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The season four premiere of Outer Banks brought the Netflix show back onto the streaming charts — but with only half a season released this time, it fell well short of its last premiere.

The YA drama delivered 1.19 billion minutes of viewing for the week of Oct. 7-13 (season four debuted Oct. 10), good for second place overall in Nielsen’s streaming rankings. By comparison, season three’s opening week in February 2023 — which featured the entire season released at once — drew 3.15 billion minutes of watch time.

The half-season release (part two premiered Thursday) for Outer Banks undoubtedly played a part in the lower viewing time total. Season four of Emily in Paris similarly had a sizable decline with a half-season premiere in August (but season three of Bridgerton in May did not).

Netflix’s dating show Love Is Blind led the Oct. 7-13 charts with 1.23 billion minutes of viewing; no other show crossed the 1 billion mark.

13 Films has come on board to represent international sales at the AFM this week on the romantic comedy and SXSW selection A Nice Indian Boy from Levantine Films and Wayfarer Studios.

Karan Soni from the Deadpool franchise and Nobody Wants This and Jonathan Groff from Hamilton and The Matrix Resurrections star in the story directed by Roshan Sethi (7 Days).

When Naveen brings his white-orphan-artist fiancé Jay home to meet his traditional Indian family, they must work together to plan the Indian wedding of their dreams.

Sunita Mani, Zarna Garg, and Harish Patel round out this the cast on the cross-cultural family comedy.

It is often said that animation is a medium, and not a genre, and “Flow” might be the perfect example of what makes the art form so exciting. A film this imaginative in its visual design, so poetic in its movements, and so lovingly tender in its emotions could never have been accomplished in anything other than animation. It’s hard not to be floored by the sheer technical perfection of “Flow,” as it is truly a film in which the phrase “every frame is a painting” could actually be applied. However, “Flow” is perhaps most ambitious in its simplicity; there’s a classical story about environment and community being told, but it’s the attention to detail that makes it so enveloping.

“Flow” is set within what appears to be an environment composed of no humans, as the only characters that appear in the film are animals. There’s no dialogue,...

Netflix’s rom-com series Nobody Wants This attracted more viewing in its second week, moving up one spot to second overall in Nielsen’s weekly streaming charts.

The series starring Kristen Bell and Adam Brody drew 1.21 billion minutes of watch time for the week of Sept. 30-Oct. 6, a 16 percent improvement on its premiere week. It also moved up one spot in the overall rankings, as the prior week’s second-place title, Inside Out 2, dropped by 50 percent to a still strong 908 million minutes of viewing on Disney+.

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story finished first overall for the third consecutive week with 1.41 billion minutes of viewing, down about 41 percent week to week. Netflix’s dating show Love Is Blind returned to the charts with a billion-minute week; its seventh season premiered on Oct. 2.

Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power debuted its season two finale on Oct.

Concourse Media will commence sales at the AFM in Las Vegas next week on Wayfarer Studios’ buddy action-comedy Code 3 starring Rainn Wilson and Lil Rel Howery.

Code 3 follows a day in the life of two overworked, underpaid and nearly burnt-out paramedics. As one prepares to resign, he must tackle a final shift to train his replacement. Over the course of an exhilarating 24 hours, everything that can happen does happen, from the mundane to the extreme.

The cast includes Aimee Carrero (The Menu), Yvette Nicole Brown (Community), and Rob Riggle (The Hangover).

Former paramedic Patrick Pianezza co-wrote the screenplay with Christipher Leone,...

Worldwide box office October 18-20 RankFilm (distributor)3-day (world)Cume (world)3-day (int’l)Cume (int’l)Territories 1. Venom: The Last Dance(Sony) $175m $175m $124m $124m 65 2. The Wild Robot(Universal) $24.1m $232.3m $17.6m $121m 80 3. Smile 2(Paramount) $22m $83.7m $12.6m $43m 68 4. The Unseen Sister(various) $9.7m $9.7m $9.7m $9.7m 1 5. L’Amour Ouf(Studiocanal) $7.1m $16.4m $7.1m $16.4m 1 6. Conclave(various) $6.5m $6.5m N/A N/A 1 7. Terrifier 3(various) $5.8m $53m $1.5m $9.9m 13 8. We Live In Time(various) $5m $12.4m $113,000 $658,000 6 9. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice(Warner Bros) $4.9m $441.8m $1.7m $153.1m 73 10. The Volunteers: To The War 2(various) $4.5m $163.2m $4.5m $163.2m 2

Credit: Comscore. All figures are estimates.

Netflix’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story led Nielsen’s streaming charts for a second straight week — and grew substantially from its debut.

The Ryan Murphy-produced series was the top title for the week of Sept. 23-29 with just under 2.4 billion minutes of viewing time. That’s a 40 percent improvement on the drama’s opening week (it premiered Sept. 19), which had 1.72 billion minutes of watch time, and the highest total for any streaming series in Nielsen’s rankings since Bridgerton hit 2.47 billion minutes in June.

