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‘The Life of Chuck’ Wins the Toronto Film Festival’s People’s Choice Award

Tom Hiddleston attends the premiere of "The Life of Chuck" during the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival at Princess of Wales Theatre on September 06, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario. (Getty Images/AFP)
Tom Hiddleston attends the premiere of "The Life of Chuck" during the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival at Princess of Wales Theatre on September 06, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario. (Getty Images/AFP)
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‘The Life of Chuck’ Wins the Toronto Film Festival’s People’s Choice Award

Tom Hiddleston attends the premiere of "The Life of Chuck" during the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival at Princess of Wales Theatre on September 06, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario. (Getty Images/AFP)
Tom Hiddleston attends the premiere of "The Life of Chuck" during the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival at Princess of Wales Theatre on September 06, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario. (Getty Images/AFP)

The Toronto International Film Festival's People's Choice Award went to “The Life of Chuck,” handing Mike Flanagan's Stephen King adaptation one of the most-watched prizes of the fall film festival circuit.

The award for “The Life of Chuck” was announced Sunday as North American's largest film festival drew to a close. “The Life of Chuck,” based on King's 2020 novella of the same name, stars Tom Hiddleston as Charles “Chuck” Krantz, an ordinary man living through apocalyptic cataclysms. Mark Hamill, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan and Jacob Tremblay co-star.

TIFF's People's Choice Award is regarded as a reliable Oscar harbinger. Since 2012, every winner of the festival's top prize has gone on to be nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards. Last year, Cord Jefferson's “American Fiction” won, and went on to be a major awards contender.

But “The Life of Chuck” could test that track record. The film is up for sale and doesn't yet have distribution. It could be acquired and quickly readied for release this fall, or it might end up a 2025 release.

“The Life of Chuck” drew mixed — though mostly positive reviews — out of Toronto, though audiences were clearly charmed by the uplifting drama.

Runners-up for the People's Choice Award, which is voted on by festival attendees, were both films that first premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May. The first was Jacques Audiard's “Emilia Pérez.” The second runner-up was Sean Baker's “Anora,” the Palme d'Or winner at Cannes.

The audience award for top documentary went to Mike Downie's “The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal.” In the festival's Midnight Madness section, the prize went to Coralie Fargeat's “The Substance,” starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley.

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Entertainment

Technician Dies Installing Stage for Shakira Concert in Rio

A general view of the stage after the death of a worker in an accident that occurred during its setup for Colombian singer Shakira at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on April 26, 2026. (AFP)
A general view of the stage after the death of a worker in an accident that occurred during its setup for Colombian singer Shakira at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on April 26, 2026. (AFP)
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Technician Dies Installing Stage for Shakira Concert in Rio

A general view of the stage after the death of a worker in an accident that occurred during its setup for Colombian singer Shakira at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on April 26, 2026. (AFP)
A general view of the stage after the death of a worker in an accident that occurred during its setup for Colombian singer Shakira at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on April 26, 2026. (AFP)

A technician was killed on Sunday in Rio de Janeiro setting up a stage where pop superstar Shakira is set to perform a free concert this week, authorities and organizers said.

Crews have been working for weeks to assemble a stage on the sands of the Brazilian city's Copacabana beach, where crowds are expected from around the world to see the Colombian singer perform on May 2 as part of her record-breaking world tour.

The man suffered crushing injuries to his legs in a lifting system, the fire department said in a statement.

Workers managed to free the man and he was taken to hospital, but he did not survive, the state fire department (CBMERJ) said.

"Unfortunately, the technician passed away in hospital," concert organizer Bonus Track said in a statement.

"Out of nowhere, we saw people running, and when we looked, the structure was on the ground," Antonio Marcos Ferreira dos Santos, 51, who was on the beach at the time, told AFP.

"People were saying that a man had gotten trapped underneath. People rushed over to pull him out."

Entertainment

'Michael' Moonwalks to $97 Million Opening, Shattering Record for Music Biopics

Michael Jackson's black sequined jacket with the markings "002 MJJ 87" and "Proto 2" (1987), is displayed before the auction of a collection dedicated to Michael Jackson at the Aguttes auction house in Neuilly-sur-Seine, near Paris, France, April 23, 2026. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier
Michael Jackson's black sequined jacket with the markings "002 MJJ 87" and "Proto 2" (1987), is displayed before the auction of a collection dedicated to Michael Jackson at the Aguttes auction house in Neuilly-sur-Seine, near Paris, France, April 23, 2026. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier
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'Michael' Moonwalks to $97 Million Opening, Shattering Record for Music Biopics

Michael Jackson's black sequined jacket with the markings "002 MJJ 87" and "Proto 2" (1987), is displayed before the auction of a collection dedicated to Michael Jackson at the Aguttes auction house in Neuilly-sur-Seine, near Paris, France, April 23, 2026. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier
Michael Jackson's black sequined jacket with the markings "002 MJJ 87" and "Proto 2" (1987), is displayed before the auction of a collection dedicated to Michael Jackson at the Aguttes auction house in Neuilly-sur-Seine, near Paris, France, April 23, 2026. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier

"Michael," the big-budget Michael Jackson spectacle, shrugged off bad reviews and a troubled production to launch with $97 million in US and Canada theaters, according to studio estimates Sunday, shattering a record debut for music biopics.

