What's news: Anderson Cooper signed off from 60 Minutes. Jafar Panahi is set to face trial in Iran again on "propaganda" charges. Peacock is adapting French-Canadian series Le Clan. Canal+ says it will black list hundreds of French creatives. Sam Raimi will direct a remake of Magic. And Devil Wears Prada 2 nears $550m to become the best performing female-focused film since Barbie. — Abid Rahman
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'Michael' Sashays Past 'Prada 2' With Stunning $26M |
►Moonwalking the world over. Antoine Fuqua’s Michael Jackson biopic Michael returned to No. 1 in its fourth outing with a dreamy $26.3m, more than enough to wrest the crown from The Devil Wears Prada 2 and top the North American and global weekend charts after reclaiming Imax and other premium screens. Moreover, it became only the second film of 2026 so far to clear the $700m mark in worldwide ticket sales behind The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
Michael benefited from the inability of video game adaptation Mortal Kombat II to turn into a crowd-pleaser and expand beyond its core fanbase. After a disappointing domestic opening, Kombat II it tumbled a steep 67 percent in its second weekend to $13.4m for a tepid 10-day North American total of $62.2m and a fourth-place finish.
Conversely, Michael finished Sunday with an estimated domestic total of $242.8m and $703.9m globally after enjoying an extraordinary hold, and one week after overtaking the entire lifetime run of Bohemian Rhapsody to become the top-grossing music biopic of all time in North America, not adjusted for inflation.
Prada 2 has fast become the top-grossing female-fueled pic since Barbie, and came in second with $18m in North America for a domestic tally of $175.9m through Sunday and $370.5m overseas for total global cume of $550m. The box office report.
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Spencer Pratt Is In Talks for New Reality Show |
►Not a great look. Spencer Pratt is now a real political contender in L.A., with a shot to unseat incumbent Mayor Karen Bass. But he’s also a veteran player in the reality TV space — and knows how to parlay his penchant for getting attention into an entertainment deal. Front of mind for Team Pratt right now is the June 2 primary in the mayoral race. Yet, intriguingly, there’s also been scattered rumors about how his unconventional campaign can be turned into TV content that harkens back to his MTV days. THR's Gary Baum reports that Welcome to Wrexham label Boardwalk Pictures has already approached potential directors about a planned show. The story.
—"The independence of 60 Minutes has been critical." Anderson Cooper bid farewell to CBS News‘ 60 Minutes on Sunday night after 20 years on the newsmagazine by praising the show’s “independence” and “trust it has with viewers.” “I hope 60 Minutes remains 60 Minutes,” he said in an interview on 60 Minutes Overtime. Cooper's comments come as the venerable show has faced sustained criticism under its new ownership of David Ellison and Ellison’s hiring of Bari Weiss as CBS News chief. The story.
—"Propaganda" charges. Oscar-nominated director Jafar Panahi is set to face trial in Iran again on charges of “propaganda against the regime.” Branch 26 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran has ordered a retrial in his case, after he was sentenced in absentia, to one year in prison and a two-year ban from filmmaking. Panahi at the time was outside the country, promoting It Was Just An Accident, which won the Palme d’Or in Cannes and was nominated for an Oscar in the best international feature category. After the Oscar ceremony, Panahi returned to Iran, as he had always said he would, entering the country on March 30, amidst the Iran War. The story.
—Going out with a bang. The final week of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert will feature the host chatting with an old friend and musical performances by two big rock stars (and Colbert himself). CBS has released a lineup for Colbert’s final week of shows, leading up to the May 21 finale of both Colbert’s tenure and The Late Show itself — thanks to the network’s decision last year to cancel the show that it says is a money loser. Jon Stewart, Steven Spielberg, David Byrne and Bruce Springsteen are all set to appear on the show this week. The story.
—Signs of life. A year ago, NBC canceled five scripted series in one day (and later a sixth) to help clear space on its schedule for primetime NBA games. Fox and CBS also axed six shows last year, including one pre-announced series end, and ABC dropped two shows. In raw numbers, the 20 canceled shows last year were the most for the big four networks since 2022. THR's Rick Porter writes that while the networks ordered about the same number of new series this year (11) as they did in 2025 (12), cancellation numbers went way down — from 20 to just six. The analysis.
