Movie News

Without any notable competition, “Avatar: The Way of Water” continued its mighty box office reign with ease. James Cameron’s blockbuster sequel added 15.7 million from 3,600 North American theaters between Friday and Sunday, enough to claim the No. 1 spot for the seventh consecutive weekend.

So far, “Avatar 2” has generated 620 million at the domestic box office and 2.117 billion globally. On Friday, it passed “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (2.071 billion) to become the fourth-highest grossing movie in history. Now, “The Way of Water” ranks behind only “Avatar” (2.92 billion), “Avengers: Endgame” (2.7 billion) and “Titanic” (2.19 billion) in terms of worldwide ticket sales. Cameron has directed three of those four releases, putting the filmmaker in unmatched company.

Elsewhere at the box office, only one new movie — Neon’s disturbing sci-fi thriller “Infinity Pool” — opened in theaters nationwide. The R-rated film, from director Brandon Cronenberg (son of genre legend David Cronenberg), debuted to muted results, generating 2.7 million from 1,835 cinemas.

“Top Gun: Maverick” took home the top prize of best picture at AARP’s Movies for Grownups Awards on Saturday.

“I’ve produced over 50 movies and more than 2,000 hours of television but there was one question that everybody kept asking, ‘Will there ever be another “Top Gun?”‘ “Maverick” producer Jerry Bruckheimer said. “After almost four decades, all the pieces fell into place and we finally released the much anticipated sequel just when everybody seemed to need it the most.”

“Elvis” director Baz Luhrmann was presented with the best director award by the film’s star Austin Butler, and the biopic was also recognized in the best time capsule category. “The Old Man,” which was renewed for a second season in June 2022, saw similar success at the ceremony, with lead performer Jeff Bridges taking home the award for best television actor. The show performed well overall with a nod in the

Update: Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s “Pathaan” is proving to be unstoppable at the global box office. The spy action film has grossed 66.5 million after five days of release, per producers Yash Raj Films.

On day five, a Sunday, the film collected 8.5 million in India and 5.1 million internationally.

Previously: Shah Rukh Khan’s “Pathaan” has grossed 52.6 million after four days on release. The film collected 7.8 million in India and 6.3 million internationally on its fourth day, per producers Yash Raj Films.

Meanwhile, Vox Cinemas, the cinema arm of the Majid Al Futtaim group, reports that “Pathaan” has become the highest grossing Hindi-language film in Saudi Arabia. The film sold 26,159 tickets on opening day, 67,428 tickets over opening weekend (three days) and a total of 88,840 tickets (including Wednesday), marking the biggest opening weekend in Saudi Arabia so far this year.

Earlier: Shah Rukh Khan’s “Pathaan” has reached blockbuster status in just two days of release.

Delegation from Goteborg Film Festival unveils opening at Trollhättan-based studio.

Sweden’s Studio Fares is today launching what it says is Europe’s largest projector-based virtual production wall, measuring 24m x 8m.

Based in Trollhättan, Studio Fares is already the second largest sound-stage in Scandinavia with an area of 1,100 sq m.

The studio says the new wall “makes it easy to project different sceneries on different parts of the wall and still be able to film in the studio on other set constructions.”

“You don’t need a lot of LED screens, nor server halls, which saves expensive electricity and therefore the climate.

Tia Kouvo’s debut feature follows an annual family Christmas get-together that sees the usual tensions rise.

Screen can reveal the trailer for Tia Kouvo’s debut feature Family Time which is world premiering at the Berlinale (February 16-26) in the Encounters strand.

The comedy-drama follows an annual family Christmas get-together that sees the usual tensions rise. It’s based on Kouvo’s s 2018 short of the same name which picked up a special mention at Helsinki International Film Festival (Love & Anarchy).

Family Time is produced by Finland’s Aamu Film Company in co-production with Sweden outfits Vilda Bomben Film and Film i Väst.

Careful, they’re watching. No one is safe from stolen glances and hidden stares in the new Freeform original series, The Watchful Eye. A mystery thriller series that centers on a grisly murder, it promises to be one of winter’s juiciest new binges. If you’re growing frigid from the snow and cold winds of winter, grab a blanket and cozy up to the fiery new series. The thriller is created by Julie Durk. Durk also co-executive produces alongside Ryan Seacrest (American Idol), Nina Wass (Insatiable), Andrea Shay (Insatiable), and Jeffrey Reiner (The Affair). Taking a formulaic mystery whodunit and giving it a makeover by dressing it to the nines with a haunted, posh apartment complex and sinful tenants, The Watchful Eye is all smoke and mirrors. Mariel Molino (Promised Land) stars in the series as Elena Santos, a complicated woman with secrets of her own as she infiltrates The Greybourne,

Mystery thriller also stars Jung Yu-mi of ‘Train To Busan’.

