Box Office: ‘Civil War’ Sets A24 Record With $25 Million Debut

Luca Guadagnino believes filmgoers will endorse his Zendaya movie Challengers because it delivers “a canon of Hollywood golden age comedy – seductive fun with queerness.” The movie’s “big sell” is a shot of Zendaya, Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor kissing one another in various configurations.

Kirsten Dunst and Wagner Moura may lead dystopian war thriller Civil War, but the film’s standout scene is carried by an unsettling appearance from Jesse Plemons.Directed and written by Alex Garland, the film follows a team of photojournalists as they travel across the US to Washington D.C. during a civil war between an authoritarian government and various regional factions.Other cast members include Cailee Spaeny, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Sonoya Mizuno, Nick Offerman, and Jefferson White.Jesse Plemons, who plays a racist ultranationalist militant during an intense confrontation, is the reason why the red sunglasses made their way into his character’s costume.Speaking to GQ, Civil War’s costume designer Meghan Kasperlik, said: “When Alex [Garland] and I spoke, he wanted Jesse’s character to be in a military uniform.

Naman Ramachandran Warner Bros.’ “Challengers,” led by Zendaya, debuted atop the U.K. and Ireland box office with £1.6 million ($2 million), according to numbers from Comscore. In its third weekend, Studiocanal’s “Back to Black” dropped to second place with £1.4 million for a total of £8.9 million.

Steven J. Horowitz Senior Music Writer Taylor Swift has broken yet another record with her new album “The Tortured Poets Department,” as she becomes the first artist to claim the top 14 songs on the Billboard Hot 100. Swift breaks her previous record for most songs to claim the top spots on the chart, which she achieved with 10 tracks from 2022’s “Midnights” that dominated the tally.

Steven Olikara When millions of Americans came together to marvel at the stunning solar eclipse, we saw a rare moment of unity amid the darkness of a country torn apart by polarization. Bookending the same week? The release of action-thriller “Civil War,” now the number one film in America and A24 Films’ most successful release yet. Set against the backdrop of an imagined second American Civil War, the film follows photojournalists led by Lee Smith (Kirsten Dunst), as they capture the horrors of a failed country.

and . The Marvel star and the children's book author, who are either the unwitting victims of a vicious and puerile culture war or the two , bought and tore down a famous home in order to build a new, bigger home on the property, according to .

Rebecca Rubin Senior Film and Media Reporter A24‘s political thriller “Civil War” is resonating not just in red states and blue but overseas, too. Alex Garland’s film, starring Kirsten Dunst as a photojournalist who traverses a violently divided United States, has grossed $45.7 million in North America and $20 million internationally. Global ticket sales stand at $67.3 million through Monday, and it’s projected to cross $70 million on Tuesday.

Robert Durst has been a part of director Andrew Jarecki’s life for years.In 2005, the director began working on the 2010 film “All Good Things,” starring Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst, and was inspired by the life of Durst and the disappearance of his first wife, Kathleen McCormack.He then followed that up with the 2015 six-part HBO docuseries “The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst,” which explored Durst’s connection to several murders and dramatically concluded with his hot mike admission, “Killed them all, of course.”The series garnered a host of awards and the storyline appeared to be over. However, in 2020, Durst stood trial for the 2000 murder of his good friend, Susan Berman, 55.Critics who had refused to talk to Jarecki for the first “Jinx” series were now testifying in the Berman trial — and he realized that there was another series in the making.“The Jinx: Part Two” debuted on Sunday.Durst was the eldest son of New York City real estate magnate Seymour Durst and first gained headlines for the unsolved 1982 disappearance of McCormack.Berman, one of Durst’s oldest friends who provided an alibi for him when McCormack went missing, was shot outside her home in 2000.Later that year, after being tipped off by his sister that the McCormack investigation had been reopened, Durst went into hiding and moved to Galveston, Texas, where he disguised himself as a mute woman.The following year, Durst was arrested after body parts belonging to his elderly neighbor, Morris Black, 71, were found floating in Galveston Bay.Durst skipped bail but was extradited.

