American Film Market participants are grounded this year due to restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 virus and the market going virtual. Those factors have resulted in significant economic fallout for Santa Monica, the confab’s seaside home. There will be no power breakfast at Cora’s Coffee Shoppe; Santa Monica’s 29 movie screens are dark; and
Rock Salt Releasing has picked up global sales rights and U.S. distribution for Ayar Blasco’s sophomore adult animation feature “Lava,” with sales kicking off at this year’s digital American Film Market (AFM). Rock Salt also announced that the English dub of the Spanish-language film, a hit in this year’s Contrechamp section at the Annecy International
German and European animation features remain plentiful on the slates of German sales agents at this year’s AFM, with adaptations, original works and new installments of popular franchises set to attract buyers. Arri Media Intl. is presenting a 10-minute preview of “The Ogglies,” an adaptation of the hit German children’s book series about a group
Blue Ivy Carter, the child of Beyonce and Jay-Z, will narrate the audiobook for “Hair Love,” based on Matthew A. Cherry’s Oscar-winning short film. Cherry announced the news on social media, posting a clip that samples the four-minute long audiobook. https://t.co/MSZxGSkZJn pic.twitter.com/wQ8gWl30Oy — Matthew A. Cherry (@MatthewACherry) November 9, 2020 The touching tale, which follows
As the 41st American Film Market launches online, Millennium Media is unveiling “Night Has Fallen,” the fourth installment in the Gerard Butler’s durable action franchise. The creative team from 2019’s “Angel Has Fallen” is returning with Robert Kamen penning the script along with Ric Roman Waugh, who is also set to direct again. What’s going
Michel Franco’s Venice winner “New Order” (“Nueva Orden”) has scored over 330,000 admissions and $950,000 in Mexico off an Oct. 22 bow, according to Comscore. Released by Televisa’s Videocine distrib label, that box office would be notable in any normal circumstance, given that “New Order,” an often shocking dystopian thriller, is by no stretch of
Chloe Kim is America’s relatable sweetheart. It wasn’t her 2018 Olympic gold medal or the fact that she became the youngest female winner in snowboarding history at 17 years old but her overall demeanor that won our hearts. A ball of sunshine with really good hair, Kim became the face of the sport and showed
As a performer, Sia has long been known for her dazzling visuals — from the fantastical wigs she wears to her sublime music videos — ideas she comes up with both in her waking hours watching television and in her dreams. One of those visions, Sia’s first movie, “Music,” was 15 years in the making.
(Editor’s Note: Eivor can be played as either male or female, so this story will use they/them pronouns.) When “Assassin’s Creed Valhalla” debuts on Tuesday, players will step into the shoes of the Viking Eivor, the latest hero in a long line of complex playable protagonists that anchor Ubisoft’s massive video game franchise. The game finds
Italy’s Minerva Pictures — the company specialized in genre fare such as teen chiller “Shortcut” that recently made a U.S. splash — is launching world sales at AFM on “Mondocane,” a dystopian drama about the struggle of two 13-year-old orphan boys in a Southern Italian gangland. “Mondocane” toplines Alessandro Borghi (“Devils”). In “Mondocane,” Borghi (pictured) plays
Play video content Hollywood Raw Podcast with Dax Holt and Adam Glyn Larsa Pippen says her falling out with Kim Kardashian and her sisters was at the behest of Kanye West … who she believes has brainwashed all of them. Larsa opened up about her relationship with Kim on the “Hollywood Raw Podcast,” saying the
It’s a mild Saturday evening in early November and South Kensington is a scene of hushed tranquillity. Like the rest of the U.K., this plush corner of West London is back in pandemic-enforced lockdown. A man walks his dog in an otherwise empty street. A gabble of Deliveroo drivers loiter silently outside a takeaway. There’s
Stu Bergen, Warner Music’s longtime head of international, is stepping down from his post at the end of January 2021, he announced Monday morning. No specific reason was given for his departure beyond a desire to “start a new chapter,” and judging by internal memos obtained by Variety, it’s a more than amicable exit. “This
Kevin Mayer, previously a top Disney executive and — briefly — CEO of TikTok, joined Len Blavatnik’s Access Industries investment firm as a senior adviser, focusing on the media sector. Mayer, who worked at the Walt Disney Co. for more than two decades and steered the launch of Disney Plus a year ago, will focus
Halfway through the first episode of “The Crown”’s fourth season, Prince Charles (Josh O’Connor) goes to see his father, Prince Philip (Tobias Menzies). Both men, though generally incapable of expressing emotion in anything resembling a human way, are fiercely grieving the untimely death of Dickie Mountbatten (Charles Dance), a stable figure who meant a great deal to them both in the absence
