Amid widespread closures of movie theaters in the U.S., theater owners are applauding the efforts to pass coronavirus relief legislation to aid vulnerable employees and ensure business continuity during the coronavirus pandemic. “We particularly applaud the elements of phase III stimulus legislation that provide assistance to employees to help them weather this storm and that ensure access to capital […]
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NBCUniversal on Monday announced its current movies from the Universal Pictures stable — including the upcoming event family movie Trolls World Tour — will be made available on-demand at the same time they hit those theaters that remain open during the coronavirus pandemic. The new policy collapses the traditional theatrical window as the film industry grapples with […]
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Tribeca Film Festival will no longer be taking place next month. The 19th annual event for independent film was set for April 15 through April 26, but has been postponed because of coronavirus. No new dates have been announced. “We founded the Tribeca Film Festival as a way to heal our community after the devastation of the 9/11 attacks […]
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Leaders of the Directors Guild of America have approved a three-year successor deal to the DGA master contract, triggering a ratification vote by the 18,000 members. The DGA national board announced Saturday that it had approved the deal unanimously. The guild revealed that the agreement includes a significant increase in residuals for high-budget streaming content, pension, wages and […]
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Gaston and LeFou are getting an origin story. Streaming service Disney+ is teaming with Once Upon a Time creators Eddy Kitsis and Adam Horowitz as well as stars Josh Gad and Luke Evans for a Beauty and the Beast prequel limited series to the 2017 feature film in which the latter pair starred. The untitled limited series will be […]
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After weighing the pros and cons of keeping a scheduled April 10 bow for its main action tentpole amid the coronavirus outbreak, MGM opted for a cautious route by pushing the upcoming James Bond outing No Time to Die to November. But how much will the move, prompted by growing disruptions due to the epidemic, cost the […]
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The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences CEO Dawn Hudson isn’t going anywhere. The organization’s Board of Governors has announced that she will continue in her role through May 2023. “Dawn has been a guiding force within the Academy for the past nine years, as we’ve become a more inclusive, forward-thinking membership organization, reflecting the diversity […]
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Star Trek: Picard has made a huge change to the galaxy by eliminating the Romulan Neutral Zone, which had existed for over 200 years. The Romulans have returned to prominence in the new CBS All-Access series charting the twilight years of Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). In fact, the last two decades of the Starfleet legend’s life […]
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As the number of cases of the coronavirus swell in Italy to a reported 219 cases, the biggest number outside of China, Japan, and South Korea, the Venice, Italy local government has put a stop to all public gatherings including a halt to the upcoming production of Paramount’s Mission: Impossible 7 in the floating city according to […]
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After a close box office battle, Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” pulled ahead of Disney and 20th Century’s “The Call of the Wild” on North American charts. The two movies had been in a surprising tug-of-war for first place. Heading into the weekend, “Sonic” was expected to easily dominate again but Harrison Ford’s “Call of the Wild” […]
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Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog made a loud boom at the Presidents Day box office with a three-day domestic opening of $58 million, a record for a video game adaptation. The film’s projected four-day gross of $70 million is among the best showings ever for the long holiday weekend, which coincided this year with Valentine’s Day. Previously, 2019’s Pokemon […]
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“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” actress Noomi Rapace is set to star in the thriller “O2” from producer Alexandra Aja about a woman trapped alone in a pod with only 90 minutes of oxygen, an individual with knowledge of the project told TheWrap. Franck Khalfoun is directing the film from a script by Christie […]
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Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog is zooming to a winning $55 million-plus bow at the Valentine’s Day-Presidents Day box office, according to early returns. Friday’s projected earnings of $17 million will include $3 million in Thursday night previews. So far, the film is pacing ahead of expectations. Thursday’s preview gross was a solid start for the family film, […]
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Quibi’s present-day update of Hollywood satire Swimming With Sharks is filling out its cast. Thomas Dekker, Finn Jones and Donald Sutherland will star with Kiernan Shipka and Diane Kruger in the series at the short-form streaming platform. The series is based on George Huang’s cult 1994 movie about a Hollywood assistant (Frank Whaley) who turns the tables […]
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Emilio Estevez is hitting the ice once again. The actor is set to reprise the role of Gordon Bombay, which he played in the original “Mighty Ducks” features, for the new sequel series coming to Disney Plus. “Once a Duck, always a Duck!,” said Estevez, celebrating the news. “After 25 years, I am delighted to lace up […]
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Game on: “The Mighty Ducks” reboot at Disney+ is a go, with Lauren Graham set to star as the new coach of the youth hockey team. The series is set in present-day Minnesota, where the Mighty Ducks have evolved from scrappy underdogs to an ultra-competitive, powerhouse youth hockey team. After 12-year-old Evan (Brady Noon) is […]
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Rick Moranis, the SCTV alum and comedy star of such hit pics as Ghostbusters, The Flintstones, Spaceballs and Parenthood, has closed a deal to return to the next Honey, I Shrunk the Kids sequel Shrunk. The movie will be made for the theatrical side, not Disney+. Disney was trying to quiet rumors that Moranis was returning, but our breaking news today is that his […]
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Is Bong Joon Ho’s interpreter going to make a movie about awards season? That’s what Sharon Choi told TheWrap when we spoke to her and Bong in January — and she would certainly have a unique perspective on the whole circus. Starting at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival but especially during the last several months […]
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On Sunday night in Los Angeles, Neon’s Parasite made history as the first non-English language film to win best picture at the Oscars. The film nabbed four wins in total at the 92nd Academy Awards, including for director Bong Joon Ho, international feature film and original screenplay. Universal’s 1917 nabbed three wins, for visual effects, cinematography and sound mixing. […]
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Julian Fellowes, the writer and creator of “Downton Abbey,“ has teamed up with producer Gerald R. Molen on a big-screen production of the classic children’s novel “The Wind in the Willows.” Peter Jackson’s Weta Digital is on board for the CGI for the four main characters — Mole, Rat, Toad and Badger — who live […]
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When Lin-Manuel Miranda tweeted the news Monday that the movie adaptation of his groundbreaking Broadway show Hamilton was set for release by Disney in fall 2021, he omitted one of the most breathtaking parts of the deal. According to sources, Disney beat out other suitors and paid $75 million for worldwide rights to the show that won 11 Tony Awards in 2016, […]
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Sam Mendes’ WWI epic 1917 dominated the 2020 BAFTA awards on Sunday night. The film added to its growing haul of honors in the U.S. with seven awards on home soil, including best film, best director and best cinematography at the Royal Albert Hall. Elsewhere, Joker came away with three wins, including best actor for Joaquin Phoenix and the […]
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Netflix has extended its deal with Adam Sandler and his Happy Madison Productions for four more films. The streamer announced the deal Friday, noting that Sandler’s “Murder Mystery” was the most popular title on Netflix in the U.S. last year. “Murder Mystery,” which co-starred Jennifer Aniston, was Sandler’s sixth Netflix movie, including “The Ridiculous 6,” “The Do-Over,” “Sandy Wexler,” “The Week Of,” […]
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Helios and Matheson Analytics, which owns the defunct MoviePass cinema-subscription service, has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection. The company disclosed the move in an SEC filing dated Jan. 28, when Helios and Mathenson filed the petition for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. Chapter 7 of the bankruptcy code […]
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The Assistant — whose original idea came from the Harvey Weinstein scandal — premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in September, is currently at Sundance, and will head to Berlin’s international fest next month. But on Tuesday night, the film screened just a few blocks away from the Manhattan Criminal Court Building, where Weinstein’s sexual assault trial is currently underway. […]
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