While appearing on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Feb. 23, “The Devil Wear Prada” star recalled giving Murphy a luxury Hästens pillow because she felt he needed sleep even “more than food” during production.

“So I gave him this pillow but it turned out — do you mind if I tell them?” Blunt said, turning to Murphy, to which he responded, “I mean you’re gonna.”

“So, he was really luxuriating in this pillow one night, and he woke up in the middle of the night — this is what he told me the next day — and he went to fluff himself back down in the pillow,” she began.

But while he tried to find the “cool side” of the pillow, he “misjudged where it was” and “smashed his head open on the bedside table,” Blunt said, through laughter. “They had to glue his head shut.”

SAG Awards Feb 24

Pedro Pascal admits he's ‘a little drunk' and ‘making a fool of myself' during SAG Awards speech

SAG Awards Feb 24

SAG Awards 2024 winners: See the complete list

Murphy explained that he “was a bit shocked” after it happened.

“I mean I was having a great sleep, and I had this amazing pillow and then I just, you know, it was a strange bed, a strange table, it was ‘bang,'” he said.

Instead of seeking medical attention, he contacted the film’s makeup designer, Luisa Abel, at around 3 a.m., and she “glued his head shut.”

“She covered it all up and you don’t even see it in the movie,” he said.

Murphy, Blunt and Robert Downey Jr. appeared on the show to promote “Oppenheimer” ahead of the Screen Actors Guild Awards Feb. 24.

At the ceremony Saturday, Murphy took home the award for outstanding performance by a male actor in a leading role for his portrayal of J. Robert Oppenheimer, while his co-star, Downey, won outstanding performance by a male actor in a supporting role for playing Lewis Strauss.

Blunt was nominated for outstanding performance by a female actor in a supporting role, but lost to Da’Vine Joy Randolph, who took home the hardware for her performance in “The Holdovers.”

“Oppenheimer” won the last SAG Award of the night, outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture. 

This article first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

• Pedro Pascal reveals his ‘revenge’ for Kieran Culkin after SAG Award win
• Ricki Lake shows off her 30-pound weight loss in new pic: ‘I feel amazing’
• Romeo Beckham and girlfriend Mia Regan break up after nearly 5 years together

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Things change. The Hoosier Gym doesn’t.

About 35 miles east of Indianapolis is the little town of Knightstown, which most people probably aren’t too familiar with. Basketball fans, however, are likely very aware of the place that brings more people into the town than anything else — a small brick building that the Hickory Huskers of the movie “Hoosiers” called home. It’s still there, still iconic nearly four decades after the film’s release, hosting more than 50,000 visitors and dozens of high school games each year.

“When you get that many people coming here every year,” said Larry Loveall, one of the volunteers that keeps the gym running, “you know you’re doing something right.”

The movie — ranked as the No. 1 sports film of all-time by The Associated Press in 2020 — was released in 1986. Gene Hackman starred as coach Dale, a man who was given a second chance at coaching after his first one ended for striking one of his players years earlier. Hackman famously thought the movie would end his career; he didn’t think it would be a success.

He was very, very wrong. The tale of the Huskers, a small-town team that in the movie version took on the big-city South Bend Central in the 1952 Indiana state championship game and won in a David vs. Goliath story with Chitwood — a sharpshooter who initially didn’t want to play for the team — hitting the buzzer-beater to win the state title, still resonates. It’s an underdog story, a Cinderella story, one loosely based on the real-life story of small-school Milan winning Indiana’s 1954 state championship.

Movies

Music & Musicians Feb 20

Beatles to get a Fab Four of biopics, with a movie each for Paul, John, George and Ringo

Oscars Feb 15

Sean Wang made a home movie. Now, he and his grandmothers are going to the Oscars

“It’s about basketball, obviously,” said Brad Long, who plays Buddy Walker in the film. “But it’s about redemption and anytime you have a movie where the underdog does well and overachieves, it makes people feel good about themselves. That formula always works.”

It still does.

The movie plays on a loop in the lobby of the building, which was Knightstown High’s home gym until 1966. The court, which is meticulously maintained, has been down since 1936 and there isn’t a single dead spot to thwart dribblers. Down the steep staircase at the far end is the Hickory locker room; people have wanted to repaint it over the years but have smartly resisted — because the faded white walls and scuffed-up gray floor is how it looked in the movie, and so it shall remain.

There have been some upgrades, of course. The backboards are glass, not wood like they were in the film. There are digital scoreboards. Electric heat was added to the locker room. The playing surface was slightly widened to make it conform to current standards.

That’s about it.

“I’ve been maintaining this gym since 1998,” Loveall said. “It’s our pride and joy.”

The gym is in Knightstown, though the movie isn’t about the town. The school — enrollment of nearly 400, not quite the 64 that Hickory famously had in the movie — goes by the nickname Panthers, not Huskers. The Panthers don’t play their home games in The Hoosier Gym, and there has been a time or two where the gym and the school have disagreed on where some items like a long-abandoned victory bell belong; it’s displayed at the gym, in a room filled with Knightstown memorabilia and not artifacts from the movie.

The place remains open largely because fans keep visiting. It has been the site of everything from political rallies to fundraising dinners. The court can be rented for $100 an hour — and groups come from all over to play or just get shots up.

“It’s always an honor to be back,” actor Maris Valainis, who plays Chitwood in the movie, said when the team was assembled in Knightstown for a 35th anniversary gathering a couple years ago.

Of the many lines in the movie that resonate, one — “Welcome to Indiana basketball,” the line uttered by Dale as he fixes his tie before stepping onto the court for his first game as coach — might stand out a bit more than most others.

Thing is, the court isn’t just about Indiana basketball anymore.

High school teams from across the country come to play there now, and from that was born a new tradition. They leave a jersey behind, all signed by players. They hang in the locker room and other parts of the building, more than 300 of them now in a collection that’s constantly growing. Some leave little notes behind on the jerseys as well; Cale Leitch of Talawanda High in Ohio hit a shot at the buzzer to give his team a 48-46 win there last year and scrawled “Game winner” under his name and number.

“I envisioned it,” Leitch told the Southwest Ohio Sports Daily after his winning shot.

There have been more famous visitors as well. LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony were there once as their NBA careers were starting, posing at midcourt with Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Chris Mullin has gotten shots up there, while Greg Oden and Mike Conley Jr. played there as high schoolers.

The movie even got talked about at NBA All-Star weekend in Indianapolis. Commissioner Adam Silver and No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama were on stage together at the tech summit discussing how artificial intelligence can change the way people view the game. Part of their presentation included a clip from “Hoosiers,” a movie that Wembanyama had just been introduced to.

“It’s based in Indiana,” Silver told Wembanyama. “Parts of it were filmed right down the street here.”

Maybe fittingly, there’s still the whole David vs. Goliath thing going on, just like in the movie.

New Castle — like Knightstown, part of Henry County — boasts the biggest high school basketball arena in the country, the 8,400-seat New Castle Fieldhouse. The Hoosier Gym might hold 400, tops.

“They’ll always tell us that they’ve got the world’s largest high school gym,” Loveall said. “And I said, ‘Isn’t that amazing, in the same county we’ve got the world’s largest — and the world’s most famous.’”

Both films launched in theaters on Tuesday to rope in Valentine’s Day moviegoers. But on a weekend that was once expected to go to “Madame Web,” “One Love” emerged as the much-preferred option in theaters, despite largely poor reviews.

Instead, “One Love,” starring Kingsley Ben-Adir and produced with the involvement of the Marley estate, performed roughly on par with previous hit musical biopics like “Rocketman” and “Elvis.” Paramount is forecasting that “One Love” will gross $51 million over its first six days, including estimates for President’s Day on Monday. It added $29 million from 47 international territories.

Chris Aronson, distribution chief for Paramount, noted that pre-release projections forecast a six-day total closer to $30 million for “One Love.” But moviegoers from a wide range turned out for the first big-screen biopic of the Rastafarian legend.

“It was across all generations. It wasn’t just a movie for an older audience that grew up with Bob Marley’s music,” said Aronson. “Our highest quadrant was (age) 18 to 24. A third of the audience was under 25. That, to me, speaks volumes.”

Produced for about $70 million, “One Love,” directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, chronicles Marley during the making of the 1977 album “Exodus” while leading up to a pivotal concert for his native Jamaica. Among the movie’s producers are Marley’s children, Ziggy and Cedella, and his wife, Rita.

Ziggy Marley, in a statement Sunday, said: “We thank the people for embracing this film and in so doing helping to highlight the message of one love.”

Though critics dinged the film (43% “fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes) for relying on biopic conventions, audiences gave it a much higher grade, with an “A” CinemaScore. That kind of audience response plus the strong opening should bode well for the film’s run.

“Madame Web,” however, was dead on arrival. Over six days, Sony is estimating a $15.2 million weekend and a six-day $25.8 million haul. Audiences (a “C+” CinemaScore) agreed with critics (13% “fresh”).

Such launches were once unfathomable for stand-alone superhero films. But the film, an extension of Sony’s universe of Spider-Man films, struggled to shed the bad buzz surrounding the $80 million project. In it, Dakota Johnson stars as a New York paramedic with clairvoyant powers.

“The entire superhero genre has had a really rough go of it over the past year,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for data firm Comscore. “Certain things are no longer a sure bet. Except maybe now, the musical biopic has become the go-to genre. It just shows how tastes can change.”

Sony’s Spider-Man spinoffs have been mostly hit and miss. Its two “Venom” films have together surpassed $1.3 billion worldwide. But 2022’s poorly received “Morbius” collected just $167.4 million globally. “Madame Web” still couldn’t come close to the $39 million domestic opening weekend for “Morbius.” In 61 overseas markets, “Madame Web” added $25.7 million.

The better news for Sony’s Spider-verse came Saturday night at the 51st Annie Awards, where “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” won best feature and collected seven prizes in total. “Across the Spider-Verse” is nominated for best animated feature at the Academy Awards — and the Annie Awards can often be a good predictor of winner.

The 2024 box office has gotten off to a sobering start for Hollywood, and the disappointing result for “Madame Web” won’t help. Moviegoing has slowed to a crawl in recent weeks, while 2023’s strikes have impacted this year’s release schedules. Even with the strong “One Love” opening, ticket sales were down 15% on the weekend compared to 2023, according to ComScore.

Expectations are high for “Dune: Part Two,” opening March 1. Until then, “Bob Marley: One Love” will be jammin’.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “Bob Marley: One Love,” $27.7 million.

2. “Madame Web,” $15.2 million.

3. “Argylle,” $4.7 million.

4. “Migration,” $3.8 million.

5. “The Chosen,” Episodes 4-6, $3.4 million.

6. “Wonka,” $3.4 million.

7. “The Beekeeper,” $3.3 million.

8. “Anyone But You,” $2.4 million.

9. “Lisa Frankenstein,” $2 million.

10. “Land of Bad,” $1.8 million.

Rob Reiner, who directed “When Harry Met Sally,” discussed the beloved rom-com in a new episode of CNN’s “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace” on Feb. 16.

Reiner revealed during the conversation that the “tear jerking” happy ending almost didn’t happen for Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan’s characters.

“The original ending of the film that we had was that Harry and Sally didn’t get together,” he said. 

That original conclusion was personal to Reiner.

“I had been married for 10 years, I had been single for 10 years and I couldn’t figure out how I was ever going to be with anybody, and that gave birth to ‘When Harry Met Sally,’” he explained.

Reiner was previously married to the late Penny Marshall. The couple tied the knot in 1971, but ultimately split in 1981.

“I hadn’t met anybody, and so it was going to be the two of them seeing each other after years, talking, and then walking away from each other,” he told Wallace.

This alternate ending might come as a shock to fans. In the finale fans remember, Harry (Crystal) rushes to a New Year’s Eve party where he delivers an iconic speech professing his love to Sally (Ryan) with the line, “I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”

Fittingly, that ending was born out of something that happened to Reiner during filming.

“I met my wife, Michele, who I’ve been married to now 35 years,” Reiner said, referring to actor Michele Singer Reiner, who he wed in 1989. “I met her while we were making the film, and I changed the ending.”

“When Harry Met Sally” remains a classic in the rom-com genre, with multiple memorable scenes, including Harry’s declaration of love and Sally’s famous diner scene shot at Katz’s Delicatessen in New York.

Ryan recently brought up the moment while paying homage to her co-star, Crystal, an honoree at the 46th Kennedy Center Honors in December 2023. To start her speech, she referenced the scene where her character fakes an orgasm while sitting across from Crystal’s character. 

“This scene came really naturally to me, and I really have Billy to thank for that,” she said of the moment. “I’ve actually never been around anyone who made faking an orgasm easier. So, thank you, Billy.”

Ryan later attributed the success of the film to a few factors, including Reiner’s “brilliant direction,” a “perfect script” from the late Nora Ephron and “chemistry.”

“Chemistry is … well, no one really knows what chemistry is, but Harry and Sally had it,” she explained. “And all I know is that acting with Billy was effortless, the characters just came alive and just meeting him, I don’t know how could you not love Billy Crystal.”

This article first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

• Blogger Laura Merritt Walker shares that her 3-year-old son died after a ‘tragic accident’
• Hilary Swank reveals first full photo of her twins and explains their unique names
• How to watch the 2024 BAFTAs in the US

The two A-listers sat down for an interview with Access Hollywood, in which they both talked about their experience working with the other.

“You meet someone by destiny, by the destiny of the script that you know you will have to work with intimately,” Chalamet said of the “Elvis” star. “You go, ‘Okay, so he’s not only a great talent, but a great guy, which is hard to find.”

Chalamet then went on to say that Butler’s character in “Dune: Part Two,” Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, is his favorite of the movie.

“I mean, it’s easy to now, but it’s exactly what that role needed, and demands in some way,” the “Wonka” star said of Butler’s performance.

Hearing Chalamet’s praise, Butler had to admit that he was “blushing” sitting next to his co-star.

“I respect him so much,” Butler said of Chalamet. “He knocked it out of the park. It’s so cool to see the transition from that first film and to see the maturity and the gravitas come out, and you get to just knock the roof off of it. It’s incredible.”

It’s been a successful 2024 for both actors already. Chalamet starred in the box office hit “Wonka,” while Butler currently stars in the Apple TV+ series “Masters of the Air.”

Butler, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of Elvis Presley in “Elvis,” also had some advice for Chalamet, who is scheduled to play Bob Dylan in an upcoming biopic.

“I had this unrealistic expectation that I could make my face his face,” Butler said, referring to himself playing the real-life Elvis. “And then, when I finally relieved myself from that and realized, once you do all the work and you get it as close as you possibly can, with all the intricacies of what makes a person who they are, then at the end of the day it’s your soul and their soul coming together.”

“Dune: Part Two” is scheduled to hit theaters on March 1, 2024.

The two-minute trailer shows “Industry” and “Barbie” star Marisa Abela playing Winehouse in the British singer’s signature beehive hairstyle and winged eyeliner. Winehouse’s 2006 classic “Rehab” plays over scenes showing her gritty early life and relationships away from the stage. Abela recorded and performs the songs in the movie.

“You need to know this,” she says over the phone at one point. “I ain’t no Spice Girl.”

The clip shows the alternately tender and turbulent relationship between Winehouse and her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, played by Jack O’Connell. It also gives a look at actor Eddie Marsan playing Winehouse’s father, Mitch Winehouse.

The movie is named after Winehouse’s 2006 hit album, which won five Grammys. Winehouse died of alcohol poisoning in 2011.

“I don’t write songs to be famous,” she says in the trailer. “I write songs because I’ve got to make something good out of something bad.”

The movie, which was directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson (“Fifty Shades of Grey”), is set to be released on April 12 in the U.K. and on May 17 in the U.S.

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

• How Brad Pitt responded when Donald Glover asked for advice for new ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith’ show
• EXCLUSIVE: Ice Spice shares details about upcoming album, ‘new-sounding songs’
• Mom’s heart was shocked 44 times after cardiac arrest: ‘Don’t take a day for granted’

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

You go, Glen Coco.

Paramount’s “Mean Girls,” a musical film adaptation of the Broadway show and beloved 2004 film of the same name, opened to an estimated $28 million at the domestic box office, on its way to a $32 million take for the holiday weekend.

The haul comes in on the high end of expectations and exceeds the $24.4 million opening that the Lindsay Lohan-led original snared two decades earlier. It’s particularly impressive considering Paramount had initially commissioned the $36 million-budgeted film for a straight-to-streaming release.

“It seems that ‘Mean Girls’ in any format and on every platform has a message that resonates strongly with audiences,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. “Whether as a feature film comedy, a Broadway musical or a new big screen adaptation, Tina Fey’s vision for these characters has truly struck a chord with audiences some two decades after the release of the original on the big screen.”

The movie musical genre has struggled to appeal to moviegoers in recent years, but with Warner Bros.’ “Wonka” and “The Color Purple” alongside the new adaptation of “Mean Girls” it seems like audiences have reversed course.

Combine the musical talent and charisma of star Renee Rapp with the pervasive nostalgia of the original film, and the new “Mean Girls” had a lot to offer cinemagoers over the weekend.

“The success of Mean Girls this weekend is a case study in nostalgia successfully paired with a fresh and modern hook for today’s female audience,” said Shawn Robbins, chief analyst at BoxOffice.com. “Many who grew up with the original film returned for this revival alongside younger audiences and fans of the Broadway musical.”

The film skewed toward the female audience, with 75% of ticket sales being bought by women, but played well outside of the teen demographic, said Steve Buck, of movie data firm EntTelligence. In fact, the biggest percentage of ticket sales were for those aged 26 to 35, who accounted for 34% of all opening weekend ticket sales. Meanwhile, the coveted 18 to 25 demographic represented 26% of ticket sales.

“This is another showcase of how important it is for Hollywood to embrace Gen Z alongside their fellow Millennial moviegoers as the two key demographics driving theatrical box office right now,” said BoxOffice.com’s Robbins. “The cinema is a communal hub, and what’s more communal than the marriage of music with movies? Mean Girls is truly an [intellectual property] that’s evolved into a multi-threat pop culture standout.”

Slashed free of Disney’s copyright as of Monday, the iconic character from “Steamboat Willie” is already the focus of two horror films. On Monday, just hours after the 1928 short entered the public domain, a trailer for “Mickey’s Mouse Trap” dropped on YouTube. Another yet-to-be-titled film was announced Tuesday.

“Steamboat Willie” featured early versions of both Mickey and Minnie Mouse. Directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, it was the third cartoon featuring the duo they made but the first to be released. In it, a more menacing Mickey, bearing more resemblance to rat than mouse, captains a boat and makes musical instruments out of other animals.

It’s perhaps fitting, then, that the first projects announced are seemingly low-budget and campy slasher movies — and not unprecedented. Winnie the Pooh — sans red shirt — entered the public domain in 2022; scarcely a year later, he was notching up a heavy body count in the microbudget “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey.”

In the trailer for “Mickey’s Mouse Trap,” directed by Jamie Bailey, what appears to be a human in a comically small Mickey mask terrorizes a group of young people at an arcade.

“A place for fun. A place for friends. A place for hunting,” text flashed during the trailer reads. “The mouse is out.”

“We just wanted to have fun with it all. I mean it’s Steamboat Willie’s Mickey Mouse murdering people,” director Jamie Bailey said in a statement cited by trade publications. “It’s ridiculous. We ran with it and had fun doing it and I think it shows.”

No release date has been set.

The second movie is from director Steven LaMorte, who previously directed a horror parody of “The Grinch,” which is not in the public domain (the movie is thus called “The Mean One”).

“A late-night boat ride turns into a desperate fight for survival in New York City when a mischievous mouse becomes a monstrous reality,” is the logline for the untitled film, per a post on LaMorte’s Instagram.

“Steamboat Willie has brought joy to generations, but beneath that cheerful exterior lies a potential for pure, unhinged terror,” LaMorte said in a release cited by the trades. The movie has yet to begin production.

With the expiration of the 95-year copyright, the public is allowed to use only the initial versions of Mickey and Minnie — not the more familiar character designs.

“We will, of course, continue to protect our rights in the more modern versions of Mickey Mouse and other works that remain subject to copyright,” Disney said in a statement ahead of the characters entering the public domain.

LaMorte told Variety that the producers of his film are working with a legal team so as not to run afoul of Disney, and will call their raging rodent Steamboat Willie instead of Mickey Mouse.

“We are doing our due diligence to make sure there’s no question or confusion of what we’re up to,” he said.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Greta Gerwig’s smash hit ended the year as the highest-grossing film of 2023, having raked in more than $1.4 billion since hitting theaters in July.

It’s the first time in years that a non-sequel has topped the year-end box office. Indeed, of the 10 highest-grossing films of the year, half are part of an ongoing series. “The Little Mermaid,” meanwhile, is a remake.

But the top two films, “Barbie” and No. 2 “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” are both standalone properties (for now). Christopher Nolan’s historical drama “Oppenheimer” rounded out the top three with its $951 million haul.

“I think audiences are really showing what they want are films that are a little different,” Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore, tells CNBC Make It.

After topping the 2022 box office charts with “Top Gun: Maverick” — “Avatar: The Way of Water” split its $2.3 billion box office haul between 2022 and 2023 — Tom Cruise made another appearance in the top 10 with his latest “Mission Impossible” sequel.

Marvel Studios, which in recent years has topped the year-end box office on multiple occasions with “Spider-Man” and “Avengers” films, claimed two spots in the top 10.

These are the highest-grossing films released in 2023, according to Comscore data pulled on December 18.

10. ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’

Worldwide gross: $476.3 million

Release date: February 17, 2023

9. ‘Elemental’

Worldwide gross: $479.8 million

Release date: June 16, 2023

8. ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’

Worldwide gross: $567.5 million

Release date: July 12, 2023

7. ‘The Little Mermaid’

Worldwide gross: $568.8 million

Release date: May 26, 2023

6. ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Worldwide gross: $684.9 million

Release date: June 2, 2023

5. ‘Fast X’

Worldwide gross: $707.6 million

Release date: May 19, 2023

4. ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’

Worldwide gross: $845.4 million

Release date: May 5, 2023

3. ‘Oppenheimer’

Worldwide gross: $951.4 million

Release date: July 21, 2023

2. ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’

Worldwide gross: $1.34 billion

Release date: April 5, 2023

1. ‘Barbie’

Worldwide gross: $1.44 billion

Release date: July 21, 2023

DON’T MISS: Want to be smarter and more successful with your money, work & life? Sign up for our new newsletter!

Get CNBC’s free Warren Buffett Guide to Investing, which distills the billionaire’s No. 1 best piece of advice for regular investors, do’s and don’ts, and three key investing principles into a clear and simple guidebook.

Disclosure: NBCUniversal is the parent company of Universal Studios and CNBC.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

In fact, the last sports movie Clooney directed released in 2008, which was the American football film titled “Leatherheads.”

OK, so that’s the most popular sport in the United States checked off. There’s still basketball, baseball, hockey and soccer to narrate.

Oh, Clooney has other ideas? Maybe he’s thinking golf, boxing, tennis, racing or wrestling?

Nope, none of the above. Clooney’s latest venture dives into the fresh waters of rowing.

“The Boys in the Boat” will mark Clooney’s ninth film as a director, which tells the story of Team USA’s rigorous journey in the 1936 Olympic Games that transpired during the Great Depression.

Olympic rowing coach Terry O’Neill, who taught the actors in the movie how to row, said the film can’t do the sport of rowing any harm. USRowing CEO Amanda Kraus, who saw the movie in advance of its Christmas release date, is amped for how it will help the sport of rowing.

“We were just talking about that the other day in the office that, you know, rowing doesn’t usually make the big screen,” Kraus said in an interview with NBC. “And this book… Daniel James Brown’s book was just so fantastic. And it seemed like one of the first times that someone had actually captured the beauty and the grit of the sport of ours.”

“So, to see it on the big screen and know that it’s going to be shared with so many people come Christmas Day on its release, that people who’ve never really thought about rowing much beyond when they see it every four years in the Olympics will get a taste of what it’s really about.”

Kraus said USRowing isn’t completely sure what to expect once viewers get exposed to the sport, but they are readying for a wave of new fans who want to dip their toes.

“We’re preparing ourselves for an onslaught of new enthusiasts who want to get involved with rowing or try rowing and hopefully seeing this movie, they’ll realize, ‘Wow, these guys in Washington didn’t get into a boat until they were in college,'” Kraus said. “And the same can be true for people of any age. It’s not like gymnastics or a sport where you need to really start when you’re little.

“You can start at any age. So, we’re preparing the sport more broadly for people just looking to find out where they can learn to row or what colleges have rowing, what high school clubs have rowing, et cetera.”

Kraus said they are preparing the USRowing website to better help people find rowing opportunities near them. They have 1,400 rowing organizations registered with the website, where one of USRowing’s priority is to help them coach and develop coaches to keep stewarding the sport.

So, for someone who gets inspired to row after watching “The Boys in the Boat,” how can they get involved? Is it a difficult sport to get accustomed to? It’s actually much easier than one may think, Kraus said.

“What’s neat about rowing is that you don’t need to have ever done it before,” Kraus said. “You know, people think, ‘Oh, I need to go to Harvard or Yale or Princeton,’ or ‘I need to be 6-foot-3,’ or ‘I need to be all of these things.’ And you don’t. Rowing is a sport for anyone who wants to try something really different, especially who likes working with other people. So unless you’re rowing a single, it really is the ultimate team sport. It’s so easy.”

“The Boys in the Boat” also releases at an opportune time. With 2024 on the horizon, it’ll officially mark the year of the Paris Games. It’s something USRowing has circled on its calendar for a while after not medaling in the Tokyo Games last time out.

Will things be different in Paris? Kraus says change is in the air.

“We’ve already seen a big turnaround with new leadership in high performance since the last Olympics in Tokyo, where unfortunately we did not bring home any medals,” Kraus started. “In the world championships just this past fall, we had an amazing performance by our athletes. We’re really starting to see the results of the hard work of our high performance leadership and, of course, our athletes.

“They qualified 10 boats for the Olympics and Paralympics. They brought home seven medals from world championships. We topped the leaderboards at Pan Am Games. And then a new discipline, which is not a part of the movie at all, but our beach sprints. We had tremendous performance by our athletes at beach sprints, too. So change is in the air. I think people are starting to pay attention and realize that the United States is really going to be a threat this summer in Paris at the Olympics and the Paralympics. And we have some really fast boats and fast athletes.”

But, most importantly, what is Kraus’ scouting report of George Clooney the rower? Could he bring home an Olympic medal?

“I mean, he’d look good in the boat, but it might just be aesthetically speaking,” Kraus said. “He’s probably 5-foot-10, so he’s on the smaller side for rowing. Most of our men are well above six feet. He seems pretty fit, though, so I think he’d do well. With the right coaching, anyone can really be successful…but I wouldn’t put money on him for the Paris Olympics.”

Many fans of the cult hit also like visit the house — literally — located in the Chicago suburb of Winnetka.

The famed movie home, at 671 Lincoln Ave., isn’t on the market, and doesn’t open its doors to visitors. But that doesn’t stop the public from stopping at the house to snap pictures.

“We live in the area and it’s always fun to drive or walk by and reminisce,” one of more than 30 reviews of the house on TripAdvisor read. “Just be courteous as it is someone’s residence and the neighborhood wants to have some semblance of normalcy.”

Was ‘Home Alone’ actually filmed inside the house?

A 2019 episode of Netflix’s series “The Movies That Made Us,” which provides a behind-the-scenes look at the film, dives into “Home Alone’s” inception, director John Hughes’ vision and hurdles encountered during the filming process.

The mansion along Lincoln Avenue was too small for all the crew members to fit inside, director Chris Columbus explained, so the team had to come up with a different solution. They still used the home for exterior shots — but actually shot the indoor scenes at New Trier Township High School after it closed due to declining enrollment in 1981.

Hughes had an entire two-story sound stage constructed in the school’s gymnasium.

The basketball court was where the airplane cabin set was built, and the basement was actually constructed in the pool to accomodate a large number of water scenes.

Christmas Dec 15, 2023

Can today's average American family buy the ‘Home Alone' house? Here's what the numbers show

Movies Dec 13, 2023

Coming home, staying home: ‘Apollo 13' and ‘Home Alone' among 25 films picked for national registry

Trending news Nov 29, 2023

Epic ‘Home Alone' snow art in window goes viral on social media

A number of other scenes were filmed in Winnetka. In fact, the entirety of the movie was shot in Illinois, despite the plot revolving around a trip Kevin McAllister’s had taken to Paris.

Kevin’s visit to Santa’s workshop was filmed at Chestnut Court, adjacent to the Winnetka Village Hall, according to the Pioneer Press. The Grand Food Center along Green Bay Road is where Kevin shops for groceries, while the pharmacy he visits is along the same street.

Only a small part of the movie was filmed in Chicago: the airport scenes.

Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport served as the filming location for both the Chicago and Paris airport scenes, posing as France’s Orly Airport. Other locations seen in the movie were Trinity United Methodist Church in Wilmette and Grace Episcopal Church in Oak Park.

So, why was so much of the movie filmed in the North Shore?

Hughes, the director, lived in the area during his high school years and graduated from Glenbrook North High School. An acclaimed director who is credited with reinventing the teen movie through his coming-of-age films, he did film some movies elsewhere — but time and time again came back to the Chicago area.

Most of the locations for another one of his classics, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” are in and around the region as well. The school where Bueller attended and faked being sick to spend a day exploring downtown Chicago was Glenbrook North High School.

Of course, a number of Chicago landmarks made an appearance, including the Willis Tower, the Sears Tower at the time, and the Art Institute of Chicago.

Another Hughes’ film that stayed true to his North Shore roots was “Sixteen Candles.” The homes the high schoolers lived in were located in Evanston, Highland Park and Northbrook. Glenbrook North High School was where the teens attended, and nearby Glencoe Union Church was where Sam found her crush, Jake Ryan, waiting for her.

Other John Hughes movies filmed in the Chicago area include “The Breakfast Club,” “She’s Having a Baby,” “Uncle Buck” and “Weird Science.”

Perhaps the ultimate coming-home movie, “Apollo 13,” and the ultimate staying-home one, “Home Alone,” are both being honored this year, selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. They’re part of an annual group of 25 that this year spans more than 90 years of filmmaking.

The 2023 collection includes the sci-fi sequel “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” the Disney animated classic “Lady and the Tramp” and the searing, Oscar-winning drama “12 Years a Slave.” Just in time for the holidays, “The Nightmare Before Christmas” is included.

The oldest film is from 1921: “A Movie Trip Through Filmland,” a very early look at the impact of movies. The newest are both from 2013: “12 Years a Slave” and the Oscar-winning documentary “20 Feet From Stardom,” which is about backup singers.

The registry is housed at the Library of Congress, which since 1988 has selected movies for preservation based on their cultural and historic importance. The current picks bring the registry to 875 films — some, but not all, among the 2 million items in the library’s collection. Turner Classic Movies will host a TV special on Thursday, screening a selection of this year’s movies.

A look at some of the films entering the registry:

”The Wedding Banquet” (1993): Ang Lee’s romantic comedy about a gay man from Taiwan trying to hide his orientation from his family, featuring an over-the-top wedding banquet.

”Bamboozled” (2000): Spike Lee’s stinging satire about race in entertainment, with Damon Wayans as a program executive at a cable network.

”Maya Lin: A Strong, Clear Vision” (1994): Freida Lee Mock’s Oscar-winning documentary about the artist who created two famous memorials.

“Apollo 13” (1995): Ron Howard’s impeccably told chronicle of the near-tragedy involving U.S astronauts trying to get back to Earth, featuring Tom Hanks and the famous (and slightly altered) quote: “Houston, we have a problem.”

“Desperately Seeking Susan” (1985): Susan Seidelman’s uniquely New York saga featuring Rosanna Arquette and none other than Madonna as the elusive Susan.

“Matewan” (1987): John Sayles’ tale of efforts in 1920 to unionize a company town in West Virginia.

“Home Alone” (1990): Chris Columbus’ holiday classic about, let’s face it, deeply questionable parenting that made wide-eyed Macaulay Culkin — aka Kevin — a star.

“Alambrista” (1977): Robert M. Young’s story of a Mexican migrant laborer in the United States.

“Fame” (1980): A story of students seeking fame at the High School of Performing Arts in New York City, and known for Irene Cara’s version of the title song.

“Lady and the Tramp” (1955): The classic Disney canine love story, featuring surely the most famous spaghetti kiss in animated film.

The full list

“A Movie Trip Through Filmland” (1921); “Dinner at Eight” (1933); “Bohulano Family Film Collection” (1950s-1970s); “Helen Keller: In Her Story” (1954); “Lady and the Tramp” (1955); “Edge of the City: (1957); “We’re Alive” (1974); “Cruisin’ J-Town” (1975); “Alambrista” (1977); “Passing Through” (1977); “Fame” (1980); “Desperately Seeking Susan” (1985); “The Lighted Field” (1987); “Matewan” (1987); “Home Alone” (1990); “Queen of Diamonds” (1991); “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (1991); “The Nightmare Before Christmas” (1993); “The Wedding Banquet” (1993); “Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision” (1994); “Apollo 13” (1995); “Bamboozled” (2000); “Love & Basketball” (2000); “12 Years a Slave” (2013); “20 Feet From Stardom” (2013).

“My dad passed away peacefully today, with his loving team by his side supporting him and loving him as he would us,” Patrick O’Neal, a Los Angeles sportscaster, posted on Instagram.

Attempts to reach O’Neal representatives were not immediately successful.

No cause of death was given. Ryan O’Neal was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2012, a decade after he was first diagnosed with chronic leukemia. He was 82.

“My father, Ryan O’Neal, has always been my hero,” Patrick O’Neal wrote, adding, “He is a Hollywood legend. Full stop.”

“He meant the world to me. I loved him very much and know he loved me too,” Tatum O’Neal told People magazine in a statement. “I’ll miss him forever. and I feel very lucky that we ended on such good terms.”

O’Neal was among the biggest movie stars in the world in the 1970s, working across genres with many of the era’s most celebrated directors including Peter Bogdanovich on “Paper Moon” and “What’s Up, Doc?” and Stanley Kubrick on “Barry Lyndon.” He often used his boyish, blond good looks to play men who hid shadowy or sinister backgrounds behind their clean-cut images.

O’Neal maintained a steady television acting career into his 70s in the 2010s, appearing for stints on “Bones” and “Desperate Housewives,” but his longtime relationship with Farrah Fawcett and his tumultuous family life kept him in news.

Twice divorced, O’Neal was romantically involved with Fawcett for nearly 30 years, and they had a son, Redmond, born in 1985. The couple split in 1997, but reunited a few years later. He remained by Fawcett’s side as she battled cancer, which killed her in 2009 at age 62.

With his first wife, Joanna Moore, O’Neal fathered actors Griffin O’Neal and Tatum O’Neal, his co-star in the 1973 movie “Paper Moon,” for which she won an Oscar for best supporting actress. He had son Patrick with his second wife, Leigh Taylor-Young.

Ryan O’Neal had his own best-actor Oscar nomination for the 1970 tear-jerker drama “Love Story,” co-starring Ali MacGraw, about a young couple who fall in love, marry and discover she is dying of cancer. The movie includes the memorable, but often satirized line: “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.”

The actor had at times strained relationships with three of his children, including estrangement from his daughter, squabbles with son Griffin and a drug-related arrest sparked by a probation check of his son Redmond. The personal drama often over-shadowed his later career, although his attempts to reconcile with Tatum O’Neal were turned into a short-lived reality series.

O’Neal played bit parts and performed some stunt work before claiming a lead role on the prime-time soap opera “Peyton Place” (1964-69), which also made a star of Mia Farrow.

From there O’Neal jumped to the big screen with 1969’s “The Big Bounce,” which co-stared his then-wife, Leigh Taylor-Young. But it was “Love Story” that made him a movie star.

The romantic melodrama was the highest-grossing film of 1970, became one of Paramount Pictures’ biggest hits and collected seven Oscar nominations, including one for best picture. It won for best music.

After “Love Story” made him a major movie star, O’Neal was considered for seemingly every major leading role in Hollywood. Paramount even pushed for him to to star as Michael Corleone in “The Godfather” before Al Pacino got the part at the insistence of director Francis Ford Coppola.

O’Neal then starred for Bogdanovich as a bumbling professor opposite Barbra Streisand in the 1972 screwball comedy “What’s Up, Doc?”

“So sad to hear the news of Ryan O’Neal’s passing,” Streisand, who also starred with O’Neal in the 1979 boxing romcom “The Main Event,” posted on Instagram. “He was funny and charming, and he will be remembered.”

The year after “What’s Up, Doc?” Bogdanovich cast him in the Depression-era con artist comedy “Paper Moon.”

In it, O’Neal played an unscrupulous Bible salesman preying on widows he located through obituary notices. His real-life daughter, Tatum, played a trash-talking, cigarette-smoking orphan who needs his help — and eventually helps redeem him.

Although critics praised both actors, the little girl’s brash performance overshadowed her father’s and made her the youngest person in history to win a regular Academy Award. She was 10 when the award was presented in 1974. (Younger performers such as Shirley Temple have won special Oscars.)

The elder O’Neal’s next major film was Kubrick’s 18th century epic “Barry Lyndon,” in which he played a poor Irish rogue who traveled Europe trying to pass himself off as an aristocrat.

Filming the three-hour movie was tedious work, however, and Kubrick’s notorious perfectionism created a rift between him and the actor that never healed.

O’Neal then reteamed with Tatum in Bogdanovich’s early Hollywood comedy “Nickelodeon” (1976). But the film was a flop and they never worked together again. An attempt to capitalize on his “Love Story” character, Oliver Barrett, with the sequel “Oliver’s Story” (1978) resulted in another flop.

Father and daughter drifted apart as Tatum O’Neal grew older, with the elder actor learning about his daughter’s marriage to tennis great John McEnroe by a belated telegram, Ryan O’Neal wrote in a 2012 book about his relationship with Fawcett.

“A door inside me locked the morning the telegram came, and I am still blindly searching for the key to open it,” O’Neal wrote in “Both of Us.”

O’Neal’s career cooled further in the 1980s with the emerald heist drama “Green Ice” (1981) and the 1984 comedy “Irreconcilable Differences,” in which he played a busy father in an unhappy marriage whose daughter, played by 9-year-old Drew Barrymore, tries to divorce her parents.

The decade was also a low-point in O’Neal’s personal life. His son Griffin faced numerous brushes with the law, including a 1986 boating accident that killed Gian-Carlo Coppola, 23, son of movie director Francis Ford Coppola in Maryland. Griffin O’Neal was convicted of negligently and recklessly operating a boat, received a community service sentence and later served a brief stint in jail as a result.

With his Hollywood status diminishing, Ryan O’Neal began appearing in TV movies and eventually returned to series television opposite then-lover Fawcett with the 1991 sitcom “Good Sports,” but the show ran only one season.

Both acknowledged the work put a strain on their relationship.

“We get into fights,” O’Neal said in 1991. “She’s tough. She expects to be treated well. On a set that can get lost when you’re trying to create a moment and you’re fighting the clock.”

O’Neal began accepting more supporting roles with the 1989 film “Chances Are.” He began a second career as a character actor, playing a husband who hires a hitman to kill his wife in “Faithful” (1996) and a mysterious tycoon in the blackmail comedy “Zero Effect” (1998).

By then his relationship with Fawcett had ended, although they remained close and eventually rekindled their romance in the 2000s. The volatile O’Neal family dynamics that had taxed their relationship before, however, remained.

In 2007 the elder O’Neal was arrested in 2007 for alleged assault and firing a weapon in an altercation with Griffin, but charges were never pursued. Their son Redmond was repeatedly arrested, jailed and spent several years in court-mandated rehab.

A probation check on Redmond O’Neal in September 2008 at his father’s Malibu home led to the actor’s arrest for methamphetamine possession. Ryan O’Neal pleaded guilty to the charge and entered a drug diversion program, but he publicly denied the drugs were his. He said he confiscated them from his son and was trying to protect him.

Charles Patrick Ryan O’Neal was born on April 20, 1941, and was the son of screenwriter Charles O’Neal and actor Patricia Callaghan O’Neal. O’Neal spent time as a lifeguard and an amateur boxer before finding his calling as a performer.

The 27-year-old actor was on stage at CCXP in São Paulo for a panel on her upcoming film “Dune: Part Two” alongside her co-stars Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya and Austin Butler when an object was apparently thrown in her direction, according to video footage posted on social media.

The object appeared to hit Pugh in the eye, causing her to flinch and touch her face, according to the video. Chalamet and Butler also appeared to react and lean in to see if she was alright. The “Midsommar” star then bent over, apparently to see what the object was.

Representatives for Pugh and CCXP, a multi-day, Comic Con-style event, did not immediately respond to requests for comment from NBC News.

While members of the crowd have been throwing items at artists for decades, it has become a troubling trend in recent months. Over the past year, several high-profile artists have been hit by objects including phones and drinks.

Pop star Harry Styles was hit in the eye while performing in Vienna, Austria, this summer. Concertgoer Maddison Ford told TODAY.com the object appeared to be a rose, and that Styles appeared to be “clearly hurt” after it hit him.

Drake and Bebe Rexha were hit by cellphones in separate incidents over the summer. Drake appeared to almost catch the phone before it hit his hand and flew off stage, while Rexha fell to her knees and had to be taken to the hospital for her injuries.

While singer Pink wasn’t hit with an object during a performance in London in June, a fan appeared to toss a bag containing the ashes of their mother on stage.

“This is your mom?” Pink asked as she held the bag, according to video posted of the interaction.

“I don’t know how I feel about this,” she added as she placed the bag on the stage floor and resumed singing.

Adele spoke out about the series of incidents during a “Weekends With Adele” performance in Las Vegas over the summer.

“Have you noticed how people are like forgetting f— show etiquette in America, they’re just throwing s— on stage. Have you seen that?” the singer asked the audience while pacing the stage with a t-shirt cannon.

“(I) f—- dare you. Dare you to throw something at me,” she said, before firing a t-shirt into the crowd.

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

• Julia Roberts reveals her ‘simple rules’ for parenting in a phone-obsessed era
• ‘Barbie’ is coming to Max. Here’s when you’ll be able to stream it
• Hoda and her daughters decorate their apartment for Christmas: See her photos

Giamatti was then a respected character actor, but this was one of his first times as the lead. And he couldn’t believe it.

“I remember Alexander saying, ‘You two guys are going to do it,’” recalls Giamatti of himself and Thomas Hayden Church. “And we were like, ‘Seriously?’”

In the years since, Giamatti, 56, has remained a leading man, albeit an unlikely one. His ability to carry a movie is now, well, kind of obvious. That goes for indie gems like “Private Life” and “Win Win” or acclaimed series like “John Adams” and “Billions.”

But two decades later, “Sideways” remains lodged in Giamatti’s memory. “I remember every second of making it,” he said on a recent afternoon in Manhattan. Wide as his travels have been since – “Hamlet” at Yale, Jerry Heller in “Straight Outta Compton,” seven years on “Billions” — he’s not experienced anything quite like the natural, ensemble feel of “Sideways.” Until, that is, he reteamed with Payne for “The Holdovers.”

“I’ve never done anything like it again,” says Giamatti, “except this is the closest thing to it.”

