What's news: The Odyssey is set to open big in China. Kirill Sokolov will direct Netflix's Blur. Charlie Gillespie and Justice Smith have joined the cast of Heated Rivalry S2. Mason Gooding and Emily Rudd will star in Crawl 2. And TIFF has unveiled its selection for its first-ever international financing and project market. — Abid Rahman
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'Brand New Day' Scores $145M for Third-Best Second Weekend Ever
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►Woof! Spider-Man: Brand New Day keeps flying high, as Sony Pictures‘ superhero blockbuster has more reasons to celebrate with its second weekend at the box office. The movie grossed $145m for its sophomore frame to remain atop the North American chart with a decline of 59 percent. This gives Brand New Day the third-best domestic second weekend ever. The film’s North American total stands at $655m as it scores the highest 10-day domestic sum in box office history. Additionally, Brand New Day has collected $1b from international markets to become the second-fastest film to hit that overseas cume, behind only Avengers: Endgame in April 2019. Brand New Day’s $1.67b global take puts it at No. 12 of all time. The box office report.
—βᾰυβᾰ́υ! The Odyssey is officially Christopher Nolan's highest-grossing movie after Universal confirmed Sunday that the film has made $1.104b worldwide in its first month in theaters following its initial July 17 release. This surpasses 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises, which earned $1.085b, and 2008’s The Dark Knight at $1.005b, as Warner Bros.’ two Batman films had previously held the top spots on the list of the director’s biggest global sums. The story.
—Wāngwāng! Brand New Day held its grip atop China‘s box office for a second weekend, pulling in $28.9m over the Aug. 7-9 frame for a local total of $185.4m in 12 days. The film launched in China with a massive $121.3m five-day haul, of which $19m came from Imax, a record for the format in the market. The film is now days away from surpassing the $199m earned by 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home, the last U.S. superhero release to clear $100m in China. But it was The Odyssey, which doesn’t officially open in Chinese theaters until Friday, that arguably delivered the weekend’s most surprising number. Playing Saturday and Sunday only, and exclusively on Imax and CINITY screens, the epic took $6.9m in previews. The China box office report.
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Why Disney's Next Big Consumer Product Bet Is Trading Cards
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►"The same card could be appealing to a seven year old, a 37 year old, or a 67 year old." There is no company on earth that is more effective at taking its intellectual property to more places than The Walt Disney Co. But while Disney may be best known for clothing or toys featuring its 100 years of beloved characters, in recent years it has leaned into a burgeoning part of the consumer products business that increasingly appeals to kids and adults alike: Trading cards and card games. From collectible card sets by Topps to card games by Hasbro and Ravensburger, Disney has found a growth business in a mature consumer products world, THR's Alex Weprin. The story.
—"Infantino must go." FIFA President Gianni Infantino appears to have snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. A month after the final of 2026 World Cup, which earned FIFA a record $15b in revenues, Infantino is fighting to keep his job. His controversial plan to sell off a stake in the World Cup to a group of private investors led by Joshua Kushner, the brother of President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, sparked a global backlash that shows no signs of abetting. The story.
—Exodus continues. After leaving 60 Minutes, journalist Madeleine Carlisle — who happens to be the daughter of Stephen Colbert — has landed at The Atlantic. Carlisle’s exit comes at a time of turbulence for 60 Minutes, which has been rocked by accusations of meddling under new ownership from David Ellison’s Paramount Skydance. The story.
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Does Guthrie Family Have Grounds to Sue Over Investigation? |
►"A lot of the Guthrie case is just consequences of his really bad decision-making." The Nancy Guthrie kidnapping case, now beyond the six-month mark, has seemingly made very little progress. Indeed, media reports suggest The police and the FBI do not have a suspect and never had a serious person of interest. The shocking lack of answers does not appear to be for a lack of resources, rather it highlights perceived investigative missteps along the way. THR's Tony Maglio talks to attorneys on whether the Guthrie family has grounds to sue Pima County. The story.
—Classy as always. Even Bill Maher‘s Real Time studio audience wasn’t big fans of his recent joke about Ariana Grande‘s weight. During Friday’s episode of the HBO program, the host and comedian said during his opening monologue, “I hope the aliens are here, I do. I hope they’re here and watching us and they’re going to save us. And, by the way, the [Trump] administration this week, just a few days ago, maybe yesterday, unleashed a new trove of UFO files.” Maher continued, “Interesting things in there. Triangular craft, weird lights over an army base, a stick-like figure with large eyes. Oh, that was just an Ariana Grande video.” The story.
