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Irish Pop Group Westlife on 25 Years, New Music and Tour 

Westlife perform during the annual German film and television awards “Golden Camera” (“Die Goldene Kamera”) of German TV magazine “HoerZu” in Berlin, Germany, March 30, 2019. (Reuters) 
Westlife perform during the annual German film and television awards “Golden Camera” (“Die Goldene Kamera”) of German TV magazine “HoerZu” in Berlin, Germany, March 30, 2019. (Reuters) 
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Irish Pop Group Westlife on 25 Years, New Music and Tour 

Westlife perform during the annual German film and television awards “Golden Camera” (“Die Goldene Kamera”) of German TV magazine “HoerZu” in Berlin, Germany, March 30, 2019. (Reuters) 
Westlife perform during the annual German film and television awards “Golden Camera” (“Die Goldene Kamera”) of German TV magazine “HoerZu” in Berlin, Germany, March 30, 2019. (Reuters) 

Westlife celebrate 25 years with a new album and tour they say will take fans down memory lane as well as treat them to "the best show" the Irish pop group have ever done.

The boy band, formed in 1998 when its original five members were teenagers, has sold more than 55 million records and scored 14 UK No. 1 hits with songs such as "Swear It Again", "Flying Without Wings" and "Uptown Girl".

A foursome since 2004, members Shane Filan, Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan and Mark Feehily parted ways in 2012 before reuniting in 2018.

They released single "Chariot" last month, one of four new songs on upcoming album "25 - The Ultimate Collection", out in February. They also expanded their 2026 "Westlife 25: The Anniversary World Tour", which marks 25 years since their first world tour.

Feehily, who in recent years has suffered health-related issues, is not joining them on tour but features on the album.

In an interview with Reuters, Filan, Egan and Byrne spoke about the tour, recording with Feehily and looking back on 25 years.

Below are excerpts edited for length and clarity.

Q: What can fans expect from the tour?

Filan: “We want to put on our best show we've ever done ... probably picking the setlist is always the hardest part because every fan has a different memory for that song. But it'll be full of hits, obviously, but we're going to elevate it from a kind of visual aspect as well."

Q: What was it like working all together on the album?

Filan: “It was great to have Mark on there. Obviously, he can't tour with us at the moment, he's unable to, but it was very important obviously that he was on the songs and he's singing better than ever ... one of the songs coming out is some of his best vocals ... We can't wait to have him back obviously as well when he's ready."

Q: You recently performed at the Royal Albert Hall. What was that like?

Byrne: “It just felt like an event ... the Oscars meets a brilliant wedding and we were on fire ... And now it's like, ‘Wow, did that just happen?’ We're tired today, but by next Saturday we'll be going ‘Right lads, how do we do this again? Where could we go next?’ And the truth is, who knows? Can it be ... Madison Square Garden? Can it be the Sphere? There are no rules."

Q: How does the success you imagined in those early days compare to the reality?

Egan: “I don't think any of us would have ever been able to say to our young selves ‘This is what you're going to be doing when you're 45 ... We like to think we're normal guys ... yes, we're in this big pop act and we travel around the world ... but we go home and we live quite normal lives ... We’ll be back to taking the bins out tomorrow.”

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Entertainment

What Netflix’s Acquisition of Warner Bros. Means for the Movies

FILE PHOTO: A Netflix logo is pictured in Los Angeles, California, US, September 15, 2022. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Netflix logo is pictured in Los Angeles, California, US, September 15, 2022. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo
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What Netflix’s Acquisition of Warner Bros. Means for the Movies

FILE PHOTO: A Netflix logo is pictured in Los Angeles, California, US, September 15, 2022. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Netflix logo is pictured in Los Angeles, California, US, September 15, 2022. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo

Netflix’s deal to acquire Warner Bros., one of Hollywood’s oldest movie studios, poses seismic shifts to the entertainment industry and the future of moviegoing. 

As one of the remaining “big five” studios, the 102-year-old Warner Bros. is an essential part of movie theater business. 

The studio currently boasts three of the top five earning films domestically, including “A Minecraft Movie,” in first place, “Superman” and “Sinners,” as well as the Oscar frontrunner, “One Battle After Another.” 

