| | | | | | What's news: It's magazine day! This week's cover star is the effortlessly cool Benicio Del Toro. The MPA has sent a cease and desist letter to Seedance 2.0 owner ByteDance. KPop Demon Hunters swept the Annies. Wuthering Heights sailed past $150m at the global box office. A Venom animated movie is in the works at Sony. And Winona Ryder is reuniting with long time collaborator Tim Burton for S3 of Netflix's mega hit Wednesday. — Abid Rahman
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Being Benicio ►On the cover. Benicio Del Toro is revered by a loose coalition of the most venerated creatives working in Hollywood: Scorsese. DiCaprio. Penn. Anderson (Paul and Wes). Soderbergh. Villeneuve. Despite this outsized reputation, Del Toro resists easy categorization. Collaborators describe his talents as something more akin to a superpower. The force of his presence manages to bend scenes around him — bend entire films, sometimes — all without him raising his voice. THR's Seth Abramovitch spoke to Hollywood's soft-spoken powerhouse on bonding with Leo, rewriting PT Anderson and "trying to enjoy" his first Oscar nom in two decades. The cover story. |
How the Tourette's Fallout Unfolded at the BAFTAs ►"The situation is almost impossible." The BBC has apologized for "strong and offensive language" at the BAFTA Film Awards after a racial slur was not cut from its final broadcast. A Tourette’s campaigner, John Davidson, was heard cursing throughout the show — including shouting the N-word as Sinners duo Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented the best visual effects award to Avatar: Fire and Ash, which prompted gasps across the audience and made for an uncomfortable atmosphere inside London’s Royal Festival Hall. Davidson is the inspiration behind Kirk Jones’ critically-acclaimed film I Swear, following a man’s struggle growing up with Tourette’s syndrome. Robert Aramayo's depiction of Davidson in I Swear provided the biggest awards shock of the night when he won the best actor prize. The story.
—🏆 Congrats to all! 🏆 Seemingly lost in all the controversy was a big night for Warner Bros., with Sinners and One Battle After Another both dominating the BAFTAs. OBAA topped the list with 6 wins and Ryan Coogler’s vampire horror drama won three prizes — including a stunning best supporting actress win for Manchester's own Wunmi Mosaku — setting a record for the most honors for a movie from a Black filmmaker. Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme came into the night with 11 nods, but went home empty-handed. The winners.
—Disclaimers and dirty jokes. THR's Lily Ford was on the ground at the 2026 BAFTAs and has all the inside goss from the event, including a red-faced Paul Mescal, Paddington, a royal tribute, a couple of fabulous celebrity cameos and Netflix's all-star afterparty. The story. |
MPA Sends Cease and Desist Letter to ByteDance ►Getting serious. Hollywood’s top studios aren’t satisfied with a promise from ByteDance on Feb. 16 to tamp down on unauthorized use of intellectual property on Seedance 2.0, as a new letter from the Motion Picture Association demonstrates. The trade association sent a strongly-worded cease and desist letter to the Chinese tech giant on Friday alleging “systemic infringement” by the tool. It’s this first time the MPA has sent a cease-and-desist to a major generative AI company. The letter, which is framed as a “collective industry response” to Seedance 2.0, argues that unauthorized use of IP by its videos isn’t an errant mistake, but rather is baked into the tech. “The scale and consistency of these results demonstrate systemic infringement rather than inadvertence. In other words, Seedance’s copyright infringement is a feature, not a bug,” the letter states. The story.
—This kitten's got claws. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos fired back at James Cameron‘s endorsement of Paramount in the bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery. In an interview on Fox Business Network’s The Claman Countdown, Sarandos challenged remarks from Cameron to lawmakers undermining Netflix’s pledge to keep WB movies in theaters. “I’m particularly surprised and disappointed that James chose to be part of the Paramount disinformation campaign that’s been going on for months about this deal,” he said. Sarandos’ response came after Cameron sent a letter to Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) arguing that allowing Netflix to purchase the studio will deal a disastrous blow to movie theaters. The story.
