Movies
'Avengers: Endgame' Tracking for Monster $200M-$250M U.S. Debut. The Marvel Studios film opens April 26. Avengers: Endgame is poised for a thunderous opening at the domestic box office. Early tracking for the Marvel Studios film has it coming in at anywhere from $200-250 million over the April 26-28 weekend. Avengers: Infinity War opened to $257.6 million on the same weekend in April 2018, marking the biggest North American launch of all time, unadjusted for inflation. When Infinity War first came up on tracking, it was tipped for a debut of $185 million-$225 million. Globally, Infinity War debuted to $640.5 million, also a record. Some box office analysts believe Endgame could open in the $750 million-$800 million range worldwide, thanks to a day and date debut in China. Interest in Endgame is high, with online websites for AMC Theatres and Fandango becoming clogged with traffic after tickets went on sale Tuesday. Both companies, along with Atom Tickets, are reporting that ticket sales in the first 24 hours are the biggest in history, surpassing previous record holder Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Endgame is being billed as the culmination of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to date, with it expected to be a swan song for a number of its key players, including Chris Evans' Captain America. The ensemble piece also stars Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd, Danai Gurira and Karen Gillan. The story sees the Avengers try to exact revenge on Thanos (Josh Brolin), the villain who killed half of all life in the universe in the events of Infinity War. Endgame, directed by the Russo brothers, runs 3 hours and 58 seconds, the longest run time of any Marvel Studios title (Infinity War was 2 hours and 29 minutes). The film's running time means one fewer showing a day on any given screen. The superhero pic can try to make up the difference by playing in as many auditoriums as possible in any given location. (Hollywood Reporter)
Emilio Estevez Worked With His Adult Children in New Movie: 'I Treat Them Like Colleagues.' A family affair! Emilio Estevez worked with his adult children in his new movie, The Public, and told Us Weekly exclusively what the experience was like. "My son doubles me, and he's also the stunt coordinator on the film, so there's a scene in the film where my character gets pummeled, and of course, I'm no dummy, I let him take that hit!" the actor, 56, told Us of his son, Taylor, at the Public New York City premiere on Monday, April 1. "He also served as co-producer on the film and was able to really be a voice of reason, because in taking on so many jobs -- I was producing, I was acting, I was directing, I'd written the script -- you start to get a little lost in your own forest." Because of that, "it was wonderful to be able to have my son on set," Estevez added. "I could lean into him for support and someone obviously who knew me for quite a long time." As for his daughter Paloma's role, the Breakfast Club star told Us, "My daughter is an accomplished musician. She's a percussionist, so she came in to lay down some tracks on the film. All of the heavy percussion in the film, that's my daughter." When it came to working with them, Estevez told Us, "We have a great relationship. My kids are older ... so I treat them like colleagues and friends as opposed to children." The Screen Actors Guild Award nominee and his ex-girlfriend, Carey Salley, welcomed Taylor, 34, and Paloma, 33, in 1984 and 1986, respectively, before splitting. Following their breakup, the St. Elmo's Fire star was briefly engaged to Demi Moore in 1986, then married Paula Abdul in 1992. They divorced two years later. He became engaged to Sonja Magdevski in 2006. The Public, which also stars Alec Baldwin, Jena Malone, Christian Slater, Gabrielle Union and Taylor Schilling, will hit theaters on Friday, April 5. (UsMagazine)
New Metta World Peace documentary addresses mental health. Ron Artest, the NBA-star-turned-coach from Queens who renamed himself Metta World Peace, has every reason to be less than sane, a new documentary shows. "Quiet Storm: The Ron Artest Story" premieres on Showtime on May 31 during Mental Health Awareness Month. World Peace has been upfront about his own mental health. Growing up in the Queensbridge Houses, he watched friends get gunned down during the crack wars of the '80s. After his Lakers clinched the 2010 championship, World Peace said, "I'd like to thank my psychiatrist." He was referring to Dr. Santhi Periasamy, who says in the doc: "Anxiety and depressive symptoms are often responses to encountering stress and trauma throughout childhood." World Peace said his friend Lloyd Newton was stabbed to death with a broken-off table leg when a brawl broke out at a 1991 YMCA-sponsored basketball tournament. Rapper Capone, who grew up with World Peace, recalls how World Peace and his father practiced for hours, not letting nearby gunfire interrupt. "Nothing was going to stop Big Ron from making Ron Ron the best ball player he could be, the strongest he could be, and when them shots rang off, 'Cool.' They knew they weren't getting shot at. [If] they catch a stray bullet, go to the hospital. Get taped up and come back out to the court." World Peace tells of how he tried to sell crack once but was so scared that he forgot to collect the money and never did it again. Producers also tracked down a repentant John Green, the fan who threw a Diet Coke at World Peace during the "Malice at the Palace" brawl at a 2004 Pacers-Pistons game. World Peace ran into the stands to punch Green, sparking the worst night in NBA history. (PageSix)
