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The first half of 2024 was pretty unkind to a lot of movies. The box office was on life support for most of that period and it all felt kind of bleak for anyone who pays attention to such things. The most depressing part was that quite a few great movies were being hung out to dry, including "The Fall Guy" and "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga," among others. "Abigail," the latest horror movie from the filmmaking collective known as Radio Silence, was also a big disappointment theatrically. Fortunately though, it's finally finding its audience.

"Abigail" is currently streaming on Prime Video and, as of this writing, is sitting in the number four spot on Amazon's most-watched movies chart (via FlixPatrol). It's currently only trailing Mark Wahlberg's 2021 sci-fi flop "Infinite" (which also recently found new life on Prime Video), Nancy Meyers' perennial 2006 rom-com "The Holiday,...

The Substance, the Cannes Film Festival winning, Demi Moore body swap horror movie, is poised to bust to great heights at the global box office with a $70M-$75M take.

That’s quite a landmark for the Working Title produced-2 hour and 21-minute running, French shot movie which has the Ghost and $2.5 billion global grossing blockbuster actress in the awards season conversation for her portrayal of an aerobics instructor TV star, Elizabeth, who soon realizes her days are over in Hollywood. However, she gets the opportunity to participate in a body swap experiment which introduces the world, and her former TV audience, to much younger version of herself, under the new alias Sue (Margaret Qualley). Consequences, as unsexy as they are, ensue. The movie received a 13-minute standing ovation at its Cannes premiere back in May and won Best Screenplay for its filmmaker Coralie Fargeat. Moore has been public about...

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Andrew Garfield has turned himself into quite the actor over the last decade or so. Not only does he star in acclaimed films such as "Tick, Tick...Boom!" or the recently released "We Live in Time" for A24, but he's also capable of delivering the goods in blockbusters as well. He was a major reason why 2021's "Spider-Man: No Way Home" became one of the biggest movies ever. But before he became an A-list actor capable of walking comfortably in both of these worlds, he starred in an oft-forgotten drama alongside Tom Cruise. 

The movie was 2007's "Lions for Lambs," directed by cinematic legend Robert Redford, who also stars in the film. Not only that, but Meryl Streep, one of the greatest actors of all time, was in the film as well, as was future big star Michael Peña. In hindsight,...

Hulu’s first trailer for Paradise shows Oscar nominee Sterling K. Brown (American Fiction) as a Secret Service agent suspected of assassinating the U.S. President. The first trailer arrived along with the official poster for the drama, which is set to premiere on January 28, 2025 with the release of the first three episodes.

New episodes will stream on Tuesdays.

The series also stars Emmy nominee James Marsden (as the president), Emmy winner Julianne Nicholson (Mare of Easttown), Sarah Shahi, Nicole Brydon Bloom (The Gilded Age), Aliyah Mastin, and Percy Daggs IV (Never Let Go). The series reunites This Is Us‘ Dan Fogelman and Sterling K Brown who serve as executive producers along with John Requa, Glenn Ficarra, John Hoberg, Jess Rosenthal, and Steve Beers.

“Paradise is set in a serene community inhabited by some of the world’s most prominent individuals,” reads Hulu’s synopsis. “But this tranquillity explodes when...

First, let’s get this out of the way: We will talk about George Nolfi’s “Elevation” in a minute. Yes, it stars Anthony Mackie and Morena Baccarin, and takes place in a world where monsters have taken over the planet and the only safe place to live is over 8,000 feet. Yes, it’s a decent B-movie, flaws and all. But before we get there, we have to talk about the elephant in the room, because yes, this is also another “A Quiet Place,” and that’s not a criticism. It’s a neutral observation about a subgenre that’s currently being formed.

There’s a special place in the history books for films that inspire their own subgenre. “Night of the Living Dead,” “Die Hard” and “Halloween,” to name a few, spawned endless waves of knockoffs, some of which inspired subgenres of their own. And while none of these...

It's been a difficult year for Lionsgate, but Borderlands stands out as the studio's biggest box office flop. Following a disastrous $9 million opening weekend, the movie concluded its month-long run at the box office with a dismal $31 million before limping on to Digital platforms.

With a production budget of $115 million and a $30 million marketing campaign - which saw fans of the hit series of games largely reject everything they were seeing - the studio has likely lost upwards of $114 million.

Lionsgate has now shared its second-quarter financial results (via GameFragger.com), singling out Borderlands as one of its biggest money-losers.

Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer said, "Within our television Group, our unscripted business is feeling the effects of a continuing market correction. In our film group, the poor box office performance of Borderlands, coupled with softer-than-anticipated results for other releases in the quarter, reflected an environment with less margin for error than ever before.

Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer was frank about the poor results of his studio at the box office recently, most notably “Borderlands,” which has shaped up to be one of the year’s biggest critical and commercial busts and led to the studio’s motion picture division generating a mere $2.6 million in profit for the quarter.

“Nearly everything that could go wrong did go wrong: it sat on the shelf for too long during the pandemic, and reshoots and rising interest rates took it outside the safety zone of our usual strict financial models,” Feltheimer said on an earnings call on Thursday.

Produced on a $120 million budget that was co-financed by Lionsgate with Avi Arad Productions, Picturestart, and 2K Games, “Borderlands” is an adaptation of the hit video game series of the same name and featured an ensemble cast that includes Jack Black, Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Ariana Greenblatt and Jamie Lee Curtis.

Borderlands was a genuine bomb. No doubt about it. The adaptation of the acclaimed video game franchise grossed just $33 million in theaters and was absolutely trashed by critics. During a recent earnings call, Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer spoke about the epic failure of Borderlands.

“On Borderlands, nearly everything that could go wrong did go wrong: it sat on the shelf for too long during the pandemic, and reshoots and rising interest rates took it outside the safety zone of our usual strict financial models,” Feltheimer said. With a budget of around $120 million, Borderlands stands to lose the studio a lot of money. Although Lionsgate did mitigate some of the risks by selling foreign rights, sources told Deadline that Borderlands could still lose as much as $30 million. “The success of our financial models doesn’t take the place of also getting the creative right,” Feltheimer added

Borderlands wasn’t the only...

“Borderlands,” Lionsgate’s star-studded video game adaptation, is standing out as one of the biggest bombs at the box office this year. The film budgeted at $115 million earned just $32.9 million globally, a “disaster” for the studio considering the high hopes the studio had to turn into a franchise based on the game series’ huge popularity.

The performance of the film was so poor, Lionsgate could not ignore it during its earnings for the summer quarter.

“On ‘Borderlands,’ nearly everything that could go wrong did go wrong,” CEO Jon Feltheimer said in his prepared opening remarks on Thursday. “It sat on the shelf for too long during the pandemic, and reshoots and rising interest rates took it outside the safety zone of our usual strict financial models.”

Feltheimer then noted that Lionsgate’s other releases this quarter also “didn’t live up to either our standards or our projections.” The studio...

When it came to the bombing of Borderlands, among other late summer and fall releases, Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer made no bones about emphasizing culpa nostra.

“On Borderlands, nearly everything that could go wrong did go wrong: it sat on the shelf for too long during the pandemic, and reshoots and rising interest rates took it outside the safety zone of our usual strict financial models,” the Lionsgate boss said during Thursday’s on today’s earnings call to discuss second-quarter 2024 earnings.

The $120 million feature adaptation of the famed video game starred Jack Black, Kevin Hart and, most glaring of all, two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett in a renegade action role. The movie grossed $15.4M domestic and close to $33M worldwide. Lionsgate mitigates risk on its movies by selling off foreign rights. Still, Borderlands, per sources, is expected to lose as much as $30M. It was a clear case of...

Lionsgate’s Motion Picture segment saw revenue nose up 3% to $40 million last quarter on more theatrical wide releases, but profit fell to $2.8 million as those movies underperformed, especially Borderlands.

“In a transitional, disrupted and difficult year for our industry, we reported disappointing financial results in the quarter,” said Lionsgate Studios CEO Jon Feltheimer after the company reported second-quarter 2024 earnings Thursday.

He said the results underscore “the need to adhere even more rigorously to the risk mitigated business models, slate diversification and strict financial discipline that have always served us well. The combination of a return to strong content slates, the continued stellar performance of our film and television library and sure-handed execution will put us back on the path to solid growth and shareholder value creation.”

The company also noted in its earnings release for the September quarter that about 8% of its eligible U.S. employees elected to take advantage...

REinvent International Sales has scored several deals across its slate at the American Film Market, including “River of Blood,” “Together 99” and “Second Victims.”

Directed by Howard J. Ford, “River of Blood” is a psychological horror film charting the epic journey of four kayakers who take the wrong river into a jungle inhabited by a tribe of merciless cannibals.

The film, which shot on location across Thailand, has been sold to Pandastorm for Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and VR Films for India. Ford’s credits include “Never Let Go” and “The Lockdown Hauntings.”

Lukas Moodysson‘s comedy “Together 99,” the Swedish director’s sequel to his 2000 hit movie “Together,” has been sold to BFI in the U.K. The movie follows a group of very different people who lived in a Swedish community called Together in 1975. The story picks up 24 years later, in 1999, with Göran and Klasse who are the last two members of the community.

