Live Nation Entertainment has placed production chief Heather Parry on a leave of absence in response to a Variety investigation into allegations of verbally abusive behavior and offensive language. The move comes more than six months after 10 employees filed HR complaints, according to multiple sources interviewed by Variety over the past four months. The
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Audrey Geisel, who was Dr. Seuss’ widow and an executive producer on film adaptions of his books including the recent “The Grinch,” has died, ICM Partners announced in a statement on Friday. She was 97. Geisel and Dr. Seuss — the pen name of Theodor Geisel — were married from 1968 to 1991, when he
December 21, 2018 11:23AM PT “Aquaman” hauled $332 million from 58 international markets through Thursday, as the superhero tentpole launches in North America. Nearly two thirds of that international total — $209.5 million — has come from China. The Jason Momoa vehicle is the highest grosser of all time for Warner Bros. in China. Other
December 21, 2018 10:19AM PT CAA has signed Belgian writer and director Lukas Dhont, who helmed the acclaimed pic “Girl.” This marks the first time Dhont has been represented by a U.S. agency. Dhont’s debut feature, “Girl,” is a Golden Globe nominee for foreign-language film, but drew controversy when it was not included on the
It seems like 2019 will be the year of sequels, adaptations, and reboots, but with “Avengers: Endgame” and “The Lion King” on the horizon, we’re not complaining. Cinematic storytelling and special effects have never been stronger, so whether it’s family-friendly fare like “The Lego Movie 2” and “Frozen 2,” or darker vehicles like “Pet Sematary”
More than a month after its U.S. debut, MGM’s boxing drama “Creed II” is set to step into the ring in China on Jan. 4, marking the “Rocky” franchise’s debut in mainland theaters. The sequel to 2015’s “Creed” has so far brought in about $134 million at the global box office since its U.S. debut
December 21, 2018 9:24AM PT The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, led by the organization’s Future of Film Committee, has announced a new program showcasing the 15 documentary feature films that remain in contention for the 91st Oscars. “Oscars Spotlight: Documentary Feature Shortlist” will screen theatrically in 13 cities nationwide beginning on Dec.
There’s something downright magical when the fusion of music and images results in perfect, cinematic alchemy. In a year full of actual movie musicals and some great original scores, here are ten of the most exciting movie music moments of 2018. [embedded content] “Shallow” from “A Star is Born” It’s almost passé to talk about
“Aquaman” made a splash with an impressive $9 million from Thursday night showings in North America — and another $4.7 million from special previews prior to Thursday. Warner Bros.’ “Aquaman” has already generated $266 million in international markets, including $189 million in China in the two weeks before its U.S. launch. Reviews for the Jason
When “Aquaman” hits theaters Friday it will do so riding a wave of publicity from an unusual place: the massively popular lo-fi, Lego-like game-creation platform “Roblox.” With more than 80 million monthly active users, “Roblox” popularity as both a place to create and play games is well established. But it wasn’t until earlier this year,
U.K. cinema admissions are hurtling toward their highest level in nearly 50 years, fueled by a diverse range of blockbusters that counteracted the English soccer team’s run to the World Cup semifinals, which made for a tough summer at the box office. Figures released Friday showed 14.8 million movie admissions in November, making for a
London is one of the world’s most expensive cities, but even longtime residents were aghast when they discovered how big a hole seeing a movie at the new Odeon Luxe Leicester Square could burn in their wallets. The iconic theater in the heart of London reopens Friday after a nearly year-long renovation, with new Dolby
Those in need of a shot of testosterone for Christmas just might make do with “American Renegades,” though it’s unlikely this knucklehead adventure will do much better Stateside than in the various territories it’s played over the last 18 months. Release-delayed from the start, the international co-production offers a particularly dumb kind of gung-ho Ugly
Little is known about the events in “All Is True,” an ill-advised Kenneth Branagh indulgence that reimagines the months immediately following William Shakespeare’s retirement to Stratford-Upon-Avon with a wink — to the extent that even the title is an inside joke for the Bard’s fans, a reference to the name by which his play “Henry VIII”
In today’s film news roundup, “On the Basis of Sex” will raise funds for the ACLU, Jon M. Chu has a USC scholarship fund named after him, and “The Amityville Murders” gets a release date. FUNDRAISER Gathr Films, Focus Features, and Participant Media have set Jan. 9 screenings for “On the Basis of Sex” at
