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Farrell Says Resisted ‘Sopranos’ Rewatch Ahead of ‘Penguin’ Mob Role 

Actor Colin Farrell presenting the Emmy award for "Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" during the 76th annual Emmy Awards ceremony held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California, USA, 15 September 2024. (EPA)
Actor Colin Farrell presenting the Emmy award for "Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" during the 76th annual Emmy Awards ceremony held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California, USA, 15 September 2024. (EPA)
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Farrell Says Resisted ‘Sopranos’ Rewatch Ahead of ‘Penguin’ Mob Role 

Actor Colin Farrell presenting the Emmy award for "Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" during the 76th annual Emmy Awards ceremony held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California, USA, 15 September 2024. (EPA)
Actor Colin Farrell presenting the Emmy award for "Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" during the 76th annual Emmy Awards ceremony held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California, USA, 15 September 2024. (EPA)

Colin Farrell resisted rewatching iconic mob drama "The Sopranos" while preparing for his turn as a gangster boss in "The Penguin," the Irish star of the new Batman universe series told AFP on Tuesday.

"The Penguin" chronicles the gritty rise of a low-level player in the criminal underworld against a backdrop of societal dysfunction in grimy Gotham City, with New York City used for filming.

Farrell's anti-hero character, Oz Cobb who is dubbed the Penguin for his unsteady walk from a mishandled case of club foot, has drawn media comparisons to the larger-than-life mob boss Tony Soprano played by James Gandolfini.

Farrell, who spent hours a day being transformed into a grizzled, chunky villain, said he had drawn on "anything I ever read or seen about that world" for inspiration.

"To be honest I didn't need references because the script was just -- you use your imagination -- we're given fantastic writing," he told AFP at the New York premiere Tuesday.

"There's no doubt anything I've ever seen (inspired me) ... from Untouchables to Sopranos -- I'm not comparing myself (to the Sopranos). It inhabits a similar world. No (I didn't rewatch it) -- that would mess with me, why would I do that? That would mess with me because I'm very susceptible to influence" he said.

"All those films that I have seen in my past are part of my Rolodex of what I now own as my imagination."

"The Penguin" is the latest of several productions set in the Batman universe, but without the presence of the eponymous hero.

This eight-episode DC Studios series follows Matt Reeves's film "The Batman," starring Robert Pattinson as the caped crusader.

"The Penguin" airs on HBO and streams on Max from Thursday.

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Entertainment

'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.”