Stanley Tucci Credits Felicity and Emily Blunt for Helping Him Get Through “Brutal” Cancer Treatment

Stanley Tucci is opening up about his 2017 oral cancer diagnosis and whom he thanks for helping him get through the tough times. The Citadel actor recently told Willie Geist on Sunday Sitdown that “it was terrifying” when he first learned he had the disease. Tucci said he and his late wife, Kate Spath-Tucci, “traveled all […]

‘Soviet Barbara’ Review: High Art Collides With Global Politics in Moscow

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 […]

Melanie Lynskey Says Cate Blanchett, Sarah Paulson Lent Their Trailers on ‘Mrs. America’ So She Could Breastfeed Privately

Melanie Lynskey says her Mrs. America co-stars Cate Blanchett and Sarah Paulson helped her negotiate better on-set accommodations for Yellowjackets after they offered up their trailers for her to pump and breastfeed while they were all working on the Hulu limited series. In a new interview with The Independent that published Saturday, Lynskey opened up […]

What Price Hollywood? For WGA Contract Talks, History Doesn’t Have to Repeat Itself

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 […]

Diego Luna Thought ‘Andor’ Scripts Were So Good That He Doubted It Would Get Made: ‘This Is Too Perfect’

Tony Gilroy’s “Andor” was viewed by many as a necessary shot of artistic adrenaline for the “Star Wars” franchise. The series, which follows a group of impoverished rebels prior to the events of “Rogue One,” earned praise for taking the franchise in a darker and more realistic direction after years of serving bland nostalgia. Many fans were surprised that Disney would take a chance on such a bold show — a sentiment that was shared by some of the creative team.

In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, star and producer Diego Luna opened up about the doubts he had about the series. While he says he always believed in Gilroy’s artistic vision, he admits that he once thought it was too bold to be a viable Hollywood product.

“I always had a feeling that this wasn’t gonna see the light [of day] till it did. I kept going, ‘This is too perfect. This is working,’” Luna said. “The whole idea, I always thought, ‘That’s impossible.’ Throughout the whole process, we did exactly what we thought was best. We never prioritized anything but the show. The writing took the time it needed to take, and we got the best cast you can have. So everything just kept getting better and better, and I always had the feeling that something had to go wrong. But it didn’t. We had the freedom and the support of Disney and Lucas[film]. We had the confidence of Kathy [Kennedy] behind the show.”

Ultimately, Luna said that the success of “Andor” restored some of his faith in the idea that it’s possible to make high quality, artistically nourishing art in the Hollywood system.

“You keep hearing in this industry that this is impossible and that this doesn’t happen. I grew up thinking that the cinema and the art I love was not popular, but this is a show I love,” he said. “This is a show I would recommend as the audience, not just as the actor or a producer. So, it wasn’t just the opening. Many times throughout the whole process, I found myself being impressed and surprised that this was happening. And I felt proud of it. Even today, I feel not just lucky, but fortunate to be a part of something like this and to be working with people I believe in.”

Matthew Lawrence Says an Agency Fired Him After He Refused to Take Off His Clothes for an Award-Winning Director

Matthew Lawrence said he believes he was dropped by an agency after refusing to meet the demands of a prominent Hollywood director who asked him to take off his clothes during a hotel room meeting. The Boy Meets World actor detailed his experiences on a recent episode of the Brotherly Love Podcast, with his brothers […]

Steven Spielberg Wrote Mo Amer a Letter Raving About ‘Mo’

Mo Amer created and starred in one of the most subversive, acclaimed TV shows of 2022 when his A24-produced comedy “Mo” became a Netflix hit. The series, which follows a Palestinian man’s tragically hilarious attempts to jump through the hurdles of the United States’ immigration system, shed light on the bureaucratic challenges that so many asylum seekers face. The show’s unapologetically honest approach to telling immigration stories immediately set it apart from the competition and helped it build a passionate fanbase.