—Oooof. AMC Entertainment Holdings has seen its fourth-quarter net loss edge down on lower overall revenues as it hopes for stronger Hollywood box office this year. On Monday, the debt-laden parent of AMC Theatres reported overall revenues at $1.28b, down 1.4 percent against a year-earlier $1.3b. That came as total attendance at its domestic and international theaters fell nearly 10 percent to 56.3m patrons during the latest quarter. U.S. markets attendance was off 7.5 percent to 39.7m filmgoers, while international attendance was off nearly 15 percent at 16.5m ticket buyers after a roller coaster ride for Hollywood box office in 2025. The results. |
Winona Ryder Joins 'Wednesday' S3 ►🎭 Sticking with Netflix. 🎭 Stranger Things star Winona Ryder is joining the cast of Wednesday for season three. The move reunites the Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands star with Wednesday director and executive producer Tim Burton, as well as with her Beetlejuice Beetlejuice co-star Jenna Ortega. Ryder will have a guest star role that’s being kept under wraps for now. The story.
—🎭 Triple helping of Brit drama. 🎭 The BBC has unveiled three new dramas coming to the small screen, including Shy & Lola with Hayley Squires and Bel Powley. A six-part drama, Shy & Lola is written by screenwriter and novelist Amanda Coe and produced by Baby Reindeer outfit Clerkenwell Films. Also announced on Monday is D-Notice from writers and executive producers Adam Patterson and Declan Lawn. The six-part British political thriller is set in the world of investigative journalism. And period drama fans there's 1536 , an eight-parter based on Ava Pickett’s play of the same name, which is set in the heart of Tudor England against the backdrop of Anne Boleyn’s arrest and weaves royal scandal with rural struggle. The story.
—To the moon. Launching a series on the same day as the biggest TV event of the year might not seem like the wisest strategy. But when the show is on the same platform as that huge event, it turns out the idea can work. Case in point: The Burbs, which premiered as a binge release on Peacock on Feb. 8. The streamer also carried the Super Bowl along with NBC that day, and between them (and Spanish language broadcaster Telemundo, also part of NBCUniversal) had 125m viewers who saw several promos for the series, a reworking of the 1989 Tom Hanks movie that stars Keke Palmer and Jack Whitehall. The series also received a push in NBCU’s Winter Olympics coverage. THR's Rick Porter writes that the strategy has paid off well, with The Burbs having one of the best opening weeks to date for a Peacock scripted series. The eight-episode season drew 712m minutes of viewing for the week of Feb. 9-16, based on early streaming figures from Nielsen. The ratings.
—🤝 Renewals. 🤝 Newsmax, the conservative cable news channel, has inked new deals with two of its core hosts. The company, led by CEO Chris Ruddy, says that it has inked a new deal with 9 p.m. host Greg Kelly, and with 6 p.m. host Carl Higbie. Kelly, a former Fox News correspondent and co-anchor of Good Day New York, joined Newsmax in 2020 to host Greg Kelly Reports. Higbie, a former Navy SEAL, was a frequent political commentator before joining Newsmax in 2023, where he hosts Frontline. The story. |
'KPop Demon Hunters' Sweeps Annie Awards ►🏆 It's a takedown. 🏆 Netflix and Sony‘s come-from-nowhere global animation phenomenon KPop Demon Hunters swept this year’s Annie Awards, the animation honors handed out by the L.A. Branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, taking 10 prizes, including best feature. The pop musical, directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, also won best direction, best music, best writing, best editorial and best voice acting for Arden Cho, who voices Rumi. It also swept the technical categories at the Annies, winning best FX, best character animation, best character design and best production design. The winners.
—🏆 Dublin calling. 🏆Coming-of-age drama Christy won the best film and three other honors at the Irish Film & Television Awards 2026 during a ceremony in Dublin on Friday. The Irish Film & Television Academy also honored Hamnet as the best international film and in three additional categories. Christy director Brendan Canty was named the best director. Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Leonardo DiCaprio, Éanna Hardwicke and Kerry Condon were among the award winners in the acting categories. Meanwhile, in IFTA’s TV categories, Blue Lights was honored as the best drama series. The winners. |
Berlin Gets Political... Finally ►🏆 Muhteşem! 🏆 After drawing social media backlash for suggesting filmmakers should “stay out of politics,” German director Wim Wenders and his fellow jurors at the 76th Berlin Film Festival delivered a pointed rebuttal of sorts, awarding the festival’s top prizes to a number of overtly political films. Top prize, the Golden Bear for best film, went to Ilker Çatak’s Yellow Letters, a drama following Derya (Özgü Namal) and Aziz (Tansu Biçer), two Turkish theater artists who lose their jobs due to political persecution from Turkey’s authoritarian government. The Grand Jury Prize went to Emin Alper’s Salvation , a drama that charts the escalation of violence in an isolated village community in the Turkish mountains following the return of an exiled clan. The story.