The new live-action thriller “Never Let Go”, directed by Alexandre Aja, stars Halle Berry, Christin Park, Matthew Kevin Anderson, Stephanie Lavigne, Mila Morgan, Percy Daggs IV, Anthony B. Jenkins, Cadence Compton and Georges Gracieuse, available on digital platforms December 3. 2024 :

“…a family haunted by an evil spirit, sees their safety and surroundings come into question…

“…when one of the children questions if the evil in the forest is even real…”

Click the images to enlarge…...

Question the evil when Never Let Go arrives on Blu-ray and DVD on December 3 from Lionsgate.

The psychological horror-thriller stars and is executive produced by Academy Award winner Halle Berry. Percy Daggs IV and Anthony B. Jenkins co-star.

Alexandre Aja directs from a script written by Kc Coughlin and Ryan Grassby. Shawn Levy produces.

Special Features include…

Making Never Let Go – Meet the talented team of filmmakers and learn more about the intricate creative process behind the film’s particular look and atmosphere Creating Momma’s House – Take a step inside and learn how filmmakers were able to find and prepare Momma’s house in the middle of nowhere to make the film as authentic and scary as possible Deleted Scenes Theatrical Trailer

In the film, “As an evil takes over the world beyond their front doorstep, a mother (Halle Berry) and her twin sons find their only protection is...

Lionsgate’s genre-spanning 2024 slate of heist comedies, weepy coming-of-age tales, cheeky video game adaptations and horror stories was aiming to fill a void. Most of these were the kinds of movies that major Hollywood studios have either stopped making entirely or largely relegated to streaming services.

And yet, instead of packing seats at multiplexes due to pent-up demand, everything from director Eli Roth’s irreverent console-to-screen adventure “Borderlands” ($32 million globally), the “Crow” reboot ($23.7 million) and historical crime drama “1992” ($2.9 million) to Halle Berry’s post-apocalyptic horror story “Never Let Go” ($16.2 million), Dave Bautista-led action-comedy “The Killer’s Game” ($5.9 million), Francis Ford Coppola’s sci-fi epic “Megalopolis” ($11.2 million) and “Wonder” prequel “White Bird” ($6.8 million) has sputtered at the box office. That’s a string of seven consecutive flops — each with paltry single-digit debuts — in the nine weeks between early August and mid-October.

“It was a pretty diverse slate and certainly wasn’t cannibalization of films,...

On Wednesday 23 October 2024, Talk broadcasts Es.TV!

Episode Summary

The upcoming episode of “Es.TV” promises an exciting lineup of guests and entertainment. Airing on Talk, this episode features a mix of talent from film, television, and music.

Halle Berry, known for her role in “Never Let Go,” will be joining the show. Her presence is sure to bring insights from her impressive career and perhaps share some behind-the-scenes stories. Keegan-Michael Key, famous for his work in “Transformers One,” will also be on the episode. His comedic style and charm are expected to add a lively dynamic to the conversation.

Nicholas Braun, recognized for his role in “Saturday Night,” and Carla Gugino, who stars in “Lisa Frankenstein,” will round out the guest list. Both actors are known for their engaging performances, and their discussions could cover a range of topics from their latest projects to personal experiences in the industry.

Adding to the entertainment,...

The fiasco of “Joker: Folie à Deux” is something that Warner Bros. can’t hide from — other distributors question its officially reported $7 million gross for its second weekend, now #4 after initially ridiculously claiming #3. But the success of its “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” the actual #3, remains a nice counterbalance.

Tim Burton’s sequel, at $275 million in U.S./Canada gross, came out as a PVOD rental only 32 days after release (unusual these days for a WB hit — “Dune Part 2” and “Godzilla Vs. Kong” had 47 day windows). But even without specific figures, it’s clear that it got a lot of action.

It replaced Disney’s “Deadpool & Wolverine,” the year’s second biggest grosser (more than double “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”) after the Marvel film’s first week out. And it likely wasn’t close — it is #1 at Fandango, which calculates by revenue. With “Deadpool” costing 25 percent more to rent ($24.99 to $19.99), that means it had a clear victory.

Indie cinema has two new bloodsoaked champions, and their names are Damien Leone and Art the Clown.

This weekend, the Christmas-themed horror threequel “Terrifier 3,” beat out the strong third weekend of Universal/DreamWorks’ “The Wild Robot” and the historically poor second weekend of Warner Bros.’ “Joker: Folie a Deux” to take the No. 1 spot at the box office with an $18.3 million opening weekend from 2,516 theaters.

It’s the fourth-highest opening weekend for a horror film this year, topping movies like Universal/Blumhouse’s “Speak No Evil” and “Night Swim” as well as Lionsgate’s “Never Let Go” and “The Strangers — Chapter 1.”