That fanbase apparently includes none other than Steven Spielberg. In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Amer looked back on the surreal year that he has enjoyed following the show’s premiere. He singled out unique experiences like his recent AFI Award for TV Program of the Year as highlights of his journey — and revealed that at one point, Spielberg even sent him a letter praising the show.

“Getting honored by the American Film Institute was the first—like, whoa,” Amer said. “You think, to be sitting across James Cameron and Spielberg, that was just crazy to me… because nobody’s ever filmed a show in Houston. We were, like, literally trying to talk [local business owners] into filming in their barber shop and then a year later we’re sitting there getting a letter from Spielberg about how much he enjoyed the show…  It just brings tears to your eyes. Like, literally, it just makes it all so worth it.”

In addition to the AFI Award, Amer earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series for his work on the show. Netflix went on to renew “Mo” for a second season, which Amer has announced will be the show’s last.

“I’m thankful to continue to tell a universal story of struggle that relates to so many refugees and millions of underrepresented humans trying to be seen around the globe,” Amer said in a statement announcing the news in January. “And to be able to bring the people who loved and rooted for Mo Najjar along for the ride as we close this chapter of his story.”

‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ Hits $1 Billion, but Kids Ignore ‘Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret’

“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” (Universal) is projected to gross another $40 million in its fourth weekend, an achievement held only “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Avatar: The Way of Water” and “Black Panther” in 2018.

That puts Illumination’s animated film at $1.022 billion worldwide and $490 million domestic. If it hits $650 million domestic — now possible — it will surpass any cartoon feature this century. (“Shrek 2” and “Incredibles 2” reached $600 million adjusted).

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” (Disney) opening next weekend will end Mario’s #1 streak, but “SMB” should stay strong for weeks to come. It could surpass “Maverick” ($719 million) — an even more impressive feat when it lacks a concentration premium tickets and sells many more lower-priced children’s priced tickets.

“Evil Dead Rise”

Though at a lower gross and hold, “Evil Dead Rise” (Warner Bros. Discovery) at #2 with $12.5 million, adds to the positive news. Its 50 percent second-week drop was low end for a genre film. Even better, its $44.6 million take (it will easily pass $60 million) comes from a budget reported under $20 million.

The weekend box office totaled around $99 million, but the two major entrants disappointed. “Are You There, God? It’s Me Margaret” (Lionsgate) managed only $6.8 million despite stellar reviews, residual interest in Judy Blume’s classic novels, and an A Cinemascore.

Why this weak? 81 percent of the audience was female, 81 percent was over 25, and 77 percent was white. Those kinds of numbers make it hard to reach anything close to $10 million. This economical $30 million production is the kind of title that needs to work for a healthy theater industry.

“Big George Foreman” failed to make the top 10 with only $3 million. It looked like a winner: Produced by Affirm Films, a faith-based production unit with a strong record of major returns for lower investment, it had the benefit of the Foreman name. It was sports-related  like recent successes “Creed III” and “Air,” and Sony usually sees positive results from original titles. This appears to be Affirm’s costliest title (over $30 million reported), and for once its formula of fusing religious themes into mainstream releases failed.

Three films with more limited releases opened in the top 1o. A premium-screen reissue of “Return of the Jedi” (Disney) placed fifth with $4.7 million in only 475 theaters. That places the third title in the initial “Star Wars” trilogy at an adjusted total of around $865 million.

“Sisu”

“Ponniyin Selvan: Part Two” (FDN), an expensive Indian sequel, placed #8 with over $3.6 million in 600 theaters. “Sisu,” a Finnish World War II film picked up by Lionsgate after its Toronto festival showing, did a decent $3.25 million in 1,006 theaters.

Despite two strong titles at the top, three other holdovers maintained drops under 30 percent, led by #4 “John Wick: Chapter 4” (Lionsgate), down 14 percent. “Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” (Paramount), off 25 percent and “Air” (MGM), down 27 percent, also continue to show strength.

