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Zendaya Tennis Movie ‘Challengers’ Scores at Weekend Box Office

Mike Faist, from left, Zendaya and Josh O'Connor pose for a portrait to promote "Challengers" on Friday, April 19, 2024, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP)
Mike Faist, from left, Zendaya and Josh O'Connor pose for a portrait to promote "Challengers" on Friday, April 19, 2024, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP)
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Zendaya Tennis Movie ‘Challengers’ Scores at Weekend Box Office

Mike Faist, from left, Zendaya and Josh O'Connor pose for a portrait to promote "Challengers" on Friday, April 19, 2024, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP)
Mike Faist, from left, Zendaya and Josh O'Connor pose for a portrait to promote "Challengers" on Friday, April 19, 2024, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP)

The tennis drama “Challengers” won the box office this weekend with $15 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Zendaya and castmates Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor have been on a globetrotting press tour to get the word out about Italian director Luca Guadagnino's original film, which opened in 3,477 locations in the US and Canada.

Ticket sales from large format screens, including IMAX, made up about 40% of the opening weekend grosses. According to PostTrak exit poll reported by Deadline, 55% of audiences said they went to see the film because of Zendaya. In fact, this weekend, Zendaya movies accounted for around 26% of the overall box office with the re-release of “Dune: Part Two” in IMAX.

The 27-year-old actor has been part of some of the most successful franchises of the last few years, including the “Spider-Man” and “Dune” movies. In both cases those were supporting roles in massive brand-name properties, but her eye-catching red carpet looks also often make headlines. “Challengers” would be the first real test of her ability to “open” a film on her own star and MGM and Amazon were not going to risk doing it without her.

The studio had originally planned to release “Challengers” in the fall of 2023, with a picturesque launch at the Venice Film Festival. But when the actors went on strike last July, the studio made the decision to scuttle the festival premiere and move the film to this weekend when they could safely assume the strike would be resolved. Zendaya sported many tennis-themed looks, styled by Law Roach, for her appearances.

Reviews have been largely positive for the R-rated movie, which teases a steamy and competitive love triangle between the tennis players. It currently has an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes and got a B+ CinemaScore from opening day audiences. Women made up 58% of ticket buyers, who also skewed younger overall: 41% were between the ages of 18 and 24.

Guadagnino’s last film “Bones and All,” starring Zendaya’s “Dune” co-star Timothée Chalamet made $15.2 million in its entire run. By mid-week, “Challengers” expected to surpass “Call Me By Your Name” ($18 million) to become Guadagnino's highest grossing film.

For Amazon MGM Studios, the value also extends beyond the box office driving a “downstream value” for Amazon, including when “Challengers” eventually makes its way to Prime Video.

Second place went to the faith-based film “Unsung Hero,” which made an estimated $7.8 million from 2,832 locations. It’s based on the true story of the Smallbone family, and the rise of their children Rebecca St. James, and sons Joel and David (for KING + COUNTRY) in the country music scene. Joel Smallbone directed, co-wrote and portrays his father David.

The Lionsgate film, which was made for only $6 million, scored a rare A+ CinemaScore and has a 100% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The critic’s score is a much more tempered 58%. Audiences were overwhelmingly female (69%) and over 25 (91).

A24's “Civil War” also added $7 million in its third weekend, bringing its domestic total to $56.2 million.

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Entertainment

Comcast to Unveil Netflix, Apple TV+, Peacock Streaming Bundle

FILE - This Jan. 29, 2010, file photo shows the company logo and view of Netflix headquarters in Los Gatos, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)
FILE - This Jan. 29, 2010, file photo shows the company logo and view of Netflix headquarters in Los Gatos, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)
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Comcast to Unveil Netflix, Apple TV+, Peacock Streaming Bundle

FILE - This Jan. 29, 2010, file photo shows the company logo and view of Netflix headquarters in Los Gatos, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)
FILE - This Jan. 29, 2010, file photo shows the company logo and view of Netflix headquarters in Los Gatos, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)

Comcast is set to launch a streaming bundle combining its Peacock service with Netflix and Apple TV+, as the media and broadband company looks to retain subscribers in the face of stiff competition.

