Throws in 7 little words

EXCLUSIVE: Charles Finch ( Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love) is as English as they come, but Hollywood runs through his veins. Having written movies, produced a few, directed three; managed movie stars and built brands, and published high-end cultural magazines, he decided “smack in the middle of Covid, in my late fifties,” that he wanted to go back to making movies. He has set up a small film company that he calls STANDALONE. Finch has a relationship with Columbia Pictures and he’ll formally announce a development deal with that studio next month. The entrepreneur also has a project with Netflix . Finch told us that he has a slate of some 15 to 20 projects. Included in his group of filmmaking collaborators are directors Josie Rourke ( Mary Queen of Scots ), Tom Hooper ( Les Miserables ), Marina Zenovich ( Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind ), Simon Curtis ( Downton Abbey: A New Era ), and Florian Zeller ( The Father ). Finch described himself … [Read more...] about Charles Finch: The “Old-Fashioned” Movie Impresario Returns To Producing – And Insists Roasting On Oscars And BAFTAs Must Stop

6th Update, Sunday AM: With chart In a box office defeat that no one anticipated, Denzel Washington’s first sequel ever, Equalizer 2 , stole most of the No. 1 money away from Universal ’s Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again , $35.8M to $34.4M . Even more for Sony to relish is that Equalizer 2 beat its first chapter’s $34.1M opening plus it’s the second back-to-back No. 1 opening for Sony this summer after last weekend’s Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation . Mamma Mia 2 also improved upon its first installment’s $27.7M start by 24%. For director Antoinie Fuqua, Equalizer 2 reps the highest opening of his career besting The Magnificent Seven ($34.7M). For Washington, the sequel is his third best domestic start after American Gangster ($43.5M) and Safe House ($40.1M). While Mamma Mia 2 came in toward the high end of its tracking, Equalizer 2 wildly outperformed its mid $20Ms expectations. “This definitely points to the star power of Denzel … [Read more...] about Shocker: ‘Mamma Mia 2’ Meets B.O. Waterloo As ‘Equalizer 2’ Is The No. 1 Winner That Takes It All With $35M+

FINAL SUNDAY AM: With chart Paramount / Skydance ’s Mission: Impossible – Fallout is opening to a franchise record of $61.5M (the same as we spotted yesterday), beating the previous series high from Mission: Impossible II ($57.8M) and 2015’s Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation ($55.5M), which we wrote three years ago repped a moment when star Tom Cruise resuscitated the franchise. He’s taken it even higher here, with Fallout also breaking global records for M:I with $153.5M, beating Ghost Protocol’s $131.5M. Fallout also stands as Cruise’s second best opening at the B.O. after War of the Worlds’ 3-day of $64.8M. Following the surprise $332.4M success of A Quiet Place, Fallout reps another big win for the Jim Gianopulos-led Paramount, as parent company Viacom scrambles to rebuild itself in this era of media mergers. Liz Raposo, Paramount’s president of production, has been the consistent on the M:I franchises, having worked on the last … [Read more...] about ‘Mission’ Accomplished: ‘Fallout’ $61M+ Opening Reps Record For Tom Cruise Franchise – Sunday

If he’s still known for winning a Best Screenplay Oscar for 1995’s Usual Suspects , Christopher McQuarrie ’s next best identification is for being Tom Cruise ’s go-to-guy. Sometimes that’s as writer or script doctor, but now more commonly it’s as writer, producer, director, and being Cruise’s accomplice in problem solving the star/producer’s many complex screen vehicles. They took it to another level on Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation , a cracking good summer movie that heads into opening weekend with strong reviews and buzz, and a clear indication that the 53-year old Cruise can play Ethan Hunt for as long as he cares to risk his life with stunts no other superstar would dare try. Here, McQuarrie shares why they pair so well, and what it is like for a director to harmlessly wonder aloud if it would be possible to survive strapped to the exterior door of an airborne jet plane, and then pray that Tom Cruise is still tethered when the take is done and the plane lands. … [Read more...] about Christopher McQuarrie Q&A: On Collaborating With Tom Cruise, And Hanging Him Off A Moving Airplane