Overall business continues its strong comparisons to last year and 2019. Grosses were up 46 percent from last year, with year to date maintaining a 37 percent improvement. That’s terrific four months into 2023, but don’t expected that pace to keep up. (Last year took off in May). Despite a horrific 24 percent comparison to the same 2019 weekend (“Avengers: Endgame” debuted), the four-week rolling average still is at 102 percent.

“The Eight Mountains” (Sideshow/Janus) was a bright spot in a mostly bleak specialized environment. The Italian Cannes Jury Prize co-winner did a strong $36,000 in two New York theaters for the distributor’s best per-theater opening so far (ahead of “Drive My Car” and “EO”).

Equally acclaimed “R.M.N.” (IFC), another Cannes competition title last year, had a different result. It only grossed $5,800 in two New York locations. Oliver Stone’s documentary “Nuclear Now” (Abramorama) in two New York/Los Angeles theaters did better (just under $10,000 in two theaters) ahead of a 300-theater nationwide one-day showing Monday.

Both films are post-Oscars; neither was submitted by their countries in the antiquated Oscar International category. The awards attention boosted to some subtitled modest successes like “EO” and “Close” (Neon).

“Polite Society”

Parisa Taghizadeh

Focus, with the fallback of early PVOD and later Peacock showings enhancing revenue potential, opened another Sundance 2023 title to a sub-$1,000 PTA. British comedy “Polite Society” managed $800,000 in 927 theaters.

Ari Aster’s “Beau Is Afraid” more than doubled its theaters to drop nearly 50 percent and fell short of the top 10 with about $1.4 million. It stands at $5.6 million.

Of note among specialized titles: No film with more than four weeks of play reported a gross. Even in the current challenged environment, that is exceptional.

 

The Top 10

 1. The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Universal) Week 4; Last weekend #1

$40,0000,000 (-33%) in 4,204 (-146) theaters; PTA (per theater average): $9,515; Cumulative: $490,016,000

2. Evil Dead Rise (Warner Bros. Discovery) Week 2; Last weekend #2

$12,200,000 (-50%) in 3,417 (+15) theaters; PTA: $3,570; Cumulative: $44,416,000

3. Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret (Lionsgate) NEW – Cinemascore: A; Metacritic: 86; Est. budget: $

$6,800,000 in 3,343 theaters; PTA: $2,034; Cumulative: $6,800,000

4. John Wick: Chapter 4 (Lionsgate) Week 6; Last weekend #4
$5,000,000 (-14%) in 2,481 (-204) theaters; PTA: $2,015; Cumulative: $176,155,000

5. Return of the Jedi (Disney) REISSUE

$ 4,694,000 in 475 theaters; PTA: $988; Cumulative: (adjusted) $865,000,000

6. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (Paramount) Week 5; Last weekend #6

$4,100,000 (-25%) in 2,709 (-251) theaters; PTA: $1,513; Cumulative: $88,160,000

7. Air (MGM) Week 4; Last weekend #5

$4,001,000 (-27%) in 2,402 (-421) theaters; PTA: $1,666; Cumulative: $47,627,000

8. Ponniyin Selvan: Part Two (FDN) NEW – Est. budget: $32 million

$3,645,000 in 600 theaters; PTA: $6,076; Cumulative: $3,645,000

9. The Covenant (MGM) Week 2; Last weekend #3

$3,615,000 (-43%) in 2,631 (+20) theaters; PTA: $1,374; Cumulative: $12,294,000

10. Sisu (Lionsgate) NEW – Metacritic: 68; Est. budget: $7 million

$3,250,000 in 1,006 theaters; PTA: $3,230; Cumulative: $3,250,000

 

Other specialized titles

Films (limited, expansions of limited, as well as awards-oriented releases) are listed by week in release, starting with those opened this week; after the first two weeks, only films with grosses over $5,000 are listed.

