Ren Sudo is a Japanese actor, director and screenwriter. Since 2017 he has been involved in many projects, ranging from features to TV drama such as “Little Miss Period” or “Kamata Prelude”. In 2022 he directed his first feature “Blacklight”, which also screened at Nippon Connection, just like his second project “Abyss”.
On the occasion of “Abyss” screening at Nippon Connection 2024, we talk with him to talk about the genesis of the project, its characters and about the state of Japanese independent cinema.
Ren Sudo is screening at Nippon Connection
I have to say “Abyss” strikes me as a very romantic story. Do you consider yourself a romantic?
Yes, of course. When I start a new project, I first think about the romantic and erotic scenes. Perhaps that makes me a romantic person.
Since your film portrays both sides of Tokyo, do you prefer Tokyo at night or at daytime?
“Abyss” is some kind of self-portrait because,...
On the occasion of “Abyss” screening at Nippon Connection 2024, we talk with him to talk about the genesis of the project, its characters and about the state of Japanese independent cinema.
Ren Sudo is screening at Nippon Connection
I have to say “Abyss” strikes me as a very romantic story. Do you consider yourself a romantic?
Yes, of course. When I start a new project, I first think about the romantic and erotic scenes. Perhaps that makes me a romantic person.
Since your film portrays both sides of Tokyo, do you prefer Tokyo at night or at daytime?
“Abyss” is some kind of self-portrait because,...
- 6/2/2024
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Women’s History Month may be over, but that doesn’t mean that women aren’t leading many of Hulu’s top picks for April. The month begins with the premiere of Vanderpump Villa, a Hulu Original reality series that follows Lisa Vanderpump and the hand-selected staff members employed at her lavish French estate, Chateau Rosabelle. This next chapter in the Vanderpump saga is sure to be full of drama, decadence, and debauchery as the staff caters to Vanderpump, her wealthy guests, and their own desires.
Hulu Original Under the Bridge, based on the 1997 true-crime novel of the same name, also premieres this month. This limited series follows the investigation of Reena Virk’s disappearance –the fourteen-year-old left to meet some friends and never returned home. Starring Riley Keough and Academy Award nominee Lily Gladstone, Under the Bridge has all the makings of a true-crime hit. Rounding out this month,...
Hulu Original Under the Bridge, based on the 1997 true-crime novel of the same name, also premieres this month. This limited series follows the investigation of Reena Virk’s disappearance –the fourteen-year-old left to meet some friends and never returned home. Starring Riley Keough and Academy Award nominee Lily Gladstone, Under the Bridge has all the makings of a true-crime hit. Rounding out this month,...
- 4/1/2024
- by Brynnaarens
- Den of Geek
Plot: In 1974, an aging hitman (Liam Neeson) tries to leave his violent past behind and reinvent himself in a small, isolated town in Ireland. However, his good nature leads to him making a fateful decision that puts him in the crosshairs of an insane Ira assassin (Kerry Condon) and her cronies.
Review: I know what you’re thinking – another Liam Neeson action flick. Ho-hum. Normally, I’d be right there with you. While no one can deny he’s become the 21st century’s version of Charles Bronson, with him churning out a steady diet of B-level action flicks, not all of them are disposable in the way something like Blacklight, Honest Thief, Retribution and too many others are. Once in a while, he works with a really interesting director, such as on the beautifully photographed Marlowe by Neil Jordan. One of his better recent action flicks was definitely The Marksman,...
Review: I know what you’re thinking – another Liam Neeson action flick. Ho-hum. Normally, I’d be right there with you. While no one can deny he’s become the 21st century’s version of Charles Bronson, with him churning out a steady diet of B-level action flicks, not all of them are disposable in the way something like Blacklight, Honest Thief, Retribution and too many others are. Once in a while, he works with a really interesting director, such as on the beautifully photographed Marlowe by Neil Jordan. One of his better recent action flicks was definitely The Marksman,...
- 3/29/2024
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
If you haven’t taken the leap to bundle Disney+ and Hulu, it might be time. Streaming is only getting more expensive and competitive, and the enticing bundle (which also includes ESPN) might be a version of cable TV, but it’s also just cost efficient. Disney+ and Hulu are so intertwined that their monthly listing updates come in the same email — and as such, we decided to compile them here for you in the same list.
Whether you have Disney+ or Hulu, or both (and the IndieWire staff has weighed on our favorites), each has its benefits. Disney has the family-friendly titles, the Star Wars and Marvel (new episodes of “The Bad Batch” and “X-Men: 97” continue through April), while Hulu is the place to catch FX originals and network episodes. Both streamers have the rights to distribute National Geographic titles, which are well worth exploring along with the rest of the library.
Whether you have Disney+ or Hulu, or both (and the IndieWire staff has weighed on our favorites), each has its benefits. Disney has the family-friendly titles, the Star Wars and Marvel (new episodes of “The Bad Batch” and “X-Men: 97” continue through April), while Hulu is the place to catch FX originals and network episodes. Both streamers have the rights to distribute National Geographic titles, which are well worth exploring along with the rest of the library.
- 3/18/2024
- by Proma Khosla
- Indiewire
Earthgang have released their new EP, Robophobia, via SinceThe80s/Dreamville. Stream it via Apple Music or Spotify below.
Robophobia features guest appearances from Snoop Dogg, Earthgang’s collective Spillage Village, and Tommy Newport. The new EP is the second installment in Olu and WowGr8’s Earthgang vs the Algorithm series, and includes the lead single, “Blacklight.”
In an Instagram post, the Atlanta duo described the project as “a sonic dive into a new terrain for Earthgang as they explore new soundscapes and topics on imperfections, connections, and projections within humanity’s relationship with each other and AI.”
Robophobia follows last year’s Rip Human Art, which featured the singles “Bobby Boucher” and “Die Today.” Read why the latter track was one of the best songs released in 2023.
Robophobia Artwork:
Robophobia Tracklist:
01. Intro
02. Blackight (feat. Spillage Village)
03. Put In Work (feat. Tommy Newport)
04. Osmosis
05. Perfect Fantasy (feat. Snoop Dogg)
Earthgang Drop...
Robophobia features guest appearances from Snoop Dogg, Earthgang’s collective Spillage Village, and Tommy Newport. The new EP is the second installment in Olu and WowGr8’s Earthgang vs the Algorithm series, and includes the lead single, “Blacklight.”
In an Instagram post, the Atlanta duo described the project as “a sonic dive into a new terrain for Earthgang as they explore new soundscapes and topics on imperfections, connections, and projections within humanity’s relationship with each other and AI.”
Robophobia follows last year’s Rip Human Art, which featured the singles “Bobby Boucher” and “Die Today.” Read why the latter track was one of the best songs released in 2023.
Robophobia Artwork:
Robophobia Tracklist:
01. Intro
02. Blackight (feat. Spillage Village)
03. Put In Work (feat. Tommy Newport)
04. Osmosis
05. Perfect Fantasy (feat. Snoop Dogg)
Earthgang Drop...
- 2/23/2024
- by Eddie Fu
- Consequence - Music
Liam Neeson is to reprise his role as a truck driver turned rescue worker from 2021 indie hit “The Ice Road.”
With director Jonathan Hensleigh again on board, “The Ice Road 2: Road to the Sky” relocates its story from Canada in the original to Nepal in the sequel. Film production is set to shift from North America to Australia’s Victoria State.
Filming will begin this month using Gippsland town of Walhalla as the backdrop for some of the picture’s action scenes. It will also shoot in and around Melbourne and make use of virtual production, volume screens and technology at NantStudios @ Docklands Studios Melbourne.
“The Ice Road 2: Road to the Sky” is a Code Entertainment, ShivHans Pictures, Ema production. Its producers are Code’s Al Corley, Bart Rosenblatt and Eugene Musso, along with Shivani Rawat of ShivHans and Hensleigh, as well as Lee Nelson and David Tish...
With director Jonathan Hensleigh again on board, “The Ice Road 2: Road to the Sky” relocates its story from Canada in the original to Nepal in the sequel. Film production is set to shift from North America to Australia’s Victoria State.
Filming will begin this month using Gippsland town of Walhalla as the backdrop for some of the picture’s action scenes. It will also shoot in and around Melbourne and make use of virtual production, volume screens and technology at NantStudios @ Docklands Studios Melbourne.
“The Ice Road 2: Road to the Sky” is a Code Entertainment, ShivHans Pictures, Ema production. Its producers are Code’s Al Corley, Bart Rosenblatt and Eugene Musso, along with Shivani Rawat of ShivHans and Hensleigh, as well as Lee Nelson and David Tish...
- 1/16/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Alfie Allen, Charlie Murphy and Jack Gleeson are to star in a Dutch-Belgian thriller series from Ozark co-creator Mark Williams, Night Train Media and Submarine.
