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Mireille Soria Steps Down as DreamWorks Animation Co-President (Exclusive)
7 hours ago
Mireille Soria has stepped down as co-president of DreamWorks Animation in order to focus on producing, leaving Bonnie Arnold as sole president of the studio.
Soria’s move comes four months after Comcast Corp. closed its $3.8 billion acquisition of DreamWorks Animation.
Arnold and Soria had been the lead producers behind the studio’s “How to Train Your Dragon” and “Madagascar” franchises. They were named co-presidents of feature animation in early 2015 when Bill Damaschke stepped down as chief creative officer, then became co-president of the studio after Ann Daly exited as president on the day after the Comcast acquisition closed.
Donna Langley, chairman of Universal Pictures, said in a Dec. 12 memo to staff that Soria would be transitioning out of her executive role as the studio wrapped up its “Boss Baby” and “Captain Underpants” movies in 2017. She also said Soria would continue to produce the studio’s “Madagascar” films.
“As we »
- Dave McNary
With Two Top Execs Out, Relativity’s Future Remains Unclear
8 hours ago
The case of Relativity Media has long been one that defied clear outcomes. Promises of new investment came and went, as did hoped for film release dates, often without fulfillment. The company seemed near death many times, only to come back from the brink.
So it is with this week’s revelation of the apparent departure of Ryan Kavanaugh as CEO and Dana Brunetti as president of the troubled film production and distribution company. Their departures seemed like confirmation that Relativity has finally gone down for the count.
But the ultimate meaning of the news remains unclear a day later, as the changes remained without a clear explanation. And, as of Wednesday afternoon, they included a spokesperson’s statement that Brunetti maintained an ownership stake in Relativity and a production deal with the studio. The statement also suggested Kavanaugh and Brunetti would continue “working closely together going forward,” along with »
- James Rainey
As a Dad, Watching Movies For the First Time
9 hours ago
I think it first hit me in Las Vegas. Seated in the Colosseum theater of Caesars Palace, watching the first 10 minutes of Pixar’s “Finding Dory” with the film exhibition community at the industry’s annual CinemaCon confab, my heart noticeably softened.
Director Andrew Stanton’s command of story and emotion was enough in and of itself to draw a reaction to the film’s preamble; any lower lip would quiver watching an adorably-voiced baby tang fish helplessly search for her lost parents. But I was two months away from being a father myself, so I could tell the energy emanating from that sequence had found a new crack in my armor.
Watching Garth Davis’ “Lion,” I felt the same inflated pang of sadness for a young Saroo Brierley (played by the effortlessly tender and emotive Sunny Pawar) as he canvassed an empty Indian rail station for his older brother. »
- Kristopher Tapley
Suki Waterhouse, Odessa Young, Hari Nef, Abra Starring in ‘Assassination Nation’
10 hours ago
Suki Waterhouse, Odessa Young, Hari Nef and Abra are starring in the thriller “Assassination Nation” for Foxtail Entertainment and David S. Goyer’s Phantom Four.
“Assassination Nation” follows four teenage girls in a small suburb who become the focus of unwanted, world-wide media attention after their personal information is leaked by an anonymous hacker.
Sam Levinson, whose credits include “Another Happy Day” and HBO’s upcoming “Wizard of Lies,” is helming from his own screenplay.
Producers are Foxtail Entertainment co-founders and partners Matthew Malek (Martin Scorsese’s “Silence”) and Anita Gou (Marti Noxon’s Sundance selection “To the Bone”), and Phantom Four partners David Goyer (“Batman vs Superman”) and Kevin Turen (“99 Homes”).
“Odessa, Hari, Abra and Suki are great, rising talents who all come from different backgrounds and collectively make up a cast that is young, diverse and powerful – all things we want this film to reflect,” said Gou and Malek. »
- Dave McNary
Playback: Viola Davis on ‘Fences,’ ‘Suicide Squad’ and Feminine ‘Badassery’
10 hours ago
Welcome to “Playback,” a Variety podcast.
On today’s show Jenelle Riley and I finally boil down the year’s best films. But we’re boiling it way down, to top fives. Which movies did we agree on? Which ones did we disagree on? And how did 2016 shake out in general as a cinema time capsule?
A little bit later (26:22) I’m talking to “Fences” star Viola Davis, who also popped up in the DC supervillain blockbuster “Suicide Squad” this year. In the former, she finds herself in the thick of the Oscar discussion, six years after winning a Tony for her performance in the 2010 Broadway revival.
For more, listen to the latest episode of “Playback” below. Check back next week when I’ll be talking to “Hidden Figures” star Kevin Costner, and be sure to subscribe!
