‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ jolts box office with $56.5 million opening

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Sony Pictures Entertainment’s senior management says it remains “optimistic” about the future of cinema, despite a slow start to the North American summer season and industry talk of superhero fatigue. Speaking on a Sony Group Corporation conference call (on Thursday in Japan, Wednesday in Los Angeles), Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Tony Vinciquerra blamed current box office torpor on three prongs of disruption that have affected movie production over the past five years: competition with streaming; the disruptions and cost increases brought on by the COVID-era; and last year’s writers and actors strikes. Together these have led to fewer films reaching theaters.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga has had a poor opening weekend at the cinema despite receiving rave reviews from critics.NME’s five star review of the long-awaited prequel to the Mad Max series described the film as “brilliant and unmissable” and said the film was “another extraordinary blockbuster juggernaut that in some sequences somehow excels even its predecessor, arresting viewers with its booming, utterly immersive world of grease, dust, motorbikes and carnage.”Directed by George Miller, the film stars Anya Taylor-Joy as Furiosa – a younger version of Charlize Theron’s character in Mad Max: Fury Road – and Chris Hemsworth as war lord Dementus.In the prequel, Taylor-Joy’s character is snatched as a child by the sadistic Dementus. Forced to ride through the Wastelands with a great biker horde, Furiosa must fight to find her way home while Dementus and fellow tyrant Immortal Joe battle for dominance in the desert.Despite a budget of $168million (£143million) to make, the film underperformed in its box office debut, only recouping $25.6million ($20million) between Friday and Sunday in the US.For cinemas in the US, it marked their worst Memorial Day performance in 29 years.The film did recoup an additional $33.3million (£26million) from international audiences, with a total of $58million (£45million) worldwide according to Variety.At Cannes, where the film received its premiere, it received a sx-minute standing ovation.Variety reported that Hemsworth grew emotional during the applause, while the actor was also filmed kissing director George Miller on the head.“We worked very hard on this film, and it’ll be very interesting to see what you make of it,” Miller said ahead of the screening.

Rebecca Rubin Senior Film and Media Reporter Garfield has another reason to hate Mondays. In a box office nail biter, “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” narrowly emerged victorious over “The Garfield Movie” on North American charts. On Sunday, Warner Bros.

Refresh for latest…: Warner Bros’ Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga was greeted with a very warm reception during its Cannes Film Festival world premiere in an early showcase last week, and amid much love for franchise architect George Miller. It has followed up with strong critical and social scores. Nevertheless, in this currently wonky theatrical landscape, the prequel underperformed in its global opening this launch weekend, grossing $58.9M from 76 total markets through Sunday.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Kevin Costner confirmed in a new GQ magazine cover story that reports claiming he spent $20 million of his own money to co-finance his new Western epic “Horizon: An American Saga” are not true, as he actually contributed more than that from his personal bank account. “I know they say I’ve got $20 million of my own money in this movie,” Costner said. “It’s not true.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “The Last Frenzy,” a comedy film about a dying man’s last hurrah, returned to the top spot in mainland Chinese cinemas in its third weekend of release. “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” which a week earlier had been the biggest title, slipped to fourth place. In another China disappointment for Hollywood, “The Fall Guy” opened outside the Chinese top ten.

imaginary friends movie “IF” claimed the top spot at the box office this weekend according to studio estimates Sunday. Its $35 million North American debut was also a bit lower than some projections.Is that a disappointment? An ominous sign of the box office times? Or is the final story on “ IF ” yet to be written? It’s not just your imagination: In these bumpy early weeks of the 2024 summer box office season, in which nothing has been a runaway hit and every new movie has more and more pressure to succeed, “IF” hit a nerve.Starring Ryan Reynolds, Cailey Fleming, and an army of A-list voices including Steve Carell, Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Louis Gossett Jr., Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Maya Rudolph, “IF” was an original idea from Krasinski, who wrote, directed and co-stars.Paramount debuted the film, which cost a reported $110 million to produce, in 4,041 locations in North America.

is still Bennifering.On May 16, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck were seen together for the first time since all this started bubbling up. In new photos and video shared —the same tabloid that first reported their alleged split— can be seen picking up and her 16-year-old child, , in an SUV after 15-year-old Fin Affleck’s school play.While InTouch continues to report that the couple is “no longer sleeping under the same roof” and a source that the pair arrived separately, Affleck can clearly be seen wearing his wedding ring while keeping his left hand on the wheel.

Rebecca Rubin Senior Film and Media Reporter “IF,” a fantasy-comedy from director John Krasinski and star Ryan Reynolds, looks to collect a promising $40 million in its box office debut. Based on projections, “IF” — short for imaginary friends — is tracking to land at least $35 million and as much as $45 million from 4,000 North American theaters. At the higher end of estimates, those ticket sales would mark a solid start for a live-action PG family film that’s not based on an existing property.

Only Murders In the Building‘s “starriest season yet” is coming to Hulu. The comedy mystery series’ leads Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez took to the stage at the Disney upfront presentation for some hijinks and to introduce Season 4, which will premiere Aug. 27.