“The Holdovers,” playing in theaters and available digitally, marks the long-in-coming reunion of Giamatti and Payne. Just as in “Sideways,” their alchemy produces something wry and moving. The setting — a 1970s boarding school — has moved from California sunshine to snowy New England, and from pinot to whisky.

But a faint connection between to the two movies is there. Giamatti plays Paul Hunham, an irascible classics professor, widely disliked by his students, who’s forced to spend Christmas break with a handful of students. The movie, a broad comedy at first, peels away a tender humanistic drama around the trio of Hunham, a bright, less well-off student (Dominic Sessa) and the school’s grieving head cook (Da’Vine Joy Randolph).

For Giamatti, the bookends of “Sideways” and “The Holdovers” inevitably prompt reflection on the distance he’s traveled in the intervening decades.

“All the stuff in between, I mean the life changes, the professional stuff — it’s just insane. My whole life changed. I got divorced. Massive change,” Giamatti says. “I never talked to Alexander about this, but I thought there were similarities between the two characters. But it’s a guy 20 years on from the other guy. And probably there’s a lot of me 20 years on going into it.”

Hunham, like Giamatti’s struggling writer Miles Raymond of “Sideways,” is a prickly misanthrope stuck in a midlife stasis. In Giamatti’s hands, the dialogue of an erudite grouch sings. One example: “Christ on a crutch, what sort of fascist hash foundry are you running?”

“I kind of like this character better, for some reason,” Giamatti says. “He’s not as self-pitying. He’s got a little more zest. He, like, enjoys being the a–hole that he is.”

Payne and Giamatti have talked for years about making another movie, including a private-eye film (“It’d be so great,” says Giamatti) and a Western (“I’m like, I would do anything in a Western”). But it wasn’t until Payne got together with screenwriter David Hemingson with the idea of loosely adapting the 1935 French comedy “Merlusse” that they hit on the right project.

“I wanted to work with that guy again for 20 years,” says Payne. “I’ve been lucky to work with a lot of terrific actors, but we had a really terrific professional relationship making ‘Sideways.’ I was waiting for the right thing — and created it. I told David Hemingson: We’re writing for Paul Giamatti.”

“He’s just the best actor,” Payne adds. “He’s the finest actor. Not casting aspersions on others, I just think there’s nothing he cannot do.”

The part of Paul also had connections to Giamatti’s own upbringing. His father, A. Bartlett Giamatti, was an academic. Aside from being president of Yale and commissioner of Major League Baseball, he was a professor of English Renaissance literature. His mother, Toni, taught at the Hopkins School, the New Haven, Connecticut, prep school. The younger Giamatti, himself, attended the boarding school Choate as a day student.

“I think it’s why he was like, ‘You’ll get this character. This is sort of written for you.’ Because he knows I went to a school like that and I had a background like that,” says Giamatti. “He even knows I’m interested in Roman history. A lot it was kind of a big gift of like: You kind of know all of this.”

Asked for an example of how he and Payne work together, Giamatti describes a scene from “Sideways” when his character runs into his ex-wife and learns she’s newly married and pregnant. Miles, crushed, struggles to keep up a cheery facade.

“We had done three takes or something, and he came up to me and said, ‘Don’t stop smiling. Whatever you do, whatever she says, you can’t stop smiling,'” says Giamatti. “That was one of the best examples to me of how an actor and a director can work together. He saw something I was doing and he just kept pulling it out of me.”

On “The Holdovers,” Giamatti and Payne had their first argument. In a scene toward the end of the film, Paul is in a tense meeting with the parents of Sessa’s character. In the middle of it, Giamatti decided to sit down — an instinctual choice that, he felt, showed Paul was breaking protocol.

“He came up to me and he said, ‘Talk to me about sitting down,’” recalls Giamatti.

They discussed Giamatti’s reasoning and as they began to shoot it, Payne announced: “Sitting down, I buy it.” But by then, Giamatti had rethought it. He asked to try it standing up. Each had come around to the other’s idea. Giamatti decided he liked standing better.

“And that was the biggest disagreement we had,” says Giamatti, laughing.

During the actors strike, Giamatti and his castmates (Randolph and Sessa have also been widely celebrated for their performances), weren’t able to promote the film. Normally, missing out on interviews wouldn’t be something Giamatti would lose sleep over.

“But it was funny, I kept saying to my girlfriend, ‘I actually want to be talking about it. I think I’m frustrated that I can’t,'” Giamatti says.

Twenty years ago, Giamatti was surprisingly passed over for an Oscar nomination for “Sideways.” This time, many are predicting he’ll receive his first Academy Award nomination for best actor. (He was nominated for best-supporting actor in 2006 for “Cinderella Man.”)

“That would be lovely if it happened. I’m not counting on anything,” Giamatti says. “But for the first time, I do feel like putting myself behind it because I’d like it to get acknowledged in some way. Whether it’s me or not, that’s fine. If the movie does, if (Randolph) does, if Hemingson does or Alexander does — it’d be great if somebody does.”

If Giamatti is nominated for best actor, it would be an overdue acknowledgement of one this era’s finest actors, one who’s long imbued everyman characters with wit and warmth. Calling them “schlubs” wouldn’t do justice for the justice he does them. So good at it is Giamatti that you might mistake the very down-to-earth actor for a regular guy, too.

But don’t be fooled. Take Giamatti’s new podcast, Chinwag, in which he and author Stephen Asma follow their fascinations with things think Sasquatch. Regular guy?

“I’m not. I’m really into weird (expletive),” Giamatti says, cackling. “I’ve always been into really weird (expletive). I said to my friend, ’I’m tried of not talking about Sasquatch and sitting on the fact that I’m fascinated by UFOs and ghosts.'”

Those aren’t just words from Daniel James Brown’s 2013 book “The Boys in the Boat.” It’s a robust parallel between the USA rowing team at the 1936 Berlin Olympics and the actors — including Joel Edgerton, Callum Turner, Peter Guinness and more — starring in the upcoming movie of the same name.

The film, which releases on Dec. 25, 2023, is the ninth directed by George Clooney.

It delves into the miraculous story of Team USA’s arduous success in the rowing competition of the 1936 Games during the Great Depression, a team comprised of working-class men from the University of Washington: rowers Herbert Morris, Charles Day, Gordon Adam, John White, James McMillin, George Hunt, Joe Rantz and Donald Hume, and coxswain Robert Moch.

But there was a tangible difference between the rowing team of 1936 and the actors portraying them in the 2023 film. One group won a gold medal. The other didn’t know how to row.

The actors didn’t necessarily have time on their side, either. In fact, they had just an eight-week trial during filming to row at an adequate level. Olympians have every four years to hone their respective crafts.

The challenge of improving the actors’ abilities came down to Olympic rowing coach Terry O’Neill, who was chosen by Clooney to lead the group. But there was another issue: O’Neill isn’t a teacher.

“When I was first asked to do it, I said, no, I don’t want to do that,” O’Neill said in a behind-the-scenes interview with NBC. “I’m not a rowing teacher. There’s a difference. I’m a high-performance coach. I’ve coached at the Olympic Games, World Championships, but I’ve never ever taught anyone to row that couldn’t row.”

But O’Neill said he eventually had the help of a rowing teacher, and he devised a plan to get the actors to go from learning from scratch to just competency. They didn’t need to be Olympians, they just couldn’t “fall apart under pressure.”

O’Neill broke it all down into three sections: getting familiar with the sequence of movements of the body, the legs, the trunk and the arms; controlling the oar in a rowing tank; then putting them in a racing boat, swim-or-drown style.

Did it always work? No. They started in January in England, which brought cold, wet and windy winter conditions. O’Neill mentioned using humor to brighten the scene when morale felt low.

“When I could see the guys getting stressed, you know, I explained to them, ‘Look, you don’t learn in a straight line. The way people learn to do something is they try, they fail, they consider, adjust, try again until they’re successful.’

“So, this means that your progress isn’t a straight line, it goes like that. So bad days are just part of improving and that you have to expect that some days are gonna be worse and this is just a normal part of the learning process.”

While the actors spent considerable time in boats, O’Neill said they couldn’t get Clooney to get in one. O’Neill, though, was intrigued about why Clooney chose to make a film about rowing.

Still, O’Neill is looking forward to the movie’s release and what it could do for the rowing community.

“It can’t do [the sport of rowing] harm,” O’Neill said. “I mean, the amount of excitement about the film when it comes out is great. And … obviously every person that I know that rows just can’t wait to see the film, but also some members of my family that are not really that interested in rowing, they want to see the film, as well.”

Harmony, balance and rhythm were fundamentals when Team USA edged Italy and Germany by less than a second in 1936. They will be yet again when the actors are on screen.

Though there’s no sequel or remake of “Elf” in the works, the movie’s casting director, Susie Farris, spoke to People about who she would cast as Buddy in a remake of the 2003 Christmas classic. 

“Off the top of my head, I’m just going to say Bill Hader,” Farris said. “I just think that he’s quirky and endearing and yeah, I’d like to see Bill Hader.”

Ferrell has been open about his feelings on a sequel to “Elf” in the years since the movie premiered.

In December 2013, when asked by Andy Cohen on “Watch What Happens Live” if fans would ever see Buddy the Elf on screen again in a new movie, Ferrell said “absolutely not,” adding, “It would look slightly pathetic if I tried to squeeze back into the ‘Elf’ tights.”

In October 2021, Ferrell also told The Hollywood Reporter that he turned down a $29 million offer for “Elf 2.”

“I would have had to promote the movie from an honest place, which would’ve been, like, ‘Oh no, it’s not good. I just couldn’t turn down that much money,’” he explained. “And I thought, ‘Can I actually say those words? I don’t think I can, so I guess I can’t do the movie.’”

Despite Ferrell declining a sequel in the past, Farris still has ideas about what story a second movie would follow, explaining, “I want to see Buddy as a dad.”

As for who would play his daughter, Farris had a few thoughts about potential casting for a teenage or young adult version of Buddy the Elf and Jovie’s (Zooey Deschanel) daughter.

“I love Elle Fanning. I also really love Mckenna Grace,” she said.

Though fans may never see Hader as Buddy the Elf, he has appeared in his own family-friendly Christmas movie. 

The former “Saturday Night Live” star starred as Santa’s son, Nick Kringle, in the 2019 Disney+ movie, “Noelle,” alongside Anna Kendrick. In the movie, Nick is poised to take over his family’s business, though that wasn’t his plan. Instead, he leaves the North Pole and his sister Noelle, played by Kendrick, has to bring him back home in time for Christmas.

This article first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

• Exclusive: See Jimmy Buffett’s music video for song ‘Like My Dog’ from his final album
• Hoda shares sweet videos with daughters that had her ‘cracking up’
• Costco Black Friday hours 2023: What to know to get all the deals

Starting Friday, Nov. 24, Krispy Kreme customers can order the doughnut chain’s new, limited-edition Elf Doughnut Collection. Here’s everything we know about the festive collaboration.

The collection features three new doughnuts and a returning favorite.

The new collection is available for a limited time at participating shops across the country and includes three “Elf”-inspired doughnuts and a fan favorite:

• Buddy Snow Globe Doughnut: This Original Glazed Doughnut is covered in sugar cookie light blue icing and white sprinkles then coated with powdered sugar snow and a chocolate “Elf” piece. 
• Buddy Makes Breakfast Doughnut: This twist on Buddy’s famous breakfast features an Original Glazed Doughnut coated in cake batter spaghetti buttercreme, milk chocolate candies, sprinkles and a maple drizzle.
• Christmas Lights Doughnut: This newbie is an Original Glazed Doughnut that’s covered in chocolate icing and a green icing drizzle then coated with sprinkles and a chocolate “Elf” piece. 

• Santa Belly Doughnut: This returning variety is described as a “Santa belly doughnut” that’s full of Cookies & Kreme filling then topped with red icing and a Santa”s belt/belt buckle (made of candy, of course).

“Our new ‘Elf’-inspired doughnuts honor memorable moments from the movie in the most delicious way possible and embody its fun and festive spirit,” Krispy Kreme Global Chief Brand Officer Dave Skena said in a press release.

Doughnut lovers will also find a limited-edition Krispy Kreme six-pack that includes the following doughnuts at select stores, including Walmart, Kroger, Food Lion, Publix, Stater Brothers, Wakefern and more:

• Buddy Snow Globe Doughnut
• Festive Lights Doughnut
•  Santa Belly Doughnut

Krispy Kreme also has other seasonal treats on its menu.

To celebrate the holidays, Krispy Kreme also has a Sugar Cookie Latte that’s available hot, iced or frozen, and a Ghirardelli Hot Chocolate. 

Krispy Kreme will offer customers a Cyber Monday deal on Nov. 27.

Cyber Monday is all about deals and steals, and Krispy Kreme is getting in on the fun with a special Cyber Monday deal for customers on Nov. 27.

When you buy any dozen or 16-count Minis, you’ll get an Original Glazed Dozen for just $1 using the code CYBERMONDAY. The offer is limited to one per customer and is only available online with pickup and delivery orders.

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

• TODAY’s 20 most popular Thanksgiving recipes from all-star chefs
• Thanksgiving crowd-pleasers: Turkey and leek pot pie, sweet potato casserole and more
• Jimmy Fallon’s rendition of a Tony Bennett classic wins raves on ‘The Voice’

“The Killer,” a classic Fincher film about an assassin who, “after a fateful near-miss … battles his employers, and himself, on an international manhunt he insists isn’t personal,” put a spotlight on the Chicago suburb of St. Charles — specifically the popular and historic Hotel Baker.

In the film, which stars Michael Fassbender, the main character travels to Beacon, New York, “a Hudson Valley town about two hours north of New York City” for a face-off with a fellow “professional,” Tilda Swinton.

But while the scene is set in New York, the footage actually shows St. Charles. At one point, Hotel Baker serves as a waterfront restaurant where the two characters share a tense drink.

St. Charles said filming took place in March 2022. Despite being disguised in the film, which also at one point features the city of Chicago, the suburb touted its cinematic stardom.

“Start planning your watch parties now!” the city said in a statement ahead of the film’s Nov. 10 release date.

Hotel Baker also shared pride for its role.

“The Killer” is currently streaming on Netflix.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

“Next Goal Wins,” inspired by a 2014 documentary of the same name, is a sports movie that delights in upending the conventions of sports movies. (Michael Fassbender plays the coach brought in to turn the team around.) For Waititi, it’s a typically deconstructionist approach that leans more into the charisma of its Polynesian cast (among them Oscar Kightly and Kaimana, as the trans player Jaiyah Saelua) than rah-rah win-or-lose dramatics.

“I think all my films are feel-good films, but I feel that more and more that’s becoming less normal and more of a risky thing to do,” Waititi says. “Which makes no real sense because you go to the movies to escape.”

The 48-year-old Māori filmmaker of 2019’s Oscar-winning “Jojo Rabbit” and 2022’s “Thor: Love and Thunder” met a reporter the morning after “Next Goal Wins” premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. He was speaking while the writers and actors strikes were ongoing, which, for him, was a welcome hiatus after a whirlwind stretch of work, with plenty of projects (including a “Star Wars” film in development) still in the wings.

Waititi, himself, doesn’t know much about soccer and professes to know even less after making “Next Goal Wins,” which opens in theaters Friday. He’s also, as he said in the interview, less and less interested in Hollywood, a game he’s already tempted to walk away from.

AP: Are you a fan of any sports movies?

WAITITI: I don’t know. I don’t really watch that many sports movies. I’d say I like them but I can’t really remember many of them.

AP: Not “Any Given Sunday”? You quote from it in the film.

WAITITI: I just remember that being so long. So long and so many zoom shots. No, I like that film. I think “Cool Runnings” is probably the closest to this.

AP: Your last “Thor” movie took apart masculinity and superhero convention, and “Next Goal Wins” seems just as disinterested in sports movie traditions.

WAITITI: Yeah. Well, my second film (“Boy”) is a sort of deconstructed anti-feelgood family film. It’s just a comedy about child abuse. I guess “What We Do in the Shadows” is the same. Just trying to fight against what the normal filmmaking would be or what the normal idea of what that film should be. I’m interested in soccer but I’m not passionate about it. I don’t care about it like I care about stories about people, stories about family.

AP: Your films return often to the idea of family. You’ve said your notion of family isn’t defined by blood.

WAITITI: I have a big family but a couple friends are way closer to me than any of my family. For me, this idea of blood family being so important, it comes from when villages were tiny and people in Europe were obsessed with keeping the bloodline alive. I just don’t think it’s such an important thing anymore. Adoption is such a great thing because it’s not who you come from, it’s who raises you. You adopt a kid, they become a version of you because of the things you teach them and how you raise them.

AP: Was there anything about your upbringing that led you to feel that way?

WAITITI: Having kids of my own solidified this hunch that I had. Some of it comes from wondering why there’s still racism and how kids can still be raised to be homophobic. It’s clear it’s just families perpetuating the ideas that they were taught. You just hope that cycles changes enough and breaks enough as society grows. If you just raise your kids to not be anti-gay, chances are their kids won’t be, either. It’s really easy.

AP: Along with “Reservation Dogs,” which you helped create, “Next Goal Wins” captures Indigenous people in a celebratory, less self-serious way than we often see in film.

WAITITI: For good reason, there needs to be respect. But I think Polynesian, Pasifika people, we’re very self-deprecating. We like to laugh at ourselves. If this was made by a Westerner or was a white-led film, it would be just too respectful and the kind of saccharine bulls-—. That’s the reason Native Americans have been misrepresented for so long in film. It’s not because it’s not an authentic portrayal of what they look like. They’re always portrayed as stoic, mysterious, quiet, wise characters who speak in sage advice passed down by ancestors. It’s like, god, what a boring existence if that’s the way you live. And it’s not the way we live. This is why I really believe films about cultures need be made by people from that culture or who have at least lived amongst that culture.

AP: What was it like assembling a cast of largely Indigenous actors for a production shot in Hawaii?

WAITITI: To be able to swim while you’re shooting and go to the beach before work and after work when the sun is going down and you’re losing light, go home, play with the kids, have dinner. I understand now why Adam Sandler did all those films in Hawaii. A lot of people like to torture themselves in filmmaking. They want to go and live in the snow and eat carcasses and live the experience. I don’t. I grew up super poor and I don’t want to do that again. I basically hate working and want to retire, but if I have to work, I’ll make it as pleasant as I can.

AP: But you work all the time.

WAITITI: Yeah, but do I? People say I work all the time. Only I know the truth. Listen, your name can be a lot of headlines about work that apparently you’re doing. Doesn’t mean you’re doing it. Having some press release about me being attached to a project, that’s someone else doing the work. It’s not me doing the work.

AP: Is this you saying you’re not doing a “Star Wars” film?

WAITITI: I’m not saying anything about anything. I’m not having any of these conversations because I’m not allowed to. I can’t wait for the strike to be over but, selfishly, this has probably been the best thing for me, in terms of me getting to take a break. I needed to be forced to stop working for a bit.

AP: How have you been spending your time?

WAITITI: Now and then I’ll think about ideas I might want to do. And then very quickly I get very tired just thinking about them and I fall asleep or find anything else in the world to do that’s not a job. This summer I was in Europe, enjoying the sun, back on beaches. It’s all I want to do for the rest of my life. Go to the beach. I grew up on beaches and then I worked for so long without getting a chance to go back to the beach until this film. This is probably what reminded me — just like Michael’s character learning there’s more to life than football — there’s more to life than film. There’s more to life than being in the entertainment industry. You think it’s going to be so cool — what a great life it’s going to be in show business. Hollywood is just sad people eating lukewarm food out of cardboard boxes in offices with windows looking on other offices.

AP: But you’ve started to think about whether you need to keep working?

WAITITI: Oh, I know I don’t. I’m already — my plan, basically, is to figure out how to quit. (Laughs) To figure out how can I comfortably stop doing anything. What I need to do is get a big piece of wood and some sand paper and just sand it. Keep sanding it everyday until I die. Out in my backyard looking out at the sea. “I’m going out to sand my bit of wood, darling!”

___

Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP

Rock is in final talks to direct and produce the project, with Spielberg on board as executive producer. Universal Pictures is backing the biographical drama after optioning Jonathan Eig’s biography “King: A Life.”

Eig’s book has been called the definitive biography of the late civil rights icon. It uses new FBI information and hundreds of interviews to paint a portrayal of King as a “courageous but emotionally troubled individual who demanded peaceful protest while grappling with his own frailties and a government that hunted him.” Since it’s early in the development process, casting has not been announced.

Universal’s senior VP of production development Ryan Jones will oversee the project on behalf of the studio. The untitled movie will be produced by Amblin Partners, with Kristie Macosko Krieger serving as producer, and Spielberg as executive producer.

Read the full story on NBCNews.com here.

For anyone who came of age in the 2000s or early 2010s, it’s likely the iconic comedy still lives in your head rent free — and why not celebrate that?

The movie gave us SO many memorable quotes — “You go, Glen Coco” and “She doesn’t even go here!” to name a few — and the history of “October 3rd” is no different.

What is the meaning of ‘October 3rd’ in ‘Mean Girls’?

In one of the early scenes of the film, Cady Heron — famously played by Lindsay Lohan — begins talking to her crush, Aaron Samuels (Jonathan Bennett), “more and more.”

“On October 3rd, he asked me what day it was,” Lohan says in a voiceover.

“It’s October 3rd,” she says in the scene.

Fans have latched onto the date for years and even the film’s stars have paid tribute on social media.

Lohan shared a post in 2021 of the scene: “It’s October 3rd,” she captioned it.

Daniel Franzese, who played Damian in the film, has also shared a tribute. In 2021, he thanked fans and the “House of Glen Coco” for their support.

“On this #MeanGirlsDay I’m grateful for so much this film has brought into my life including great memories and friendships and constant new adventures,” he wrote at the time.

