Focus Features has a secret weapon on the fall release schedule and that’s Downton Abbey on Sept. 20. While everyone is buzzing about Warner Bros.’ screaming in the start of fall with New Line’s It: Chapter Two, Downton Abbey could very well see a huge turnout of older female moviegoers. The pic’s first day of advance sales on
BoxOffice
Universal has set a January 15, 2021 release date for 355, the ensemble spy thriller that came together during last year’s Cannes Film Festival. The pic directed and co-written by Simon Kinberg stars Jessica Chastain, Lupita Nyong’o, Penélope Cruz, Diane Kruger and Fan Bingbing. The hope is to launch a franchise based on the idea
No shocker here as Disney has moved Fox’s Joe Wright movie The Woman in the Window out of Oct. 4 to May 15, 2020. This was to be expected as the film has to undergo reshoots. Already, Disney has Fox Searchlight’s Lucy in the Sky on Oct. 4. Meanwhile, Cruella, a live-action spinoff of the classic Disney animated toon
Spider-Man: Far From Home is getting a new scene in time for the long Labor Day weekend. Today Sony announced, a new extended cut of the film will be re-released in theaters in the United States and Canada on Thursday, August 29. The revamped version features four minutes of a never-before-seen action sequence, and will
King Kong, Pretty Woman: The Musical and The Cher Show took their final bows on Broadway last week, all three bucking a late summer downward box office trend with some last-chance ticket-buyers. In general, though, Broadway box office was down about 5% from the previous week, with one fewer show on the roster and a
Soul Train, the iconic music variety series created and hosted by Don Cornelius beginning in 1971 that showcased black musicians both established and up-and-coming, could make Broadway a stop on its long-running journey. A musical based on the show, with a creative team that includes three of the leading black women working in theater today,
As pro-democracy protests continued in the streets of Hong Kong on Sunday despite threats of Beijing’s military force, the Walt Disney Company could find itself caught between the two sides, on and off-screen. Disney has continually demonstrated a forward-thinking approach when it comes to doing business in China and Asia, even propelling properties like Black
Refresh for latest…: Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood is having a heyday at the international box office with $53.7M from 49 markets this session. That includes 46 new hubs where the Leonardo DiCaprio/Brad Pitt-starrer came in 30% higher than Django Unchained (current rates) to log the director’s best offshore opening ever. Added
EXCLUSIVE: With a projected $1.109B through tomorrow, Spider-Man: Far From Home will swing past Skyfall ($1.108B) to become Sony Pictures’ highest-grossing global release ever. The Sony/Marvel sequel’s split is expected to hit $376M domestic and $733M at the international box office through Sunday. The milestone comes a little over three weeks after the webslinger crossed
August warmth is a harbinger for the fall theatrical season, which is already revving into gear. Magnolia Pictures’ Cold Case Hammarskjöld continues recent non-fiction theatrical debuts that are eyeing awards season. Cold Case won the Best Director prize in the World Documentary section at Sundance in January. Sony Pictures Classics is opening doc Aquarela in
EXCLUSIVE: Universal’s Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw zoomed into Korea on Wednesday, scoring the biggest opening day for the franchise, and through Thursday surpassed 1M admissions. Korea is the last market to release before China welcomes the spinoff next Friday, August 23. Through Thursday, the international box office cume on H&S is $267.5M
Universal’s R-rated Good Boys nabbed $2.1M in Thursday night previews at 2,600 theaters which began at 7PM. In regards to other R-rated comedies aimed at the 18-34 set, Good Boys’ Thursday is higher than Universal’s 2018 Blockers ($1.5M) and just under the R-rated Point Grey August 2016 pic Sausage Party ($3.25M). Good Boys take is also higher than Tag‘s $1.3M last summer and 2018’s Game
New Line’s It: Chapter Two, the sequel to the biggest horror film of all time, is looking at a domestic opening similar to the 2017 pic’s $123.4 million first frame. We hear in regards to demos the pic is comping to the first title in the series, Stephen King’s $700M-grossing It, and 20th Century Fox’s Logan ($88.4M),
Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 4 is finally crossed $1 billion putting Disney in an atmosphere that no other major studio has ever touched: Having 5 pics gross over $1 billion in a single year. It is projected that Frozen 2 and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker later this year will bring that count to mindboggling 7 titles — Good
Prolific Bollywood actor and producer Akshay Kumar has again staked out the Indian Independence Day holiday, blasting off today with space drama Mission Mangal. Early word is largely positive on the timely film that’s based on the true story of the Indian scientists behind the country’s first satellite to Mars (aka, the Mars Orbiter Mission