The new bundle, StreamSaver, will be available to all its broadband, TV and mobile subscribers and at a "vastly reduced price to anything in the market today", Comcast CEO Brian Roberts told the MoffettNathanson Media, Internet & Communications Conference on Tuesday.

The tie-up follows a similar one announced last week between Warner Bros Discovery and Walt Disney - to offer a bundle of the Disney+, Hulu and Max streaming services.

"We've been bundling video successfully and creatively for 60 years. And so this is the latest iteration of that, and I think this will be a pretty compelling package," Roberts said, Reuters reported.

Broadband subscriber loss has been a sore point for Comcast as it faces intense competition from telecom firms such as T-Mobile and Verizon. The trend is expected to continue with the end of a federal internet subsidy program this month.

Churn - the percentage of customers who have stopped using a company's services - has also long been one of the key problems facing the streaming industry, with more companies turning to bundling to combat subscriber losses and to better compete with industry leader Netflix.

Peacock, the streaming service of Comcast's unit NBCUniversal, reported 34 million subscribers at the end of the first quarter, compared with Netflix's 269.60 million subscribers and 117.6 million at Disney+, excluding Hotstar.

In an effort to attract more customers, Comcast in April launched a low-cost prepaid service plan called "Now" for broadband, TV and mobile, with flexible monthly options.

More details about the Comcast streaming bundle are expected to be released later this month.

Entertainment

George Clooney to Make His Broadway Debut in Play Version of Movie ‘Good Night, and Good Luck’ 

George Clooney attends a special screening of "The Boys in the Boat" in New York on Dec. 13, 2023. (AP)
George Clooney attends a special screening of "The Boys in the Boat" in New York on Dec. 13, 2023. (AP)
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George Clooney to Make His Broadway Debut in Play Version of Movie ‘Good Night, and Good Luck’ 

George Clooney attends a special screening of "The Boys in the Boat" in New York on Dec. 13, 2023. (AP)
George Clooney attends a special screening of "The Boys in the Boat" in New York on Dec. 13, 2023. (AP)

George Clooney will make his Broadway acting debut next year in a familiar project for the Hollywood star: “Good Night, and Good Luck.”

Clooney will play legendary TV journalist Edward R. Murrow in a stage adaptation of the 2005 movie that earned him directing and writing Oscar nominations and was among the best picture contenders.

“I am honored, after all these years, to be coming back to the stage and especially, to Broadway, the art form and the venue that every actor aspires to,” Clooney said in a statement.

The play “Good Night, and Good Luck” — with David Cromer directing — will premiere on Broadway in spring 2025 at a Shubert Theatre to be announced. It will be again co-written by Clooney and Grant Heslov.

The 90-minute black-and-white film starred David Strathairn as Murrow and is a natural to be turned into a play: The dialogue-heavy action unfolds on handful of sets. The title comes from Murrow’s signoff on the TV series “See It Now.”

A key part of Clooney’s film portrayed Murrow’s struggle to maintain support from CBS executives for critical reporting on Republican Sen. Joseph McCarthy, known for accusing government employees of disloyalty. Clooney played “See It Now” co-creator Fred Friendly, who resisted intense pressure and ensured the reports got to air.

Murrow, who died in 1965, is considered one of the architects of US broadcast news.

“Edward R. Murrow operated from a kind of moral clarity that feels vanishingly rare in today’s media landscape. There was an immediacy in those early live television broadcasts that today can only be effectively captured on stage, in front of a live audience,” Cromer said in a statement.

The Clooneys are boosters of journalism. Clooney’s father, Nick Clooney, worked as a TV news anchor and host in a variety of cities including Cincinnati, Salt Lake City and Los Angeles. He also wrote a newspaper column in Cincinnati and taught journalism students at American University.

At the time the movie came out, Clooney said his family took pride in how journalists held the government accountable during the paranoia of the 1950s communist threat. Clooney said he wanted to make a movie to let people hear some “really well-written words about the fourth estate again.”

Entertainment

Meryl Streep: Hollywood’s Peerless Star 

Meryl Streep gestures during the iHeartRadio Music Awards at Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, California, US, April 1, 2024. (Reuters)
Meryl Streep gestures during the iHeartRadio Music Awards at Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, California, US, April 1, 2024. (Reuters)
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Meryl Streep: Hollywood’s Peerless Star 

Meryl Streep gestures during the iHeartRadio Music Awards at Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, California, US, April 1, 2024. (Reuters)
Meryl Streep gestures during the iHeartRadio Music Awards at Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, California, US, April 1, 2024. (Reuters)

There is a strong case to be made that Meryl Streep, who picks up a lifetime achievement award at the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday, is the most respected actor of her generation.

