Movies

“Venom: Let There Be Carnage” is expected to dominate the domestic box office this weekend, with an estimated opening haul of $71.3 million. The Marvel sequel, which is distributed by Sony and playing exclusively in theaters, sank its teeth into $37.25 million on Friday from 4,225 locations. Between now and Sunday, the Columbia Pictures film

SPOILER WARNING: Do not read if you haven’t seen “Venom: Let There Be Carnage,” currently playing in theaters. The first time a spider shows up in “Venom: Let There Be Carnage,” it’s smashed dead by the movie’s villain, Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson). While in the middle of penning an unhinged invitation to reporter Eddie Brock

The “Welcome to the Blumhouse” series of horror features has done well so far in showcasing diverse emerging talent, if not in hitching relevant social themes to stories that are actually scary. Another case in point is “Black As Night,” which joins “Bingo Hell” in a second annual quartet of Halloween releases rolling out on

Neon has acquired worldwide rights to “Beba,” the first film from New York Afro-Latina artist Rebeca Huntt. The documentary-memoir had its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, where it was hailed for its “originality, inventiveness and the urgency of Huntt’s voice,” Neon said in a statement. The film, which weaves together music, 16mm film,

The Directors Guild of America is wasting no time in preparing for the 2023 cycle of contract negotiations, naming the co-chairs of the negotiating committee as the industry awaits resolution of tense talks between the major studios and IATSE. The DGA on Friday appointed union veterans Jon Avnet, Karen Gaviola and Todd Holland as heads

Emmy-winning writer, director and animator Joe Mateo has a personal story behind Apple TV Plus’ new animated short “Blush.” The story was born after he lost his wife to breast cancer. As he struggled to get back to work, he found inspiration and therapy in sharing a journey of hope and healing, but also being

Ahead of the U.S. release of “No Time to Die,” Daniel Craig will be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The 007 actor will get his star in a ceremony on Wednesday, Oct. 6, at 6:30 p.m. PT. His will be the 2,704th star on the Walk of Fame, and the

In a 60-year career that’s seen him turn up in key supporting roles in hits like “Alien,” “Top Gun,” and “M*A*S*H*,” Tom Skerritt finally gets a starring role in a movie. The acclaimed actor is front-and-center in “East of the Mountains,” playing a retired heart surgeon who keeps his terminal cancer diagnosis a secret from

Veteran producer Bibby Dunn has been promoted to president of Mark Gordon Pictures. In the expanded role, Dunn will run production and development, produce scripted film and television content, manage sales across broadcast, cable and streaming, and oversee operations of the company’s three offices in Los Angeles, New York and London. “Bibby is a fantastic

Investor and philanthropist Todd Boehly has been appointed interim chief executive officer of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. He will lead the organization as it works to increase the diversity of its membership and institute a series of measures that are intended to reform its controversial practices. Boehly already has ties to the HFPA and

All products and services featured by Variety are independently selected by Variety editors. However, Variety may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. If audiences can take one thing from “Venom: Let There Be Carnage,” it should perhaps be that Venom

Katy Perry sang “What Makes a Woman.” Amanda Gorman recited “We Rise.” Lorde called for protection of the earth and indigenous peoples. Channing Dungey defined her power as only she could, and Rita Moreno dazzled with her 89-year-young vitality. Variety‘s Power of Women Presented by Lifetime event on Thursday night was an intimate dinner with

“No Time to Die,” the final send-off of Daniel Craig’s tenure as 007, has received positive reviews from critics, is getting the widest U.K. theatrical release of all time, and is hoping to set box office records, at least for the pandemic era. But how will this all stand in the face of the Oscars?

Matthew López, who made history on Sunday as the first Latiné playwright to win the Tony Award for best play, will have his feature directorial debut with the LGBTQ+ romantic comedy “Red, White & Royal Blue.” The Amazon Studios production is an adaptation of Casey McQuiston’s 2019 best-seller of the same name. It centers on

Audiences are turning out in force to bid farewell to Daniel Craig as James Bond. The actor’s final outing as 007, “No Time To Die,” grossed a muscular $20 million on Thursday, pushing its two-day international haul to $22 million. That figure includes Wednesday preview results and midnight shows. Everyone’s favorite member of her majesty’s

“The Many Saints of Newark” is a prequel to the beloved HBO series “The Sopranos,” but it unfolds in a much different sliver of New Jersey. This film is set in the apartment buildings and tenements of 1960s and ’70s Newark instead of the sprawling McMansions where Tony and much of his crew decamped on