Two other Netflix series had strong opening weeks: Rom-com Nobody Wants This premiered to 1.04 billion minutes of viewing, and the docuseries Mr. McMahon, about World Wrestling Entertainment impresario Vince McMahon, had 908 million minutes.

On the film chart, Inside Out 2 debuted on Disney+ to 1.82 billion minutes of watch time, the second highest weekly total for any film this year, behind only Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F...

Whether he’s starring in popular movies or misguided novelty restaurants, Garfield the cat is still culturally relevant. But long before he was shilling for Big Drone, Garfield starred in one of the most memorably freaky children’s cartoons to ever hit network television: Garfield’s Halloween Adventure.

The 1985 special found Garfield and Odie getting lost while trick or treating, eventually ending up in a strange old house on a mysterious island where they meet a creepy old man. The stranger tells them a scary story about a band of pirates who buried treasure on the island and vowed to return for it 100 years later, at the stroke of midnight, “even if it meant returning from the grave.”

The man disappears, and the island is soon besieged by terrifying pirate ghosts. It was pretty intense for a franchise that typically didn’t feature anything more extreme than lasagna cramps or the...

There is little doubt that Ryan Reynolds is one of the biggest stars that Hollywood has on offer. The Marvel’s Deadpool and Wrexham AFC owner has starred in a plethora of hit projects such as Free Guy and Detective Pikachu, but is currently facing a bit of a stutter, with the release of Paramount Pictures’ If, which has till date made just over $104 million, against a budget of $110 million.

The John Krasinski offering has thus far failed to make an impact and boasts of a 49% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. While there may be plenty of reasons why the movie has failed to even break even thus far, one fan recently claimed on Twitter that it might have something to do with the ‘movie fatigue’ that is currently afflicting theatre audiences. The fan suggested that the performance of If at the box office might simply be down to the fact...

Peggy and Ryan Reynolds as Dogpool and Deadpool

The biggest in news for canine film stars after the Palm Dog, the Fidos announced their longlist today at a special ceremony presided over by Deadpool & Wolverine star Peggy. Famous for playing Dogpool alongside Ryan Reynolds, she was joined by her human, Luke Middleton, and judge Anna Smith of Girls On Film, at London’s Nft South Bank, where the names of this year's stars were announced.

Unsurprisingly, Palm Dog winner Kodi made the list for her work in Dog On Trial. Other notables include Dave from Andrea Arnold's Bird and Kelpie from The Fall Guy. This year there are also animated entrants, making room for the canine characters seen in The Garfield Movie, Inside Out 2, Venom: The Last Dance and Robot Dreams.

"This year has been especially blessed with stand-out dog performances in films," said the event's founder, Toby Rose,...

Mel Gibson has certainly been a lightning rod for criticism in Hollywood. Yet, amidst the drama, Andrew Garfield is stepping up to advocate for a more compassionate view of the actor-director. And honestly, it’s about time someone did!

Andrew Garfield in One Mighty and Strong (2022) | Credit: FX Networks

Garfield, who collaborated with Gibson in Hacksaw Ridge, recently shared his perspective on their working relationship. He noted that they had “deep, important conversations” during filming. Now, given Gibson’s notorious past—specifically the anti-Semitic comments he made back in 2006—you’d think Garfield might tread lightly. But no, he boldly defended Gibson, describing him as respectful and kind on set.

Andrew Garfield Advocates for Mel Gibson’s Redemption

Andrew Garfield, reflecting on Mel Gibson’s tumultuous journey through Hollywood, contended that everyone deserves a chance at redemption. In a recent interview with People, the former expressed that Gibson “deserves to...

While it’s easy to get stuck in the muck of “Joker: Folie à Deux’s” underperformance or the continuation of Lionsgate’s losing streak, there was a bright spot at this week’s box office that marked a historic first — five of the Top 10 movies were animated features.

The animated movies that made the Top 10 are so varied, too, which speaks to the fact that animation as a medium is just as versatile and bespoke as live-action filmmaking. These films also came from a variety of studios, showcasing how important animated features are to every company’s bottom line. At one point, the marketplace was dominated by a handful of players. Not anymore.

The movies were DreamWorks’ painterly adventure “The Wild Robot” (No. 2); Focus Features’ animated music documentary “Piece by Piece” (No. 5); Paramount’s sci-fi spectacle “Transformers One” (No. 6); Crunchyroll and Sony’s domestic release of Japanese anime “My Hero Academia: You’re Next” (No.

Worldwide box office October 11-13 RankFilm (distributor)3-day (world)Cume (world)3-day (int’l) Cume (int’l)Territories 1. The Wild Robot (Universal) $37.5m $148.5m $24.1m $64.7m 56 2. Joker: Folie À Deux (Warner Bros) $29.8m $165.3m $22.7m $113.7m 78 3. Terrifier 3 (various) $23.1m $23.1m $4.9m $4.9m 8 4. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (Warner Bros) $11.7m $420.3m $4.6m $144.7m 77 5. The Volunteers: To The War 2 (various) $10.7m $139.7m $10.7m $139.7m 2 6. Transformers One (Paramount)

$13.8m $27.1m $13.8m $27.1m 71 7. Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone (Warner Bros) $6.6m $6.6m $6.6m $6.6m 1 8. The Substance (Mubi) $6.2m $33.4m $5.1m $21.8m 34 9. My Hero Academia: You’re Next (various) $5.4m $29.8m $2.4m $26.8m 67 10. Piece By Piece...