The word “trust” keeps coming up when the principals of “Fences” discuss »
- Kristopher Tapley
‘Sing’ to Hit High Note at Holiday Box Office, but Won’t Beat ‘Rogue One’
11 hours ago
“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” is fending off a muscular challenge from the animated comedy “Sing” at the North American holiday box office, early estimates showed Wednesday.
Disney-Lucasfilm’s “Rogue One” appeared on pace to generate about $17 million at 4,157 locations on Wednesday for the third consecutive day while Illumination-Universal’s “Sing” is opening in the $10 million to $12 million range at 4,022 sites.
Sony’s space thriller “Passengers,” starring Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt, was pegged to launch Wednesday with as much as $5 million on 3,478 screens, though another early estimate was significantly lower. Fox’s “Assassin’s Creed,” based on the popular Ubisoft video game, was heading for a launch in the $4 million to $5 million range at 2,902 theaters.
“Rogue One” has generated $190.2 million domestically in its first five days, including $155.1 million in its opening weekend — the 12th best launch of all time. It should finish the six-day holiday break — between Dec. »
- Dave McNary
The Biggest Bombs and Blockbusters at the 2016 Box Office
11 hours ago
There were plenty of triumphs and turkeys at the multiplexes this year. Instead of just looking at grosses (head over to Box Office Mojo for that), Variety took a more subjective approach. We’re breaking down five of 2016’s most surprising or painful flops and five of its most important and impressive hits. It’s more art than accounting. So big hits like “Finding Dory” and “Captain America: Civil War” don’t get their due here, and duds like “Nine Lives” and “Free State of Jones” get a pass. We were more interested in the sure things that weren’t and the blockbusters that just as easily could have bombed. So without further ado, here’s a look at the year that was, the franchises that were created, and the ones that were snuffed out.
The Biggest Flops:
“Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk” (TriStar)
Global Box Office: $26.2 million
Production »
- Brent Lang
‘Blade Runner 2049’ Helmer Denis Villeneuve Eyed to Direct ‘Dune’ Reboot
12 hours ago
Even though he has a film in Oscar contention and another in production, “Blade Runner: 2049” director Denis Villeneuve looks ready to jump into another classic fixture in the sci-fi world.
Sources tell Variety that Villeneuve is in early talks to direct Legendary’s “Dune” reboot for the company. Legendary has not commented on the news.
Prior to the Thanksgiving holiday, Legendary closed a deal to the rights with the Frank Herbert estate for his iconic novel granting the production entity not only rights to film but also TV-based projects on the sci-fi property.
The projects would be produced by Thomas Tull, Mary Parent and Cale Boyter, with Brian Herbert, Byron Merritt, and Kim Herbert serving as executive producers.
Set in the distant future, “Dune” tells the story of Paul Atreides, whose family accepts control of the desert planet Arrakis. As the only producer of a highly valuable resource, control »
- Justin Kroll
Oscars: Academy Announces 7 Makeup and Hairstyling Finalists
13 hours ago
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the seven finalists for this year’s makeup and hairstyling Oscar.
The seven films are:
“Deadpool”
On Jan. 7, all members of the Academy’s makeup artists and hairstylists branch will be invited to view 10-minute excerpts from each of the seven shortlisted films. Following the screenings, members will vote to nominate three films for final Oscar consideration.
Related stories'Hacksaw Ridge,' 'Star Trek,' 'Deadpool' Lead Makeup Oscar ContendersOscars: 10 Films Advance in Visual Effects RaceOscars: Nine Films Advance in Foreign-Language Race »
- Kristopher Tapley
Dana Brunetti Negotiating Exit as President of Relativity Media
13 hours ago
Updated: Dana Brunetti is in the midst of negotiating his exit as president of Relativity Media after another rocky year for Ryan Kavanaugh’s production-distribution venture.
Brunetti is understood to be lining up a new venture that will allow him to return to a hands-on producer role once his entanglement with Relativity is sorted out. The producer behind “Fifty Shades of Grey,” “The Social Network,” and other notable features has been frustrated during the past year that the money and resources promised to him by Relativity Media chief Kavanaugh, who is stepping down from the company according to several reports, never materialized.
Brunetti declined to comment on Wednesday.
Related
Relativity Media CEO Ryan Kavanaugh Stepping Down (Report)
Brunetti and his former producing partner Kevin Spacey shocked the biz in October 2015 when they began discussions with Kavanaugh to join the new-model Relativity as it was emerging from bankruptcy proceedings. Spacey was to have served as chairman, »
- Cynthia Littleton
‘Rogue One’ Reaches $357 Million at Worldwide Box Office
15 hours ago
“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” is showing plenty of box office power, adding $33.6 million to its worldwide gross on Tuesday to reach $357 million after less than a week in theaters.
