Let’s talk about the top stories in Hollywood this week!
MGM’s No Time to Die made its U.S. debut this weekend, grossing $56M and making it one of the top 5 highest domestic openings of the year. Sony’s Venom: Let There Be Carnage came in second with an additional $32M in its second week. Rounding out the top 5 are The Addams Family 2 with $10M, Shang-Chi bringing in $4.2M and the Sopranos prequel, The Many Saints of Newark with $1.45M. (Noovie)
Movie lovers of all ages are returning to theaters to experience their favorite films on the big screen. For the second straight weekend, the domestic box office grossed $100M. Numbers show No Time to Die brought out audiences aged 35 and over in significant numbers. In an internal poll, MGM found 57% of the audiences were over 35 and 36% were 45 and above. MGM also reported 25% of the audiences were returning to theaters for the first time since the pandemic began. (The Wrap)
Halloween is here and, of course, Jamie Lee Curtis is joining the festivities! At the costume party premiere of Halloween Kills, Curtis honored her mother, Janet Leigh, by dressing up as her classic character, Marion Crane, in the film, Psycho. Halloween Kills is the sequel in Blumhouse’s reboot trilogy and the twelfth Halloween film overall. The film follows three generations of Strode women as they team up with the survivors of Haddonfield, III to face off against the unstoppable Michael Myers. The horror film, which hits theaters this weekend, stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Andy Matichak, Nick Castle, Anthony Michael Hall, and three returning faces from the original 1978 film, Kyle Richards, Charles Cyphers, and Nancy Stephens. (Variety)
Jodie Comer hopes to give her latest character a voice in the upcoming film, The Last Duel. While at the Saturday night New York premiere, Comer shared with Variety the film really grabbed her attention after learning that the creators’ main focus was to give her character, Marguerite de Carrouges, the opportunity to speak her truth. Marguerite de Carrouges is a French noblewoman in the late 1300s who is raped by her husband’s friend and testifies in court. The accused knight, played by Adam Driver, denies the crime, which results in Matt Damon’s character, Jean de Carrouges, challenging him to a trial by a duel to the death. However, if de Carrouges loses the duel, the last to be legally sanctioned in France, his wife will be burned as punishment. “The more we learned about this culture in medieval France, the more incredible she became,” Damon told Variety. The film opens in theaters this weekend. (Variety)
Are you ready for Scream? Paramount has released the first trailer for the bloody horror film, Scream 5, revealing Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox and David Arquette will return alongside a few new cast members. The trailer opens with a scene mirroring Drew Barrymore’s 1996’s Scream opening. This go-round Ghostface texts newcomer Tara, played by Jenna Ortega, before disabling her alarm system. Watch how it all plays out in the full trailer here. The film is set to hit theaters January 14, 2022. (Noovie)
For those who aren’t fans of horror films, Paramount also just released the final full-length trailer for Clifford the Big Red Dog. Starring Jack Whitehall and Darby Camp, the live-action adaptation is the latest iteration of the beloved Scholastic icon. Emily Elizabeth’s life, played by Camp, takes an unexpected turn after meeting Mr. Bridwell, a magical animal rescuer. Mr. Bridwell, played by John Cleese, introduces Elizabeth to a tiny red puppy, who she becomes fascinated by. Little did she know, she would wake up to the puppy taking over her room. Take a look at their Big Apple adventures in the latest trailer. Catch Clifford in theaters on November 10th. (ScreenRant)
And check out Noovie.com for all the latest movie news, trailers, and more, and be sure to follow WhatsNoovie on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more updates.
You can also level up your movie obsession with the new Noovie Trivia app! Test your movie knowledge with multiple ways to play, including Name That Movie, Shuffle, and Motion Picks. Take on other movie fans in a head-to-head battle or embark on a solo quest to answer as many questions as you can. New challenges are added every day, and the more you play, the more points you earn to unlock more trivia, build your profile, and access exclusive content.
Simu Liu stars in this weekend’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Let’s talk about the top stories in Hollywood this week!
Jordan Peele’s Candyman exceeded this weekend’s box office expectations with a $22.3M opening. With its debut at number 1,Candyman has the third best opening for the final weekend of August, trailing only behind 2009’s Final Destination ($27.4M) and 2016’s Don’t Breathe ($26.4M). 20th Century Studios’ theater exclusive, Free Guy took the number 2 spot earning an additional $13.5M for the weekend. PAW Patrol: The Movie landed in third with $6.6M, while Jungle Cruise ended the weekend in fourth place with $5M, and Don’t Breathe 2 rounded out the top 5 with $2.8M. (Noovie)
In celebration of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ theatrical release this weekend, Gold House Foundation is partnering with GoFundMe to launch the Shang-Chi Gold Open Community Fund. The fund will raise money to sponsor private screenings of the historic film for the API community and nonprofit groups. Gold House, an Asian American Pacific Islander nonprofit, will also donate to organizations and fundraisers who participate in the #shangchichallenge, which was started by Ron Han and Black Panther Challenge creator Frederick Joseph to help kids in the Boys & Girls Club and other underserved API youth a chance to see a hero that looks like them on the big screen. To contribute to the fund, visit their GoFundMe. (The Hollywood Reporter)
A final trailer for No Time To Diehas arrived in preparation of its debut next month. The 007 trailer begins with a look back at Bond’s history and what has brought him to this point. The movie follows Bond as his retirement in Jamaica comes to a halt when his old friend Felix Leiter turns up asking for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology. Daniel Craig will star alongside Rami Malek, Léa Seydoux, Lashana Lynch, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Jeffrey Wright, Christoph Waltz and Ralph Fiennes as “M”. No Time To Die is set to hit U.S. theaters on October 8th. Click to watch the full trailer on the James Bond YouTube channel. (Deadline)
The largest gathering of movie theater owners from around the world, took over Caesar’s Palacein Las Vegas this weekend. Studios including Lionsgate, Warner Bros., Paramount, Universal, and others gathered at the 2021 CinemaCon for a weekend of industry-focused panels, previews of upcoming movies, presentations and more. During one of the many panels of the weekend, Patty Jenkins, director of Wonder Woman, received an enthusiastic applause while she urged Hollywood studios to commit to the big screen experience as the industry emerges from the pandemic. “One studio should plant a flag and make a huge commitment to the theatrical experience and the filmmakers will go there,” Jenkins said. The director also shared she makes movies for the big screen experience and suggested that talent should also be involved in the decisions. (The Hollywood Reporter)
Calling all DC Comic lovers – DC FanDome will return this fall! The virtual event brings together the stars and creators of DC properties, from across feature films, TV series, games and comics, to offer comic book enthusiasts free access to breaking news, exclusive trailers and never-before-seen footage. Fans will be able to tune in to the event on Oct. 16 at 10 a.m. PT on either the official website or via Twitch, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. A new trailer for The Batman, clips from DC League of Super-Pets, a behind-the-scenes look at Jason Momoa in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom plus many more will be shown at this year’s event. There’s also a kid-friendly experience aimed at young superhero buffs taking place on the same day. DC Kids Fandome will launch on its own website and will show sneak peaks of upcoming DC animated adventures. This is the second year DC FanDome will be held virtually due to the pandemic. Last August attendees were provided first looks at Pattinson as the next Batman, as well as James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad and Zack Snyder’s cut of Justice League. (Variety)
Speaking of Batman, you can now add the Batmobile to your LEGO collection! Batman fans can pre-order the infamous vehicle from Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy as a LEGO set. This version of the Batmobile first appeared in the reboot of the 2005 Batman franchise, Batman Begins, and was again featured in 2008’s The Dark Knight and then again in 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises. The set, which was designed more for display than play, consists of over 2000 pieces, including minifigures of Batman and The Joker. The new edition of The Dark Knight‘s Batmobile will ship on November 1st. To pre-order or check out images of this collectible, visit the LEGO website. (Screenrant)
And check out Noovie.com for all the latest movie news, trailers, and more, and be sure to follow WhatsNoovie on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more updates.
You can also level up your movie obsession with the new Noovie Trivia app! Test your movie knowledge with multiple ways to play, including Name That Movie, Shuffle, and Motion Picks. Take on other movie fans in a head-to-head battle or embark on a solo quest to answer as many questions as you can. New challenges are added every day, and the more you play, the more points you earn to unlock more trivia, build your profile, and access exclusive content.
Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt star in this weekend’s Jungle Cruise.
Let’s talk about the top stories in Hollywood this week!
Universal’s Old landed in the top spot at this weekend’s box office with a $16.5 million opening. This debut marks the seventh film from director M. Night Shyamalan to earn first place at the box office. Paramount’s Snake Eyes brought in $13.4 million while Disney’s Black Widow followed up in the third spot with a $11.6 million weekend. Space Jam: A New Legacy and F9 rounded out the top five bringing in $9.7 million and $4.7 million. (Noovie)
Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt will star in Jungle Cruiseopening in theaters this weekend. The film, which is based on the Disney theme park ride, follows a morally doubtful riverboat captain, played by Johnson, who takes an intrepid British scientist, played by Blunt, and her brother, played by Jack Whitehall, on a mission to find the Tree of Life, which is believed to possess healing powers. The family-friendly fantasy adventure is expected to generate at least $25 million in domestic theaters this weekend. A24’s medieval fantasy drama The Green Knight starring Dev Patel, and the Focus Features dramatic thriller Stillwater starring Matt Damon, will also hit theaters this weekend. (Variety)
In celebration of Stillwater’s opening weekend, Focus Features and L.A. Times studios have teamed up to produce a new five-episode podcast called “Convicted: Across Borders,” hosted by attorney and author Marcia Clark. The podcast will examine crimes allegedly committed by US citizens while traveling internationally and will interview those who have been affected, including those convicted, their families and foreign policy experts. In Stillwater, Matt Damon plays an Oklahoman construction worker whose daughter, played by Abigail Breslin, is convicted of murder in France. The first episode launched earlier this week on streaming platforms and will continue to release every Thursday until August 19th. (Variety)
Jordan Peele took to Twitter to announce his next horror film, Nope.The tweet, which featured the movie poster, revealed Get Out actor and Oscar-winner Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer and Steven Yeun will all star in the “new terror.” Barbie Ferreira, Michael Wincott and Brandon Perea are also set to star in the film. Details are quite limited; however, the film is scheduled to be released in theaters with select sequences filmed in IMAX, on July 22, 2022. To see the poster, check out Peele’s twitter. Peele is also a producer and writer on the upcoming horror film Candyman set to release on August 27th. The film is a “spiritual sequel” of the 1992 horror film Candyman. (TheWrap)
The Toronto International Film Festival has revealed the list of films featured in their contemporary world cinema and discovery programs. A few of the contemporary world cinema films include director Wen Shipei’s Are You Lonesome Tonight, Lorenzo Vigas’ The Box, Manuel Martín Cuenca’s The Daughter and Bouli Lanners’ Nobody Has to Know. The festival also unveiled their new series, Rewind, a series of free digital talks with filmmakers and casts of popular films. This year’s speakers include Training Day’s Antoine Fuqua, Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara of Best in Show, and Viggo Mortensen of the 2007 drama, Eastern Promises. The festival happening September 9th-18th will return to in-person screenings this year as well as digital and outdoor premieres to accommodate the movie lovers who are unable to travel to Canada. For the list of the newly added contemporary world cinema and discovery programs, click here. (Variety)
Batman has gotten an upgrade – well at least the Batsuit and Batcycle has! Photos from the set of The Flash reveal Ben Affleck’s Batman has received some updates. Take a look at the pictures here taken in London. The Flash will introduce audiences to the idea of the multiverse, which is the shifting number of alternate universes that coexist within the larger reality depicted in DC comics. Originally created to explain various contradictory changes the company’s characters experienced over decades, it allows several different versions of the same characters to simultaneously exist and, occasionally, interact. (TheWrap)
MGM has released the trailer for Flag Day which stars Sean Penn and his daughter Dylan Penn. The father-daughter duo will star alongside Josh Brolin, Norbert Leo Butz, Dale Dickey, Eddie Marsan and Bailey Noble. The film, which is also directed by Sean Penn, is adapted from Jennifer Vogel’s memoir Flim-Flam Man: The True Story of My Father’s Counterfeit Life. Dylan Penn plays Vogel across two decades as she comes of age while navigating a fraught relationship with her beloved, career criminal father, played by Sean Penn. Hopper Jack Penn, who also happens to be Sean Penn’s son, will play the brother, and Katheryn Winnick is the mom. Following its premiere in Competition at the Cannes Festival, the film will have a limited release in theaters on August 20th. (Deadline)
Will Smith will play the father of tennis legends, Venus and Serena Williams, in the upcoming Warner Bros.’ film King Richard. The newly released trailer begins with Richard Williams arriving home to see that their family has received a call from a social worker, who has heard that his two daughters spend too much time on the court and not enough time on their schoolwork. Richard passionately defends his family and his belief in his daughters that they will go far. The film also stars Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton as the teenage Venus and Serena alongside Jon Bernthal, Tony Goldwyn and Dylan McDermott. Smith produced the film along with Tim and Trevor White, with Serena and Venus Williams serving as executive producers with Jada Pinkett Smith, James Lassiter, Adam Merims, Lynn Harris, Allan Mandelbaum, Jon Mone and Peter Dodd. The film makes its way to theaters and HBO Max on November 19th. Watch the trailer here. (TheWrap)
Since we’re talking about trailers, our friends over at Noovie recently compiled a list of the top 10 trending movie trailers to watch. A variety of animated, horror and comedic films made the list including Lamb, opening October 8th, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, opening November 11th and The Last Duel, which opens October 15th. To see the full list of trailers, click here. (Noovie)
And check out Noovie.com for all the latest movie news, trailers, and more, and be sure to follow WhatsNoovie on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more updates. You can also level up your movie obsession with the new Noovie Trivia app! Test your movie knowledge with multiple ways to play, including Name That Movie, Shuffle, and Motion Picks. Take on other movie fans in a head-to-head battle or embark on a solo quest to answer as many questions as you can. New challenges are added every day, and the more you play, the more points you earn to unlock more trivia, build your profile, and access exclusive content.
The G.I. Joe spinoff, Snake Eyes, hits theaters this weekend.
Let’s talk about the top stories in Hollywood this week!
Space Jam 2 slam dunked its way into the number 1 spot its opening weekend! The animated sequel starring Lebron James generated over $31 million, a pandemic-era best! Landing in second place at this week’s box office was Marvel’s Black Widow with $26 million bringing it’s second week total to over $130 million. Sony’s Escape Room: Tournament of Champions rounded out the third spot at $8.8 million. (Noovie)
Speaking of the box office, two new films will be hitting theaters nationwide this weekend – Paramount’s Snake Eyes and Universal’s Old. Directed by Robert Schwentke, Snake Eyes is the third installment of the G.I. Joe franchise. The PG-13 film, which stars Henry Golding as the famous G.I. Joe, picks up as Golding is trained by an ancient Japanese ninja clan. M. Night Shyamalan’s Old is based on the 2011 novel Sandcastle. The film stars Gael Garcia Bernal, Vicky Krieps and Alex Wolff, who quickly learn their family tropical vacation is somehow causing them to rapidly age, resulting in their lives being reduced to a single day. (Variety)
Keira Knightley has joined the cast of the animated drama, Charlotte. Set to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, the cast also includes Brenda Blethyn, Jim Broadbent, Sam Claflin, Henry Czerny, Eddie Marsan, Sophie Okonedo, Mark Strong and the late Helen McCrory. The film is based on the true story of the German-Jewish artist Charlotte Salomon’s autobiographical painting series, “Life? Or Theatre?” Salomon created this series on the eve of WWII, while hiding from the Nazis. She was later captured in 1943 and deported to the Auschwitz concentration camp, where she was gassed to death shortly after her arrival. (The Wrap)
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has added 3x Emmy-nominated Michaela Coel to the cast! Details are very limited on her new role, but we do know the Ryan Coogler film has begun filming at the Pinewood Studios in Atlanta. The Marvel sequel film is set to release July 8, 2022 – without T’Challa. In efforts to honor the late Chadwick Boseman, the T’Challa character will not be recast in future films but instead the sequel will explore the world of Wakanda and the rich characters introduced in the first film. The 2018 Black Panther generated $1.3 billion worldwide at the box office. (The Wrap)
2x Emmy winner Merritt Wever is set to star in the upcoming indie film, Midday Black Midnight Blue. Wever will be joining the cast alongside Dale Soule and Shane McRae, Chris Stack, Will Pullen and McCaleb Burnett. Isolated in an empty house on the edge of Puget Sound, Ian played by Stack, remains stuck in long-held grief and shame over the loss of Liv, played by Soule, a woman he loved dearly who died nearly two decades ago. Liv’s sister Beth, played by Wever, a woman with ghosts of her own, is the first to see how far Ian has slipped away from reality. With the memory of Liv clamoring to be released, and his daily existence turning ever darker, Ian will have to find a way to let her go, even if it kills him. The film will be Samantha Soule and Daniel Talbott feature debut. (Deadline)
The cast of The Devil Wears Prada will be reuniting for a good cause next month. In partnership with CharityBuzz and the Lollipop Theater Network, fans will have the opportunity to bid on a 10-minute Zoom meet-and-greet with Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci for 2 people. The Charitybuzz auction benefits the Lollipop Theater Network, a 20-year-old organization that creates entertainment experiences for children facing life-threatening illnesses. The Devil Wears Prada is a 2006 American comedy-drama film starring Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly, a powerful fashion magazine editor, and Anne Hathaway as Andrea “Andy” Sachs, a college graduate who goes to New York City and lands a job as Priestly’s co-assistant. To place your bid, visit charitybuzz.com/thedevilwearsprada. (Variety)
San Diego Comic-Con is back – virtually again! This year the “largest fan gathering in North America” will take place across three days, July 23-25 featuring a ton of virtual panels. However, there is word that an in-person special edition Comic-Con is will take place the weekend after Thanksgiving. Some of the virtual panels happening this weekend include cast and crews from Star Trek: Prodigy, and Star Wars: The High Republic. During their panel, LucasFilm is promising to preview new details from their upcoming book series High Republic including a panel with authors Claudia Gray, Charles Soule, Cavan Scott, Justina Ireland and Daniel José Older. The books are said to depict events hundreds of years before the Skywalker Saga. To see the full schedule of panels, visit the Comic-Con website. (Variety)
Lionsgate has joined the world of NFTs! NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, are digital assets whose ownership is certified by blockchain technology. The “non-fungible” part means they are not interchangeable in the way currency is. NFTs can be bought and sold, typically via auction format, with the bragging rights to owning exclusive digital content, often resulting in extremely high prices. Just think of it as limited-edition artwork or baseball cards. Autograph, which is an NFT platform co-founded by NFL player Tom Brady, recently announced they’ve partnered with Lionsgate to create NFTs in the entertainment realm – specifically film and TV. They will initially focus on the John Wick, Hunger Games, Twilight Saga, Mad Men and Dirty Dancing franchises. While Autograph’s NFT platform is set to launch later this summer, users can sign up now to be members of the early access platform. Warner Bros. has also entered the NFT world and released a collection of 91,000 limited-edition NFTs featuring characters from Space Jam: A New Legacy, including star LeBron James, for free! Those who signed up on the Nifty’s NFT platform were able to receive a collectible from the newly released animated film. (Variety)
And check out Noovie.com for all the latest movie news, trailers, and more, and be sure to follow WhatsNoovie on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more updates.
You can also level up your movie obsession with the new Noovie Trivia app! Test your movie knowledge with multiple ways to play, including Name That Movie, Shuffle, and Motion Picks. Take on other movie fans in a head-to-head battle or embark on a solo quest to answer as many questions as you can. New challenges are added every day, and the more you play, the more points you earn to unlock more trivia, build your profile, and access exclusive content.
LeBron James and Bugs Bunny got game in theaters this weekend in Space Jam: A New Legacy
Let’s talk about the top stories in Hollywood this week!
Black Widow crossed the $100 million mark at the domestic box office in six days, making it the fastest to do so during the pandemic. Black Widow joins other titles in the pandemic’s century club including Universal’s F9 (8 days to the mark), Paramount’s A Quiet Place Part II (15 days), and Warner Bros/Legendary’s Godzilla vs. Kong (12 weekends). It’ll be a showdown between Disney’s and Marvel’s Black Widow and the Warner Bros. sequel Space Jam: A New Legacy at the domestic box office, with Scarlett Johansson’s superhero adventure poised to reclaim the top spot. After Black Widow opened on July 9 to $80 million in North America, a record for COVID times, the comic book adaptation is projected to add $24 million to $28 million in its second weekend of release. (Deadline, Variety)
Also new to theaters this weekend is Sony’s horror movie Escape Room: Tournament of Champions. The PG-13 film, a follow up to the 2019 thriller Escape Room, is expected to generate $7 million to $10 million from 2,775 locations over the weekend. A flashback to the halcyon days where people weren’t scared to gather in enclosed spaces, Escape Room 2 follows six people who unwittingly find themselves locked in another series of, you guessed it, escape rooms. Escape Room: Tournament of Champions got off to a good start and earned $1.2 million in Thursday night previews at the box office from early shows. (Variety, The Wrap)
Nicolas Cage knows how to get the best performances out of his co-stars — even if that co-star is a pig. The Oscar winner reveals what it took to get Brandy, the pig that plays his truffle-hunting porker in the new Neon drama Pig to act on cue. “Brandy was very payment oriented, she liked to eat,” Cage told Variety at the movie’s premiere on Tuesday at the Nuart Theatre in Los Angeles. “If I needed to go and get her to hit her marks, some food would be put down. And if I needed a soulful expression, I’d put a carrot behind the camera, and she’d look at the carrot and the carrot made her look at me with love.” Brandy had no acting experience before Pig. Writer-director Michael Sarnoski found her at a local farm near where they were shooting in Portland, Oregon because they couldn’t afford to hire a trained pig. “There are trained acting pigs,” he said. “We just found one on a farm and said you are adorable, and you have a great personality and said, ‘Would you like to be in our movie?’ And she said, ‘Oink,’ so we went with it.” Catch Brandy’s big screen debut in theaters this weekend! (Variety)
PepsiCo and Regal Cinemas are working hard to evoke theater nostalgia that will get people buying movie tickets, buttery popcorn and fountain soda again with a new ad campaign featuring a faux movie trailer to remind people that there’s no pause button on the big screen. With Gen Z audiences ready to go back to the movies, many brands and media buyers are confident in the future of the business. According to Scott Finlow, CMO of PepsiCo Global Food Service, consumers are still attached to the “unapologetic enjoyment” that comes with going to the theater. “Consumers are now valuing experiences to a greater degree,” he said to Adweek. “There is a pent-up demand to go to the movies and we finally get to celebrate that with Regal.” (Adweek)
More stars are heading to Secret Headquarters. Riverdale actor Charles Melton and Tony winner Jessie Mueller are set for the project from Paramount and Jerry Bruckheimer, along with Dustin Ingram and Levy Tran. They are joining an already announced cast that includes Owen Wilson, Michael Peña and Jesse Williams, among others. The high-concept project is described as “Home Alone set in the Batcave.” Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, who recently helmed the Netflix feature Project Power, will direct from a script they wrote with Josh Koenigsberg, based on a story by Christopher Yost. Paramount has set an Aug. 12, 2022, release for Secret Headquarters. (The Hollywood Reporter)
Antonio Banderas is Harrison Ford’s newest co-star in the anticipated next installment in the Indiana Jones franchise. The Oscar-nominated Banderas has closed a deal to join the film to star alongside Ford, who returns as our favorite archaeologist, and an all-star ensemble that includes Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Boyd Holbrook and Shaunette Renée Wilson. For Banderas, the film marks another major franchise for the international star. Production on Indiana Jones 5 is currently underway, with the film set to bow on July 29, 2022. Plot details are still vague on what new adventure awaits Jones, as are details behind who Banderas will be playing. (Deadline)
Bill Murray is among the cast of Wes Anderson’s new film that will begin production in Spain in August. Sources close to the project have confirmed Murray’s casting. The as-yet-untitled film also stars Tilda Swinton, and although the film is shooting in Spain, “it’s not about Spain,” Swinton has hinted. Meanwhile Anderson had said he’s “not ready to share any details” about the new film. Murray and Swinton co-stared in Anderson’s The French Dispatch, which recently had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. Murray is an old Anderson hand — besides the new Spain project and The French Dispatch, the duo have also worked together on Isle of Dogs, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Moonrise Kingdom, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Darjeeling Limited, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The Royal Tenenbaums, and Rushmore. (Variety)
Universal Pictures has set a release date for She Said, the film about the Harvey Weinstein investigation starring Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan. The film will hit theaters on November 18, 2022, the studio announced Thursday. Mulligan and Kazan star in She Said as New York Times reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor, who broke the Weinstein scandal and helped usher in the #MeToo movement. Unorthodox director Maria Schrader will direct. Rebecca Lenkiewicz is writing the script. The film will be based on the New York Times bestseller She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement. It will begin production this summer. (The Wrap)
Tamera Kissen has signed on for New Line’s reimagining of House Party. She joins previously announced cast members Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Tosin Cole, Karen Obilom, DC Young Fly, Shakira Ja’nai Paye, Andrew Santino and Bill Bellamy in the film, which The SpringHill Company is producing for HBO Max. The original 1990 comedy watched as high schooler Christopher (Christopher “Kid” Reid) snuck out to his friend Peter’s (Christopher “Play” Martin) house party, for a wild night of music and fun. The movie was a surprise box office hit for New Line, and is credited with helping launch hip-hop into the mainstream. It also launched the career of writer/director Reginald Hudlin, and those of actors Reid, Martin, Tisha Martin-Campbell, Martin Lawrence, A.J. Johnson, Daryl “Chill” Mitchell and Full Force (Paul Anthony, Bowlegged Lou and B-Fine). (Deadline)
And check out Noovie.com for all the latest movie news, trailers, and more, and be sure to follow WhatsNoovie on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more updates.
You can also level up your movie obsession with the new Noovie Trivia app! Test your movie knowledge with multiple ways to play, including Name That Movie, Shuffle, and Motion Picks. Take on other movie fans in a head-to-head battle or embark on a solo quest to answer as many questions as you can. New challenges are added every day, and the more you play, the more points you earn to unlock more trivia, build your profile, and access exclusive content.
Scarlett Johansson smashes the box office in the first Marvel movie in theaters in two years.
Let’s talk about the top stories in Hollywood this week!
Universal’s F9 easily won the holiday weekend box office and hit the $500M mark globally, a milestone as it becomes the first Hollywood movie to do so during the pandemic era, and the first since any studio film originally released during 2019. “They were waiting to see if audiences had an appetite for going back into that theater, and, well, what we just saw over the past couple of weekends, that answer is yes!” This weekend, the industry finally crossed a massive goal post: with the July 4th holiday being celebrated across the country, and a nice wide variety of titles to choose from available on the big screen, this was the first weekend since the start of the pandemic that all 10 films in the box office Top 10 made more than one million dollars. (Noovie.com, GMA, Deadline, CinemaBlend)
After 737 days, Marvel fans will be filling up movie theaters again this weekend with the domestic release of Black Widow. The first Marvel movie in two years will open on 4,100 screens and enters, like almost all MCU films, with strong reviews. In addition, Fandango reported that the film is not only setting new highs on its site for post-pandemic presales but is also outperforming MCU films like Doctor Strange, which opened to $85 million in November 2016, and Spider-Man: Homecoming, which opened to $117 million in July 2017. There’s clearly been a lot of pent-up demand for all things MCU — Black Widow has already grossed a mighty $13.2 million in Thursday previews and is widely expected to dominated weekend ticket sales. Together with two days’ worth of offshore money of $22.4 million, Disney/Marvel’s Black Widow stands at a running global tally of $35.6 million. Industry estimates forecasted that the standalone MCU title starring Scarlett Johansson could reach a height of $140 million. (Box Office, The Wrap, CNBC, Variety, Deadline)
For the first time since May 2019, the Cannes International Film Festival has kicked off in the South of France. The COVID-delayed festival features 24 films from around the world vying for the top prize, the coveted Palme d’Or award. A return to Cannes even made Matt Damon misty. The 50-year-old actor swooped into the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday night with Stillwater, a Focus Features drama directed by Spotlight’s Tom McCarthy. As the credits rolled, Damon started to tear up at the ecstatic cheers from the crowd. “I was a little overwhelmed last night, and I’m really glad that we’re here this year,” Damon said. “Because I think we’ll all look back and remember this moment of launching out of COVID — and what a way to do it. To be in the same room with 1,000 other people who are strangers but are also part of the same community because we all love the same thing — it was such a great reminder of why we do this. To be together like this!” In the film, he plays a stoic Oklahoma construction worker whose daughter (Abigail Breslin) is imprisoned for murder in France, after being convicted of killing her ex-girlfriend while studying abroad. As years and expensive lawyers add up (in a scenario reminiscent of the Amanda Knox case), Damon’s character Bill Baker works tirelessly to prove his child’s innocence and befriends a single mom (Camille Cottin) and her daughter (Lilou Siauvaud) along the way. Stillwater will open in theaters on July 30. (USA Today, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter)
Kick-Ass and Kingsman director Matthew Vaughn has set an all-star cast for what will be his next film, a spy thriller called Argylle. Henry Cavill, Bryce Dallas Howard, Samuel L. Jackson, Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston, Catherine O’Hara, and John Cena. Pop star Dua Lipa will also star in the project in her first film role, and she will provide original music for the title track and score. The film comes from Vaughn’s production company MARV, and the company has set plans to begin filming on Argylle this August in Europe. (The Wrap)
Oscar-nominated filmmaker Greta Gerwig has officially signed on to direct Barbie, the highly-anticipated big-screen take on the iconic Mattel doll’s story, starring Margot Robbie. Gerwig has been on board the Warner Bros. project since 2019, when the actor and filmmaker signed on to co-write the movie’s script with Noah Baumbach. Not much has been revealed about the movie’s plot, including details about exactly which of Barbie’s plastic playmates will appear (What about Ken? Skipper? Christie?). But Robbie previously said that the movie serves as “a great opportunity to put some positivity out in the world and a chance to be aspirational for younger kids.” (Variety)
Walt Disney Animation Studios has released the first trailer, poster and images from its forthcoming Encanto, the tale of a super-powered family hidden in the mountains of Colombia. The film is out in theaters November 24, 2021, with new music from Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda. Encanto is the story of an extraordinary family, the Madrigals, who live hidden in the mountains of Colombia in a magical house, in a vibrant town, in a wondrous, charmed place called an Encanto. The film features the voice of Stephanie Beatriz as Mirabel, an ordinary 15-year-old who’s struggling to find her place in her family. In the film, the magic of the Encanto has blessed every child in the family with a unique gift, from super strength to the power to heal—every child except one, Mirabel. But when she discovers that the magic surrounding the Encanto is in danger, Mirabel decides that she, the only ordinary Madrigal, might just be her exceptional family’s last hope. The voice cast also includes María Cecilia Botero, Wilmer Valderrama, Adassa, Diane Guerrero, Mauro Castillo, Angie Cepeda, Jessica Darrow, Rhenzy Feliz and Carolina Gaitan. (Deadline)
Sebastian de Souza, Tom Hollander, and Shohreh Aghdashloo are set to star in the long-awaited film adaptation of Paulo Coelho’s popular novel The Alchemist. The project, set to start production in Morroco in September, has seen a road to the screen as slow and winding as the traveler’s journey in Coelho’s philosophical book. Will Smith’s Westbrook Studios, Netter Films and PalmStar Media are producing the movie, which is directed by Kevin Frakes. De Souza will play the role of the Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago, alongside Hollander and Aghdashloo. The ensemble cast includes Jordi Molla, Youssef Kerkour and Ashraf Barhom. The film’s cast and crew will aim at the authenticity of the story’s setting in Spain and North Africa, as well as the diversity of a global and diverse production. (The Hollywood Reporter)
Kirsten Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste are taking extreme couponing to a new level! In the first trailer for the upcoming comedy Queenpins, which is based on a true “robin hood” story, Bell stars as Connie, a suburban housewife who starts an illegal coupon club alongside her best friend JoJo (Howell-Baptiste). The comedic film follows the two women as they decide to hatch an illegal scam after one letter of complaint to a conglomerate yields dozens of freebies. However, while scamming millions in order to pass on savings to their fellow coupon clippers, the pair attract the attention of a loss prevention officer (Paul Walter Houser) as well as a U.S. Postal Inspector (Vince Vaughn). Queenpins will premiere in theaters on September 10. (People)
An official trailer for She Ball, a sports comedy-drama directed, co-written by and starring Nick Cannon, dropped Thursday. The film, which was announced in 2017 and previously shown in a brief teaser, follows Avery Watts (Cannon), who enlists a talented basketball player (Melody Rae) to help him win the grand prize in a street ball tournament and save the embattled Inglewood community center that he manages. At the same time, he’s trying to raise his seven-year-old daughter. She Ball’s cast includes Chris Brown, Rosa Acosta, K.D. Aubert, Delpha Baxter, Evan Ross, Cedric the Entertainer, DC Young Fly and Bryan “Birdman” Williams. The movie also features new music from Brown, Stevie Wonder, Lil Wayne, Birdman, Roddy Ricch and Kierra Sheard. She Ball will release in theaters on August 6 (The Hollywood Reporter)
And check out Noovie.com for all the latest movie news, trailers, and more, and be sure to follow WhatsNoovie on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more updates.
You can also level up your movie obsession with the new Noovie Trivia app! Test your movie knowledge with multiple ways to play, including Name That Movie, Shuffle, and Motion Picks. Take on other movie fans in a head-to-head battle or embark on a solo quest to answer as many questions as you can. New challenges are added every day, and the more you play, the more points you earn to unlock more trivia, build your profile, and access exclusive content.
And now, every Wednesday night at 9:00 p.m. ET, don’t miss the new HQ Movie Trivia Night on the HQ Trivia app (Apple and Android) in partnership with Noovie, featuring cash prizes for movie fans!
The Bigger Picture 