How to celebrate ‘Mean Girls’ Day on Oct. 3

Below are some of our totally grool ideas for ways to celebrate the holiday:

• Wear pink (obviously!) even if it’s not a Wednesday
• Go to lunch with your friends and reminisce about your favorite “Mean Girls” quotes
• Go do something fun like go to Taco Bell
• Eat cheese fries — and rejoice in the carbs
• Spread a little joy as a now-older person and make some jokes! But don’t take your wig off when you get drunk like Damian’s nana.
• Hit up the mall for a little retail therapy just like they do in the movie
• Take the stage and recite Kevin G’s rap
• Dress up in Santa Claus and perform the “Jingle Bell Rock” with your besties
• Get a blowout so your hair is so big you can fill it with secrets
• Alternatively, you can check out your local bookstore in honor of this slightly gross but still funny line from Amanda Seyfried‘s character, Karen Smith: “Gretchen, I’m sorry I laughed at you that time you got diarrhea at Barnes & Noble. And I’m sorry for telling everyone about it. And I’m sorry for repeating it now.”
• And most obviously, you can rewatch the film that shaped so many of us! It’s available on Paramount Plus, Apple TV and to rent/purchase on Prime Video.

The limit does not exist on how to celebrate the day!

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

• ‘N Sync’s Joey Fatone says Nick Lachey, Nick Carter ‘so happy, so proud’ of band’s reunion
• Grimes files court petition over parental rights with Elon Musk
• Bobbie Thomas explains why she is ‘thankful’ to experience first breakup after her husband’s death

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

A movie based on the tragic story behind OceanGate’s Titan submersible is taking voyage.

“The Blackening” producer E. Brian Dobbins has teamed up with MindRiot Entertainment to make a fictional film covering the five-day search for the missing sub—which ended when officials determined the watercraft had imploded while diving to the Titanic wreckage, claiming the lives of its five passengers—according to Deadline. Dobbins will produce the project, while MindRiot’s Justin MacGregor and Jonathan Keasey have been attached to write the script.

“Our film will not only honor all those involved in the submersible tragedy, and their families, but the feature will serve as a vessel that also addresses a more macro concern about the nature of media today,” Keasey said in a statement to the outlet. “Truth is all that matters. And the world has a right to know the truth, always, not the salacious bait crammed down our throats by those seeking their five minutes of fame. Life is not black and white. It’s complicated. There’s nuance. Always nuance.”

True Crime on Film

News of the movie comes three months after the OceanGate sub went missing on June 18, setting off a massive search before its estimated 96-hour oxygen supply ran out.

The vehicle’s passengers—OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, billionaire Hamish Harding, explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet and businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman Dawood—were determined to have died in an underwater implosion after searchers discovered debris from the sub “consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber” on June 22, per the U.S. Coast Guard.

“These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans,” a June 22 statement from OceanGate read at the time. “Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time. We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew.”

A director for the submersible film has not been announced, though James Cameron—who helmed the 1997 blockbuster “Titanic” —previously slammed “offensive rumors” about him being involved in a silver screen adaptation of the tragedy.

“I’m NOT in talks about an OceanGate film,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on July 15, “nor will I ever be.”

Airbnb is making Shrek’s Swamp available for rent next month.

The home is located in the Scottish Highlands and is decked out just like Shrek’s abode in the movie. It features the glow of “earwax candlelight,” a parfait and even an outhouse.

Check out some views from Shrek’s Swamp below:

Donkey will be swamp-sitting for Shrek and welcoming guests with waffles in the morning.

“Shrek’s Swamp is lovely. Just beautiful. The perfect place to entertain guests,” Donkey said. “You know what I like about it? Everything. The overgrown landscaping, the modest interiors, the nice boulders, all of it. I can’t wait for guests to experience this muddy slice of paradise for themselves.”

Prospective guests can request to book their stay starting Oct. 13 at 1 p.m. ET.

The swamp is available for a two-night stay from Oct. 27-29 for up to three guests. It comes at a $0 cost as “a nod to the priceless refuge Shrek’s Swamp has provided fairytale creatures of all kinds.” Airbnb will also be making a donation to HopScotch Children’s Hospital.

There are layers to the free stay, though. Because the two-night stay is not a contest, guests will need to provide their own travel to Scotland. The outhouse/bathroom is also located 20 meters from the main living area.

The Airbnb listing for Shrek’s Swamp can be found here.

London’s Metropolitan Police force said Monday that it had “received a number of allegations of sexual offences” after a television documentary and newspaper investigations. It said there have been no arrests.

Brand, 48, denies allegations of sexual assault made by four women in a Channel 4 television documentary and The Times and Sunday Times newspapers. The accusers, who have not been named, include one who said she was sexually assaulted during a relationship with him when she was 16. Another woman says Brand raped her in Los Angeles in 2012.

The police force did not name Brand in its statement, but referred to the recent articles and documentary. It said detectives were investigating allegations of “non-recent” sexual offenses, both in London and elsewhere.

“We continue to encourage anyone who believes they may have been a victim of a sexual offence, no matter how long ago it was, to contact us,” said Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy of the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, who is leading the investigation.

Known for his unbridled and risqué standup routines, Brand was a major U.K. star in the early 2000s. He hosted shows on radio and television, wrote memoirs charting his battles with drugs and alcohol, appeared in several Hollywood movies and was briefly married to pop star Katy Perry between 2010 and 2012.

Brand has largely disappeared from mainstream media but has built up a large following online with videos mixing wellness and conspiracy theories.

Last week YouTube said it would stop Brand from making money from the streaming site, where he has 6.6 million subscribers, due to the “serious allegations” against him.

Promoters also canceled several scheduled live shows by Brand, and he has been dropped by his talent agency and a publisher since the allegations became public.

Brand still has a presence on Rumble, a video site popular with some conservatives and far-right groups, where his channel has 1.6 million followers. The site has been criticized for allowing— and at times promoting — disinformation and conspiracy theories.

Brand hosted a new broadcast on Rumble on Monday, saying the platform had made a “clear commitment to free speech.”

As the summer blockbuster releases in IMAX for a limited one-week engagement with bonus footage, “Barbie” cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto said that several never-before-seen “Barbie” moments will “start coming out,” including a scene inspired by Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws.”

“We did this shot on Allan that emulated ‘Jaws,’” Prieto told Variety, detailing the deleted scene in which Michael Cera’s beloved character Allan mimics the brutal beast in the 1975 thriller. “He’s terrified [when] Ken hits a wave and then flies in the air. There’s a moment where the police officer sees someone being eaten in the water.”

“The camera does this push-in, it’s a move where you use a zoom and you’re dialing into the character while zooming back at the same time,” he continued. “The effect is that the background changes — the shot, and his performance, [were] very dramatic.”

Prieto said “Barbie” director Greta Gerwig apparently couldn’t get enough of the moment, adding that she “could not stop laughing when we shot it” and “kept asking the video assistant to replay it for her just to laugh.” 

The cinematographer also teases Will Ferrell’s outtakes, which he said deserve their own blooper reel from the “Barbie” production team.

Barbie Aug 21, 2023

Ryan Gosling stars in ‘Barbie' behind the scenes music video for ‘I'm Just Ken'

Hispanic Heritage Month Sep 15, 2023

‘Azucar!' Celia Cruz, the ‘Queen of Salsa' now has her own Barbie on sale

“With Will Ferrell, come on — they should have bloopers from that because he just came up with the craziest stuff,” he said. “All the actors around him couldn’t avoid laughing. We were all playing, and so many moments of improvisation had to be taken out.”

Prieto also confirmed that there was a “Midge in Labor” scene featuring the film’s narrator Helen Mirren and Barbie’s discontinued pregnant friend. “It was a little additional moment [where] Helen Mirren then blocks the camera. I can’t really say much more,” he said.

IMAX’s limited one week “Barbie” run began Sept. 22 and included new post-credits footage selected by Gerwig, Variety reported.

On Sept. 12, fans were able to bask in all the pink glory when “Barbie” became available to stream on digital platforms. The movie is available to own for $29.99 or as a 48-hour rental for $24.99. 

This article first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

• Mother of missing Virginia mom says she’s ‘deeply concerned,’ and reveals her daughter is pregnant
• Where is Cassandro, the exótico luchador portrayed by Gael García Bernal in new film, now?
• Kelly Clarkson discusses how she feels about the possibility of her kids going into the music industry

The TV network just unveiled its Countdown to Christmas and Miracles of Christmas movie lineups.

This year’s batch of holiday films is full of romances with titles like “Checkin’ It Twice,” “Never Been Chris’d” and “Holiday Hotline.” Other stories focus on the power of friendship, like “A Season for Family,” “The Santa Summit” and “Everything Christmas.”

Hallmark also sprinkled several inspiring stories into the mix like “Ms. Christmas Comes to Town,” “A World Record Christmas” and “Heaven Down Here.”

Ready to deck the halls and trim the tree? Here’s everything we know about Hallmark’s holiday offerings so far.

When will Hallmark’s Countdown to Christmas begin?

Who needs Halloween anyway? Hallmark is skipping over spooky season and diving right into Christmas. Starting Oct. 20, the network will begin to debut its seasonal films.

The lineup are 40 new movies this year

Yep, you read that right: 40 new holiday movies! As part of the Countdown to Christmas (on the Hallmark Channel) and Miracles of Christmas (on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries), a new movie will premiere on the following days:

• Hallmark Channel: Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 8 p.m.
• Hallmark Movies & Mysteries: Thursday at 8 p.m. and Wednesday at 8 p.m. the week of Thanksgiving

Here’s how to stream new and old Hallmark movies

Hallmark Movies Now is a subscription streaming service that features hundreds of movies from “Christmas past and Christmas present,” according to a press release.

This year, subscribers will also get early access to two new movies before they debut on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries: “A World Record Christmas” and “Time for Her to Come Home for Christmas.” The streaming service will also exclusively premiere two movies.

Countdown to Christmas lineup 2023

Per a Hallmark press release, here’s the full Countdown to Christmas lineup and a synopsis for each film from the company.

Friday, October 20: “Checkin’ It Twice”

• Stars: Kim Matula (“Ghosts of Christmas Always”), Kevin McGarry (“When Calls the Heart”)
• Synopsis: “A journeyman hockey player (McGarry) falls for a real estate agent (Matula) in a career crisis when he’s traded to her hometown and moves into the cottage in her hockey-loving family’s backyard.”

Saturday, October 21: “Where Are You, Christmas?”

• Stars: Lyndsy Fonseca (“How I Met Your Mother”), Michael Rady (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants), Jim O’Heir (“Parks and Recreation”), Julie Warner (“The Good Doctor”)
• Synopsis: “When Addy (Fonseca) wishes for a year without Christmas, she wakes up in a world of black and white. She must work together with the town mechanic (Rady) to restore Christmas.”

Sunday, October 22: “Under the Christmas Sky”

• Stars: Jessica Parker Kennedy (“The Flash”), Ryan Paevey (“Fourth Down and Love”)
• Synopsis: “Kat (Kennedy) is an esteemed astrophysicist, who is scheduled for her first trip into space next year until an accident grounds her. While on leave, coming to terms with the reality that her dream of being an astronaut is over, she volunteers at the local planetarium. There, she is paired up with by-the-book David (Paevey) to work on an exhibit opening right before Christmas. Will the stars align to bring these two together at the holidays?”

Friday, October 27: “Christmas by Design”

• Stars: Rebecca Dalton (“Spun Out”), Jonathan Keltz (“Reign”)
• Synopsis: “A fashion designer (Dalton) gets accepted into a Christmas challenge to create a new holiday-themed collection and not only finds the inspiration for her next line but decides to redesign her approach to what’s most important in life.”

Saturday, October 28: “Mystic Christmas”

• Stars: Jessy Schram (“Chicago Med”), Chandler Massey (“Days of our Lives”), Patti Murin (“In Merry Measure”), William R. Moses (Mystic Pizza)
• Synopsis: “Juniper (Schram) travels to Mystic, Connecticut during the holidays to work at the rehabilitation center and aquarium. She reconnects with Sawyer (Massey), the owner of the pizza shop.”

Sunday, October 29: “Joyeux Noel”

• Stars: Jaicy Elliot (“Grey’s Anatomy”), Brant Daugherty (“Pretty Little Liars”)
• Synopsis: “When a romantic painting of a Christmas market captures the imagination of copy editor Lea (Elliot), she is sent to France with pragmatic reporter Mark (Daugherty) to uncover the mystery behind the artist.”

Friday, November 3: “Flipping for Christmas”

• Stars: Ashley Newbrough (“Love in Glacier National: A National Park Romance”), Marcus Rosner (“Arrow”)
• Synopsis: “It’s almost Christmas when busy realtor Abigail (Newbrough) agrees to help her sister with the ‘simple flip’ of a recently inherited home. Unfortunately, co-beneficiary Bo (Rosner) has other plans in mind.”

Saturday, November 4: “Never Been Chris’d”

• Stars: Janel Parrish (“Pretty Little Liars”), Pascal Lamothe-Kipnes (“Trigger Me”), Tyler Hynes (“Three Wise Men and a Baby”)
• Synopsis: “Home for the holidays, BFFs Naomi (Parrish) and Liz (Lamothe-Kipnes) reconnect with high school crush Chris Silver (Hynes). A complex love triangle forms, forcing them to take stock of their lives and find the value of friendship.”

Sunday, November 5: “The Santa Summit”

• Stars: Hunter King (“The Young and The Restless”), Benjamin Hollingsworth (“Virgin River”)
• Synopsis: “It’s time for the annual Santa Summit, in which revelers put on Santa suits and hop around designated locations in town to eat, drink, and be merry. Three best friends decide to go together: Jordin (King), a recently dumped art teacher looking to cut loose; Ava, a shy woman hoping to run into her crush; and Stella, a Christmas cynic with no interest in the Santa Summit whatsoever. At the start of the night, Jordin meets and bonds with Liam (Hollingsworth), but doesn’t get his name before getting separated and lost in a sea of Santas. As the night progresses and hijinks ensue, amidst the chaos, celebration, and a sea of Santas, they all find what they’re looking for: Christmas spirit, potential romance, and a strengthened bond of friendship.”

Friday, November 10: “Everything Christmas”

• Stars: Katherine Barrell (“Good Witch”), Cindy Busby (“Love in Zion National: A National Park Romance”), Corey Sevier (“Take Me Back for Christmas”), Matt Wells (“Spencer Sisters”)
• Synopsis: “Lori Jo’s (Busby) love for Christmas takes her on a road trip to Yuletide Springs with her roommate Tori (Barrell), where Christmas is celebrated year-round, to participate in a longstanding town tradition to honor her late grandmother. Along the way, the friends meet Carl (Sevier) and Jason (Wells), and the foursome make stops during their journey to enjoy more small-town Christmas attractions. But when a series of events puts a damper on their plans, a little Christmas magic may put this trip back on the right path.”

Saturday, November 11: “Christmas Island”

• Stars: Rachel Skarsten (“The Royal Nanny”), Andrew Walker (“Three Wise Men and a Baby”)
• Synopsis: “When a snowstorm diverts Kate’s (Skarsten) first private flight en route to Switzerland to Christmas Island, she must team up with an air traffic controller (Walker) to secure her dream job as the family’s pilot.”

Sunday, November 12: “A Heidelberg Holiday”

• Stars: Ginna Claire Mason (“A Holiday Spectacular”), Frédéric Brossier (“Todo lo Que Necesitas”)
• Synopsis: “Heidi Heidelberg (Mason) receives the dream opportunity to sell her beautiful, handmade glass ornaments at the prestigious Heidelberg Christmas Market in Germany. While there, she meets Lukas (Brossier), a local artisan who helps her reconnect with her lost heritage.”

Friday, November 17: “Navigating Christmas”

• Stars: Chelsea Hobbs (“Dream Moms”), Stephen Huszar (“A Royal Christmas Crush”)
• Synopsis: “Recently divorced Melanie (Hobbs) and her son Jason visit a remote island for Christmas, only to find themselves running a real working lighthouse where she connects with the curt but cute owner (Huszar).”

Saturday, November 18: “A Merry Scottish Christmas”

• Stars: Lacey Chabert (Mean Girls), Scott Wolf (“Nancy Drew”)
• Synopsis: “When estranged siblings, Lindsay (Chabert) and Brad (Wolf) Morgan travel to Scotland at Christmas to reunite with their mother Jo, a big family secret is revealed.”

Sunday, November 19: “Holiday Hotline”

• Stars: Emily Tennant (“Polly Pocket: Sparkle Cove Adventure”), Niall Matter (“Come Fly With Me”)
• Synopsis: “After leaving London, Abby (Tennant) connects with an anonymous caller while working at a cooking hotline. The caller is single dad “John” (Matter) who Abby unknowingly has become smitten with in real life.”

Thursday, November 23: “Catch Me If You Claus” — premieres at 8p ET/PT

• Stars: Italia Ricci (“The Imperfects”), Luke Macfarlane (“Notes of Autumn”)
• Synopsis: “Avery Quinn (Ricci) is an aspiring news anchor who’s finally getting her big break on her station’s Christmas morning newscast. But that’s put in jeopardy when she captures an intruder in her home wearing a red suit claiming to be Chris (Macfarlane), Santa’s son, who is on his first mission. A night of adventure ensues as they find themselves being pursued by the police as well as some shady characters. Along the way, they connect over living in the shadow of their parents and inspire each other to go after their dreams.”

Friday, November 24: “Letters to Santa” — premieres at 6p ET/PT

• Stars: Katie Leclerc (“Switched at Birth”), Rafael de la Fuente (“Dynasty”)
• Synopsis: “When young siblings receive a magic pen from Santa that appears to be granting wishes, they request a Christmas gift they want more than anything — for their separated parents (Leclerc, de la Fuente) to reunite.”

Friday, November 24: “Holiday Road” — premieres at 8p ET/PT

• Stars: Sara Canning (“Christmas at the Golden Dragon”), Warren Christie (“Batwoman”)
• Synopsis: “When bad weather leaves each of them stranded at the airport for the holidays, a tech entrepreneur (Christie), a travel writer (Canning), a devoted mother (Enid-Raye Adams) and her son (Kiefer O’Reilly), a stubborn senior (Trevor Lerner), an enigmatic woman with a hint of mystery (Brittany Willacy), a couple traveling from Hong Kong (Sharon Crandall, Ryan Mah) and a social media influencer (Princess Davis) all agree to rent a shared van to embark on a road trip to Denver. When their unexpected journey brings them into uncharted territory, they navigate a series of misadventures together and form a deeper bond that just might change the trajectories of each of their lives. Inspired by true events.”
• Saturday, November 25: “Christmas in Notting Hill” — premieres at 6p ET/PT
• Stars: Sarah Ramos (“Parenthood”), William Moseley (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe)
• Synopsis: “Famous soccer star, Graham Savoy (Moseley), has always been too busy for love, but when he comes home to Notting Hill for Christmas, he changes his mind after meeting Georgia (Ramos) — a visiting American and the one person who has no idea who he is.”
• Saturday, November 25: “Haul Out the Holly: Lit Up” — premieres at 8p ET/PT
• Stars: Lacey Chabert (Mean Girls), Wes Brown (We Are Marshall), Stephen Tobolowsky (“One Day at a Time”), Melissa Peterman (“Reba”), Ellen Travolta (“Charles in Charge”), Seth Morris (“History of the World: Part II”), Jennifer Aspen (“Party of Five”)
• Synopsis: “As the holidays approach, Emily (Chabert) and Jared (Brown) are looking forward to celebrating the holidays together again, this time as a couple. Emily, now embracing Evergreen Lane’s uniquely festive spirit, is ready to work with Jared, Ned (Tobolowsky), Mary Louise (Travolta) and Pamela (Peterman) to make this year’s Christmas celebrations the best yet — even if being the HOA president’s girlfriend doesn’t stop those dreaded decorating citations. When a house on the block goes up for sale, it causes quite a stir with residents. When the soon-to-be neighbors turn out to be holiday royalty (Morris, Aspen), it looks like this year’s competition is about to heat up. As the welcoming committee prepares for the new arrivals, only one thing is certain — this Christmas, Evergreen Lane is going to sleigh!”
• Sunday, November 26: “Our Christmas Mural” — premieres at 6p ET/PT
• Stars: Alex Paxton-Beesley (“Murdoch Mysteries”), Dan Jeannotte (“The Bold Type”)
• Synopsis: “Olivia (Paxton-Beesley) is a single mom who returns home for Christmas. Her mom secretly enters her into a mural contest; she wins but partners with teacher Will (Jeannotte) to create a Christmas masterpiece.”

Sunday, November 26: “A Biltmore Christmas” — premieres at 8p ET/PT

• Stars: Bethany Joy Lenz (“Good Sam”), Kristoffer Polaha (“A Winning Team”), Jonathan Frakes (“Star Trek: Picard”) , Robert Picardo (“Star Trek: Voyager”)
• Synopsis: “Lucy Hardgrove (Lenz) is a screenwriter who lands the job of a lifetime when she’s hired to pen the script for a remake of the beloved, holiday movie classic, His Merry Wife!, which was filmed in 1947 at beautiful, historic Biltmore House. When the head of the studio isn’t satisfied with the ending Lucy wrote because it deviates from the original’s feel-good conclusion, he sends Lucy to Biltmore Estate for research and inspiration. While there, she unwittingly discovers the ability to travel to the 1947 set of His Merry Wife! through the help of an hourglass. While on set, she and Jack Huston (Polaha), one of the film’s stars, spend time together and become close. But her sudden appearance has set off a chain of events that put the production in jeopardy. Before she can return to the present, Lucy must make things right or threaten to alter the future forever.””