They are starring alongside emerging Dutch star Martijn Lakemeier in the eight-part drama, which is for Dutch streamer Videoland and Belgium’s Streamz.
Production has begun in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, with Williams directing along with Arne Toonen, and we hear the ambition is for Safe Harbor to be a returner that aims to balance edge-of-the-seat thrills with character-based stories and a twisty plot line. Further shooting will take place in Belgium and Ireland, Deadline understands.
The series follows gifted hacker Tobias (Allen) and his ambitious best friend Marco (Lakemeier), who are intent on cracking into the tech billionaires club. They are plucked from quiet obscurity and plunged headfirst into...
They are starring alongside emerging Dutch star Martijn Lakemeier in the eight-part drama, which is for Dutch streamer Videoland and Belgium’s Streamz.
Production has begun in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, with Williams directing along with Arne Toonen, and we hear the ambition is for Safe Harbor to be a returner that aims to balance edge-of-the-seat thrills with character-based stories and a twisty plot line. Further shooting will take place in Belgium and Ireland, Deadline understands.
The series follows gifted hacker Tobias (Allen) and his ambitious best friend Marco (Lakemeier), who are intent on cracking into the tech billionaires club. They are plucked from quiet obscurity and plunged headfirst into...
- 11/28/2023
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Earthgang have previewed Robophobia, the second installment in their Earthgang vs the Algorithm series, with a funky new single titled “Blacklight.” Stream it below ahead of the EP’s release on November 17th.
Produced by Nandish “Dish” Patel, “Blacklight” sees Earthgang members Olu (aka Johnny Venus) and WowGr8 (aka Doctur Dot) encouraging their love interests to expose their flaws without any fear of judgment. “Uh, I ain’t gon’ diagnose you, I ain’t gon’ try to fix you,” Olu raps on the second verse. “You could treat this present moment like a real-life Finsta/ All the things you did that you could never tell your mom or sister/ All that shit you pray about that weigh you down, yeah, I forgive you.”
In late September, Earthgang dropped Rip Human Art, the first EP in their Vs the Algorithm series. The five-track project included the previously released singles “Bobby Boucher” and “Die Today.
Produced by Nandish “Dish” Patel, “Blacklight” sees Earthgang members Olu (aka Johnny Venus) and WowGr8 (aka Doctur Dot) encouraging their love interests to expose their flaws without any fear of judgment. “Uh, I ain’t gon’ diagnose you, I ain’t gon’ try to fix you,” Olu raps on the second verse. “You could treat this present moment like a real-life Finsta/ All the things you did that you could never tell your mom or sister/ All that shit you pray about that weigh you down, yeah, I forgive you.”
In late September, Earthgang dropped Rip Human Art, the first EP in their Vs the Algorithm series. The five-track project included the previously released singles “Bobby Boucher” and “Die Today.
- 11/3/2023
- by Eddie Fu
- Consequence - Music
Plot: A businessman (Liam Neeson) is trapped in his car with his two kids by a mysterious caller who warns him that there’s a bomb under his seat that will go off if anyone tries to exit the vehicle.
Review: Remember when Liam Neeson said he was giving up action movies a few years ago? Many think he wasn’t being serious, but watching his latest, Retribution, I’m almost thinking he was telling the truth as there’s so little going on here in the way of physical action that you could almost call this an “inaction” movie. Indeed, Neeson spends 95% of the running time comfortably seated behind the wheel of his car, making this less taxing than the brawnier movies that made him a late-in-life action star.
As usual, Neeson’s latter-era movies are a mixed bag. I was fond of his recent film noir, Marlowe, and...
Review: Remember when Liam Neeson said he was giving up action movies a few years ago? Many think he wasn’t being serious, but watching his latest, Retribution, I’m almost thinking he was telling the truth as there’s so little going on here in the way of physical action that you could almost call this an “inaction” movie. Indeed, Neeson spends 95% of the running time comfortably seated behind the wheel of his car, making this less taxing than the brawnier movies that made him a late-in-life action star.
As usual, Neeson’s latter-era movies are a mixed bag. I was fond of his recent film noir, Marlowe, and...
- 8/26/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
The summer box office wind-down is in action as Columbia Pictures’ “Gran Turismo” looks to outrun a slew of holdovers. The racing feature got off to a head start with an $8.5 million opening day from 3,856 screens, a figure that includes a sizable $5.3 million from preview screenings over recent weeks.
In late July, Sony swerved with its release plans for “Gran Turismo,” bumping the formal opening two weeks later than its initial Aug. 11 release date, but organizing several days of special screenings for the film in hopes to build up word-of-mouth. It’s typical for studios to include preview grosses in their opening numbers — after all, “opening day” gross accounts for ticket sales across Thursday and Friday — but “Gran Turismo” certainly has had more runway than the typical wide release. It’s become more commonplace for studios to increase the amount of preview screenings for wide releases in recent years; Paramount...
In late July, Sony swerved with its release plans for “Gran Turismo,” bumping the formal opening two weeks later than its initial Aug. 11 release date, but organizing several days of special screenings for the film in hopes to build up word-of-mouth. It’s typical for studios to include preview grosses in their opening numbers — after all, “opening day” gross accounts for ticket sales across Thursday and Friday — but “Gran Turismo” certainly has had more runway than the typical wide release. It’s become more commonplace for studios to increase the amount of preview screenings for wide releases in recent years; Paramount...
- 8/26/2023
- by J. Kim Murphy
- Variety Film + TV
Liam Neeson has played Jesuit priests, Jedi masters, Greek gods, German industrialists, revolutionary heroes (Irish and Scottish), iconic sexologists, and megalomaniacal supervillains. Make him play one man with a particular set of skills — skills that make him a nightmare for folks who want to harm his loved ones — and the next thing you know, Neeson has to save his family/friends/fellow plane and train passengers every other time he walks out the door. The 71-year-old actor has range for days, but after Taken reestablished him as someone you do not want to fuck with,...
- 8/25/2023
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
Wholly possible that it was a script kicking around since the mid-2000s pitched as “Speed meets Phone Booth” with a few hence-added references to “the dark web” and “crypto accounts,” the new Liam Neeson thriller Retribution likely won’t surprise anyone. It’s at least notable for bearing the return of sturdy journeyman Nimrod Antal to English-language thrillers (Neeson’s go-to director Jaume Collet-Serra serves instead as producer this time), and certainly shows a more competent hand behind the camera than that of the Blacklight variety.
This time we see Neeson as the generically named Matt Turner, an American businessman or hedge fund guy or something of that ilk (his boss played by Matthew Modine calls him “a credit to capitalism”) living in a modernist Berlin house with his family. Though home life is strained in virtually every arena; disconnected from his moody son Zach and phone-addicted daughter Emily...
This time we see Neeson as the generically named Matt Turner, an American businessman or hedge fund guy or something of that ilk (his boss played by Matthew Modine calls him “a credit to capitalism”) living in a modernist Berlin house with his family. Though home life is strained in virtually every arena; disconnected from his moody son Zach and phone-addicted daughter Emily...
- 8/24/2023
- by Ethan Vestby
- The Film Stage
Sony’s racing drama “Gran Turismo” is driving to a sluggish $10 million to $12 million in its first weekend of release.
The film lands in 3,800 North American theaters on Friday and will compete with last weekend’s champion “Blue Beetle” for second place on domestic charts behind “Barbie.” Greta Gerwig’s box office behemoth is expected to return to the No. 1 spot in its sixth weekend of release, with projections of $12 million to $14 million between Friday and Sunday. So far, “Barbie” has grossed $572 million and is days away from overtaking “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” ($572 million) as the highest-grossing domestic release of the year.
National Cinema Day, which takes place on Aug. 27, could throw off estimates across the board. That’s because movie tickets on Sunday will cost under $4 — much less than the average ticket price — at participating theaters. More than 3,000 locations, including approximately 30,000 available screens, are expected to take part in the one-day event.
The film lands in 3,800 North American theaters on Friday and will compete with last weekend’s champion “Blue Beetle” for second place on domestic charts behind “Barbie.” Greta Gerwig’s box office behemoth is expected to return to the No. 1 spot in its sixth weekend of release, with projections of $12 million to $14 million between Friday and Sunday. So far, “Barbie” has grossed $572 million and is days away from overtaking “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” ($572 million) as the highest-grossing domestic release of the year.
National Cinema Day, which takes place on Aug. 27, could throw off estimates across the board. That’s because movie tickets on Sunday will cost under $4 — much less than the average ticket price — at participating theaters. More than 3,000 locations, including approximately 30,000 available screens, are expected to take part in the one-day event.
