Movies

The major studios came to Sin City last week hoping to dazzle movie theater owners with the next wave of sequels, superhero adventures and even, gasp, a few movies aimed at adults. The occasion was CinemaCon, the annual exhibition industry conference, and for the first time in years, there was a celebratory air to the

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Monday its “most significant overhaul” of the campaign promotional regulation and awards rules for the upcoming 96th Oscars. The updated rules and regulations clarify questions surrounding social media, communications in public forums including the expansion on violations and penalties, and the review process for individuals directly

Streaming services were once the enemy of cinema chains such as AMC Theatres, mostly because companies like Netflix didn’t believe in the value of the big screen. But for whatever reason (perhaps a desire to turn a profit), the attitude toward multiplexes has changed and tech giants like Apple and Amazon have committed to spending

Pedro Pascal is the latest A-lister in talks to join Ridley Scott’s upcoming “Gladiator” sequel. Pascal, who stars in both “The Mandalorian” and “The Last of Us,” is in final negotiations to board the Paramount movie, which already boasts a cast including Academy Award nominees Paul Mescal and Barry Keoghan, as well as two-time Academy

After his second conviction, Harvey Weinstein has hired a new legal team to handle his Los Angeles appeal, after he was found guilty by a jury of sexual assault and rape with a judge sentencing him to 16 years. Weinstein has hired California-based attorney Michael Freedman, who will work alongside Jennifer Bonjean, the criminal defense

Sylvester Stallone is back for more high-altitude excitement. The “Rocky” and “Rambo” star will reprise his iconic role as Gabe Walker, Search-and-Rescue mountain climber and foiler of terrorists, in the reboot of 1993’s “Cliffhanger.” Ric Roman Waugh, the filmmaker behind “Angel Has Fallen” and “Greenland,” is set to direct the action thriller, with this return to thin air

After nearly 75 years of family ownership, Gersh Agency has sold a 45% stake in the company to private equity firm Crestview Partners. Gersh Agency chiefs Bob Gersh and David Gersh said the investment from Crestview is designed to help the agency grow in new areas to better represent its core client base. The deal

Variety has a first look at the anticipated Cannes Film Festival competition premiere “May December,” led by Oscar-winning heavyweights Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman and directed by Todd Haynes. The title, which is also for sale out of this year’s Marché du Film, represents a “Far From Heaven” reunion for Moore and Haynes and a

A new study by UCLA Center for Scholars & Storytellers shows systemic discrimination and limited access to opportunities exist against first-time directors, with only 23.4% working on major feature films in the last 12 years. Commissioned by Lionsgate and its commitment to the inclusive content space, the study examines some of the persistent biases hindering

Variety is releasing the poster and teaser (below) for “La Mer et ses vagues,” which will world premiere in the ACID sidebar in Cannes later this month. The Lebanese film, directed by Liana and Renaud, follows the young Najwa and the musician Mansour as they cross the Lebanese border and reach Beirut on a full

Bill Hader revealed on a recent episode of the “Happy, Sad, Confused” podcast that he stopped signing merchandise for fans after a late night encounter with a “Star Wars” fan left a bad taste in his mouth. The fan tried to use his kid to get Hader to sign a BB-8 toy with the intention

As its industry confab kicks into full gear, Hot Docs is giving 1,800-plus delegates from more than 40 countries something extra to chatter about this morning with the announcement that leading media executive Marie Nelson has been tapped as the organization’s new president after a months-long international search. Nelson—who mingled with local and international doc

Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu and Saweetie are among those honored on Gold House’s 2023 Most Impactful Asians A100 list. The A100 List honors trailblazers across the industry who are at the forefront of what the organization calls the “new gold age.” Gold House will celebrate these honorees and announce several new initiatives at the second

BEIJING BASKS IN FESTIVAL RETURN The Argentina-Chile coproduction “The Punishment,” directed by Matias Bize, was named best feature over the weekend at the close of the Beijing International Film Festival. Mexico’s Lila Avilés won the Tiantan Award for best director for her film “Totem.” Antonia Zegers and Line Renaud shared the best actress award for

Malaysian social drama “Abang Adik” was named best film and winner of the Golden Mulberry prize on Sunday at the Far East Film Festival in Italy’s Udine. The film is a story of two undocumented and orphaned men, who may or may not be real brothers, but who lift each other up. The film’s director

“Born to Fly,” an action movie about the prowess of the Chinese air force and the bravery of its aviators, topped the China box office chart over a weekend that led into the nearly week-long May Day holiday. Data from consultancy Artisan Gateway shows the film earned $44 million (RMB279 million) between Friday and Sunday.