There are more questions than answers about how ownership from a streaming giant would change things for Warner Bros. It’s not even clear if it will pass antitrust scrutiny, or, if it does, what the details will look like. 

Here are some things to know, and lingering questions, in the wake of the news. 

Will Warner Bros. continue releasing movies in theaters? Yes, but it might change as well. For starters, it’ll be at least 12 to 18 months before the deal officially goes through and moviegoers can expect essentially business as usual until then. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said Friday that they will “continue to support” a “life cycle that starts in the movie theater” for Warner Bros. movies. But he also commented that he doesn’t think that “long exclusive windows” are consumer friendly. 

With the rise of streaming, and especially in the pandemic era, studios experimented with different theatrical windows. For many years, a 90-day theatrical window was standard, but now it’s closer to 45 days and often a film-by-film decision. 

Netflix and movie theaters Netflix does release some films theatrically, but not usually more than a few weeks before they hit streaming. Sometimes that’s to qualify for awards eligibility, sometimes it’s a gesture to top filmmakers. This year those releases included Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein,” Kathryn Bigelow’s “A House of Dynamite” and Noah Baumbach’s “Jay Kelly.” 

Major chains like AMC and Regal had refused to program Netflix releases until 2022, when enthusiasm for the “Knives Out” movie “Glass Onion” helped break the stalemate. 

Earlier this year, “KPop Demon Hunters” unofficially topped the box office charts, earning nearly $20 million from a one-weekend run in theaters two full months after it debuted on the streamer. 

Netflix also owns and operates several movie theaters, including the Paris Theater in New York and the Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles. 

Upcoming Warner Bros. movies The studio has a diverse slate of films expected in 2026, with high profile titles including the Margot Robbie-led “Wuthering Heights” in February, “Supergirl” in June, “Practical Magic 2” in September, Alejandro Iñárritu’s untitled Tom Cruise movie in October and Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Three” in December. 

Movies planned for 2027 include sequels to “Superman,” “A Minecraft Movie” and “The Batman.” 

Earlier this year the company said its target was 12 to 14 releases annually across its four main labels, Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Studios, New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. animation. 

What does it mean for movie theaters? So much of this depends on the details, but Cinema United president and CEO Michael O’Leary said hours before the news broke that it posed “an unprecedented threat to the global exhibition business.” 

He added: “Regulators must look closely at the specifics of this proposed transaction and understand the negative impact it will have on consumers, exhibition and the entertainment industry.” 

Theatrical exhibition has not fully recovered since the pandemic. Before 2020, the annual domestic box office regularly surpassed $11 billion. Since then it has only surpassed $9 billion once, in 2023, driven largely by “Barbie,” a Warner Bros. release. 

How will top filmmakers react? It’s too early to tell, but Warner Bros. has always prided itself on being one of the premier homes for top filmmakers, this year releasing films from Paul Thomas Anderson, Ryan Coogler and James Gunn. Other longstanding relationships include Villeneuve, who has “Dune: Part Three” coming next year, Clint Eastwood and Todd Phillips. Much likely depends on whether robust theatrical releases will be honored — many of these filmmakers are vocal champions of the theatrical experience and may not stick around if it shifts. 

The studio’s controversial decision to release films simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max in 2021 during the pandemic led to a rift with Christopher Nolan, who after making eight major films with the company, including the “Dark Knight” trilogy, partnered with Universal to make his next two films, “Oppenheimer” and next year’s “The Odyssey.” 

Will HBO Max and Netflix become one service? That’s also unclear. If the two platforms remain separate subscriptions, there may be “bundling” options, as with Disney and Hulu. Netflix on Friday said that the addition of HBO and HBO Max programming will give its members “even more high-quality titles from which to choose” and “optimize its plans for consumers.” 

The Warner Bros. library of films includes classics like “Casablanca” and “Citizen Kane” as well as the “Harry Potter” movies. 

Entertainment

‘Fallout’ Expands ‘Everything’ for Show’s Second Season 

Walton Goggins, left, and Justin Theroux pose for photographers upon arrival at the season two screening of the television series "Fallout" on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in London. (AP)
Walton Goggins, left, and Justin Theroux pose for photographers upon arrival at the season two screening of the television series "Fallout" on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in London. (AP)
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‘Fallout’ Expands ‘Everything’ for Show’s Second Season 

Walton Goggins, left, and Justin Theroux pose for photographers upon arrival at the season two screening of the television series "Fallout" on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in London. (AP)
Walton Goggins, left, and Justin Theroux pose for photographers upon arrival at the season two screening of the television series "Fallout" on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in London. (AP)

Hit television series "Fallout" ups the stakes as it returns to screens for a sophomore season, its stars and makers say.