- 8/23/2023
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Pop quiz, hot shot: Liam Neeson has to figure out what to do when he discovers a bomb in his vehicle in the first full trailer for the film Retribution.
Director Nimród Antal’s Lionsgate release hits theaters Aug. 25 and is a remake of the 2015 Spanish-language thriller of the same name. The new version centers on Matt Turner (Neeson), who is driving with his kids when he learns from a mysterious caller that the car contains a bomb that will detonate if anyone exits the vehicle, leading to a high-speed chase throughout the city.
“Honey, something’s happened,” Neeson calmly relays in the trailer. “There’s a man who has put a bomb in the car. Under our seats, there are pressure triggers. We can’t get out. The car will explode.”
Later, the star loses his cool when the caller claims to be in control: “No, you’re not!
Director Nimród Antal’s Lionsgate release hits theaters Aug. 25 and is a remake of the 2015 Spanish-language thriller of the same name. The new version centers on Matt Turner (Neeson), who is driving with his kids when he learns from a mysterious caller that the car contains a bomb that will detonate if anyone exits the vehicle, leading to a high-speed chase throughout the city.
“Honey, something’s happened,” Neeson calmly relays in the trailer. “There’s a man who has put a bomb in the car. Under our seats, there are pressure triggers. We can’t get out. The car will explode.”
Later, the star loses his cool when the caller claims to be in control: “No, you’re not!
- 6/28/2023
- by Ryan Gajewski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Disney’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” buzzed to 110 million at the domestic box office, beating expectations and scoring by far the biggest opening weekend in the pint-sized Marvel trilogy.
The superhero adventure, starring Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly as the titular Ant-Man and the Wasp, is expected to bring in 118 million or 120 million by President’s Day on Monday. The film added 121 million at the international box office, bringing its global tally to 225 million.
Though the threequel landed the worst reviews of the series (and some of the harshest in the entire MCU), “Quantumania” got a huge jump on its predecessors, 2015’s “Ant-Man” with 57 million and 2018’s sequel “Ant-Man and the Wasp” with 76 million. Critical sentiments rarely matter for opening weekends of Marvel movies, but word-of-mouth could have an impact on ticket sales in the coming weeks. In addition to its bleak 49 average on Rotten Tomatoes, audiences saddled the film with a “B” CinemaScore.
The superhero adventure, starring Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly as the titular Ant-Man and the Wasp, is expected to bring in 118 million or 120 million by President’s Day on Monday. The film added 121 million at the international box office, bringing its global tally to 225 million.
Though the threequel landed the worst reviews of the series (and some of the harshest in the entire MCU), “Quantumania” got a huge jump on its predecessors, 2015’s “Ant-Man” with 57 million and 2018’s sequel “Ant-Man and the Wasp” with 76 million. Critical sentiments rarely matter for opening weekends of Marvel movies, but word-of-mouth could have an impact on ticket sales in the coming weeks. In addition to its bleak 49 average on Rotten Tomatoes, audiences saddled the film with a “B” CinemaScore.
- 2/19/2023
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
It’s hard to believe, but this weekend will be the fourth four-day weekend in the past two months as the nation celebrates Presidents Day, and schools and government workers get another Monday off. Read on for Gold Derby’s box office preview.
The big movie this weekend, opening in over 4,300 theaters, is Marvel Studios’ “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” starring Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Kathryn Newton, Michelle Pfeiffer, Michael Douglas, Bill Murray and Jonathan Majors as the MCU’s latest big bad, Kang the Conqueror.
The previous Ant-Man movies didn’t do nearly as well as other solo MCU movies from pre-pandemic, maybe because the character wasn’t as popular as Iron Man, Captain America and Thor, but this time around, “Quantumania” is setting up Phase 5, which will lead up to “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty” in three years. The previous two movies opened in July with “Ant-Man” in 2015 opening with 57.2 million,...
The big movie this weekend, opening in over 4,300 theaters, is Marvel Studios’ “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” starring Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Kathryn Newton, Michelle Pfeiffer, Michael Douglas, Bill Murray and Jonathan Majors as the MCU’s latest big bad, Kang the Conqueror.
The previous Ant-Man movies didn’t do nearly as well as other solo MCU movies from pre-pandemic, maybe because the character wasn’t as popular as Iron Man, Captain America and Thor, but this time around, “Quantumania” is setting up Phase 5, which will lead up to “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty” in three years. The previous two movies opened in July with “Ant-Man” in 2015 opening with 57.2 million,...
- 2/15/2023
- by Edward Douglas
- Gold Derby
The key to understanding the new Philip Marlowe film is being aware that it’s not based on an actual novel by Raymond Chandler but a 2014 exercise by Irish mystery writer John Banville to replicate the style of that legendary author. This picture, somewhat of a beguiling genre experiment that seemingly nobody asked for, initially seems like a bad throwback, but in its game of telephone through adaptation ends up, actually, something of a moderately funny joke.
It’s hard to totally pin down Marlowe’s reason for being; a post-modern Irish exile from Hollywood movies (sinister backlot goings-on supporting this reading) or maybe some kind of elaborate tax shelter plot? It’s as if director Neil Jordan and star Liam Neeson committed to making a noir throwback right after L.A. Confidential came out 25 years ago, realized they forgot to ever go through with it and, coming on the...
It’s hard to totally pin down Marlowe’s reason for being; a post-modern Irish exile from Hollywood movies (sinister backlot goings-on supporting this reading) or maybe some kind of elaborate tax shelter plot? It’s as if director Neil Jordan and star Liam Neeson committed to making a noir throwback right after L.A. Confidential came out 25 years ago, realized they forgot to ever go through with it and, coming on the...
- 2/15/2023
- by Ethan Vestby
- The Film Stage
Exclusive: Deadline has learned that Prime Video has taken global rights to Ricky Stanicky from Oscar-winning Green Book director Peter Farrelly.
Additionally, Sorry to Bother You‘s Jermaine Fowler has joined the cast and will star alongside Zac Efron and John Cena. Ricky Stanicky, which marks a return to comedy for Farrelly, commences production in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia this month. Deadline first told you about the R-rated project.
In the film, three friends invent a character to use to get out of tricky predicaments, but they have to hire an actor to portray their fictional friend when their significant others become suspicious.
Producers include Paul Currie via Footloose Productions, Thorsten Schumacher via Rocket Science, in association with John Jacobs via Smart Entertainment. The script, written by Farrelly, Brian Jarvis (Wishbone at Universal), and James L.
Additionally, Sorry to Bother You‘s Jermaine Fowler has joined the cast and will star alongside Zac Efron and John Cena. Ricky Stanicky, which marks a return to comedy for Farrelly, commences production in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia this month. Deadline first told you about the R-rated project.
In the film, three friends invent a character to use to get out of tricky predicaments, but they have to hire an actor to portray their fictional friend when their significant others become suspicious.
Producers include Paul Currie via Footloose Productions, Thorsten Schumacher via Rocket Science, in association with John Jacobs via Smart Entertainment. The script, written by Farrelly, Brian Jarvis (Wishbone at Universal), and James L.
- 2/1/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro and Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Fund has unveiled its latest round of feature film grantees from the Arab world and Africa.
The announcement comes just days after the fund revealed it had boarded French director Maïwenn’s upcoming costume drama Jeanne du Barry starring Johnny Depp, in its first European investment as executive producer.
In its latest funding round for Arab and African filmmakers, it is getting behind 36 productions by Saudi, Arab and African filmmakers, 25 in or on the verge of production, 11 in post-production.
The 25 production grant winners include upcoming films by established directors such as Abderrahmane Sissako’s The Perfumed Hill, Haifaa Al-Mansour’s Miss Camel, Annemarie Jacir, Kaouther Ben Hania’s Mime, Cherien Dabis, and Karim Moussaoui’s The Vanishing.
The fund has also gotten behind buzzy, emerging talents such as Saudi Arabian filmmaker Sara Mesfer, who is gearing up for her first solo feature Habibi And I In Eden.
The announcement comes just days after the fund revealed it had boarded French director Maïwenn’s upcoming costume drama Jeanne du Barry starring Johnny Depp, in its first European investment as executive producer.
In its latest funding round for Arab and African filmmakers, it is getting behind 36 productions by Saudi, Arab and African filmmakers, 25 in or on the verge of production, 11 in post-production.
The 25 production grant winners include upcoming films by established directors such as Abderrahmane Sissako’s The Perfumed Hill, Haifaa Al-Mansour’s Miss Camel, Annemarie Jacir, Kaouther Ben Hania’s Mime, Cherien Dabis, and Karim Moussaoui’s The Vanishing.