Streep, 74, has amassed a record haul of awards and built a filmography of modern classics that stretches across six decades, from dramas such as "The Deer Hunter", "The French Lieutenant's Woman" and "Kramer vs. Kramer", to family favorites like "Mamma Mia!" and "The Devil Wears Prada".

It is her vocal skills that have often set her apart -- from the Danish drawl in "Out of Africa" to her note-perfect impersonation of Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady", to learning Polish so well for "Sophie's Choice" that locals believed she was one of them.

She has picked up other skills along the way, practicing six hours a day for eight weeks to learn the violin for "Music of the Heart".

Streep has admitted her efforts could sometimes go too far.

She took a method acting approach to her turn as a fashion magazine boss in "The Devil Wears Prada", maintaining her icy facade even off-camera, but later said that it was a "horrible" experience and vowed never to do it again.

But her dedication has paid off time and again.

She has a record 21 Oscar nominations and three wins, a record eight Golden Globes, two BAFTAs and many other prizes.

And unlike many of her contemporaries, she has remarkably few duds among her 60-plus appearances, still scoring regular critical acclaim with recent films such as "The Post", "The Laundromat" and "Don't Look Up".

Surprisingly, she has been at Cannes only once before -- though she did manage to win best actress that year -- for 1989's "A Cry in the Dark".

"Because she has spanned almost 50 years of cinema and embodied countless masterpieces, Meryl Streep is part of our collective imagination, our shared love of cinema," the festival organizers said in a statement.

Streep said in a statement that she was "immeasurably honored" to be receiving the honorary Palme d'Or award at the festival's opening ceremony.

"To stand in the shadow of those who have previously been honored is humbling and thrilling in equal part," she said in a statement.

- 'Family comes first' -

Streep has never been one to get carried away by the trappings of fame, preferring to live as anonymously as possible at her home, where she has raised her four children.

"Being famous gets in the way of a lot of things," she once said. "My family really does come first. It always did and always will."

Born Mary Louise Streep in June 1949 to a New Jersey pharmaceutical executive and a commercial artist mother, Streep went to an exclusive school where she became a cheerleader and began acting in plays.

She continued acting at the historic Vassar liberal arts college, where she studied English and drama, before winning a drama scholarship to Yale, where she graduated in 1975.

Her Broadway debut came the same year with "Trelawny of the Wells," for which she won rave reviews, making her film debut two years later with the World War II drama "Julia".

Her career went stellar with three lauded films over the next two years, "The Deer Hunter", "Kramer vs. Kramer" and Woody Allen's "Manhattan".

Entertainment

Cannes Kicks off with Greta Gerwig's Jury and a Palme d'Or for Meryl Streep

A person walks past the Cannes film festival logo during preparations for the 77th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Monday, May 13, 2024. The Cannes film festival runs from May 14 until May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
A person walks past the Cannes film festival logo during preparations for the 77th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Monday, May 13, 2024. The Cannes film festival runs from May 14 until May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
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Cannes Kicks off with Greta Gerwig's Jury and a Palme d'Or for Meryl Streep

A person walks past the Cannes film festival logo during preparations for the 77th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Monday, May 13, 2024. The Cannes film festival runs from May 14 until May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
A person walks past the Cannes film festival logo during preparations for the 77th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Monday, May 13, 2024. The Cannes film festival runs from May 14 until May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