The Disney-Lucasfilm tentpole took in $17.6 million domestically to give it $190.2 million in its first five days. At its current pace, it should go past the 11th largest domestic grosser of 2016, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” at $207.7 million, within the next day or two.
Related
Box Office: ‘Sing’ Belts Out $1.7 Million on Tuesday
“Rogue One” is facing competition at the domestic box office Wednesday from the openings of Illumination-Universal’s “Sing,” Sony’s “Passengers” and Fox’s “Assassin’s Creed” but is still forecast to win the six-day holiday period.
The international gross grew by $16.8 million on Tuesday to surpass $166 million in its first week. The U.K. is the top market with $28.2 million, followed by Germany with $15 million. »
- Dave McNary
Jeff Bridges to Be Honored at Santa Barbara Film Festival With Riviera Award
15 hours ago
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival has selected Jeff Bridges as the recipient of its 2017 American Riviera Award.
Bridges will be honored at a tribute celebrating his career on Feb. 9 at the Arlington Theatre, culminating with his role as a Texas Ranger in “Hell or High Water.” He has received Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for best supporting actor as well as the National Board of Review Award for best supporting actor.
Bridges received the best actor Academy Award for “Crazy Heart” in 2009 and was nominated for “The Last Picture Show” (1971), “Thunderbolt and Lightfoot” (1974), “Starman” (1984), “The Contender” (2000), and “True Grit” (2010). Other credits include “The Big Lebowski,” “The Fabulous Baker Boys,” “The Fisher King,” “The Morning After,” “Jagged Edge,” “Against All Odds,” and “Seabiscuit.”
Related
Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams to Be Honored by Santa Barbara Film Festival
“Jeff Bridges shows us in ‘Hell or High Water’ that an »
- Dave McNary
Octavia Spencer on ‘Hidden Figures,’ Diversity in Hollywood and a Post-Election Call to Action (Q&A)
15 hours ago
London — So interdependent, and yet utterly distinct, are the three principal players in “Hidden Figures” that it wasn’t immediately apparent which, if any, would be singled out by major awards groups for attention. All three are given plenty to chew on in director Theodore Melfi’s rousing, true-but-little-known story of three female African American mathematicians promoted from Nasa’s racially segregated computing division to vitally assist the space race in the mid-1960s.
Taraji P. Henson narrowly has the lead role as the prodigiously gifted Katherine Johnson, enlisted to calculate flight trajectories for Apollo 11, among others, while 2016 breakout Janelle Monáe has the sparkiest part as Mary Jackson, who fought the courts for the right to continue her studies in hitherto white-only classes. But it’s Octavia Spencer who has nailed down Golden Globe and SAG supporting nominations, five years after winning an Oscar for her turn as a »
- Guy Lodge
5 Movies That Took on Isis in 2016
16 hours ago
The year that followed the Paris attacks saw Isis increasingly become a cinematic trope, particularly with a proliferation of dramas centered around European youths who become surprisingly compelled to join the ranks of the Islamic State in the Middle East. But there were also pics depicting the violence Isis militants unleash in areas they take over, or simply exploring issues at the roots of contemporary radical Islam. These are five standout titles.
“Layla M” — Dutch director Mijke de Jong’s timely drama is about the radicalization of a young Muslim woman from a Moroccan family in Amsterdam. Layla moves to Syria to fight with Isis, only to realize she has no place in the new, male-dominated world for which she gave up her former life. Variety’s Scott Tobias called the film a “plausible case study in terror recruitment, linked in no small part to Western policies of discrimination and »
- Nick Vivarelli
Wes Anderson Announces Cast of His Film ‘Isle of Dogs’ (Watch)
16 hours ago
Wes Anderson posted a video on Monday to formally announce the large voice cast for his upcoming animated movie “Isle of Dogs.”
The cast includes many of the usual suspects, as well as some unexpected names: Scarlett Johansson, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Bob Balaban, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, Bryan Cranston, Jeff Goldblum, F. Murray Abraham, Harvey Keitel, Akira Ito, Akira Takayama, Koyu Rankin, Courtney B. Vance, Liev Schreiber and Yoko Ono round out the ensemble.
“Isle of Dogs” is Anderson’s first film since 2014’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and his second foray into animation after 2009’s “Fantastic Mr. Fox.” The director’s video announced the cast, confirmed the title and included an appearance from Norton in the background.
Anderson gave a three-second sideways glimpse of Rex, the dog that Norton is voicing. The actor said in response, “I think it’s terrific. »
- Dave McNary
Box Office: ‘Sing’ Belts Out $1.7 Million on Tuesday
18 hours ago
Animated comedy “Sing” has opened with a solid $1.7 million at 2,570 North American locations in Tuesday night preview screenings.