The fund has also gotten behind buzzy, emerging talents such as Saudi Arabian filmmaker Sara Mesfer, who is gearing up for her first solo feature Habibi And I In Eden.
- 1/18/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Further projects come from Mehdi M. Barsaoui, Ameer Fakher Eldin, Haifaa Al-Mansour and Annemarie Jacir.
The Red Sea Film Festival Foundation has unveiled the 36 recipients of the Red Sea Fund’s 2022 production and post-production funding cycles.
All titles are from Arab and African filmmakers, who will receive grants to help them complete films that shine a light on narratives and new talents emerging from the region.
Two films selected have previously received support at the development stage by the Red Sea Fund. Captain Mbaye from Rwandan filmmaker Joel Karekezi follows a Un observer sent to Rwanda as genocide breaks out.
The Red Sea Film Festival Foundation has unveiled the 36 recipients of the Red Sea Fund’s 2022 production and post-production funding cycles.
All titles are from Arab and African filmmakers, who will receive grants to help them complete films that shine a light on narratives and new talents emerging from the region.
Two films selected have previously received support at the development stage by the Red Sea Fund. Captain Mbaye from Rwandan filmmaker Joel Karekezi follows a Un observer sent to Rwanda as genocide breaks out.
- 1/18/2023
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Cairo-based film marketing and distribution outfit Mad Solutions has acquired rights for Arab territories to three films that celebrated their premieres this year at the Cannes and Venice film festivals.
The deals include Fyzal Boulifa’s “The Damned Don’t Cry,” which bowed in the Venice Days sidebar at the Italian fest and will have its Middle East and North Africa premiere at Marrakech before traveling to Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival. Also acquired was Rachid Hami’s “For My Country,” a Venice Horizons selection that will have its regional premiere at the Cairo Film Festival.
The company also picked up the rights to Clément Cogitore’s “Sons of Ramses,” which had its world premiere in the Cannes Film Festival’s Critics’ Week strand.
“We are delighted to have acquired the distribution rights to three artistically distinguished films in 2022, which is considered the climax of our efforts in...
The deals include Fyzal Boulifa’s “The Damned Don’t Cry,” which bowed in the Venice Days sidebar at the Italian fest and will have its Middle East and North Africa premiere at Marrakech before traveling to Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival. Also acquired was Rachid Hami’s “For My Country,” a Venice Horizons selection that will have its regional premiere at the Cairo Film Festival.
The company also picked up the rights to Clément Cogitore’s “Sons of Ramses,” which had its world premiere in the Cannes Film Festival’s Critics’ Week strand.
“We are delighted to have acquired the distribution rights to three artistically distinguished films in 2022, which is considered the climax of our efforts in...
- 11/16/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Seth MacFarlane and Akiva Schaffer are officially courting actor Liam Neeson for ‘Naked Gun’ remake.
The ‘Taken’ actor is in talks to lead the modern version of the ’80s slapstick film, Variety confirms, reports ‘Variety’.
Schaffer, the ‘Chip an Dale: Rescue Rangers’ filmmaker and Lonely Island member, will direct and executive produce the movie.
Schaffer penned the screenplay with “Chip an Dale” writers Dan Gregor and Doug Mand. MacFarlane and Erica Huggins are producing through their company Fuzzy Door.
Neeson sparked chatter online about reviving the ’80s comedy earlier this year, telling “People (The TV Show)” that McFarlane and Paramount had been pursuing him to resurrect the ‘Naked Gun’ films. However, the actor has still yet to sign on the dotted line.
“It’ll either finish my career or bring it in another direction. I honestly don’t know,” Neeson told “People (The TV Show)”.
Paramount’s original ‘Naked Gun...
The ‘Taken’ actor is in talks to lead the modern version of the ’80s slapstick film, Variety confirms, reports ‘Variety’.
Schaffer, the ‘Chip an Dale: Rescue Rangers’ filmmaker and Lonely Island member, will direct and executive produce the movie.
Schaffer penned the screenplay with “Chip an Dale” writers Dan Gregor and Doug Mand. MacFarlane and Erica Huggins are producing through their company Fuzzy Door.
Neeson sparked chatter online about reviving the ’80s comedy earlier this year, telling “People (The TV Show)” that McFarlane and Paramount had been pursuing him to resurrect the ‘Naked Gun’ films. However, the actor has still yet to sign on the dotted line.
“It’ll either finish my career or bring it in another direction. I honestly don’t know,” Neeson told “People (The TV Show)”.
Paramount’s original ‘Naked Gun...
- 10/14/2022
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
Seth MacFarlane and Akiva Schaffer are officially courting Liam Neeson for Paramount’s “Naked Gun” remake. The “Taken” actor is in talks to lead the modern version of the ’80s slapstick film, Variety confirms.
Schaffer, the “Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers” filmmaker and Lonely Island member, will direct and executive produce the movie. Schaffer penned the screenplay with “Chip ‘n Dale” writers Dan Gregor and Doug Mand. MacFarlane and Erica Huggins are producing through their company Fuzzy Door.
Neeson sparked chatter online about reviving the ’80s comedy earlier this year, telling “People (The TV Show)” that McFarlane and Paramount had been pursuing him to resurrect the “Naked Gun” films. However, the actor has still yet to sign on the dotted line.
“It’ll either finish my career or bring it in another direction. I honestly don’t know,” Neeson told “People (The TV Show)”.
Paramount’s original “Naked Gun” trilogy...
Schaffer, the “Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers” filmmaker and Lonely Island member, will direct and executive produce the movie. Schaffer penned the screenplay with “Chip ‘n Dale” writers Dan Gregor and Doug Mand. MacFarlane and Erica Huggins are producing through their company Fuzzy Door.
Neeson sparked chatter online about reviving the ’80s comedy earlier this year, telling “People (The TV Show)” that McFarlane and Paramount had been pursuing him to resurrect the “Naked Gun” films. However, the actor has still yet to sign on the dotted line.
“It’ll either finish my career or bring it in another direction. I honestly don’t know,” Neeson told “People (The TV Show)”.
Paramount’s original “Naked Gun” trilogy...
- 10/13/2022
- by Rebecca Rubin and Zack Sharf
- Variety Film + TV
Amazon Prime Video has a host of new offerings to sift through in October. New to the streaming service this month is a brand new film from writer/director Lena Dunham, “Catherine Called Birdy” (available Oct. 7), as well as a pair of new release films from 2022 making their debut on the streaming service.
“The Northman,” the Alexander Skarsgard-fronted Viking saga, comes to Prime Video on Oct. 11 after first streaming on Peacock, and “Downton Abbey: A New Era” arrives on Oct. 28 (after also streaming first on Peacock).
In terms of new Prime Video TV shows, “Westworld” creators Lisa Joy and Jonah Nolan present “The Peripheral” on Oct. 21. The futuristic series stars Chloe Grace Moretz and Jack Reynor and is based on the novel of the same name by William Gibson.
Check out the full list of what’s new on Amazon Prime Video in October below.
Also Read:
‘Catherine Called Birdy...
“The Northman,” the Alexander Skarsgard-fronted Viking saga, comes to Prime Video on Oct. 11 after first streaming on Peacock, and “Downton Abbey: A New Era” arrives on Oct. 28 (after also streaming first on Peacock).
In terms of new Prime Video TV shows, “Westworld” creators Lisa Joy and Jonah Nolan present “The Peripheral” on Oct. 21. The futuristic series stars Chloe Grace Moretz and Jack Reynor and is based on the novel of the same name by William Gibson.
Check out the full list of what’s new on Amazon Prime Video in October below.
Also Read:
‘Catherine Called Birdy...
- 10/1/2022
- by Adam Chitwood
- The Wrap
With its list of new releases for October 2022, Amazon Prime Video isn’t fully aboard the spooky season train but it is at least spooky adjacent.
The biggest release this month is Prime Video original series The Peripheral on Oct. 21. While not outright horror, it does sound more than a little unnerving. Based on a 2014 sci-fi novel by William Gibson, The Peripheral stars Chloë Grace Moretz as a woman in a near-future society who may have just discovered an alternate reality. Fittingly, Westworld‘s Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy serve as executive producers.
The other TV series of note in October is The Devil’s Hour on Oct. 28. This British thriller comes form Steven Moffat and tells the story of a woman who wakes up at 3:33 a.m. (the devil’s hour) each night to receive a disturbing vision.
October is home to a couple of Amazon movies of note as well.
The biggest release this month is Prime Video original series The Peripheral on Oct. 21. While not outright horror, it does sound more than a little unnerving. Based on a 2014 sci-fi novel by William Gibson, The Peripheral stars Chloë Grace Moretz as a woman in a near-future society who may have just discovered an alternate reality. Fittingly, Westworld‘s Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy serve as executive producers.
