| | | | | | What's news: The Apprentice is set to stream on Amazon. Sony has won the bidding war for a new Resident Evil movie. Ali Abbasi is moving to UTA. Ne Zha 2 is heading to theaters in Europe. — Abid Rahman
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AMC Theatres Wants to Turn Back the Clock ►"These conversations are live right now." Several days before the Oscars, AMC Entertainment’s Adam Aron — the maverick and controversial CEO of the world’s largest theater circuit — told investors during a Feb. 25 earnings call that the relaxation of theatrical windows needs to be revisited in the post-COVID era as attendance levels remain notably offkilter. As moviegoing lags, THR's Pamela McClintock writes that the mega chain hopes to push studios back to at least a 45-day theatrical window. The story.
—Tragedy. Gene Hackman died of severe cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer’s disease as a significant contributory factor, officials in New Mexico announced on Friday. The 95-year-old Hollywood icon survived in the home he shared with his wife, Betsy Hackman, for a week after she died in their living room of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a severe respiratory illness caused by viruses transmitted to humans through contact with infected rodents, officials said. The story.
—Slinking back, quietly. Last month, X users spotted an ad on the social media platform from the @AppleTV account for the second season of Severance. The promo marked a conspicuous return for Apple to advertising on X in more than a year after pausing campaigns due to the rise of far-right content on the network that appeared alongside ads and backlash against Elon Musk grounded in criticism that he endorsed antisemitic conspiracy theories. As well as Apple, THR's Winston Cho reports that Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, Amazon, Comcast and Lionsgate, have all resumed advertising on X, with some starting last year. The story.
—"In hindsight, no-showing might have been the right move." John Oliver spent the opening segment of Sunday’s Last Week Tonight talking about Donald Trump’s speech to a joint session of Congress last week and the Democrats’ response to it. Oliver didn't hold back in his contempt for "centrist Democrats' current insistence on bending over backwards to cater to conservatives." The recap.
—New home. Ali Abbasi is moving to UTA. The filmmaker behind the Oscar-nominated, young Donald Trump feature The Apprentice has signed with the agency, after departing CAA last month. Abbasi’s agency move comes after he apologized last month for an incident at CAA’s Golden Globes party, but he said the incident had nothing to do with his departure from CAA. The story.
—"We are streamlining resources." Radio and podcast giant Audacy has conducted another round of layoffs. The estimated number of layoffs is in the hundreds, with a number of radio hosts at stations across the country, as well as content producers for Audacy, posting on social media about being laid off. The layoffs come after longtime CEO David Field stepped down in January and after the company emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The story. |
'The Apprentice' to Stream on Amazon ►Yet more Trump. Amazon Prime Video has begun streaming The Apprentice, the reality show that arguably helped propel Donald Trump toward the presidency. The streamer will roll out seven seasons of the show — all the non-celebrity versions featuring Trump — on Mondays beginning March 10. The Apprentice will be available to Prime Video subscribers in the U.S. only. Amazon declined to comment on whether or how much the president is being paid in the streaming agreement for The Apprentice. Trump was an executive producer of the show, so it’s likely he will be compensated. The story.
—ICYMI. Despite a mixed response from both sides of the Atlantic, Netflix announced Friday that a second season of the Duchess of Sussex's With Love, Meghan will stream in the fall. The announcement comes just three days after the show’s premiere; filming on the next set of episodes has already finished. With Love, Meghan is a lifestyle series that features the duchess and a group of “friends old and new” — guests in the first season include Mindy Kaling, Abigail Spencer and chefs Roy Choi and Alice Waters, among others — at a home (though not her own) in Montecito, California, cooking, gardening and chatting with one another. The story. |
'Mickey 17' Opens to Sluggish $19M in U.S. ►Work to do. Bong Joon Ho’s sci-fi space epic Mickey 17 has finally landed at the box office, where it opened to a sluggish $19.1m after failing to wow audiences. Nevertheless, it was more than enough to come in at No. 1 amid a slowdown of product that has seen year-over-gains plummet over the past several weekends. Overseas, where it opened in some markets ahead of its domestic opening, the dark comedy has earned $24.5m to date, including a hefty $11.4m in Bong’s native South Korea, for an early global tally of $53.3m globally. The box office report.