"You can play it two ways," actor Walton Goggins said as he premiered the new season in London on Tuesday. "You can play it safe, rely on what happened in season one, or you can go for broke. And we went for broke."

Based on the popular video game franchise of the same name, the live-action series centers on three main characters; former vault dweller Lucy (Ella Purnell), Maximus, a member of the Brotherhood of Steel (Aaron Moten) and Cooper Howard/The Ghoul (Goggins), a former movie star and mutated bounty hunter.

The new season picks up where the season one left off, with Lucy looking for her father Hank (Kyle MacLachlan), and pairing up with The Ghoul on a post-apocalyptic adventure through the Mojave Desert to New Vegas.

The show's executive producer, Jonathan Nolan, said audiences could expect "more of everything." "More madness, more humor, more violence. We just try to outdo ourselves," he said.

The second season also shows a new side to Lucy as her optimistic attitude clashes with The Ghoul's nihilistic worldview on their way to Sin City, said Purnell.

"She's in the wasteland now and she has to survive. You can't always do that by being nice," Purnell said. "I don't want to spoil it, but we'll see what happens to that moral compass."

The new season introduces Justin Theroux in the role of Robert House, the ruler of the New Vegas strip, and a major character in the franchise.

"It's a bit intimidating," said Theroux. "The players of this game and the fans of the show are really sort of the shareholders, so you don't want to disappoint them. But I worked very hard to hopefully not do that."

Also joining the cast are actors Macaulay Culkin and Kumail Nanjiani, as well as a host of new creatures, brought to life by puppeteers.

The eight-episode second season of "Fallout" starts streaming on Prime Video on December 17, with a new episode released weekly.

Entertainment

Asterix in Germany: France’s Irrepressible Gaul to Conquer Neighbor

This photograph taken on June 2, 2021 shows a closed ride at the Asterix amusement park in Plailly, outskirts of Paris, one week before its reopening. (AFP)
This photograph taken on June 2, 2021 shows a closed ride at the Asterix amusement park in Plailly, outskirts of Paris, one week before its reopening. (AFP)
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Asterix in Germany: France’s Irrepressible Gaul to Conquer Neighbor

This photograph taken on June 2, 2021 shows a closed ride at the Asterix amusement park in Plailly, outskirts of Paris, one week before its reopening. (AFP)
This photograph taken on June 2, 2021 shows a closed ride at the Asterix amusement park in Plailly, outskirts of Paris, one week before its reopening. (AFP)

A theme park based on the beloved French comic strip series Asterix is to open in Germany, the first time the adventures of the pugnacious Gaul are to be the focus of an attraction outside France, its operator said on Tuesday.

An existing theme park called Belantis outside the east German city of Leipzig is to morph into an Asterix theme park by 2030-2031, operator Compagnie des Alpes said.

The new attraction will be a twin of the vast Parc Asterix outside Paris, one of France's premier tourist attractions which opened in 1989.

The change at the park in Germany will take place gradually, with the first area dedicated to Idefix -- the dog of Asterix's burly sidekick Obelix -- opening as early as March 2026, the French group said.

In terms of the numbers sold of Asterix comic books -- originally written and illustrated by the duo of Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo -- Germany is the second largest market, just behind France.

Compagnie des Alpes said that "this park has the potential to eventually welcome nearly 900,000 visitors per year".

The second most visited amusement park in France after Disneyland Paris, Parc Asterix welcomed 2.9 million visitors during the 2024-2025 season. It is currently ranked 8th most visited in Europe.

With the book franchise showing no sign of slowing after the deaths of Goscinny in 1977 and Uderzo in 2020, the latest Asterix cartoon adventure released in October was published in 19 languages and across 25 countries set in ancient Portugal.

"Asterix in Lusitania" was the 41st instalment in the legendary series, taking him to the far reaches of the Roman Empire, in an adventure now created by author Fabcaro and illustrator Didier Conrad.