Major South Korean distributor Lotte Entertainment has picked up mystery thriller Sleep, starring Jung Yu-mi of Train To Busan and Lee Sun-kyun of Parasite, and will launch sales at the upcoming European Film Market (EFM).

The film marks the feature directorial debut of Korean filmmaker Jason Yu and is produced by Lewis Pictures, the company behind Bong Joon Ho’s Okja and award-winning crime drama Voice Of Silence, starring Yoo Ah-in.

The story centres on a pregnant wife who becomes worried about her husband’s sleeping habits. What starts out

Bookmark this page to keep track of all the latest festival dates.

Screen is running this regularly-updated page with the latest film festival and market dates from across the world.

To submit details of or alter your festival dates, please contact us here with the name, dates, country and website for the event. Screen is also running a calendar for UK-Ireland film release dates here.

Ongoing

International Film Festival Rotterdam, Netherlands – January 25-February 5

Goteborg Film Festival, Sweden – January 27-February 5

Ostend Film Festival, Belgium - January 27-February 4

DocPoint Helsinki Documentary Film Festival, Finland – January 31-February 5

February

Victoria Film Festival, Canada - February 3-12

Scad TVFest,

The inaugural Jbx Content Market kicks off Feb. 1 in Johannesburg with a program focused on emerging trends in the African screen industries, as the new event looks to establish a foothold on a continent that has seen both its production and its ambitions steadily rise amid continued global demand for content.

Running parallel to the 5th edition of the Joburg Film Festival, which takes place Jan. 31 – Feb. 5, the two-day showcase will host a series of events with a range of South African, African and international guests, as well as a market area where exhibitors can present both finished content and projects looking for partners.

The goal, said Joburg Film Festival executive director Timothy Mangwedi, is to create “a new voice and a new platform for African filmmakers,” while offering international executives access to “fresh talent” that has its eyes set on the global market.

“It’s about glocalized content. It

Following its world premiere at Intl. Film Festival Rotterdam earlier this week, where it continues to play to sold out screenings, Karoline Lyngbye’s “Superposition” is scaring viewers also outside the Netherlands, with TrustNordisk securing deals in Benelux with September Film Rights, in Poland with Mayfly, former Yugoslavia with Cinemania Group, and the Cis territories with Provzglyad – Vesta LLC.

“I am very interested in genre,” Lyngbye tells Variety at the Dutch festival. “Denmark has more of that drama tradition, but recently we have been opening up. I have always looked up to von Trier and Lynch, and I am a huge fan of [Robert Eggers’] ‘The Lighthouse.’ When you mix genre with a character-driven plot, you can get something special.”

In the film – produced by Amalie Lyngbo Quist for Beo Starling Ivs – Stine and Teit decide to leave their comfortable city life. With their young son, they head straight to the Swedish

Picture Tree Intl. has taken global sales rights for “The Peacock” by Lutz Heineking Jr. The black comedy is based on the best-selling novel of the same title by German author Isabel Bogdan, which has been published in key European territories. Variety has been given exclusive access to the trailer (below).

The film’s cast is filled with German stars including Lavinia Wilson, Tom Schilling, David Kross and Jürgen Vogel. Tobis Film releases the film in Germany on March 9.

When investment banker Linda Bachmann and her team arrive at the country estate of Lord and Lady McIntosh for a team building seminar, the prospects for having a relaxing weekend in Scotland are not good: the annual balance sheet is lousy, the team is keeping a suspicious eye on each other and their boss, and there are rumors that a compliance officer will soon be restructuring the department.

To make matters worse,

Peter Farrelly, director of Oscar winning film “Green Book,” will start production of his long awaited “Ricky Stanicky” next month. The picture will shoot in Melbourne, Australia where the film’s two stars Zac Efron and John Cena have now arrived.

Ricky Stanicky is the name of an imaginary character invented by three friends so that they have someone to blame for their misbehavior. When their partners become suspicious, they’re forced to hire a washed-up actor to bring Stanicky to life. The move has dire, but hilarious consequences. Cena will play Stanicky.

The film marks a return for Farrelly return to the R-rated comedy genre, in which her previously delivered “Something About Mary” and “Hall Pass.”

For Efron, the film is his second with Farrelly who directed his recent “The Greatest Beer Run Ever,” which premiered globally on Apple TV+ last September.

“Ricky Stanicky” will enjoy A9.5 million (6.75 million

Anglo-French firm looks to drive TV production expansion.

Anglo-French production and financing outfit Anton has hired former Fremantle execs Sangeeta Desai and Sarah Doole to launch a dedicated TV production division.