Chrissy Metz's upcoming film based on a 'miraculous' story. "Breakthrough" is about John Smith, 14, who fell through the ice on a Missouri lake. Now 18, he can't believe he survived. "I drowned for almost 15 minutes. No pulse for an additional 45. In all, I was dead an hour. My mom came, prayed, and you can't believe it, but instantly I had a pulse." Topher Grace plays the pastor. Chrissy Metz -- nominated for two Golden Globes for her role on "This Is Us" -- as mom Joyce, says: "Impossible to believe. No question something miraculous happened." Josh Lucas in the husband role: "Chrissy truly feels other people. She was able to get exactly right this woman who believed in a higher power." Halleujah. Praise the Lord and pass the popcorn on April 17. (PageSix)
Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson Have A Star Is Born Reunion: "Stay Tuned." It's the way they were... Barbra Streisand recently reunited again with Kris Kristofferson, who played her love interest and a fellow musician in the 1976 musical film A Star Is Born and offered fans a little teaser. "It was so wonderful to see my friend Kris who stopped by yesterday. Stay tuned...," Streisand, 76, wrote on Wednesday on Instagram, alongside a photo of the two. She and Kristofferson, 82, have reunited a few times since the release of their film. In 2011, they co-presented an award at the Grammy Awards. Two years later, they reunited in New York at the 40th Anniversary Chaplin Award Gala honoring Streisand. Like last year's movie A Star Is Born that starred Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, the 1976 version is a remake. In the original 1937 flick, Fredric March played a troubled movie star and Janet Gaynor portrayed an aspiring young actress he helps make famous. The movie was also remade in 1954, with James Mason and Judy Garland. Streisand won an Oscar for Best Original Song for "Evergreen," the love theme from the 1976 A Star Is Born film. The 2018 version of the movie earned Gaga an Oscar for Best Original Song for "Shallow," her film duet with co-star and director Bradley Cooper, at the 2019 Oscars this past February. The two, who gave a sizzling performance of the song at the ceremony, also earned Oscar nominations for their acting performances. (Eonline)
The new trailer for Zac Efron's Ted Bundy is so harrowing. "Ted, did you do it?" Brace yourself: the second trailer for the upcoming Ted Bundy biopic starring Zac Efron is here, and it's completely terrifying. Based on the memoirs of Ted Bundy's longtime partner Liz, the new Netflix film [i]Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile[/I] chronicles the multiple murders of the notorious American serial killer as she fights to determine the truth about her evil boyfriend. The first teaser trailer dropped earlier in the year, and many fans had reservations about the glamorisation of the infamous murderer, which Zac Efron addressed in an interview with Variety earlier in the year. "I feel a responsibility to make sure that this movie is not a celebration of Ted Bundy," he clarified. "Or a glorification of him. But, definitely, a psychological study of who this person was." If the first trailer depicted Bundy's charismatic appeal and handsome looks instead of the women he murdered, the new trailer take a far darker turn. The two-and-a-half minute clip focuses on Bundy's heinous crimes, the misguided public fascination at trial, as well as the psychological toll the proceedings took on his long-time partner, Elizabeth Kloepfer (played by Lily Collins). The infamous serial killer was responsible for the gruesome kidnap and murder of around 30 women and girls during the 1970s, which he was eventually executed for in 1989. Directed by Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker Joe Berlinger, who created the four-episode true crime docuseries [i]Conversations With a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes[/I] for Netflix earlier this year, the new biopic premiered to rave reviews at Sundance. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile premieres May 3 on Netflix. (British Glamour)