A highly authorized portrayal of the King of Pop, co-produced by the Jackson estate, Lionsgate’s “Michael” far surpassed previous biopic top performers like “Straight Outta Compton” (a $60.2 million debut in 2015) and “Bohemian Rhapsody” ($51 million in 2018).

International sales were also strong, The Associated Press reported. “Michael” collected $120.4 million overseas, to give it a $217.4 million global opening — a new high for a music biopic. Universal picked up distribution in most international markets.

Even in the lucrative market of music biopics, “Michael” was an audacious bet by Lionsgate on an extraordinarily popular but controversial figure. The reputation of Jackson, who died in 2009 at the age of 50, has been repeatedly tarnished by allegations of sexual abuse of children. Jackson and his estate have maintained his innocence, though the pop star acknowledged sharing a bedroom with other people’s children. He was acquitted in his sole criminal trial in 2005.

Some Jackson family members opposed the film. Janet Jackson was uninvolved and doesn’t appear in it. Jackson’s daughter, Paris, called it “fantasy land.” But three years after “Leaving Neverland,” the 2009 documentary about Jackson’s alleged sexual abuse of children, “Bohemian Rhapsody” producer Graham King announced plans for the biopic. Jackson’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, was cast to star.

“Michael” had an unusually rocky production. After shooting was completed, producers realized they had made a costly mistake. The third act focused on the accusations of Jordan Chandler, then 13 years old, whom Jackson paid $23 million to in a 1994 settlement. The terms of that settlement barred the Jackson estate from ever mentioning Chandler in a movie.

A huge chunk of the film had to be cut. Reshoots for as much as $50 million were done at the estate’s expense. Director Antoine Fuqua and screenwriter John Logan reworked the movie to conclude in 1988, before any accusations were made.

Yet as bad as things once looked for “Michael,” the movie turned into a hit. The film’s total production cost came close to $200 million. To defray costs, Lionsgate sold international distribution rights to Universal. A sequel, while not yet announced, is expected.

Critics slammed the film for glossing over some of the less convenient aspects of Jackson’s life. It scored a paltry 38% on Rotten Tomatoes. But audiences were far more enthusiastic.

“Michael” earned an “A-” CinemaScore.

The opening for “Michael” added to a strong spring for Hollywood boosted by box-office hits like Amazon MGM’s “Project Hail Mary” and Universal’s “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.” After three weeks atop the box office, the “Mario” sequel slid to second place, with $21.2 million. It four weeks, it’s collected $386.5 million domestically.

Entertainment

Screenwriters Overwhelmingly Approve a 4-Year Contract with Hollywood Studios

Flags flutter in front of the Hollywood Sign after US President Donald Trump ordered a 100% tariff on foreign-made films in Los Angeles, California, US, September 29, 2025. (Reuters)
Flags flutter in front of the Hollywood Sign after US President Donald Trump ordered a 100% tariff on foreign-made films in Los Angeles, California, US, September 29, 2025. (Reuters)
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Screenwriters Overwhelmingly Approve a 4-Year Contract with Hollywood Studios

Flags flutter in front of the Hollywood Sign after US President Donald Trump ordered a 100% tariff on foreign-made films in Los Angeles, California, US, September 29, 2025. (Reuters)
Flags flutter in front of the Hollywood Sign after US President Donald Trump ordered a 100% tariff on foreign-made films in Los Angeles, California, US, September 29, 2025. (Reuters)

Members of the screenwriters union overwhelmingly ratified a four-year agreement with Hollywood studios and streamers on Friday, bringing an end to a surprisingly smooth and quick process that brought a prolonged strike the last time around.

Union leaders said 90% voted to approve the deal struck between the Writers Guild of America West, Writers Guild of America East and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. Studios will now shift to negotiations with actors and directors.

Leaders of the unions emphasized gains in health coverage.

“In the face of industry contraction and runaway health care cost inflation, writers were able to secure a contract that returns our Health Fund to a sustainable path and builds on gains from the 2023 strike,” WGA West President Michele Mulroney said in a statement.

Guild leaders said the deal also includes minimum pay hikes, especially for comedy and variety writers, with more money in residuals for the re-airing of their work.

The AMPTP congratulated the union on the ratification.

“This deal reflects a collaborative approach that supports both writers and the industry’s long-term stability,” it said in its own statement.

An April 4 tentative agreement came about three weeks after negotiations began — a stark contrast to the contentious contract negotiation that along with an actors strike brought the industry to a standstill in 2023.

The Writers Guild has had its own labor struggles with its staff, whose strike brought the cancellation of their annual awards ceremony in March.

Actors, through their union SAG-AFTRA, are still negotiating their new contract. The groups have negotiated for about a month and are set to resume Monday after a break.

SAG-AFTRA President Sean Astin said in a February interview with The Associated Press that he has seen signs that the studios want “to work as partners again."

The Directors Guild begins its contract talks on May 11.