“Bohemian Rhapsody” is heading for a rhapsodic debut from 4,000 North American locations with an estimated $46 million. The Fox biopic starring Rami Malek as Queen frontman Freddie Mercury earned $18.4 million Friday. Bryan Singer directed the film from Anthony McCarten’s screenplay. Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, Joseph Mazzello, Aidan Gillen, Tom Hollander, and Mike Myers also star. “Bohemian
Movies
Germany’s leading sales companies have descended on the American Film Market with a wide range of titles that span horror and historical fare to arthouse, animation and family pics. Supernatural thrillers look to be especially prevalent this year, with such chilling titles as “The Sonata,” “Hanna’s Homecoming” and “Party Hard, Die Young” — all from
In 2017, a group of film companies announced the launch of the Foreign Film Buyer-Distributors Assn. of Korea, aiming to contribute to a better business environment and fairer practices. However, the first dispute occurred between member companies in September — less than a year after organization’s birth. Jinjin Pictures, a member of the association, agreed
The outlook for South Korea’s film box office business is decidedly guarded. Over Chuseok holiday period, overall sales increased but business ended up being a zero-sum game. According to the Korean Film Council’s report, box office managed to sell almost 32% more tickets in September, compared to the same month a year ago. That’s partly
Jean-Francois Richet’s crime thriller “The Emperor of Paris” has been pre-sold by Gaumont to major territories. The crime thriller stars Vincent Cassel as Francois Vidocq, a real-life ex-convict who became a police detective during Napoleon’s reign. The cast includes Olga Kurylenko, August Diehl, Freya Mavor, Fabrice Luchini and James Thierée. Gaumont, which is hosting screenings
Berlin-based Flare Film is continuing its focus on international productions with German filmmaker Bastian Günther’s “Avalanche,” which just wrapped principal photography in Louisiana. The timely social drama, which stars Carrie Preston (“Claws”) and British thesp Joe Cole (“A Prayer Before Dawn”), is set in America’s troubled social and cultural environment and explores the caustic repercussions
Leading French producer Dimitri Rassam (“The Little Prince”) is joining forces with Mike Jackson and John Legend’s banner Get Lifted Film Company to produce the U.S. remake of 2017’s “Le Brio,” the Cesar-nominated comedy/drama. Endeavor Content has come on board to co-finance. Letitia Wright (“Black Panther”) is attached to star in and executive produce the
November 2, 2018 10:15PM PT Cinema Epoch has taken the U.S. rights to “Cellar,” the Igor Voloshin movie that stars French-American actor Jean Marc Barr. Starline recently boarded sales on the Slovak-language picture. In the film, Barr (“The Big Blue”) plays a jobbing rock musician. His marriage and life are put to the test as
Berlin-based sales company Picture Tree has picked up international rights for musical drama “A Piece of My Heart,” with Malin Akerman, who starred alongside Dwayne Johnson in “Rampage” and Damian Lewis in “Billions.” Variety has been given the first-look image from the film. The film, directed by Edward af Sillén, also stars Jonas Karlsson, with
Breaking Glass Pictures has acquired North American rights to Isabella Eklof’s drama “Holiday” in a deal the closed during the American Film Market in Santa Monica, Calif. Breaking Glass CEO Rich Wolff and Ioanna Stais of Heretic Outreach made the deal. “Holiday” will arrive in theaters in February, with a DVD/VOD release to follow. “Holiday”
Playtime has boarded “High Ground,” an Australian action film headlined by Simon Baker, Callan Mulvey and Jack Thompson. Directed by Stephen Johnson, “High Ground” tells the story of Gutjuk, a young Aboriginal man orphaned in childhood who is recruited by a former soldier to track down the most dangerous outlaw in the territory — his
In today’s film news roundup, ballet dancer Francesca Howard is cast in “Cats,” Billy Bob Thornton and Alice Eve are getting honors, and “Chocolate Lizards” is becoming a film. CASTING Francesca Hayward, principal dancer with the Royal Ballet, has joined the cast of Universal Pictures and Working Title’s “Cats.” The movie is an adaptation of
November 2, 2018 4:42PM PT Amid the blur of technological change, producers at the American Film Market are seeking to become an all-encompassing destination for storytellers. That was the prevailing sentiment that emerged Friday the panel titled the Producer and Financier Perspective at the Fairmont Hotel that drew an audience of some 500-plus. Variety‘s Asia
November 2, 2018 4:04PM PT In Sophie Dupuis’ Quebecois crime drama, two brothers have their relationship tested when one backs away from the illicit family business. The title spells out the theme in the crime drama “Family First,” and if that weren’t enough, the title itself is inked out in cursive on one of the
“Bohemian Rhapsody” is bookended with one of Queen’s most iconic performances: a 20-minute set at Wembley Stadium outside of London for 1985’s Live Aid concert. Featuring some of the band’s biggest hits, including “Radio Ga Ga,” “We Are The Champions,” “We Will Rock You” and “Bohemian Rhapsody,” recreating the scale of that record-breaking event —