Fox’s video game adaptation “Assassin’s Creed” generated $1.4 million in previews at 2,470 sites and Sony’s “Passengers” took in $1.2 million at 2,400 screens.
Disney-Lucasfilm’s blockbuster “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” should continue to dominate holiday season moviegoing. The eighth Star Wars movie has taken in about $190 million domestically in its first five days.
Related
Film Review: ‘Sing’
“Sing” equaled the Thursday night preview number for Disney’s “Zootopia” on its way to a $75 million launch weekend in early March.
Illumination-Universal’s “Sing,” which centers on a group of animals in a song competition, has been projected as the leader of the rest of the pack with about $70 million for the six-day period ending Monday. It has generated solid critical support with a 72% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The voice cast »
- Dave McNary
Warner Bros. Re-Ups With Sf Studios for Distribution in Denmark, Norway, Finland
18 hours ago
Continuing to partner with one of Scandinavia’s regional movie giants, Warner Bros. has extended its theatrical distribution agreement with Stockholm-based Sf Studios in Denmark, Norway, and Finland for a further three years.
Sf Studios first inked with Warner Bros. to distribute its films in these three territories in 2011. The distribution deal will now run until the end of 2019.
Warner Bros.’ theatrical releases for 2017 in the Nordics include “The Lego Batman Movie,” “Kong: Skull Island,” “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword,” “Wonder Woman,” “Dunkirk,” “Annabelle 2,” and “Justice League.”
Founded in 1919, Sf Studios is one of Scandinavia’s biggest movie companies, active not only in distribution but also production of local movies and their international sales. In 2016, Sf Studios placed “Suicide Squad” and “Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them” among top 10 box office hits for the territories.
The distribution deal renewal gives Warner Bros. access to three growing movie markets »
- John Hopewell
Film Review: ‘Live by Night’
19 hours ago
In the ten years he’s been directing movies, Ben Affleck has shown a rare ability to choose projects artfully and wisely, hitting creative and commercial growth rings with each new outing. His first film behind the camera, “Gone Baby Gone” (2007), established Affleck as a serious filmmaker with a flair for mood and performance and locale. In the soulful heist drama “The Town” (2010), he proved he could fashion a real yarn, even as he traced the fate of characters with a life below the surface. “Argo” (2012), of course, was Affleck’s home run: not just a movie that triumphed at the Oscars but one that caught the national mood — it was time to look back at the 1979 Iran hostage crisis — in a way that converted a (somewhat) true story of hot-button politics into a sizzling conversation piece.
That’s a sterling track record, which is why I’m far from »
- Owen Gleiberman
‘Hunger Games’ Exhibition Lands in Sydney
19 hours ago
“Hunger Games: The Exhibition” has taken up residence in Sydney, Australia, in the city’s new International Convention Center. It previously visited New York and San Francisco.
The exhibition uses costumes, props, and set recreations in seven galleries that track Katniss Everdeen’s journey: District 12, Tribute Train, The Capitol, Making the Games, District 13, Fan Gallery and Katniss’s Journey.
The latest piece of movie-related location based entertainment to set down in the Asia-Pacific region, the exhibition is organized by Lionsgate, Imagine Exhibitions Inc. and ILive Entertainment. It runs from Dec 21, 2016 to Feb. 5, 2017. Tickets cost $73.90 (A$98.90) for VIP treatment and $28.20 (A$37.70) for general admission.
It was opened by Australian actress, Stef Dawson, who plays Annie Cresta in “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” and “Mockingjay Parts 1 & 2.” She next appears in Chinese-Australian co-production “The Nest.”
“The exhibition offers visitors an unparalleled experience, bringing them inside the world of Panem,” said Jenefer Brown, »
- Patrick Frater
Film Review: ‘Those Who Remain’
23 hours ago
There are so many documentaries from Lebanon about the civil war and its consequences that critiques inevitably end up bandying around the same words: scars, open wounds, futility, sadness. The accumulation of personal stories can sound generically similar, which is why it takes such an exceptional filmmaker as Eliane Raheb (“Sleepless Nights”) to offer fresh perspectives that restore the uniqueness of each experience while acting as a broader cry for reconciliation — even when the director herself obliquely questions whether rifts have become too great to heal. “Those Who Remain” movingly provides specificity with broader implications, focusing on a tenacious older man clinging to his family land in the north, where sectarianism has blotted out memories of a more amicable past. Winner of Dubai’s Special Jury Prize, the documentary deserves a bright festival future.
Raheb’s approach is all the more refreshing because she refuses to pretend that her presence »
- Jay Weissberg
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