Mother Of The Bride has become the latest romantic comedy to top the Netflix charts.Directed by Mark Waters (Mean Girls), the film follows mother Lana (Brooke Shields) who discovers her daughter Emma’s (Miranda Cosgrove) husband-to-be is the son of an old flame she dated in college.Other cast members include Benjamin Bratt, Rachael Harris, Sean Teale, Chad Michael Murray, Michael McDonald, Wilson Cruz and Tasneem Roc.Mother Of The Bride released worldwide on May 9, and topped the Netflix UK film charts within its first week.The film’s score is composed by Caroline Ho, who previously contributed music to American Horror Stories alongside Alexis Grapsas.A number of songs by other artists also appear in the film, ranging from modern club tracks to throwbacks from the 1980s. You can check out all the songs below.‘I’m Good (Blue)’ – David Guetta and Bebe Rexha‘Mona Lisa’ – Ray Evans and Jay Livingston‘Queen Of Stacks’ – Daniel Lobel feat. Patty Monroe‘We Got The Beat’ – The Go-Go’s‘Chapel Of Love’ – The Dixie Cups‘Surfside’ – Douglas Kinloch‘Vacation’ – Priya Ragu‘DONG’ – Bear KnuckleMother Of The Bride is available to stream on Netflix.

The resigned Miss USA and Miss Teen USA may allegedly be silenced from speaking out about the nightmares they faced in their crowns, but their mommas? They won’t be! The matriarchs have now gone into full momma bear mode and are spilling about the organization’s workplace environment!

Rebecca Rubin Senior Film and Media Reporter Primates ruled over the North American box office as “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” collected $56.5 million in its first weekend of release. Those ticket sales were a hair above early projections of $50 million to $55 million and were easily enough to tower over the nonexistent competition.

Marc Anthony spent a memorable weekend in his home of Miami. The beloved singer and icon performed the national anthem at the Miami Grand Prix on Sunday, an event that was attended by all manner of celebrities, including Ed Sheeran, who also performed, Kendall Jenner, Tom Brady, Camila Cabello, Zinedine Zidane, Donald Trump, and more. Marc Anthony’s wife shares sweetest father and son photoMarc Anthony and Nadia Ferreira dazzle at the LAMAS 2024 with color-coordinated looksA post shared by Marc Anthony (@marcanthony)Anthony shared videos on his Instagram stories showing him and his wife Nadia Ferreira taking a tour through some of the location’s key spots.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Locally-produced crime action thriller “The Roundup: Punishment” dominated the South Korea box office for a second weekend. In contrast, Hollywood’s “The Fall Guy” opened softly in third place. Data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic), showed “The Roundup: Punishment” grossed $13.8 million between Friday and Sunday, earned from 1.92 million ticket sales. That represented a huge 83% market share over the weekend, albeit down from 92% a week earlier.

Rebecca Rubin Senior Film and Media Reporter “The Fall Guy,” an action-comedy starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, kicked off the summer movie season without much sizzle. The film, backed by Universal and directed by David Leitch, fell just short of expectations with $28.5 million from 4,002 North American venues in its debut. Heading into the weekend, “The Fall Guy” was projected to earn at least $30 million to $40 million.

Jack Dunn The morning of the “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” premiere, stars of the film Peter Macon and Ras-Samuel discovered they were staying at the same hotel while getting breakfast. And when they met eyes from either end of the buffet line, they did not greet each other with a wave or a simple hello, they did so as apes. Embodying their characters, they dropped their shoulders and shuffled together, hooting and panting at the sight of a friend.

President Joe Biden weighed in on the unrest on college campuses as a wave of pro-Palestinian demonstrations has led to mass arrests, vandalism and some violent incidents, saying in brief remarks that “order must prevail.”

Slipknot have announced their ‘Here Comes The Pain’ 25th anniversary US tour with Knocked Loose and more.The legendary heavy metal band are set to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their 1999 self-titled debut album. The North American leg of their ‘Here Comes The Pain’ tour will see the masked members make stops in major cities such as Baltimore, New York City, Toronto, Ridgefield, Inglewood, Austin, Dallas and more before wrapping up in their hometown of Des Moines, Iowa for Knotfest.Knocked Loose, Orbit Culture and Vended will all serve as opening support on select dates.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, two essential ingredients in the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon, will leave Barbieland and Los Alamos behind them as they team up for “The Fall Guy.” But will audiences turn up in force to see the “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” stars when their new action comedy debuts this weekend? Well, “The Fall Guy” isn’t going to hit those films’ box office heights, but it should have no trouble topping charts as it kicks off the summer movie season. The film is expected to earn north of $30 million, with some rival studio executives pegging the opening at between $35 million to $40 million. The catch is that movie wasn’t cheap to produce, boasting a healthy budget of $130 million, so “The Fall Guy” will need strong word-of-mouth if it’s going to leg it out on the long path to profitability.