—The latest. Perez Hilton’s family shared a new update on his health on Saturday following his disturbing livestream last week. The celebrity gossip blogger remains hospitalized in Florida, where his condition is “serious but stable,” and he will require surgery in the coming days, according to his family. The story.
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TIFF Unveils Projects Set for Financing Market
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►Heading north. TIFF on Monday unveiled its selection for its first-ever international financing and project market. Among the highlights is an animated feature with an all-star voice cast, including Keke Palmer, Alan Cumming, Common, and Regina Hall attached; a collaboration between acclaimed Indian-Canadian director Deepa Mehta and Oscar-winning actor Jeremy Irons; and a drama headlined by Oscar-winner Marlee Matlin and Jacob Tremblay. The lineup.
—Helmer found. Netflix has tapped Kirill Sokolov, the filmmaker behind horror action movie They Will Kill You, to direct the original sci-fi thriller Blur. Shawn Levy and Dan Levine will produce via 21 Laps. Netflix is keeping the logline under wraps but it is known to be a mother-daughter story involving teleportation. The project is based on a previous script by Christy Hall and Dan Casey. Sokolov will co-write the new draft with Ellen Shanman. The story.
—🎭 The race to get to 30. 🎭 Paramount is set to followup its 2019 sleeper hit Crawl, with Mason Gooding and Emily Rudd to star in the sequel. Alexandre Aja, who directed the first movie, is back as director for the feature that will go into the production later this month in Hungary. The 2019 movie starred Kaya Scodelario and Barry Pepper as a daughter and father duo who find themselves trapped in a Florida home and hunted by a gator (or three) during a Category 5 hurricane. The story.
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'Heated Rivalry' S2 Finds Its Troy and Harris |
►🎭 ICYMI. 🎭 Heated Rivalry has found its Troy Barrett and Harris Drover. Charlie Gillespie and Justice Smith are joining the highly anticipated season two of the queer hockey romance series as leading roles alongside Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie. Gillespie has been cast as Troy Barrett, a pro hockey player who is traded to the Ottawa Centaurs in Rachel Reid’s source material. Smith has been cast as Harris Drover, the team’s social media manager. Harris and Troy’s budding relationship drives Reid’s novel Role Model, the fifth installment of her Game Changers series. The story.
—Pushing back. Rachel Reid is pushing back against negative comments about Heated Rivalry‘s latest season two casting. The author took to Instagram Friday to weigh into online debate about the casting of the characters Troy and Harris. “Thinking about all the people last summer who told me the casting for Ilya and Shane was wrong and bad…” she wrote on an Instagram story. The story.
—"I am honored to play a character you all care about deeply and I promise I will take good care of him." Justice Smith also has been speaking out following the news he’s joining season two of Heated Rivalry. “I have to say I am moved by the support and love I’m getting from fans in my DMs, fans who have welcomed me with open arms and who already feel a responsibility to protect me,” the actor said in an Instagram story post. The story.
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'HOTD' Boss Explains Finale's Big Book Change
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►"Targaryens say crazy shit all the time." For THR, Josh Wigler spoke to House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal about the season three finale of the hit HBO fantasy series. Condal also promises "a very worthy final season" after that season three ending. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"I'm just happy I made it three seasons." Josh also spoke to the House of the Dragon star who met a tragic end in the season three finale. The HBO drama's latest victim unpacks their exit. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"Which brother is the better brother?" THR's Lexy Perez spoke to My Life with the Walter Boys showrunner Melanie Halsall and the cast about season three of the Netflix drama. Halsall et all reflect on Jackie and Cole’s next chapter as a couple, their ups and eventual downs and resolving the love triangle with Alex. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"I never viewed this as a serious love triangle." Lexy also spoke to My Life With the Walter Boys star Ashby Gentry. The actor reflects on his character’s emotional evolution in season three, from navigating heartbreak to finding purpose in rodeo and unexpected connections. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
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Keen Ruffalo Never Intended to Get Into the Family Business
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►"My parents were never ones to make us do anything or, especially, impose any of their own ideas for what our career paths might be." When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the now-25-year-old Keen Ruffalo was in school for fashion design. Understandably, he wanted to find his own path instead of jumping into acting like his father Mark Ruffalo. But the pandemic changed his plans. THR's Nicole Fell profiles the young star just ahead of the release of his two new projects — Prime Video’s Sterling Point and the Green Day comedy Nimrods. The interview.
