Television TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 2021 FFeatureseatures the pandemic. $500 millionworldwideifnotfor million three-dayweekendand would havedebutedwitha$50 estimated that“Godzillavs.Kong” movie consultancyFranchiseRe, after apunishingpandemicyear. that moviegoingcanberevived the mostpromisingsignsinages ishing yearfortheaters,it’soneof over thepastyear.Afterapun- screen morethananythingelse Max accountsornot—tothebig people —whethertheyhaveHBO guys wasenoughtodrivemore of themovies’mosticonicbig in 2020. show sincetheservice’slaunch on HBOMaxthananyfi vs. Kong”hadalargeraudience data Sundaybutsaid“Godzilla pursuing forall2021releases. at thesametime—astrategyit’s to subscribersin bet, though,bystreamingthefi er Bros.andHBOMax,hedgedits WarnerMedia, whichownsWarn- budget moviestoopenintheaters. one ofasmallhandfulbig- million, “Godzillavs.Kong”is total to$285.4million. bringing itstwo-weekworldwide $120.1 millionovertheweekend, ally, “Godzillavs.Kong”grossed King oftheMonsters.”Glob- last entry,2019’s“Godzilla: ($47.8 million)ofthefranchise’s even outpacedthethree-daydebut far exceededexpectations,and mates Sunday.Thefi Sunday, accordingtostudioesti- to $32.2millionfromFriday ating at50%capacityorless. data fi open thisweekend,accordingto weeks; about60%oftheaterswere been reopeningoverthepastfew 3,000 theaters.Manytheatershave the pastyear,playinginmorethan was thewidestdomesticreleasein Bros. andLegendaryEntertainment, simultaneously streamingathome. opening Wednesday,evenasitwas an estimated$48.5millionsince opening ofthepandemicwith vs. Kong”scoredeasilythebest over theweekend.“Godzilla rekindled someofitsoldmight a fewoldfriends,theboxoffi NEW YORK: In thisvideograbprovidedbytheSAGAwards,castof‘TheTrialChicago7’acceptsawardforoutstandingperfo Sunday overallegedcensorshipinthesecondseasonfi drawing theireofgovernmentoffi TV spythrillerisonceagaingeneratingbuzzintheIslamicRepublic, DUBAI, UnitedArabEmirates,April5,(AP):AcontroversialIranian Iran spyTVshowignitescontroversy for2ndseason Clubhouse lastweek,callingita“liefrombeginningtoend.”When Zarif railedagainstthesecondseasononpopularaudiochatapp tive moderatesinthegovernment.ForeignMinisterMohammadJavad Foreign Ministryasinept,longhascausedconsternationamongrela- prison onchargesofespionagethatheandAmericanoffi freed inaprisonerswap2016,Rezaianspent18monthsanIranian semblance toWashingtonPostjournalistJasonRezaian.Beforebeing operatives combatinganAmericansuperspywhobearsastrikingre- of “thepresident”with“anoffi that episodesairedlastweekhadaltereddialoguetoreplacementions social mediaaboutpossiblegovernmentcensorship.Theclipsshowed Aparat.com, anIranianversionofYouTube,speculationswirledon ISNA newsagencyreported.WhenuncutscenessurfacedSundayon for pullingthesecondseasonoffairprematurely,semioffi Revolutionary Guardagents—inthestyleofJamesBondorJasonBourne. David A.Gross But clearlytheclashoftwo The studiodidn’tofferviewing Made forapproximately$160 “Godzilla vs.Kong”stomped The monstermash,fromWarner The show,whichvalorizesIran’shard-linersandportrays The fi Hard-liners andotherfansoftheshowareblaminggovernment The fi rm Comscore.Mostareoper- rst seasongrabbedheadlinesfordepictingIranianintelligence ctional series,titled“Gando,”chroniclestheexploitsofIran’s With the help of With thehelpof North America , whorunsthe ve-day total lm or TV ce ce lm cial.” cials andcomplaintsfromviewers launched with $123.1 million launched with$123.1 million for cost,”Grosssaid. big screenquality;andthevalue out forthegroupexperience; aren’t goingaway,including ing hasinherentstrengthsthat positive indicationthatmoviego- stances, theweekendisaclearand would beundernormalcircum- “Godzilla vs. Kong” had already “Godzilla vs.Kong”hadalready “While it’shalfofwhatit an Oscarpreviewthanitismostyears. making thisyear’spostponedSAGAwardslessof madland” —wasn’tnominatedforbestensemble, Academy Awardsfrontrunner—ChloéZhao’s“No- hour broadcastonTBSandTNT.Theperceived was condensedtoapre-recorded,Zoom-heavy,one- — andnotjustbecausetheredcarpet-lessceremony wood actors’guildSAG-Aftra,wereamutedaffair for thefi Screen ActorsGuildAwardswhereactorsofcolor, the Chicago7”tooktopprizeSundayatavirtual Aaron Sorkin’s1960scourtroomdrama“TheTrialof LOS ANGELES,April5,(AP):Thestarrycastof ‘Chicago 7’takestophonorsatSAGs need leaderstoguideustowardhatingeachotherless.” Trial oftheChicago7.