Friday, December 1: “My Norwegian Holiday”

• Stars: Rhiannon Fish (“The 100”), David Elsendoorn (“Ted Lasso”)
• Synopsis: “JJ (Fish), grieving the loss of her grandmother and seeking dissertation inspiration, stumbles upon an unexpected holiday destiny. Meeting Henrik (Elsendoorn), a Norwegian from Bergen, their connection deepens when he discovers she has a troll figurine from his hometown. To explore the troll’s history and her grandmother’s ties, JJ agrees to join Henrik on a journey to Norway. In Bergen, they’re drawn into Henrik’s family Christmas and wedding traditions, with his sister’s wedding the day before Christmas Eve. JJ embarks on a holiday adventure, uncovering the troll’s origins and finding her own path to healing, love and family.”

Saturday, December 2: “A Not So Royal Christmas” 

• Stars: Brooke D’Orsay (“A Fabled Holiday”), Will Kemp (“The Dancing Detective: A Deadly Tango”)
• Synopsis: “Tabloid journalist Charlotte (D’Orsay) attempts to land an interview with a reclusive Count. In response, the royal family has a groundskeeper (Kemp) pose as the Count since the real one fled years ago.”

Sunday, December 3: “Christmas with a Kiss” (wt)

• Stars: Mishael Morgan (“The Young and the Restless”), Ronnie Rowe Jr. (“Star Trek: Discovery”), Jaime M. Callica (“Ruthless”)
• Synopsis: “A woman (Morgan) returns home to help with her family’s Christmas Carnival and romance ignites. A photojournalist (Rowe) curates a surprise reunion.”

Friday, December 8: “Magic in Mistletoe”

• Stars: Lyndie Greenwood (“Holiday Heritage”), Paul Campbell (“Three Wise Men and a Baby”)
• Synopsis: “Harrington (Campbell) is the author of a popular book series but commercial success has left him a bitter recluse. As he returns to his hometown for an annual Christmas festival celebrating his books, he’s joined by April (Greenwood), a publicist for the major publishing house he works with. April is there for damage control after Harrington’s recent comments on social media have ruffled some feathers. But as she gets to know him better, hope springs that April can unlock Harrington’s guarded heart and help him rediscover the spirit of the holiday.”

Saturday, December 9: “Christmas on Cherry Lane”

• Stars: Catherine Bell (“Good Witch”), Jonathan Bennett (“The Holiday Sitter”), John Brotherton (“Fuller House”), Erin Cahill (“Hearts in The Game”), James Denton (“Good Witch”), Vincent Rodriguez III (“With Love”)
• Synopsis: “A young couple preparing to welcome their first child (Brotherton, Cahill); an empty-nester (Bell) and her fiancé (Denton) ready to start a new chapter; and a couple (Bennett, Rodriguez III) who unexpectedly have the chance to expand their family on Christmas Eve celebrate the holiday as they navigate these turning points in their lives.”

Sunday, December 10: “Round and Round”

• Stars: Vic Michaelis (“Upload”), Bryan Greenberg (“One Tree Hill”), Rick Hoffman (“Suits”)
• Synopsis: “Rachel’s (Michaelis) stuck in a time loop, reliving the night of her parents’ Hanukkah party. Can Zach (Greenberg), the “nice boy” Grandma’s trying to set her up with, help her make it to tomorrow?”

Friday, December 15: “The Secret Gift of Christmas” (wt)

• Stars: Meghan Ory (“Chesapeake Shores”), Christopher Russell (“The Most Colorful Time of the Year”)
• Synopsis: “Bonnie (Ory) is a personal shopper who helps her new, widowed client Patrick (Russell) reconnect with his young daughter. Though Bonnie and Patrick’s ideas of shopping couldn’t be more different, she is determined to get Patrick and his daughter everything on their wish list.”

Saturday, December 16: “Sealed with a List”

• Stars: Katie Findlay (“Walker: Independence”), Evan Roderick (“Arrow”)
• Synopsis: “This holiday season, festive Carley (Findlay) sets out to conquer her list of abandoned resolutions from last year. Aided by coworker Wyatt (Roderick), she finds love and the confidence to chase her dreams.”

Sunday, December 17: “Friends & Family Christmas” 

• Stars: Humberly Gonzalez (“Ginny & Georgia”), Ali Liebert (“Bomb Girls”)
• Synopsis: “Daniella (Gonzalez) has recently moved to New York to pursue an art career and decides to stay in town to share the holidays with her circle of artist friends, instead of going home to see her sweet, if overbearing parents. Amelia (Liebert) is a talented entertainment lawyer trying to stay focused on her work after a broken engagement. When Daniella and Amelia are set up by their parents, they agree to pretend that they are dating, to appease them for the holidays. However, as they spend time in eachother’s worlds, they soon build a connection that is deeper than either of them could have hoped for.”

Miracles of Christmas lineup

Per a Hallmark press release, here’s the full Miracles of Christmas lineup and a synopsis for each film from the company.

Thursday, October 26: “Ms. Christmas Comes to Town” 

• Stars: Erica Durance (“Unexpected Grace”), Brennan Elliott (“The Gift of Peace”), Barbara Niven (“Carrot Cake Murder: A Hannah Swensen Mystery”)
• Synopsis: “A shopping channel host known as Ms. Christmas (Niven) receives a terminal diagnosis, which inspires a multi-city excursion set to spread Christmas cheer before her farewell broadcast.”

Thursday, November 2: “My Christmas Guide” 

• Stars: Amber Marshall (“Heartland”), Ben Mehl (“You”)
• Synopsis: “After losing his eyesight, a college professor (Mehl) adopts a seeing eye dog from a guide dog trainer (Marshall). As they all begin to spend time together, his confidence returns and his heart begins to open.”

Thursday, November 9: “Mystery on Mistletoe Lane” 

• Stars: Erica Cerra (“Eureka”), Victor Webster (“Continuum”)
• Synopsis: “New to town, Heidi Wicks (Cerra) and her kids discover a Christmas mystery in their historic home. Local handyman and historian David (Webster) helps along the way, finding his own surprising connection.”

Thursday, November 16: “A World Record Christmas” 

• Stars: Nikki DeLoach (“Curious Caterer Mysteries”), Lucas Bryant (“Five More Minutes: Moments Like These”), Aias Dalman (When Time Got Louder)
• Synopsis: “Charlie (Dalman) is an autistic boy determined to set a Guinness World Record by stacking 1400 Jenga blocks. His mother Marissa (DeLoach) and stepfather Eric (Bryant) encourage him to reach for his dream and they all celebrate when he gets the good news that he’ll have get his chance on Christmas Eve. In the spirit of the holiday, they organize a fundraiser giving the townspeople an opportunity to donate and decorate a Jenga block, with the proceeds going to benefit kids with autism. Charlie’s journey to setting the Jenga world record gives them all the chance to learn more not just about themselves, but about what family really means.”

Wednesday, November 22: “A Season for Family” 

• Stars: Brendan Penny (“Chesapeake Shores”), Stacey Farber (“Virigin River”) Benjamin Jacobson (“A Fabled Holiday”), Azriel Dalman (“Heart of the Matter”)
• Synopsis: “Maddy’s (Farber) adopted son Wesley (Jacobson) has just one Christmas wish — to meet his brother Cody (Dalman), who was adopted into a different family. Cody’s father Paul (Penny) is a widower who is not ready to have this conversation with his son, so he turns down a meeting. However, circumstances bring the two brothers unknowingly together and they become fast friends, while sparks fly between Maddy and Paul.”

Thursday, November 30: “Time for Her to Come Home for Christmas”

• Stars: Shenae Grimes-Beech (“90210”), Chris Carmack (“The O.C.”), Grace Leer (“American Idol,” Singer-Songwriter)
• Synopsis: “Facing her first Christmas without her mother and looking to avoid loneliness, Carly (Grimes-Beech) heads to a quaint town to lead the church choir at Christmas. Once there, Carly meets Matthew (Carmack), a man back in town after serving in the army. As she gets to know Matthew, the choir and townspeople, she stumbles across clues that suggest she may have been brought here for a life changing reason. As the mystery unravels one thing is clear, this journey will teach Carly about true love, learning to trust, and that forgiveness is needed to finally heal.”

Thursday, December 7: “To All a Good Night”

• Stars: Kimberley Sustad (“Game of Love”), Mark Ghanimé (“Virgin River”)
• Synopsis: “A small-town photographer (Sustad) saves the life of a mysterious man (Ghanimé), who may just be in town to buy her family’s parkland — which is also the location of the annual Christmas celebration.”

Thursday, December 14: “Heaven Down Here”

• Stars: Krystal Joy Brown (“Girlfriendship”), Tina Lifford (“Queen Sugar”), Juan Riedinger “Riverdale”), Richard Harmon (“Game, Set, Love”), Phylicia Rashad (Creed III)
• Synopsis: “Inspired by Mickey Guyton’s song of the same name, ‘Heaven Down Here’ tells the story of four disparate people who find themselves stranded in a local diner on Christmas Eve when a snowstorm hits the town. Imami (Brown) is a widowed mother of two who’s having trouble making ends meet and reluctantly agrees to work the Christmas Eve shift, where she clashes with her boss Dan (Harmon), who doesn’t exactly embody the Christmas spirit. Felix (Riedinger) is a local pastor desperately trying to secure food for parishioners while his faith is challenged by his alienation by his son. Clara (Lifford) is a hospice nurse with an obstinate patient (Rashad) and whose daughter is moving away, causing her to question her place in this world. Throughout the evening, these four bicker, bond and unwittingly provide each other with the answer to their respective prayers.”

Thursday, December 21: “Miracle in Bethlehem, PA”

• Stars: Laura Vandervoort (“A Christmas Together with You”), Benjamin Ayres (“Family Law”)
• Synopsis: “Successful and fiercely independent, Mary Ann Brubeck (Vandervoort) adopts a baby girl to raise on her own just before Christmas. Due to weather, she and the baby get stuck in Bethlehem, PA for the holidays. When there is no room at the inn, her only option is to stay with the innkeeper’s brother Joe (Ayres), a quintessential bachelor who lives in a house that he treats like a barn. As Mary Ann learns the value of community by spending time with Joe’s family and participating in the local church’s Christmas events, Joe starts getting his act together with new motivation … and the two begin to see each other in a new light.”

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

• 86 funny Halloween quotes that will tickle your funny bone
• When is Thanksgiving 2023? What to know about the date this year
• 14 easy cat Halloween makeup ideas for the purr-fect costume

As shares of GameStop start to climb in late 2020 and the early days 2021, in the midst of the pandemic, characters in the new movie “Dumb Money” encourage their friends to sell.

There’s Pete Davidson, playing the brother of Paul Dano’s Keith Gill, aka Roaring Kitty, telling the burgeoning YouTube star to cash out and buy a Ferrari. There’s Anthony Ramos’ Marcus, a GameStop cashier, being lectured by his parents that this stock trading thing isn’t real. And there’s America Ferrera’s Jenny, a nurse and single mom, whose coworker tells her that taking financial advice from a guy in a headband is not the best use of her time or money.

But those characters and the others in the film, which hits theaters this weekend, don’t just ignore that advice. They double down, buying more shares and options, and start to incessantly check their phones and TV news to see how high the stock is climbing.

“Diamond hands … we’re going to hold the line,” Jenny says.

To the moon

The very peak of the meme stock mania, which saw retail traders encourage one another on social media sites like Reddit’s WallStreetBets to buy and hold heavily shorted stocks, came on Jan. 27, 2021.

That’s the day GameStop hit its all-time closing high of $86.88 per share, and saw more than 373 million shares change hands. One year earlier, in 2020, GameStop traded about 8.5 million shares on the same day.

That was also the highest volume day on record for theater chain AMC Entertainment, topping 142 million — up from less than 400,000 on the same day a year earlier. Shares of AMC would hit their own record high in June.

The excitement has since ebbed, even if it hasn’t gone away completely, and traders who bought shares on that day would now be deeply in the red. On Thursday, GameStop closed more than 78% below its all-time high. AMC was down more than 97% from its peak.

Reddit versus Wall Street

Many social media traders discussed the meme stock moment in David vs Goliath terms — the retail traders versus the hedge funds.

And the retail traders won at least some of the battles. The massive spikes in the stocks were caused in part by “short squeezes,” which occur when a rising stock forces those investors who bet against the company to cover their position by buying back shares to limit their losses, creating a feedback loop that pushes the stock even higher.

The losses caused Gabe Plotkin, a short-seller played by Seth Rogen who bet against GameStop with his hedge fund Melvin Capital, to completely shut down his fund.

There were also accusations of fraud.

The high level of short interest, and appearances by several meme stocks on the SEC’s “fail to deliver” lists, fueled theories from retail traders that there was “naked” or synthetic short trading going on. An SEC staff report on GameStop found no evidence of naked short selling, however.

Another center of the controversy was the brokerage firms themselves, particularly Robinhood.

Several brokerages limited trading in meme stocks at the height of the meme stock mania. The massive moves in the stocks, combined with heavy options trading activity, appeared to overwhelm the ability of companies like Robinhood to manage risk.

Robinhood itself went public in July 2021. The stock is down more than 70% from its IPO price.

AMC and GameStop

As for the meme stock companies themselves, it is still unclear whether the fundamental theories of some Reddit traders were correct.

The GameStop turnaround efforts of Chewy co-founder Ryan Cohen, who became something of a hero to the retail traders, have shown little sign of working. Former Amazon executive Matthew Furlong was ousted as GameStop CEO in June after about two years on the job, just one move in a series of executive shakeups at the company.

The financial results have also been underwhelming. The company generated just under $1.2 billion in net sales in the second quarter of 2023, its most recent report. In the second quarter of 2019, before the meme stock mania began, the company generated about $1.3 billion in net sales.

Meanwhile, AMC CEO Adam Aron has leaned into the meme stock status for the theater chain, offering rewards like popcorn for shareholders.

The company has also used its popularity to raise additional cash by selling more shares. AMC announced on Wednesday that it had raised more than $300 million in an equity raise made possible by a corporate finance maneuver involving preferred stock it called APE shares — a cheeky reference to one of the references Redditors adopted for themselves.

The new cash has certainly been a big support for AMC with the box office still struggling to reach pre-pandemic levels, but the theater chain also made the curious move to buy a stake in a gold mine.

The AMC stock sales have diluted the holdings of individual shareholders, and the market cap of AMC is still down more than 50% from its peak.

For the Wall Street titans who became the enemies of Reddit traders, the results have been mixed. Several short-sellers have said they pulled back from that business after the meme stock squeezes, though other trading firms likely made profits in the highly volatile markets.

And even after his fund sustained heavy losses, Plotkin still had a enough money to buy a controlling interest in the Charlotte Hornets NBA Franchise.

At the end of “Dumb Money,” the movie shows the gain in net worth of many of the retail traders who sold their shares, presumably near the top. Several of the characters made more than $100,000 on their trades.

But Jenny, the nurse character whose Reddit name was “StonkMom,” was still holding on to the stock — her net worth having dropped back below zero.

Some viewers may be unaware, but striking screenwriters and actors have brought production to a screeching halt, including on many popular shows like “Law & Order” and “1923.” So fans will have to wait to find out if Janine and Gregory can really be just friends on “Abbott” or if Kim Raver’s Dr. Teddy Altman survives after collapsing on “Grey’s.” But there’s plenty of new characters and familiar faces heading to screens via already-completed shows that are ready to air.

Some creative programming — including shows imported from other countries, competition series and the broadcast arrival of the Paramount Network hit “Yellowstone” — will round-out gaps in the TV schedule.

Here’s a sampling of notable shows debuting in the strike-challenged season ahead:

NEW SHOWS ADAPTED FROM BOOKS

Books remain popular inspiration for Hollywood. “The Other Black Girl, ” based on the novel by Zakiya Dalila Harris, follows Nella, (Sinclair Daniel), a Black editorial assistant in publishing who is thrilled by her company’s new hire of another Black woman, Hazel (played by Ashleigh Murray). Nella’s hope for an ally and confidante is repeatedly squashed, leaving her to wonder if the two are in competition. “The Other Black Girl” is a genre-blending mix of social satire, commentary and creepiness streaming now on Hulu.

Jesse L. Martin returns to NBC in “The Irrational,” playing a behavioral science expert with a keen understanding of what makes people tick. This skill makes him an in-demand problem solver and translator-of-sorts for government agencies and big corporations. The show is based on Dan Ariely’s book, “Predictably Irrational” and premieres Sept. 25. Episodes will also stream on Peacock.

Drew Barrymore Sep 12, 2023

Drew Barrymore dropped as National Book Awards host after her talk show resumes during strike

news Sep 1, 2023

Hollywood sheds 17,000 jobs in August amid ongoing strikes

In “Wilderness,” Jenna Coleman (“Doctor Who” and “Victoria”) and Oliver Jackson-Cohen (“Mr. Malcom’s List”, “Surface”) are Liv and Will, a young couple whose marriage is on the rocks. They plan a vacation to set things right but what Will doesn’t know is that Liv has cooked up an itinerary he wasn’t prepared for. The thriller is adapted from a book of the same name by B.E. Jones, with Ashley Benson and Eric Balfour also starring. “Wilderness” debuts Friday on Prime Video.

Brie Larson brings the Bonnie Garmus novel “Lessons in Chemistry” to life for Apple TV+. It’s about Elizabeth, a female scientist in the 1960s who works in a chemical lab, is smarter than most but is only permitted to do menial work by sexist colleagues. A romance with a fellow chemist named Calvin (Lewis Pullman), who sees Elizabeth as an equal, sets in motion her winding, fascinating and empowering road to a fulfilling life and career. The show debuts Oct. 13.

The heartbreaking-yet-hopeful WWII novel “All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr has been turned into a four-episode series directed by Shawn Levy for Netflix. It follows the story of Marie (played by newcomer Aria Mia Loberti) as a blind, young woman in hiding in German-occupied France and a Nazi solder named Werner (Louis Hoffman). He’s an orphan who was drafted against his will and the show explores how their lives intersect. The limited series also stars Mark Ruffalo and Hugh Laurie and debuts Nov. 2.

SPIN-OFFS, PREQUELS AND SEQUELS

Hollywood loves a safe bet and a number of new shows debuting this fall feature some not-so-new characters or tie-ins to films and other series that have proved popular.

“The Walking Dead” served as a mainstream introduction to several talented actors: Danai Gurira, Steven Yeun, Lauren Cohan, Jon Bernthal and yes, Norman Reedus. Reedus’ character Daryl Dixon also emerged as a heartthrob. He now fronts his own spinoff called “ The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon,” taking place in France after the events of the original show. Daryl may be in a new country but walkers are still out there, and they’ve evolved. The show airs Sundays on AMC and streams on AMC+.

The massively popular “John Wick” movie franchise starring Keanu Reeves is getting a three-night prequel event series called “The Continental: From the World of John Wick ” on Peacock. It stars Mel Gibson and Colin Woodell as a younger version of Ian McShane’s character from the movies. “The Continental” debuts Sept. 22.

Young adult superheroes need education too, and that’s the backdrop of the new Prime Video series “Gen V,” a spin-off of “The Boys.” Superheroes-in-training are enrolled at Godolkin University School of Crimefighting, where they fraternize in between high-stakes competitions of strength and ability. Like “The Boys,” the show takes an irreverent approach to its supers. The first three episodes drop Sept. 29.

Kelsey Grammer is back as his most well-known character, Dr. Frasier Crane, in a sequel for Paramount+. In this “Frasier,” the character returns to Boston to embark on a new phase of his life. The 10-episode comedy debuts Oct. 12 and the first two episodes will air later that month on CBS.

An eight-episode anime series inspired by the 2010 movie “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” is coming to Netflix on Nov. 17. “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off ” will feature the voices of the film cast including Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Brie Larson and Anna Kendrick.

SIGNS OF STRIKES

There are also programs coming to TV this fall that are obvious time-fillers to help round out primetime schedules. CBS made some interesting decisions to complete their puzzle.

Kevin Costner’s “Yellowstone,” which airs on Paramount Network, is now getting a broadcast run on CBS beginning Sunday.

Longtime reality competition staples “Survivor” and “The Amazing Race” return to CBS on Sept. 27 but with longer, 90-minute episodes, filling up a night’s three-hour prime-time block.

“NCIS: Sydney” will begin airing on CBS Nov. 13. It’s the first international edition of the franchise that originated in the United States.

They’ve also imported international shows to air in the States. “Ghosts UK,” the original version of “Ghosts” that inspired the Rose McIver-led U.S. remake, will debut Nov. 16.

Fox has leaned in heavily to competition shows. “The Masked Singer” is back for season 10, and they’ve tapped David Spade to host a new game show called “Snake Oil.” It will join other game shows including “Celebrity Name That Tune,”“I Can See Your Voice” and “ Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.”

The CW — once known for superheroes, sci-fi and beautiful people coming-of-age — is also now tapping into international options. Examples include Lea Thompson’s “Spencer Sisters” and “Sullivan’s Crossing” starring Chad Michael Murray and Scott Patterson — both Canadian-made shows — debuting Oct. 4. The network has also scheduled three Canadian comedies for Monday nights. The German eco-thriller “The Swarm,” about a predatory life force in our oceans, is now airing.

Since ABC doesn’t have the aforementioned favorites “Abbott Elementary” or “Grey’s Anatomy” on its lineup, it’s touting non-scripted options like “Dancing with the Stars” (returning to broadcast after a run on Disney+), “The Golden Bachelor” and “Bachelor in Paradise.”

___

Associated Press Writer Hilary Fox contributed to this story.

Labor Day signals the end of Hollywood’s summer movie season, which will surpass $4 billion in ticket sales for the first time since the pandemic thanks in no small part to “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” which are still netting records even after seven weeks in theaters. This weekend, Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” officially became the biggest movie of 2023 with over $1.36 billion globally, surpassing “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” while Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” sailed past $850 million globally to become the No. 3 movie of the year and Nolan’s third highest grossing.

