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Diana Musical and ‘Space Jam’ Snag the Most Razzie Awards

Cast members Lebron James, Don Cheadle, Cedric Joe, Sonequa Martin-Green, Ceyair Wright, Harper Alexander and Director Malcolm D. Lee pose as they attend the premiere for the film Space Jam: A New Legacy in Los Angeles, California, US July 12, 2021. (Reuters)
Cast members Lebron James, Don Cheadle, Cedric Joe, Sonequa Martin-Green, Ceyair Wright, Harper Alexander and Director Malcolm D. Lee pose as they attend the premiere for the film Space Jam: A New Legacy in Los Angeles, California, US July 12, 2021. (Reuters)
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Diana Musical and ‘Space Jam’ Snag the Most Razzie Awards

Cast members Lebron James, Don Cheadle, Cedric Joe, Sonequa Martin-Green, Ceyair Wright, Harper Alexander and Director Malcolm D. Lee pose as they attend the premiere for the film Space Jam: A New Legacy in Los Angeles, California, US July 12, 2021. (Reuters)
Cast members Lebron James, Don Cheadle, Cedric Joe, Sonequa Martin-Green, Ceyair Wright, Harper Alexander and Director Malcolm D. Lee pose as they attend the premiere for the film Space Jam: A New Legacy in Los Angeles, California, US July 12, 2021. (Reuters)

A musical about Diana, the late Princess of Wales, and a remake of the semi-animated "Space Jam" starring LeBron James took home the most Razzies, the awards that skewer the year's lamest films on the eve of the big Oscar ceremony.

The Razzies announced the winners ahead of Sunday's Academy Awards, handing out five prizes to "Diana: The Musical," the film version of a Broadway production that closed in December after just 33 regular performances.

After its ignominious demise on stage, the film version snagged Razzies for worst picture, worst actress for Jeanna deWaal in the title role, worst supporting actress for Judy Kaye, and worst director for Christopher Ashley.

The Diana duo of Joe DiPietro and David Bryan claimed worst screenplay for what the Razzies called "some of the year's most ridiculed dialogue and lyrics, including rhyming 'Camilla' with both 'Manilla' and 'Godzilla,'" the Razzies said in a statement announcing the winners.

"Space Jam: A New Legacy" won three Razzies: worst actor for LeBron James, worst rip-off or sequel, and worst screen couple for James combined with any of the cartoon characters.

The movie put the NBA star, shot in live action, in a cosmic basketball game with Looney Tunes characters, remaking the 1996 original with Michael Jordan.

As usual, the Razzies ridiculed a former Oscar winner, naming Jared Leto worst supporting actor for his over-the-top performance as Paolo in "House of Gucci."

The Razzies gave Bruce Willis his own special category, nominating him eight times for "Worst Performance by Bruce Willis in a 2021 Movie," in eight forgettable films. The one called "Cosmic Sin" took the prize.

Four-time Razzie winner Will Smith received the only true honor, the redeemer award, for his role in "King Richard," for which Smith is also nominated for a best actor Oscar.

The Razzies, the self-described "ugly cousin to the Oscars," started in 1980 as the Golden Raspberry Awards, created by UCLA film school graduates and film industry veterans John J.B. Wilson and Mo Murphy.

More than 1,100 Razzie members from across the United States and about two dozen other countries vote on the awards, according to the Razzie website.

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‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ Bites Off $318 Million at the Global Box Office

This image released by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment shows Scarlett Johansson in a scene from " Jurassic World: Rebirth." (Jasin Boland/Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment via AP)
This image released by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment shows Scarlett Johansson in a scene from " Jurassic World: Rebirth." (Jasin Boland/Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment via AP)
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‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ Bites Off $318 Million at the Global Box Office

This image released by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment shows Scarlett Johansson in a scene from " Jurassic World: Rebirth." (Jasin Boland/Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment via AP)
This image released by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment shows Scarlett Johansson in a scene from " Jurassic World: Rebirth." (Jasin Boland/Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment via AP)

Dinosaur fatigue may be a theme in “Jurassic World Rebirth,” but moviegoing audiences don’t seem to have that reservation. The newest installment in the “Jurassic World” franchise ruled the Fourth of July holiday box office with a global, five-day launch of $318.3 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The Universal Pictures release, directed by Gareth Edwards, opened on Wednesday and earned $147.3 million in its first five days in 4,308 North American theaters. An estimated $91.5 million of that comes from the traditional “three day” weekend, which includes the Friday holiday, Saturday and projected Sunday ticket sales.

Internationally, it opened in 82 markets including China, adding $171 million to the opening total. According to the studio, $41.5 million of that came from China alone, where it played on 65,000 screens, 760 of which were IMAX. It's the country's biggest MPA (Motion Picture Association) opening of the year.

“Rebirth,” starring Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali and Jonathan Bailey, is the fourth movie in the “Jurassic World” series and the seventh since Steven Spielberg’s original Michael Crichton adaptation stormed theaters in the summer of 1993. The new film received mixed reviews from critics, carrying a 51% on Rotten Tomatoes, and B CinemaScore from opening weekend audiences, The Associated Press reported.

Factors like the holiday weekend, inflation and post-COVID moviegoing realities make it difficult to fairly compare the “Rebirth” launch to the other films in the “Jurassic World” franchise, the first of which opened to $208 million domestically in 2015. The other two, “Fallen Kingdom” and “Dominion” opened to $148 million and $145 million respectively.

“Jurassic World Rebirth” introduced a new main cast to the series and brought back a familiar voice in “Jurassic Park” screenwriter David Koepp to guide the story about a dangerous hunt for dinosaur DNA (not for making dinosaurs this time, but for curing heart disease). It cost a reported $180 million net to produce, not including marketing and promotion costs.

The campaign was far reaching, including a global press tour, with stops everywhere from London to Seoul, integrated marketing across NBC Universal platforms and brand tie-ins with everything from Jeep and 7-11 to Johansson’s skincare line.

No major new films dared go up against the dinosaurs, who left last week’s champion, the Brad Pitt racing movie “F1,” in the dust. “F1” fell a modest 54% in its second weekend with $26.1 million, helping bring its domestic total to $109.5 million. It continues to play on IMAX screens with accounted for $7.6 million of the North American weekend ticket sales. Globally, it's nearing $300 million with a running total of $293.6 million.

Third place went to Universal's live-action “How to Train Your Dragon,” which earned $11 million in its fourth weekend, bringing its domestic total to $224 million. Disney and Pixar's “Elio” landed in fourth place with $5.7 million. Globally, “Elio” has just crossed $96 million in three weekends.