It’s a weekend that has floored Chris McGurk, CEO of the company that distributed “Terrifier 3,” Cineverse. Formerly known as Cinedigm and owner of dozens of bespoke streaming services and media companies, including the popular horror media group Bloody Disgusting, Cineverse spent just $500,000 out of pocket on marketing “Terrifier 3,...

While much attention in the box office world has been on the catastrophic launch of Warner’s “Joker: Folie a Deux,” another new release this past weekend, “White Bird,” has deepened a two-month slump in theaters for distributor Lionsgate.

Beginning with the Eli Roth’s panned video game adaptation “Borderlands” in early August, the last six films from Lionsgate released in over 1,000 theaters each have grossed less than $50 million in the U.S. and Canada and have largely been critical busts. The other films include the actioner “The Killer’s Game” starring Dave Bautista, the horror title “Never Let Go” starring Halle Berry, the long-gestating remake of “The Crow” starring Bill Skarsgård and Francis Ford Coppola’s critically polarizing and audience alienating “Megalopolis.”

Lionsgate’s “White Bird,” a sequel to the inspirational film “Wonder” that hit $315 million worldwide for Lionsgate in 2017, opened last weekend in 1,018 theaters and grossed just $1.58 million. By comparison,...

Halle Berry returns to the horror genre in Never Let Go (2024), a psychological thriller directed by Alexandre Aja. Released in theatres worldwide last month, the horror thriller is now available on Video on Demand services. Exploring themes of fear, trauma, and family bonds through the story of a mother and her two sons trapped in their home by a mysterious and malevolent force, the film is tense with ambiguity surrounding every aspect of the tale. If you were baffled by the Never Let Go ending and want to understand how the film questions the nature of reality, blending elements of supernatural horror with psychological dread you are at the right place.

With a strong performance from Berry, Never Let Go dives into the complexities of grief and paranoia, although, some of its more over-the-top elements and forced metaphors could have used some fine-tuning to have an impact.

In the following article,...

The new film from director Alexandre Aja (High Tension, The Hills Have Eyes, Piranha 3D, Crawl), Never Let Go is now available at home on Premium Video on Demand and Premium Electronic Sell-Through from Lionsgate. In celebration of the release, Lionsgate has provided us with an exclusive Deleted Scene from the film featuring star Halle Berry.

In the new psychological thriller/horror movie from Aja, as an evil takes over the world beyond their front doorstep, the only protection for a mother and her twin sons is their house and their family’s protective bond. Needing to stay connected at all times – even tethering themselves with ropes – they cling to one another, urging each other to never let go.

But when one of the boys’ questions if the evil is real, the ties that bind them together are severed, triggering a terrifying fight for survival.

In this Deleted Scene from Never Let Go,...

Now available On Demand and digital, we have an exclusive behind-the-scenes practical stunts clip from Never Let Go!

"From visionary director Alexandre Aja and the creative minds behind Stranger Things and Arrival comes Never Let Go. In this new psychological thriller/horror, as an evil takes over the world beyond their front doorstep, the only protection for a mother, played by Academy Award® winner Halle Berry, and her twin sons is their house and their family’s protective bond. Needing to stay connected at all times – even tethering themselves with ropes – they cling to one another, urging each other to never let go. But when one of the boys questions if the evil is real, the ties that bind them together are severed, triggering a terrifying fight for survival."

Directed by: Alexandre Aja Written by: Kc Coughlin & Ryan Grassby Produced by: Shawn Levy, Dan Cohen, Dan Levine, Alexandre Aja Cast: Halle Berry,...

About two years ago, we heard that Halle Berry had signed on to star in a horror movie called Mother Land, with genre regular Alexandre Aja on board to direct. Last year, the project went into production under a new title, Never Let Go. The finished film was given a theatrical release on September 20th (you can read our review Here)… and it didn’t exactly set the box office on fire. It has only earned $21 million worldwide. Now it’s time for the movie to receive a PVOD release, so maybe it will be more successful when people are able to watch it in the comfort of their own homes. Lionsgate has announced they will be giving Never Let Go a Premium Video on Demand and Premium Electronic Sell-Through release on October 11th. A press release notes that the film “will be available to buy for $24.99 and to rent...

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.

BTS’ Jung Kook will launch a special pop-up exhibit in Los Angeles celebrating his career so far, as well as his 2023 solo album, Golden.

“Golden: The Moments” first appeared in Seoul last year, and it’s now set to run Oct. 25 to Nov. 17 (Wednesday through Sunday) at Ace Mission Studios in Los Angeles. Tickets will go on sale this Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 11 a.m. local time (fans can...