“The Equalizer 3” arrived at a fraught time for Hollywood, with actors seven weeks into a strike for fair contracts with major entertainment companies and movie theaters bracing for a somewhat depleted fall season as a result.

The ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike meant Washington was unable to stump for the movie, which was directed by his frequent collaborator Antoine Fuqua and brings his vigilante character Robert McCall to Italy’s Amalfi coast. While the lack of a major star on a promotional tour would normally be considered a liability for a film’s box office potential, “Equalizer 3” may be the rare exception that could withstand a rollout without Washington’s help simply because it’s a recognizable franchise.

“One of the biggest movie stars in the world took us out on a high note,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. “Studios often coast to Labor Day, but Sony was smart to choose this weekend to open ‘The Equalizer 3.'”

Sony opened the R-rated “Equalizer 3” in over 3,900 locations in North America, including on IMAX and premium large format screens, where it opened in line with the previous two films which both went on to make over $190 million globally. With co-financing from TSG and Eagle Pictures, the film carried a $70 million production price tag. The film received generally positive reviews from critics (76% on Rotten Tomatoes) and overwhelmingly positive reviews from audiences, who gave it an A on CinemaScore and a five-star PostTrak rating.

news Aug 24, 2023

‘Barbie' is now the highest-grossing domestic film release in 2023

Barbie Aug 16, 2023

‘Barbie' star Margot Robbie has made $50 million from success of $1 billion film: report

“It’s uncanny the consistency of the Equalizer franchise,” Dergarabedian said.

Overseas, it made $26.1 million, contributing to a $60.6 million global debut.

In second place, “Barbie” added $10.6 million over the weekend in the U.S. and Canada, pushing its domestic total to $609.5 million. Warner Bros.’ other main theatrical offering, “Blue Beetle” added $7.3 million to take third. The DC superhero film has grossed $56.6 million in three weekends in North America. Fourth place went to Sony’s “Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story,” which is projecting $6.6 million through Sunday, down 62% from its first place opening weekend, and $8.5 million including Monday.

“Oppenheimer” landed in fifth place on the domestic charts with an estimated $5.5 million ($7.4 million including estimates for Monday) from 2,543 theaters. This brings its domestic total to $310.3 million and its global take to $851 million.

The Universal film opened in China on Wednesday, playing on 35,000 screens, where it is estimated to have made $30.3 million in its first five days. A significant portion of that ($9.3 million through Sunday) came from 736 IMAX screens.

IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond said in a statement that “Oppenheimer’s” China debut showed that “it’s nowhere near finished dazzling audiences worldwide.” Gelfond added that its success also offers “a powerful demonstration of our surging market share around the world.”

That the 18-week summer movie season hit $4 billion is significant for an industry still recovering from the pandemic and facing uncertainty in the fall if the actors and writers strikes continue. Before the pandemic, $4 billion summers had become the standard for the industry and generally accounted for at least 40% of the total box office for the year. Last summer netted out with $3.4 billion.

And this summer had its share of hits, flops and surprises, with “Barbenheimer” accounting for over $900 million of the $4 billion haul.

“The summer box office is vitally important and a strong indicator of the health of the industry,” Dergarabedian said. “Many were really skeptical that we could get to $4 billion. We’re hitting it literally in the final days of the summer. It’s a reminder that any hit or miss makes a profound impact on the bottom line.”

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Tuesday.

1. “The Equalizer 3,” $34.5 million.

2. “Barbie,” $10.6 million.

3. “Blue Beetle,” $7.3 million.

4. “Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story,” $6.6 million.

5. “Oppenheimer,” $5.5 million.

6. “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” $4.8 million.

7. “Bottoms,” $3 million.

8. “Meg 2: The Trench,” $2.9 million.

9. “Strays,” $2.5 million.

10. “Talk to Me,” $1.8 million.

The actor is directing and starring in “What Happens Later,” a rom-com which she also co-wrote, about two ex-lovers who get stranded at an airport together.

The first trailer for the highly anticipated movie was released on Aug. 30, giving audiences a preview of Ryan’s return to the big screen.

Ryan has not appeared in a movie since her 2015 feature film directorial debut “Ithaca.”

“What Happens Later” is set to be released this fall. Here is everything we know about Meg Ryan’s return to the rom-com world.

What is ‘What Happens Later’ about?

“What Happens Later” follows exes Willa (Ryan), a “magical thinker,” and Bill (David Duchovny), a “catastrophic one,” who get snowed in at an airport overnight together.

Per the film’s synopsis, during their delay and time together, they “find themselves just as attracted to and annoyed by one another as they did decades earlier.”

As they unpack their muddled past and compare their lives to the dreams they once shared, “they begin to wonder if their reunion is mere coincidence, or something more enchanted.”

What was the inspiration for the film?

“What Happens Later” is based on the play “Shooting Star” by Steven Dietz. The rom-com is written by Dietz, Ryan, and Kirk Lynn.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Ryan described the film as “about old people, and it’s still romantic and sexy.” She also said she was inspired by writer and filmmaker Nora Ephron, known for Ryan’s popular films “Sleepless in Seattle,” “You’ve Got Mail” and “When Harry Met Sally.”

“It has a relationship to movies from the ‘40s, like ‘Bringing Up Baby,’ in terms of the banter and the rhythm of things and a lot of that era of filmmaking,” Ryan said. “Nora Ephron used to say about rom-coms that they were really a secretly incredible delivery system to comment on the times, and we do that in this movie.”

Ryan relates to her character

In that same interview, she shared that Duchovny isn’t anything like his character but she is very much like Willa in “What Happens Later.”

“These rom-coms really work when the two characters are somehow opposites and yet have a rhythm of intellect and humor and dialogue and banter that sort of indicates their compatibility,” Ryan explained. “So, it’s just been really fun to see David embrace this guy who I don’t think is anything really like David.”

She added, “Whereas the Willa thing I can really relate to. To see him dive into every single scene in the fullest way, he’s funny, and he’s smart, and he’s dear, and irresistible.”

Who else stars in ‘What Happens Later’?

Per the Rated R film’s IMDB and press release, Ryan and Duchovny are currently the only credited actors.

When does ‘What Happens Later’ come out?

“What Happens Later” comes out in theaters on Oct. 13.

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

• Buckingham Palace made this edit to a ‘Suits’ script, show creator says
• Fergie’s son looks just like dad Josh Duhamel in new photo: Meet Axl Jack
• Why Jessica Simpson moved her family to Nashville for the summer

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Earlier this month, retired NFL player Michael Oher—whose life inspired the 2009 movie—filed a legal petition against the Tuohy family, saying they became his conservators in 2004, which allowed them to have ultimate control over his contracts, and financially profited off his life story.

Memphis couple Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy allegedly negotiated for themselves and their “natural born” children Sean Jr. and Collins for “a contract price of $225,000 plus 2.5% of all future ‘Defined Net Proceeds'” from “The Blind Side,” which had gross revenues of upwards of $330 million, according to Oher’s Aug. 14 petition obtained by E! News. He said the Tuohys also received a $200,000 donation to their Making It Happen Foundation.

Now, Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson — the co-founders and co-CEOs of Alcon Entertainment, which financed the film — have set the record straight on just how much the Tuohy family was paid, per a statement obtained by E! News Aug. 24.

Football Movies & TV Shows

The pair, who were also producers of the movie, said the contracts “did not include significant payouts in the event of the film’s success” and therefore, “the notion that the Tuohys were paid millions of dollars by Alcon to the detriment of Michael Oher is false.”

Their company paid about $767,000 to the talent agency representing the Tuohys and Oher, per the statement, which noted there was likely an agency commission removed before the sum was distributed to the five of them. (Sean has said the family and Oher got about $14,000 each after “The Blind Side” book author Michael Lewis “gave us half of his share.”)

Kosove and Johnson also said that the athlete and the family will probably receive future payments as well.

“We anticipate that the Tuohy family and Michael Oher will receive additional profits as audiences continue to enjoy this true story in the years to come,” they continued. “In addition to these contractual payments, Alcon made a charitable contribution to the Tuohy family foundation. We offered to donate an equal amount to a charity of Mr. Oher’s choosing, which he declined.”

In addition, Kosove and Johnson’s statement defended the movie itself after they said Oher’s lawsuit gave critics “a justification to unfairly pick apart the movie fourteen years later—some going so far as to call it ‘fake’ or a ‘lie.'”

“We are as proud of the film today as we were when our amazing collaborators made the movie 14 years ago,” they stated. “We hope our fellow filmmakers all over the world will continue to look for uplifting stories to tell, and have the freedom and empowerment to have their voices heard.”

Oher, now 37 and married with four kids, alleged in his legal petition that the Tuohys led him to believe that the conservatorship was equivalent to an adoption and only learned earlier this year that it gave him no familial ties to the football family. He stated that “at no point” did the Tuohys tell him they would have “ultimate control” over his contracts.

The petition states that a contracted signed in April 2007 granted the studio “the perpetual, unconditional and exclusive right throughout the world” to use and portray Oher’s name, likeness, voice, appearance and more characteristics “without any payment whatsoever.” However, Oher said in his filing he never “willing or knowingly” signed the document and “nobody ever presented this contract to him with any explanation” that he was signing a document about the rights to his name, image and life story.

One of the Tuohy’s lawyers, Steve Farese, has said in part, “The Tuohys never controlled any of Mr. Oher’s contracts,” per USA Today.

Since the legal ordeal, the Tuohys have shared their intentions to end Oher’s conservatorship after nearly 20 years.

E! News reached out to the Tuohys and Oher for comment on Kosove and Johnson’s statement but hasn’t heard back.

Denis Villeneuve’s science-fiction sequel had been set to open Nov. 3, but will instead land in theaters March 15 next year. With the actors strike entering its second month, “Dune: Part Two” had been rumored to be eyeing a move. Variety earlier this month reported Warner Bros.’ was mulling the delay.

Warner Bros. is opting to wait until its starry cast can promote the follow-up to the 2021 Oscar-winning “Dune.” “Part Two” stars Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Dave Bautista, Javier Bardem, Stellan Skarsgård, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh and Léa Seydoux.

“Dune: Part II” is one of the biggest 2023 films yet postponed due to the ongoing strikes by actors and screenwriters. Recent releases have mostly opted to go ahead, despite lacking their stars on red carpets or on magazine covers. SAG-AFTRA has asked its members not to promote studio films during the work stoppage.

Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers,” an MGM Studios release starring Zendaya, earlier withdrew from its Venice Film Festival opening night slot and postponed its debut to next April. Sony also pushed its next “Ghostbusters” film from December to next year, and removed the early 2024 release “Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse” from its schedule.

The SAG-AFTRA union, which represents TV and film actors, has been on strike since July, shutting down Hollywood studio productions. The actors are on strike to fight for better pay and residuals from streaming, among several issues.

A shift in box office trends for movies has impacted the industry as well.

The WGA, which represents TV and film writers, has been on strike since May for similar reasons.

As part of the “Dune” delay, Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures are shifting “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” one month, to April 12. Warner Bros.’ “Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim” will vacate that April date and move to December 2024.

Warner Bros. didn’t change its other 2023 releases, including “Wonka” (Dec. 15), “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” (Dec. 20) and “The Color Purple” (Dec. 25).

Theater owners announced Monday that the second annual National Cinema Day will be held Sunday, Aug. 27. For one day, all movies — in all formats and at all showtimes — will be $4 at participating theaters. More than 3,000 theaters are participating, which accounts for most of the cinemas in the U.S., including the leading chains AMC and Regal.

It’s the second straight year theaters are trotting out the one-day event at the tail end of summer. Last year’s inaugural National Cinema Day, put on by the Cinema Foundation, a nonprofit affiliate of the National Association of Theater Owners, was judged an enormous success. An estimated 8.1 million moviegoers bought $3 tickets on Saturday, Sept. 3. The average movie ticket in 2022, according to NATO, cost $10.53.

The discount gimmick turned into the highest attended day of the year for theaters. A normally quiet time instead saw cinemas crowded with moviegoers — and theaters sold plenty of popcorn. This year, the day is moving up slightly on the calendar, shifting from Saturday to Sunday, and costs $1 more.

But thanks to remarkably sustained interest in “Barbie,” as well as in “Oppenheimer,” the August box office has been booming. The summer box office is up to $3.8 billion in ticket sales through Sunday, according to data firm Comscore — about 16.6% ahead of 2022 at the same point.

While last year’s Cinema Day had fairly paltry offerings ( “Top Gun: Maverick” was the top draw, more than two months after it opened), this year’s will feature “Barbie” in its fifth week. Greta Gerwig’s record-breaking film has made $1.28 billion worldwide. There’s also Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” ($717.8 million globally), the second week of the DC Comics film “Blue Beetle” and new releases “Gran Turismo,” “Golda,” “Bottoms” and “Retribution.”

The event is also a way for studios to sell audiences on their fall lineups. A sneak peek of anticipated autumn releases will play before each screening.

The “Barbie” phenomenon is far from over. Greta Gerwig’s film, which earlier this week became the highest grossing Warner Bros. release ever domestically, nearly managed to stay No. 1 again with $21.5 million in its fifth weekend. It’s up to $567.3 million in North America and an eye-popping $1.28 billion globally.

The other half of “Barbenheimer” also continues to perform remarkably well for a movie so far into its run.

Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” took in $10.6 million in its fifth week. With a $285.2 million domestic total, “Oppenheimer” now owns the distinction of being the biggest box-office hit never to land No. 1 at the weekend box office. The previous record-holder for that unlikely stat is 2016’s “Sing,” which grossed $270.3 million in the shadow of “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” and “Hidden Figures.”

Universal Pictures’ “Oppenheimer” has done even better overseas. Its global gross stands at an estimated $717.8 million through Sunday.

“Blue Beetle,” starring Xolo Maridueña, came in on the lower side of expectations and notched one of the lower debuts for a DC Comics movie. Though earlier planned as a streaming-only release, Warner Bros. elected to put “Blue Beetle,” the first DC movie to star a Latino superhero, into theaters in the late summer, a typically quiet period at the box office.

The production price tag of about $105 million was lower for “Blue Beetle” than the average superhero film. It’s one of the last releases produced under an earlier regime at DC Studios, which James Gunn and Peter Safran took the reins of last year.

The film, directed by Ángel Manuel Soto and written by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, drew solid reviews – certainly better than the three previous DC releases this year (“The Flash,” “Black Adam” and “Shazam! Fury of the Gods”). “Blue Beetle” (76% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) is the rare comic-book film to put a Hispanic cast front and center.

But it also faced some tough luck, and not just in the unexpected staying power of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer.” Southern California was bracing Sunday for Hurricane Hilary — potentially dampening ticket sales in the region. (Los Angeles was still its top market.) And like recent releases, “Blue Beetle,” which added $18 million internationally, didn’t have its cast available to promote the movie due to the ongoing actors strike.

Universal’s raunchy R-rated canine comedy “Strays” showed even less bite. The film, with a voice cast including Will Ferrell and Jamie Foxx, landed in fifth place with $8.4 million. Comedies have generally struggled in theaters in recent years, but “Strays” had it particularly rough given that its starry cast was unavailable.

“Strays” was very narrowly bested by “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.” The Paramount Pictures animated release earned $8.4 million in its third weekend, bringing its domestic total to $88.1 million.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “Blue Beetle,” $25.4 million.

2. “Barbie,” $21.5 million.

3. “Oppenheimer,” $10.6 million.

4. “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” $8.4 million.

5. “Strays,” $8.3 million.

6. “Meg 2: The Trench,” $6.7 million.

7. “Talk to Me,” $3.2 million.

8. “Haunted Mansion,” $3 million.

9. “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One,” $2.7 million.

10. “The Last Voyage of the Demeter,” $2.5 million.

___

Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP

The USC report, published Thursday, found that 34.6% of speaking parts were female in the top 100 box office hits last year. The Annenberg Inclusion Initiative has been annually tracking that and many other metrics since 2007.

And in its first such study in three years, USC researchers found that in many areas, progress toward parity on screen has stalled since the pandemic — and in some respects hasn’t changed all that much since 14 years ago. In 2019, 34% of speaking characters were female. In 2008, it was 32.8%.

“It is clear that the entertainment industry has little desire or motivation to improve casting processes in a way that creates meaningful change for girls and women,” said Stacy L. Smith, founder and director of the Inclusion Initiative, in a statement. “The lack of progress is particularly disappointing following decades of activism and advocacy.”

In analyzing the top films in ticket sales, the report doesn’t include the large amount of films produced for streaming platforms and smaller releases. But it does offer a snapshot of how Hollywood is evolving — or not.

And it comes on the heels of the enormous success of Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie,” which has made $1.2 billion worldwide since opening last month and domestically has become the highest grossing movie ever from a female filmmaker. Last year, one in 10 of the biggest box-office films were directed by women, down from record rates in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

Some findings in the study point to progress in inclusivity on screen. There are more female leading or co-leading roles in the top grossing movies than ever. Some 44% of such lead roles were girls or women in 2022, a historical high and more than double the rate of 2007 (20%).

news Aug 16, 2023

‘Barbie' beats Batman, becomes Warner Bros.' highest-grossing domestic release

Real Estate Aug 4, 2023

The power of pink: Barbie made the color popular again. Here's how you can use it in your home

Speaking characters from underrepresented ethnic groups have also made sizable gains. In 2022, Black, Hispanic, Asian and other non-white minorities accounted for 38.3% of speaking characters, nearly matching the U.S. population percentage of 41%. Most notably, Asian characters have gone from 3.4% of characters in 2007 to 15.9% last year, a movie year that culminated with the best picture win for “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

But other metrics show that the film industry regressed in some areas of diversity during the pandemic. In 2022, the top grossing movies featured 31% of leads from underrepresented ethnic groups, down from 37% in 2021. Out of those 100 movies in 2022, 46 didn’t include a Latino speaking character.

“These trends suggest that any improvement for people from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups is limited,” said Smith. “While it is encouraging to see changes for leading characters and for the Asian community, our data on invisibility suggests that there is still much more to be done to ensure that the diversity that exists in reality is portrayed on screen.”

Of the top 100 films in 2022, just 2.1% of speaking characters were LGBTQ+ — roughly the same number as a decade ago. Of the 100 films, 72 didn’t feature a single LGBTQ+ character. Only one was nonbinary.

The number of characters with disabilities has also flatlined. In 2022, 1.9% of speaking characters were depicted with a disability. In 2015, the percentage was 2.4%.

With actors and screenwriters striking over fair pay, AI and other issues, Smith said Thursday’s report should add to the demands of workers on screen and off in Hollywood.

“When people from these communities are rendered invisible both on screen and behind the camera, the need to ensure that every opportunity merits a living wage is essential. This cannot happen if people are not working at all,” said Smith. “Hollywood has a long road ahead to address the exclusion still happening in the industry alongside the concerns actors and writers are bringing to the forefront.”

Someone left behind a car at a Massachusetts driver-in movie theater over the weekend. The Mendon Twin Drive-In said on its Facebook page, noting it was the first time that had ever happened to them.

“If you are missing a 2020 White Toyota Camry, please give us a call. This is our first car at lost and found ever,” Sunday’s post read.

The car had been at Screen 2, which was showing “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and “Haunted Mansion” on Saturday night, according to the theater’s schedule.

There was no immediate indication on why the car was left at the theater. NBC10 Boston has reached out to the Mendon Twin for an update on the car.

More movie news

conservatorship Aug 14, 2023

‘The Blind Side' subject Michael Oher claims he was never adopted and Tuohy family made millions off him

Real Estate Aug 4, 2023

The power of pink: Barbie made the color popular again. Here's how you can use it in your home

Maine Aug 2, 2023

Maine lighthouse featured in ‘Forrest Gump' goes dark after lightning strike

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

The Tuohy patriarch — played by Tim McGraw in the 2009 movie “The Blind Side” — spoke out to explain his side after former NFL player Michael Oher filed legal paperwork alleging the family had lied about adopting him as a teen.

Oher, now 37, alleges Sean and wife Leigh Anne Tuohy (played by Sandra Bullock onscreen) “falsely advised” him to sign a document in 2004 that made them his conservators — giving them the legal power to complete business deals in his name — after he turned 18 years old, according to the petition obtained by E! News Aug. 14. The athlete accuses the Tuohys of having “enriched themselves” and profited from the “lie” by taking their life story to the big screen.

Sean Tuohy reacted to the filing Aug. 14, telling The Daily Memphian that his family is “devastated” over the allegations.

“It’s upsetting to think we would make money off any of our children,” he said. “But we’re going to love Michael at 37 just like we loved him at 16.”

Football Movies & TV Shows

“The Blind Side” grossed $300 million, with Oher’s paperwork stating that the movie paid the Tuohys and their children Sean Jr. and Collins $225,000 each, on top of 2.5% of the film’s “defined net proceeds.”

Sean Tuohy pushed back on that, telling the outlet, “We didn’t make any money off the movie.”

The sports commentator then clarified that “The Blind Side” book author Michael Lewis “gave us half of his share.”

“Everybody in the family got an equal share, including Michael. It was about $14,000, each,” the 63-year-old continued. “We were never offered money; we never asked for money.”

Sean Tuohy noted, “I will say it’s upsetting that people would think I would want to make money off any of my children.”

As for Oher’s claim about the conservatorship, Sean Tuohy told the Daily Memphian the legal arrangement was allegedly meant to satisfy the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA), which Oher played football for while at the University of Mississippi.

“They said the only way Michael could go to Ole Miss was if he was actually part of the family,” Sean Tuohy said. “I sat Michael down and told him, ‘If you’re planning to go to Ole Miss — or even considering Ole Miss — we think you have to be part of the family. This would do that, legally.’ We contacted lawyers who had told us that we couldn’t adopt over the age of 18; the only thing we could do was to have a conservatorship.”

