SUNDAY UPDATE, writethru : Legendary Entertainment/Warner Bros’ Pokemon Detective Pikachu took the No. 1 spot at the international box office this weekend with a $103M start in 62 markets, just edging the third frame of Avengers: Endgame per today’s estimates. Along with the early release in Japan, Pikachu ‘s offshore cume is $112.4M through Sunday, and the global total with the strong domestic bow is $170.4M . By a hair of his lightning tail, Pikachu topped the third overseas session of Disney/Marvel’s Endgame which added $102.3M in 55 material markets (globally the MCU pic won the weekend with $165.4M to the little critter’s $161M). Last session, Endgame sailed past Titanic to become the No. 2 movie of all time both offshore and worldwide. Its cumes currently sit at $1.762B international and $2.486B global. Endgame remains the No. 2 film of all time behind Avatar with about $302M now separating them on a worldwide basis. … [Read more...] about ‘Pokémon Detective Pikachu’ Catches $103M In Overseas Bow; ‘Avengers: Endgame’ Assembles $2.486B WW – International Box Office
Chiwetel ejiofor avengers
‘Pokemon Detective Pikachu’ Grabs $58M In ‘Endgame’ Dominated Universe; Marvel Pic 3rd Highest Domestic With $723M+ – Sunday Update
Sunday AM Update/writethru: Following Saturday 7:28AM post, with final : Warner Bros./Legendary’s Pokémon Detective Pikachu is coming in ahead of its $50M-$55M domestic tracking with a $58M No. 2 opening being called by the studio. They excelled with the first Pokemon movie back in 1999 with a $31M launch, and they’ve done even better with this updated live-action hybrid comedy close to 20 years later. It’s a great comeback for Legendary on the Burbank lot after its five-year deal at Universal. When Detective Pikachu jumped to Warner Bros. last July , it was a sign that Legendary, which was behind such Warner Bros. successes as the Dark Knight and Godzilla franchises, was coming back. Smart dating here on behalf of Warner Bros.: They waited for Disney/Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame to calm down, going two weekends after the summer juggernaut, which, as of this morning, continued to top the box office with its third No. 1 in a row, an estimated $63.1M . … [Read more...] about ‘Pokemon Detective Pikachu’ Grabs $58M In ‘Endgame’ Dominated Universe; Marvel Pic 3rd Highest Domestic With $723M+ – Sunday Update
China: ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3’ Secures Day-And-Date Release
In another sign of the return to China for Marvel after a long drought, Disney /Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has been set for a day-and-date release on May 5. The James Gunn -directed finale in the series is due to hit North American cinemas that same day while international rollout will begin on May 3. (Check out the new China poster below.) This marks the third Marvel title to secure a theatrical release in China following a three-and-a-half year period during which no movies featuring a Marvel character gained entry to the world’s second largest box office market. Last month , Disney/Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania became the first titles in since Sony/Marvel’s Spider-Man: Far From Home in June 2019, and Disney/Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame in April that same year. Neither Wakanda Forever ($15.6M) nor Quantumania ($39M through last Sunday) spun Chinese turnstiles off their axes in February — … [Read more...] about China: ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3’ Secures Day-And-Date Release
Scotland’s Sands International Film Festival Of St Andrews Sets Second Edition Including Joe Russo Talk & Mystery AGBO Debut
EXCLUSIVE: The Sands: International Film Festival of St Andrews , held in northern Scotland, has set the lineup for its second edition, running April 14 – 16. Over the course of three days, the festival will host a series of official screenings and industry talks from filmmakers and artists such as director Joe Russo ( Avengers: Endgame, The Gray Man ), who returns to St Andrews after supporting the inaugural edition in 2022. Russo will be bringing with him what the festival has described as an “early sneak peek of a hotly anticipated project” that he has executive produced under his AGBO production outfit. The title of the pic will not be unveiled until the screening begins. The festival has also set Russo as the host of a public discussion on gaming and contemporary storytelling with Epic Games Chief Creative Officer Donald Mustard, who has worked as a creator and director on titles such as Fortnite . Russo’s AGBO is among the backers of Sands, alongside … [Read more...] about Scotland’s Sands International Film Festival Of St Andrews Sets Second Edition Including Joe Russo Talk & Mystery AGBO Debut
Denzel Washington Reuniting With Ridley Scott On ‘Gladiator’ Sequel At Paramount
EXCLUSIVE: Almost 16 years ago Denzel Washington and Ridley Scott wowed audiences with their hit crime drama American Gangster, and now it looks like the the two A-listers are ready to get back together in a big way. Sources tell Deadline that Washington is in final negotiations to co-star in Scott’s sequel to his Oscar Best Picture winner Gladiator for Paramount. Paul Mescal is on board to star opposite Washington, with Scott returning to the director’s chair. Scott also will produce with Scott Free president Michael Pruss as well as Doug Wick & Lucy Fisher via Red Wagon Entertainment. David Scarpa penned the script. Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald are executive producing. Also returning from the original film are costume designer Janty Yates and production designer Arthur Max. The first film was co-production between Universal and DreamWorks, and while DreamWorks will not be involved in the sequel, Universal has the right to partner again when the … [Read more...] about Denzel Washington Reuniting With Ridley Scott On ‘Gladiator’ Sequel At Paramount