—World domination. China’s animated blockbuster Ne Zha 2 is heading to Europe. Distributor Trinity CineAsia has acquired theatrical rights to the film from Beijing Enlight Media for 37 territories across the continent, including the U.K., Germany, France, Spain and more. The film will open in the U.K. and Ireland on March 21, with previews beginning March 14. Other European releases will soon follow, the distributor says. Ne Zha 2 is already the highest-grossing animated film in movie history. Since its release over Chinese New Year in January, it has earned $2.1b at home in China (Pixar’s Inside Out 2 is history’s second-biggest animated film, with $1.7b in worldwide ticket revenue). In North America, Ne Zha 2 opened Feb 14 and has earned $18.8m — tiny compared to the China total, but far better than most Chinese commercial blockbusters fare in the West. The story. |
Zach Cregger's 'Resident Evil' Movie Lands at Sony ►🤝 Sold! 🤝 Resident Evil is back in Sony’s hands. The studio has won a hotly contested bidding war to nab not only the rights to the horror action movie franchise based on the popular video games, but also for the opportunity to work with hot filmmaker Zach Cregger. The studio has set a release date of Sept. 18, 2026 for the project. Cregger, the writer-director behind acclaimed horror movie Barbarian and the upcoming ensemble piece Weapons , is attached to write and direct. The franchise, which had called Sony label Screen Gems home since releasing the first movie in 2002, found itself in a unique position of being up for grabs in January, inciting an intense bidding war. In the end, Sony prevailed, this time via its Columbia Pictures banner, allowing for a bigger budget. The story.
—🎭 LFG!!!! 🎭 Justin Lin, the filmmaker who steered the Fast & Furious franchise to new and revived heights, has come aboard to direct BRZRKR, the Keanu Reeves-created comic being adapted by Netflix. Reeves is starring in the gritty feature project as well as producing. The Batman 2 co-writer Mattson Tomlin penned the script to BRZKRK, which according to Netflix and Boom!, is a “brutally epic saga about an immortal warrior’s 80,000 year fight through the ages. The man known only as ‘B’ is half-mortal and half-god, cursed and compelled to violence, even at the sacrifice of his sanity." The story.
—🎭 Two more 🎭 Two actors from TV’s buzziest shows hope to make some noise with a Netflix movie. Michelle Monaghan, one of the stars of this season’s The White Lotus, and Severance headliner Adam Scott have joined Robert De Niro in The Whisper Man, a crime thriller from Netflix. James Ashcroft, who directed the haunting Kiwi thriller Coming Home in the Dark, is helming the feature, which is being produced by AGBO, the banner behind Netflix’s tentpole sci-fi movie, The Electric State. The story, based on the New York Times bestseller by Alex North, is set in motion when an eight-year-old boy is abducted. Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, Angela Russo-Otstot and Michael Disco are producing for AGBO. The story.
—Sold! Don’t Log Off, a screen-life thriller movie starring Ariel Winter, has been acquired for distribution by Epic Pictures. The feature from writer-director brothers Brandon Baer and Garrett Baer is eyeing a summer release from the distributor’s horror banner Dread. Don’t Log Off follows Annie (Winter), who scrambles to help rescue her best friend after she goes missing during a surprise birthday video call. Annie attempts to analyze the day her friend disappeared by examining calls, texts and social media, while also avoiding an ominous person from the friend’s past. The story.
—Intermission needed. Get ready to sit back and relax for a while when Avatar: Fire and Ash hits theaters. In a new interview, legendary filmmaker James Cameron revealed that the upcoming third installment in his Avatar franchise will actually be longer than 2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water, which ran three hours and 12 minutes long. The story. |
Walton Goggins Unravels That 'White Lotus' Revenge Reveal ►"You're going to be very surprised where it ends. Everybody has their own destination." Why exactly is Rick Hatchett in Thailand? It’s one of the biggest mysteries of The White Lotus season three thus far, and now, we have our answer. For THR, Josh Wigler spoke to Walton Goggins about what to expect from Rick in this next half of the season. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"No one should have to go through what she goes through." THR's queen of chat Jackie Strause spoke to actress Julia Schlaepfer about the latest episode of Paramount Network's 1923. Schlaepfer reveals how she researched what women like Alex faced at Ellis Island in 1923 America and how it parallels today’s immigrant experience, while explaining Alex’s bravery and what empowers her to keep going. Warning: Spoilers! The interview. |
Fine Dining Bounces Back in L.A. ►Filling the void. The few restaurants operating at the most ambitious end of L.A.’s fine dining scene are akin to white truffles: prized, delicate, thriving under only specific conditions. Last year, the city lost both Curtis Stone’s Maude in Beverly Hills as well as Walter Manzke’s eponymous nearby haute cuisine citadel. Luckily, THR's Gary Baum writes, Seline and Somni — a rare pair of new specialists in elaborate tasting menus — have arrived, each showcasing its own adaptation to local terroir as it evolves amid shifts in client demographics and increasing economic pressures. The story.