He added that he would be willing to end the conservatorship if Oher would like.

For his part, Oher feels he was “falsely advised by the Tuohys that because he was over the age of eighteen, that the legal action to adopt Michael would have to be called a ‘conservatorship’ but it was, for all intents and purposes, an adoption,” per his filing.

He said he only “discovered this lie to his chagrin and embarrassment” in February 2023, when he learned the document was not the “equivalent” of adoption papers and that the conservatorship “to which he consented on the basis that doing so would make him a member of the Tuohy family, in fact provided him no familial relationship with the Tuohys.”

The document accused the Tuohys of allowing Oher and the public to believe they adopted him “and have used that untruth to gain financial advantages for themselves.”

The filing added, “All monies made in said manner should in all conscience and equity be disgorged and paid over to the said ward, Michael Oher.”

E! News has reached out to representatives for Oher, the Tuohys and the NCAA for comment and has not heard back.

The Writers Guild of America sent a message to its members Thursday saying they expect the studios will respond to their proposals. The two sides met last week to discuss possibly restarting negotiations, but no negotiation dates were immediately set.

“Our committee returns to the bargaining table ready to make a fair deal, knowing the unified WGA membership stands behind us and buoyed by the ongoing support of our union allies,” The Writers Guild told its members.

Television Aug 10, 2023

Emmy Awards move to January, placing them firmly in Hollywood's awards season

Hollywood Aug 9, 2023

Hollywood strikes have already had a $3 billion impact on California's economy, experts say: It's causing ‘a lot of hardship'

The screenwriters have now been on strike for 101 days, surpassing a 2007-2008 work stoppage that ground many Hollywood productions to a halt. This time the writers have been joined on picket lines by Hollywood actors, who are also striking to seek better compensation and protections on the use of artificial intelligence in the industry. It is the first time since 1960 that the two unions have been on strike at the same time.

Both guilds are seeking to address issues brought about by the dominance of streaming services, which have changed all aspects of production from how projects are written to when they’re released.

For the writers, the services’ use of small staffs, known as “mini rooms,” for shorter time periods has made a living income hard to achieve, the guild has said. It cites the number of writers working at minimum scale — which has jumped from about a third to about a half in the past decade — as proof.

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which negotiates on behalf of the studios and streaming services, has said the writers’ demands would require that they be kept on staff and paid when there is no work for them.

The strike has delayed numerous film and television productions, forced late-night talk shows into reruns and delayed the Emmy Awards, which will now air in January.

There is no indication yet that actors and the studios will return to the negotiating table anytime soon.

Their union, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, said Thursday it was ready to represent reality show performers in response to “Real Housewives of New York” star Bethenny Frankel’s push for performers to receive residuals and have better working conditions on sets.

The union urged reality performers to reach out “so that we may work together toward the protection of the reality performers ending the exploitative practices that have developed in this area and to engage in a new path to Union coverage.”

During the last writers strike, reality television was one way networks filled their schedules.

By now, most of us know that a trip to Barbie Land requires travel by car, boat, spaceship, snowmobile, bicycle, camper van and, naturally, neon rollerblades. Still, leave it to the internet’s top guy on the science of things to pinpoint the location inhabited by Barbie, Ken, Allan and… er, Midge.

In a post shared to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Tyson shared his hypothesis on the whereabouts of Barbie Land.

Tyson’s post featured a screen capture from the movie, directed by Greta Gerwig. In the image, Barbie (Margot Robbie) overlooks her pink plastic world, also known as Barbie Land.

Though the movie’s production designer Sarah Greenwood told TODAY.com that Barbie’s home was built on the Warner Bros. Studios lot in London, Tyson’s theory places the “real” Barbie Land elsewhere.

“In @BarbieTheMovie , the Moon’s orientation places Barbie World between 20 & 40 deg North Latitude on Earth,” his tweet reads. “Palm trees further constrain latitude between 20 & 30 deg. The Sun & Moon rose & set over the ocean. If it’s in the US, Barbie World lands somewhere in the Florida Keys.”

In the post’s comments section, users were quick to chime in with jokes and observations based on Tyson’s theory.

“I wouldn’t expect anything else for Barbie,” a user remarked.

“Cosmic Sherlock,” another user commented.

Meanwhile, another user quipped, “Ken is Florida man.”

Gerwig previously told Architectural Digest that the set design for Barbie Land was inspired by Palm Springs, California.

Tyson’s observations about “Barbie” didn’t end with her location, however. In a separate tweet, Tyson shared a video of himself which included his thoughts about modern criticisms of Barbie.

At the top of his video, Tyson explains that Barbie has sometimes received heat for how it could socialize young girls.

“But what did Barbie not do?” he continued in the video. “You talked about socialization… other dolls were babies. So you’re a young girl, and you’re trained to care for a baby and feed it and isn’t that socialization? You’re gonna have to care for little children, and that’s gonna be your job. That’s your role in society. Barbie was not a homemaker… She might have had a baking dress, but most of them were not. 

The scientist then explains that though Barbie had Ken, but he was “mostly irrelevant in her life.”

“Did she long to be married and settle down and have children? None of those outfits indicated this to me,” he explained. “I think of all these other ways one could have been socialized by a doll. And we’re not. It’s curious that it received as much resistance as it did.”

Tyson points out that there is a case to be made against Barbie in terms of how she defined body expectations for young girls before pointing to boy-geared toys like GI Joes, which could have potentially socialized the children who had such a toy to be interested in war and killing people they’ve never met before.

“I played with toy guns. For goodness sake. That’s how old I am,” he explained. “Where was the outrage at the time over that?”

On Aug. 4 Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager also expressed their own opinions in the defense of the criticisms the movie received after its release.

“You know what I love? That a doll that never said one word is teaching women to use their voices,” Jenna said at the time.

“If you’re bothered by the fact that women are empowered (by the movie), then probably, there’s a problem,” Hoda added.

This article first appeared on TODAY.com. Here is more from TODAY:

• Why HGTV’s ‘Good Bones’ Is Ending After Season 8 (today.com)
• Drew Barrymore’s Kids: What To Know About Her 2 Daughters (today.com)
• North Carolina Teen Says Chick-fil-A Sent Her Home For Blond Hair (today.com)

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

On July 23, Fabian Marta was arrested by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police and charged with accessory to child kidnapping over an incident that allegedly occurred on July 21, according to Missouri court records viewed by E! News. He was released on his own recognizance and the next hearing is set for Aug. 28.

No other details on the case have been shared.

Marta’s attorney Scott Rosenblum tells E! News, “The charges are unfounded. Mr. Marta had nothing to do with custodial kidnapping. He was essentially a landlord.”

The 51-year-old was one of the crowd funders for the 2023 action film “Sound of Freedom,” his lawyer confirms.

Released July 4 and based on a true story, the film follows former U.S. government employee Tim Ballard (played by Jim Caviezel) as he works against sex trafficking, aiming to save a brother and sister from being trafficked in Colombia.

TV’s Most Killer True Crime Transformations

“It depicts the remarkable journey of Tim Ballard, a former Homeland Security agent, as he battles against human trafficking,” reads the Angel Studio website. “His relentless pursuit of justice exposes the dark underbelly of this global crime, leaving an indelible impact on the fight for freedom.”

The controversial movie grossed $124 million in its first three weeks in theaters, according to Today.

Directed by Alejandro Monteverde, “Sound of Freedom” also stars Mira Sorvino, who has been working against human trafficking for nearly 20 years.

E! News has reached out to Angel Studio for comment on Marta’s arrest but hasn’t heard back.

(E! and Today are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)

The online ruling from Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer sets the stage for lengthy evidentiary hearings, starting next week, on manslaughter and evidence-tampering charges against movie armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed. She is the sole remaining defendant in the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during the filming of “Rust” on Oct. 21, 2021.

In April, prosecutors dropped charges against Baldwin, who was pointing a gun at Hutchins when it went off, killing her and injuring director Joel Souza. This left Gutierrez-Reed as the sole remaining defendant in the case. If convicted, she faces up to three years in prison.

An attorney for Gutierrez-Reed argued unsuccessfully Tuesday that the case had been compromised by changes in the prosecution team earlier this year, sloppiness with evidence and public statements by prosecutors that might interfere with the right to an impartial jury.

Sommer rejected the arguments and sided with prosecutors, who urged the court to move forward with a preliminary hearing that will decide whether evidence is sufficient to advance toward trial.

Separately, prosecutors withdrew a motion to shield the name of a witness from public disclosure as they pursue an evidence-tampering charge.

They said Tuesday that a witness is prepared to testify that Gutierrez-Reed handed off a small bag of narcotics to the witness after returning from an interview at a police station. But they said the person worries about being harassed by media and blacklisted in the entertainment industry.

Defense attorney Jason Bowles has called the evidence-tampering charge a vindictive attempt at “character assassination” by prosecutors.

In March of this year, “Rust” safety coordinator and assistant director David Halls pleaded no contest to a charge of unsafe handling of a firearm and received a suspended sentence of six months’ probation.

He agreed to cooperate in the investigation of the fatal shooting and is listed as a possible witness in evidentiary hearings next week to decide whether the case can advance toward trial.

The filming of “Rust” resumed in April in Montana under an agreement with the cinematographer’s widower, Matthew Hutchins, that makes him an executive producer.

Following in the footsteps of Ryan Gosling, the “Oppenheimer” star shared he’s open to embracing a fantastic life in plastic as Ken in a potential sequel to “Barbie.”

“Sure, yeah,” Murphy told Cinéfilos in an interview shared July 17. “Let’s read the script, let’s have a conversation.”

In the meantime, Murphy said he was looking forward to watching the “Barbie” movie, which premiered the same day as “Oppenheimer.”

“I can’t wait to see the movie,” the 47-year-old said. “I think it’s great for cinema to get all these great movies happening this summer.”

However, a role in “Barbie 2” will likely be a departure from Murphy’s transformation in “Oppenheimer.” After all, the actor observed a strict diet in order to portray J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb.

“I love acting with my body, and Oppenheimer had a very distinct physicality and silhouette, which I wanted to get right,” Murphy told the New York Times in May. “I had to lose quite a bit of weight, and we worked with the costume and tailoring; he was very slim, almost emaciated, existed on martinis and cigarettes.”

Barbie Movie Photos

He also found inspiration for the character throughout the movie’s intense filming process.

“It’s like you’re on this f–king train that’s just bombing,” he told The Guardian in July. “It’s bang, bang, bang, bang. You sleep for a few hours, get up, bang it again. I was running on crazy energy; I went over a threshold to where I was not worrying about food or anything…But it was good because the character was like that. He never ate.”

Although the Greta Gerwig-directed comedy continues to do numbers at the box office after its premiere, the filmmaker isn’t itching to start work on a sequel.

For more drastic movie transformations, click here.

The R-rated “Challengers,” in which Zendaya stars as a tennis coach involved in a love triangle, had been planned to kick off the Venice Film Festival on Aug. 30 before opening in theaters Sept. 15. But with actors striking from working or promoting their films — including walking any red carpets — distributor MGM, which is owned by Amazon Studios, will instead open “Challengers” in theaters April 26 next year.

“After thoughtful consideration with our partners, and given the parameters that SAG-AFTRA has outlined for its membership, we have made the difficult decision to withdraw ‘Challengers’ from this year’s Venice International Film Festival,” MGM said in a statement Friday. “We look forward to celebrating the film when we can do so with our ensemble cast, director Luca Guadagnino and the filmmaking team at a later date.”

“Challengers,” which co-stars Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist, is the first major fall festival film to drop out due to the ongoing actors and writers strikes. But many in the film industry are anxiously watching how long the strikes drag on and how they might disrupt the major fall film festivals. Venice, followed by the Telluride, Toronto and New York festivals, are hugely important launching pads for fall movies. But their premieres could be muted without stars in attendance.

Venice organizers announced Friday that Edoardo De Angelis’s “Comandante” will instead open the 80th Venice Film Festival next month.

Several films set for release in August have also been delayed due to the strike. A24’s “Problemista” has been taken off the release schedule. The film, by Julio Torres and starring Tilda Swinton, had been set to open Aug. 24. And Lionsgate is delaying Marc Foster’s “Wonder” spinoff “White Bird” from Aug. 18 until later in the year.

Selena and Joe Fragassi’s grandfather worked on the service side of the project that led to the development of the world’s first nuclear weapons.

Selena, a freelance writer for the Chicago Sun-Times, previously detailed her family’s discovered connection to the historic project in a 2020 article.

Joe and Selena previously had no clue that her grandfather was involved with the project until discovering a vast archive of letters and photos following his death.

“I think when I was a teenager in high school I came across, I was just kind of doing some digging, and found this wealth of photos from the mid-1940s of when our grandparents moved out to Los Alamos and started this amazing couple of years out there just working as civilians on this project,” Joe Fragassi told NBC Chicago.

Joe added that he learned more details over the years about his grandfather’s life thanks to his father and uncle, who helped fill in the gaps left by what Joe had uncovered.

Joe and Selena’s grandparents, Fred and Clara, met in Evanston and got married in 1937. Once World War II began, the nearby job market scuffled, leading Fred and Clara to look for opportunities elsewhere.

Fred’s sister Josephine and her husband Marty were living in Los Alamos, New Mexico at the time, where Marty was stationed with the U.S. Army.

Shortly after arriving in New Mexico, Fred was invited by Marty to work on the extremely secretive project. Clara returned home early on in the process due to agoraphobia, leading to the two exchanging letters while long-distance, always sealed with a kiss by Clara.

Selena said that Fred was a chair of the supply warehouse for the project, working with scientists and keeping a log of materials.

According to Selena, Fred was unable to fight in the war due to a 4-F distinction for a minor health condition, which could have been for something as minor as flat feet or impaired vision.

Fred detailed his activities to Clara in the letters they exchanged, with Fred referencing the Trinity test just weeks before the attack on Nagasaki in 1945.

While the project was incredibly secretive, nothing classified was discussed in their letters, with the test the couple discussed having been reported on the news for a fatality that occurred.

Selena also shed light on how the mementos left behind shed light on what life was like in Los Alamos, while alluding to Oppenheimer’s portrayal of the town’s quick construction.

“I mean, in the movie, which we saw talks about the fact that they built up a town purposely for all these people they were transporting to Los Alamos, and they did it in record time, like a couple of months. And so beyond just the work they do day in and day out, they actually did a lot of different recreational activities. My grandpa was on a baseball team,” Selena said.

Both siblings saw Oppenheimer, and came away impressed with the film and its interpretation of life in Los Alamos.

“The movie, just the gravity of it really hit me and knowing that our grandparents were part of this very secretive project that I don’t know that they even fully understood the grasp of what they were doing, because they they didn’t get clearance,” Selena said.

“Yeah, I agree the movie was really just riveting and, and powerful. Even if you didn’t have this unique personal connection to the Manhattan Project, I think it would be powerful for any American any person that’s, you know, experienced war on this earth or just kind of the, you know, conflict of being human,” Joe said.

Oppenheimer was released to theaters nationwide on Friday.

No, but that’s what it looks like whenever Tyler Glasnow steps on the mound.

The 29-year-old righty made his MLB debut in 2016 and has been pitching in Tampa Bay since 2018. Still, his greatest claim to fame for casual baseball fans is how much he looks like the Irish actor.

The Rays played off those similarities to get in on a Twitter joke with Murphy’s newest movie, “Oppenheimer,” opening in theaters.

There are, of course, many differences between Glasnow and Murphy. Glasnow is 18 years younger than Murphy and stands more than a foot taller at 6-foot-8. Odds are Murphy can’t throw a 96 mph fastball, either, while we also don’t know much about Glasnow’s acting chops.

Fans still can’t get over the similar appearances, though:

Glasnow celebrated Murphy’s “Oppenheimer” premiere with a solid outing Thursday night. He surrendered just two earned runs across seven innings, though the Rays lost to the Baltimore Orioles in extra innings.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

AMC Entertainment dropped its plans to charge customers variable prices for movie theater seats.

The company announced its “Sightline” pricing strategy in February and tested it out at select locations in three U.S. markets. The program charged moviegoers more for the best theater seats, or “Preferred Sightline” seats.

The program also reduced the price of seats deemed less attractive to patrons, such as those located at the front row of theaters.

The change comes as the movie theater industry suffers through a sluggish summer blockbuster season. And theaters are banking on this weekend’s “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” releases to bring much-needed foot traffic to theaters.

Shares of AMC Entertainment fell less than 1% on Thursday. The stock is up more than 5% this year, lagging the broader market.

Preferred Sightline seats included select locations in the middle of the auditorium that are preferred by some moviegoers, whereas Value Sightline seats were those typically located in the front row.

The chain said the program would end at participating locations in the coming weeks.

The decision comes after the pilot program showed moviegoers had little or no interest sitting at the front row, even though prices were reduced. The company said it also found that most moviegoers continued to choose the seats they preferred, even at higher prices.

The company added that the pivot is to ensure AMC’s ticket prices remain competitive. Other theater chains like Regal are not charging higher prices for better seats.

The cinema chain said its focus will now be to test front row seating with more comfortable recliners in select locations in the United States later this year.

CNBC reached out to AMC for additional comment.

This weekend at the box office is all about atomic bombs and blonde bombshells.

Typically when two big movies from two different studios hit theaters at the same time, it’s a competition for ticket sales. That’s not the case with Warner Bros.’ “Barbie” and Universal’s “Oppenheimer.”

Dubbed “Barbenheimer,” the dual release of these potential blockbusters is more complementary, with many moviegoers planning a double feature trip to cinemas

“Ever since we knew that these two films were going to open on the same weekend there’s just been instantly a pop culture phenomenon,” said Erik Davis, managing director at Fandango. “It’s been the most anticipated weekend of the year.”

The two films couldn’t be more different, with “Barbie” centering on the iconic Mattel doll navigating life outside of Barbie Land, and “Oppenheimer” documenting how the father of the atomic bomb crafted the first nuclear weapons.

Yet, audiences have gravitated towards both titles. This excitement is much needed for the domestic box office after a string of recently released big-budget flicks fell short of expectations.

Heading into the weekend, “Barbie” is expected to capture at least $90 million in domestic ticket sales, with some box office analysts projecting the film could tally upwards of $140 million. Meanwhile, “Oppenheimer” appears destined to snare between $40 million and $60 million.

The two films could together generate $200 million over their opening frame. With additional ticket sales from “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One,” “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” and “Sound of Freedom,” it could be the highest-grossing weekend of the year so far.

Major movie chains have indicated that ticket sales are strong for both films this weekend and additional shows have been added to accommodate demand.

Some 40,000 AMC Theatre loyalty program members have purchased tickets to see Barbie and Oppenheimer on the same day and the National Association of Theatre owners project that more than 200,000 moviegoers will attend same-day viewings of the two films.

“Going into this weekend anticipation has been very high for both ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer,'” said Jeffrey Kaufman, chief content officer at Malco Theatres. “Media coverage and the public embrace of the #Barbenheimer tag shows awareness and excitement for both releases.”

And much of the appeal comes from the films’ celebrated filmmakers.

Greta Gerwig (“Lady Bird,” “Little Women”) has only a few films under her belt as a director, but she’s already solidified a place among Hollywood’s famed auteurs. Her films center on women and feature witty dialogue and a strong emotional core. Gerwig is one of only seven women to be nominated for best director at the Academy Awards.

Audiences got their first taste of Gerwig’s take on the iconic Barbie doll back in December with a minute-long teaser trailer that spoofed Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey.” This would not be your typical Barbie movie.

Future trailers showcased the bubblegum pink Barbie Land that kids and kids at heart have known for more than 60 years and revealed the film’s plot. After an existential crisis, Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken (Ryan Gosling) head to the real world for some answers.

Then there is Christopher Nolan, who has cultivated an ardent fandom from films like “Memento,” “The Prestige,” “The Dark Knight,” “Interstellar” and “Dunkirk.”

Nolan’s films are known for their complex storytelling, bombastic sound and imagery designed for the biggest screens.

“Oppenheimer” is a three-hour opus centered on physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) as he relentlessly works to develop the first atomic bomb during World World II.

“‘Barbie’ has emerged as the frontrunner to claim first place over the weekend with its massive brand appeal courting an underserved female audience, but ‘Oppenheimer’ should have a long fuse to burn as Christopher Nolan’s films typically do,” said Shawn Robbins, chief analyst at BoxOffice.com

“Oppenheimer” will get a boost from premium format ticket sales, as audiences opt to watch the film on the biggest screen possible. Nolan’s flick is expected to control around 70% of all premium showings, which includes screens like IMAX, Dolby Cinema and ScreenX, this weekend. These tickets average around $17 a piece, according to data from EntTelligence.

General admission tickets, which include premium and standard digital showings, are expected to average around $14 each.

For “Barbie,” general average ticket price is slightly lower, at around $12, as the film will play in fewer premium auditoriums over the weekend.

These two films arrive in theaters following a slew of adult-aimed blockbusters that have underperformed at the box office.

“Unfortunately, the last three blockbusters — ‘Flash,’ ‘Indiana Jones’ and ‘Mission Impossible’ — all were by forecast estimates, underperformers,” said Kaufman. “This trend along with news cycle coverage of the Guild strikes and the loss of cast members availability for promotion stops may dampen things.”

“Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” likely won’t take a hit from a lack of publicity. Both films’ marketing campaigns were in full swing just ahead of the strike and both casts were able to participate, at least partially, with film premieres.

Viral videos of the pink-clad “Barbie” actors promoting the film and discussing their “Kenergy” have been circling social media for weeks alongside bubblegum-colored merchandise tie-ins and an Airbnb Dream House.

The marketing for “Oppenheimer” has been a little more muted in comparison, with actors and director Nolan touting its recreation of a nuclear detonation without the use of CGI and the importance of exploring the life of Oppenheimer.