Dallas isn’t just one of the most populated Texas cities and home to a thriving diverse populace — it’s also now a massive theatrical moviegoing hub. According to ComScore, Dallas-Fort Worth was the third-biggest market in America in 2023, only behind Los Angeles and New York City. This former trading post helped deliver over $271 million the year of Barbenheimer, or 3% of the entire domestic box office market.

The history of this market’s movie theaters stretches back to the 1910s. This is when locations like The Washington Theatre and the Grand Central Theatre dazzled patrons. Dfw has always housed passionate moviegoers, so it’s no wonder it wormed its way into key parts of cinema history. Most notably, Dallas housed a legendarily successful test screening for “Jaws.” However, it would’ve been unthinkable for Dfw to become a go-to moviegoing destination. After all, until 1993, Dallas housed the last local film censorship board in America.

Germany’s box-office takings in the first nine months of 2024 are down 16% year-on-year to €559m, according to provisional figures from Comscore.

Around 57 million cinema tickets - a decrease of 14.5% on the same period in 2023 - were sold between January 2 and October 2, which makes it unlikely it will reach the target of 90 million admissions for the year by the end of December.

Warner Bros had been the market leader in the first half of 2024 thanks to the performance of Dune - Part Two, but Disney has since overtaken with a nine- month total box office total of €117m and 11.85 million admissions.

In the 23 years since the Best Animated Feature category was introduced at the Oscars, Pixar has dominated, racking up an impressive 11 wins from 18 nominations; its last victory was in 2021 for “Soul.” Walt Disney Studios has four trophies to show for its lucky 13 nominations while DreamWorks has gone 2 for 14, including the first-ever Oscar awarded for Best Animated Feature, which went to “Shrek.” Studio Ghibli also has a pair of prizes, and is the reigning champ with “The Boy and the Heron.” (Scroll down for the most up-to-date 2025 Oscar predictions for Best Animated Feature.)

That marked the second win for Japanese auteur Hayao Miyazaki, who had prevailed for “Spirited Away” 22 years earlier. Miyazaki crafted the only two hand-drawn movies to win this race. Two stop-motion flicks — “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit” and “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” — have prevailed. The other 19 winners were all done with CGI.

Updated: October 10, 2024

Leading...

After nearly two decades, recollections may indeed vary. Consider this: When filmmaker John Crowley cast rising star Andrew Garfield in his 2007 drama “Boy A,” Garfield almost didn’t take the part. Or, wait, did he?

“We offered you the part,” Crowley said during a recent interview with IndieWire and his now two-time star. “And you said yes, and you then said no.” Garfield looked shocked. “Did I say no?” the actor asked, eyes pinging between Zoom windows.

Either way: Garfield did take the part in the heartbreaking British drama, and now, 17 years later, he and Crowley have reunited for “We Live in Time,” a tear-soaked drama of a different kind. Based on Nick Payne’s screenplay, the nonlinear love story follows the buttoned-up Tobias (Garfield) and the spunky Almut (Florence Pugh) over the course of a decade-long relationship that is, suffice it to say, filled with both high highs and extremely low lows.

White Bird: A Wonder Story (2024) has finally arrived in theaters after a two-year wait for the adaptation of the graphic novle by R.J. Palacio. This year has seen several big book adaptations dominate the box office from Dune: Part Two to It Ends With Us.

Several other well known books have transformed for the big screen this year, including comics like The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, childhood stories like Harold and the Purple Crayon and more.

Read on for a list of this year’s book to movie adaptations:

White Bird – Oct 4 – Theaters

White Bird: A Wonder Story, Gillian Anderson, 2022. © Lionsgate /Courtesy Everett Collection

Based on the book by Wonder author R. J. Palacio, White Bird: A Wonder Story (2024) has finally hit theaters after shifts over two years since the film was first advertised. The film stars Helen Mirren, Gillian Anderson, Bryce Gheisar and more. The film follows a young...

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“Nobody Wants This” hasn’t just overtaken viewers’ hearts; it’s overtaken the No. 1 spot on Netflix’s Top 10 most-watched English-language TV shows. The Kristen Bell and Adam Brody romantic comedy surpassed the viewership for “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” in its second week of eligibility.

Overall, the series secured 15.9 million views compared to the 13.1 million views “Monsters” saw during the week of Sept. 30 to Oct. 6. This isn’t the first time these two shows have shared the first and second spots. Last week, their ranking was reversed with Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s “Monsters” scoring 19.5 million views in its second week on the streamer and “Nobody Wants This” seeing 10.3 million views in its first week.

The two current TV powerhouses were followed by the seventh season of “Love Is Blind,...

