12 articles
Frances McDormand’s ‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri’ Scores Strong Opening Weekend
15 hours ago | Variety - Film News | See recent Variety - Film News news »
Frances McDormand’s drama “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” has launched with the second best limited opening of 2017, garnering $320,000 on four screens for an impressive $80,000 per screen average.
The Fox Searchlight title opened a week after A24’s debut of Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird,” starring Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalfe, which scored $364,437 on four screens for the top limited opening of the year.
Fox Searchlight said “Three Billboards” played to capacity crowds all weekend with many sellouts. The film, which has a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes with an audience approval rating of 97%, played at the Arclight Hollywood and Landmark in Los Angeles and the AMC Loews Lincoln Square and the Regal Union Square in New York.
“Three Billboards” is directed by Martin McDonagh (“In Bruges”) from his own script. McDormand plays the mother of a daughter who was raped and murdered in a case that local law enforcement has been unable to solve.
The film was »
- Dave McNary
'Thor 3' Repeats While 'Daddy's Home 2' and 'Orient Express' Deliver Strong Debuts
18 hours ago | Box Office Mojo | See recent Box Office Mojo news »
Thor: Ragnarok delivered an expected #1 finish in its second weekend at the domestic box office, pushing the film's domestic total ahead of both the first and second Thor films after just ten days in release. However, just as much a story are the strong openings for a batch of newcomers, both wide and and limited, as Paramount's Daddy's Home 2 and Fox's Murder on the Orient Express both delivered ahead of expectations and Fox Searchlight's Three Billboards averaged $80,000 per theater over its limited bow. Meanwhile, A24's Lady Bird cracked the weekend top ten despite only playing in 37 theaters. With an estimated $56.6 million this weekend, Thor: Ragnarok dropped just 54% in its second weekend, pushing the film's domestic gross over $211 million after ten days in release. That's enough to best the full domestic gross for both the first Thor film ($181m) and Thor: The Dark World ($206.3m). In fact, Ragnarok is now »
- Brad Brevet <mail@boxofficemojo.com>
Searchlight’s ‘Three Billboards’ Signals Robust Bow; ‘Lady Bird’ Soars – Specialty B.O.
17 hours ago | Deadline | See recent Deadline news »
Fox Searchlight's Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri starring Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson and Sam Rockwell launched very well out the gate this weekend, grossing $320K in just four New York and Los Angeles locations, giving the title the third best opening per theater average of the year at $80K. Described as a "darkly, comic drama," the film was the clear spotlight among the weekend's Specialty newcomers. The Orchard, however, did get some traction with… »
AFI Fest Announces ‘Molly’s Game’ as New Closing-Night Film, Replacing ‘All the Money in the World’
16 hours ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
Less than a week after announcing that Ridley Scott’s “All the Money in the World” will no longer serve as its closing-night film, AFI Fest has announced that Aaron Sorkin’s directorial debut “Molly’s Game” will now close the festival. The film, which stars Jessica Chastain as the real-life proprietor of a high-stakes poker game, had already been announced as part of AFI Fest but will now get pride of place as the final film to screen during the weeklong event.
Read More:‘All the Money in the World’ Pulled From AFI Fest Amid Kevin Spacey Scandal
Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Phantom Thread” and Steven Spielberg’s “The Post” had both been mentioned by festival-goers as potential replacements, which was probably wishful thinking; neither film is expected to screen until after Thanksgiving. “All the Money in the World” was pulled after several men accused star Kevin Spacey of sexual misconduct, »
- Michael Nordine
‘Mission: Impossible’ Producer Paula Wagner to Be Honored at Camerimage
12 November 2017 1:53 AM, PST | Variety - Film News | See recent Variety - Film News news »
Poland’s Camerimage cinematography fest, which kicked off Saturday, will honor Paula Wagner with its prize for “producer with unique visual sensitivity,” in recognition for her work on such films as “Mission: Impossible” and other partnerships with co-producer Tom Cruise.