The Cannes Film Festival opens Tuesday with the unveiling of Greta Gerwig's jury and the presentation of an honorary Palme d'Or for Meryl Streep, as the French Riviera spectacular kicks off a potentially volatile 77th edition.
A 10-day stream of stars will begin flowing down Cannes' famous red carpet beginning with the opening night film, “The Second Act,” a French comedy starring Lea Seydoux, Vincent Lindon, Louis Garrel and Raphaël Quenard. During the opening ceremony, Streep will be given an honorary Palme, The Associated Press said.
In the days to come, Cannes will premiere George Miller's “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga," Francis Ford Coppola's self-financed “Megalopolis” and anticipated new movies from Paolo Sorrentino, Yorgos Lanthimos, Andrea Arnold and Kevin Costner.
But much of the drama surrounding this year's Cannes has been off screen.
After French actor Judith Godrèche earlier this year accused two film directors of rape and sexual abuse when she was a teenager, the French film industry has been dealing with arguably its defining #MeToo moment. On Wednesday, Godrèche will premiere her short “Moi Aussi.”
Festival workers, fed up with short-term contracts that leave them unqualified for unemployment benefits in between festivals, have threatened to strike.
And on Monday, the Iranian filmmaker Mohammed Rasoulof, whose film “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” is premiering next week in competition in Cannes, said he had fled Iran after being sentenced to eight years in prison and flogging. The film is said to be a critical depiction of the Iranian regime.
Many, though, will be focused on the stars parading Cannes' carpet. They'll include Emma Stone, Anya Taylor-Joy, Demi Moore, Selena Gomez, Nicolas Cage and Barry Keoghan. At the closing ceremony on May 25, George Lucas is to receive an honorary Palme d'Or.
Regardless, the 77th Cannes will have a lot to live up to. Last year's festival, widely celebrated for its robust lineup, produced three Oscar best picture nominees: “Anatomy of a Fall," “The Zone of Interest” and “Killers of the Flower Moon.” To help rekindle last year's spirit, Messi, the canine star of “Anatomy of a Fall,” is back in Cannes for a series of brief French TV spots.
A good Cannes will help France keep the global spotlight through the summer. The festival will be followed by the French Open, the Tour de France and, most notably, the summer Olympics in Paris. On May 21 in Cannes, the Olympic flame will be carried up the steps to the festival's hub, the Palais des Festivals.

Entertainment

‘Downton Abbey’ to Return with a Third Movie

Cast members Elizabeth McGovern and Hugh Bonneville arrive for the world premiere of "Downton Abbey: A New Era" in London, Britain, April 25, 2022. (Reuters)
Cast members Elizabeth McGovern and Hugh Bonneville arrive for the world premiere of "Downton Abbey: A New Era" in London, Britain, April 25, 2022. (Reuters)
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‘Downton Abbey’ to Return with a Third Movie

Cast members Elizabeth McGovern and Hugh Bonneville arrive for the world premiere of "Downton Abbey: A New Era" in London, Britain, April 25, 2022. (Reuters)
Cast members Elizabeth McGovern and Hugh Bonneville arrive for the world premiere of "Downton Abbey: A New Era" in London, Britain, April 25, 2022. (Reuters)

The fictitious Crawley family and their servants running a sprawling English country estate in the early 20th century are returning for a third "Downton Abbey" movie, which will feature old and new faces.

The award-winning "Downton Abbey" gained a huge following in Britain and the United States after it first aired as a television series in 2010. It went on for six seasons and was followed by two films, released in 2019 and 2022.

In a statement on Monday, Universal Pictures, Focus Features and Carnival Films said series creator Julian Fellowes had written the third film in the "Downton Abbey" franchise and that many original cast members, including Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern - who play patriarch Robert Crawley and his wife Cora, respectively - would return for the new movie.

"The Holdovers" actor and Oscar nominee Paul Giamatti and Joely Richardson, most recently seen in Netflix series "The Gentlemen", join the cast with the former playing Cora's brother Harold Levinson, the statement added. Giamatti played the character in a Christmas special.

"The Crown" star Dominic West, who played actor Guy Dexter in the 2022 film " Downton Abbey: A New Era", will reprise the role in the new movie.

Simon Curtis will also return as director after helming the second movie.

Entertainment

‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ Reigns at Box Office with $56.5 Million Opening 

This image released by 20th Century Studios shows Raka, played by Peter Macon, in a scene from "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes." (20th Century Studios via AP)
This image released by 20th Century Studios shows Raka, played by Peter Macon, in a scene from "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes." (20th Century Studios via AP)
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‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ Reigns at Box Office with $56.5 Million Opening 

This image released by 20th Century Studios shows Raka, played by Peter Macon, in a scene from "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes." (20th Century Studios via AP)
This image released by 20th Century Studios shows Raka, played by Peter Macon, in a scene from "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes." (20th Century Studios via AP)

“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” reigned over the weekend box office with a $56.5 million North American opening, according to studio estimates Sunday, giving a needed surge to an uncertain season in theaters.