Number two film of the summer “Deadpool & Wolverine” (Disney), held back from any home viewing until after its tenth weekend in theaters, took the #1 spot on both iTunes (ranking by transactions) and Fandango (by revenue). But perhaps only for a brief stay.

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” (Warner Bros.), a major hit though not quite in the same league as the Marvel sequel ($235 million U.S./Canada gross so far versus $634 million; both films still in the top 10) will likely replace it when released Tuesday on PVOD after its fifth weekend. That feels a little early (32 days), more so since Tim Burton’s sequel is still #3, with over $10 million.

But if anything, it appears PVOD release boosts theatrical play as of late, at least in the short term. In any event, with the opening weekend debacle of “Joker: Folie à Deux” (revised downward to $37.8 million), it will provide some immediate cash to the Burbank studio.

Apart from the occasional gag involving famous anthropologists, Gary Larson’s The Far Side wasn’t exactly known for being the edgiest daily newspaper comic. But that doesn’t mean that Larson didn’t face content restrictions during the early days of the strip, one of which was pretty laughable in retrospect.

In 1983, nearly four years after The Far Side debuted, Larson was profiled by The Washington Post. The interview contained several bizarre details about the artist, including the revelation that he previously worked for the Humane Society, and “ran over a dog” while driving to the job interview. “I recognize some irony in that,” Larson admitted.

Less horrifically, but still on the subject of animals, the self-described “frustrated biologist” also talked about the time he owned a pet python that tried to eat him, prompting Larson to get rid of the snake. “I sold her to another fool,” he told The Post.

Don’t let anyone say crime doesn’t pay, because it’s clearly enough to drive a program to the top of the streaming chart on the Samba TV Weekly Wrap Report. “The Penguin,” the Max gangster series about DC Comics’ bird-like crime boss (and famous Batman nemesis), remains at No. 1 for the second consecutive week.

It’s followed by a show about horrific real-world crime, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.” This Netflix series uses actors to tell the infamous story of the Menendez brothers, who were convicted of murdering their parents. It is the second season of Ryan Murphy’s “Monster” series, which focused on serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer in its first season.

Crime may pay when it comes to viewership, but a little anxiety doesn’t hurt either. “Inside Out 2,” the highest-grossing movie of 2024, comes in third this week after it was added to Disney+ on Sept.

Have you heard of the "Escape Plan" franchise? There's no reason to fret if you haven't, as only the first film in the series -- simply titled "Escape Plan" -- was a moderate hit, garnering mixed reviews at the time of release. The remaining two entries ended up being straight-to-video sequels, with little to no marketing to amplify their existence, so it is pretty natural to have completely missed out on the franchise. 

Well, due to the baffling, arbitrary nature of Netflix's algorithm, which often leads to overlooked titles landing in their Top 10 ranking lists, 2013's "Escape Plan" is currently at #3 among the streaming platform's Top 10 Movies in the U.S. (via FlixPatrol). This entry has been eclipsed by two equally unconventional titles: the inoffensive, yet mediocre "The Garfield Movie" at #2, and the morbid 90-minute crime documentary "Jailbreak: Love on the Run" occupying the number one spot.

If you never heard of "Escape Plan,...

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“Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” maintained its reign as the most-watched TV show of the week on Netflix, outpacing the opening weekend of “Nobody Wants This.”

Ryan Murphy’s second “Monsters” installment scored 19.5 million views in its second week on the streamer, making it the most-watched title on Netflix this week. Viewership for the Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch-led series, which made it in the top 10 in 89 countries was nearly double that of the debut of “Nobody Wants This.”

The Kristen Bell and Adam Brody-led romcom series took second place on the most-watched TV list with 10.3 million views in its first week on the streamer since its Sept. 26 debut. Next up was “The Perfect Couple,” which scored 6 million views in its fourth week on the streamer,...

Nicholas Hoult revisits a confusing night in the first trailer for Clint Eastwood’s courtroom drama feature Juror No. 2.

Warner Bros. Pictures releases Eastwood’s movie in select theaters on Nov. 1. Juror No. 2 centers on family man Justin Kemp (Hoult), who gets selected as a juror on a prominent murder trial and begins to grapple with a distressing moral dilemma that could impact the suspect’s fate.

“I got called for jury duty, the Kendall Carter case,” Hoult somberly says in recounting a car collision during his drive home after a night at a bar. “Maybe I didn’t hit a deer.”

From legendary filmmaker Clint Eastwood, comes Juror #2. Only in Theaters November 1. Get tickets now. #Juror2Movie https://t.co/t5q427Fd9a pic.twitter.com/lD2rNJoRqS

— Warner Bros. Pictures (@wbpictures) October 1, 2024

Toni Collette, J.K. Simmons, Chris Messina, Zoey Deutch, Cedric Yarbrough, Francesca Eastwood and Kiefer Sutherland round out the cast.