—🏆 Panorama champ. 🏆 Austrian director Adrian Goiginger’s film Four Minus Three, the true story of a professional clown struck by tragedy, has won the Europa Cinemas Label as best European film in the Panorama section of the Berlinale. The film, based on Barbara Pachl-Eberhart’s autobiographical novel, follows Barbara (Valerie Pachner), a professional clown who lives with her partner Heli (Robert Stadlober), also a clown, and their two children. When Heli and the children die in a car accident, Barbara’s belief in humor, hope and humanity is put to the ultimate test. The story.
—🏆 Indie darlings. 🏆 Berlin competition titles Soumsoum, the Night of the Stars, and Moscas won over the independent juries at this year’s Berlinale, with Soumsoum, from Franco-Chadian auteur Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, taking top prize for best film from the Fipresci jury of international film critics, and Moscas from Mexican Director Fernando Eimbcke, winning the top honor of this year’s Ecumenical jury. The story.
—🏆 Kids' choice. 🏆 Sad Girlz (Chicas Tristes), the feature debut of Mexican writer-director Fernanda Tovar, has won the Crystal Bear for best film in the Generation 14plus section of the Berlin International Film Festival. Sad Girlz took the top prize awarded by both the international Generation jury of film professionals and the youth jury, made up of teen voters. The Generation section highlights works for youth viewers. The story. |
'GOAT' Struts to No. 1 Stateside ►Curry pulls out the 'Night Night' celly. Holdovers GOAT, from Sony Pictures Animation, and Warner Bros.’ Wuthering Heights battled it out for top spot at the domestic box office. On Saturday, early estimates showed the two in a close race for first place with a projected $13m to $15m each. But GOAT, thanks to pent-up demand among families, mowed down the competition to top the North American chart with an estimated $17.2m from 3,842 theaters for a domestic cume of $58.3m. Globally, it cleared the $100m mark as its foreign tally rose to $44m from 41 markets (it is rolling out much more slowly overseas, where it has yet to open in 30 percent of the marketplace). The pic is another win for Sony Animation, home of the hit Spider-Verse universe and Oscar nominee KPop: Demon Hunters.
THR's Pamela McClintock writes that Emerald Fennell’s unconventional adaptation of the Emily Brontë novel Wuthering Heights is also a win. It earned an estimated $14.2m from 3,682 locations to come in second domestically, but won the weekend overseas among Hollywood fare with $26.3m from 77 markets for an impressive global haul of $152m, including $60m domestically and $91.7m internationally.
Among a crowded herd of newcomers this weekend, Lionsgate and Kingdom Story’s faith-based sequel I Can Only Imagine 2 easily came in third with an estimated $8m from 3,105 cinemas after earning a coveted A+ CinemaScore from audiences. While that’s a solid start, it’s roughly half as much as the original 2018 film opened to in the pre-pandemic era. A24’s Glen Powell-starrer How to Make a Killing debuted to an unimpressive $3.5m from 1,625 locations after getting dinged by many critics. The box office report. |
Emma Mackey Exits Nancy Meyers' WB Movie ►Bloody schedules! Nancy Meyers‘ next star-studded comedy feature will need to replace a castmember. Emma Mackey, who was previously attached as part of the ensemble cast in the untitled Warner Bros. project, has exited amid a scheduling conflict. THR reported earlier this month that the Ella McCay star was set to appear in Meyers’ movie alongside Penélope Cruz, Kieran Culkin, Jude Law and Owen Wilson. Details of Mackey’s role have not been shared for the film that is slated to hit theaters Dec. 25, 2027. A version of the feature had been in the works over the years and was set up at Netflix but shelved in early 2023 amid the streamer’s concerns about budget. The story.