‘The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial’ Rounds Out Cast With 7 Including Monica Raymund, Lance Reddick & Griffin Dunne
EXCLUSIVE: The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial has rounded out its cast with Monica Raymund ( Hightown ), Lance Reddick ( Bosch ), Griffin Dunne ( This Is Us ), Elizabeth Anweis ( Batwoman ), Lewis Pullman ( Top Gun: Maverick ), Francois Battiste ( Ten Days in the Valley ), and Gabe Kessler ( Hightown ). They join previously announced leads Keifer Sutherland, Jake Lacy, and Jason Clarke. Raymund will portray Challee, a Lieutenant with a sharp legal mind and eye for detail who serves as the prosecuting attorney during the court-martial, doing their best to argue that Commander Queeg was wrongfully relieved of his duties. Reddick portrays Captain Blakely, chief judge of the court-martial. Blakely maintains an even tone, and a commanding presence over the courtroom; Dunne plays Dr. Bird, a lieutenant and member of the psychiatric staff for the Naval Hospital. A person of high intellect, he is more of a new-age psychiatrist than a military-looking … [Read more...] about ‘The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial’ Rounds Out Cast With 7 Including Monica Raymund, Lance Reddick & Griffin Dunne
‘Power Book II: Ghost’: Mary J. Blige Talks Monet’s Grief In Season 3; Collabing Musically Again With Method Man
SPOILER ALERT: The following story reveals major plot points from the Season 3 premiere of Starz ’s Power Book II: Ghost . Power Book II: Ghost dropped its third season premiere on Friday titled “Your Perception, Your Reality” and as expected, it’s filled with sadness and frustration following the tragic events of last season. Monet ( Mary J. Blige ) is really going through it following the murder of her son Zeke (Daniel Bellomy). She’s lost her way and healing can only begin by her avenging his death—an eye for an eye. Being that her husband Lorenzo (Berto Colon) shot down Zeke accidentally in a case of mistaken identity, things are plenty complicated. In the meantime, Monet is so enveloped in grief that she neither notices the internal struggle going on in the family nor that there’s a new baddie in town named Noma (Caroline Chikezie) who is searching for whoever killed her fiancé Mecca (Daniel Sunjata). As a reminder, Monet killed Mecca, her ex who fathered … [Read more...] about ‘Power Book II: Ghost’: Mary J. Blige Talks Monet’s Grief In Season 3; Collabing Musically Again With Method Man
Former Marvel And DC Comics Editor-In-Chief Bob Harras Joins Martial Arts Fantasy Outfit Immortal Studios
EXCLUSIVE : Bob Harras , the former editor-in-chief of both Marvel and DC Comics , has joined Immortal Studios as editor-at-large of its senior management team. Harras comes aboard after the fan-driven launch of the company’s four comic book titles — Adept, Assassin G, Chronicles of the Immortal Swordsmen and Fa Sheng — that serve as the foundation of its storyverse. Immortal Studios is a transmedia, direct-to-consumer entertainment company with a focus on the ancient Chinese martial arts-fantasy genre also known as Wuxia. At Marvel, Harras spearheaded titles such as the X-Men , Avengers , Spider-Man , Hulk and Deadpool in addition to the rest of the Marvel line. He was story consultant for the animated Fox TV series X-Men . His writing credits include the Avengers , Namor and the limited series Nick Fury vs. S.H.I.E.L.D . At DC he oversaw editorial for comics including Batman , Superman and Wonder Woman . He also headed up MAD … [Read more...] about Former Marvel And DC Comics Editor-In-Chief Bob Harras Joins Martial Arts Fantasy Outfit Immortal Studios
BBC Must Explain Glossy U.S. Acquisitions After Being Accused By ITV Of Chasing Ratings
The BBC has been told that it must be more transparent about its content acquisitions strategy after being accused by ITV of buying glossy U.S. shows to chase ratings. Ofcom , the UK’s media regulator, said the BBC must explain in its Annual Plan how buying content, as opposed to commissioning British originals, supports “distinctiveness” and engages different audiences. The BBC is funded by the British public to the tune of £3.8B ($4.7B), meaning it has an obligation to be distinct from commercial rivals like ITV and serve all audiences. Ofcom made the intervention as part of plans to update the BBC’s operating licence for a digital age from next month. A guiding principle of the changes is transparency, with Ofcom arguing that the BBC has not always provided proper “detail and clarity” on updates to its output and services. In a submission to Ofcom’s review, ITV said the BBC had “dramatically increased” its spend on acquired content over the past six years, … [Read more...] about BBC Must Explain Glossy U.S. Acquisitions After Being Accused By ITV Of Chasing Ratings
Maria Bakalova Stars In & Produces Bulgarian Short Film ‘What Stays After’
EXCLUSIVE : Production has wrapped on a Bulgarian live-action short film starring Oscar-nominated Bulgarian actor Maria Bakalova . The film, titled Това, Kоето Oстава (English title: What Stays After ), is directed by Dimitris Georgiev. The short is produced by No Blink Pictures, New European Wave Entertainment and Bakalova’s production company Five Oceans, co-founded with fellow actor and filmmaker Julian Kostov ( Shadow and Bone, The Toxic Avenger ). Joining Bakalova in the cast of What Stays After are leading Bulgarian actors Zachary Baharov ( Game of Thrones, Slow Horses, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One ), Elena Telbis ( Losers ) and Margita Gosheva ( The Father ), with young actor Yan Lozov as the lead. Written by Bulgarian filmmakers Georgiev and Mariy Rosen, What Stays After tells the coming-of-age story of a boy during tragic events that tear his family apart. The characters in the movie face the pain of losing a loved one, … [Read more...] about Maria Bakalova Stars In & Produces Bulgarian Short Film ‘What Stays After’