—Sacre bleu! Robert Munic and Teton Ridge Entertainment are adapting French-Canadian series Le Clan for Peacock. Retitled Stoic Ridge, the modern Western about “loyalty, betrayal, and the fight to outrun the past,” will be made in English. Munic will showrun the show that is in development through Universal Content Productions and Teton. The story.
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A24 Wins Bidding War for 'Club Kid'
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►🤝 Sold! 🤝 A24 has won the bidding war for Cannes’ hottest film, snatching up global rights to Jordan Firstman’s Club Kid. A24 outbid virtually every other major indie and studio distributor, including Focus Features, Searchlight, Netflix, and Mubi to secure the film, a broad but touching family comedy set in the New York club scene. Firstman wrote and directed Club Kid (review down below!) in his feature debut and stars alongside Cara Delevigne, Diego Calva and newcomer Reggie Absolom. The film premiered in the Un Certain Regard section last week to rave reviews and buyers quickly started circling. The story.
—La liste noire. The head of Canal+, France’s largest film producer, has said the studio will no longer work with hundreds of cinema professionals, who signed a petition voicing concern over the growing influence of the studio’s rightwing billionaire owner Vincent Bolloré. More than 600 French industry figures, including actors Juliette Binoche, Adèle Haenel and Swann Arlaud, and directors Sepideh Farsi and Arthur Harari, signed the open letter, published earlier this week, calling out Bolloré’s right-wing politics and his expanding control over the French film industry. The story.
—No strings attached. Sam Raimi has settled on his next directing effort. As his follow-up to the excellent Send Help, his twisty survival thriller released by 20th Century/Disney earlier this year, Raimi will direct Magic, Lionsgate’s modern take on a William Goldman novel that was previously turned into a 1978 cult horror classic that featured Welsh national treasure Anthony Hopkins as a mentally unstable ventriloquist. Raimi was already on board to produce the update, having set it at his eponymous production company last year. The story.
—🎭 Whoa. 🎭 Keanu Reeves is set to lend his voice to the title role of Hidari, a Japanese stop-motion action feature in development from director Masashi Kawamura. The feature is an expansion of Kawamura’s viral 2023 proof-of-concept short of the same name, which has racked up close to 5m views on YouTube. Loosely inspired by the legend of Jingoro Hidari, a near-mythic master carpenter from Japan’s Edo period, the film follows the artisan as he loses his father figure, his fiancée and his right arm to a betrayal tied to the secret reconstruction of Edo Castle. The story.
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►🏆 Domination. 🏆 Ella Langley was the big winner at the 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards, which were handed out Sunday night, though Cody Johnson took the top award of entertainer of the year. Langley went home with five awards in all. Her “Choosin’ Texas” scooped up the first award of the night, for song of the year, and also was named single of the year. Langley also was named female artist of the year and artist-songwriter of the year, and she scooped up another nod for “Don’t Mind If I Do,” by Riley Green feat. Langley, which was named music event of the year. The winners.
—Can Drizzy save his battered reputation? Drake topped the charts with three albums released in one day, but the fallout from the rapper's feud with Kendrick Lamar still looms large, writes THR's Ethan Millman. The analysis.
—честито! Bulgaria won a raucous, contentious Eurovision on Saturday, topping Israel in what turned into both a musical and geopolitical nailbiter in its final moments. Sitting outside most oddsmakers’ top five coming into Saturday’s final in Vienna, Bulgaria improbably won both the overall jury vote and the popular vote among the 25 national finalists thanks to pop star Dara’s dance-hall thumper “Bangaranga” and went on to collect its first-ever Eurovision title. The story.
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Kiyoshi Kurosawa Has Finally Made His Samurai Movie
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►"From the start of my career, whenever I went overseas, people wondered if I was related to Akira Kurosawa. I’m not related to him at all — but once they heard my name, they always remembered me." THR's Patrick Brzeski spoke to Japanese master filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa about his new film, the meditative The Samurai and the Prisoner. The auteur arrived at Cannes with the castle thriller, his first samurai film, alongside two of his most celebrated students, Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Koji Fukada duking it out in the main competition. The interview.