It’s no surprise that Justin Baldoni’s “It Ends with Us” (Sony) with Blake Lively is an immediate #1 for its PVOD release 46 days after its very successful theatrical run. It replaced Zoë Kravitz’s “Blink Twice” (Amazon MGM) as #1. The psychological thriller is #2 this week at both iTunes (ranking by transactions) and Fandango (by revenue), with both films renting for 48 hours for $19.99.

The VOD charts remained otherwise mainly steady, with Netflix’s top 10 seeing large-scale changes and some signficant original additions. These include two documentaries, one just after significant festival exposure, the other a salacious true crime story that has already seen one previous film based on a prison escape that happened only two years ago.

Anyone who follows Netflix viewership trends won’t be surprised that “Jailbreak: Love on the Run” is doing better than “Will & Harper.” “Jailbreak” is based on the true story of a veteran...

Summer may be over, but 2024 isn’t finished with feature animation by a long shot. The “mouse house” has a big one lined up for Thanksgiving weekend in fact. Plus its sister company, Pixar, had a most surprising blockbuster a couple of months ago with Inside Out 2. Now, one of the other big cartoon studios, Dreamworks, is releasing a real rarity: an original animated feature. Yes, it’s based on a beloved children’s book series, but it’s not been brought to “big screen life” before, as with this year’s new installments of franchise faves like Despicable Me, the Transformers, and Garfield. And its subject matter is also unique as it combines cute and cuddly critters with a futuristic mechanical being. But there are no humans to get it, hence its interaction with wildlife inspires its moniker, The Wild Robot.

That title character is a service...

Theatrical experiences are essential, but there's also something to be said for getting the pants scared off you in your own home. Netflix watchers seem to agree, as they've been flocking to "Evil Dead Rise" en masse since it hit the streamer just two days ago, according to FlixPatrol. The analytics site tracks what Netflix subscribers are watching, and Lee Cronin's gross and grimy addition to the Sam Raimi-created "Evil Dead" universe is currently the second-most watched movie on Netflix according to its metrics.

"Evil Dead Rise" is losing out only to "The Garfield Movie," which is no surprise given that kids' movies typically dominate the home media charts (likely for both rewatchability and ease of access reasons). The two titles couldn't be more different, though, as one features a cat who loves lasagna and one (literally) takes a cheese grater to a demonically-possessed woman's leg. As skin-crawling at that scene is,...

“Blink Twice” (Amazon MGM), actress Zoë Kravitz’s feature directorial debut with Channing Tatum as a tech billionaire who invites a cocktail waitress to his private island, was a modest performer in theaters last month. Its opening weekend only reached #4 at the box office, earning $7 million, with the full run amounting to $22 million.

Flash forward a few weeks, and it is #1 for its debut week in PVOD. It jumped to the top even as three other new releases (all weaker performers) also made at least one of the two top 10 lists below.

Netflix continues to find appeal for its recent originals, with four films in its top five. These though were trumped by “The Garfield Movie,” the latest Sony release to transition to the streamer four months after release. Azazel Jacobs’ “His Three Daughters” (premiering at Toronto Film Festival last year and garnering an excellent 84 Metacritic score) is top among...

Last week, Joseph McGinty Nichol's YA adaptation "Uglies" found its way to No. 1 on the Top 10 U.S. Netflix films charts despite being critically panned and ridiculed on social media. The film's popularity might have been due to curiosity about its premise; it takes place in a post-war dystopia that forces a specific, homogenous idea of beauty upon its populace. This is not a surprise, as Netflix charts have often underlined the popularity of baffling titles, but we have already moved on from the Joey King-starring YA thriller to an animated comedy film about a sassy tabby cat.

Yes, Mark Dindal's "The Garfield Movie," wherein Chris Pratt voices the titular orange feline, is currently at the top of the U.S. Netflix film charts, having dethroned "Uglies" for the time being (via FlixPatrol). The supremely entertaining "Rebel Ridge," along with the recently released "His Three Daughters" (which...

Netflix’s film adaptation of Scott Westerfeld’s young adult novel “Uglies” received a lukewarm reception from audiences and critics since its release. The movie initially ranked as the top film on Netflix but was quickly surpassed by other titles like “The Garfield Movie.” This rapid drop from the top spot, combined with lackluster reviews, calls into question whether Netflix will pursue sequels from the book’s expanded franchise.

“Uglies,” starring Joey King, depicts a dystopian future where 16-year-olds undergo mandatory cosmetic surgery to conform to beauty standards. While the film attempted to capture key elements from the novel, reviews gave it an average 15% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Audience ratings were only slightly higher at 47%. Despite these mediocre scores, interest from fans of the book series and King’s celebrity kept “Uglies” at number one briefly.

Nonetheless, industry observers noted the movie’s stay at the top was short-lived.

The Wild Robot is slated to release in theaters later this month, with the Chris Sanders-directed movie generating plenty of hype before its release. Produced by DreamWorks Animation, the film is based on the Peter Brown novel of the same name and features an ensemble cast, including the voices of Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, and Mark Hamill.