—"We want them to come to Alba and know the feeling of escape." If you can make it in New York, Frank Sinatra crooned, you can make it anywhere. But that doesn’t necessarily apply to Los Angeles dining. Scene-centric New York restaurants that have attempted to set up outposts in this town have a decidedly mixed business record. Roberta’s, Avra and Dante achieved their own local buzz. Five Leaves quickly died. Rao’s persists, albeit with no heat. It’s too soon to tell with new arrivals Marea and Cipriani. Gary Baum looks at whether newcomer Alba can stick the landing. The story. |
TV Review: 'The Studio' ►"Almost unbearable, in a good way." THR's Angie Han reviews Apple TV+'s The Studio. Seth Rogen, Kathryn Hahn and Ike Barinholtz star in the series about a beleaguered film executive, co-created and directed by Rogen and Evan Goldberg. The review.
—"Too earnest to hate, too flimsy to love." Angie reviews Geremy Jasper's O'Dessa. Sadie Sink, Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Murray Bartlett star in the retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth by writer-director behind Patti Cake$, premiering at SXSW. The review.
—"Addictive and ambitious." THR's Robyn Bahr reviews season four of Starz's Power Book III: Raising Kanan. Patina Miller and Mekai Curtis play a complex mother-son drug-lord duo in the long-running 50 Cent- and Courtney Kemp-produced TV series. The review.
—"Always respectful, occasionally enlightening." THR's Daniel Fienberg reviews Julie Anderson and Chris Hay's I'm Carl Lewis! The doc, premiering at SXSW, shows how legendary sprinter Carl Lewis dominated track and field like nobody else, but never earned America's full embrace. The review.
—"A sensationalistic wolf in understated sheep's clothing." Daniel reviews Dan Farah's The Age of Disclosure. Politicians, military officials and scientists discuss non-human intelligence (aka UFOs) and when it will be time to tell the world the truth in this doc premiering at SXSW. The review.
—"Sweet but never saccharine." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Jay Duplass' The Baltimorons. Co-writer Michael Strassner stars with Liz Larsen in a Christmas Eve odyssey through the Maryland city, sparked by a dental emergency and a towed car. The review. |
Film Review: 'Another Simple Favor' ►"Overly reliant on campy antics." THR's Lovia Gyarkye reviews Paul Feig's Another Simple Favor. In the follow-up to campy mystery A Simple Favor, Emily Nelson (Blake Lively) and Stephanie Smothers (Anna Kendrick) reunite for a wild adventure in Capri. Also starring Andrew Rannells, Bashir Salahuddin, Elizabeth Perkins, Michele Morrone, Alex Newell, Henry Golding and Allison Janney. The review.
—"Relatively successful, as far as sequels go." Lovia reviews Gavin O'Connor's The Accountant 2. In O'Connor's follow-up to The Accountant, Christian Wolff and his brother Braxton try to repair their relationship while solving a complex international mystery. Starring Ben Affleck, Jon Bernthal, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Daniella Pineda, Allison Robertson and J.K. Simmons. The review.
—"An adaptation that adds resonance but loses edge." Lovia reviews Andre Gaines' The Dutchman. Writer-director Gaines takes Amiri Baraka's 1964 play about the encounter between a reserved Black man and a roguish white woman into the modern age. Starring André Holland, Kate Mara, Zazie Beetz, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Aldis Hodge and Lauren E. Banks. The review.