Tom Schwartz is head over heels for his new girlfriend!

Zack Sharf Digital News Director “Civil War” writer-director Alex Garland gave a lengthy interview to Vulture in which he was asked to weigh in on accusations against his film that claim it’s irresponsible to open it in theaters amid such a turbulent election year. Garland’s film is set in an America at war with itself (Texas and California have seceded to become the Western Forces) and follows a group of journalists attempting to interview the U.S. president.

EXCLUSIVE: UK sales outfit SC Films International has acquired world rights to Australian comedy The Way, My Way and will launch sales at the upcoming Cannes market. 

Naman Ramachandran Studiocanal’s Amy Winehouse biopic “Back to Black” debuted atop the U.K and Ireland box office with £2.77 million ($3.4 million), according to numbers from Comscore. It was neck-and-neck for the second spot. Entertainment Film Distributors’ “Civil War,” directed by Alex Garland and starring Kirsten Dunst, debuted with £1.82 million, including previews.

Jon Stewart mocked Donald Trump on The Daily Show as the former POTUS campaigns and makes a run for the White House amid the hush money criminal trial.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor SPOILER ALERT: This contains major spoilers for the ending of “Civil War,” now playing in theaters. “Civil War” production designer Caty Maxey was tasked with building a dystopian America that showed bombed-out buildings and abandoned cars that stretched for miles on the freeway. It was all part of her creative brief for Alex Garland’s latest film. Garland drops audiences into the middle of “Civil War.” America is no longer united and there are warring factions.

Alex Garland’s provocative “Civil War” didn’t only ignite the discourse.The film also inspired audiences to go to the cinemas this weekend where it surpassed expectations and earned $25.7 million in ticket sales in North America, according to studio estimates Sunday.It’s the biggest R-rated opening of the year to date and a record for A24, the studio behind films like “Everything Everywhere All At Once” and “The Iron Claw.”“Civil War” also unseated “Godzilla x Kong” from its perch atop the box office. The titan movie from Warner Bros.

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film Critic A great many people appear to have come out of “Civil War,” Alex Garland’s a-house-divided-against-itself-can-kick-highly-equipped-military-ass dystopian combat thriller, feeling all shook up. They’re disturbed by it, unsettled by it. They experience the movie as if it were holding a violent mirror up to the simmering rage of America’s current political/spiritual/ ideological divide.

according to Box Office Mojo.The impressive premiere puts it on track for a debut of around $26 million, Variety reported.The $50 million film, from director Alex Garland, follows a team of military-embedded journalists racing against time to reach Washington, D.C. before rebel factions descend upon the White House.Starring Kirsten Dunst, Cailee Spaeny, Nick Offerman and Jesse Plemons, the thriller has been dubbed a “a terrifying premonition of American collapse,” though critics say its political message was “muddled.”The Post’s Johnny Oleksinski went as far as to call it “a torturous, overrated movie without a point,” bashing its script as lousy and the acting as monotonous.Behind “Civil War” was “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” which topped the charts when it premiered two weeks ago.

J. Kim Murphy The box office is united behind “Civil War.” A24‘s dystopian thriller earned$10.7 millionfrom 3,838 locations across its opening day and preview screenings, putting itself on track for a debut of around $26 million. The debut figure represents the highest opening day gross ever for A24, besting the $5.1 million earned by 2018’s “Hereditary” in its first screenings.

Tatiana Siegel SPOILER ALERT:This contains major spoilers for the ending of “Civil War,” now playing in theaters. Call it the fog of war. At the height of the blood-soaked third act of Alex Garland’s “Civil War,” audiences may be unsure who is on which side of the battle between two factions in an America torn asunder.

Daniel Mays remembers Michael Douglas and Timothy Van Patten, the respectively star and director of new Apple TV drama Franklin, bursting into song whenever he appeared on set.