“TheRev.Kingwasright.We la, citingeventsleadinguptothosedramatizedin“The very datein1968—aprofoundinjustice,”saidLangel- King beforehewasshotdownincoldbloodonthis accepting theawardonbehalfofcast. parallels betweenthatera’sunrestandtoday’swhile ing the1968DemocraticNationalConvention,drew over the1969prosecutionofactivistsarresteddur- the Oscars. The streamerisstillafteritsfi before thepandemichit,leadingtoitssaleNetfl been setfortheatricalreleasebyParamountPictures directed bySorkin,“TheTrialoftheChicago7”had service wontheguild’sensembleaward.Writtenand go 7”markedthefi of “Parasite”triumphed,becomingthefi in EnglishwonSAG’stopaward.Lastyear,thecast have beenthesecondstraightyearafi American familydrama“Minari”won,itwould A24’s “Minari.”HadLeeIsaacChung’sKorean- — aswellAmazon’s“OneNightinMiami”and “Ma Rainey’sBlackBottom”and“Da5Bloods” Still, thewinforNetfl The 27thSAGAwards,presentedbytheHolly- The wincameovertwootherNetfl “‘God giveusleaders,’saidtheRev.MartinLuther Frank Langella,whoplaysthejudgepresided Variety ‘Gando’ chroniclesexploitsofIran’s Guardagents Revolutionary rst time,swepttheindividual fi nale. cials denied. rst timeafi ix’s “TheTrialoftheChica- cial lm fromanystreaming Awards rstbest-picturewinat promised thatthegovernmenthadnotdisruptedshoworpressed possible governmentinterferenceintheseries. and thefi said Tehran-basedpoliticalanalystMajidYounesian. in theestablishmentwhileaddingdifferencesrulingsystem,” deputies intalkswiththeUSoverIran’snuclearprogram. ous diplomatsintheshowisthoughttobemodeledontwoofZarif’s December, makesacameointhesecondseason.Oneoftreacher- ist RuhollahZam,whowasabductedinIraqandexecutedIranlast spired byrealevents,acharacterresemblingprominentexiledjournal- krgr Hall Skarsgård An advisertoPresidentHassanRouhani,HesameddinAshena, Certain scenesinthelasttwoepisodesappearedtobecrudelyedited Over itstwoseasons,Gando“reversedrealities...andexposedarift In keepingwiththeshow’sspiritofheroicvideogamefantasyin- pressure campaign. formation aboutnuclearnegotiationsamidacripplingU.S.economic spies tryingtoinfi or NewYear,holiday,pitsIranianintelligenceagentsagainstWestern of protesttothecountry’sSupremeLeaderAyatollahAliKhamenei. the fi The 13-episodesecondseason,airedduringIran’s13-dayNowruz, Actors ofcolorsweepindividualfi lm largelynot rstseasonairedinthesummerof2019,Zarifsentaformalletter ix releases— lm awards. nale cametoastrangelyabruptend,fuelingcriticismover rst castfrom Guild AwardsonApril4.(AP) ix. ltrate Iran’sgovernmentandgatherconfi Spike Lee’sfi and sharedintheensemblenominationsforboth nominated forhissupportingrolein“Da5Bloods” — fourinasingleyear.Hewasalsoposthumously already setarecordformostSAGfi mance. Boseman,whodiedlastAugustatage43,had for youtobefeatured,”Bosemansaidthen.“Yet know whatit’sliketobetoldthatthereisnotaplace ther” castwhenthefi awards, Bosemanspokeonbehalfofthe“BlackPan- of hismostmemorablespeeches.Attheguild’s2019 actor againbelongedtoBosemanforhisfi said Davis,referringtoplaywrightAugustWilson. tors ofcolorthatwecanrelishtherestourlives,” SAG award. mand (“Nomadland”).It’sDavis’fi (“Promising YoungWoman”)orFrancesMcDor- category thathasoftenbelongedtoCareyMulligan It wastheSAGAwardswhereBosemangaveone As ithasthroughouttheawardsseason,bestmale “Thank you,August,forleavingalegacyac- Of those,Davis’winwasthemostsurprisingina a non-Englishlanguagefi porting actor for “Judas and the Black Messiah.” porting actorfor“JudasandtheBlackMessiah.” tor for“Minari”;andDanielKaluuya,bestmalesup- Bottom”; Yuh-JungYoun,bestfemalesupportingac- Viola Davis,bestfemaleactorfor“MaRainey’sBlack man, bestmaleactorfor“MaRainey’sBlackBottom”; cally diverseslateofOscarwinners:ChadwickBose- actors ofcolor,potentiallysettingthestageforahistori- Joaquin Phoenix—wonattheOscars,too. winners —RenéeZellweger,BradPitt,LauraDern, Academy Awards,andalloftheindividualSAG year, “Parasite”wentontowinbestpictureatthe SAG winnersoftenlineupwithOscarones.Last Academy