Amazon Says It Was "Justified" in Terminating Woody Allen Film Deal. The digital giant moves to dismiss some of the director's claims in a $68 million case. In its first big move defending the $68 million lawsuit brought by Woody Allen, Amazon says it was "justified" in terminating his lucrative film deal. The digital giant points to Allen's statement of a "witch-hunt atmosphere" on the eve of releasing Wonder Wheel and says the comment during the rise of the #MeToo movement effectively sabotaged promotional efforts for the film. For now, however, Amazon is staying away from Allen's claims of contract breaches to target his other claims that it says are duplicative. Allen's production company filed its suit in New York in February after a five-year relationship disintegrated. When Amazon decided to get into the business of producing original motion pictures and television shows in 2014, a splashy deal with Allen was quite hyped and helped attract consumers to Prime. But then came a 2016 column by Ronan Farrow in The Hollywood Reporter, and later, the rise of the #MeToo movement. His daughter's allegations of sexual abuse got renewed attention. Last June, Amazon attempted to terminate its agreements with Allen and wipe out minimum guaranteed payments totaling between $68 million and $73 million for multiple films. "Amazon has tried to excuse its action by referencing a 25-year old, baseless allegation against Mr. Allen, but that allegation was already well known to Amazon (and the public) before Amazon entered into four separate deals with Mr. Allen -- and, in any event it does not provide a basis for Amazon to terminate the contract," stated the complaint. "There simply was no legitimate ground for Amazon to renege on its promises." The defendant, of course, disagrees. One of Farrow's other big articles -- an expose for The New Yorker on Harvey Weinstein -- became the catalyst for a broad public reckoning over the persistence of sexual harassment in entertainment, says Amazon (ignoring in its brief its own troubles with former Amazon Studios head Roy Price, who helped bring Allen to Amazon before getting targeted for sexual innuendo in the workplace). "Despite immediate consensus on the importance of acknowledging and addressing this issue, Allen made a series of public comments suggesting that he failed to grasp the gravity of the issues or the implications for his own career," continues Amazon. "Allen expressed sympathy for Weinstein as well as his victims, describing the situation as 'very sad for everybody involved.' Then Allen added: 'You don't want it to lead to a witch-hunt atmosphere, a Salem atmosphere, where every guy in an office who winks at a woman is suddenly having to call a lawyer to defend himself.'" Amazon adds that Allen's dismissal of Dylan Farrow's memories of sexual abuse as "cynically using" #MeToo for attention added to a firestorm and made working with him impossible. The company may eventually argue that the purpose of its agreement was frustrated -- a colorable defense -- but besides knocking Allen for being essentially tone-deaf, those contentions will come at a later point. For now, the goal is to trim any claim such as an alleged breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing that arises from the contract where damages can't be independently asserted. For example, Amazon's lawyer Robert Klieger attacks Allen's claim that Amazon has been unjustly enriched from publicity of its relationship with the filmmaker. "The Allen Film Agreements, however, expressly grant to Amazon the right to publicize those agreements, such that the written contracts cover the same subject matter as the alleged unjust enrichment," he writes. "Moreover, the only 'publicity' that Plaintiffs plead relates to prior written contracts between Allen and Amazon that have been fully performed -- not the Allen Film Agreements at issue in this action." (Hollywood Reporter)
Emilio Estevez Worked With His Adult Children in New Movie: 'I Treat Them Like Colleagues.' A family affair! Emilio Estevez worked with his adult children in his new movie, The Public, and told Us Weekly exclusively what the experience was like. "My son doubles me, and he's also the stunt coordinator on the film, so there's a scene in the film where my character gets pummeled, and of course, I'm no dummy, I let him take that hit!" the actor, 56, told Us of his son, Taylor, at the Public New York City premiere on Monday, April 1. "He also served as co-producer on the film and was able to really be a voice of reason, because in taking on so many jobs -- I was producing, I was acting, I was directing, I'd written the script -- you start to get a little lost in your own forest." Because of that, "it was wonderful to be able to have my son on set," Estevez added. "I could lean into him for support and someone obviously who knew me for quite a long time." As for his daughter Paloma's role, the Breakfast Club star told Us, "My daughter is an accomplished musician. She's a percussionist, so she came in to lay down some tracks on the film. All of the heavy percussion in the film, that's my daughter." When it came to working with them, Estevez told Us, "We have a great relationship. My kids are older ... so I treat them like colleagues and friends as opposed to children." The Screen Actors Guild Award nominee and his ex-girlfriend, Carey Salley, welcomed Taylor, 34, and Paloma, 33, in 1984 and 1986, respectively, before splitting. Following their breakup, the St. Elmo's Fire star was briefly engaged to Demi Moore in 1986, then married Paula Abdul in 1992. They divorced two years later. He became engaged to Sonja Magdevski in 2006. The Public, which also stars Alec Baldwin, Jena Malone, Christian Slater, Gabrielle Union and Taylor Schilling, will hit theaters on Friday, April 5. (UsMagazine)
