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German Far-Right, Gaza War Overshadow Berlin Film Festival

A pedestrian walks past advertising billboards for the upcoming 74th Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin, Germany, February 13, 2024. (Reuters)
A pedestrian walks past advertising billboards for the upcoming 74th Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin, Germany, February 13, 2024. (Reuters)
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German Far-Right, Gaza War Overshadow Berlin Film Festival

A pedestrian walks past advertising billboards for the upcoming 74th Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin, Germany, February 13, 2024. (Reuters)
A pedestrian walks past advertising billboards for the upcoming 74th Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin, Germany, February 13, 2024. (Reuters)

The Berlin Film Festival, barely back on its feet after the COVID pandemic and the resulting dry period in film production, opens on Thursday to fresh rows over the rise of the far-right in Germany and the conflict in Gaza.

On the commercial side, the European Film Market, which traditionally runs in parallel with the festival, looks set for a vintage year, with buyers bullish now that the Hollywood scriptwriters' strike is over.

But the Berlinale also coincides with discussions over antisemitism, Germany's close ties with Israel amid the war in Gaza, and over a surge in support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party ahead of this year's European elections.

"These political discussions are in some ways overshadowing the entertainment, the films and the culture that usually is at the center of Berlin," said Scot Roxborough, European correspondent of the Hollywood Reporter and a festival veteran.

Born at the height of the Cold War in a divided city that was on the frozen conflict's front line, the Berlinale is no stranger to politics, but this year the rows started even before the opening ceremony, when festival leaders rescinded courtesy invitations sent out to AfD politicians.

The invitations, extended to them as elected legislators, triggered a media storm as they landed soon after reports emerged of a meeting at which senior AfD politicians had discussed with other far-right activists deporting ethnic minority German citizens.

The festival organizers then rescinded the invitations, saying they wanted to "take an unequivocal stand in favor of an open democracy."

Germany's stance on Gaza - firmly backing Israel's right to defend itself against Hamas militants while also condemning possible human rights violations by Israel in Gaza - has also prompted controversy, with at least one film withdrawing from the festival in protest over Berlin's perceived pro-Israel bias.

"(There'll) probably be a lot of angry people, on both sides, protesting here and probably throughout the city," said Roxborough.

The 74th festival will also be the last one run under artistic director Carlo Chatrian, who co-headed the festival with Mariette Rissenbeek and leaned more towards lesser-known cinema and away from star-driven and big studio films.

Cillian Murphy will be in town following his Oscar-nominated turn in "Oppenheimer" for the opening film, "Small Things Like These", while last year's jury president Kristen Stewart returns with "Love Lies Bleeding" and Adam Sandler presents "Spaceman".

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'Den of Thieves 2' Opens at No. 1 as 'Better Man' Flops

This image released by Lionsgate shows Gerard Butler, left, and O'Shea Jackson Jr. in a scene from "Den of Thieves 2: Pantera." (Rico Torres/Lionsgate via AP)
This image released by Lionsgate shows Gerard Butler, left, and O'Shea Jackson Jr. in a scene from "Den of Thieves 2: Pantera." (Rico Torres/Lionsgate via AP)
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'Den of Thieves 2' Opens at No. 1 as 'Better Man' Flops

This image released by Lionsgate shows Gerard Butler, left, and O'Shea Jackson Jr. in a scene from "Den of Thieves 2: Pantera." (Rico Torres/Lionsgate via AP)
This image released by Lionsgate shows Gerard Butler, left, and O'Shea Jackson Jr. in a scene from "Den of Thieves 2: Pantera." (Rico Torres/Lionsgate via AP)

On a quiet weekend in movie theaters, while much of Hollywood’s attention was on the wildfires that continue to rage in Los Angeles, Lionsgate’s “Den of Thieves 2: Pantera” debuted atop the box office with $15.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Mid-January is often a slow moviegoing period, and that was slightly exacerbated by the closures of about 10 theaters in Los Angeles, the country’s top box-office market, The Associated Press reported.
A sequel to the Gerard Butler 2018 heist thriller, “Den of Thieves 2” performed similarly to the original. The first installment, released by STX, opened with $15.2 million seven years ago. O’Shea Jackson Jr. co-stars in the sequel, which debuted in 3,008 North American theaters.
Butler's films are becoming something of a regular feature in January. He also starred in “Plane,” which managed $32.1 million after launching on Jan. 13 in 2023.
“Den of Thieves 2,” made for about $40 million, was a bit more costly to make. Audiences liked it well enough, giving it a “B+” CinemaScore. Reviews (58% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) weren’t particularly good. But it counted as Lionsgate’s first No.1 opening since “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” in November 2023.
Also entering wide release over the weekend was the Robbie Williams movie “Better Man,” one of the more audacious spins on the music biopic in recent years. Rather than going the more tradition routes of Elton John (“Rocketman”) or Elvis Presley (“Elvis”), the British popstar is portrayed by a CGI chimpanzee in Michael Gracey’s film.
The Paramount Pictures release, produced for $110 million and acquired by Paramount for $25 million, didn’t catch on much better than Williams’ previous forays into the United States. It tanked, with $1.1 million in ticket sales from 1,291 locations. Gracey’s previous feature, 2017’s “The Greatest Showman” ($459 million worldwide), fared far better in theaters. Reviews, however, have been very good for “Better Man.”
It was bested by “The Last Showgirl,” the Las Vegas drama starring Pamela Anderson. The Roadside Attractions release expanded to 870 theaters and collected $1.5 million.
Also outdoing “Better Man” was Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist.” Coming off winning best drama at the Golden Globes, the A24 postwar epic grossed a hefty $1.4 million from just 68 locations. It expands wider in the coming weeks.
The weekend's lion share of business went to holiday holdovers, including “Mufasa: The Lion King,” “Sonic the Hedgehog 3,” “Nosferatu” and “Moana 2.”
In its fourth week of release, Barry Jenkins “Mufasa” continued to do well, adding $13.2 million to bring its total to $539.7 million worldwide. Also on its fourth weekend, “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” padded its $384.8 million global total with $11 million. Robert Eggers’ “Nosferatu,” the surprise hit of the Christmas period, collected $6.8 million in ticket sales, bringing the vampire tale to $81.1 million domestically.
The Walt Disney Co.’s “Moana 2,” in its seventh week of release, added $6.5 million to bring its global tally to $989.8 million. In the coming days, it will become the third Disney film released in 2024 to notch $1 billion, joining “Inside Out 2” and “Deadpool and Wolverine.”