“Exhibition is navigating a very nuanced balancing act with respect to programming two incredibly high-profile films with ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer,'” said Steve Buck of movie data firm EntTelligence. “The winner is simple – the moviegoer.”

Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC.

Released in July 1985, Back to the Future went on to become the highest grossing film of the year, making over $389 million and going on to become a beloved movie franchise.

And in honor of the epic film, starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, turning 38 (!) this year, we’re hopping in the DeLorean, checking the plutonium levels and hitting 88 miles per hour to reveal some surprising secrets about the Robert Zemeckis-directed film franchise.

Like, the fact that another ’80s star originally sported Marty McFly’s Nike Mags before Fox took over several weeks into filming. (You can see the OG Marty in one scene, by the way!)

Plus, Lloyd originally passed on the chance to play Doc Brown, with a Jurassic Park actor nearly landing the iconic part before Lloyd changed his mind.

The Best Summer Movies…Ever

From the stars who were almost cast as Marty and Doc Brown to the actor who sued the studio, here are 30 behind-the-scenes facts you might not know about the beloved Back to the Future trilogy…

1. Writer and producer Bob Gale came up with the idea for the movie while looking through his father’s high school yearbooks during a visit with family and discovering his dad was the president of his graduating class. As he put it to Esquire, “I wondered whether I would have been friends with my dad in high school.”

2. For years, multiple studios passed on the script, more than 40 rejections in total. Among them: Disney, with Gale claiming they said, “Are you guys out of your minds? You can’t make a movie like this here. This is Disney, and you’re giving us a movie about incest!”

3. Not a fan of the title, Universal Pictures head Sid Sheinberg suggested the name be changed to Spaceman From Pluto.

4. John Cusack and Johnny Depp originally auditioned for the role of Marty McFly, but C. Thomas Howell was the finalist for the role, ultimately losing out to Eric Stoltz.

5. Five weeks into filming, the filmmakers realized Stoltz wasn’t the right fit for the role, with Gale explaining to The Guardian, “The humor just hadn’t been coming through with Eric. The studio weren’t happy exactly, but they’d seen the footage so they bit the bullet.”

6. Director Robert Zemeckis was the one to deliver the news to Stoltz, with the filmmaker recalling in the book Blockbuster that it was “the hardest meeting I’ve ever had in my life and it was all my fault. I broke his heart.”

7. Reshooting all of the scenes Stoltz had already filmed added a reported $4 million to the movie’s budget.

8. Because Michael J. Fox was the original first choice for Marty, the filmmakers worked with the team at his hit sitcom Family Ties to make sure they could have him as their leading man. “We would’ve danced naked on his desk to get Michael J. Fox, so of course we said, ‘Yeah, sure, we’ll adjust our shooting schedule,'” Gale told The Hundreds blog.

9. Fox’s filming schedule was intense: He would shoot Family Ties during the day and then go right to the Back to the Future set from 6:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m., averaging five hours of sleep a night. “It was my dream to be in the film and television business, although I didn’t know I’d be in them simultaneously,” Fox said during a TV special. “It was just this weird ride and I got on.”

10. There is one scene with Stoltz still in the film. Though you can’t see his face, it’s Stoltz who punches Biff at the diner. 

11. In the original script, Doc Brown was called Professor Brown, with a studio executive recommending the change. 

12. Jeff Goldblum auditioned for the role of Doc Brown, according to Gale, who said, “The only other guy we really seriously considered for Doc Brown was Jeff Goldblum. Jeff came in, and…I’m certain we talked about John Lithgow, but I don’t remember if he ever actually came in, or if we met him. But I vividly remember meeting Jeff and liking him.”

13. Christopher Lloyd almost passed on the iconic role, hoping to do a play in New York instead. But he credited his wife, Carol, who “reminded me that I always told myself never to turn anything down without at least checking it out.”

14. In an interview with the Seattle Times, Lloyd revealed his two inspirations for Doc: Albert Einstein and Philadelphia orchestra conductor Leopold Stokowski, who had white hair. 

15. One of the reasons for Doc’s hunched over stance? To help with the seven-inch height difference between the two leads. 

16. The Office’s Melora Hardin initially snagged the role of Marty’s girlfriend Jennifer, but was recast before she even began filming after Fox replaced Stoltz. The issue: At 5-foot-5, she was an inch taller than Fox.

17. Though Claudia Wells originally played Jennifer in the first film, she retired from acting after her mother was diagnosed with cancer. Elisabeth Shue took over the role for the remaining installments. 

18. Originally, the studio was hoping Doc’s car would be a Ford Mustang, with the company paying for the placement, but Gale refused, telling AdWeek, “I said, ‘No, no, no, Doc Brown doesn’t drive a f–king Mustang.’ It had to be a DeLorean.” 

19. Huey Lewis, who wrote the hit songs “The Power of Love,” and “Back in Time” for the film, makes a cameo as one of the judges in the band audition.  

20. Lewis originally declined to work on music for the movie when he was approached by the director. 

21. In an early draft, the time machine was set to be a refrigerator, but Zemeckis was worried children would accidentally lock themselves in refrigerators, so it was changed to a car.

22. Originally slated to open in August 1985, test audiences reacted so positively to the movie that the studio moved the release date up. Back to the Future hit theaters nine weeks after completing production. 

23. Crispin Glover, who played Marty’s father George McFy, didn’t return for the sequels due to contract disputes. He later filed a lawsuit after filmmakers used footage from the first film and put a mold of his face on another actor “in order to fool audiences into thinking I was in the movie,” he said on The Opie and Anthony Show. 

Ultimately, a settlement was reached, with The Hollywood Reporter reporting he received $760,000 at the behest of the company that insured Universal.

24. Lea Thompson credits her turn in 1984’s The Wild Life for landing her the role of Lorraine, Marty’s mother, because “they were looking at Eric Stoltz for Marty McFly, and they were, like, ‘Who’s that girl?’ So that’s how I got the first audition for that,” she told The A.V. Club.

25. In the original script, Lorraine’s name was Meg. 

26. To achieve Lorraine’s 1985 look, Thompson’s prosthetic makeup took three and a half hours to apply. 

27. In 2015, footage of Stoltz as Marty was released for the first time in a documentary included on the 30th anniversary Blu-ray set. “We wanted to soft pedal that,” Gale said of the decision to release a small look at his turn performance. “We didn’t want to make Eric feel bad.”

28. Back to the Future: The Animated series ran for two seasons, airing on CBS from 1991 until 1992.

29. In March 2020, the musical adaptation of Back to the Future made its debut in England, with Olly Dobson as Marty McFly and Tony winner Roger Bart as Dr. Emmett Brown.

30. Zemeckis and Gale are firmly against the idea of a fourth film, with the director saying on a Zoom cast reunion that, “If I had an idea which I could have pitched to Bob [Gale] with a straight face, we would have made it.”

Not that you have to choose one or the other — as Tom Cruise said on Twitter, “I love a double feature, and it doesn’t get more explosive (or more pink) than the one with Oppenheimer and Barbie.”

Movies Jun 30, 2023

From ‘Super Mario' to ‘The Little Mermaid': The 10 highest-grossing movies of the first half of 2023

Jennifer Lawrence Jun 26, 2023

‘No Hard Feelings' team responds to controversy over premise of Jennifer Lawrence movie

Movies and Entertainment Jun 28, 2023

65 of the best family movies to watch all together

August also promises a new take on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and introduces a new DC superhero, Blue Beetle.

Here’s a month-by-month guide of this summer’s new movies. Keep scrolling for more info and review links for May and June’s releases.

July 7

” Insidious: The Red Door ” (Sony, theaters): Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne are back to scare everyone in the fifth edition.

“ Joy Ride ” (Lionsgate, theaters): Adele Lim directs this raucous comedy about a friends trip to China to find someone’s birth mother, starring Ashley Park, Stephanie Hsu, Sherry Cola and Sabrina Wu.

“ The Lesson ” (Bleecker Street, theaters): A young novelist helps an acclaimed author in this thriller with Richard E. Grant.

“ Biosphere ” (IFC, theaters and VOD): Mark Duplass and Sterling K. Brown are the last two men on Earth.

“ Earth Mama ” (A24, theaters): This acclaimed debut from Savannah Leaf focuses on a woman, single and pregnant with two kids in foster care, trying to reclaim her family in the Bay Area.

July 14

“ Mission: Impossible-Dead Reckoning Part I” (Paramount, theaters, on July 12): Tom Cruise? Death-defying stunts in Venice? The return of Kittridge? What more do you need?

“ Theater Camp ”(Searchlight, theaters): Musical theater nerds (and comedy fans) will delight in this loving satire of a childhood institution, with Ben Platt and Molly Gordon.

“ The Miracle Club ” (Sony Pictures Classics, theaters): Lifetime friends (Kathy Bates, Maggie Smith, Agnes O’Casey) in a small Dublin community in 1967 dream of a trip to Lourdes, a town in France where miracles are supposed to happen. Laura Linney co-stars.

“ 20 Days in Mariupol ” (in theaters in New York): AP’s Mstyslav Chernov directs this documentary, a joint project between The Associated Press and PBS “Frontline,” about the first weeks of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in which Chernov, photographer Evgeniy Maloletka, and field producer Vasilisa Stepanenko, became the only international journalists operating in the city. Their coverage won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.

“ Afire ” (Janus Films, theaters): This drama from German director Christian Petzold is set at a vacation home by the Baltic Sea where tensions rise between a writer, a photographer and a mysterious guest (Paula Beer) as a wildfire looms.

“ They Cloned Tyrone ” (Netflix): John Boyega, Teyonah Parris and Jamie Foxx lead this mystery caper.

July 21

“ Oppenheimer ” (Universal, theaters): Christopher Nolan takes audiences into the mind of the “father of the atomic bomb,” J. Robert Oppenheimer ( Cillian Murphy ) as he and his peers build up to the trinity test at Los Alamos.

“ Barbie ” (Warner Bros., theaters): Margot Robbie plays the world’s most famous doll (as do many others) opposite Ryan Gosling’s Ken in Greta Gerwig’s comedic look at their perfect world.

“ Stephen Curry: Underrated ” (Apple TV+): Peter Nicks directs a documentary about the four-time NBA champion.

“ The Beanie Bubble ” (in select theaters; on Apple TV+ on July 28): Zach Galifianakis stars as the man behind Beanie Babies in this comedic drama, co-starring Elizabeth Banks, Sarah Snook and Geraldine Viswanathan.

July 28

“ Haunted Mansion ” (Disney, theaters): A Disney ride comes to life in with the help of Rosario Dawson, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson and Danny DeVito.

“ Talk to Me ” (A24, theaters): A group of friends conjure spirits in this horror starring Sophie Wilde and Joe Bird.

“ Happiness for Beginners ” (Netflix, on July 27): Ellie Kemper is a newly divorced woman looking to shake things up.

“ Sympathy for the Devil ” (RLJE Films): Joel Kinnaman is forced to drive a mysterious gunman (Nicolas Cage) in this thriller.

“ Kokomo City ” (Magnolia): A documentary following four Black transgender sex workers. One of the subjects, Koko Da Doll, was shot and killed in April.

August 4

“ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem ” (Paramount, theaters): This animated movie puts the teenage back in the equation with a very funny voice cast including Seth Rogen and John Cena as Bebop and Rocksteady.

“ Shortcomings ” (Sony Pictures Classics, theaters): Randall Park directs this adaptation of Adrian Tomine’s graphic novel about Asian American friends in the Bay Area starring Sherry Cola as Alice, Ally Maki as Miko and Justin H. Min as Ben.

“ Meg 2: The Trench ” (Warner Bros., theaters): Jason Statham is back fighting sharks.

“ Passages ” (Mubi): The relationship of a longtime couple (Franz Rogowski, Ben Whishaw) is thrown when one begins an affair with a woman (Adèle Exarchopoulos).

“ A Compassionate Spy ” (Magnolia): Steve James’ documentary about the youngest physicist on the Manhattan Project who fed information to the Soviets.

“Dreamin’ Wild” (Roadside Attractions): Casey Affleck stars in this film about musical duo Donnie and Joe Emerson.

“ Problemista ” (A24, theaters): Julio Torres plays an aspiring toy designer in this surreal comedy co-starring Tilda Swinton that he also wrote, directed and produced.

August 11

“ Gran Turismo ” (Sony, theaters): A gamer gets a chance to drive a professional course in this video game adaptation starring David Harbour and Orlando Bloom.

“ The Last Voyage of the Demeter ” (Universal, theaters): This supernatural horror film draws from a chapter of “Dracula.”

“ Heart of Stone ” (Netflix): Gal Gadot played an intelligence operative in this action thriller, with Jamie Dornan.

“The Eternal Memory” (MTV Documentary Films): This documentary explores a marriage and Alzheimer’s disease.

“The Pod Generation” (Vertical, theaters): Emilia Clarke and Chiwetel Ejiofor star in this sci-fi comedy about a new path to parenthood.

“Jules” (Bleecker Street, theaters): Ben Kingsley stars in this film about a UFO that crashes in his backyard in rural Pennsylvania.

August 18

“ Blue Beetle ” (Warner Bros., theaters): Xolo Maridueña plays the DC superhero Jaime Reyes / Blue Beetle in this origin story.

“ Strays ” (Universal, theaters): Will Ferrell and Jamie Foxx voice dogs in this not-animated, R-rated comedy.

“birth/rebirth” (IFC, theaters): A woman and a morgue technician bring a little girl back to life in this horror.

“ White Bird ” (Lionsgate, theaters): Helen Mirren tells her grandson, expelled from school for bullying, a story about herself in Nazi-occupied France.

“Landscape with Invisible Hand” (MGM, theaters): Teens come up with a unique moneymaking scheme in a world taken over by aliens.

“The Hill” (Briarcliff Entertainment): This baseball drama starring Dennis Quaid is based on the true story of Rickey Hill.

August 25

“They Listen” (Sony, theaters): John Cho and Katherine Waterston lead this secretive Blumhouse horror.

“Golda” (Bleecker Street): Helen Mirren stars in this drama about Golda Meir, the Prime Minister of Israel during the Yom Kippur War.

“ Bottoms ” (MGM, theaters): Two unpopular teenage girls (Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri) start a fight club to impress the cheerleaders they want to lose their virginity to in this parody of the teen sex comedy.

“The Dive” (RLJE Films): In this suspense pic about two sisters out for a dive, one gets hurt and is trapped underwater.

“Scrapper” (Kino Lorber, theaters): A 12-year-old girl (Lola Campbell) is living alone in a London flat until her estranged father (Harris Dickinson) shows up.

“Fremont” (Music Box Films, theaters): A former army translator in Afghanistan (Anaita Wali Zada) relocates to Fremont, California and gets a job at a fortune cookie factory. “The Bear’s” Jeremy Allen White co-stars.

September 1

“ The Equalizer 3 ” (Sony, theaters): Denzel Washington is back as Robert McCall, who is supposed to be retired from the assassin business but things get complicated in Southern Italy.

ALREADY IN THEATERS AND STREAMING

“ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 ” (Disney/Marvel): Nine years after the non-comic obsessed world was introduced to Peter Quill, Rocket, Groot and the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy, the misfits are closing out the trilogy and saying goodbye to director James Gunn, who is now leading rival DC. ( AP’s review.)

“ What’s Love Got to Do with It? ” (Shout! Studios): Lily James plays a documentary filmmaker whose next project follows her neighbor (Shazad Latif) on his road to an arranged marriage in this charming romantic comedy.

“ Book Club: The Next Chapter ” (Focus Features): Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen travel to Italy to celebrate an engagement.

“ The Mother,” ( Netflix ): Jennifer Lopez is an assassin and a mother in this action pic timed to Mother’s Day. (AP’s review here.)

“ Love Again ” (Sony): Priyanka Chopra Jonas plays a woman mourning the death of her boyfriend who texts his old number not knowing it belongs to someone new (Sam Heughan). Celine Dion (and her music) co-star in this romantic drama.

“ STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie ” ( AppleTV+ ): Davis Guggenheim helps Michael J. Fox tell his story, from his rise in Hollywood to his Parkinson’s diagnosis and beyond.

“ Monica ” (IFC): A transgender woman, estranged from her family, goes home to visit her dying mother in this film starring Tracee Lysette and Patricia Clarkson.

“ The Starling Girl ” (Bleecker Street): Eliza Scanlen plays a 17-year-old girl living in a fundamentalist Christian community in Kentucky whose life changes with the arrival of Lewis Pullman’s charismatic youth pastor.

“ Fool’s Paradise ” (Roadside Attractions): Charlie Day writes, directs and plays dual roles in this comedic Hollywood satire.

“ Hypnotic ” (Ketchup Entertainment): Ben Affleck plays a detective whose daughter goes missing in this Robert Rodriguez movie.

“ It Ain’t Over ” (Sony Pictures Classics): A documentary about Lawrence Peter ‘Yogi’ Berra.

“Blackberry” (IFC): Jay Baruchel and Glenn Howerton star in this movie about the rise of the Blackberry. ( AP’s review.)

“ Fast X ” (Universal): In the tenth installment of the Fast franchise, Jason Momoa joins as the vengeful son of a slain drug lord intent to take out Vin Diesel’s Dom. ( AP’s review.)

“ White Men Can’t Jump ” (20th Century Studios, streaming on Hulu): Sinqua Walls and Jack Harlow co-star in this remake of the 1992 film, co-written by Kenya Barris and featuring the late Lance Reddick. ( AP’s review.)

“ Master Gardener ” (Magnolia): Joel Edgerton is a horticulturist in this Paul Schrader drama, co-starring Sigourney Weaver as a wealthy dowager. ( AP’s review.)

“ Sanctuary ” (Neon): A dark comedy about a dominatrix (Margaret Qualley) and her wealth client (Christopher Abbott).

“ The Little Mermaid ” (Disney): Halle Bailey plays Ariel in this technically ambitious live-action remake of a recent Disney classic directed by Rob Marshall (“Chicago”) and co-starring Melissa McCarthy as Ursula. ( AP’s review.)

“ You Hurt My Feelings ” (A24): Nicole Holofcener takes a nuanced and funny look at a white lie that unsettles the marriage between a New York City writer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and a therapist (Tobias Menzies). ( AP’s review.)

“ About My Father ” (Lionsgate): Stand-up comic Sebastian Maniscalco co-wrote this culture clash movie in which he takes his Italian-American father (Robert De Niro) on a vacation with his wife’s WASPy family. ( AP’s review.)

“ Victim/Suspect ” ( Netflix ): This documentary explores how law enforcement sometimes indicts victims of sexual assault instead of helping.

“ The Machine,” (Sony): Stand-up comedian Bert Kreischer brings Mark Hamill into the fray for this action-comedy.

“ Kandahar ” (Open Road Films): Gerard Butler plays an undercover CIA operative in hostile territory in Afghanistan.

“ Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse ” (Sony): Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) is back, but with things not going so well in Brooklyn, he opts to visit the multiverse with his old pal Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), where he encounters the Spider-Society. ( AP’s review.)

“ The Boogeyman ” (20th Century Studios): “It’s the thing that comes for your kids when you’re not paying attention,” David Dastmalchian explains to Chris Messina in this Stephen King adaptation.

“ Past Lives ” (A24): Already being hailed as one of the best of the year after its Sundance debut, Celine Song’s directorial debut is a decades and continent-spanning romance about two friends separated in childhood who meet 20 years later in New York. ( AP’s review.)

“ Transformers: Rise of the Beasts ” (Paramount): Steven Caple Jr directs the seventh Transformers movie, starring Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback. ( AP’s review.)

“Flamin’ Hot” ( Hulu, Disney+): Eva Longoria directs this story about Richard Montañez, a janitor at Frito-Lay who came up with the idea for Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. ( AP’s review.)

“ Blue Jean ” (Magnolia): It’s 1988 in England and hostilities are mounting towards the LGBTQ community in Georgia Oakley’s BAFTA-nominated directorial debut about a gym teacher (Rosy McEwan) and the arrival of a new student. ( AP’s review.)

“Daliland” (Magnolia): Mary Harron directs Ben Kingsley as Salvador Dalí.

“ The Flash ” (Warner Bros.): Batmans past Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton assemble for this standalone Flash movie directed by Andy Muschietti and starring Ezra Miller as the titular superhero. ( AP’s review.)

“ Elemental ” (Pixar): In Element City, residents include Air, Earth, Water and Fire in the new Pixar original, featuring the voices of Leah Lewis, Mamoudou Athie and Catherine O’Hara. ( AP’s review.)

“ Extraction 2 ” ( Netflix ): Chris Hemsworth’s mercenary Tyler Rake is back for another dangerous mission. ( AP’s review.)

“ Asteroid City ” (Focus Features): Wes Anderson assembles Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Jason Schwartzman and Jeffrey Wright for a stargazer convention in the mid-century American desert. ( AP’s review.)

“ The Blackening ” (Lionsgate): This scary movie satire sends a group of Black friends including Grace Byers, Jermaine Fowler, Melvin Gregg and X Mayo to a cabin in the woods.

“ No Hard Feelings ” (Sony): Jennifer Lawrence leads a raunchy comedy about a woman hired by a shy teen’s parents to help him get out of his shell before Princeton. ( AP’s review.)

“ Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny ” (Lucasfilm): Harrison Ford puts his iconic fedora back on for a fifth outing as Indy in this new adventure directed by James Mangold and co-starring Phoebe Waller-Bridge. ( AP’s review.)

“ Every Body ” (Focus Features): Oscar-nominated documentarian Julie Cohen turns her lens on three intersex individuals in her latest film. ( AP’s review.)

“ Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken ” (Universal): Lana Condor (“To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before”) lends her voice to this animated action-comedy about a shy teenager trying to survive high school as a part-Kraken. (AP’s review.)