Movies

Taika Waititi as a villain, Jodie Comer singing and a triple whammy of universes are all part of Shawn Levy’s new film, “Free Guy,” out Friday in theaters. Levy directs Ryan Reynolds, who plays Guy, a bank teller, who one day discovers he is actually an NPC (a non-player character) in a video game. Upon

Despite concerns the delta variant would keep moviegoers at home, Ryan Reynolds’ sci-fi action comedy “Free Guy” had a better-than-expected start at the domestic box office. The movie, from Disney and 20th Century Studios, collected $26 million from 4,165 North American theaters. Given its production budget above $100 million, those ticket sales wouldn’t be much

Describing its world premiere on the opening night of the Sarajevo Film Festival as “magic,” Oscar-winning Bosnian director Danis Tanović (“No Man’s Land”) called his latest feature “a love letter to our city,” offering it as a beacon of hope in troubled times to the people of Sarajevo. Speaking to Variety the day after the

Indian Media Entertainment Network (IMEN) has revealed a robust film and series slate that will keep it busy through 2023. First up is action film, Nilesh Sahay’s “Squad,” introducing Rinzing Denzongpa, which was shot extensively in Belarus. When the six-year-old granddaughter of India’s leading scientist is kidnapped, India sends a crack team led by a

There was a time, in the middle of the 20th century, when the orchestra conductor was a shamanistic figure in American life. And during that era, no shaman was more magical — a higher priest of high culture — than Leonard Bernstein. To understand the pedestal he strode upon, you’d have to go back to

According to Ryan Reynolds, a “Free Guy” sequel is in the cards. Reynolds, who stars in the action comedy film, tweeted the news on Saturday. “Aaaannnnd after 3 years messaging #FreeGuy as an original IP movie, Disney confirmed today they officially want a sequel. Woo hoo! #irony,” Reynolds wrote. Aaaannnnd after 3 years messaging #FreeGuy

Simu Liu, the star of Marvel Studios’ upcoming film “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” has appeared to respond to Disney CEO Bob Chapek’s remarks that the film’s release plan is “an interesting experiment.” Following the opening of “Free Guy” this weekend, “Shang-Chi” is set to be one of the first Disney films

Outfest, the Los Angeles LGBTQ+ film festival, kicked off its opening night joyously with the premiere of “Everybody’s Talking About Jamie,” the film adaptation of the West End show. The film’s star, Max Harwood, said having its premiere at Outfest is a dream come true. “I’m from Basingstoke in England, which is just south of

“Free Guy,” in theaters Aug. 13, revolves around a world within a world — the video game Free City. Ryan Reynolds plays Guy, a background character in the game drawn into the action by Jodie Comer’s Molotov Girl, who is trying to keep Free City from being destroyed by its creator (Taika Waititi). Once Molotov

“Free Guy,” the comedic action film starring Ryan Reynolds, is set to debut in the top spot at the domestic box office this weekend with $26 million. The well-reviewed film took in around $10.5 million on Friday from 4,165 theaters, and is expected to add another $13 million to $16 million to its haul throughout

Given that, after its shuttered 2020 edition, the 74th Locarno Film Festival’s ident features a prowling, growling, resurgent leopard and the distinctly tumescent tagline “Cinema is Back” it’s somewhat ironic that the festival’s top prize should go to a film about erectile dysfunction. In other ways, however, Indonesian director Edwin’s fabulously if nonsensically titled “Vengeance

One year after “Sound of Metal” made a significant impact at the Oscars, Sian Heder’s “CODA” shows itself as an outstanding example for representation in the disability community, and could be one of the heartwarming family films of the year that finds its way to Academy attention. Distributed by Apple TV Plus, which bought the

The two largest film studios in Ireland — Ardmore Studios and Troy Studios — have been sold to Hackman Capital Partners and Square Mile Capital Management, a joint venture that owns complexes including Culver Studios and Silvercup as part of the world’s largest independent studio and media portfolio. Ardmore and Troy will both continue to

Emma Stone will be back for more dramatic fashions and dastardly deeds, officially closing a deal to star in the upcoming “Cruella 2.” News of the sequel’s development broke in early June, just weeks after the live-action prequel to the Disney animated classic “101 Dalmations” opened in theaters. At the time, “Cruella” director Craig Gillespie

Renowned Japanese filmmaker Shinsuke Sato (“I Am a Hero,” “Kingdom” and “Alice in Borderland”) has signed on to direct a live-action adaptation of “My Hero Academia” for Legendary. The prolific filmmaker will make his English-language debut with the movie, which is based on the globally acclaimed manga property. “My Hero Academia,” written and illustrated by