With four decades of work, starting with projects such as Alejandro Amenábar’s chiller “The Others” and Billy Ray’s journalist drama “Shattered Glass,” the former actress built her career via agency work, repping talents such as Sean Penn, Val Kilmer, Demi Moore and Liam Neeson while at the Creative Artists Agency.
In 1993, she launched Cruise/Wagner Productions, which took on the film adaptation of the hit ‘70s TV suspense series “Mission: Impossible,” launching the franchise that continues to roll along. Cruise and Wagner also worked on Cameron Crowe’s mystery romance “Vanilla Sky,” based on Amenábar’s “Abre los ojos.”
Wagner then produced Edward Zwick’s Cruise-starrer “The Last Samurai,” exec produced »
- Will Tizard
Could a George Clooney presidency save America?
1 hour ago | The Guardian - Film News | See recent The Guardian - Film News news »
With Suburbicon flopping, it’s time for the star to take on his biggest challenge yet: Donald Trump
For most of the millennium, George Clooney has been the movie star you’d want to have an affair with, hang out with, or simply be. He has basically won life’s lottery: handsome, Oscar-winningly accomplished, smart, funny, politically engaged, happily married. And if that wasn’t enough, he just sold the tequila brand he “accidentally” co-founded for a billion dollars. He’s the consummate Hollywood star; he’s basically the anti-Weinstein. There’s just one problem: the movies. His acting roles are beginning to read like a list of well-intentioned failures: Disney sci-fi Tomorrowland; the Coen brothers’ un-hailed Hail, Caesar!; Jodie Foster’s Money Monster. None of them terrible, but none of them great. Or successful.
Related: Suburbicon review – George Clooney's picket-fence creepfest grows up to be Fargo's idiot child
Continue reading. »
- Steve Rose
‘The Punisher’ Season 1 Review: Marvel’s Least Superhero-y Show Ever Fails to Find a Spark
3 hours ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
The culture surrounding the launch of “The Punisher” has been an incredibly complicated one, as the Marvel spinoff is theoretically about a character who, in this realm of superheroes, has only one superpower: Being very good with guns, knives, and however else you might choose to kill people. It’s so ingrained in the identity of the brand that the show’s premiere was delayed for over a month, following the violence in Las Vegas in October. It’s hard to root for a fictional sniper, after all, after a real-life one has orchestrated this level of awfulness.
But while it made sense to push “The Punisher’s” premiere date, there was a misstep on the part of Netflix and Marvel. “The Punisher” should have premiered on Veterans Day. The series, while technically existing in the worlds of “Daredevil,” “Jessica Jones,” and the rest of the Marvel universe, is far »
- Liz Shannon Miller
‘The Punisher’ Review: Jon Bernthal Excels in Marvel & Netflix’s Latest Team-Up
3 hours ago | Collider.com | See recent Collider.com news »
The Frank Castle we met in Daredevil's excellent second season was a force of nature. Driven to slaughter en masse in the aftermath of the massacring of his wife and two children, Castle was the uncomplicated messenger of death that worked against and in tandem with Charlie Cox's crimson crusader, an embodiment of the thorny philosophical heart of justice without violence or murder. One could even have read the entire season as a recitation on the increasing moralization of killing in the name of peace, whether it be the inner type or the global sort. That's how … »
- Chris Cabin
Korea Box Office: ‘Thor’ Remains on Top, ‘Happy Death Day’ Lands in Second
6 hours ago | Variety - Film News | See recent Variety - Film News news »
“Thor: Ragnarok” remained on top of the South Korean box office for the third consecutive weekend. The Disney release earned $3.52 million from 466,000 admissions between Friday and Sunday to extend its three-weekend total to $31 million from 4.28 million admissions. The Marvel picture accounted for 26% of the nationwide weekend box office.
