| | | | | | What's news: It's a review heavy newsletter this morning as a host of Oscar hopefuls launched at Telluride and Venice over the weekend. Weapons is heading towards $250m at the box office. Warwick Davis has joined the cast of HBO's Harry Potter series. And Disney has scraped its live-action The Aristocats movie. — Abid Rahman
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Summer Box Office Clobbered by Kryptonite ►Worrying signs. As the summer movie season wraps on Sept. 1, THR's Pamela McClintock reports that Hollywood is facing the worst-case scenario: May to Labor Day ticket sales in North America barely matched the $3.67b collected in 2024, even if the deficit was only $7m. To make matters worse, Universal and Amblin’s rerelease of Steven Spielberg’s 50-year-old Jaws beat two new studio films domestically over Labor Day. All had assumed this year’s summer lineup would have the strength to equal or surpass the $4.09b grossed in summer 2023. Pamela writes that despite the May to Labor Day season initially soaring, global grosses took a nosedive as foreign movie ticket sales plunged further and a glut of male-skewing tentpoles battled for scraps in the U.S. The analysis.
—Fin-tastic showing. A half a century later, Steven Spielberg‘s Jaws still has plenty of bite as the troubled 2025 summer season comes to a close. The original summer blockbuster, celebrating its 50th anniversary, is opening in second place at the four-day Labor Day box office behind Zach Cregger's sleeper hit Weapons, which remains in first place for the fourth weekend in a row with an estimated four-day gross of $12.4m and $10.2m for the three-day weekend proper. The horror pic, yet another win for Warner Bros. and New Line, looks to finish Monday with a global tally of $234.6m. Booked in 3,200 cinemas, Jaws is looking at a four-day haul of $9.8m — rival studios show it coming in north of $10m — and $8.1m for the three days. The box office report. |
Feinberg Weighs in On Telluride Contenders ►"Recognition of performances that required a tremendous level of commitment." THR's executive editor for awards coverage Scott Feinberg was a busy man at the Telluride Film Festival over the weekend, canvassing opinion on a slew of buzzy Oscar titles, including Bugonia, the latest collaboration between two-time Oscar-winner Emma Stone and Greek auteur Yorgos Lanthimos. Scott writes that on the strength of their performances, Stone and co-star Jesse Plemons are likely heading for Oscar nominations. The analysis.
—"Tour-de-force turn." One year after premiering Conclave in the Rockies, Edward Berger returned to Telluride to unveil his latest film, Ballad of a Small Player, a portrait of a gambling addict in Macao whose luck is running out. Scott writes that for his lead performance, Colin Farrell is back in the Oscar mix for the second time in four years. The analysis.
—"The most talked-about film at the fest." Scott also offers his thoughts on Chloé Zhao's latest feature Hamnet that premiered in Telluride (a link to the full review of the film is below). Scott reports that the film is the talk of the fest and stars Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley are generating considerable Oscar buzz for a playing Agnes and William Shakespeare in the haunting adaptation of Maggie O'Farrell’s best-selling 2020 novel of the same name. The analysis. |
Mass Protest Against Gaza War Hits Venice ►"Mothers of Gaza we are with you." Thousands of pro-Palestinian activists marched on the Venice Film Festival on Saturday in a raucous but peaceful protest against the war in Gaza. Gathering at the docks on the far side of the Lido, demonstrators waved Palestinian, Italian and rainbow flags alongside bright red union and socialist banners, their chants and slogans carried by the thump of politically charged hip hop and dance tracks blasting from a truck leading the march. Protest organizers, who had mobilized groups from across the Veneto region and beyond, demanded that Venice take a clear stand against Israeli military action on the Gaza Strip and provide more space for Palestinian voices. The story.
—14-minutes! Guillermo del Toro’s lifelong passion project Frankenstein jolted to life on Saturday night in Italy where the Netflix film received a splashy world premiere during the Venice Film Festival. When it was over, and as the credits rolled, the fest audience responded with a 14-minute standing ovation that brought the filmmaker and his title star Jacob Elordi to tears. The veteran auteur and horror maestro joined his cast Elordi, Oscar Isaac, Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz, Felix Kammerer and composer Alexandre Desplat for the red carpet affair, held inside Sala Grande on the Lido. The recap.