ofMotionPicturesArtsandSciences, harbinger. Actorsmakeupthelargestbranchof Inspired Those awards this year went to a group entirely of Those awardsthisyearwenttoagroupentirelyof The SAGAwardsareacloselywatchedOscar lm and“MaRainey’sBlackBottom.” China by especiallystrongticketsalesin internationally lastweekend,led and thenumbersdon’t lie—it’s Kong’ toarriveonthebigscreen for aneventfi million, Legendarysaid. This weekend,itaddedanother$44 of previousentriesinthefranchise. million, surpassingtheperformance “Moviegoers havebeenwaiting Category . There, it opened with $70 . There,itopenedwith$70 lm wonthetopaward. “Weall lm like‘Godzillavs. lm todoso. rmance byacastinmotionpictureduringthe27thannualScreenActors lm nominations nominations lm dential in- dential fh individual fth nalperfor- debuted recently. Boston tem, with salvage hiscareerbytradingonthecity’sfl charge ofthedrama,backwitheightepisodes. Fontana eral andcountyprosecutorsinwhat’sdescribedas“all-outwar.” ble opponent.Theirhostilityisdestinedtoensnaretheoffi LOS ANGELES: lm awards lm 3 beinVienna?” US overthecountry’snuclearprogram. Sunday criticizingIraniandiplomatsforagreeingtonegotiatewiththe sanctions onIran. from theaccordnearlythreeyearsagoandimposedunprecedented gram withworldpowers.FormerPresidentDonaldTrumpwithdrew week inViennaabouthowtorestoreIran’stattered2015nuclearpro- tion announcedthatthecountrieswouldstartindirectnegotiationsthis for itscancelation. Bannered inbig,boldletterswastheheadline:“WillGandoSeason Iranian hard-linenewspaperVatan-eEmroozranafront-pagestory The allegationscameasIranandUSPresidentBiden’sadministra- isatthecenterofseasontwoShowtime’s“CityonaHill,” King ofMonsters.” Returns Island” and2019’s“Godzilla: followed by2017’s“Kong:Skull restarted in2014with“Godzilla,” Warner Bros.,saidinastatement. Goldstein, distributionchieffor thrilled withtheresults,”Jeff theater, theyhave,andwe’re are readytosafelyreturnthe clear thatwhereveraudiences (“Homicide:LifeontheStreet”)isexecutiveproducerin Aldis Hodge A newseriesofmovieswas and MarkRuffalo(“IKnowThisMuchIsTrue”). Sudeikis (“TedLasso”),JasonBateman(“Ozark”) Gambit”), GillianAnderson(“TheCrown”),Jason winners includedAnyaTaylor-Joy(“TheQueen’s drama series)addedtotheirstringofawards.Other Creek” (forcomedyseries)and“TheCrown” varied actorssluggingitout.” and dayouttowatchthesegreatdifferent ductor, almost,”saidRedmayne.“Itwasajoyday that comingtogetherunderAaron.Hewasthecon- whether itwasjazzorrockclassical--butallof — intoanensemble. lance, YahyaAbdul-MateenIIandJeremyStrong actors —includingSachaBaronCohen,MarkRy- Maisler forassemblingsuchadisparategroupof fi his co-starMichaelKeaton. York’s HudsonValley.“Ihavenopantson,”added “I’m inmybedroomslippers,”hesaidfromNew called thevirtualexperiencemuchmorecivilized. award for“TheTrialoftheChicago7,”Langella awards, couldposeachallengetothefrontrunner. 7,” upforbestpictureattheOscarsandfourother as attheGoldenGlobes.“TheTrialofChicago highly predictiveProducersGuildAwards,aswell fessional actors.Zhao’sfi because itscastiscomposedoflargelynon-pro- missed outonabest-ensemblenominationpossibly are young,giftedandBlack.” Capitol riot,TrumpresignedfromSAG-Aftra. Apprentice,” “HomeAlone2”)forhisroleinthe guild preparedtoexpelTrump(creditsinclude“The Trump mayhavedrawnmoreheadlines.Afterthe ceoff earlierthisyearwithformerPresidentDonald for theScreenActorsGuild,thoughunion’sfa- lm, creditedSorkinandcastingdirectorFrancine The awardsaretypicallythehighestprofi In televisioncategories,theensemblesof“Schitt’s “It waslikeaclashofdifferenttypesmusic, Eddie Redmayne,whoplaysTomHaydeninthe In aninterviewfollowingthepre-tapingof The AcademyAwardsfrontrunner,“Nomadland” A drugviolence-riddledfederalhousingprojectin Kevin Bacon ’s assistant Also: ’s FBIagent D.A. DecourcyWard lm previouslywonatthe awedcriminaljusticesys- and Skarsgård, BrianTyreeHenry human co-starsinclude Directed byAdamWingard,its fi had beenleadinguptotheprize respectively. Butthefranchise $168.1 millionand$47.8million, domestically with$200.7million, The previousthreefi have beensteadilydiminishing. Jackie Rohr ght of“Godzillavs.Kong.” Rebecca Hall.(AP) hisformida- istryingto ce offed- le event le lms opened Tom Alexander