the song, including footage of Gosling rehearsing along with appearances by director Greta Gerwig, executive producer Mark Ronson, the song’s co-writer/co-producer Andrew Wyatt and more. It features both the recording of the song from Barbie The Album and the production of the scene from the hit feature film. The story. |
Paul Feig Remembers Friend Killed for Displaying Pride Flag ►"Anyone using hateful language against the LGBTQ+ community has to realize their words matter." Paul Feig took to social media to remember his friend Laura Ann Carleton, who was shot and killed after engaging in an argument with a man about the Pride flag she had on display outside of her store. The Bridesmaids filmmaker added that he was “devastated” for Carleton's family and the LGBTQ community, for which she was a “true ally.” The story.
—"I WILL THEREFORE NOT BE DOING THE DEBATES!" Donald Trump confirmed Sunday that he will be skipping the first Republican presidential primary debate — and others as well. Trump has repeatedly criticized Fox News, the host of Wednesday's primetime event, insisting it is a “hostile network” that he believes will not treat him fairly. The story.
—📅 Mark it down 📅 The Outsiders musical, based on S.E. Hinton’s literary classic and Francis Ford Coppola’s iconic 1983 film adaptation, will open on Broadway this coming spring. Directed by Danya Taymor, the show will officially open on April 11, 2024, at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre. Previews for the production, which features a book by Adam Rapp with Justin Levine, and music and lyrics by Levine and Jamestown Revival’s Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance, are set to begin March 16. The story.
—Sentenced. A New York City drug dealer was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison for providing The Wire actor Michael K. Williams with fentanyl-laced heroin, causing his death. Irvin Cartagena pleaded guilty in April to conspiring to distribute drugs. Williams overdosed in his Brooklyn penthouse apartment in September 2021. He died hours after authorities said he bought the heroin from Cartagena in a deal recorded by a security camera. The story. |
'Blue Beetle' Beats 'Barbie' ►The reign is over. After ruling the box office roost for four weekends, Barbie fell to second place as DC’s superhero pic Blue Beetle took the top spot. Blue Beetle opened to an estimated $25.4m in North America. It remains to be seen how much Tropical Storm Hilary dampens grosses in Los Angeles — the film’s top market — and other parts of the Southwest, but Warner Bros. expects the impact to be significant.
Overseas, the film took in $18m from 63 markets for a global start of $43.4m. THR's Pamela McClintock writes that Blue Beetle came in behind expectations — heading into the weekend, tracking had suggested $28m to $32m — but it also posted one of the lowest openings among any title in the DC Extended Universe, not adjusted for inflation. The film's release has been hampered by the SAG-AFTRA strike, which means the cast couldn’t participate in the publicity tour. In terms of audience reaction and demo breakdowns, it earned a B+ CinemaScore and played heavily male (66 percent).
Barbie took in $21.5m for an astounding domestic cume of $567.3m. It earned another $26m overseas for a foreign cume of $711.9m and $1.279b globally. Oppenheimer, also in its fifth weekend, followed in third place with $10.6m. Christopher Nolan’s film cleared another milestone this weekend when crossing the $700m mark globally to become the Brit filmmaker's fourth-biggest film ever.
Elsewhere, Universal’s raunchy canine comedy Strays bombed, opening to an estimated $8.3m domestically. The box office report. |
Emmys: Vets and Breakouts Make Up Drama Lead Actress Race ►Getting closer. With the final round of voting for the 75 Emmy Awards closing on Aug. 28, THR’s executive editor of awards Scott Feinberg breaks down one of the top acting categories — outstanding lead actress in a drama series. The nominees include Sharon Horgan (Bad Sisters), Melanie Lynskey (Yellowjackets), Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid's Tale), Bella Ramsey (The Last of Us), Keri Russell (The Diplomat) and Sarah Snook (Succession). The story.
—Veterans and one rookie. Scott also breaks down the outstanding lead actor in a drama series category. The nominees include Jeff Bridges (The Old Man), Brian Cox (Succession), Kieran Culkin (Succession), Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul), Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us) and Jeremy Strong (Succession). The story.
—“It’s all exposition. Nothing happened.” YouTuber and WWE star Logan Paul wasn’t a fan of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, admitting that he walked out of the theater as he found the film dull and hard to follow. On the latest episode of his podcast, Paul said he didn't like the dialogue heavy biopic and the lack of action. The story.