—5-minutes! The Venice Film Festival set the table for Jim Jarmusch‘s Father Mother Sister Brother by delivering the Mubi title’s world premiere on the Lido on Sunday night. The filmmaker joined his stars Cate Blanchett, Charlotte Rampling, Vicky Krieps, Mayim Bialik, Luka Sabbat and Indya Moore for the red carpet festivities at Sala Grande, with only Adam Driver and Tom Waits missing in action. And the capacity crowd responded with a warm standing ovation that lasted for five minutes, and would’ve continued had the cast and auteur not exited early amid the applause. The recap.
—5-minutes! Luca Guadagnino cemented his status as a Venice favorite Friday night, as his Julia Roberts–starrer After the Hunt drew a rapturous reception, and a 5+ minute standing ovation at its world premiere on the Lido. The #MeToo-themed thriller sharply divided critics earlier in the day at its first press screenings, but the audience’s embrace of Italy’s leading auteur inside the Sala Grande cinema was unmistakable. The recap. |
Questlove's 'The Aristocats' Movie Scrapped ►Hit paws. Disney is not moving forward with Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson's live-action adaptation of The Aristocats. In 2023, it was announced that Thompson would helm a live-action remake of the 1970 animated feature. Thompson was set to direct and work on the film’s music, while Will Gluck and Keith Bunin penned the script. Gluck and his production company, Olive Bridge, were slated to produce alongside Thompson’s Two One Five Entertainment. Thompson, Tarik Trotter, Shawn Gee and Zarah Zohlman previously joined as executive producers. The news of the Aristocats movie’s tabling comes roughly a few months after a live-action remake of Tangled was put on pause in the aftermath of Snow White misfiring at the box office. The story.
—Something new. A new original film is coming to Disney. On Saturday at the Destination D23 event held in Orlando, Florida, chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios, Jared Bush, took to the stage to reveal that its next movie is titled: Hexed. Josie Trinidad and Jason Hand are directing the feature, while Roy Conli and Juan Pablo Reyes Lancaster-Jones are producing. It’s slated to hit theaters in November 2026. Here’s the logline for Hexed: “An awkward teenage boy and his Type-A mom, who discover that what makes him unusual, might just be magical powers that will turn their lives and a secret world of magic, upside down.” The story.
—📅 Scorcher VI. 📅 The sixth Ice Age film has a name! At the D23 event on Saturday, the title was officially announced as, Ice Age: Boiling Point. Also revealed is its theatrical release date, set for Feb. 5, 2027. The news comes after it was confirmed earlier this year that the next Ice Age film was in production. The upcoming film’s official logline: “Ice Age: Boiling Point is a dinosaur-and-lava-filled madcap adventure that takes Manny, Sid, Diego, Ellie, Scrat and the rest of the herd to visit never-before-seen corners of the treacherous Lost World.” The story. |
'Harry Potter': Warwick Davis to Return as Prof. Filius Flitwick ►🎭 Casting a spell. 🎭 HBO's upcoming Harry Potter TV series has cast a familiar face to play Hogwarts Professor Filius Flitwick. Warwick Davis, who played Flitwick in the original Harry Potter film series, will reprise the role for the TV series, which will debut on HBO and HBO Max in 2027. Davis is the only actor (so far) to play the same role on the TV reboot as in the original films. His return to the franchise was announced as part of the annual Back to Hogwarts event, which is held each Sept. 1 and celebrates the franchise. The story.
—"Not authorized by me in any way." Just days after it was announced that Amazon Prime Video is developing a limited series based on the Karen Read trial starring Elizabeth Banks, Read spoke out about the project in her first public interview since she was acquitted. “I have nothing to do with that; it’s not authorized by me in any way,” Read said during an interview with WRKO host Howie Carr on Thursday. Meanwhile, her attorney Alan Jackson said that it is “Karen Read’s story to tell.” Banks will executive produce via her Brownstone Productions, as well as portray Read in the potential Prime Video series. Justin Noble will serve as the writer-showrunner, while David E. Kelley is executive producing. The story. |
Film Review: 'Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere' ►"A nuanced portrait suffused with heart and hurt." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Scott Cooper's Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere. Premiering at the Telluride Film Festival, Cooper’s Bruce Springsteen biopic is an examination of the brutal comedown after the blockbuster River Tour, which yielded the musician’s most personal album. Starring Jeremy Allen White, Jeremy Strong, Paul Walter Hauser, Stephen Graham, Odessa Young, Gaby Hoffman, Marc Maron and David Krumholtz. Written by Scott Cooper, based on Warren Zanes’ book. The review.
—"Elegant and enigmatic." For THR, Caryn James reviews Mark Jenkin's Rose of Nevada. A fishing village in Cornwall is the setting for the latest eerie work from the director of Enys Men, premiering in Venice. Starring George MacKay, Callum Turner, Rosalind Eleazar, Francis Magee, Mary Woodvine, Adrian Rawlins and Edward Rowe. Written by Mark Jenkin. The review.