RankFilm (distributor)Three-day gross (Oct 4-6)Total gross to dateWeek 1. Joker: Folie à Deux (Warner Bros) £5.7m £5.7m 1 2. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (Warner Bros) £1.1m £22.8m 5 3. Speak No Evil (Universal) £408,214 £4.8m 4 4. The Substance (Mubi) £358,000 £2.2m 3 5. The Outrun (Studiocanal) £319,542 £1.1m 2

Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.31

Warner Bros blockbuster Joker: Folie à Deux topped the UK-Ireland box office on its opening weekend; but its £5.7m start was 54.9% down on the £12.6m opening of the 2019 first film.

Folie à Deux took an £7,826 average from 725 cinemas – also down 58.2% on the £18,734 average from 671 sites of Joker.

A potential yardstick for Folie à Deux’s performance is 2021 comic...

If you’re in the mood for a gripping supernatural thriller, look no further than Never Let Go. Starring Halle Berry, this chilling film takes you deep into the remote wilderness, where a mother and her two sons cling to each other—literally tethered by ropes to survive. Released in theaters on September 20, the film has captivated audiences with its tense atmosphere and psychological twists. And now, the countdown begins for its digital release on October 11, when you’ll be able to stream it on platforms like Prime Video, Apple TV+, and Vudu. If you’re ready for a spine-tingling watch that explores the fragile bonds of family under supernatural threat, Never Let Go is just around the corner.

Set in a secluded cabin, Never Let Go tells the harrowing story of a mother and her two young sons as they struggle to survive a mysterious evil lurking beyond their doorstep.

Update: Joker: Folie à Deux earned $37m in its North American debut, considerably lower than the $40m estimate provided by Warner Bros on Sunday.

Studio executives will be highly disappointed by the underwhelming number one debut given the reported $200m price tag and the box office heroics of its 2019 predecessor. It will reportedly need to gross at least $450m worldwide to break even.

Todd Phillips’ musical drama sequel earned muted reviews straight out of the gate at its world premiere in Venice one month ago and carries a D CinemaScore – the lowest for a superhero film. Even last year...

Joker: Folie à Deux earned an underwhelming estimated $40m North American number one debut through Warner Bros in a highly disappointing result given the reported $200m price tag and the box office heroics of its 2019 predecessor.

Todd Phillips’ musical drama sequel earned muted reviews straight out of the gate at its world premiere in Venice one month ago and carries a D CinemaScore, the lowest for a superhero film. Even last year’s much-maligned The Marvels from Marvel Studios scored a “B” and opened on $46.1m.

The R-rated sequel sees Joaquin Phoenix reprise his Oscar-winning role as the troubled Arthur Fleck aka Joker,...

Joker: Folie a Deux earned an underwhelming estimated $40m North American debut through Warner Bros in a highly disappointing result given the reported $200m price tag and the box office heroics of its 2019 predecessor.

Todd Phillips’ musical drama sequel earned muted reviews straight out of the gate at its world premiere in Venice one month ago and carries a D CinemaScore, the lowest for a superhero film. Even last year’s much-maligned The Marvels from Marvel Studios scored a “B” and opened on $46.1m.

The R-rated sequel sees Joaquin Phoenix reprise his Oscar-winning role as the troubled Arthur Fleck Aka Joker,...

“Joker: Folie à Deux,” a genre-bending sequel to the billion-dollar comic book smash, hit a sour note at the box office even as it opened to No. 1 with $40 million.

Those discordant domestic ticket sales were behind initial projections of $50 million to $65 million — a range that was already revised down in the subsequent weeks since “Joker 2” landed on pre-release tracking with $70 million. Opening weekend revenues were significantly lower than its predecessor, 2019’s “Joker,” which set an October record with a stellar $96.2 million during the same weekend a half a decade ago.

As for “Folie à Deux,” this start is disastrous for Warner Bros. considering the blockbuster success of the original and the reality that poor word-of-mouth will likely doom its big-screen staying power. That’s a problem because the R-rated sequel carries a substantial $200 million price tag (the first film was produced for a trim $65 million). So, “Folie à Deux...

In his latest interview, Kev sits down with prolific director Howard J. Ford to discuss his latest film, Escape.

Ten trafficked women attempt escaping ruthless gang after being abducted from resort. Nurse and dancer lead fight for survival in desert against traffickers during daring getaway plan.

Written and directed by Howard J. Ford and starring Sarah Alexandra Marks, Sophie Rankin and Sean Cronin, Escape is available to own or rent on digital download now. Check out our review of the film – from its US release last March – right here.

A 1930s-set thriller, about a family battling mysterious dust storms and a possible intruder, is impressively made and acted but falls apart by the end

An award-winning actor playing a fiercely, even frighteningly, protective mother guarding her two children from an unspecified malevolence in a remote home. No, I’m not talking about last month’s Halle Berry horror Never Let Go (is anyone still talking about that one?), but rather this month’s Sarah Paulson horror Hold Your Breath, a film that carries surface similarities (as well as a hopelessly generic rollercoaster-warning-esque title). Like that film, it plays with recent genre trends – a remote, pandemic-suited location and the corrosive effect of mental illness – as well as the use of a life-saving rope tied to the home for those who need to leave. And like that film, it’s also a bit of a mess.