—"I try to let the scary be scary and let the humor come from character." THR's Beatrice Verhoeven spoke to Katie Dippold, the creator of Apple TV's monster hit Widow's Bay. The showrunner delves into balancing humor with horror, the Halloween and Scream Easter eggs, and what she saw in Matthew Rhys for the role of Tom Loftis. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"I am always, at some level, trying to address an aspect of my own personality in my films." THR's Mia Galuppo spoke to director Matt Johnson about his new film, the Anthony Bourdain biopic Tony. Johnson, the Canadian filmmaker behind BlackBerry and Nirvana the Brand the Show the Movie, confesses he didn't understand the hype around Bourdain when he first signed on to helm the A24 film that is getting early awards buzz. The interview.
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Film Review: 'PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie' |
►"Dogs and dinosaurs, oh my." THR's Frank Scheck reviews Cal Brunker's PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie. The plucky canine crew encounter adorable dinosaurs in their latest adventure. Featuring the voices of Carter Young, Mckenna Grace, Terry Crews, Meredith MacNeill, Ron Pardo, Jennifer Hudson, Hayden Chemberlen, Fortune Feimster, Jameela Jamil, Rain Janjua, Bill Nye, Paris Hilton, Lucien Duncan-Reid, William Desrosiers, Nylan Parthipan, Snoop Dogg and Henry Bolan. Written by Cal Brunker and Bob Barlen. The review.
—"Lords of the Jersey Shore." THR's Leslie Felperin reviews Erin Vassilopoulos' Destroy All Girls. Debuting at the Locarno Film Festival, the Jersey-set film is an anthropological study of the skater subculture that's been going for years but remains forever young. Starring Ani Mesa-Perez, Gil Perez-Abraham, Dominic Bruce, Alfredo Narcisco, Florencia Lozano, John Bolino, Malcolm Heard, Anthony Marchione, Parker Richardson and Silvia Kambouridis. Written by Ani Mesa-Perez, Gil Perez-Abraham, Flo Baumann and Erin Vassilopoulos. The review.
—"Truth is elusive." Leslie reviews Felix Randau's I Is Another. The German WW2 drama, that debuted in Locarno, tells the story of Himmler’s masseur. Starring Claes Bang, Valerie Pachner, Susanne Wuest, Timocin Ziegler, Martin Mueller, Michael Fuith, Till Firit and Christoph Mueller. Written by Felix Randau. The review.
In other news...
—Aubrey Plaza and Christopher Abbott are parents to a baby daughter
—William Orbit, Grammy-winning producer for Madonna, Blur and Britney Spears, dies at 69
—Ben Jones, Cooter Davenport on The Dukes of Hazzard, dies at 84
What else we're reading...
—Rebecca Ford appraises prestige TV, and going forward wants to see "fewer airport-novel adaptations, fictionalized true crime series, and TV shows that remake movies" [Vanity Fair]
—Ezra Klein has seen The Odyssey! And he has a steaming hot take that's well worth a read [NYT]
—Amid The Odyssey's global success, Ithaca (the original one, in Greece) is betting on hometown hero Odysseus for a tourism boom [AFP]
—Max Tani reports that Spotify’s new ‘skip’ button could end the podcast business as we know it [Semafor]
—Alex Galbraith looks at how conservatives and the anti-trans movement have found their fighter in attention hungry WNBA role player Sophie Cunningham [Salon]
Today...
...in 1984, MGM/UA unveiled John Milius' war drama Red Dawn, featuring Patrick Swayze and Charlie Sheen, in theaters. The original review.
Today's birthdays...
Antonio Banderas (66), Luca Guadagnino (55), Kylie Jenner (29), Justin Theroux (55), Brenton Thwaites (37), Lucas Till (36), Megan Stevenson (43), JoAnna Garcia Swisher (47), Angie Harmon (54), Rosanna Arquette (67), Tone Bell (43), Vincent Rodriguez III (44), Devon Aoki (44), Ryan Eggold (42), Claudia Christian (61), Diane Venora (74), Roxanne McKee (46), Leo Fitzpatrick (48), Brigette Lundy-Paine (32), Don Swayze (68), Katherine Boecher (45), Josh Gates (49), Marcus Rosner (37), Denim Richards (38), Evan Evagora (30), Jack Haven (32), Sydney Lemmon (36)
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Tedde Moore, an actress who is best known as playing young Ralphie Parker’s teacher in A Christmas Story and mother of Grammy-winning producer 40, has died. She was 79. The obituary.
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