A still from The Wild robot } Credits: DreamWorks Animation

Aside from extremely positive reviews, the film is also slated for a strong opening at the domestic box office. As a result, the film might be able to give some stiff competition to the likes of Disney and Pixar, especially in a year where the House of the Mouse has dominated the box office in the animation medium. Here is how The Wild Robot‘s opening weekend predictions are shaping up to be.

The Wild Robot Box...

Paramount and Hasbro Entertainment’s Transformers One is shifting into high gear at the box office with $3.3M in Thursday preview screenings. The “More Than Meets the Eye” premiere began on Wednesday, with fan screenings at 7 pm and Thursday previews starting at 5 pm. The first Transformers animated film in nearly 40 years is performing better than other family-oriented films this year, including Paramount’s If ($1.75M), The Garfield Movie ($2.3M), and Trolls Band Together. Transformers One even drove past Travis Knight’s live-action Bumblebee film, which bowed to $2.15M.

With Transformers One rolling out to 3,978 domestic theaters, including IMAX and Plf screens, the animated origin story could burn enough rubber to reach $34M over its opening weekend. According to analysts, if positive word of mouth spreads and parents want to beat what remains of the heat in some areas, Transformers One could collect $40M or more. It’s worth noting that...

MCU’s Star-Lord, Chris Pratt, is no stranger to turning heads with his ionic and often humorous performances in films and shows. However, this time he seemingly outdid himself with his glowing endorsement of Aubrey Plaza’s role in the Marvel series Agatha All Along, way ahead of its release.

Chris Pratt as Andy Dwyer in Parks and Recreation | image: NBC

Proving that what goes up often comes crashing down, Chris Pratt experienced that very rollercoaster ride firsthand, as fans begged to differ with his endorsement of Aubrey Plaza. Apparently, while Pratt had initially expected high of Plaza, in Agatha All Along, the actress’ performance unfortunately took an unexpected turn, with early reviews labeling the show as less than stellar.

Chris Pratt Raised Fans’ Hopes with His Endorsement of Aubrey Plaza

Back in 2023, when Marvel Studios had initially announced Aubrey Plaza’s casting in Disney+’s Agatha All Along, Marvel’s very own actor,...

When Disney released its new version of “The Lion King” in 2019, the company was quick to describe it as the live-action version of the beloved 1994 original.

Director Jon Favreau, who made a Christmas classic in “Elf” and jumpstarted the Marvel Cinematic Universe with “Iron Man,” was covered by the Directors Guild of America, which afforded him insurance and incentives, along with profit participation. One reported estimate had the director earning $60 million from his involvement in the film, which grossed $1.66 billion worldwide.

But this version of “The Lion King” wasn’t live-action — it was fully animated. And directors of animated films are not traditionally covered by the DGA, hence the push to categorize this feature as “live-action.”

The DGA has long kept animation directors out of the guild. And the chasm between the benefits afforded to live-action directors and animation directors is a growing source of frustration within the filmmaking community.

James Earl Jones was an accomplished actor of the stage and screen, but his voice roles are perhaps what he’ll be known best for.

His passing has reminded fans of all his incredible roles through the years where his voice was the star of the show.

From the iconic Darth Vader to the most important Disney King of them all, James’ baritone was not only instantly recognisable, but also immensely powerful.

Still, there are some roles fans might be surprised to learn James had as a voice actor. In fact, he’s done quite a bit of TV work that some have completely forgotten.

Like a certain ad that remains iconic to this day.

James Earl Jones accepts the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre onstage during the 2017 Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on June 11, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images...

Maybe there’s hope for quality Netflix originals apart from its awards contenders. “Rebel Ridge,” a topical thriller about an ex-Marine confronting a corrupt small-town sheriff, is #1 at Netflix. It stars Aaron Pierre — who stepped into the role after John Boyega walked off the production in June 2021. A respected actor and ascendant star, Pierre is not a household name like Mark Wahlberg or Adam Sandler or Eddie Murphy, all of whom recently took Netflix originals to #1.

Nor is it a flashy drama, or a big-budget production. Its director, Jeremy Saulnier, most recently directed “Hold the Dark” for Netflix in 2018 (along with a couple of episodes of “True Detective”). IndieWire has watched his career for years, but directors like these also have wound up at Netflix making films that lack edginess or creativity. This seems like a happy exception. Its success suggests that well-crafted stories driven by substantial characters can be popular,...

Exclusive: Chris Pratt has boarded Fighting Spirit: A Combat Chaplain’s Journey, a feature documentary directed by Rich Hull and former combat chaplain Justin D. Roberts, as an executive producer.

Also new to the project is Falling Forward Films, the outfit led by distribution veteran Scott Kennedy, which will release the film in theaters for Veterans Day. Pic will unspool in over 20 major U.S. markets, including Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and Dallas, on November 8. Check out a trailer above.

Marking the first-ever co-production between Hollywood and the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps, Fighting Spirit‘s story begins when the remains of prisoner-of-war and Army combat chaplain Emil Kapaun are identified after 70 years, with much of our nation being captivated by their journey home. As a younger former chaplain unexpectedly embarks on his own journey to greet them, he becomes inspired by the untold stories of the 419 U.S.