Comscore/Screen Engine’s audience movie-polling service PostTrak is celebrating its 1,000th pic polled this upcoming weekend with a summary of moviegoing stats since its inception seven years ago. And there’s a plethora of illuminating findings, specifically: Streaming isn’t crushing moviegoing with just under 35% of all cinema attendees considering themselves frequent streamers. In addition, over the
Similar to last weekend before everybody rushes back to school, studios and distributors are trying to grab as much cash as they can. Today, for example, in the wake of Paramount opening Dora and the Lost City of Gold last weekend, Sony decided to have Rovio’s Angry Birds Movie 2 fly at 3,869 in what looks to
Broadway’s Be More Chill, The Prom and Sea Wall/A Life were at near-capacity last week, as the first two headed out and the latter had its official welcome. Together they helped Broadway maintain a steady total box office of $34M for the week of summer dog days ending Aug. 11. Total attendance for Broadway’s 29
Refresh for latest…: Universal’s Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw put another $60.8M in the tank during its second frame at the international box office. The Dwayne Johnson/Jason Statham-starrer pumped up its overseas cume to $224.1M in 66 markets through Sunday, and global to $332.6M. The drop in markets that opened last weekend was
Hints of autumn are unspooling this weekend with stars fronting Specialty fare opening in theaters. Julianne Moore, Michelle Williams, Billy Crudup and Abby Quinn headline Sundance ’19 opener After The Wedding, starting in New York and L.A. today via Sony Pictures Classics. The film by Bart Freundlich is based on the 2006 Oscar-nominated original by
Universal will not be releasing Blumhouse’s The Hunt on Sept. 27 as planned. Deadline hears that a collective decision was made by Universal leadership, led by Donna Langley, with The Hunt filmmaking team. For this particular film, it’s better to wait. The news of Universal canceling The Hunt comes in the wake of putting the brakes on the pic’s marketing
Lionsgate is dating the reunion of Bridesmaids creators Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar for July 31, 2020. The duo are not only writing the comedy, but starring with Jamie Dornan and Damon Wayans, Jr. Josh Greenbaum, who has directed episodes of Fresh Off the Boat and New Girl, will helm the comedy.
JP Richards has been promoted to Co-President, Worldwide Marketing, Warner Bros. Pictures, it was announced today by Blair Rich, President, Worldwide Marketing, Warner Bros. Pictures and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. Richards will report to Rich. In his new role, Richards will work closely with Rich on the development and execution of the studio’s marketing efforts,
Update: CBS Films/eOne/Lionsgate’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark racked up $2.33M at 2,500 locations that began at 7PM. How front-loaded will the Andre Ovredal-directed PG-13 spooky film be? Tracking heading into the weekend had Scary and Dora colliding as they aim to grab young teen girls with $15M-$17M apiece. But Paramount’s live action take of the famed
Edgar Wright’s next movie, the psychological thriller Last Night in Soho, will go on Friday, Sept. 25, 2020 via Focus Features stateside. Universal Pictures International has the pic overseas. The London-set pic stars Anya Taylor-Joy, Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie, Matt Smith, Michael Ajao, Synnøve Karlsen, Diana Rigg, Terence Stamp, and Rita Tushingham. Wright and Penny Dreadful scribe Krysty Wilson-Cairns co-wrote
Regal Entertainment owner Cineworld has reported a revenue decrease of 11.1% for the first six months of 2019, to $2.15B from $2.42B in the comparable period last year. The dip at the world’s second-largest exhibition chain was anticipated, it said, due to the timing of major film releases versus the first half of 2018. Encouraged
Fox Searchlight has set October 4 for the limited release of Noah Hawley’s Lucy in the Sky, which stars Natalie Portman as an astronaut who returns from space. With Lucy‘s new date, Disney officially is still keeping the wide release for Fox’s Joe Wright-directed Amy Adams feature The Woman in the Window on the same date.
Exhibition giant Cineworld, which acquired U.S. chain Regal Cinemas in 2018 for $3.6B, reported a decrease in half-year results this morning out of London. An anticipated drop, it hasn’t diminished CEO and veteran exhibitor Mooky Greidinger’s bright outlook for the second semester while he’s also bullish on the uptake of nascent subscription program, Regal Unlimited,
Universal is putting the brakes on the marketing of their Blumhouse release The Hunt in the wake of recent mass shootings which have taken the lives of 34 people in El Paso, Texas; Dayton, Ohio; and Gilroy, California. “Out of sensitivity to the attention on the country’s recent shooting tragedies, Universal Pictures and the filmmakers of The Hunt
Universal’s Hobbs & Shaw isn’t going anywhere, and they’ll stay put in No. 1 this coming weekend with $28M-$30M, a decline somewhere between -50% and -53%. This as five wide entries flood the market including Paramount/Nickelodeon/Walden Media/MRC’s storied IP Dora and the Lost City of Gold, CBS Films/eOne/Lionsgate’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Disney/Fox’s The