The other TV series of note in October is The Devil’s Hour on Oct. 28. This British thriller comes form Steven Moffat and tells the story of a woman who wakes up at 3:33 a.m. (the devil’s hour) each night to receive a disturbing vision.
October is home to a couple of Amazon movies of note as well.
- 10/1/2022
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Exclusive: Richard Gere is starring in the English remake of 2017 Hebrew language movie Longing.
Savi Gabizon, who wrote and directed the original movie, is returning to helm. The movie is currently shooting in Hamilton, Ontario.
In Longing, Gere plays a bachelor who is forced to evaluate his life choices when he discovers that an ex-girlfriend had given birth to his son twenty years ago. The original movie premiered at the Venice Film Festival and TIFF in 2017. Gabizon won the Bnl People’s Choice Award at Venice for the original film.
Daniel Bekerman produces under his Scythia Films banner along with Current Flow Entertainment’s Alexander Vinnitski, with Anamorphic Media Inc’s Sara Shaak and Matthew Lyons providing lead financing.
The Solution Entertainment’s Myles Nestel and Lisa Wilson executive produce and are handling global sales.
“I am looking forward to working with Richard, having such a great...
Savi Gabizon, who wrote and directed the original movie, is returning to helm. The movie is currently shooting in Hamilton, Ontario.
In Longing, Gere plays a bachelor who is forced to evaluate his life choices when he discovers that an ex-girlfriend had given birth to his son twenty years ago. The original movie premiered at the Venice Film Festival and TIFF in 2017. Gabizon won the Bnl People’s Choice Award at Venice for the original film.
Daniel Bekerman produces under his Scythia Films banner along with Current Flow Entertainment’s Alexander Vinnitski, with Anamorphic Media Inc’s Sara Shaak and Matthew Lyons providing lead financing.
The Solution Entertainment’s Myles Nestel and Lisa Wilson executive produce and are handling global sales.
“I am looking forward to working with Richard, having such a great...
- 9/29/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Algerian filmmakers have stepped up a campaign calling for their government to unlock promised state funds for cinema, warning that Algeria’s film industry is on its last legs following a near-year-long funding freeze.
Following on from a first open letter in June, the Collective of Algerian Cineastes has published a new letter addressed to Minister of Culture Soraya Mouloudji, re-demanding clarification on the government’s funding plans for cinema.
Algeria’s long-running Fdatic film fund was cancelled in December 2021 by Mouloudji’s predecessor Wafa Chaâlal.
The minister promised a replacement fund would soon be announced but nine months later no new scheme has been unveiled and successor Mouloudji has been equally unforthcoming.
A number of completed features approved for funding under Fdatic have yet to receive their monies, while a handful of...
Following on from a first open letter in June, the Collective of Algerian Cineastes has published a new letter addressed to Minister of Culture Soraya Mouloudji, re-demanding clarification on the government’s funding plans for cinema.
Algeria’s long-running Fdatic film fund was cancelled in December 2021 by Mouloudji’s predecessor Wafa Chaâlal.
The minister promised a replacement fund would soon be announced but nine months later no new scheme has been unveiled and successor Mouloudji has been equally unforthcoming.
A number of completed features approved for funding under Fdatic have yet to receive their monies, while a handful of...
- 9/16/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
A simple listing, duplicated from the dvd/blu/vod US and Canada page, of new releases and other stuff currently available, for the benefit of those playing along by RSS or keeping up via the Weekly Digest emails (sign up here).
The most up-to-date version of this listing is always here.
new from Sep 06–08
Mrs Harris Goes to Paris (premium VOD/DVD) Beast (premium VOD)
I’m planning to watch…
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (premium VOD) Pinocchio (Disney+) Thor: Love and Thunder (premium VOD/Disney+) Where the Crawdads Sing (premium VOD)
(films on regular VOD and/or DVD unless otherwise noted)
Stop endlessly scrolling Netflix, Amazon, and other VOD services! Get the Weekend Watchlist newsletter in your in-box every Friday with the best new films and hidden gems to stream. Only for paid Patreon and Substack subscribers.
recent releases
Ali & Ava The Bad Guys The Batman Belfast (VOD...
The most up-to-date version of this listing is always here.
new from Sep 06–08
Mrs Harris Goes to Paris (premium VOD/DVD) Beast (premium VOD)
I’m planning to watch…
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (premium VOD) Pinocchio (Disney+) Thor: Love and Thunder (premium VOD/Disney+) Where the Crawdads Sing (premium VOD)
(films on regular VOD and/or DVD unless otherwise noted)
Stop endlessly scrolling Netflix, Amazon, and other VOD services! Get the Weekend Watchlist newsletter in your in-box every Friday with the best new films and hidden gems to stream. Only for paid Patreon and Substack subscribers.
recent releases
Ali & Ava The Bad Guys The Batman Belfast (VOD...
- 9/11/2022
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
A simple listing, duplicated from the dvd/blu/vod UK and Ireland page, of new releases and other stuff currently available, for the benefit of those playing along by RSS or keeping up via the Weekly Digest emails (sign up here).
The most up-to-date version of this listing is always here.
new from Sep 05–08
A Perfect Day
I’m planning to watch…
Pinocchio (Disney+) Pleasure Thor: Love and Thunder (Disney+)
(films on regular VOD and/or DVD unless otherwise noted)
Stop endlessly scrolling Netflix, Amazon, and other VOD services! Get the Weekend Watchlist newsletter in your in-box every Friday with the best new films and hidden gems to stream. Only for paid Patreon and Substack subscribers.
recent releases
Ali & Ava (Netflix/VOD) The Audition The Bad Guys The Batman Belfast Benedetta (DVD/VOD/Mubi) The Burning Sea The Card Counter The Cave Cop Secret Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of...
The most up-to-date version of this listing is always here.
new from Sep 05–08
A Perfect Day
I’m planning to watch…
Pinocchio (Disney+) Pleasure Thor: Love and Thunder (Disney+)
(films on regular VOD and/or DVD unless otherwise noted)
Stop endlessly scrolling Netflix, Amazon, and other VOD services! Get the Weekend Watchlist newsletter in your in-box every Friday with the best new films and hidden gems to stream. Only for paid Patreon and Substack subscribers.
recent releases
Ali & Ava (Netflix/VOD) The Audition The Bad Guys The Batman Belfast Benedetta (DVD/VOD/Mubi) The Burning Sea The Card Counter The Cave Cop Secret Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of...
- 9/11/2022
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
Venice Film Festival’s Final Cut, dedicated to films in post-production from African and Arab countries, wrapped its anniversary 10th edition on Sept. 5. As fest director Alberto Barbera welcomed the audience to “the final stage of the Final Cut,” La Biennale di Venezia Prize – and cash award of € 5,000 – went to “Inshallah a Boy,” directed by Amjad Al Rasheed.
Jurors Claire Diao, Rasha Salti and Gaetano Maiorino praised it for “brilliant direction and performances, tackling a really dramatic social issue and for honoring the resilience of women in a conservative context.”
The film, a co-production between Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, is overseen by Rula Nasser for The Imaginarium Films.
“We are just proud we made something that speaks to people,” she told Variety after the ceremony.
“We are still a conservative society, but this protagonist, this woman, she’s strong. She decides she needs to stand up and say:...
Jurors Claire Diao, Rasha Salti and Gaetano Maiorino praised it for “brilliant direction and performances, tackling a really dramatic social issue and for honoring the resilience of women in a conservative context.”
The film, a co-production between Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, is overseen by Rula Nasser for The Imaginarium Films.
“We are just proud we made something that speaks to people,” she told Variety after the ceremony.
“We are still a conservative society, but this protagonist, this woman, she’s strong. She decides she needs to stand up and say:...
- 9/6/2022
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Final Cut, a workshop supporting films in post-production from African and Arab countries – launched by the Venice Film Festival’s industry section, Venice Production Bridge – celebrates its 10th anniversary this week.
Its goals have remained the same, however, as it continues to provide emerging filmmakers with concrete assistance as well as visibility, all the while strengthening Venice’s role as “bridge builder,” says Alessandra Speciale, its curator. The final selection features titles made by directors from nine different countries: Algeria, Jordan, Guinea, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Central African Republic and Tunisia.
This year, two additional projects were added to the usual six work-in-progress films, thanks to the France in Focus initiative, supported by Unifrance: Karim Bensalah’s debut “Black Light,” sold internationally by The Party Film Sales, and “The Cemetery of Cinema,” directed by Thierno Souleymane Diallo and marking Guinea’s first presence at the workshop.
Diallo, who has been...
Its goals have remained the same, however, as it continues to provide emerging filmmakers with concrete assistance as well as visibility, all the while strengthening Venice’s role as “bridge builder,” says Alessandra Speciale, its curator. The final selection features titles made by directors from nine different countries: Algeria, Jordan, Guinea, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Central African Republic and Tunisia.