The film from 20th Century Studios and Disney that built on the rebooted “Apes” trilogy of the 2010s had the third highest opening of the year, after the $81.5 million debut of “Dune: Part Two” in early March and the $58.3 million domestic opening of “Kung Fu Panda 4” a week later.

The strong performance for “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” — it played even better internationally with a global total of $129 million — comes a week after a tepid start for Ryan Gosling’s “The Fall Guy” signaled that the summer of 2024 is likely to see a major drop-off after the “Barbenheimer” magic of 2023.

“Planet of the Apes” easily made more than the rest of the top 10 combined.

“The Fall Guy” fell to No. 2 with a $13.7 million weekend and a two-week total of $49.7 million for Universal Pictures.

Zendaya’s “Challengers” was third with $4.7 million and has earned $38 million in three weeks for Amazon MGM studios.

The opening for “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” helmed by “Maze Runner” director Wes Ball, was the second best in the series, after the $72 million opening weekend of 2014’s “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.”

It’s the 10th movie in the “Planet of the Apes” franchise that began in 1968 with the Charlton Heston original with a twist ending.

“This franchise has never been allowed to lose its momentum,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. “There are very few franchises that have this kind of longevity.”

And it really is the property itself. The new film shares no central actors or characters with its predecessors.

“There’s just this love for the way it melds sci-fi with social commentary and straight-up popcorn entertainment,” Dergarabedian said.

“Kingdom” came with strong reviews and positive buzz (80% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and a “B” CinemaScore). It was especially praised for its visual effects and the way its CGI has caught up with its primates-on-horseback aesthetic even since the last film, 2017’s “War for the Planet of the Apes.”

Mark Kennedy of The Associated Press called it “thrilling” and “visually stunning.”

The shot in the arm is welcome for the movie business, but there is little certainty in the forthcoming summer.

The year so far, lacking an early Marvel movie like 2023’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” is running 21% of last year’s mid-May total.

While there are potential blockbusters that feel like safe bets including “Despicable Me 4” and “Deadpool & Wolverine” in July, others like “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” later this month and “Twisters” later in the summer feel like they could break either way.

Pixar once brought almost guaranteed hits, but June’s “Inside Out 2” may not thrive like the 2015 original.

“There used to be sure bets we cannot necessarily bank on anymore,” Dergarabedian said. “It is going to be a bit of a hit-or-miss slate.”

Entertainment

Actor Steve Buscemi Is OK After Being Punched in the Face in New York City 

Actor Steve Buscemi attends the premiere of "The Dead Don't Die" at the Museum of Modern Art, June 10, 2019, in New York. (AP)
Actor Steve Buscemi attends the premiere of "The Dead Don't Die" at the Museum of Modern Art, June 10, 2019, in New York. (AP)
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Actor Steve Buscemi Is OK After Being Punched in the Face in New York City 

Actor Steve Buscemi attends the premiere of "The Dead Don't Die" at the Museum of Modern Art, June 10, 2019, in New York. (AP)
Actor Steve Buscemi attends the premiere of "The Dead Don't Die" at the Museum of Modern Art, June 10, 2019, in New York. (AP)

Actor Steve Buscemi is OK after he was punched in the face by a man on a New York City street, his publicist said Sunday.

The 66-year-old star of “Fargo” and “Boardwalk Empire” was assaulted late Wednesday morning in Manhattan and taken to a nearby hospital with bruising, swelling and bleeding to his left eye.

“Steve Buscemi was assaulted in Mid-Town Manhattan, another victim of a random act of violence in the city,” according to a statement Sunday from his publicist. “He is ok and appreciates everyone’s well wishes.”

The assault was first reported by the New York Post.

The New York Police Department put out a nameless statement on the assault Wednesday. Buscemi’s representative confirmed Sunday that the unidentified assault victim in the police statement was the actor.

The police department said there were no arrests and the investigation was continuing.

Buscemi’s “Boardwalk Empire” co-star Michael Stuhlbarg was hit in the back of the neck with a rock while walking in Manhattan’s Central Park on March 31. Stuhlbarg chased his attacker, who was taken into custody outside the park.

