Pantelion Films has picked up U.S. distribution rights to Manolo Caro’s Latin American version of Italian hit “Perfect Strangers” (“Perfectos Desconocidos”). The dark comedy is Mexican exhibition giant Cinepolis’ first foray into feature film production and will have its world premiere at the 16th Morelia Int’l Film Festival on Tuesday, Oct. 23. Cinepolis Distribution is
Movies
October 23, 2018 10:06AM PT Jean-Marc Vallee is set to direct a film about John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Universal Pictures is in negotiations to option Anthony McCarten’s script with Michael De Luca Productions and Immersive Pictures producing. News first emerged in February that De Luca was collaborating with Yoko Ono for an untitled drama about
At the start of a new Oscar season, two films lead the pack that could not be more different in every way. Academy Award-winning filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón’s Venice prizewinner “Roma” was ripped from the director’s childhood memories, shot in beautiful black-and-white with a cast of unknowns and will be presented by Netflix, the biggest streaming
When Alfonso Cuarón began casting the role of Cleo, a domestic worker closely based on Liboria “Libo” Rodríguez, who raised him from the time he was 9 months old, the director embarked on an exhaustive search throughout Mexico. He eventually found the woman to play Cleo — 24-year-old schoolteacher Yalitza Aparicio — in the southern
More than a decade ago, shortly after wrapping his 2006 dystopian drama “Children of Men,” director Alfonso Cuarón seized upon the idea of making an autobiographical film based on his childhood. Previously, he had worked on various screenplays that obliquely dealt with his upbringing through stories of families falling apart or the absence of a
October 23, 2018 5:49AM PT FilmNation Entertainment will sell international rights to “In the Glorias: A Life on the Road,” Variety has learned. The film is based on the memoir of feminist icon Gloria Steinem. Beyond its source material, the movie has some impressive pedigree. It is directed by Julie Taymor, the visionary director of
Award-winning dramas, “A Land Imagined,” and “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” are among the Asian films selected for competition at next month’s Singapore International Film Festival. Also competing for the Silver Screen Award are Indian director Rima Das’ “Bulbul Can Sing” and Sri Lankan Suba Sivakumaran’s “House of My Fathers.” The eight-title competition is open
Turkey’s president declared Tuesday that the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul was a “premeditated” act carried out after a large of team of Saudi intelligence, security and forensic personnel suddenly descended on Istanbul. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the Saudi officials arrived in Turkey the day before Khashoggi
October 22, 2018 9:39PM PT Sony is moving its “Charlie’s Angels” reboot back five weeks to Nov. 1, 2019, to fill the slot vacated by “Wonder Woman 1984.” Sony made the announcement Monday night, a few hours after Warner Bros. decided it would move Gal Gadot’s “Wonder Woman 1984” to June 6, 2020, with the
In today’s film news roundup, Jason Reitman wins the John Cassavetes award, the documentary “Race Against Time” gets a release and the Ray Harryhausen Foundation is planning “Force of the Trojans.” FILM FESTIVALS The Denver Film Festival has selected Jason Reitman as the recipient of its 2018 John Cassavetes Award for his work as a
October 22, 2018 6:48PM PT Denis Do’s award-winning animated feature suggests the horrors of Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge regime without depicting the worst atrocities. How does one depict a genocide such as that inflicted by the Khmer Rouge on the Cambodian people? Some — such as Rithy Pahn, who used clay figures rather than actors for the
October 22, 2018 4:17PM PT Dolly Parton is on the campaign trail. But it’s not for the midterms. The country music legend was in Los Angeles on Monday morning to promote Netflix’s upcoming movie “Dumplin.’” She performed “Girl in the Movies,” an original song she wrote and recorded for the film, for a ballroom full
Pacific Northwest Ballet will premiere a new work with music by film composer Michael Giacchino on Nov. 2 at Seattle Opera House’s McCaw Hall. Designed and choreographed by PNB company dancer Kyle Davis, “A Dark and Lonely Space” will feature symphony orchestra, soprano soloist and chorus, a spokeswoman said. Giacchino, an Oscar winner for “Up”
Veteran executive Jun Oh has joined David Ellison’s Skydance Media as head of theatrical and interactive business and legal affairs. In the newly created role, Oh is responsible for all business and legal affairs related to both feature film development and production and interactive and emerging gaming platforms on a global basis. He will report to
Donna Gigliotti will produce the 91st Oscars telecast, with Glenn Weiss co-producing and directing the show. The Academy Awards will air live on ABC on Feb. 24, 2019, from Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center. “Donna and Glenn will infuse new energy and vision into this 91st awards presentation, and we are excited