This year, two additional projects were added to the usual six work-in-progress films, thanks to the France in Focus initiative, supported by Unifrance: Karim Bensalah’s debut “Black Light,” sold internationally by The Party Film Sales, and “The Cemetery of Cinema,” directed by Thierno Souleymane Diallo and marking Guinea’s first presence at the workshop.
Diallo, who has been...
- 9/1/2022
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
A simple listing, duplicated from the dvd/blu/vod UK and Ireland page, of new releases and other stuff currently available, for the benefit of those playing along by RSS or keeping up via the Weekly Digest emails (sign up here).
The most up-to-date version of this listing is always here.
new from Aug 15–19
Downton Abbey: A New Era Lightyear (premium VOD/Disney+) Memory (Prime)
I’m planning to watch…
Anaïs in Love Minions: The Rise of Gru (premium VOD)
(films on regular VOD and/or DVD unless otherwise noted)
Stop endlessly scrolling Netflix, Amazon, and other VOD services! Get the Weekend Watchlist newsletter in your in-box every Friday with the best new films and hidden gems to stream. Only for paid Patreon and Substack subscribers.
recent releases
Ali & Ava (Netflix/VOD) The Audition The Bad Guys The Batman Belfast Benedetta (Mubi) The Burning Sea The Card Counter The Cave...
The most up-to-date version of this listing is always here.
new from Aug 15–19
Downton Abbey: A New Era Lightyear (premium VOD/Disney+) Memory (Prime)
I’m planning to watch…
Anaïs in Love Minions: The Rise of Gru (premium VOD)
(films on regular VOD and/or DVD unless otherwise noted)
Stop endlessly scrolling Netflix, Amazon, and other VOD services! Get the Weekend Watchlist newsletter in your in-box every Friday with the best new films and hidden gems to stream. Only for paid Patreon and Substack subscribers.
recent releases
Ali & Ava (Netflix/VOD) The Audition The Bad Guys The Batman Belfast Benedetta (Mubi) The Burning Sea The Card Counter The Cave...
- 8/21/2022
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
Sony ruled for another week as “Uncharted” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (both 19.99) each had #1 showings: The video game adaptation is #1 at iTunes and Vudu, while the massive Marvel hit took top spot at Google Play.
This reinforces the strategic wisdom of two Sony decisions: the extended theatrical window for both films (far longer than the now-standard 45 days) and relying on PVOD rather than the increasingly costly and competitive realm of in-house streaming. It also maintains flexibility, with the Marvel underachiever “Morbius” arriving on PVOD release May 17. Sony seems to key its releases to when theatrical viability wanes.
Tomorrow will see “The Lost City” (Paramount/19.99) on PVOD and Paramount+. As with “The Batman,” the studio’s PR announcement pushed streaming. The Sandra Bullock/Channing Tatum romantic adventure could make the 100 million domestic mark (94 million through the weekend), which can deotermine film rental settlements with theaters.
Both “The Bad Guys” (Universal...
This reinforces the strategic wisdom of two Sony decisions: the extended theatrical window for both films (far longer than the now-standard 45 days) and relying on PVOD rather than the increasingly costly and competitive realm of in-house streaming. It also maintains flexibility, with the Marvel underachiever “Morbius” arriving on PVOD release May 17. Sony seems to key its releases to when theatrical viability wanes.
Tomorrow will see “The Lost City” (Paramount/19.99) on PVOD and Paramount+. As with “The Batman,” the studio’s PR announcement pushed streaming. The Sandra Bullock/Channing Tatum romantic adventure could make the 100 million domestic mark (94 million through the weekend), which can deotermine film rental settlements with theaters.
Both “The Bad Guys” (Universal...
- 5/9/2022
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
New Release Wall
“Encanto” succeeded with the notion of “no villain, except generational trauma,” and Disney keeps that idea going with the delightful “Turning Red” (Walt Disney Home Entertainment), a young woman’s coming-of-age story that’s a metaphor for any number of growing-up issues, including that moment when the “model” child begins to chafe at parental domination. It’s charming and adorable, and the boy-band songs by Billie Eilish and Finneas have already made their way into the latter’s stage act.
Also available:
“The Batman” (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment) Does a three-hour superhero saga have deleted scenes? You bet your bat-hook, and they’re on the 4K/Blu-ray/DVD release alongside other extras.
“Blacklight” (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment) Liam Neeson in the first of two (to date) 2022 thrillers that suggest that maybe it’s time for him to put down the gun.
“Cyrano” (MGM/Universal) Peter Dinklage gives...
“Encanto” succeeded with the notion of “no villain, except generational trauma,” and Disney keeps that idea going with the delightful “Turning Red” (Walt Disney Home Entertainment), a young woman’s coming-of-age story that’s a metaphor for any number of growing-up issues, including that moment when the “model” child begins to chafe at parental domination. It’s charming and adorable, and the boy-band songs by Billie Eilish and Finneas have already made their way into the latter’s stage act.
Also available:
“The Batman” (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment) Does a three-hour superhero saga have deleted scenes? You bet your bat-hook, and they’re on the 4K/Blu-ray/DVD release alongside other extras.
“Blacklight” (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment) Liam Neeson in the first of two (to date) 2022 thrillers that suggest that maybe it’s time for him to put down the gun.
“Cyrano” (MGM/Universal) Peter Dinklage gives...
- 5/6/2022
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
Tom Holland is having quite a moment on the VOD charts right now. “Uncharted” (19.99) leads at Vudu and iTunes, while the actor’s other blockbuster, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” is #1 at Google Play. Sony’s dominance of this week’s PVOD charts, with newly released “Uncharted” and long running “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (5.99) splitting the #1 spots on the three charts we follow, reinforces two narratives.
First, not having an in-house streaming service need not deprive a studio from reaping strong at-home revenues. Second, and critical for theaters as they recover, is that a long window is no hindrance to reaping the benefits of initial high return PVOD prices.
Contrast that with “The Batman” (Warner Bros./24.99). After two full weeks out on PVOD and on HBO Max (free there for subscribers), along with an HBO cable showing, the biggest 2022 grossing film fell to #3 at Vudu, and #6 at both iTunes and Google Play.
First, not having an in-house streaming service need not deprive a studio from reaping strong at-home revenues. Second, and critical for theaters as they recover, is that a long window is no hindrance to reaping the benefits of initial high return PVOD prices.
Contrast that with “The Batman” (Warner Bros./24.99). After two full weeks out on PVOD and on HBO Max (free there for subscribers), along with an HBO cable showing, the biggest 2022 grossing film fell to #3 at Vudu, and #6 at both iTunes and Google Play.
- 5/2/2022
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
This was one of the more quiet weekends we've experienced at the box office in quite some time. The only new wide release attempting to take anything away from the repeat business crowd was Liam Neeson's latest action flick "Memory,"coming just two months after the actor starred in another action flick, "Blacklight." Not to spoil the discussion here but audiences may have mostly had enough with these Neeson action movies, at least in terms of heading out to a theater to see them. That relative failure paved the way for "The Bad Guys" and a few other movies to...
The post The Bad Guys And Memory Make For A Calm Before The Storm At The Box Office appeared first on /Film.
The post The Bad Guys And Memory Make For A Calm Before The Storm At The Box Office appeared first on /Film.
- 5/2/2022
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
Another weekend, another new Liam Neeson action-thriller in theaters.
“Memory,” the actor’s nth Covid-era caper to play on the big screen, debuted over the weekend to 3.1 million from 2,555 North American cinemas. Its eighth-place finish is a weak result, but one that’s close to Neeson’s recent theatrical releases like “Blacklight” (3.6 million debut), “Honest Thief” (3.6 million debut) and “The Marksman” (3.1 million debut).
Since Open Road Films and Briarcliff Entertainment’s “Memory” is the only new nationwide release, last weekend’s champion “The Bad Guys” topped the box office again. In its sophomore outing, the Universal Pictures animated heist comedy earned 16.1 million from 4,042 locations, bringing its domestic tally to 44.4 million.
“Mr. Neeson’s pre-pandemic crime pics did well, including the successful ‘Taken’ series, but audiences are showing little interest now,” says David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. At the same time, there appears to...
“Memory,” the actor’s nth Covid-era caper to play on the big screen, debuted over the weekend to 3.1 million from 2,555 North American cinemas. Its eighth-place finish is a weak result, but one that’s close to Neeson’s recent theatrical releases like “Blacklight” (3.6 million debut), “Honest Thief” (3.6 million debut) and “The Marksman” (3.1 million debut).
