EXCLUSIVE: Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki has achieved his best global box office in a decade with Cannes Jury Prize winner Fallen Leaves which has racked up a total gross of $12.4M, according to figures released by its producers.
27.12.2023 - 18:35 / variety.com
Warner Bros. comedy “Barbie” capping off 2023 as the highest-grossing movie ($1.44 billion) and Universal‘s historical biopic “Oppenheimer” as the third-biggest hit (a staggering $951 million). Studios were (finally!) rewarded for bucking the overly familiar and embracing the new and novel.
Remarkably, the top three movies of the year — Universal’s animated “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” ranks as No. 2 with $1.35 billion — were original properties.
Sure, “Barbie” is based on the world-famous doll, Mario is arguably video games’ greatest mascot and J. Robert Oppenheimer is a real person who changed the course of history. So even if they weren’t whole-cloth creations, these movies weren’t sequels or part of pre-existing film franchises.
And, on paper, none were foregone box office winners. There are always the inevitable bombs, and 2023 will be remembered as the year superheroes lost their Midas touch at the box office. Beyond the embarrassment of “The Marvels” and “The Flash,” there was plenty of red ink spilled from “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” and “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One.” The misfires of Harrison Ford’s fifth go-around as the swashbuckling adventurer and Tom Cruise’s latest bout as globe-trotting spy Ethan Hunt were particularly shocking because not only were they two of the most expensive movies ever made, but they were etched onto the release calendar as guaranteed successes, only to wildly miss expectations.
EXCLUSIVE: Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki has achieved his best global box office in a decade with Cannes Jury Prize winner Fallen Leaves which has racked up a total gross of $12.4M, according to figures released by its producers.
Naman Ramachandran Warner Bros.’ “Wonka” continued its reign over the U.K. and Ireland box office with £2.2 million ($2.8 million), according to numbers from Comscore. After six weekends at the box office, the Timothée Chalamet starrer has a sweet total of £56.1 million.
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Fish out of water comedy film “Jonny Keep Walking” kept its place at the top of the mainland China box office in its third week of release. Two newcomers broke into the top five, comedy “Follow Bear for Action” and imported action title “The Beekeeper.” “Jonny,” in which a man from the countryside struggles to hold down a corporate job in a big city, earned $19.7 million (140 million), according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway. That was another strong hold after an opening weekend of $26.1 million (on Dec.
On this morning’s Crew Call, we talk with The Color Purple producers Oprah Winfrey and Scott Sanders on blazing a path for their Broadway musical to the big screen.
Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter There’s a new queen bee at the box office. Paramount’s “Mean Girls” musical ruled over the competition with $32 million during the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend.
according to IMDB’s Box Office Mojo.The Washington Post said the action thriller, starring Jason Statham, has “more zzzzz than bzzzz.”The rom-com “Anyone But You,” which was in third place last week, moved up a notch to second, with $2.1 million in sales.The film stars Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell, who The Hollywood Reporter said “can’t fake the fizz” in the flick, which is based on William Shakespeare’s play “Much Ado About Nothing.”Things soured for “Wonka,” which dropped to third, with earnings of $1.8 million. Its star, Timothée Chalamet, was nominated at Jan.
EXCLUSIVE: German director Wim Wenders has scored his best box office performance in 15 years with Japan-set, comeback feature Perfect Days, according to collated figures released by sales agent The Match Factory.
Karen Idelson Though there are still those who view animation primarily as a kids or family form of entertainment, over the last year many of the most challenging, risky stories have been told by the modern masters of animation. Films like “Suzume,” “The Peasants” and “The Boy and the Heron” have all been lauded for taking on compelling stories that often attract more adult audiences or even becoming crossover hits that draw diverse viewers. Makoto Shinkai’s “Suzume” earned well over $300 million in international box office.
Alex Ritman After just one weekend of international release, “Priscilla” — Sofia Coppola‘s biopic starring Jacob Elordi as Elvis Presley and Cailee Spaeny as The King’s (then) teenage bride “Priscilla” — has already hit several major milestones for arthouse streamer and distributor Mubi. Produced by Fremantle’s The Apartment, the film currently sits on a box office in excess of $20 million in the U.S., where A24 released the film on Oct.
EXCLUSIVE: Warner Bros has Paul Thomas Anderson set to direct Oscar winners Leonardo DiCaprio & Sean Penn and Oscar host Regina Hall in an untitled film that will begin production January 21 in California. Anderson wrote the script, and he will produce the film with Sara Murphy.
Audiences didn’t have a lot of new choices, nor a mega late-December blockbuster to ring in the first weekend of the new year at the movies, but the studio titles on offer are still drawing crowds and seeing strong holds, particularly with ongoing holidays in many international box office markets. Milestones are also being set as Warner Bros/Village Roadshow/Heyday Films’ Wonka topped $300M overseas while Disney’s Wish crossed $200M worldwide and AMC touted a new benchmark for Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour.
Barbenheimer’ phenomenon, but not enough to return it to pre-pandemic levels.A total of £1.06 billion was taken across the year, according to numbers released by Comscore (via Variety). That represents an 8.3 per cent increase on 2022’s total of £980.5 million.However, the number remains 23.5 per cent below 2019, the final year before COVID-19 shut down cinemas.
Naman Ramachandran The U.K. and Ireland box office revenue improved 8.3% from £980.5 million ($1.25 billion) in 2022 to £1.06 billion ($1.35 billion) in 2023, according to numbers released by Comscore. However, the number was 23.5% below the 2019 pre-pandemic total of £1.35 billion ($1.72 billion).
Hulu has released the trailer for the upcoming series “Death and Other Details,” which premieres on Jan. 16 with its first two episodes. The ten-episode murder mystery stars Violett Beane, Mandy Patinkin, Lauren Patten, Rahul Kohli, Angela Zhou, Hugo Diego Garcia, Pardis Saremi and Linda Emond.
Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Thanks to Mario, J. Robert Oppenheimer and M3GAN, Universal Pictures ranked as the highest-grossing studio at the 2023 box office. The company’s slate — a range of 24 films that included “The Super Mario Bros.
EXCLUSIVE: Production is about to be underway on Warner Bros/Vertigo/Legendary’s feature take on Mojang/Microsoft’s Minecraft in New Zealand, and sources are telling us that Jack Black is joining the cast of the Jason Momoa led movie.
Naman Ramachandran Warner Bros.’ “Wonka” continued its golden run at the U.K. and Ireland box office with £6.6 million ($8.4 million) over the Dec. 29 weekend.
The familiar face of Toby Jones has returned to our screens for the new ITV drama Mr Bates vs Post Office, but what fans might not know is that he also has star-studded parents.Toby, 57, who holds an OBE, is best known for being the voice of Dobby in the Harry Potter films from 2002 to 2010. Other huge roles from the actor include Percy Alleline in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Claudius, the announcer for The Hunger Games.
Jools Holland‘s traditional New Year’s Eve show on BBC2 has been announced.Jools’ Annual Hootenanny will see the likes of Rod Stewart, Joss Stone, Olivia Dean, Paul Jones, P.P. Arnold, RAYE, Sugababes and The Mary Wallopers seeing in 2024.Other guests include Boogie Woogie Queen, Ruby Turner and as always, the Pipes & Drums of the 1st Battalion Scot Guards will feature, as the hour strikes midnight.Details of which songs the artists will perform on the night are yet to be announced.This year’s show will air from 11.30pm GMT on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer this Sunday (December 31).
A man has been found dead and another is missing after a Christmas Eve 'fishing trip' in Alloa.