“The Super Mario Bros Movie” and a local sports movie “Dream” gave the South Korean box office some bounce on their first weekend on release. Opening in Korea on Wednesday, some three weeks after the beginning of its international and North American campaigns, “Super Mario” earned $4.67 million between Friday and Sunday, according to data

Offering a singular perspective on Russia’s current pariah status in much of the world is Gaukur Ulfarsson’s “Soviet Barbara,” probably the most enjoyable — as opposed to depressing — documentary involving the invasion of Ukraine you’re likely to see. It focuses on Icelandic multimedia artist Ragnar Kjartansson’s preparation for exhibits that would open a major

Here we are at the precipice of an uncertain yet familiar place. The question of whether the TV and film industry will be shut down by labor action will be answered one way or another by the time Monday ends on the West Coast. In broad strokes, the Writers Guild of America and Alliance of

Adam McKay is partnering with Netflix again for his follow-up to “Don’t Look Up.” The streamer has acquired the director’s next feature comedy, titled “Average Height, Average Build.” The film will star Robert Pattinson as a serial killer that looks to leverage American politicians to make murder easier, as well as Amy Adams as the

I have a little ritual when it comes to animated films. I try to go into them not knowing who the cast members are. That’s not always possible, of course. For the most part, though, I do my best to ignore the publicity and let the voices I hear surprise me — because if you

It’s another weekend of box office domination for “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which collected a towering $40 million in its fourth frame. Those ticket sales, down just 33% from the weekend prior, were easily enough to rule over the weekend’s newcomers, including literary adaptation “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” Finnish war drama “Sisu”

“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is officially the first film of the year to cross the coveted $1 billion milestone. As of Sunday, after just 26 days of release, the animated video game adaptation, from Universal, Illumination and Nintendo, has grossed $490 million in North America and $532 million at the international box office. It’s

Actor Matthew Lawrence opened the April 28 episode of his Brotherly Love podcast on a serious note, reflecting on the #MeToo movement and his own experience with sexual harassment in Hollywood. On the show, co-hosted by his brothers, fellow actors Joey and Andrew Lawrence, the 43-year-old actor recounts his experience refusing to engage with a

One of the smallest countries in Europe has the highest number of soldiers per capita. This situation is dissected in “Swiss Citizen Soldiers,” one of the six high-end documentaries that will arrive on the circuit in the coming months, and were pitched at the Swiss Films Previews at Visions du Réel, in Nyon, Switzerland. SWISS

Coachella parent company AEG is threatening legal action against a filmmaker who created a concert movie using found footage of Frank Ocean’s controversial April 16 set at the festival. Brian Kinnes, who did not attend Coachella, stitched together about 150 videos uploaded by concertgoers to YouTube, TikTok and Twitter to make an unofficial, multi-cut film

Are you there box office? It’s-a me, “Mario.” Now in its fourth weekend of release, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is still dominating the competition on domestic charts, fending off theatrical newcomers “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” “Sisu” and “Big George Foreman.” The adaptation of Judy Blume’s best-selling 1970 novel is faring the

Australian filmmaker Sari Braithwaite’s documentary feature film “Because We Have Each Other,” which has its North American premiere at Hot Docs on Sunday, has been picked up for international sales by Alief. An intimate documentary five years in the making, “Because We Have Each Other” chronicles the life of Janet and Buddha and their five

“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” has pounded out some serious coinage. The animated adventure from Universal Pictures, Illumination Entertainment and Nintendo is becoming the first release of 2023 to cross the $1 billion mark at the global box office. While “Mario Bros.” isn’t projected to cross the coveted threshold until the end of the weekend,

Pitched at the Work-in-Progress industry section of international documentary film festival Visions du Réel, U.S. director David Borenstein’s sophomore feature “Can’t Feel Nothing” explores the connection between internet use and emotional disorders. Borenstein’s debut feature doc “Dream Empire,” about the building boom in China’s ghost cities, won the top prize at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival