“Spider-Man: Homecoming” swung past expectations, opening with an estimated $117 million in North America and giving a Sony Pictures a much needed hit. “Homecoming” was one of the biggest tests yet for the notion that domestic moviegoers are growing weary of sequels and reboots and suffering so-called “franchise fatigue.” ″Homecoming” kicks off the third “Spider-Man” … Read more
Oscar-winning filmmaker Ron Howard has been brought in to complete the hotly-anticipated “Star Wars” Han Solo spinoff after directing duo Phil Lord and Chris Miller were sacked, Lucasfilm said Thursday. Lord and Miller, the pair behind the acclaimed “The LEGO Movie” and “21 Jump Street,” were dropped after clashing with the studio’s chief Kathleen Kennedy … Read more
Disney and Pixar’s “Cars 3” dominated North American box office with an estimated 53.5 million U. S. dollars during its debut weekend, racing past “Wonder Woman” to the first place. “Cars 3” earned 21.3 million U. S. dollars internationally, and the combined total income is 74.8 million U.S. dollars, according to studio figures collected by … Read more
The date was 1977, and no one had yet worn a copper bikini to bed, made “whooshing” lightsaber noises with a broomstick or yelled “May the Fourth be with you” at strangers. But that was all about to change as a 33-year-old Californian filmmaker named George Walton Lucas Jr. prepared to release his third feature … Read more
A color-coded, spandex-coutured smorgasbord of high camp and heroics, “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” has stood astride popular culture for a quarter-century as one of television’s most successful franchises. The show — which premiered in 1993 and promptly became a global hit, supported by a vast range of toys, video games and comics — is on … Read more
Eight decades since furry wrecking machine King Kong first stomped into theaters, the giant ape with a predilection for bottle-blonde damsels in distress makes his cinematic comeback this weekend. “Kong: Skull Island” is expected to be a huge worldwide hit, leveraging a global fan base built up through a series of sequels, reboots and spin-offs … Read more
Silicon Valley crashed Hollywood’s biggest awards show on Sunday as Amazon.com Inc (AMZN. O) and Netflix Inc (NFLX.O) collected the first Academy Awards for streaming services while independent studio A24 won the coveted best picture Oscar. After upending television with acclaimed online series, Amazon and Netflix joined the ranks of the film industry’s elites with … Read more
The Lego Batman Movie has spanked Fifty Shades Darker in a battle of the sequels at the US box office. The Lego Movie follow-up took the top spot with $55.6m (£44.4m), while Fifty Shades Darker attracted $46.8m (£37.4m), according to estimates. Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan both reprised their Fifty Shades of Grey roles, but … Read more
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story has taken $290.5m (£232.8m) globally on its opening weekend. North America accounted for about half of the Star Wars spin-off’s total, making $155m, according to box office analyst Exhibitor Relations. That gave the film the second-best December opening weekend in both the UK and the US and Canada on … Read more
Tyler Perry’s new comedy has beaten Tom Cruise’s latest Jack Reacher movie to the top of the US box office. Boo! A Madea Halloween, which Perry directed, wrote, co-produced and stars in, took $27.6m (£22.6m) on its opening weekend. Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, the second film in the franchise, debuted at number two with … Read more
Bridget Jones’s return to the big screen has entered the North American box office chart in third place, behind Tom Hanks’ Sully and Blair Witch. Renee Zellweger’s reprisal of her romantic heroine after 12 years in Bridget Jones’s Baby made $8.2m (£6.2m), according to studio estimates. Meanwhile the Blair Witch revival came second after making … Read more