Cynthia Erivo y Ariana Grande protagonizan esta mágica aventura. © Disney

Disney ha lanzado un nuevo tráiler de Wicked, el esperado primer capítulo de una épica celebración en dos partes de un fenómeno cultural que ha capturado los corazones de millones en Broadway.

Wicked nos presenta la historia jamás contada de las brujas de Oz, Elphaba, una joven incomprendida debido a su piel de un inusual color verde, y Glinda, una joven ambiciosa marcada por sus privilegios. Las dos se conocen como estudiantes de la Universidad de Shiz en la fantástica Tierra de Oz y forjan una insólita pero profunda amistad. Tras un encuentro con el Maravilloso Mago de Oz, su amistad llega a una encrucijada y sus vidas toman sendas muy distintas. Con su inquebrantable deseo de popularidad, Glinda se deja seducir por el poder, mientras que la determinación de Elphaba de permanecer fiel a sí misma y a los...

A few days ago, on our JoBlo Live Stream, Friday Night Flicks, our host Kier Gomes listed his favorite movies of the Summer of 2024. You can watch his pickss via the embedded video above, but we wanted to get Your take on what the best movie of the summer was. Certainly, Deadpool & Wolverine, along with Inside Out 2 were the two biggest box office champs of the summer, but movies like Longlegs, Bad Boys: Ride or Die, and a few others also got tons of love from audiences. And then, of course, there were the box office flops like Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, and Horizon: Chapter 1, which were still quite good and deserve some love. So take the poll and let us know!

Poll: Best Summer 2024 MovieThe Fall GuyKingdom of the Planet of the ApesThe Strangers: Chapter 1Furiosa: A Mad Max SagaIFThe Garfield MovieIn A Violent NatureThe...

Chris Pratt nearly starred in a "Field of Dreams" remake that never came to fruition, according to new reporting from Puck's Lesley Goldberg. In a feature for the website titled "The Best and Worst Deals of the Peak TV Era," Puck News revealed that "Guardians of the Galaxy" star Pratt was at one point slated to head up a Peacock series remake of the 1989 sports film, but reportedly "abruptly" dropped out of the project.

The TV show version was initially going to be developed by Mike Schur, the comedy mastermind behind shows like "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," "The Good Place," and the show that gave Pratt his breakout role, "Parks and Recreation." When the show was initially announced in 2021, Lisa Katz, the President of NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, said that "Field of Dreams" has "remained a fan favorite" for years, and that Schur was the right person to tackle the project.

“Inside Out 2” (Disney), the biggest domestic movie since “Top Gun: Maverick” in 2022, finally arrived at home. Released in theaters June 10, it still ranked #10 at the box office last weekend — which is probably why it could debut with a $24.99 three-day rental and take first place at both iTunes (which ranks by transactions) and Fandango (ranking by revenue).

This week Netflix had three of its own original films among the top four, led by “The Union” starring Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry. The secret agent comedy-thriller is #1 for the second week, uncommon among Netflix Originals.

VOD charts also saw Neon’s low-budget sleeper success “Longlegs” place third at both sites. This came after six weeks of strong theatrical success, with $73 million so far.

Unusually, iTunes and Fandango shared the same top four films. “Twisters” (Universal), last week’s #1, is second at both, while “Despicable Me 4” (Universal) is fourth.

‘Oddity’

Also...

Unified Pictures has partnered with ReDefine Animation for The Ark and the Aardvark, the latest animated feature from Kung Fu Panda co-director John Stevenson.

ReDefine Animation is part of the Dneg Group, the London-based visual affects company. The animation division was responsible for the work on last year’s Nimona, which earned an Academy Award nomination for best animated feature, as well as The Garfield Movie. Dneg recently received $200 million in funding from Abu Dhabi-based Vc firm United Al Saqer Group for IP development, a new production studio in Abu Dhabi, and the creation of a new arm centered on AI technology.

The feature is already in production and ReDefine, which was chosen for its artistry, experience and scale, will act as a finishing company, working with Unified’s LA based animation team.

Aardvark explores the famed story of Noah’s Ark from the perspective of the animals and tells the story of an outcast aardvark,...

The #1 movie of 2024 (“Inside Out 2”), as well as #3 (“Despicable Me 4”), and #7 (“Kung Fu Panda”) are animated features. The medium’s representations continue in streaming results, with Universal releasing “Despicable Me 4” on PVOD last week. An immediate #1 at both iTunes and Fandango, it remained at #5 in theaters last weekend. It added another $8 million for a $330 million totall as usual, marketing for home viewing might have boosted its box office.

And somehow, Sony’s 2017 “The Emoji Movie” is now a hit. It grossed $217 million worldwide amidst blistering reviews; it debuted on Netflix this weekend and jumped to #1. It reinforces the notion that animation is foolproof as long as it seems fresh.

It is one of four animated titles on Netflix’s list, which includes one Netflix original, as well as “Trolls Band Together” and “The Lorax” from Universal. However, the eight-month run of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” may be over.