October 22, 2018 12:04PM PT Following “Halloween’s” massive success at the box-office this weekend, another slasher franchise is looking at a rebirth as Roy Lee’s Vertigo Entertainment and LeBron James’ SpringHill Entertainment are in talks to acquire the rights to a new “Friday the 13th” movie. Insiders say Victor Miller, who penned the original, regained
Warner Bros. has moved Gal Gadot’s “Wonder Woman 1984” back seven months from Nov. 1, 2019, to June 5, 2020. The sequel, which is set in 1984, replaces Mark Wahlberg’s “Six Billion Dollar Man,” which has been taken off the schedule. Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros.’ president of domestic distribution, said, “We had tremendous success releasing the
Theater fans don’t need to book passage across the pond in order to see West End favorites. On Wednesday, Trafalgar Releasing will begin rolling out its latest slate of hit London shows, all of which have been captured on film in an effort to broaden their audience. “Funny Girl,” the first of these filmed versions,
London-based Vue International, the largest movie exhibitor outside of the U.S., has put its plans to open multiplexes in Saudi Arabia on temporary hold in the wake of the global scandal surrounding the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. The company had signed an exclusive preliminary agreement in February with the Abdulmohsin Al Hokair
October 22, 2018 9:58AM PT Dermot Mulroney will star as a detective in in the independent horror film “Trick,” directed by Patrick Lussier. Ellen S. Wander of Film Bridge International will produce and handle worldwide sales for the film at the American Film Market, which launches Oct. 31 in Santa Monica, Calif. Gabriela Lugo will
Johnny Depp and producer Andrea Iervolino have formed a partnership to develop and produce film and digital content, starting with the movie “Waiting for the Barbarians.” Depp will develop and produce through his Infinitum Nihil production banner and Iervolino will produce through his recently launched social entertainment platform TaTaTu. “Waiting for the Barbarians,” an adaptation
Forty years after Laurie Strode survived the wrath of deranged masked murderer Michael Myers in John Carpenter’s “Halloween,” the iconic avenging babysitter came back to the box office in a big way. “Halloween” beat expectations to earn $77.5 million in North America, slashing past the series record opening of $26 million that was previously held by
Fresh off his Oscar win for “The Shape of Water,” Guillermo del Toro is set to make his animated feature film directing debut. Del Toro has received the green light from Netflix to film “Pinocchio,” a stop motion musical version of the classic children’s tale about a puppet who wants to be a real live
After more than two weeks of repeated denials, Saudi Arabia has officially confirmed the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, acknowledging that the outspoken critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was killed at the country’s consulate in Istanbul, though the details remain unclear. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, speaking to Fox News in the U.S.,
Fandango dramatically expanded its presence in Latin America on Monday. The ticketing giant announced that it has signed multi-year deals with Cinepolis, Cinemark, National Amusements (Showcase Cinemas, UCI), and Cinemex, companies with a significant presence in the region. The deal adds 5,000 new screens to Fandango’s count and enables the company to sell tickets in
October 22, 2018 1:35AM PT Vue International has acquired CineStar, a leading multiplex circuit in Germany, for an upfront payment of €130 million ($149.8 million), as it aims to expand further its international footprint. The deal includes a variable of up to €91.8 million ($105.7 million), and sets CineStar’s potential enterprise value at €221.8 million
Rome’s MIA market for TV series, feature films and documentaries wrapped on a positive note Sunday after four days of intense dealmaking and presentations, which saw some 2,000 executives, including 400 buyers, sample a substantial offering of select new top notch mostly European product. “We still don’t generate the big announcements like Mipcom,” said market
Former MD of Disney India, Siddharth Roy Kapur has revealed an eclectic range of films to be produced by his production company Roy Kapur Films. “Saare Jahaan Se Achcha,” to be directed by Mahesh Mathai (“Bhopal Express”), and written by Anjum Rajabali (“Satyagraha”,) is a biopic of Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian in space. An
October 22, 2018 12:33AM PT Space exploration drama, “First Man” opened on Thursday and moon landed in top spot of the South Korean box office. The UPI release earned $3.48 million from 423,200 admissions over its four opening days. Korean drama, “Dark Figure of Crime” slipped to second from the previous weekend’s top spot. The
Chinese cinemas were largely empty again over the weekend, allowing Hong Kong crime thriller, “Project Gutenberg” to enjoy its third frame as the top-scoring film. The cumulative total of the top ten films amounted to just $41.2 million, according to data from Ent Group. That is the second lowest weekend this year. The slump has