Fifty years ago, the release of two movies — “Jaws” in 1975, and “Star Wars” in 1977 — changed movies, America, and the world, not just by giving rise to “the blockbuster mentality” but by ushering in the cinematic age of all-popcorn-all-the-time. There had been antecedents, of course. In hindsight, much of our fantasy culture
Russell Brand has been accused of sexual assault by a film extra during the production of “Arthur” in July 2010. In a lawsuit, filed Friday in the New York Supreme Court and obtained by Variety, a woman — referred to as Jane Doe — said that Brand “appeared intoxicated, smelled of alcohol, and was carrying
Cinemagoers seated early for “Five Nights at Freddy’s” are treated to a new kind of movie advertisement: one that tells viewers not to look at the screen. The trailer, a theaters-only promo for Lionsgate and Blumhouse‘s upcoming horror film “Imaginary,” begins with a child’s voice asking, “Hi, wanna play a game with me? Close your
“Five Nights at Freddy’s” collapsed at the box office but still managed to emerge on top. Universal and Blumhouse’s fall sleeper hit has collected $19.4 million in its sophomore outing, resulting in a massive 76% decline from its debut. Universal and Blumhouse’s spooky video game adaptation, which takes place in a haunted Chuck E. Cheese-esque
Comicbook artist and writer Frank Miller, the man behind classics “300,” “Sin City” and “Daredevil,” is working on his new projects through Frank Miller Presents, the publishing banner he launched last year. Miller, speaking at Lucca Comics & Games this week, told Variety what drove him to embark on this new creative venture. “I’d say
Comicbook writer Garth Ennis, best known for series such as “Preacher” and “The Boys,” and his nine-year stint at Marvel, is a guest of this week’s Lucca Comics & Games. Ennis, whose current work includes comedy Barbarian strip “Babs,” and the latest instalments of the “Battle Action” and “Punisher” series, spoke about his new book
West Hollywood-based indie distribution outfit Indican Pictures (“Gossamer Folds”) has secured North American rights for Santiago Fillol’s political thriller “Matadero” (“Slaughterhouse”). The debut fiction feature from the Argentine director saw its world premiere in competition at Locarno in 2022, with further festival bows at Mar Del Plata and Seville before December theatrical runs in Argentina
The forbidden love between two soldiers in a society riven by war is at the heart of “So the Lovers Could Come Out Again,” the sophomore feature from Lebanese filmmaker George Peter Barbari, whose debut, “Death of a Virgin, and the Sin of Not Living,” premiered in the Berlin Film Festival’s Panorama strand. Barbari will
As Doja Cat‘s “Scarlet Tour” touched down at L.A.’s Crypto.com Arena Thursday night for what was only its second date, fans were still learning about just what shape her first arena headlining shows would take. Title cards appearing on the big screens announced that it would be broken down into five parts — Acts I,
UPDATED: The studios told SAG-AFTRA on Saturday that they have made their “last, best and final” offer, as they seek an end to the 114-day actors strike. The offer includes an enhanced residual bonus for high-performing streaming shows. Under the proposal, actors who appear on the most-watched shows on each platform will see their standard
Dorit Kemsley has made no secret of the fact that she has been going through it on recent seasons of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” after a 2021 home invasion in which armed men threatened her and her two children. On Season 13 of the series, which began on Oct. 25, she’s shown on
Skybound Entertainment, the company behind animated TV series “Invincible,” has acquired the historic Spike & Mike’s animation events, with plans for a revival. Marge Dean, head of studio at Skybound Entertainment, announced the news at Toronto’s Animation Industry Conference (TAAFI) on Saturday. Spike & Mike began in the 1970s as a curator of animated shorts.
“Consent,” an adaptation of Vanessa Springora’s bestselling book which sparked a belated #MeToo moment in France, has lured major distributors while thriving at the local box office and stirring social media buzz. Represented in international markets by Paris-based outfit SND, the film marks the sophomore outing of Vanessa Filho whose debut feature “Angel Face” stars
Can someone say method acting? In a recent roundtable interview with Entertainment Weekly alongside “Priscilla” co-star Cailee Spaeny and director Sofia Coppola, Jacob Elordi revealed that he ate a pound of bacon a day to play Elvis Presley. “You ate a lot of bacon,” Coppola said to Elordi. She then explained, “Priscilla [Presley] told us
SPOILER ALERT: This interview contains spoilers for “Quiz Lady,” now streaming on Hulu. The premise of Jessica Yu‘s “Quiz Lady” seems like the perfect recipe for an over-the-top, slapstick comedy: two estranged sisters — the uptight Anne (Awkwafina) and the unhinged Jenny (Sandra Oh) — embark on a cross-country roadtrip to cover their mother’s gambling
It’s been 10 years since Steven Universe unlocked his Gem ability to summon a shield as he savored the last of his beloved, now-discontinued frozen treat Cookie Cat. What Rebecca Sugar initially introduced as a brightly colored animated series about a 13-year-old half-Gem, half-human boy raised by his three extraterrestrial guardians, soon became so much
In August 2021, as the U.S. withdrew forces from Afghanistan and the Taliban took power, many people fled the country. But despite having U.S. citizenship, the then 73-year-old Mahbouba Seraj stayed. The journalist, activist and co-founder of Afghan Women’s Network had been forced to leave her country once before, but this time she would remain.
SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers for “Priscilla,” in theaters now. As the opening sequence of Sofia Coppola‘s biographical drama “Priscilla” unfolds, viewers meet a 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu (Cailee Spaeny) in 1959 West Germany to the tune of the Ramones’ 1980 hit “Baby, I Love You.” This time-bending choice may seem unexpected, but to those
“Five Nights at Freddy’s” is having no trouble staying atop the domestic box office, despite projecting a sizable drop from its hefty Halloween weekend opening. The Universal release is looking to earn $17.8 million in its sophomore outing, down 78% from its $80 million debut. It’s a sizable fall, though still somewhat impressive given the
What’s fact and what’s fiction in Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla?” We fact-checked the film against the source material, Priscilla Beaulieu Presley’s memoir “Elvis and Me.” The new film, starring Cailee Spaeny (Priscilla) and Jacob Elordi (Elvis Presley), was inspired by the 1985 book, which became a New York Times bestseller at its release. Everyone knew Elvis
La última denunciante de agresión sexual de Steven Tyler eligió el momento más oportuno para presentar su demanda, justo antes de que prescribieran sus reclamaciones. Jeff Anderson, el abogado de la presunta víctima Jeanne Bellino, le dice a TMZ que él y su cliente recientemente decidieron presentar una demanda contra Tyler bajo la Ciudad de
Steven Tyler‘s latest accuser — who claims he sexually assaulted her nearly 50 years ago — filed her lawsuit against the singer in the nick of time, legally speaking … as the statute of limitations was about to run out. Jeff Anderson, attorney for the alleged victim Jeanne Bellino, tells TMZ … he and his
Four hours and 22 minutes is a long time to be doing anything except sleeping, even watching a state-of-the-art Rock and Roll Hall of Fame awards show that included Willie Nelson, Elton John, Sheryl Crow, Jimmy Page, Stevie Nicks and many more. Yet it’s a testament to the almost superhuman talent and vision of Missy
Sarvnik Kaur’s documentary “Against the Tide” has won the Golden Gateway Award at the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. The film previously won awards at Sundance, Sydney and Seattle. Diwa Shah’s San Sebastian winner “Bahadur: The Brave” received Mumbai’s Silver Gateway Award. The festival’s Gender Sensitivity Award, decided by India’s Film Critics Guild, was won
The super spies of producer Aditya Chopra’s spy universe are set to converge in Yash Raj Films’ “Tiger 3.” Hrithik Roshan‘s Kabir from “War” and Shah Rukh Khan‘s Pathaan from “Pathaan” are set to join Salman Khan‘s Avinash Singh Rathore and Katrina Kaif’s Zoya Humaini Rathore in the film, Variety has learned. The spy universe
SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers for “Smile,” the fourth episode of Season 2 of “Shining Vale,” now streaming on the Starz app. With each passing episode on the set of Starz’s horror comedy “Shining Vale,” Greg Kinnear made a habit of asking co-creator Jeff Astrof how he planned to get the characters out of
A private funeral was held for Matthew Perry on Friday afternoon, with the actor’s “Friends” co-stars in attendance along with other loved ones and family. People reports that Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow all convened for the event, held at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles. It’s also
David Young, the longtime executive director of the Writers Guild of America West, is stepping down, the guild announced on Friday. Ellen Stutzman, who served as chief negotiator through its 148-day strike this year, will take over as executive director. Young was initially expected to lead this year’s negotiations, but surprisingly took a medical leave
Across 30 studio albums since 1970, Buffett fueled his scenic songs’ tropical, country-ish lilt with a smart, conversational brand of daylight-noir storytelling. With the release of “Equal Strain on All Parts,” his last studio album completed before his death in September of this year, it can be said that Buffett continued to write and sing
“Diversity” is undoubtedly a buzzword in Hollywood, but the inclusion of people with disabilities behind and in front of the camera remains an overlooked topic in the industry. At Variety‘s inaugural Inclusion Gathering, presented by the Ruderman Family Foundation at West Hollywood’s London Hotel on Nov. 2, industry creatives and executives gathered for breakfast and