November 2, 2018 3:36PM PT “The Color Purple” is headed to the big screen once again — but this time, as a musical. Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey are teaming up to develop the property as a movie musical at Warner Bros. Quincy Jones and Scott Sanders are also on board to produce the movie,
Motion Picture Assn. of America chief Charles Rivkin and Independent Film and Television Alliance topper Jean Prewitt presented a united front against piracy Friday in the opening conference at the American Film Market. The piracy issue dominated in a 45-minute-long conversation at the Fairmont Hotel titled the Global Perspective before 500-plus attendees as both execs
The rough, sometimes druggy genesis of the American independent movie business of the ‘60s and ‘70s was recalled by Micky Dolenz and Michael Nesmith of the Monkees during a sold-out 50th anniversary American Cinematheque screening of the band’s ill-fated feature film “Head.” Looking out into the Egyptian Theatre before the film unspooled, Dolenz drolly asked
Consider “Bohemian Rhapsody” the box office Queen. The Freddie Mercury biopic is set to open with a winning $43 million weekend at 4,000 North American locations, early estimates showed Friday. The film, starring Rami Malek as Mercury, generated a solid $3.9 million in Thursday night previews, with exit polling showing 66% of theatergoers rating “Bohemian Rhapsody”
Maverick filmmaker Fruit Chan paints a grotesquely satirical picture of Hong Kong in “Three Husbands,” a heavily allegorical comedy-drama about a mentally challenged and virtually speechless prostitute who travels around the Special Administrative Region on a fishing boat and is relentlessly pimped out by her three “husbands.” Infused with Chan’s trademark absurdist humor and cheerful
Several major Hollywood studios are courting J.J. Abrams, who is looking to land a lucrative megadeal with a big media company, a number of Hollywood insiders told Variety. People familiar with the matter say Abrams’ ambitions are vast and that the prolific producer, writer, and director behind “Alias” and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is
November 2, 2018 10:24AM PT Sam Neill (“Hunt for the Wilderpeople”) and Michael Caton (“The Animal”) can be seen in-character in the eagerly-anticipated “RAMS” in these exclusive first-look images from the shoot. The pair play sheep farmers and estranged brothers Colin (Neill) and Les (Caton). They are a chalk and cheese pair – Colin is
Jessica Harper has a key role in the Luca Guadagnino-directed “Suspiria,” which opens Nov. 2. It’s a nod to her work in Dario Argento’s 1977 original, just one of the many cult films she’s starred in. The list also includes “Shock Treatment” (the sequel to “Rocky Horror Picture Show”), Brian De Palma’s rock musical “Phantom
Dakota Fanning is starring in the immigrant drama “Sweetness in the Belly,” which has begun shooting in Ireland and will continue in Ethiopia. Zeresenay Berhane Mehari is directing from a script by Laura Phillips, adapted from Camilla Gibb’s bestselling novel that explores an immigrant’s life from the unique perspective of being orphaned in Africa as
November 2, 2018 9:00AM PT National Geographic has solidified the leadership team of its TV wing with new deals for top executives in advance of the company’s move to Disney as part of its acquisition of 21st Century Fox assets. Courteney Monroe has renewed her contract to remain president and CEO of National Geographic Global
Raymond Chow, the co-founder of Hong Kong’s Golden Harvest that launched the careers of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, died on Friday. He was 91. Chow was an instrumental figure in building the golden era of the Hong Kong film industry, working under Run Run Shaw at Shaw Brothers Studio and co-founding Golden Harvest in
November 2, 2018 8:30AM PT Shout! Studios, the distribution and production arm of Shout! Factory, has taken North American rights to Russian horror thriller “The Mermaid: Lake of the Dead.” 4Digital Media has taken British right. The pic centers on Marina, who has just got engaged to Roman. An evil mermaid sets her eyes on
Netflix is looking for a female actor between 13 and 21 — who is 5-foot-10 or taller — to star in its upcoming original comedy film “Tall Girl.” The streamer announced a worldwide casting call for the live-action movie’s lead: 16-year-old Jodi, who is more than six feet tall and struggles to survive high school
Producer/financier Bold Films made its mark in recent years with critical and commercial indie hits like “Whiplash,” “Drive” and “Nightcrawler.” Its co-founders — Russian-born entrepreneur, chairman and backer Michel Litvak and CEO Gary Michael Walters — hope to achieve similar results with the just-released art-house drama “Colette,” pictured above, and A24’s recent pickup “Vox Lux”
November 2, 2018 8:00AM PT Nick Robinson, Michael Shannon, Britt Robertson, and Alex Pettyfer are starring in the burglary drama “Echo Boomers.” Based on a true story, the film centers around a group of disillusioned twentysomethings, who break into and steal from the homes of the rich. Seth Savoy will be making his directorial debut