—Four-week run. Shia LaBeouf is set to make his stage debut in the world premiere of David Mamet’s Henry Johnson. Directed by The L Word: Generation Q showrunner Marja-Lewis Ryan, the play follows “the plight of a man after an act of compassion upends his life,” according to the production. The play is set to open on Sept. 1 at The Electric Lodge in Venice, California, and will run for a limited number of performances through Sept. 24 during its four-week run. The story. |
Ron Cephas Jones 1957 - 2023 ►"Throughout the course of his career, his warmth, beauty, generosity, kindness and heart were felt by anyone who had the good fortune of knowing him." Ron Cephas Jones, who won two Emmy Awards for his role in NBC's This Is Us, has died. He was 66. The actor died due to a long-standing pulmonary issue, the Gersh Agency confirmed on Sunday. In 2016, he landed his most notable role on This Is Us, in which he played William Hill, the biological father of Sterling K. Brown’s Randall Pearson. The obituary.
—"One of the most wonderful people the world has ever seen is no longer with us." Following the news of Ron Cephas Jones' death, several of his former This Is Us costars, including Mandy Moore, Sterling K. Brown, Chrissy Metz and Octavia Spencer, took to social media to pay tribute to the stage and screen actor. The reaction. |
'Winning Time' Director Talks S2's Magic-Bird Rivalry ►"I think what Winning Time is really about is America." For THR, Brande Victorian spoke to Winning Time director Todd Banhazl about season two of the HBO series. Banhazl, who made his directorial debut with Sunday's episode, discusses building to the rivalry between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird and laying the foundation for their longstanding feud. The interview.
—"I don’t think that I will ever forget her." THR's Sydney Odman spoke to Better Call Saul star Rhea Seehorn on why she’s not completely saying goodbye to her character Kim Wexler. The Emmy nominee reveals it’s sinking in that the AMC series’ six seasons have concluded, but she hopes "one day there’s an occasion to revisit these characters." This interview took place before the SAG-AFTRA strike came into force. The interview.
—"I know it’s a cliché, but I’m just happy to be involved with the people who make it." THR's nicest man Chris Gardner spoke to Ted Lasso star Phil Dunster. The Emmy nominee finally caught up with some of his co-stars, earning his first nod for his role on the third — and maybe final — season of the Apple TV+ comedy. The interview.
—"There’s so much peace to grasp." THR's Seija Rankin spoke to Painkiller star Taylor Kitsch on how he's been using the Montana wilderness to help communities in need. The actor discusses his time away from the spotlight that he's spent building a healing retreat for veterans and people battling addiction. The interview.
In other news...
—Paramount Global boss Bob Bakish named MIPCOM Personality of the Year
—The $560m challenge of turning the Las Vegas Strip into an F1 racetrack
—Daniels, Michael J. Fox and Padma Lakshmi set for Clinton Global Initiative meeting
—Hollywood lawyer Ken Kleinberg on his crusade for kidney research
—James Marsh’s Samuel Beckett biopic Dance First to close San Sebastián Film Festival
What else we're reading...
—Noah Kirsch reports that CNN contributor Van Jones has been pushed out of his own $100m non-profit [Daily Beast]
—Max Tani and Shelby Talcott report that Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy told associates Newsmax tried to make him pay for coverage [Semafor]
—Kate Lindsay reflects on the fandomization of news, where younger audiences look for information from creators and what happens when those creators get it badly wrong [Verge]
—Bethy Squires looks into why so many celebs are playing Uno [Vulture]
—After seeing a Harry Potter–themed set of Spellcasting Spatulas, Amanda Mull has had enough of brand collabs [Atlantic]
Today...
...in 1998, New Line unveiled Wesley Snipes’ R-rated Marvel adaptation Blade in theaters, where it would go on to be a late summer hit and gross $131m globally. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Kim Cattrall (67), Bo Burnham (33), Peter Weir (79), Kacey Musgraves (35), Laura Haddock (38), Carrie-Anne Moss (56), Alicia Witt (48), Hayden Panettiere (34), RJ Mitte (31), Loretta Devine (74), Patty McCormack (78), Elarica Johnson (34), Arielle Carver-O'Neill (31), Marc Evan Jackson (53), Mustafa Shakir (47), Dallas Liu (22), Albrecht Schuch (38), Christian Navarro (32), Will Harrison (27), Cleo King (61), Jonathan Lajoie (43), John Hollingworth (42), Thomas Beaudoin (42), Brody Jenner (40), Steve Alten (64), Tarek El Moussa (42) |
| | | | | | | | | | |