Since Open Road Films and Briarcliff Entertainment’s “Memory” is the only new nationwide release, last weekend’s champion “The Bad Guys” topped the box office again. In its sophomore outing, the Universal Pictures animated heist comedy earned 16.1 million from 4,042 locations, bringing its domestic tally to 44.4 million.
“Mr. Neeson’s pre-pandemic crime pics did well, including the successful ‘Taken’ series, but audiences are showing little interest now,” says David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. At the same time, there appears to...
- 5/1/2022
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
With Marvel’s crimefighters still a week away, “The Bad Guys” should continue its reign as the domestic box office leader. The second outing of the DreamWorks Animation heist film is easily leading the weekend’s charts, as theatergoing calms before “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” kicks off the summer season.
As it turns out, the domestic box office did see a new wide release this weekend with “Memory,” the latest grizzled actioner from the grizzled practitioner Liam Neeson. The Briarcliff Entertainment and Open Road Films didn’t make much of an impression in its opening, taking in 1.09 million on Friday.
“Memory” is projected to open in eighth, with a 3.24 million opening from 2,555 locations. That’s more or less what Neeson’s last outing, “Blacklight,” made when it opened to 3.5 million in February. Do those uniformly low numbers represent fatigue? Or, more generously, a consistency in audience? Either way,...
As it turns out, the domestic box office did see a new wide release this weekend with “Memory,” the latest grizzled actioner from the grizzled practitioner Liam Neeson. The Briarcliff Entertainment and Open Road Films didn’t make much of an impression in its opening, taking in 1.09 million on Friday.
“Memory” is projected to open in eighth, with a 3.24 million opening from 2,555 locations. That’s more or less what Neeson’s last outing, “Blacklight,” made when it opened to 3.5 million in February. Do those uniformly low numbers represent fatigue? Or, more generously, a consistency in audience? Either way,...
- 4/30/2022
- by J. Kim Murphy
- Variety Film + TV
The past month was the year’s busiest at the box office with three of the year’s top five openers, and the past weekend saw four films gross above 10 million, a feat that surprisingly has not been achieved since last June. Things slow to a crawl this weekend, though, as we are one week out from the Marvel-in-waiting Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness which will kick off the summer box-office season. Though this week’s only new wide release is expected to open soft, there is still juice left to squeeze out of the current slate before the arrival of the first MCU film since Spider-Man: No Way Home. This may be the lowest grossing weekend since February, but a blockbuster packed summer is right around the corner.
The only film going wide this week is the Liam Neeson action-thriller Memory, getting a release by Open Road.
The only film going wide this week is the Liam Neeson action-thriller Memory, getting a release by Open Road.
- 4/28/2022
- by Sam Mendelsohn <mail@boxofficemojo.com>
- Box Office Mojo
April comes to an end with minimal wide releases for the final weekend – just one, actually. This isn’t too unusual, since we’ve been seeing this sort of thing every month this year so far. In this case, it might just be the fact that no studio wants to open a movie in the week before (or after) Marvel Studios’ “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” (Marvel famously shifted 2018’s “Avenger: Infinity War” and 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame” forward a week into late April rather than its customary May/summer movie season kick-off date.) Read on for your box office weekend preview for April 29 – May 1.
Into this week comes Liam Neeson’s revenge-thriller “Memory,” the Oscar-nominated actor’s fifth movie released during the pandemic and fourth directly to theaters. It’s kind of crazy, but indeed, Open Road Films released the first two, “Honest Thief” and “The Marksman,” while...
Into this week comes Liam Neeson’s revenge-thriller “Memory,” the Oscar-nominated actor’s fifth movie released during the pandemic and fourth directly to theaters. It’s kind of crazy, but indeed, Open Road Films released the first two, “Honest Thief” and “The Marksman,” while...
- 4/27/2022
- by Edward Douglas
- Gold Derby
At a time when each new Liam Neeson action thriller has become utterly indistinguishable from the last, Martin Campbell’s “Memory” would at least seem to have a unique hook: In this one, the lanky Irishman plays a contract killer who’s suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Surely that should be enough to help the latest page in the Redbox chapter of Neeson’s career stand out from the likes of “The Ice Road,” “The Marksman,” and the rest of the post-“Taken” glut.
Mix in Monica Bellucci as the Jeffrey Epstein-esque queenpin of a child prostitution ring, Guy Pearce — no stranger to stories about anterograde amnesia — as a mustached FBI agent prone to wearily saying things like “Memory’s a motherfucker,” and pliable source material (the 2003 Belgian thriller “The Alzheimer Case”) that’s enriched by its new setting along Texas’ southern border, and it sounds like the recipe for a solid little programmer.
Mix in Monica Bellucci as the Jeffrey Epstein-esque queenpin of a child prostitution ring, Guy Pearce — no stranger to stories about anterograde amnesia — as a mustached FBI agent prone to wearily saying things like “Memory’s a motherfucker,” and pliable source material (the 2003 Belgian thriller “The Alzheimer Case”) that’s enriched by its new setting along Texas’ southern border, and it sounds like the recipe for a solid little programmer.
- 4/27/2022
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Bam! Pow! Crack! That’s the sound of “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (Sony/5.99) holding back the ascension of “The Batman” (Warner Bros./24.99) on two out of three PVOD charts.
“The Batman” debuted a week ago, but “Spider-Man” held on to the #1 spot at both iTunes and GooglePlay, with “The Batman” second at both. Those sites rank by number of transactions, irrespective of revenue. At Vudu, which calculates by money, not individual sales, “The Batman” ranks #1 for the week, with “Spider-Man” #3..
The well-timed price drop looks like a strategic play on Sony’s part. Price reduction is a normal part of VOD play, but it’s unusual when a film is still thriving as PVOD. Whatever the motive, the result prevents Warner Bros. from claiming a clear victory.
Even so: Spider-Man and Batman represent apples and oranges. Sony’s “Spider-Man” has no streaming outlet while “The Batman” also debuted last Monday on HBO Max.
“The Batman” debuted a week ago, but “Spider-Man” held on to the #1 spot at both iTunes and GooglePlay, with “The Batman” second at both. Those sites rank by number of transactions, irrespective of revenue. At Vudu, which calculates by money, not individual sales, “The Batman” ranks #1 for the week, with “Spider-Man” #3..
The well-timed price drop looks like a strategic play on Sony’s part. Price reduction is a normal part of VOD play, but it’s unusual when a film is still thriving as PVOD. Whatever the motive, the result prevents Warner Bros. from claiming a clear victory.
Even so: Spider-Man and Batman represent apples and oranges. Sony’s “Spider-Man” has no streaming outlet while “The Batman” also debuted last Monday on HBO Max.
- 4/25/2022
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
“Spider-Man: No Way Home” (Sony/$19.99) scored a second of what will be likely many weeks atop VOD charts. That comes after the film reached $800 million in domestic box office and it’s about to enter its fifth month in theaters.
Little else changed this week, with fewer films than usual finding positions on all three iTunes, Google Play, and Vudu charts. “Sing 2” (Universal/$19.99), high on all charts again, has spent more than three months at a $19.99 or higher. Like “Spider-Man,” it still ranked in the top 10 this weekend.
“Dog” (United Artists/$19.99), a much more recent release and #7 in theaters, was the third across-the-board placer. The only new entry of note was “Panama” (Saban/$6.99), an action thriller about an arms dealer in the country during the invasion. It costars Mel Gibson, with Mark Neveldine directing. It placed on two charts.
Four Best Picture nominees showed up on at least one chart.
Little else changed this week, with fewer films than usual finding positions on all three iTunes, Google Play, and Vudu charts. “Sing 2” (Universal/$19.99), high on all charts again, has spent more than three months at a $19.99 or higher. Like “Spider-Man,” it still ranked in the top 10 this weekend.
“Dog” (United Artists/$19.99), a much more recent release and #7 in theaters, was the third across-the-board placer. The only new entry of note was “Panama” (Saban/$6.99), an action thriller about an arms dealer in the country during the invasion. It costars Mel Gibson, with Mark Neveldine directing. It placed on two charts.
Four Best Picture nominees showed up on at least one chart.
- 3/28/2022
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
“Spider-Man: No Way Home” (Sony/$19.99) debuted on home platforms nearly 13 weeks after its release in theaters. That’s a long time, by any standard — pre-Covid, 70-75 days was typical for even the biggest films — and is a testament to Sony’s emphasis on theatrical play as the sole major studio to not have its own streamer. Although other studios thrive with PVOD play to some degree, Sony may benefit the most.
As “No Way Home” nears the $800 million mark, it would be shocking if the Marvel movie didn’t debut at #1 on PVOD across the board. It’s likely to remain there for a long time, in part because “Uncharted” won’t appear for a while. The PVOD future for “The Batman” is uncertain, although the Warner Bros. title is expected to land on HBO Max April 19.