—"Ambitious but disappointing." Caryn James reviews Aneil Karia's Hamlet. Set in London's South Asian community, the Telluride-premiering film relies (mostly) on the Bard's language. Starring Riz Ahmed, Morfydd Clark, Joe Alwyn, Sheeba Chadha, Avijit Dutt, Art Malik and Timothy Spall. The review.
—"A bloody and utterly delightful black comedy." Caryn James reviews Anders Thomas Jensen's The Last Viking. Revolving around an unusual pair of brothers, the Danish filmmaker's latest absurdist feature premiered in Venice out of competition. Starring Mads Mikkelsen, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Sofie Grabol, Soren Malling, Bodil Jorgensen and Lars Brygmann. Written by Anders Thomas Jensen. The review.
—"Small but beautifully crafted." Caryn James reviews Gastón Solnicki's The Souffleur. The Vienna-set character study, which premiered in Venice's Horizons section, is the portrait of a man facing unwanted change. Starring Willem Dafoe, Lilly Lindner, Stephanie Argerich and Gastón Solnicki. Written by Julia Niemann and Gastón Solnicki. The review. |
Film Review: 'Frankenstein' ►"It's alive!" David Rooney reviews Guillermo del Toro's Venice competition entry, Frankenstein. Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth and Christoph Waltz star in a grand-scale passion project for Netflix that the iconoclastic Mexican director has been gestating for decades. Also starring Felix Kammerer, Lars Mikkelsen, David Bradley and Charles Dance. Written by Guillermo del Toro, based on the novel Frankenstein; Or, the Modern Prometheus, by Mary Shelley. The review.
—"A vivid paean to an extraordinary life." THR's Sheri Linden reviews Ethan Hawke's Highway 99: A Double Album. Premiering at Telluride, the director gathers a who’s who of musicians for performances and conversation about country luminary, Merle Haggard. The review.
—"Understated and sharp." Sheri Linden reviews Kent Jones' Late Fame. Willem Dafoe and Greta Lee star in Jones’ New York-set drama about an obscure poet finding notoriety that's headed for the New York Film Festival after its Venice premiere. Also starring Edmund Donovan, Jake Lacy, Clark Johnson and Tony Torn. Written by Samy Burch, based on the novella by Arthur Schnitzler. The review.
—"Earthbound, airborne and magical." Sheri Linden reviews Tamara Kotevska's The Tale of Silyan. The third feature from the Macedonian director behind Honeyland will take its North American bow at the Toronto fest after debuting in Venice, and is a captivating look at a struggling farmer and the injured stork he rescues. The review. |
Film Review: 'Hamnet' ►"A tremendously acted heartbreaker." THR's Angie Han reviews Chloé Zhao's Hamnet. Author Maggie O'Farrell co-wrote the adaptation of her acclaimed novel, a fictionalized account of William Shakespeare and his wife Agnes as they fall in love, start a family and then face unexpected tragedy. Starring Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Emily Watson and Joe Alwyn. Written by Chloé Zhao and Maggie O'Farrell, based on the book by O'Farrell. The review.
—"All flash, no substance." Angie Han reviews Edward Berger's Ballad of a Small Player. The latest feature by the Conclave director premiered at Telluride, and tells the story of a gambling addict hiding from the authorities and his debtors in the casinos of Macau. Starring Colin Farrell, Fala Chen, Deanie Ip, Alex Jennings and Tilda Swinton. Written by Rowan Joffe, based on the book by Lawrence Osborne. The review.
—"A sensitive but slow portrayal of grief." Angie Han reviews Philippa Lowthorpe's H Is for Hawk. Following the death of her beloved father, a Cambridge academic decides to raise a goshawk in Lowthorpe's drama that premiered in Telluride. Starring Claire Foy, Brendan Gleeson, Denise Gough, Sam Spruell, Emma Cunniffe, Josh Dylan, Arty Froushan and Lindsay Duncan. Written by Emma Donoghue and Philippa Lowthorpe, based on the book by Helen Macdonald. The review.