Horror thriller, “Happy Death Day” debuted in second. Opening on Wednesday (Nov. 8), the Upi release earned $3.7 million over five days. Local family comedy “The Bros” slipped to third from the previous week’s second. The Megabox release earned $2.25 million between Friday and Sunday for a total of $9.13 million after two weekends.
Crime action dramas, “The Outlaws” and “A Special Lady” took fourth and fifth respectively. Megabox’s “Outlaws” earned $1.34 million for $48.8 million after six weekends. Opening on Thursday, “Special Lady” earned $1.39 million over four days. Starring top actress Kim Hye-soo, “Special Lady” sees the story of a woman who fights against men to protect her only son.
Another Thursday »
- Sonia Kil
‘Vice Principals’ Review: Insanity Reigns in Danny McBride’s Truly Hysterical Series Finale
7 hours ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
[Editor’s Note: The following review contains spoilers for “Vice Principals” Season 2, Episode 9, “The Union of the Wizard and the Warrior” — the series finale.]
Danny McBride’s return to HBO was always designed as a brief comeback. His follow-up to “Eastbound and Down” was shot all at once with longtime collaborators Jody Hill and David Gordon Green, meaning the Season 2 finale, which premiered Sunday night on HBO, has been sitting in the can for some time. Knowing this, it feels safe to assume the two-season series wasn’t trying to be a timely satirization of flaws within America’s school system or offer commentary on cultural insensitivities in small towns.
For the most part, it was neither. It was just pretty damn funny. And sometimes, including the finale, it was wildly, hilariously, hysterical.
After the incredible fallout last week, when McBride’s Neal Gamby accused Walton Goggins’ Lee of shooting him and the two destroyed the school in a knock-down, drag-out fight, it seemed hard to imagine how they’d come together — and how »
- Ben Travers
Muriel's Wedding is a feminist masterpiece and more relevant than ever | Karen Pickering
8 hours ago | The Guardian - Film News | See recent The Guardian - Film News news »
In this dark time of reckoning, the classic film – and now stage musical – is a joyful reminder of the power of female friendships
How would you classify Muriel’s Wedding? The “romantic comedy” genre is one I love and respect, but it’s a little inadequate to describe a movie as rich and complex as this. After all, how many romcoms result in the heroine rejecting the once-pined-for love interest and deciding instead that the most important person in her life is her female best friend?
No, Muriel’s Wedding isn’t a frisky romcom; or a dramedy that’s equal parts hilarious and harrowing; or a moving account of female friendship. It’s not just an artefact of a time when Aussie indies were charming the world with “quirky” tales of “oddballs” and “weirdos”, or an adorably kitsch snapshot of Australiana. It’s all this and more: a searing »
- Karen Pickering
‘The Walking Dead’ Review: Season 8 Finally Has A Strong Episode With ‘Some Guy’
8 hours ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
Whose Episode Is It?
It’s an episode with actual focus this week, as King Ezekiel is the protagonist of “Some Guy.” And just like last year, his spotlight episode is the bright spot in an otherwise rough opening to the season. “Some Guy” is basically an extended character beat, as Ezekiel’s created persona cracks after the devastating loss of his troops. It’s a pretty grim hour, but the understandable motivation, decent action, and surprising loss make it Season 8’s most successful hour yet.
Read More:‘The Walking Dead’ Review: Rick And His Friends May Be The Real ‘Monsters’ In Another Dull Episode Man Is The True Monster
Of course it wouldn’t be “The Walking Dead” if the show didn’t hammer down some point it’s made before, so we get a flashback of Ezekiel once again giving his “And yet I smile” speech to the »
- Jeff Stone
‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Producers Unpack the Midseason Finale, and Why This is The Most Romantic ‘Star Trek’ Ever
9 hours ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
[Editor’s Note: Spoilers for “Star Trek: Discovery” Season 1 Episode 9, “Into the Forest I Go,” follow.]
“Star Trek: Discovery” fans thrown off guard by the midseason finale’s ending, guess what? That was the plan. According to showrunners Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts, that’s exactly what they wanted.