New Metta World Peace documentary addresses mental health. Ron Artest, the NBA-star-turned-coach from Queens who renamed himself Metta World Peace, has every reason to be less than sane, a new documentary shows. "Quiet Storm: The Ron Artest Story" premieres on Showtime on May 31 during Mental Health Awareness Month. World Peace has been upfront about his own mental health. Growing up in the Queensbridge Houses, he watched friends get gunned down during the crack wars of the '80s. After his Lakers clinched the 2010 championship, World Peace said, "I'd like to thank my psychiatrist." He was referring to Dr. Santhi Periasamy, who says in the doc: "Anxiety and depressive symptoms are often responses to encountering stress and trauma throughout childhood." World Peace said his friend Lloyd Newton was stabbed to death with a broken-off table leg when a brawl broke out at a 1991 YMCA-sponsored basketball tournament. Rapper Capone, who grew up with World Peace, recalls how World Peace and his father practiced for hours, not letting nearby gunfire interrupt. "Nothing was going to stop Big Ron from making Ron Ron the best ball player he could be, the strongest he could be, and when them shots rang off, 'Cool.' They knew they weren't getting shot at. [If] they catch a stray bullet, go to the hospital. Get taped up and come back out to the court." World Peace tells of how he tried to sell crack once but was so scared that he forgot to collect the money and never did it again. Producers also tracked down a repentant John Green, the fan who threw a Diet Coke at World Peace during the "Malice at the Palace" brawl at a 2004 Pacers-Pistons game. World Peace ran into the stands to punch Green, sparking the worst night in NBA history. (PageSix)
Chrissy Metz's upcoming film based on a 'miraculous' story. "Breakthrough" is about John Smith, 14, who fell through the ice on a Missouri lake. Now 18, he can't believe he survived. "I drowned for almost 15 minutes. No pulse for an additional 45. In all, I was dead an hour. My mom came, prayed, and you can't believe it, but instantly I had a pulse." Topher Grace plays the pastor. Chrissy Metz -- nominated for two Golden Globes for her role on "This Is Us" -- as mom Joyce, says: "Impossible to believe. No question something miraculous happened." Josh Lucas in the husband role: "Chrissy truly feels other people. She was able to get exactly right this woman who believed in a higher power." Halleujah. Praise the Lord and pass the popcorn on April 17. (PageSix)
Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson Have A Star Is Born Reunion: "Stay Tuned." It's the way they were... Barbra Streisand recently reunited again with Kris Kristofferson, who played her love interest and a fellow musician in the 1976 musical film A Star Is Born and offered fans a little teaser. "It was so wonderful to see my friend Kris who stopped by yesterday. Stay tuned...," Streisand, 76, wrote on Wednesday on Instagram, alongside a photo of the two. She and Kristofferson, 82, have reunited a few times since the release of their film. In 2011, they co-presented an award at the Grammy Awards. Two years later, they reunited in New York at the 40th Anniversary Chaplin Award Gala honoring Streisand. Like last year's movie A Star Is Born that starred Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, the 1976 version is a remake. In the original 1937 flick, Fredric March played a troubled movie star and Janet Gaynor portrayed an aspiring young actress he helps make famous. The movie was also remade in 1954, with James Mason and Judy Garland. Streisand won an Oscar for Best Original Song for "Evergreen," the love theme from the 1976 A Star Is Born film. The 2018 version of the movie earned Gaga an Oscar for Best Original Song for "Shallow," her film duet with co-star and director Bradley Cooper, at the 2019 Oscars this past February. The two, who gave a sizzling performance of the song at the ceremony, also earned Oscar nominations for their acting performances. (Eonline)