Entertainment

A Combustible Cannes is Set to Unfurl with 'Furiosa,' 'Megalopolis' and a #MeToo Reckoning

Members of the public walk in front of the Palais des Festival prior to the 74th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, July 5, 2021. (AP Photo/ Brynn Anderson)
Members of the public walk in front of the Palais des Festival prior to the 74th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, July 5, 2021. (AP Photo/ Brynn Anderson)
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A Combustible Cannes is Set to Unfurl with 'Furiosa,' 'Megalopolis' and a #MeToo Reckoning

Members of the public walk in front of the Palais des Festival prior to the 74th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, July 5, 2021. (AP Photo/ Brynn Anderson)
Members of the public walk in front of the Palais des Festival prior to the 74th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, July 5, 2021. (AP Photo/ Brynn Anderson)

The Cannes Film Festival rarely passes without cacophony but this year’s edition may be more raucous and uneasy than any edition in recent memory.
When the red carpet is rolled out from the Palais des Festivals on Tuesday, the 77th Cannes will unfurl against a backdrop of war, protest, potential strikes and quickening #MeToo upheaval in France, which for years largely resisted the movement.
Festival workers are threatening to strike. The Israel-Hamas war, acutely felt in France, home to Europe’s largest Jewish and Arab communities, is sure to spark protests. Russia’s war in Ukraine remains on the minds of many. Add in the kinds of anxieties that can be expected to percolate at Cannes — the ever-uncertain future of cinema, the rise of artificial intelligence — and this year's festival shouldn't lack for drama.
Being prepared for anything has long been a useful attitude in Cannes. Befitting such tumultuous times, the film lineup is full of intrigue, curiosity and question marks.
The Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof, just days before his latest film, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” is to debut in competition in Cannes, was sentenced to eight years in prison by the Iranian Revolutionary Court. The film remains on Cannes’ schedule.
Arguably the most feverishly awaited entry is Francis Ford Coppola’s self-financed opus “Megalopolis.” Coppola, is himself no stranger to high-drama at Cannes. An unfinished cut of “Apocalypse Now” won him (in a tie) his second Palme d’Or more than four decades ago.
Even the upcoming US presidential election won’t be far off. Premiering in competition is Ali Abbasi’s “The Apprentice,” starring Sebastian Stan as a young Donald Trump. There will also be new films from Kevin Costner, Paolo Sorrentino, Sean Baker, Yorgos Lanthimos and Andrea Arnold. And for a potentially powder keg Cannes there’s also the firebomb of “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.” The film, a rolling apocalyptic dystopia, returns director George Miller to the festival he first became hooked on as a juror.
“I got addicted it to simply because it’s like film camp,” says Miller, who became enraptured to the global gathering of cinema at Cannes and the pristine film presentations. “It’s kind of optimal cinema, really. The moment that they said, ‘OK, we’re happy to show this film here,’ I jumped at it.”
Cannes' official opener on Tuesday is “The Second Act,” a French comedy by Quentin Dupieux, starring Léa Seydoux, Louis Garrel and Vincent Lindon. During the opening ceremony, Meryl Streep will be awarded an honorary Palme d’Or. At the closing ceremony, George Lucas will get one, too.
But the spotlight at the start may fall on Judith Godrèche. The French director and actor earlier this year said the filmmakers Benoît Jacquot and Jacques Doillon sexually assaulted her when she was a teenager, allegations that rocked French cinema. Jacquot and Doillon have denied the allegations.
Though much of the French film industry has previously been reluctant to embrace the #MeToo movement, Godrèche has stoked a wider response. She's spoken passionately about the need for changes at the Cesars, France’s equivalent of the Oscars, and before a French Senate commission.
In that same period, Godrèche also made the short film “Moi Aussi” during a Paris gathering of hundreds who wrote her with their own stories of sexual abuse. On Wednesday, it opens Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section.
“I hope that I’m heard in the sense that I’m not interested in being some sort of representation of someone who just wants to go after everyone in this industry,” Godrèche said ahead of the festival. “I’m just fighting for some sort of change. It is called a revolution.”
It’s the latest chapter in how #MeToo has reverberated at the world’s largest film gathering, following an 82-woman protest on the steps of the Palais in 2018 and a gender parity pledge in 2019. Cannes has often come under criticism for not inviting more female filmmakers into competition, but the festival is putting its full support behind Godrèche while girding for the possibility of more #MeToo revelations during the festival.
“For me, having these faces, these people — everyone in this movie — gives them this place to be celebrated,” said Godrèche. “There’s this thing about this place that has so much history. In a way, it mystifies movies forever. Once your film was in Cannes, it was in Cannes.”
Some of the filmmakers coming to the festival this year are already firmly lodged in Cannes lore. Paul Schrader was at the festival almost 50 years ago for Martin Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver,” which he wrote. After a famously divisive response, it won the Palme in 1976.
“It was a different place. It was much more collegial and lower key,” said Schrader during a break from packing his bags. “I remember quite well sitting on the terrasse at the Carlton with Marty and Sergio Leone and (Rainer Werner) Fassbender came by with his boyfriend and joined us. We were all talking and the sun was going down. I was thinking, ‘This is the greatest thing in the world.’”
For the first time since his 1988 drama “Patty Hearst,” Schrader is back in what he calls “the main show” — in competition for the Palme d’Or — with “Oh, Canada.” The film, adapted from a Russell Banks novel, stars Richard Gere (reteaming with Schrader decades after “American Gigolo”) as a dying filmmaker who recounts his life story for a documentary. Jacob Elordi plays him in '70s flashbacks.
After the Cannes lineup was announced, Schrader shared on Facebook an old photo of himself, Coppola and Lucas — all primary figures to what was then called New Hollywood — and the caption “Together again.”
“I’ll be there the same time as Francis. There’s a question of whether either of us get invited back for closing,” Schrader says, referring to when award-winners are asked to stay for the closing ceremony. “I would hope that either Francis or I could come back closing night for George’s thing.”
Who ultimately goes home with the Palme — the handicapping has already begun — will be decided by a jury led by Greta Gerwig, fresh off the mammoth success of “Barbie.” But this year’s slate will have a lot to live up to. Last year, three eventual best picture nominees premiered in Cannes: Justine Triet’s Palme-winner “Anatomy of a Fall,” Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest” and Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon.”