—"We see so many monetized versions of war. This is something that you never get to see." THR's Mia Galuppo spoke to actor Boyd Holbrook and filmmaker Reed Van Dyk about their Cannes-bowing feature Atonement, that received a rave from THR's reviewer. The duo discuss the Iraq War drama that refreshingly tries to avoid combat stereotypes and what it takes to make a war film that tells the truth. The interview.
—"I think the horror world will be very happy." THR's Lexi Carlson spoke to rising actress Inde Navarrette about her latest feature, the buzzy horror Obsession. The 25-year-old breakout star of Curry Barker’s genre pic breaks down her character's biggest moments — from whether she and Bear ever had a real chance to that devastating plea for death and what she believes really happens after the shocking twist. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
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Even 'Outlander's Stars Don't Know How to Interpret That Ending |
►"They’re together, wherever they are." For THR, Max Gao spoke to Outlander stars and executive producers Caitríona Balfe and Sam Heughan, as well as showrunner Matthew B. Roberts about the series finale of the Starz megahit. The trio open up about alternate endings and Claire and Jamie Fraser’s ambiguous fate at the end of the long-running fantasy historical romantic drama. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"Nobody has figured out my formula." For THR, Derek Lawrence spoke to in-demand TV creator Courtney A. Kemp about her latest show, Netflix's ridiculously addictive Nemesis. The showrunner breaks down the twists and turns of her heist thriller, including why the Power creator refused to end on a neat resolution. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"Danger is always going to follow them." THR's queen of chat Jackie Strause spoke to Dutton Ranch director and executive producer Christina Alexandra Voros about the opening episodes of Paramount+'s Yellowstone spinoff. Voros, a veteran in the Taylor Sheridan world, explains the hook for bringing Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser's duo back to television. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
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Film Review: 'All of a Sudden'
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►"A work of deeply affecting humanism." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Cannes competition entry, All of a Sudden. The fated Japanese filmmaker's first French-language work is set at a Paris nursing home where two strangers are fortified by their belief in human dignity. Starring Virginie Efira, Tao Okamato, Kyozo Nagatsuka, Kodai Kurosaki, Jean-Charles Clichet, Marie Bunel and Romain Cottard. Written by Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Léa Le Dimna, freely inspired by the book, When Life Suddenly Takes a Turn, by Makiko Miyano and Maho Isono. The review.
—"Tuned in and full of life." THR's Sheri Linden reviews Steven Soderbergh's John Lennon: The Last Interview. Built around an audio recording made hours before the musician’s murder, the Cannes-bowing documentary moves through a vast assortment of archival stills and clips and adds a few visual flourishes. The review.
—"Cinematic catnip for soccer fans." THR's Leslie Felperin reviews David Tryhorn and Ben Nicholas' Cantona. The Pele filmmakers coax frank talk from the legendary French striker in this Cannes-bowing portrait of a tempestuous but gifted player. With Alex Ferguson, Guy Roux and David Beckham. The review.
—"All up in the air." Leslie reviews John Travolta's Propeller One-Way Night Coach. Travolta wrote, produced, narrated and appears in this weird and nostalgic Apple film, alongside a flock of his own family members. Starring Clark Shotwell, Kelly Eviston-Quinnett, Ella Bleu Travolta, Olga Hoffman, Charlie Berger, Margaret Travolta, Ellen Travolta and John Travolta. Written by John Travolta. The review.
—"A tricky topic handled gracefully." Leslie reviews Marie Kreutzer's Cannes competition entry, Gentle Monster. This conversation-starting drama from the director of Corsage, stars Léa Seydoux as a woman reeling from her husband’s dark secret. Also starring Laurence Rupp, Jella Haase, Malo Blanchet, Anton Rubtsov, Nils Strunk, Catherine Deneuve and Patrycja Ziółkowska. Written by Marie Kreutzer. The review.
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Film Review: 'Sheep in the Box'
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►"Beautifully made but thematically woolly." David Rooney reviews Hirokazu Kore-eda's Cannes competition entry, Sheep in the Box. A couple scarred by the tragic loss of their young son sign up for a robotics program that recreates the deceased as lifelike humanoids in the 2018 Palme d'Or winner's latest. Starring Haruka Ayase, Daigo and Rimu Kuwaki. Written by Hirokazu Kore-eda. The review.