Anton’s TV division will aim to produce premium talent-driven content for global audiences. It will also seek to partner with leading creatives to launch scripted labels across Europe. The business will also look at direct and first-look deals with established on- and off-screen talent.

Desai, whose recent roles include board director at Boatrocker Media, CEO of Osn, as well as global COO and CEO of emerging markets at

Shekhar Ravjiani, one of the composers of Bollywood megahit “Pathaan,” has launched Indie record label Garuudaa Musiic.

The label is envisioned as a creative platform through which Ravjiani composes, sings and collaborates with new talent while also showcasing the musician’s own output.

The idea for the label was born during lockdown when Ravjiani had a chance to take a break from the world of film music and reconnect with a creative process that took him back to his early days as a musician.

Ravjiani said: ”Garuudaa Musiic is a world where one can channel the inner child and create music fearlessly in its purest form. It is a musical universe filled with every colour and sound that one can dream of. Through this label I aim to discover and define the sound of tomorrow and given the rapid changes in the listening choices of each new generation, I feel

We all have that one movie we simply saw too young. Ones we saw while flicking through channels or ones we snuck into the player when everyone else was asleep. For me, that movie is Final Destination 2. Of course, I’m not alone in that, as pretty much anyone you ask will agree that Final Destination 2 affected them in some way. Most notably, that scene is the opening disaster with the logging truck. And while that is most definitely on my list, it’s the entire movie that crawls under my skin and is the scariest in the series to me.

Director Babak Jalali’s Sundance feature, Fremont, is a restless immigrant tale that captures a sense of longing for a home left behind, and the human search for connection. Filmed in stark black and white, and often zeroed in on the film’s focus, Donya, played by Anaita Wali Zada in her onscreen debut, Fremont is an intimate, charming, and melancholic portrayal of loneliness, and those forgotten by a country they served.

Following the massive financial and cultural success of the Harry Potter and Twilight franchises, Hollywood was desperate to launch another franchise based on a popular young adult novel series. Many of these adaptations never made it past their first installment; The Darkest Minds, Beautiful Creatures, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, and Mortal Engines were all disasters that failed to please either the original readers or first-time viewers. However, one anomaly to this trend was The Maze Runner, a dystopian sci-fi series that delivered three solid installments based on the popular novel series of the same name.

“The Cell” director Tarsem Singh is making a comeback to feature films with “Dear Jassi,” his first Indian project.

The film has completed a 50-day schedule in Punjab, northern India and is heading to Canada for a two-week shoot. Post-production will take place in Montreal.

Plot details are under wraps save that it is based on a true story. Cast details have also not been revealed at this time.

The film is written by Amit Rai (“Oh My God 2”).

“It’s my passion project and I believe this is the right time for the world to see it,” Singh said. “Such a strong story needs to be told.”

Singh made his feature directorial debut with Oscar-nominated film “The Cell” (2000), starring Jennifer Lopez. He went on to direct Berlin winner “The Fall” (2006), starring Lee Pace; “Immortals” (2011), featuring Henry Cavill, Mickey Rourke and John Hurt; Oscar-nominated “Mirror Mirror” (2012) with Julia Roberts and

The Osaka Asian Film Festival will return in March for its 18th edition with a lineup of current Asian feature and short films and a spotlight on works from Hong Kong.

The competition section, which selects from films that are currently unreleased in Japan, numbers 13 titles. These include: Kai Ko’s “Bad Education,” “December” from Japan-based Indian director Anshul Chauhan, and two Indian-made films Rima Das’ “Tora’s Husband” and Padmakumar Narasimhamurthy’s “Max, Min and Meowzaki.”

The indie section comprises a mix of Japanese feature and short films from challenging or emerging talents, with a winner set to receive the separate Japan Cuts prize.

A Spotlight section of other independent films by up-and-coming directors includes: Martika Ramirez Escobar’s “Leonor Will Never Die,” Mejbaur Rahman Sumon’s Bangladesh-France production “Hawa,” Thitipong Kerdtongtawee’s “Omg! Oh My Girl” and documentary “Jiseok.”

The Hong Kong spotlight, consisting of five titles, cuts

Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for The Last of Us Episode 3 and mild spoilers for The Last of Us Part I.Over the course of the last several weeks since The Last of Us began airing, it has carved out a narrative path that has increasingly distinguished itself from the original game. While it follows much of the same general narrative structure, from the very start all the way to the most recent episode there has been a sense that writer Craig Mazin is most interested in the small moments that hadn’t been fully explored until now. There are plenty of familiarities in the overarching themes, but the way this has all been executed has been about prioritizing patience as it wanders off to find its own pockets of poetry. This has paid off in a litany of unexpected ways as it moves beyond merely just recreating what