Led by Disney’s “Inside Out 2” and “Deadpool & Wolverine,” with a big assist from Universal’s “Despicable Me 4,” this has been a terrific box-office summer. It gives real hope for the future when it was in short supply.

However, there’s a fly in the White Claw. The foreign takes are way, way down, to the point that it may force studios to reassess the budget parameters that can actually turn a profit.

We looked at the top 10 summer grosses in the U.S./Canada for 2019, 2023, and 2024 to date (skipping the Covid-impacted 2020-2022). The results show a sharp drop in share of foreign gross even as domestic recovers.

Top 10 Summer Domestic HitsU.S./CanadaForeign2019: $10B34% ($3.37B)66% ($6.67B)2023: $5.7B41% ($2.88B)59% ($3.41B)2024 (to date) $5.1B46% ($2.35B)54% ($2.75B)

A summer isn’t the year, but it’s the sweet spot for the most-expensive, biggest-grossing films. This summer has...

Updated: As we reported earlier today, Deadpool & Wolverine this weekend crossed the $1B global box office milestone, a major feat and with swagger to spare. But, hey, there’s a lot going on at turnstiles alongside the Merc with the Mouth.

Impressively, a female-driven title that cost peanuts is making bank. To wit: Sony and Wayfarer Studios’ It Ends With Us has had a mega $80M global opening. The international box office portion of that, before a lot of other markets weigh in, is $30M. Notably still to come are France, Germany, Colombia, Thailand, Indonesia, Italy, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Korea and Japan.

The adaptation of the best-selling novel by Colleen Hoover is just getting started with a third of the overseas footprint left to come and word of mouth chomping along. The film ranked in the Top 2 spots in 32 markets, running alongside Deadpool & Wolverine, and was No. 1 in 12 markets.

Even though Shari Redstone has inked a deal with David Ellison’s Skydance Media to relinquish control of Paramount Global, the company has until Aug. 21 to mull any other takeover options during a “go-shop” window. But one contender that had been considered a serious suitor has reiterated that it won’t be making another proposal for Paramount.

“At this point in time … it does not fit well with our strategy, and that is a judgment that we have handed down,” said Sony president, COO and CFO Hiroki Totoki during an Aug. 7 earnings call when asked whether the company would make another proposal for the Redstone-controlled film and TV empire.

The exec later added of Paramount, “If we have to acquire the entire organization, it would be quite risky because our capital allocation itself — it may not be well fitted to our capital allocation strategy.”

Earlier in the sales process, Sony...

Sony Pictures Entertainment posted first quarter operating income of $73M, down over 36% year-on-year on a U.S. dollar basis.

Revenues also slipped 7% from $2.32B to $2.17B for the three months ended June 30, 2024, despite the performances of films such as The Garfield Movie and Bad Boys: Ride or Die and growth in streaming subs.

Overall, Tokyo-based Sony pointed to a reduced number of theatrical releases and new TV season launches for the financial drops, but noted anime streamer Crunchyroll had swelled the coffers through higher paid subscriptions.

The motion pictures unit was down from $908M in revenue in Q1 2023 to $852M, with falls in the theatrical, television and streaming services units that sit within it. Adjusted Oibda (Operating Income Before Depreciation and Amortization) was also down 13% to $179M.

Films released within the period include The Garfield Movie, which began its overseas rollout in May and has followed a staggered pattern since then,...

Paramount is the big winner in home viewing at the moment on VOD platforms and at Netflix. The just-released “A Quiet Place: Day One” is #1 at both iTunes (ranking by transactions) and Fandango (by revenue), adding to its success after grossing $137 million in domestic box office so far.

Meantime, Paramount-produced films currently take three of the top five spots on Netflix’s movie top 10, led by Tom Cruise in two “Jack Reacher” movies, “Never Go Back” at #1 and the original at #5. #2 right now is “Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie,” an offshoot of Paramount-owned Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants” empire, which earlier led the list.

Like Sony, Paramount is happy to take Netflix’s money even if it means removing content from their in-house streamer, Paramount+. The “Jack Reacher” movies are not abnormal — all studios other than Disney have some licensing output deal with the streaming leader. But taking homegrown originals — “Saving Bikini Bottom,...

Sunday Update: Deadpool & Wolverine continues to govern the global box office, now with an estimated $824.1M through Sunday. The breakdown here is $395.6M domestic and $428.5M at the international box office. On a worldwide basis, D&w has already topped the cumes of Deadpool ($783M) and Deadpool 2 ($786M).

It is the No. 3 R-rated movie of all time, and the 2nd highest global studio release of 2024 to date. Falling in behind Inside Out 2, this has helped push The Walt Disney Studios to become the first studio to cross $3B globally this year (the estimated cume through Sunday is $3.109B).

D&W saw a great 41% dip in the sophomore session overseas (with strong holds in several areas) and remains the No. 1 non-local movie in all international markets.

In milestones, D&w is the highest grossing superhero film of all time in Lebanon and Turkey while the cume to date has...