Originally titled Dust, originally set...

Halle Berry has joined the cast of the thriller ‘Crime 101’.The 58-year-old actress will star opposite the likes of Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo and Barry Keoghan in the Amazon MGM Studios movie, which will adapt Don Winslow’s 2021 short story of the same name.The book follows a series of high-level jewellery robberies on the Pacific Coast Highway that remain unsolved after years of investigations, mostly because the criminal behind the jobs has lived by a strict code they call 'Crime 101'.While local police believe the raids are linked to the Colombian cartels, Detective Lou Lubesnick thinks it is all the work of one person, and attempts to track the criminal down himself before the perpetrator can complete one final score.The picture is due to begin shooting in two weeks and will see ‘American Animals’ filmmaker Bart Layton direct, while Hemsworth produces alongside Working Title's Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner.

Halle Berry is racking up role after role!

It was just announced on Wednesday (October 2) that the 58-year-old actress has landed a lead role in an upcoming thriller titled Crime 101, alongside Chris Hemsworth, Deadline reports.

Keep reading to find out more…

The upcoming film is an adaptation of Don Winslow‘s short story Crime 101 and serves as a follow up to American Animals.

While plot details for the movie are currently being kept under wraps, the original short story “follows high-level jewel thefts taking place up and down the Pacific Coast that police have linked to Colombian cartels. Detective Lou Lubesnick has other ideas and he zeroes in on one perp, a thief looking for a final score.”

Bart Layton, who penned and directed American Animals, will also direct and write Crime 101, with contributions by Peter Straughan.

Chris Hemsworth will also reunite with Avengers co-star Mark Ruffalo for the movie,...

American Animals director Bart Layton is assembling a new Hollywood dream team as Halle Berry joins Chris Hemsworth for the filmmaker’s upcoming thriller Crime 101. Berry, also known as the Master of Dog Fu (watch John Wick 3 – Parabellum), is fresh off her buddy comedy with Mark Wahlberg, The Union, while her latest horror film, Never Let Go, is lighting up silver screens this month. The Amazon MGM Studios project takes inspiration from Don Winslow‘s short story Crime 101, with Layton planning to release the film in theaters next year.

While plot details remain mysterious, Deadline says Crime 101 contains Heat-like elements. According to the synopsis for Winslow’s novella, the story focuses on a string of high-level jewel heists up and down the Pacific Coast Highway. The crimes have gone unsolved for years, mainly because the perpetrator has lived by a strict code he calls “Crime 101”. Police...

Halle Berry is final negations to join Amazon MGM Studios upcoming thriller “Crime 101,” adding some additional star power to a feature that already boasts a cast of Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo and Barry Keoghan.

The film — which Variety understands is due to start shooting in two weeks — is based on the short story by Don Winslow, with Bart Layton directing. Layton — who also exec produced “The Tinder Swindler” alongside numerous other unscripted series — wrote the script.

Winslow’s original story follows a series of high level jewellery thefts up and down the Pacific Coast Highway that have gone unsolved for years, mostly because the perpetrator has lived by a strict code he calls “Crime 101.” Police attribute the thefts to the Colombian cartels. But Detective Lou Lubesnick’s gut says it’s the work of just one man. Now the lone-wolf jewel thief is looking for that fabled final...

Exclusive: Oscar winner Halle Berry is in negotiations to join the cast of Amazon MGM Studios’ adaptation of Don Winslow’s short story Crime 101, Bart Layton’s anticipated follow-up to American Animals that will star Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo and Barry Keoghan. The pic will be released in theaters next year.

Plot details are under wraps, but the original short story by Winslow has shades of Heat as it follows high-level jewel thefts taking place up and down the Pacific Coast that police have linked to Colombian cartels. Detective Lou Lubesnick has other ideas and he zeroes in on one perp, a thief looking for a final score. The film will shoot this month.

Layton is directing and wrote the script with contributions from Peter Straughan. Producers include Story Factory’s Shane Salerno, Working Title’s Eric Fellner and Tim Bevan, Raw’s Layton and Dimitri Doganis and Derrin Schlesinger.

In 2019, “Joker” became an improbable box office smash and cultural juggernaut.

Sure, the R-rated crime drama was based on the ubiquitous Batman villain. But this take on the Clown Prince of Crime was darker and more disturbing than your average comic book adaptation — more akin to Martin Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver” than the DC anti-hero adventure “The Suicide Squad.”

