Patrick Bergin, Francis Magee Join Cast of Tom Waller’s ‘Kiss of the Con Queen’

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief After a few pandemic-addled years, the global box office is finally ready to feel the warmth of the studios’ tentpole releases. Though the swing-back to pre-pandemic release schedules is happening at different speeds in each market, the quartet of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” “Fast X,” “The Little Mermaid” and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” — not to mention “The Super Mario Bros Movie” before them — have announced the arrival of Hollywood’s version of summer across much of the planet. France saw admissions climb by 33% in the first five months of 2023, compared with the equivalent period last year, according to data from the CNC (National Film Board). Compared with an average figure for 2017 to 2019, the performance of the 2023 box office is (only) 12% behind. France’s recovery has been powered by a string of successful local films including “Asterix and Obelix: The Middle Kingdom,” “Alibi.com 2,” “The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan,” “The Crime Is Mine” and Cannes opener “Jeanne du Barry.”

Emmy Rossum and Tom Holland play mother-son in Apple TV+’s The Crowded Room. The Shameless alum is opening up about being cast in the role while only being 10 years older than the Super-Man star.

Accused fraudster Hargobind Tahilramani, dubbed the “con queen of Hollywood” after allegedly impersonating movie executives in an extensive fraud scheme, can be extradited to face charges in the US, a UK judge ruled Tuesday morning.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Crime action film “The Roundup: No Way Out” dominated the South Korean box office on its official opening weekend with a thumping $21.9 million performance. The film, the third in a franchise that pits a heavy-fisted cop, portrayed by Ma Dong-seok (aka Don Lee), against colorfully devious rogues, crushed all competing titles by taking an 88% market share. In terms of admissions, it attracted 2.82 million into cinemas between Friday and Sunday. The film’s official opening was on Wednesday (May 31). But it also enjoyed wide previews through much of the preceding week. Adding in the weekday takings and the preview activity, “The Roundup: No Way Out” has a current aggregate of $34.1 million and has sold a total of 4.51 million tickets, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council.

K.J. Yossman Hargobind Tahilramani, the alleged mastermind behind the “Hollywood Con Queen” scam, can be extradited to face charges in California, a U.K. judge ruled on Tuesday morning. Tahilramani appeared in court via videolink to hear the judgment, holding his face in his hands. The decision means Tahilramani, who has been languishing in a U.K. prison since his arrest in 2020, can be sent to the U.S. where he is set to face charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. His extradition must be formally ordered by the U.K.’s Secretary of State.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” grabbed top place at the mainland China box office over the weekend with an opening $17.2 million (RMB122 million) score. Giant screen company, Imax reports that $2.7 million, or more than 16% of the film’s China total, came from its Middle Kingdom venues. Chinese online ticketing agency Maoyan forecasts that “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” will earn a total of RMB241 million or $34 million at current exchange rates. “Fast X,” which had driven off with the spoils for the past two weekends, was overtaken on its third lap and achieved $7.7 million in second place, according to data from consultancy firm Artisan Gateway. After 17 days in Chinese cinemas, “Fast X” has accumulated $124 million, making it the highest-grossing imported titled released this year in China ahead of Japanese animation “Suzume.”

Ready to start a new chapter! Tom Brady is hopeful about what’s next in his life after hanging up his football cleats for good.

Brooke Shields has had an incredible modeling and acting career, but not everything has been easy. This is why the protective mom had reservations about her daughter Grier Henchy’s interest in modeling.In a recent interview with Live with Kelly and Mark, Shields confessed that she “fought” the idea of Grier modeling for “so long.” She said Grier, whose father is Christopher Thomas Henchy, is doing “little things here and there,” but Grier but she has to wait until she’s older, since she is still 17. “The rules have changed,” she said, “I’m just so happy about that.” Grier will turn 18 on April 18, 2024.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Netflix is to launch a new Japanese reality show “Is She the Wolf?” which was developed with broadcaster Abema and adapted from the original show “Who Is the Wolf” which previously ran for 13 seasons. The show follows five men and five women on a quest for love through dates and a group project. However, some female participants are “lying wolves” who cannot fall in love. They must navigate the entire season without being discovered or accepting any declarations of love. It includes a diverse group of participants aged 22 to 32, including actors, artists, models, and athletes. “Is She the Wolf?” streams exclusively on Netflix in Japan beginning June 11, with new episodes streaming each Sunday. Outside Japan, all episodes will be released on Netflix in September 2023.

Tom Holland is celebrating his 27th birthday at the premiere of his new Apple TV+ series!