—Time to woo Woo. The planned sequel to the 1990s action movie Face/Off now has an available director’s chair. Adam Wingard, who was previously attached to write and helm, left the Paramount project last summer, with both sides mutually agreeing to part ways. Face/Off 2 is now an open assignment at the studio, with other filmmakers pitching their own visions for the follow-up to the original 1997 cult favorite that starred John Travolta and Nicolas Cage. Back in 2019, the news broke that a Face/Off remake was in the works from producer Neal Moritz, with Paramount hiring Oren Uziel to pen the script. In 2021, the studio brought on Wingard to direct a sequel from a screenplay that he was writing with Simon Barrett. The story.
—📅 Edging closer. 📅 The Ninja Turtles will be partying a little earlier than expected. Paramount has moved up the release date for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem 2 to August 13, 2027. It was previously slated for Sept. 17, 2027. The film is a sequel to 2023’s Mutant Mayhem, which had humor and stylish animation that helped it gross $181.9m globally. Jeff Rowe returns to direct the sequel, with Kyler Spears and Yashar Kassai co-directing. Seth Rogen produces alongside Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Josh Fagen and Ramsay McBean. The story.
—Late addition! Netflix on Monday revealed a buzzy addition to its already expansive Korean content slate: rom-com feature Messily Ever After, starring Kim Min-ha and Noh Sang-hyun. Production on the film is now underway in Seoul, with the project reuniting the two actors after their shared appearance in Apple TV's Pachinko, this time placing them at the center of a contemporary relationship comedy that tracks a couple over the ups and downs of a romantic-but-rocky decade together. The story follows Su-hyun (Kim) and Hyun-tae (Noh), college sweethearts whose long-term romance oscillates between devotion and exasperation as the years accumulate. The story. |
'Venom' Animated Movie in the Works ►The gang is getting back together. THR's Borys "2 Skoopz" Kit has the scoop that Sony is developing an animated Venom movie. The studio has tapped Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein, the duo behind last year’s surprise horror hit Final Destination: Bloodlines, to direct the project based on the Marvel anti-hero. Amy Pascal, Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach, who worked on the Venom movies, will produce the feature. Tom Hardy, who starred in the studio’s recent trio of live-action movies as Eddie Brock, the human who bonds with the black oozy alien symbiote, and provided the voice for Venom, is involved in the animated project as a producer as well, as is Kelly Marcel, his go-to screenwriter for the live-action movies. The story.
—Moving forward. Borys also has the scoop that Viola Davis and Julius Tennon’s JuVee Productions is bringing Afro-fantasy graphic novel The Untamed: A Sinner’s Prayer to the big screen. Juvee has teamed up with Simon Swart and Andrew Cosby of Homeworld Entertainment to tackle an adaptation of the revenge fantasy indie franchise created by Sebastian A. Jones. Jones, who has been running the fantasy franchise for the last 10 years via his Stanger Comics, will outline the script and direct the adaptation. Davis, Tennon, Swart and Cobsy will act as producers on the project. The story.
—🤝 Sold! 🤝 Netflix has picked up Soy Frankelda (I Am Frankelda), the Spanish language stop-motion animated feature from Mexican directors Arturo and Roy Ambriz, and set the film for a global release in 2026. Developed by the Ambriz brothers at their Mexico City-based studio Cinema Fantasma, I am Frankelda is set in 19th century Mexico and centers on Frankelda, a gifted writer whose dark tales are ignored and dismissed. Guillermo del Toro advised the Ambriz Brothers on Mexico’s first-ever feature-length stop-motion production. The story. |
TV Review: 'Paradise' S2 ►"Lots of heart, not enough brains." THR's Angie Han reviews season two of Hulu's Paradise. Shailene Woodley joins Sterling K. Brown and Julianne Nicholson in the thriller series, set in the years after a catastrophe wipes out most of the human population. Also starring Sarah Shahi, Nicole Brydon Bloom, Krys Marshall, Enuka Okuma, Aliyah Mastin, Percy Daggs IV, Charlie Evans, Thomas Doherty and Cameron Britton. Created by Dan Fogelman. The review.