Directed by Todd Phillips and starring Joaquin Phoenix, “Joker” beat the odds (and controversy over security concerns) to generate $1.07 billion in worldwide ticket sales against a trim $65 million budget. After the Warner Bros. release became one of the most profitable superhero movies in history and earned 11 Oscar nominations, a sequel was all but destined.

Yet the second film, “Joker: Folie à Deux,” which opens in theaters on Friday, may not get the last laugh.

The follow-up, bringing back Phoenix as Arthur Fleck and introducing Lady Gaga as his accomplice Harley Quinn,...

Warner Bros.’ “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” maintained its grip on the U.K. and Ireland box office for the fourth consecutive weekend, generating £1.8 million ($2.4 million) for a cumulative total of £21 million ($27.9 million), per numbers from Comscore.

Universal’s “Speak No Evil” held steady in second place with £813,890, pushing its three-week total to just under £4 million. Studiocanal’s “The Outrun” debuted at No. 3 with £449,590, followed closely by Dreamz Entertainment’s “Devara Part 1” at £440,626. Mubi’s “The Substance” rounded out the top five in its second frame with £421,242 for a total of £1.4 million.

Studiocanal’s “Lee” landed at sixth place collecting £453,921 in its third weekend for a £2.7 million total, while Entertainment Film Distributors’ “Megalopolis” opened at seventh with £357,190. Universal’s “Despicable Me 4” continued its strong run at eighth, adding £351,007 in its 12th weekend for a total of £47.4 million. The 20th-anniversary re-release of “Shaun of the Dead,” also from Universal, opened at No.

In a move to cut costs, Lionsgate is offering employees in the United States voluntary severance and retirement packages, its CEO wrote in a memo to staff on Monday.

“As we continue to move toward the full separation of the studio and Starz in a challenging operating environment, Lionsgate’s Executive Committee has approved a multifaceted strategic plan to enhance productivity and achieve greater cost efficiencies,” chief Jon Feltheimer said in the email.

A target for the number of staff reductions at the Santa Monica-based company was not disclosed in the note and a rep for the company declined to elaborate on the memo. As of its latest annual report, Lionsgate employed 1,500 staffers worldwide.

The studio, which counts a 20,000-title film and TV library among its assets, has released a series of underperforming titles in the past two months, including Borderlands ($32 million in box office receipts globally), The Crow ($23.5 million...

Rank Film (distributor) Three-day gross (Sep 27-29) Total gross to date Week 1. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (Warner Bros) £1.8m £21m 4 2. Speak No Evil (Universal) £641,119 £4m 3 3. The Substance (Mubi) £420,495 £1.5m 2 4. Lee (Studiocanal) £400,612 £2.8m 3 5. The Outrun (Studiocanal) £397,526 £449,025 1

Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.34

Nora Fingscheidt’s The Outrun scored a top five spot on its opening weekend at the UK-Ireland box office; as Beetlejuice Beetlejuice held top spot for a fourth successive weekend, and Megalopolis opened outside the top five.

Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice added £1.8m – a slim drop of just 27.2%, that brings it to just shy of £21m. It is now the eighth-highest-grossing 2024 release,...

Stars: Halle Berry, Anthony B Jenkins, Percy Daggs IV, Kathryn Kirkpatrick | Written by Kc Coughlin, Ryan Grassby | Directed by Alexandre Aja

The latest film from French horror director Alexandre Aja is an evil-in-the-woods mystery chiller that’s intent on keeping the audience guessing until the end. As such, it has its moments, thanks to strong performances by the two young leads, but it’s never as satisfying or as scary as it ought to be.

Never Let Go takes place in a remote wooden house in the forest, where Halle Berry’s Momma (the character is never named) is raising her two young, non-identical twin boys Nolan (Percy Daggs IV) and Samuel (Anthony B Jenkins), apparently in the wake of some apocalyptic event that has befallen the rest of the country. Accordingly, Momma tells the boys that if they leave the house, they must remain tied to it via a length of thick rope,...

Family-friendly movies continue to save the box office this year. After the massive mega-hit that was Inside Out 2, this weekend's number one film is another animated kids' movie, The Wild Robot. The DreamWorks flick, which stars Lupita Nyong'o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, Mark Hamill, Catherine O'Hara,...

Worldwide box office September 27-29 RankFilm (distributor)3-day (world)Cume (world)3-day (int’l) Cume (int’l)Territories 1. The Wild Robot (Universal) $44.9m $53.1m $9.9m $18.1m 30 2. Devara Part 1 (various) $32.9m $32.9m $27.8m $27.8m 17 3. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (Warner Bros) $29.6m $373.3m $13.6m $123.2m 78 4. Transformers One (Paramount) $25.9m $72m $16.6m $32.8m 62 5. Speak No Evil (Universal) $9.6m $57.7m $5.3m $29.6m 78 6. Megalopolis (various) $6.1m $6.1m $2.1m $2.1m 11 7. The Substance (Mubi) $5.4m $14.8m $3.6m $7.9m 36 8. Never Let Go (various)

$4.6m $10.9m $2.4m $2.7m 28 9. The School Of Magic Animals 3 (various) $4.5m $5.6m $4.5m $5.6m 2 10. Veteran 2: I, The Executioner (various) $3.7m $44.3m $3.5m $44.2m 4

Credit: Comscore.