The new trailer for Zac Efron's Ted Bundy is so harrowing. "Ted, did you do it?" Brace yourself: the second trailer for the upcoming Ted Bundy biopic starring Zac Efron is here, and it's completely terrifying. Based on the memoirs of Ted Bundy's longtime partner Liz, the new Netflix film [i]Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile[/I] chronicles the multiple murders of the notorious American serial killer as she fights to determine the truth about her evil boyfriend. The first teaser trailer dropped earlier in the year, and many fans had reservations about the glamorisation of the infamous murderer, which Zac Efron addressed in an interview with Variety earlier in the year. "I feel a responsibility to make sure that this movie is not a celebration of Ted Bundy," he clarified. "Or a glorification of him. But, definitely, a psychological study of who this person was." If the first trailer depicted Bundy's charismatic appeal and handsome looks instead of the women he murdered, the new trailer take a far darker turn. The two-and-a-half minute clip focuses on Bundy's heinous crimes, the misguided public fascination at trial, as well as the psychological toll the proceedings took on his long-time partner, Elizabeth Kloepfer (played by Lily Collins). The infamous serial killer was responsible for the gruesome kidnap and murder of around 30 women and girls during the 1970s, which he was eventually executed for in 1989. Directed by Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker Joe Berlinger, who created the four-episode true crime docuseries [i]Conversations With a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes[/I] for Netflix earlier this year, the new biopic premiered to rave reviews at Sundance. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile premieres May 3 on Netflix. (British Glamour)
Amazon Says It Was "Justified" in Terminating Woody Allen Film Deal. The digital giant moves to dismiss some of the director's claims in a $68 million case. In its first big move defending the $68 million lawsuit brought by Woody Allen, Amazon says it was "justified" in terminating his lucrative film deal. The digital giant points to Allen's statement of a "witch-hunt atmosphere" on the eve of releasing Wonder Wheel and says the comment during the rise of the #MeToo movement effectively sabotaged promotional efforts for the film. For now, however, Amazon is staying away from Allen's claims of contract breaches to target his other claims that it says are duplicative. Allen's production company filed its suit in New York in February after a five-year relationship disintegrated. When Amazon decided to get into the business of producing original motion pictures and television shows in 2014, a splashy deal with Allen was quite hyped and helped attract consumers to Prime. But then came a 2016 column by Ronan Farrow in The Hollywood Reporter, and later, the rise of the #MeToo movement. His daughter's allegations of sexual abuse got renewed attention. Last June, Amazon attempted to terminate its agreements with Allen and wipe out minimum guaranteed payments totaling between $68 million and $73 million for multiple films. "Amazon has tried to excuse its action by referencing a 25-year old, baseless allegation against Mr. Allen, but that allegation was already well known to Amazon (and the public) before Amazon entered into four separate deals with Mr. Allen -- and, in any event it does not provide a basis for Amazon to terminate the contract," stated the complaint. "There simply was no legitimate ground for Amazon to renege on its promises." The defendant, of course, disagrees. One of Farrow's other big articles -- an expose for The New Yorker on Harvey Weinstein -- became the catalyst for a broad public reckoning over the persistence of sexual harassment in entertainment, says Amazon (ignoring in its brief its own troubles with former Amazon Studios head Roy Price, who helped bring Allen to Amazon before getting targeted for sexual innuendo in the workplace). "Despite immediate consensus on the importance of acknowledging and addressing this issue, Allen made a series of public comments suggesting that he failed to grasp the gravity of the issues or the implications for his own career," continues Amazon. "Allen expressed sympathy for Weinstein as well as his victims, describing the situation as 'very sad for everybody involved.' Then Allen added: 'You don't want it to lead to a witch-hunt atmosphere, a Salem atmosphere, where every guy in an office who winks at a woman is suddenly having to call a lawyer to defend himself.'" Amazon adds that Allen's dismissal of Dylan Farrow's memories of sexual abuse as "cynically using" #MeToo for attention added to a firestorm and made working with him impossible. The company may eventually argue that the purpose of its agreement was frustrated -- a colorable defense -- but besides knocking Allen for being essentially tone-deaf, those contentions will come at a later point. For now, the goal is to trim any claim such as an alleged breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing that arises from the contract where damages can't be independently asserted. For example, Amazon's lawyer Robert Klieger attacks Allen's claim that Amazon has been unjustly enriched from publicity of its relationship with the filmmaker. "The Allen Film Agreements, however, expressly grant to Amazon the right to publicize those agreements, such that the written contracts cover the same subject matter as the alleged unjust enrichment," he writes. "Moreover, the only 'publicity' that Plaintiffs plead relates to prior written contracts between Allen and Amazon that have been fully performed -- not the Allen Film Agreements at issue in this action." (Hollywood Reporter)
Comments
Post a Comment