“Every couple of episodes, right around the time the audience feels like, ‘Oh, I know what you’re doing,’ we switch it up,” Berg told IndieWire. “It became a natural rhythm for the show, and it makes it really fun for us, the writers, everybody, really. Because it’s a way to keep it lively.”
The final moments of Episode 9, “Into the Forest I Go,” find the Discovery lost in unknown territory following a massive malfunction with the ship’s spore drive. “It felt like a great place to end the first half of the season, too,” Harberts said. “We had a lot of fun tracking the debate that the fans are having about where they think »
- Liz Shannon Miller
‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Review: It’s Hard to Say Who Wins In Intriguing Mid-Season Finale
9 hours ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
[Editor’s Note: Spoilers for “Star Trek: Discovery” Season 1 Episode 9, “Into the Forest I Go,” follow.]
As the way we watch television changes, so does the way many TV shows define the release of episodes. That’s why we’re going to acknowledge that CBS All Access refers to the first nine episodes of “Star Trek: Discovery” Season 1 as “Chapter 1,” with the next batch, “Chapter 2,” set to premiere in January 2018.
How does that affect our experience watching the mid-season finale? Thanks to the ending, there’s a very clear endpoint for at least one storyline, but plenty more to be explored going forward. It’s always a fools’ game to look for complete answers at this point in the season — as “Discovery” is very much a modern version of “Star Trek,” which means it’s determined to keep us on our toes.
Read More:‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Review: An Intriguing Episode Readies the Crew for a Major Showdown Mission Brief
There’s good news and bad news. »
- Liz Shannon Miller
‘Outlander’ Review: Claire and Jamie Deal With Superstition On the High Seas in Tempestuous Episode
9 hours ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
[Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for “Outlander” Season 3 Episode 9, “The Doldrums.”]
Unrequited, Requited Love
Blame Fergus and his new “wife,” blame seasickness, blame superstition or blame another twist of fate. Whatever the object of your blame, this week marked another episode of unrequited love — at least in the physical sense — for the show’s two leading characters. As Claire and Jamie headed out to sea in search of young Ian they were forced to sleep in separate quarters, with barely enough privacy for Jamie to puke in peace, let alone get it on with his wife.
Sure, all of that didn’t stop the pair from eventually having (a very literal) quickie during a celebrated rainstorm on deck, but since barely any clothes came off and there was no foreplay to speak of, it doesn’t exactly count. Not when stacked up to some of this season’s more epic love scenes, at any rate. Considering these two will now be »
- Amber Dowling
Australian Academy Revokes Harvey Weinstein Award Offer
10 hours ago | Variety - Film News | See recent Variety - Film News news »
The Australian Academy has revoked an award to Harvey Weinstein that it intended to give the now scandal hit producer in 2013 – but never actually presented.
Weinstein was named as the first recipient of an outreach award at a time when the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (Aacta) was stepping up its international profile. The awards presentation did not go ahead.
“In November 2013, Aacta announced Weinstein as the inaugural Aacta International Fellowship recipient in acknowledgment of his support of independent and innovative filmmaking. This award was, in fact, never actually presented – the event planned for the presentation was cancelled. However, our communications in 2013/14 did not make it clear that Weinstein no longer held the award and has rightly caused some confusion. We have now officially rescinded the offer of the award,” Aacta said in a statement.
“[We] stand with our associates, including the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science in America, in exploring »
- Patrick Frater
‘Me Too’ Hollywood March Takes A Stand Against Sexual Abuse
11 hours ago | Deadline | See recent Deadline news »
On Sunday, women and men took to the high-traffic area of Hollywood and Highland in Los Angeles with passionate protest chants such as “Harvey Weinstein is a joke — women workers just got woke!” and “Your junk is not my job!” for two events in the wake of the flood of sexual harassment allegations that have been flooding Hollywood and beyond. The day started with the Take Back the Workplace March and then segued into the #MeToo Survivors March. Tarana Burke, the creator… »
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