• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

‘Black Widow’ soars to pandemic box offi ce record Wes Anderson’s ‘The French Dispatch’ rolls into Cannes CANNES, France, July 13, (AP): A year after it was fi rst to premiere mixed on the fi lm, praising the movie’s full-hearted tribute to 20th Dergarabedian noted that the vast majority of profi ts, $158.8 mil- at the Cannes Film Festival, Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch” century magazine writing and Anderson’s intricate image-making — lion, came from theaters. Around $12 million of that came from fi nally rolled into the French Riviera festival on Monday. which in “The French Dispatch” may be on a new level even for him. IMAX screens too. Anderson and the large cast arrived on the Cannes red carpet in a “Hollywood blockbusters continue to gain ground at the box offi ce bus, with a grinning Bill Murray sitting shotgun. The fi lm, Ander- Also: with each successive release, and that bodes very well for the many son’s elaborate and fanciful ode to The New Yorker, is perhaps the LOS ANGELES: Even with an option to watch “Black Widow” at fi lms lined up for exclusive worldwide theatrical release this fall and starriest ensemble playing at the festival this year. At the premiere home, audiences went to the movie theater in pandemic record num- beyond,” said Rich Gelfond the CEO of IMAX. with Murray were Tilda Swinton, Benicio Del Toro, Owen Wilson bers this weekend to catch the fi rst Marvel movie released in two “Black Widow,” starring Scarlett Johansson, has had a long jour- and — in his fi rst Cannes red carpet — Timothée Chalamet. years. ney to theaters. Originally slated to come out in May of 2020, the Clad in a silvery shiny suit, Chalamet — well known for his French The Walt Disney Co. said Sunday the superhero pic generated an blockbuster was delayed because of the pandemic. Disney ultimately fl uency — dashed to spectators to take selfi es and sign autographs. estimated $80 million in ticket sales in North America. Combined decided to release it “day and date,” meaning it came out on more than The premiere was a long time in coming. “The French Dispatch” with $78 million from international theaters and at least $60 million one platform at the same time. “Black Widow,” in theaters and for a was selected for last year’s Cannes, which ultimately was canceled in Disney+ Premier Access rentals, “Black Widow” grossed over $30 rental on its subscription streaming service Disney+. Although Film due to the pandemic. The Searchlight Pictures release opted to wait; $215 million in its fi rst weekend. The studio said it’s the largest do- not unprecedented for pandemic movie releases, or even for Disney, it will be released in theaters in October. mestic opening weekend since “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” which did the same for “Cruella,” it’s the fi rst Marvel movie to attempt Still, COVID-19 impacted the fi lm’s debut. One star, the French debuted in 2019, pre-pandemic. the hybrid strategy. And it’s by far the biggest earner to date. actress Léa Seydoux, last week tested positive while working on an- It’s a massive win for coronavirus-era moviegoing. In North It is unusual for studios to release grosses from streaming profi ts other fi lm. She is fully vaccinated and asymptomatic but she was America, the previous pandemic recordholder was Universal’s “F9,” in real time. Many never do so, and some release fi gures weeks after quarantining in Paris and unable to attend. The movie is also making which debuted to $70 million a few weeks ago. But unlike “Black the fact. a somewhat smaller splash in Cannes; it’s the only fi lm in competi- Widow,” which is playing on 4,100 screens, the ninth “Fast & Furi- “’Black Widow’s’ strong performance this weekend affi rms our tion for the Palme d’Or that won’t hold a press conference here. ous” movie was exclusively in theaters. fl exible distribution strategy of making franchise fi lms available in “The French Dispatch” is an affection portrait of a weekly literary “This was a pretty monumental weekend for the industry,” said theaters for a true cinematic experience and, as COVID concerns magazine situated in the fi ctional French city of Ennui-sur-Blasé. It’s Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore’s senior media analyst. “’Black continue globally, providing choice to consumers who prefer to an anthology fi lm, structured like an issue of The New Yorker, with Widow’ played well on big screens and small screens. And it actu- watch at home on Disney+,” said Kareem Daniel, the chairman of three separate features, a travel story and an obituary. Critics were ally strengthens the case for movie theaters.” Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution, in a statement. Variety s e r u t a Jury members Melanie Laurent, (left), and Maggie Gyllenhaal pose for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the fi lm ‘The French Dispatch’ at the 74th international fi lm festival, Cannes, southern France, Monday, July 12. (AP) e Film New documentary goes deeper into history LOS ANGELES: “The Crown” and F Features “Ted Lasso,” among the TV shows that helped distract America during an oppressive pandemic year, are in the hunt for Emmy recognition. Stone revisits JFK assassination The nominations for the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards were to be announced Tuesday by father- CANNES, France, July 13, (AP): Thirty years “JFK Revisited” delves deeply into inconsist- he said, citing the infl uence of money in elections. and-daughter actors Ron Cephas after “JFK,” Oliver Stone has returned to the as- encies in Kennedy’s autopsy, the handling of key “Democracy is a strange word. It’s in question.” Jones (“This Is Us”) and Jasmine sassination of John F. Kennedy, this time in a pieces of evidence and Lee Harvey Oswald’s al- At the same time, Stone has been drawn to Cephas Jones (“Blindspotting”), documentary. leged ties to the CIA. And its deepest suspicions meeting and documenting some of the world’s and TV academy chief executive Frank Scherma. “JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass” is — not unlike “JFK” — lie in the US intelligence dictators and strongmen. Stone interviewed Rus- In its fourth season, the British a kind of non-fi ction addendum to one of Stone’s services. sia’s Vladimir Putin at length for a Showtime se- royal drama “The Crown” moved most sensational and controversial fi lms. The “I feel the most important is why President ries that was criticized as fawning. He has done closer to contemporary events with documentary, which premiered Monday at the Kennedy was killed,” said Stone. “We answered interviews with Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez and its version of the courtship and Cannes Film Festival, is likely to prompt another with our evidence that he was going to with- Stone is currently prepping a series with the for- rocky marriage of Prince Charles and Diana Spencer, played by Josh round of debate on both the American tragedy and draw from Vietnam. The détente with Cuba was mer Kazakhstan leader Nursultan Nazarbayev. O’Connor and Emma Corrin. Stone’s methods. But for the 74-year-old fi lm- in motion. The nuclear test ban treaty had been “What attracted to me those fi gures was they The actors are among the maker, it was a way to answer his critics and go signed. He was looking for a détente with Rus- are balancing America. American cannot be the favorites for Emmy nods, along with deeper into a history he’s forever linked with. sia. He was an anti-colonialist.” sole power in the world. I think Henry Kissinger Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth WEDNESDAY, JULY 14, 2021 “I was a relative novice when that fi lm came out. Stone, whose fi lms include “Platoon” and “Born would agree with me. I think Machiavelli would II and Gillian Anderson as Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. I was naïve. I didn’t know that I’d get banged like on the Fourth of July,” himself fought in Vietnam. agree with me,” said Stone. “Balance of power is this and it was hard,” Stone said in an interview. “It the only way this world can be free of one con- For Netfl ix, which led the Portraits way for the rise of streaming became as if I was untrustworthy. In Hollywood, trol, one tyrant. That’s the real tyrant. America.” services but has yet to claim a top I became labeled a ‘conspiracy theorist’ which I “I went in as a hawk. I believed we were doing “I’m not a bad guy,” Stone added. “And I series trophy, “The Crown” may think is a term from a 1952 CIA document — an the right thing,” he said. “Even when I came out don’t love dictators.” represent its best bet. It’s been attempt to discredit people. But people liked the of Vietnam, I was not an activist. It takes years As for Stone’s relationship to Hollywood, he nominated three times before. “Ted Lasso,” a feel-good com- movie. As a movie-movie, it worked.” to reeducate yourself. And I found out more and said he tries not to think about too much. “I just edy about a middling American “JFK” was nominated for eight Oscars, includ- more. By the time I made (“JFK”), I didn’t know try to keep going,” Stone said. In Cannes, he also football coach abruptly imported ing best picture, and won two. It grossed more what I know now.

Load more

  1

Copy Link