—"A quiet revelation." For THR, Lovia Gyarkye reviews Arie Esiri and Chuko Esiri's Clarissa. Premiering in the Cannes Directors' Fortnight section (and already acquired by Neon), this film is an adaptation of the Virginia Woolf novel. Starring Sophie Okonedo, Ayo Edebiri, David Oyelowo, India Amarteifio and Toheeb Jimoh Fortune Nwafor. Written by Chuko Esiri. The review.
—"A century-old story gets a relevant update." THR's Jordan Mintzer reviews Radu Jude's Diary of a Chambermaid. The productive Romanian auteur returns to Cannes with his first French-language feature, adapting the famous turn-of-the-19th-century book by Octave Mirbeau. Starring Ana Dumitrascu, Vincent Macaigne, Mélanie Thierry, Marie Rivière, Louen Bouteiller, Arnaud Baudoin and Ilinca Manolache. Written by Radu Jude. The review.
—"Baby Boom meets the dark room." For THR, Richard Lawson reviews Jordan Firstman's Club Kid. The I Love LA actor’s Cannes-bowing directorial debut trades the queer provocation of his past work for a cozy fable about unexpected parenthood. Starring Jordan Firstman, Cara Delevingne, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Diego Calva, Reggie Absolom, Eldar Isgandarov and Colleen Camp. Written by Jordan Firstman. The review.
—"An engaging chronicle of a horrible homecoming." Richard reviews Guillaume Canet's Karma. Marion Cotillard’s now-ex-husband directs her in this dark thriller that premiered out of competition at Cannes. Also starring Leonardo Sbaraglia and Denis Ménochet. Written by Guillaume Canet and Simon Jacquet. The review.
—"Nothing to see here, other than star power." THR's Frank Scheck reviews Guy Ritchie's In the Grey. A starry cast lead the British filmmaker's latest slick action film with all-too-familiar elements. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Henry Cavill, Eiza González, Kristofer Hivju, Emmett J. Scanlan, Jason Wong, Michael Vu, Fisher Stevens, Rosamund Pike and Carlos Bardem. Written by Guy Ritchie. The review.
In other news...
—Sonic 4 director reveals first look at Metal Sonic
—The White Lotus has found it perfect Cannes hotel
—Ann Robinson, star of The War of the Worlds, dies at 96
—Brian Lindstrom, documentary filmmaker, dies at 65
—Dennis Rush, child actor in Man of a Thousand Faces and The Andy Griffith Show, dies at 74
What else we're reading...
—Nicholas Barber reflects on John Travolta's time in the spotlight in Cannes, and wonders why festivals can't resist indulging stars [BBC]
—Jemele Hill writes that the success of Michael suggests that audiences are nostalgic for a universal kind of fame that’s rare today [Atlantic]
—Erich Schwartzel, Josh Dawsey and Maggie Severns look at how rapper Nicki Minaj bizarrely became Trump’s "No. 1 fan" [WSJ]
—Everything on the TL is fake it seems: Lane Brown reports on the stealth marketing campaigns behind "viral" songs, films, memes and influencers [Vulture]
—With Drake's release of three albums of vastly differing quality, Hershal Pandya writes the rapper's strategy is to flood the zone and overwhelm the discourse [Vulture]
Today...
...in 2001, Dreamworks unveiled Shrek in theaters. The animated satire would go on to gross $484m globally, launch a slew of sequels and nab an Oscar for best animated feature at the 74th Academy Awards. The original review.
Today's birthdays...
Tina Fey (56), Chow Yun-Fat (71), Mark Mothersbaugh (76), Catherine Corsini (70), Terry Zwigoff (77), Miriam Margolyes (85), Violett Beane (30), Karel Roden (64), Teresa Giudice (54), Adwoa Aboah (34), Luke Kleintank (36), Allen Leech (45), Patrick St. Esprit (72), Matt Long (46), Nathaniel Parker (64), Felicia Pearson (46), Berto Colon (53), George Strait (74), Toyah Willcox (68), Nancy Juvonen (59), Russell Sams (49), Jona Xiao (37), Alexa Mansour (30)
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Tony Seiniger, the poster designer, known as the 'Godfather of Movie Advertising,' who oversaw marketing campaigns for such classic movies as Jaws, Poltergeist, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Total Recall, has died. He was 87. The obituary.
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