—"An engrossing, if incomplete, portrait." Angie Han reviews Ivy Meeropol's Ask E. Jean. Meeropol profiles the journalist and advice columnist who sued Donald Trump in 2019, ultimately being awarded $88.3m in damages by a jury. Featuring E. Jean Carroll, Lisa Birnbach, Joshua Matz, Roberta Kaplan, Carol Martin, Lisa Corelli and Marilyn Minter. Written by Ivy Meeropol, Leah Goudsmit and Ferne Pearlstein. The review. |
Film Review: 'No Other Choice' ►"Starts and finishes in fine form but loses itself midway." David Rooney reviews Park Chan-wook's Venice competition entry, No Other Choice. In the Korean master's satirical thriller, Squid Game star Lee Byung-hun plays a desperate man turned ruthless by unemployment. Also starring Son Ye-jin, Park Hee-soon, Lee Sung-min and Yeom Hye-ran. Screenwriters Park Chan-wook, Lee Kyoung-mi, Don McKellar and Jahye Lee, based on the Donald E. Westlake novel, The Ax. The review.
—"Too deliberately opaque to be stimulating." David Rooney reviews Luca Guadagnino's After the Hunt. Premiering out of competition in Venice, Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri, Andrew Garfield, Michael Stuhlbarg and Chloë Sevigny star in this psychological thriller about a sexual assault accusation that tears through the Yale philosophy department. Written by Nora Garrett. The review.
—"Could use more work." THR's Jordan Mintzer reviews Valérie Donzelli's Venice competition entry, At Work. The latest from the Declaration of War writer-director stars Bastien Bouillon as a novelist eeking out a living as a freelance handyman in Paris. Also starring André Marcon, Virginie Ledoyen and Valérie Donzelli. Written by Valérie Donzelli, Gilles Marchand, based on the book by Franck Courtès. The review.
—"An exquisite cinematic artifact." Jordan Mintzer reviews Gianfranco Rosi's Venice competition entry, Below the Clouds. The latest feature by the Venice Golden Lion winner is a stunning doc that was lensed for over three years at Pompeii and communities around the Gulf of Naples in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius. Written by Gianfranco Rosi, in collaboration with Carmelo Marabello, Marie-Pierre Müller. The review.
—"A searing chronicle of a slow-motion crime." Jordan Mintzer reviews Lucrecia Martel's Landmarks. Premiering out of competition in Venice, the film is the first non-fiction feature from the Argentinian director of Zama and The Headless Woman, and focuses on the killing of an indigenous community leader by white landowners. Written by Lucrecia Martel and María Alché. The review.
In other news...
—Netflix’s new releases coming in September
—Glen Powell seeks redemption for a washed up QB in Chad Powers trailer
—The Summer I Turned Pretty unveils end-of-season trailer
—London: Daniel Day-Lewis, Richard Linklater and Yorgos Lanthimos set for talks
—Mark Knoller, former CBS News White House correspondent, dies at 73
What else we're reading...
—Daniel Thomas reports that John Malone held talks with Rupert Murdoch over a Warner Bros-Fox merger [FT]
—Karen DeYoung and Cate Brown go inside the postwar plans to ethnically cleanse Gaza to build a “Riviera of the Middle East” [Washington Post]
—The NYT editorial board is demanding international journalists be allowed into Gaza [NYT]
—The Guardian lists all of the journalists killed in Gaza over the past 22 months [Guardian]
—Sean Coughlan reports that Prince Andrew's emails show that he had contact with Jeffrey Epstein well beyond 2010 [BBC]
Today...
...in 2010, Focus Features released Anton Corbijn's crime thriller The American in theaters. The film, loosely based on the book A Very Private Gentleman by Martin Booth, starred George Clooney and was a critical and commercial hit. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Zendaya (29), Lily Tomlin (86), Ludwig Göransson (41), Padma Lakshmi (55), Scott Speedman (50), Boyd Holbrook (44), Craig Gillespie (58), Gloria Estefan (68), Billy Blanks (70), Cosmo Jarvis (36), Lara Pulver (45), Burn Gorman (51), Hannah Emily Anderson (36), Zoe Lister-Jones (43), Steve Pemberton (58), Ashley Holliday Tavares (40), Ricardo Chavira (54), Michelle Meyrink (63), Maury Sterling (54), Morven Christie (44), Aisling Loftus (35), Stephanie Koenig (38), Lilan Bowden (40), Taylor Blackwell (27), Cassady McClincy Zhang (25), Polly Shannon (52), Nishi Munshi (38), Welker White (61), Camille Chen (46), Sarah Allen (45), Jack Roth (41), Minha Kim (30), Hwang Jung-min (55) |
| Randy Boone, who rode his own horse and portrayed the singing and guitar-playing ranch hand Randy Benton on the long-running NBC series The Virginian, has died. He was 83. The obituary. |
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