Entertainment

Oscars Academy, at Pivotal Point, Launches $500 Mn Fundraising Drive

Some 20 million people tuned in to the 2024 edition of the Oscars to see 'Oppenheimer' fend off rivals such as 'Barbie' - whose star Margot Robbie is seen here - and win the coveted best-picture award © Valerie MACON / AFP/File
Some 20 million people tuned in to the 2024 edition of the Oscars to see 'Oppenheimer' fend off rivals such as 'Barbie' - whose star Margot Robbie is seen here - and win the coveted best-picture award © Valerie MACON / AFP/File
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Oscars Academy, at Pivotal Point, Launches $500 Mn Fundraising Drive

Some 20 million people tuned in to the 2024 edition of the Oscars to see 'Oppenheimer' fend off rivals such as 'Barbie' - whose star Margot Robbie is seen here - and win the coveted best-picture award © Valerie MACON / AFP/File
Some 20 million people tuned in to the 2024 edition of the Oscars to see 'Oppenheimer' fend off rivals such as 'Barbie' - whose star Margot Robbie is seen here - and win the coveted best-picture award © Valerie MACON / AFP/File

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Friday launched a $500 million fundraising drive, pegged to the upcoming centenary of the Oscars.

Named Academy100 -- ahead of the 100th Oscars ceremony, set for 2028 -- the drive is intended to diversify finances for the group, which plays a key role in fostering new filmmakers and preserving movies, as well as handing out the annual Academy Awards, AFP reported.

It comes at a time when viewership of the Oscars has drastically shrunk, and as the Academy's lucrative, long-standing broadcast deal with ABC for the ceremony telecast is nearing its end.

"The Academy will soon enter its second century, and we want to ensure that we continue to be the preeminent leader of our international film community," said Academy CEO Bill Kramer, in a statement. "Like all healthy organizations, the Academy needs a sustainable and diverse base of support," he added.

Sponsors have already committed more than $100 million to the campaign, the Academy said. The Academy's members -- there are around 10,000 -- are invited to join based on their filmmaking achievements.

They range from directors and producers to A-list actors and visual effects artists. Membership has become increasingly international and diverse in recent years. Academy100 is intended to "deepen our worldwide reach and impact," said Kramer.