A new film took control of the box-office weekend this week as The Wild Robot managed to unseat Beetlejuice Beetlejuice by a $19 million margin.

Universal Pictures saw The Wild Robot debut atop this weekend’s top ten with $35.0 million. This was more than enough to unseat Beetlejuice Beetlejuice which brought in $16.0 million for Warner Bros. in its fourth weekend of release. The “Beetlejuice” sequel now sports an overall total of $250.1 million despite succumbing to newcomer The Wild Robot. Last weekend’s second-place film, Transformers One fell to third place where it brought in $9.3 million over the weekend, raising its two-week total to $39.2 million for Paramount Pictures. The second debut of the weekend, Devara Part 1 landed in fourth place with $5.6 million brought in this weekend. This pushed last week’s third-place film, Universal Pictures’ Speak No Evil to fifth place this weekend where it added $4.3 million over the weekend to...

Francis Ford Coppola’s Cannes world premiere Megalopolis arrived in the North American charts in sixth place on an estimated $4m in the latest sorry episode in the film’s embattled history.

The sci-fi starring Adam Driver and Giancarlo Esposito as two driven men fighting for the soul of a city opened in 1,854 locations and earned $1.8m on Friday, $1.3m on Saturday, and $915,000 on Sunday. Pre-weekend estimates put the opening at $5-7m.

Lionsgate is distributing the film for a fee so the launch is not a hefty financial misfire for the studio. However it does mark the latest in...

Francis Ford Coppola’s Cannes world premiere Megalopolis arrived in the North American charts in sixth place on an estimated $4m in the latest sorry episode in the film’s embattled history.

The sci-fi starring Adam Driver and Giancarlo Esposito as two driven men fighting for the soul of a city opened in 1,854 locations and earned $1.8m on Friday, $1.3m on Saturday, and $915,000 on Sunday. Pre-weekend estimated put the opening at $5-7m.

While not a financial misfire in and of itself for Lionsgate, who is distributing the film for a fee, it does mark another in what has become...

Escape

Independent film director Howard Ford's next two feature films, Escape and Dark Game, revolve around characters in captivity. In Escape, written and directed by Ford, ten women fight back in the desert against the traffickers that have kidnapped them. Meanwhile, DarkGame, written by Tom George, Gary Grant and Niall Johnson, centres on a game show on the dark web, where the participants are captives forced to play for their lives.

Ford is drawn to characters facing adversity, whether it be a climber stranded on a mountain fending off a group of killers above her in The Ledge or a mother on vacation in Never Let Go, who goes renegade to rescue her abducted son. Escape and Dark Game are a natural expansion of his violent cinematic universe, built around survival.

I first met Ford in-person at FrightFest 2013, when The Dead 2: India, which he co-directed...

Dreamworks Animation’s The Wild Robot performed way ahead of our expectations at the box office this weekend. Even the most optimistic industry estimates had this only making about $25 million (we pegged it at significantly less). Still, it looks like the excellent reviews (and the fact that it’s based on a universally beloved book) played in its favor. Its $35 million opening weekend is a pretty big coup for a non-sequel these days, with it all earning a terrific A CinemaScore rating, promising that it should have good legs in the week to come.

However, another animated movie about robots with solid word-of-mouth wasn’t so lucky. Transformers One, which also earned an A CinemaScore and boasts an all-star voice cast, collapsed in week two at the box office. It plummeted a massive 62% to a $9.3 million total and a $39 million domestic tally. It will be lucky to break $55 million in...

September ended with quite a number of new wide releases, but only one new movie stood out above all the rest. Read on for the weekend box office report.

DreamWorks Animation’s latest, “The Wild Robot,” featuring the voices of Lupita Nyong’o and Pedro Pascal, was always set to open big with Universal releasing the movie into 3,962 theaters after it received some of the best reviews of the year. By Thursday, it had racked up a 98% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and it brought in just under $2 million in early previews, which were rolled into the movie’s $11.3 million Friday. Universal estimates its latest animated movie to open with $35 million, averaging $8,834, which is better than projections and better than last week’s animated “Transformers One.” It also received an “A” on CinemaScore from audiences that went to see it, so it should have decent legs going into October.

“The Wild Robot” opened earlier overseas,...