Emmerdale fans were left divided on Thursday, when Belle Dingle made the brave decision to admit the truth about her mental health to current flame Tom King. Speaking to her boyfriend privately, Belle told Tom that she suffers from Schizophrenia and tried to explain how she had been sectioned in the past more than once and admitted to hospital after hearing and seeing things that weren’t there.

 reunion continues, so does the drama, with part two of the three-part reunion special seeing Tom Sandoval come undone at the seams. As the cast continues to berate Sandoval for his months-long affair with Raquel Leviss, Sandoval grows increasingly frustrated and makes several attempts to talk to Leviss off-camera. While his is not the only tantrum thrown during the reunion, with James Kennedy already walking off set more than once, fans couldn't help but react to Sandoval nearly bringing filming to a halt after not getting his way.«I'm in a very delicate position right now' LMAO stop #VanderpumpRules,» one viewer tweeted, poking fun at Sandoval's outburst.“I’m in a very delicate position right now” LMAO stop #VanderpumpRules«Scandoval is spiraling out because they won’t allow him to manipulate Raquel away from the cameras.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The 25th Shanghai International Film Festival, June 9 to 18, has unveiled the titles in contention for awards in its four main feature-length sections: main competition, Asian New Talent, Animation film and documentary. These are eligible for the festival’s prestigious Golden Goblet Awards, winners of which will be announced at the Shanghai Grand Theater on the evening of June 17. While SIFF remains the only mainland China festival to be accredited as a so-called A-list event by the International Federation of Film Producers (FIAPF), its selections are largely separate and distinct from those at other major international festivals.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Fast X” predictably won a second weekend on top of the mainland China box office, driving its total past the $100 million mark. But the disappointing start for Disney’s live-action “The Little Mermaid” was the bigger talking point. “Fast X” earned $17.6 million in China according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway. That was a 66% drop compared with its opening weekend, but still gave the film a $110 million cumulative after 12 days and has caused estimates to be further revised upwards. Ticketing agency Maoyan is now forecasting that the film will finish with RMB880 million ($126 million), having previously predicted RMB728 million ($104 million), and then RMB840 million.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The Sundance Film Festival Asia, an offshoot of the Sundance Institute, is to set up camp in Taipei, Taiwan this summer. The three-day mini festival will run Aug. 18-20 and be put together in association with local organizer G2Go Entertainment. The event will showcase a handful of films curated by the Sundance Institute and host a short film competition that is open only to Taiwanese productions. Panel discussions will accompany the festival to foster artistic exchange, providing opportunities for the Taiwan film industry to connect with Sundance’s executive team, and elevating Taiwan’s image and presence in the global independent film industry. 

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3” enjoyed a second weekend on top of the mainland China box office, as all top five placed films remained unchanged and audiences await “Fast & Furious 10.” “Guardians Vol 3” earned $19.0 million between Friday and Sunday, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway. That was a decent week-on-week hold, representing a drop of only 32% from its debut weekend, following a solid but unspectacular start. And it gives the film a total of $58.7 million after ten days in mainland Chinese theaters. Imax screens accounted for $3 million of the film’s weekend score in China and lifted the film’s Imax total in China to $10.4 million, which Imax calculates as 18% of its China total.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Bruce Berman, a senior executive who was previously chairman and CEO of Los Angeles-based Village Roadshow Pictures, has come out of retirement to board the recently-founded film studio Through the Lens Entertainment. The company, founded by producer Aditya Chand, is headquartered in Singapore with operations in the U.S. and Japan. It aims to combine the opportunities of the East and the power and experience of the studio systems in the West, “to offer a new studio ecosystem out of Asia, that is built for the digital age.” Two film projects are already underway and a third with “Slumdog Millionaire” star Frieda Pinto is in development.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The selection of two restored films by Ozu Yasujiro for the Cannes Classics section will kick-off a six-month long celebration of the iconic Japanese auteur around the world. Cannes revealed last week that it will showcase Ozu’s 1947 “Record of a Tenement Gentleman” and his 1950 picture “The Muneteka Sisters.” The screenings mark the 120th anniversary of Ozu’s birth and the 60th anniversary of his death. Ozu died in 1963 on the day of his 60th birthday, just a few months after the release of his last film “The Taste of Sake.” Major studio, Shochiku, where Ozu spent the majority of career and made his iconic movies, is planning a series of curated retrospectives, festival screenings, and special events around the world that pay homage to his enduring legacy as one of the most influential directors in cinema. These will last until the end of 2023.

American Idol might be the last show we’d expect to share a synergy crossover with the coronation of the next British monarch, but here we are!

If you want to watch one of the most unique and stylish directorial debuts of the past five years, definitely check out Andrew Patterson’s “The Vast of Night.” That film is one of the best-underseen films of 2020, and announced Patterson as a filmmaker to keep an eye on. Now, it appears he’s about to level up in a big way with his next film, “The Rivals of Amziah King.” READ MORE: The 25 Best Films Of 2020 You Didn’t See According to Black Bear International, handling sales for the film, Andrew Patterson’s next film is set to be “The Rivals of Amziah King,” which will feature Matthew McConaughey as the lead.