SAG-AFTRA, Actors Equity, the Directors Guild of America, the Writers Guild of America East, and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees have jointly joined a pledge to combat workplace harassment. The entertainment industry unions made the announcement Thursday — more than a year after the blockbuster revelations about disgraced mogul Harvey Weinstein rocked show
In Netflix’s new post-apocalyptic thriller “Bird Box,” Sandra Bullock plays a mom trying to save her children’s lives after a mysterious force invades the earth and causes people to kill themselves. In trying to demonstrate how dire their situation is, Bullock’s character tells the kids they “will die” if they don’t follow her strict instructions
The Sundance Film Festival has added the world premieres of Dakota Johnson–Armie Hammer’s “Wounds” and Demi Moore-Ed Helms’ “Corporate Animals” to its lineup. Both movies have been added to the midnight section. “Wounds” is a horror-thriller focusing on the disturbing aftermath of a bartender in New Orleans picking up a phone left behind at his
December 20, 2018 2:46PM PT If you’ve seen Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma,” you’ll recall how the Oscar-winning director handles the arrival of the family patriarch in the film at the end of a long day. It’s treated as such an event, the shards of Cuaron’s memories conjuring the imagery: a cigarette-wielding hand shifting a chugging Ford
December 20, 2018 2:41PM PT The Sun Valley Film Festival will kick off its eighth edition March 13-17 in the Idaho ski resort town. More than 60 films will be screened at the festival, which also includes Coffee Talks (Gwyneth Paltrow was a guest speaker last year), a screenwriters lab and awards bash. Variety is
Winston Duke has had quite a year. Not only did the Yale School of Drama alum make his feature film debut, but it happened to be in “Black Panther” playing M’Baku. “It’s been a blessing,” Duke says. “A lot of things come with this. It’s a lot of attention. It’s a lot of all these
Alexander Ludwig, Vanessa Hudgens, and Charles Melton are on board to join Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in Sony’s “Bad Boys 4 Life,” sources tell Variety. Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah are on hand to direct the sequel from a script by Peter Craig (“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay,” “Transformers”) with Joe Carnahan also doing
Netflix has set Alfonso Cuarón’s awards contender “Roma” for a 70 millimeter release in seven North American cities over the next month. The 70mm presentation has already been showing in Toronto at the Bell TIFF Lightbox. It will also screen in Austin, Chicago, Hartford, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco. “’Roma’ is designed to
December 20, 2018 12:37PM PT PLAYBACK is a Variety / iHeartRadio podcast bringing you conversations with the talents behind many of today’s hottest films. New episodes air every Thursday. The Oscar season has been in full swing for months, but we’re getting closer and closer to crunch time. Ballots will be sent to Academy members
December 20, 2018 12:28PM PT Guillermo Del Toro has come on board to produce “Terrified,” an English-language remake of last year’s Argentinian horror thriller, for Fox Searchlight, with Sacha Gervasi set to write the script. Demián Rugna, who directed the original from his own script, will helm the remake. Del Toro won Academy Awards in
Berlin-based M-Appeal has closed a flurry of deals across its slate, including Ash Mayfair’s “The Third Wife” and Michal Aviad’s “Working Woman” which were launched at Toronto. “The Third Wife” (pictured) sold to Potential Films for Autralia/New Zealand, and Crest International Inc. for Japan. Potential Films is planning a theatrical release next summer, while Crest
Jane Fonda has been selected as the 2019 recipient of the Producers Guild of America’s Stanley Kramer Award for her activism and philanthropic work. The award was established in 2002 and honors a production, producer or other individuals whose achievement or contribution illuminates and raises public awareness of important social issues. Fonda will be presented
December 20, 2018 8:19AM PT “Mary Poppins Returns” is off to a magical start, earning $4.8 million from 3,900 theaters on its first day of release. Emily Blunt stars as the magical nanny in the sequel, which is expected to make around $55 million during the Wednesday to Sunday frame and a $75 million domestic
Karen Barragan, who spent the last six years at Netflix as the VP for original series publicity, is joining Blumhouse in January as the head of marketing and communications. She will oversee both the film and TV divisions at Blumhouse, the wildly successful production company behind such hits as “Get Out,” “Insidious” and HBO’s “Sharp
A sexual assault case against Harvey Weinstein will proceed to trial after a New York judge denied a motion to dismiss the charges brought by the indie film mogul’s lawyers. Justice James Burke found that prosecutors did not mislead the grand jury. Weinstein’s lead attorney, Ben Brafman, claimed that the D.A.’s office and the police