Each year the Guadalajara Film Festival (FICG) invites a crop of the most exciting projects from around Latin America to participate in its Co-Production Meetings. This year, organizers are excited to welcome back in-person visitors for its rescheduled 17th edition of the event, where teams representing 24 feature film projects will meet with potential partners,

Madrid-based Zeta Studios, producer of Netflix mega hit “Elite,” has boarded Guadalajara Intl. Film Festival honoree Julio Medem’s first foray into television, “Jai Alai.” It joins L.A. and Mexico City-based Panamericana Pictures, led by Mexican producer Eva Ruiz de Chavez, who had developed the show with Medem. Expressing excitement at their first project with Zeta

Oscar-winning costume designer Sandy Powell will be honored at the 24th annual SCAD Savannah Film Festival with the Variety Creative Impact in Costume Design Award. Powell, who has created the looks of queens in “The Favourite” and “Shakespeare in Love”; mobsters in “The Irishman” and “Gangs of New York”; lush period pieces such as “Carol”

Some 60,000 members of the International Association of Theatrical Stage Employees received ballots on Friday morning asking them to authorize the first nationwide strike in the union’s history. Members will have three days to vote, with ballots due at 9 p.m. PT on Sunday night. The results are expected to be announced on Monday. The

Over 118 members of Congress including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senator Alex Padilla, Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Congresswoman Karen Bass, and Congressman Adam Schiff are urging the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers to negotiate with IATSE to improve wages and working conditions for workers in the film and television industry.

The devil is in the details — or, in “The Addams Family 2,” a digitally animated sequel aimed at ages six and over, in the demented ghoulish sparkle of jokes that are just macabre and kiddie witty enough to tickle you. Take, for instance, Uncle Fester, voiced by Nick Kroll with an extreme goofy lisp,

With Guatemala as this year’s guest country of honor at the 36th Guadalajara Int’l Film Festival (FICG), the festival will be screening more than a dozen films from this tiny Central American country, including one of its recent standouts, Justin Lerner’s “Cadejo Blanco.” The female-driven crime drama stages its world premiere Oct. 3 at the

“No Time to Die,” the heavy-hitting 25th instalment of the James Bond franchise, is getting the widest theatrical release of all time in the U.K., where its Sept. 30 opening day figures are estimated to reach $6.8 million. MGM and Universal’s tentpole was released in 772 cinemas –– 25 more than the previous record holder,

Recently seen as a domineering equerry, Major Alistair Gregory, in Pablo Larraín’s “Spencer,” keeping a watchful eye on Kristen Stewart’s Diana as she arrives at the Queen’s Sandringham Estate for Christmas, Timothy Spall has high hopes for the film following its rapturous Venice premiere, the actor tells Variety at Zurich Film Festival. “‘Spencer’ is going

Paolo Sorrentino, fresh off his Grand Jury Prize win in Venice for “The Hand of God,” in which he decided to tell his own story, picked up another statuette at Zurich Film Festival. “It comes as a bit of a surprise as I am such a young Italian director,” joked the 51-year-old. “I am honored

“Sabaya” producer Antonio Russo Merenda has responded to a bombshell article published on Monday in The New York Times claiming that many Yazidi women portrayed in the Sundance prize-winning documentary never agreed to be in the film. Merenda issued a statement on Thursday evening saying that he and director Hogir Hirori “received written, verbal or

One of the lesser-sung items among umpteen offbeat little ’70s movies was Larry Yust’s “Homebodies.” That 1974 black comedy on the cusp of horror was about a community of frail old retirees who turn out to be surprisingly vigorous — even homicidal — in defending their homes from the callous forces of market-driven “progress.” A

Angelina Jolie struck a poignant and empowering chord on Thursday night, presenting national youth poet laureate Amanda Gorman with Variety‘s Power of Women honor. The superstar director, actor and humanitarian arrived at the Beverly Hills celebration presented by Lifetime with daughter Zahara Jolie-Pitt in tow, to hand the honor to Gorman — the poet who

Scarlett Johansson and Disney have reached a settlement over her blockbuster lawsuit that accused the studio of sabotaging the theatrical release of “Black Widow” to prop up Disney Plus. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed. Johansson had sought a $50 million payout from the studio. “I am happy to have resolved our differences with