The group also launched the popular Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles in 2021. But despite a slight recent uptick in viewership, audiences for the all-important Oscars ceremony remain well below historical levels.

Some 21 million tuned in this year to see "Oppenheimer" fend off rivals such as "Barbie" to win the best-picture award. Just a decade ago, audiences regularly topped 40 million.

Entertainment

Taylor Swift Fever Grips Paris at Start of Europe Tour

A Taylor Swift fan takes a picture of a handmade sign next to the poster of Taylor Swift's “Eras Tour” first concert in Europe, at the Paris La Defense Arena in Nanterre, suburbs of Paris, France, 09 May 2024. (EPA)
A Taylor Swift fan takes a picture of a handmade sign next to the poster of Taylor Swift's “Eras Tour” first concert in Europe, at the Paris La Defense Arena in Nanterre, suburbs of Paris, France, 09 May 2024. (EPA)
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Taylor Swift Fever Grips Paris at Start of Europe Tour

A Taylor Swift fan takes a picture of a handmade sign next to the poster of Taylor Swift's “Eras Tour” first concert in Europe, at the Paris La Defense Arena in Nanterre, suburbs of Paris, France, 09 May 2024. (EPA)
A Taylor Swift fan takes a picture of a handmade sign next to the poster of Taylor Swift's “Eras Tour” first concert in Europe, at the Paris La Defense Arena in Nanterre, suburbs of Paris, France, 09 May 2024. (EPA)

Taylor Swift-fever struck Paris on Thursday as the highest-grossing tour in history finally arrived in Europe, with fans treated to the first-ever performance of songs from her latest album.

The Eras Tour began its European leg with four dates at the La Defense Arena in Paris and attendance on the first night alone was 45,387, according to her press team.

"I wish I could have toured Europe more. This is a dream crowd," the 34-year-old megastar told the ecstatic audience.

There were deafening shrieks as images of typewriter sheets indicated that songs off the new album, "The Tortured Poets Department", were starting late in the show.

Emerging in a lyrics-covered dress, she ran through several of the darker new tracks starting with "But Daddy I Love Him" and including "Fortnight", a particularly furious rendition of "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?" and an elaborate "I Can Do it with a Broken Heart" with a golden-era Hollywood dance routine.

"You were the first crowd to see songs from 'The Tortured Poets Department'," she said, before adding: "Or, as I like to call it, 'Female Rage: the Musical'".

That was a dream come true for many in the audience.

"I've been so excited for so long, I can't believe it's actually happening," said 11-year-old Emma, who had flown in with her mother from New York.

The venue said a fifth of the crowd were from the United States -- many attracted by Europe's rules against charging huge mark-ups on resale tickets that can save Americans thousands of dollars compared with shows at home.

Georg'Ann Daly decided to celebrate her 23rd birthday with the Paris show. It meant flying from Nashville to Chicago to London and catching the Eurostar to Paris.

"I've always been obsessed with Taylor Swift," she told AFP.

A handful of superfans camped out from Tuesday in Paris to ensure they got a prime spot.

"I didn't plan to, but I came to check it out and I saw the first tents and I panicked a little," said Chris, 30.

Noah, 20, is seeing all four Paris concerts -- he used 22 email addresses to get through the lottery system and secure the tickets.

- Record-breaker -

After France, Swift heads on for dates in Sweden, Portugal, Spain, Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Poland and Austria.

The Eras Tour has already worked its way across North and South America and Asia since starting in March 2023.

By the end of the year, it had already become the first to sell more than $1 billion in tickets and is on track to more than double that by the time it concludes in Vancouver this December.

Swift's popularity shows no sign of dimming -- the new album shifted 1.4 million copies on its first day and broke every streaming record going, reaching a billion streams on Spotify within five days.

Her tell-all dissections of her love stories have been the fuel powering her global domination, and fans have been poring over "The Tortured Poets Department" for cryptic clues about ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn, her short-but-dramatic fling with Matty Healy (lead singer of The 1975), and her current partner, American football star Travis Kelce.

"Taylor talks about toxic relationships, impossible love, politics, mental health, and so much more," said Chris as she waited by her tent for the big moment. "I think we can all find a song that resonates with our experiences."