Two other recent releases debuted on PVOD. “Marry Me” (Universal) and “The Cursed...
As “No Way Home” nears the $800 million mark, it would be shocking if the Marvel movie didn’t debut at #1 on PVOD across the board. It’s likely to remain there for a long time, in part because “Uncharted” won’t appear for a while. The PVOD future for “The Batman” is uncertain, although the Warner Bros. title is expected to land on HBO Max April 19.
Two other recent releases debuted on PVOD. “Marry Me” (Universal) and “The Cursed...
- 3/22/2022
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
After three weekends in theaters, an unexpectedly early release of “Dog” (United Artists/$19.99) received a strong initial response with three #1 slots on charts ranked by revenue (Vudu) and by total transactions (iTunes and Google).
The Channing Tatum-co-directed and -starring film is #4 in theaters this weekend, down only 13 percent and approaching $50 million. That made it seem like a prime candidate for extended exclusive play and its studio has not been particularly aggressive on early PVOD. “No Time to Die” did appear after 30 days, but since then both “House of Gucci” and “Licorice Pizza” had two month windows before going to home platforms. It is one of two new PVOD releases from UA: “Cyrano” ($19.99) came out after only its second weekend.
“Spider-Man: No Way Home” (Sony/$19.99) debuts on Tuesday, a week ahead of the previously announced release date. It is certain to displace “Dog” and dominate the charts, as it did in theaters.
The Channing Tatum-co-directed and -starring film is #4 in theaters this weekend, down only 13 percent and approaching $50 million. That made it seem like a prime candidate for extended exclusive play and its studio has not been particularly aggressive on early PVOD. “No Time to Die” did appear after 30 days, but since then both “House of Gucci” and “Licorice Pizza” had two month windows before going to home platforms. It is one of two new PVOD releases from UA: “Cyrano” ($19.99) came out after only its second weekend.
“Spider-Man: No Way Home” (Sony/$19.99) debuts on Tuesday, a week ahead of the previously announced release date. It is certain to displace “Dog” and dominate the charts, as it did in theaters.
- 3/14/2022
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
Three recent theatrical films infused the VOD market this week, but each took different routes for very different results. Paramount’s “Scream” performed best with a surprising strategy: Debuting at $4.99 after about 45 days in theaters, the franchise reboot skipped a higher-price initial offering. It also comes before the likely imminent streaming release via Paramount+. The film took two of the #1 slots this week.
Vudu, where “Scream” is #1 for the week, ranks by revenue spent. That means it had more than four times as many transactions as #2, “Sing 2” (Universal), which costs $19.99 (lowered this week from $24.99). That’s a strong showing.
“Sing 2” has spent nearly two months on the charts. Still #6 in theaters this weekend, it has been among the top PVOD titles daily since its debut. Along with “Scream,” it is one of four titles to place on all three charts. “Blacklight” (Open Road/$19.99), on PVOD after its third weekend,...
Vudu, where “Scream” is #1 for the week, ranks by revenue spent. That means it had more than four times as many transactions as #2, “Sing 2” (Universal), which costs $19.99 (lowered this week from $24.99). That’s a strong showing.
“Sing 2” has spent nearly two months on the charts. Still #6 in theaters this weekend, it has been among the top PVOD titles daily since its debut. Along with “Scream,” it is one of four titles to place on all three charts. “Blacklight” (Open Road/$19.99), on PVOD after its third weekend,...
- 3/7/2022
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
The eighth edition of the annual talent incubator takes place online from March 18-23.
The Doha Film Institute (Dfi) has unveiled the 45 projects that will participate in the eighth edition of its annual talent incubator Qumra, taking place online March 18-23.
The event is running as a virtual edition for the third year due to ongoing health concerns and travel restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The selection spans 28 features, 11 shorts and 6 series in different stages of development and production from 21 territories.
Features in development include Oscar-nominated Palestinian filmmaker Farah Nabulsi’s debut feature The Teacher and Syrian director Anas Khalaf...
The Doha Film Institute (Dfi) has unveiled the 45 projects that will participate in the eighth edition of its annual talent incubator Qumra, taking place online March 18-23.
The event is running as a virtual edition for the third year due to ongoing health concerns and travel restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The selection spans 28 features, 11 shorts and 6 series in different stages of development and production from 21 territories.
Features in development include Oscar-nominated Palestinian filmmaker Farah Nabulsi’s debut feature The Teacher and Syrian director Anas Khalaf...
- 3/2/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
The eighth edition of the annual talent incubator takes place online from March 18-23.
The Doha Film Institute (Dfi) has unveiled the 48 projects that will participate in the eighth edition of its annual talent incubator Qumra, taking place online March 18-23.
The event is running as a virtual edition for the third year due to ongoing health concerns and travel restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The selection spans 28 features, 11 shorts and 6 series in different stages of development and production from 21 territories.
Features in development include Oscar-nominated Palestinian filmmaker Farah Nabulsi’s debut feature The Teacher and Syrian director Anas Khalaf...
The Doha Film Institute (Dfi) has unveiled the 48 projects that will participate in the eighth edition of its annual talent incubator Qumra, taking place online March 18-23.
The event is running as a virtual edition for the third year due to ongoing health concerns and travel restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The selection spans 28 features, 11 shorts and 6 series in different stages of development and production from 21 territories.
Features in development include Oscar-nominated Palestinian filmmaker Farah Nabulsi’s debut feature The Teacher and Syrian director Anas Khalaf...
- 3/2/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Two films debuted in the box-office weekend top ten, but the Tom Holland-led Uncharted held onto the number one spot by besting the second-place film by $13.2 million.
Again, finishing atop the box-office weekend, Uncharted pulled in $23.3 million in its second week of release. This gives the film a total of $83.4 million to show for its first two weeks in theaters. Also holding steady in its spot from last weekend was Dog starring Channing Tatum. The film added $10.1 million to boost its two-week total to $30.9 million. Meanwhile, Spider-Man: No Way Home clung onto third place with $5.8 million over the weekend. This boosted the film’s grand total to $779.9 million over the last eleven weeks. The film now inches closer to the second highest grossing domestic film of all time, Avengers: Endgame ($858.4 million). Death on the Nile held its ground in fourth place with $4.5 million, lifting its three-week total to $32.8 million.
Again, finishing atop the box-office weekend, Uncharted pulled in $23.3 million in its second week of release. This gives the film a total of $83.4 million to show for its first two weeks in theaters. Also holding steady in its spot from last weekend was Dog starring Channing Tatum. The film added $10.1 million to boost its two-week total to $30.9 million. Meanwhile, Spider-Man: No Way Home clung onto third place with $5.8 million over the weekend. This boosted the film’s grand total to $779.9 million over the last eleven weeks. The film now inches closer to the second highest grossing domestic film of all time, Avengers: Endgame ($858.4 million). Death on the Nile held its ground in fourth place with $4.5 million, lifting its three-week total to $32.8 million.
- 2/27/2022
- by Mike Tyrkus
- CinemaNerdz
The Ukraine invasion is costing Russia on the home front as well as in combat.
While Russian banking, sports, and news media have already been hit by sanctions, refusals on participation, and cyber warfare that’s taken down numerous sites, the entertainment business there is also starting to feel the effects.
Music: The Russians have already been banned from the Eurovision competition. Today, Green Day canceled a planned Moscow stadium show set for May 29 in Spartak Stadium. They join pop act Ajr, which has cut its planned October show in Mosow.
Many Western artists have shows slated for Russia this year. They include Tricky, Bring Me the Horizon, Khalid, OneRepublic, Yungblud, Judas Priest, and OneRepublic, among others.
Leonid & Friends, a Russian band specializing in horn-driven covers of the group Chicago and others, has toured the US in clubs and theaters several times. It posted on Facebook its disappointment Friday on the Ukraine situation.
While Russian banking, sports, and news media have already been hit by sanctions, refusals on participation, and cyber warfare that’s taken down numerous sites, the entertainment business there is also starting to feel the effects.
Music: The Russians have already been banned from the Eurovision competition. Today, Green Day canceled a planned Moscow stadium show set for May 29 in Spartak Stadium. They join pop act Ajr, which has cut its planned October show in Mosow.
Many Western artists have shows slated for Russia this year. They include Tricky, Bring Me the Horizon, Khalid, OneRepublic, Yungblud, Judas Priest, and OneRepublic, among others.
Leonid & Friends, a Russian band specializing in horn-driven covers of the group Chicago and others, has toured the US in clubs and theaters several times. It posted on Facebook its disappointment Friday on the Ukraine situation.
- 2/27/2022
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
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