| | | | What's news: And I'm back! Many thanks to Ryan "Knuckles" Gajewski for holding the fort while I was away. I will begrudgingly admit he did a stellar job. I'm also happy to confirm that I'm a father for a second time, and less happy to reveal that I haven't slept for weeks and am slightly delirious. In other news, Shazam 2 is bombing the world over. Adam Sandler received the Mark Twain Prize. Chuck Lorre is donating $30m to Ceders-Sinai Medical Center. Kelly McCreary is leaving Grey's Anatomy. And Good Burger 2 is edging towards reality. Forward! — Abid Rahman |
'Shazam 2' Opens to Dismal $30.5M ►Not so super. DC and New Line’s Shazam! Fury of the Gods opened to a dismal $30.5m domestically from 4,071 theaters, well behind the $53.5m domestic opening of the first Shazam! in 2019, not adjusted for inflation. THR's Pamela McClintock writes that the film's opening is one of the worst starts for a major Hollywood superhero film, as well as one of the worst for a title in the DCEU, including those released during the pandemic. Shazam 2 cost at least $110m to produce before marketing.
The news was just as bad overseas, where Shazam 2 opened to just $35m from 78 markets — including bombing in China with $4.4m — for a worldwide start of $65.5m. In North America, prerelease tracking had suggested Shazam 2 would open to at least $35m this weekend. Others believed it had a shot at $40m. The film's Rotten Tomatoes score is a ho-hum 54 percent. That compares to 90 percent for the 2019 movie. The sequel also received a more subdued B+ CinemaScore, compared to an A for the first film. The box office report.
—It gets worse. Hollywood’s recent streak of shaky box office results in China continued over the weekend, as Shazam 2 and Universal’s horror hit M3GAN both crashed and burned. Shazam 2 opened to just $4.3m, which represents an 86 percent slide from the original Shazam!‘s $29.7m opening in 2019. Ticketing app Maoyan currently projects the film to finish with just $7.5m, one of the lowest results of recent memory for a U.S. superhero tentpole. The China box office report. |
Stephanie Reddick Remembers Lance Reddick ►"Taken from us far too soon." Lance Reddick’s wife Stephanie Reddick is remembering her husband a day after his death. The actor, known for his roles in several projects including John Wick, The Wire, Fringe and Bosch, died suddenly Friday from natural causes. Stephanie took to social media Saturday to share a carousel of photos of the star on his Instagram account. The story.
—Out. CBS announced that Ian Metrose, its longtime senior vp talent relations and special events, is leaving the network. The exec has been under scrutiny since a report in November 2022 revealed how he was centrally involved in efforts to counter sexual misconduct allegations against his then-boss, the former CBS head Leslie Moonves. The story.
—"I am absolutely devastated." Andrew Lloyd Webber revealed his eldest son, Nicholas Lloyd Webber, is critically ill with gastric cancer. Nicholas is a Grammy-nominated composer and record producer, most known for scoring the BBC series Love, Lies and Records, as well as the film The Last Bus and short Mr Invisible. He also co-produced the original cast album for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella in 2021, which landed him a Grammy nom for best musical theater album. The story.
—"Not a tough call for me." The Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles will be getting a new school thanks to a $30m donation from Chuck Lorre. The veteran TV creator and showrunner, known for such hits as Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon, and his Chuck Lorre Family Foundation gifted the funds to help underserved people seeking to pursue a career in the health care industry. The story. |
'Swarm' Boss Peels Back the Layers of Series and Its Antihero ►"She’s so terrifying! The way she could turn it on and off, I have just never seen anything like that in anyone before." Following this weekend’s release of Swarm, viewers on social media are still abuzz from analyzing the performance of Dominique Fishback as Andrea “Dre” Greene, a strangely warped sweet-faced psychopath serial killer in Amazon Prime Video’s new binge-watch. For THR, Demetrius Patterson spoke to showrunner and co-creator Janine Nabers about how the show is inspired by true-crime events, and how she and the producers took extra care of Fishback on set. The interview.
—All too familiar. Staying with Swarm, Billie Eilish’s turn as the creepy Eva, has also been the talk of social media. THR's Abbey White looks into how the Grammy-winner's debut acting role drew inspiration from the infamous NXIVM cult and it’s leader Keith Raniere. The story.
—"His work feels effortless. I don’t want to say ‘lazy,’ because that’s not the right word…but I don’t have a better word right now." Adam Sandler was the recipient of the 2023 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, with Sunday's ceremony at the Kennedy Center in D.C. becoming a big reunion for the popular comedian’s famous friends. The likes of Conan O’Brien Judd Apatow, Chris Rock, Steve Buscemi, Ben Stiller, Drew Barrymore and Jennifer Aniston all appeared to roast and praise the Sandman in equal measure. The story. |
There's Something Funny About This Roundtable ►"Honestly, a majority of the work before the shoot went into figuring out where to buy a big table, and how to get it into a small room." Rebecca Keegan spoke to comedy writers and actors Jeremy Levick and Rajat Suresh about their latest project that hits rather close to home for us at THR. The duo's The Hollywood Recorder Actors Roundtable, a 54-minute parody of the long-running THR franchise, has gone viral for nailing the look and feel of the Roundtable series as well as the moderators’ hard-hitting questions. The interview.