—"Not without flaws, but equal parts haunting and healing." David reviews Warwick Thornton's Berlin competition entry, Wolfram. Deborah Mailman is the wounded heart of this loose sequel to 2017’s Sweet Country, set on Australia's 1930s colonial frontier a few years after the events of the earlier film. Also starring Erroll Shand, Joe Bird, Thomas M. Wright, Matt Nable, Pedrea Jackson, Eli Hart, Hazel May Jackson, Ferdinand Hoang, Jason Chong, Aiden Du Chiem, John Howard, Anni Finsterer, Luka May Glynn-Cole, Gibson John and Natassia Gorey-Furber. Written by Steven McGregor and David Tranter. The review.
—"Takes flight and soars." THR's Leslie Felperin reviews Anna Fitch's Berlin competition entry, Yo (Love Is a Rebellious Bird). In this formally inventive doc, the director uses puppets, collages and scale models to recount the life of Yolanda "Yo" Shea, a Swiss immigrant with whom she was close right up until Yo's death. Featuring Yolanda Shea, Anna Fitch and Banker White. Written by Anna Fitch. The review. |
Film Review: 'Psycho Killer' ►"Listen to the Talking Heads song instead." THR's Frank Scheck reviews Gavin Polone's Psycho Killer. The veteran producer makes his directorial debut with this horror film about a highway patrolwoman on the trail of a serial killer. Starring Georgina Campbell, James Preston Rogers, Grace Dove, Logan Miller and Malcolm McDowell. Written by Andrew Kevin Walker. The review.
—"A provocative allegorical powder keg." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Emin Alper's Berlin competition entry, Salvation. The drama charts the escalation of violence in an isolated village community in the Turkish mountains following the return of an exiled clan. Starring Caner Ci̇ndoruk, Berkay Ateş, Feyyaz Duman, Naz Göktan, Özlem Taş, Eren Demi̇r, Seli̇m Akgül, Hichi Demi and Nazmi̇ Karaman. Written by Emin Alper. The review.
—"Languid, spooky and stunningly shot." THR's Jordan Mintzer reviews Mahamat-Saleh Haroun's Berlin competition entry, Soumsoum, the Night of the Stars. The latest feature from Franco-Chadian auteur behind A Screaming Man follows a 17-year-old girl beset by haunting visions. Starring Maïmouna Maiwama, Ériq Ebouaney, Achouackh Abakar Souleymane, Brigitte Tchanégué, Sambo Saleh Adam and Christ Assidjim Mbaihornom. Written by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun and Laurent Gaudé. The review.
In other news...
—GLAAD Awards: Demi Lovato to perform, Heated Rivalry team to attend
—Willie Colón, trailblazing salsa musician, dies at 75
What else we're reading...
—Andrea Prada Bianchi attempts to explain the phenomenon of "phonk music," that has become the soundtrack of YouTube Shorts and TikToks [NYT]
—Wonderful Cat Zhang piece on pop music icon Robyn, where 18 cultural figures ask her questions [The Cut]
—Holly Otterbein reports that Democratic officials working on a secret post-election autopsy found that the issue of Gaza caused Kamala Harris to lose votes [Axios]
—Stephen Bates asks whether the ongoing Andrew crisis could bring down King Charles [Guardian]
—Margaret Sullivan writes that under Bari Weiss, CBS News is convulsing as Larry Ellison tries to please Trump [Guardian]
Today...
...in 2018, Orion Pictures released Michael Sucsy's Every Day in theaters. A big screen adaptation of David Levithan's YA bestseller, the teen romantic fantasy starred Angourie Rice. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Emily Blunt (43), Dakota Fanning (32), Niecy Nash (56), Kristin Davis (61), Samara Weaving (34), Emilia Jones (24), Kelly Macdonald (50), Patricia Richardson (75), Triptii Dimri (23), Emily Cox (41), Paula Beer (31), Arica Himmel (21), Erika Ervin (47), Josh Gad (45), Aziz Ansari (43), Residente (48), Álvaro Morte (51), Aaron Heffernan (36), Callan Mulvey (51), Marie-Josée Croze (56), Adam Hann-Byrd (44), Nukâka (55), Matteo van der Grijn (45), Kris Lemche (48), Lorne Balfe (50) |
| | Anna de Peyster, an author and philanthropist who was Rupert Murdoch’s second wife and the mother of their children, Elisabeth, Lachlan and James, has died. She was 81. The obituary. |
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