Bulgarian director Ralitza Petrova, who won Locarno Film Festival’s Golden Leopard in 2016 with “Godless,” is readying her second feature, “Lust,” which will be presented during Sarajevo Film Festival’s CineLink Co-production Market over the coming week. Produced by Poli Angelova and Petrova for Aporia Filmworks, in collaboration with Screening Emotions, the project has been backed

There are many keys to Ryan Reynolds’ success — talent and affability play a big part, but there’s also the choice to never take himself too seriously. Reynolds often seems to be having a blast and the feeling is contagious. His stardom always seemed inevitable, but it took time to find the right project —

For an industry struggling to regain its footing after the disruptions of the pandemic year, amid ongoing fears surrounding the lethal Delta variant and uncertainty about the months ahead, few sights this summer will be as welcome to festival regulars as the buzzy terrace of Sarajevo’s Hotel Europe, the de facto hub of industry events

“Gift of Fire,” a fact-based drama film about Japan’s secret nuclear bomb program, will play in U.S. cinemas from November this year. Produced in 8K digital, it opened in Japanese theaters last week, distributed by Aeon and scored a top ten ranking. Yagira Yuya, the Japanese actor who won the acting prize in Cannes for

The pandemic has slowed some of us down, but Abel Ferrara isn’t a guy to let an opportunity go to waste, even if it’s not clear what he’s actually doing with it. After his COVID-era documentary self-portrait “Sportin’ Life” last September comes “Zeros and Ones,” a murky — in every sense — apocalyptic spy thriller

After deciding to shine the spotlight on digital disruption as the focus of this year’s Durban FilmMart, the leading industry confab on the African continent, there was an unsettling irony to the riots that swept across South Africa this July, prompting the organizers to postpone its 12th edition. “We ourselves were disrupted,” says Magdalene Reddy,

FESTIVALS This year’s 38th Jerusalem Film Festival will host a tribute to iconic Israeli company Cannon Films and producers Yoram Globus and Menachem Golan, curated in collaboration with Quentin Tarantino. The Cannon Film Group produced and distributed films from 1967 to 1993. In ’79 the company was purchased by producer Globus and Golan, who tailored

The San Sebastian Film Festival has come out swinging against those who criticized it for bestowing its highest honor, the Donostia Award, to controversial actor Johnny Depp. Among the critics were a group of Spanish women filmmakers who said they were “very surprised” that Depp is receiving the award. “This speaks very badly of the

After the Viking conquest at July’s Cannes Festival, where Norway (“The Worst Person in the World”), Finland (“Compartment No. 6”) and Iceland (“Lamb”) collected kudos, more than 60 possible gems from the North are to be unveiled at the hybrid market New Nordic Films which will unspool over Aug. 24-27. Scandinavia’s major film showcase, New

How many movies does it take to tell a story about high school senior Elle Evans (Joey King) trying to decide whether to honor her friendship to lifelong bestie Lee (Joel Courtney) or break the “rules” by dating his smoking-hot older brother, Noah (Jacob Elordi)? If you’re Netflix — the content factory that milked “To

Worse things have happened to Oscar winners, but it’s still unfortunate to see both Richard Dreyfuss and Mira Sorvino flailing in the inept muddle of “Crime Story.” Playing a semi-estranged father and daughter thrown into crisis mode over a few hours’ course following a home robbery, the stars are not exactly at their best here.

When Disney announced during its quarterly earnings call in May that “Free Guy” and “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” would be the studio’s first exclusive theatrical releases (with a shortened, 45-day window) during the COVID pandemic, CEO Bob Chapek said it was based on “recent signs of increased confidence in moviegoing.” But

Mama’s in the slammer but she’s running the show in “Ida Red,” a proficiently made crime family drama that sees director John Swab return to his Oklahoma roots. Consciously seeking to emulate action/crime films by Michael Mann, William Friedkin and others, Swab strives so hard to deliver a similar product that his film has no

A tireless advocate for progressive social justice causes, attorney Ady Barkan got diagnosed with terminal ALS in 2016. It was only a matter of time that the regular motor functions and vocal abilities of the energetic Santa Barbara resident — an adoring husband to his wife Rachael and the brand-new father of baby Carl —

Disney CEO Bob Chapek is doubling down on his film studio’s decision to release Marvel’s “Black Widow” in theaters and on Disney Plus at the same time. Speaking on a Thursday earnings call with investors, Chapek grazed the company’s ongoing salary drama with actor Scarlett Johansson. The on-screen superhero sued Disney last month, saying she