—"Never quite lives up to its delightfully gonzo premise." Lovia reviews Alex Scharfman's Death of a Unicorn. Paul Rudd, Jenna Ortega, Téa Leoni, Will Poulter and Anthony Carrigan star in Scharfman's film about a father and daughter whose accidental killing of a magical creature sets off a chain of grisly events. The review.
"A literal highway to hell." THR's Jordan Mintzer reviews Alexander Ullom's SXSW narrative feature competition entry, It Ends. The writer-director's feature debut is a conceptual horror flick that's much more about the journey than the destination. The review.
—"A real look at a rare phenomenon." Jordan reviews Rodney Ascher's Ghost Boy. The latest documentary from the filmmaker behind Room 237 and A Glitch in the Matrix, revisits the harrowing life of locked-in syndrome survivor Martin Pistorius. The review. |
Film Review: 'Novocaine' ►"An entertaining concept sustained by a strong star turn." THR's Frank Scheck reviews Dan Berk and Robert Olsen's Novocaine. Jack Quaid and Amber Midthunder star in this movie about a man who's unable to feel pain, attempting to rescue his girlfriend from bank robbers. The review.
—"Not for the faint-of-heart." Frank reviews Michael Bay's We Are Storror. In his SXSW-bowing latest, the Transformers director showcases the exploits of a flamboyant seven-member parkour team in a thrilling documentary. The review.
—"Horror goes to the dogs." Frank reviews Ben Leonberg's Good Boy. Premiering at SXSW, Leonberg's ghost story unfolds entirely from a dog's perspective. The review.
—"Head-spinning and absorbing." For THR, Caryn James reviews Jessica Earnshaw's SXSW documentary feature competition entry, Baby Doe. In this jaw-dropping doc, a woman who gave birth and then left the baby in the woods tells her story. The review.
—"Engrossing and eye-opening." Caryn reviews Grace Hughes-Hallett's SXSW documentary feature competition entry, The Secret of Me. Hughes-Hallett, a producer of Three Identical Strangers, directs this similarly themed account of destructive social experiments and identity in relation to intersex children. The review.
In other news...
—The Last of Us S2 official trailer revealed
—You S5 official trailer sees Penn Badgley risking it all in the killer finale
—Kevin Smith penning Archie Meets Jay & Silent Bob comic
What else we're reading...
—Aatish Bhatia and Irineo Cabreros have produced 30 charts that show how Covid-19 changed everything [NYT]
—Harassed by DOGE, Isaac Stanley-Becker reports that the FAA’s troubles are more serious than we know [Atlantic]
—Nicole Narea writes that Trump is shredding the First Amendment under the guise of “national security” [Vox]
—In an interview for a French newspaper, JD Vance is slammed by his own cousin who fought in Ukraine [Daily Beast]
—Khadeeja Safdar has an exposé on Gloria Allred, with claims that the star attorney's public persona as a feminist crusader clashes with her tactics used on her own clients [WSJ]
Today...
...in 1997, Buffy the Vampire Slayer was brought to television by The WB. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Bad Bunny (31), Olivia Wilde (41), Jon Hamm (54), Sharon Stone (67), Chuck Norris (85), Rafe Spall (42), Jasmine Guy (63), Danny Pudi (46), Emily Osment (33), Paget Brewster (56), Bree Turner (48), Shannon Tweed (68), Dave Sheridan (56), Edi Gathegi (46), Jeff Branson (48), Thomas Middleditch (43), Gregory Scott Cummins (69), Madeleine Arthur (28), Jay Wilkison (47), Mace Coronel (21), Sawyer Spielberg (33), César Domboy (35), Aloma Wright (75), Ser'Darius Blain (38), Ego Nwodim (37), Déborah Révy (38), Malachi Barton (18), Uriah Shelton (28), Landon Liboiron (34), Scott Frank (65), Richard Gant (81), Grace Victoria Cox (30), Cooper Andrews (40), Malika Haqq (42), Kendall Cross (53), Cristián de la Fuente (51), Bailey Patrick (38), Natasha Alam (52) |
| D’Wayne Wiggins, a founding member of the Grammy-nominated group Tony! Toni! Tone! behind the classic 1990s jams “Anniversary,” “It Never Rains (In Southern California)” and “(Lay Your Head on My) Pillow,” has died. He was 64. The obituary. |
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