Korean cinemas got a boost as coronavirus restrictions were reduced to their lowest level, meaning that an empty seat no longer has to be left between every audience member. The move, implemented from Monday, came too late to transform the weekend. CGV and other cinema operators told the Yonhap news agency that their booking systems
ITV and Hulu drama “The Sister,” an adaptation of Neil Cross’ bestselling novel “Burial,” has sold around the world following a successful terrestrial run in the U.K. The series, led by captivating “Years and Years” star Russell Tovey, has sold into 75 global territories, including HBO for Spain and Portugal, Pickbox for Eastern Europe, RTE
UPDATED, 9:35 a.m. ET: U.S. markets surged Monday on Pfizer’s announcement that its COVID vaccine was more effective than expected and after the weekend news that Joe Biden was the projected winner of the U.S. presidential election. At market open Monday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures gained 1,609 points, up 5.68%, pushing it above
The 69th International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg (IFFMH) promises to be an ambitious celebration of cinema despite its move online due to the ongoing pandemic, with new sections showcasing visionary and innovative works from around the globe as well as classic titles from yesteryear. Sascha Keilholz, the fest’s new artistic and commercial director, and his team, including
HanWay Films will screen the first footage from psychological horror film “A Banquet” on Monday to buyers attending the virtual AFM, where HanWay is representing worldwide rights. Variety spoke to Leonora Darby, one of the film’s lead producers at Tea Shop Productions, the company behind breakout hit “47 Meters Down.” Female-driven “A Banquet” is the
The fourth edition of the Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFEST) has been postponed until early 2021 due to a recent revival of the coronavirus in the country. The Singapore-based Asian Academy Creative Awards will go ahead with its plans for a ceremony in December, but as a fully virtual, VFX-heavy affair. “According to the latest
Barbara Salabè, the top Warner Bros. executive in Italy, has been promoted to country manager Italy, Spain, and Portugal, Priya Dogra, president of WarnerMedia for Europe, the Middle East and Africa and Asia-Pacific has announced. Salabè joined Warner Bros. in 2011 in the top Italian role having previously launched European musical theater production giant Stage
British distributor Vertigo Releasing has acquired David Bowie origin film “Stardust,” starring Johnny Flynn (“Emma,” “Beast”), who recently won the best actor award at London’s Raindance Film Festival for his performance as Bowie. Vertigo will release the film before the end of the year, on the back of the U.S. release by IFC Films on
Japanese comedy-drama “Hold Me Back” was Monday announced as the winner of the Tokyo International Film Festival. Azerbaijan drama, “In Between Dying” was named winner of the Tokyo Filmex Festival, which this year cooperated and overlapped with TIFF. Among the changes brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, TIFF festival this year ditched its regular prizes
Wednesday night’s CMA Awards are down one performance slot after country star Lee Brice tested positive for coronavirus, forcing him to forego his slot on the show. Brice was to have sung a duet with Carly Pearce on their song “I Hope You’re Happy Now,” which went to No. 1 on the country airplay charts
Iran has chosen childhood labor drama “Sun Children” as its national representative for the Academy Awards best international feature film category. It is the sixth time that a firm directed by Majid Majidi will represent the country. The decision was announced on Sunday by the delegation of the representative of Iranian cinema to the Oscar
Making it to an in-person audition for “Jeopardy!” isn’t so much a personal accomplishment, the result of some combination of luck and smarts to pass a seasonal online test, but an opportunity. When you sit in that Culver City, Calif. hotel meeting room near Sony Pictures Television studio with other jittery hopefuls and take the
BTS was, once again, the big winner at this year’s MTV European Music Awards (EMAs), going home with prizes for best song and best group. The Korean band won four awards in total, including best virtual live and biggest fans. The mega-group was recently featured in a Variety cover story, where Jin (Kim Seok-jin) said
China had a relatively quiet box office weekend, in which holdover Korean War-set title “Sacrifice” led for the third week in a row thanks to $14.4 million in sales, according to data from industry tracker Maoyan. This week’s most notable new release was the blood-stained, tear-soaked, seaside-set local crime thriller “Back to the Wharf,” which
ABC News has announced that they will celebrate the life of late “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek, who died on Sunday at the age of 80, with an hour-long primetime special. Titled “Alex Trebek, Remembered: A 20/20 Special,” the show will air on ABC Sunday night at 10 p.m. ET. The special will profile Trebek’s life