—Almost as many seasons as showrunners. Peacock has handed out a third-season renewal for Bel-Air, its dramatic reimagining of Will Smith’s beloved The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The season three renewal marks its first vote of confidence beyond that initial order and follows a wave of showrunner changes as the drama struggled to find its creative voice. The story.
—"It has been a tremendous honor to be a part of such a legendary television institution." Kelly McCreary, who has played beloved doctor Maggie Pierce, the half-sister to Ellen Pompeo’s Meredith Grey, for nine seasons on Grey's Anatomy, is departing the hit ABC medical drama. Her farewell episode as a series regular will air April 13. The story.
—It's happening! Good Burger 2, a sequel to the iconic ‘90s film, has been greenlit at Paramount+ and Nickelodeon Studios. Kenan Thompson, who played Dexter Reed, and Kel Mitchell, who starred as the original cashier, Ed, announced the news on The Tonight Show Friday. With Thompson and Mitchell reprising their roles, the movie will follow them as they reunite in the present day at fast-food restaurant Good Burger with a new group of employees. The story. |
Film Review: 'Air' ►"Not a slam dunk, but scores enough points." THR's Lovia Gyarkye reviews Ben Affleck's Air. The Argo actor/director stars alongside Matt Damon and Viola Davis in this feature about the creation of Nike's Air Jordan shoe. The review.
—"A whole lot of fun." Lovia reviews Adele Lim's Joy Ride. This directorial debut from the Crazy Rich Asians screenwriter follows four friends on their wild, international adventure and stars Ashley Park and Stephanie Hsu. The review.
—"Both a bloody good homage and an effective corrective." Lovia also reviews Lee Cronin's Evil Dead Rise. In the latest entry in Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell's series, a mother and her children must fight the demonic forces in their apartment. The review.
—"A more somber and philosophical take on the gregarious star." THR's Dan Fienberg reviews Alexandre O. Philippe's You Can Call Me Bill. The director walks William Shatner through his career in a documentary that covers everything from Star Trek to Boston Legal to his trip into space. The review.
—"Odenkirk holds this work-in-progress comedy together." Dan reviews AMC's Lucky Hank. Bob Odenkirk plays the eternally frustrated head of a college English department in a series adaptation of Richard Russo's novel Straight Man. The review. |
TV Review: 'Beef' ►"A feast of sharp comedy, wild thrills and disarming empathy." THR's Angie Han reviews Netflix's Beef. Steven Yeun and Ali Wong star as two strangers who become embroiled in an escalating feud following a road-rage incident in the series created by Lee Sung Jin (Dave). The review.
—"Stalter delivers in a warm, if slightly flimsy, indie." Angie reviews Hannah Pearl Utt's Cora Bora. Hacks star Megan Stalter plays an aimless 30-something musician who returns to her hometown of Portland when she begins to suspect her long-distance girlfriend has met someone else. The review.
—"Too detached to cut very deep." THR's Jourdain Searles reviews Lisa Steen's Late Bloomers. Karen Gillan plays a depressed musician who bonds with an older Polish woman (Margaret Sophie Stein) in the filmmaker's directorial debut, which premiered at SXSW. The review.
In other news...
—Rupert Murdoch announces engagement to Ann Lesley Smith
—Babyface sells six-bedroom L.A. mansion for $6.5m
—Goop and the Maybourne Beverly Hills Hotel to bring Claridge’s afternoon tea to L.A.
—Auberge Resorts’ The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern debuts in Santa Barbara wine country
—L.A.’s Hammer Museum reopens with new gallery space
—Ann de Toth, screenwriter and widow of André de Toth, dies at 82
What else we're reading...
—Polina Ivanova writes that Putin’s war destroyed a golden age of Russian culture [FT]
—Chris Molanphy looks at why “canceled” country star Morgan Wallen has America’s No. 1 song [Slate]
—Sigal Samuel makes the entirely reasonable case for slowing down AI [Vox]
—Alex Pappademas has a wonderful interview with Depeche Mode's Dave Gahan and Martin Gore, who talk about their latest and the impact of losing bandmate Andy Fletcher [NYT]
—Cherylann Mollan and Meryl Sebastian investigate Bollywood's complex relationship with paparazzi [BBC]
Today...
...in 1964, Peter Sellers’ Inspector Clouseau made his way to theaters in Blake Edwards’ The Pink Panther. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Spike Lee (66), Murray Bartlett (52), Holly Hunter (65), Ruby Rose (37), David Thewlis (60), Hassie Harrison (33), Freema Agyeman (44), Michael Rapaport (53), Elizabeth Bourgine (66), Christy Carlson Romano (39), Stephanie Kurtzuba (51), Leila George (31), Marc Warren (56), Stacy Martin (33), Bianca Lawson (44), Xavier Dolan (34), Stephen Sommers (61), Kathy Ireland (60), Jessica Lundy (57), Robb Wells (52), Natalie Gumede (39), Mikey Day (43), Cedric Yarbrough (50) |
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