The Eight Mountains (Sideshow/Janus) NEW – Metacritic: 81; Festivals include: Cannes 2022, Sundance 2023

$36,000 in 2 theaters; PTA: $18,000

Polite Society (Focus) NEW – Metacritic: 75; Festivals include: Sundance, South by Southwest 2023

$800,000 in 927 theaters; PTA: $858

R.M.N. (IFC) NEW – Metacritic: 81; Festivals include: Cannes, Toronto, New York 2022

$5,800 in 2 theaters; PTA: $2,900

Nuclear Now (Abramorama) NEW – Metacritic: ; Festivals include: Venice 2022

$9,814 in 2 theaters; PTA: $4,907

Chevalier (Searchlight) Week 2

$625,000 in 1,281 (+6) theaters; PTA: $488; Cumulative: $2,778,000

Somewhere in Queens (Roadside Attractions) Week 2

$321,215 in 499 (-103) theaters; PTA: $644; Cumulative: $1,304,000

Other People’s Children (Music Box) Week 2

$14,895 in 7 (+4) theaters; PTA: $2,128; Cumulative: $35,007

Carmen (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 2

$10,122 in 11 (+9)  in theaters; PTA: $920; Cumulative: $27,044

Beau Is Afraid (A24) Week 3

$1,433,000  in 2,125  (+1,153 theaters; PTA: $674; Cumulative: $5,641,000

Suzume (Sony) Week 3

$535,000 in 440  (-1,730) theaters; Cumulative: $9,754,000

Wild Life (Picturehouse) Week 3

$56,318 in 13 (-1) theaters;  Cumulative: $208,648

Showing Up (A24) Week 4

$78,590 in 115 (+30)  theaters;  Cumulative: $552,271

Joyland (Oscilloscope) Week 4

$33,510 in 30 (+22) theaters;  Cumulative: $134,298

Lizzy Kaplan and Joshua Jackson: ‘Fatal Attraction’ Series Might Not Kill Bunny Due to Changing ‘Social Mores’

The new Paramount+ adaptation of “Fatal Attraction,” which sees Lizzy Kaplan and Joshua Jackson stepping into the roles made famous by Glenn Close and Michael Douglas, seeks to capture all of the erotic thrills of the 1987 film in an episodic format. But no adaptation can ever be an exact replica of its source material, so things always have to change. According to the show’s stars, that could mean that one of the film’s most iconic scenes will play out differently in the show.

The image of Anne Archer coming home to find a pet bunny boiling on the stove — a depraved trick from her husband’s mistress, played by Close — is one of the most enduring moments from “Fatal Attraction.” But in an interview with People, both Kaplan and Jackson hinted that fans shouldn’t expect to see another rabbit killed in the series.

“I mean, I feel bad that I can’t deliver the murdering of the bunny for all the people who so desperately want it,” Kaplan said. “It’s really like people really want it.”

Jackson added that the lack of bunny deaths is one of multiple ways that the show tweaked its source material to reflect contemporary sensibilities.

“In the same way that certain other elements inside the story are updated to 2023, the way that the bunny gets dealt with is more in keeping with our social mores today,” he said.

But that doesn’t mean “Fatal Attraction” will be a sanitized shell of its predecessor. In another recent interview, Jackson praised the series’ director Silver Tree for not compromising on the sexual elements of the story.

“The sex scenes are of great importance because they’re furthering the narrative. You have to believe that these people want to fuck each other,” he said. “God bless Silver for being amazing and coming at this from the female gaze… There are so many ways to tell the story of a sex scene that don’t need to be about certain pieces of a woman’s body. There are so many different ways that this can give you all of that stuff without it having to be exploitive of the women’s body.”

The first three episodes of “Fatal Attraction” premiere April 30 on Paramount+. New episodes will be available every Sunday through May 28.

CinemaCon Takeaways: Ryan Gosling’s ‘Barbie’ Ken-ergy, ‘Wicked’ Wows and ‘The Flash’ Frenzy

There’s always been an impressive roster of top stars and filmmakers at CinemaCon except during the pandemic era. This year’s edition, however, was next-level — Oprah, Christopher Nolan, Rhianna, Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio, among others. Yet perhaps the biggest star of the four-day show in Las Vegas was optimism. After worrisome fits and starts, […]