Open Thread

Variety reports: James Cameron is the king of the box office as “Titanic” and “Avatar: The Way of Water” lead global box office charts over newcomer “Magic Mike’s Last Dance.” “Titanic,” which returns to theaters in honor of its 25th anniversary, grossed $22.3 million at the global box office while “Avatar: The Way of Water” added $25.8 million in its …

Variety reports: Disney will not fight a bill that gives Gov. Ron DeSantis broad powers over its Orlando theme parks, after the bill passed both houses of the Florida Legislature this week. The bill establishes a new district to assume the powers held by the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which Disney has controlled since it was created in 1967. The …

Deadline Hollywood reports: In both a noble gesture toward exhibition after the studio’s Project Popcorn, and in a means to monetize downstream revenues, Warner Bros is taking what was a HBO Max movie, Steven Soderbergh’s Magic Mike’s Last Dance, and putting into 1,500 theatrical locations this weekend. That’s with a thrifty marketing spend. It’s the second movie after New Line’s …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Super Sunday is upon us — and with it, Madison Avenue’s annual spending spree, which has seen the Big Game’s Hollywood quotient rise noticeably in recent years. Super Bowl LVII, a contest in Arizona between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, will feature commercials starring Adam Driver, Melissa McCarthy and Miles and Keleigh Teller. Streaming services …

Yahoo Finance reports: Disney will lay off 7,000 workers as the company seeks to slash $5.5 billion in costs and restructures the organization into three core business segments: Disney Entertainment, ESPN, and Disney Parks, Experiences and Products. “We will be reducing our workforce by approximately 7,000 jobs,” CEO Bob Iger said during the company’s first quarter earnings call. “While this …

Variety reports: The Michael Jackson estate is in the process of selling half of its interests in the legendary singer’s music catalog in a deal in the $800 million-$900 million range, three sources confirm to Variety. While details are unclear, sources say that Sony and a possible financial partner are negotiating to acquire 50% of the estate’s interests in Jackson’s …

Variety reports: At your next visit to AMC Theatres, getting a prime seat may cost you a little extra. The country’s largest exhibition chain is rolling out Sightline at AMC, a ticket pricing initiative based on seat location within the auditorium. Similar to music concerts, sporting events or Broadway, moviegoers will have the option to pay more or less for …

The Associated Press reports: The Grammys have evolved from their humble beginnings into a daylong feast of music — and there’s many ways to watch the red carpet and show live. Most of the awards are handed out before that during the Premiere Ceremony, which the Recording Academy will stream live Sunday. This Sunday’s 65th edition could see Beyoncé become …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Armie Hammer says he was sexually abused as a child by a youth pastor at his family church – in his first interview since he was accused of extreme sexual violence in a series of allegations made in 2021. “What that did for me was it introduced sexuality into my life in a way that it was …

Rolling Stone reports: A new Donna Summer documentary, co-directed by the disco icon’s daughter, Brooklyn Sudano, will premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival this month before arriving on HBO in May. Sudano co-directed Love to Love You, Donna Summer, with Oscar-winning filmmaker Roger Ross Williams. The film will chronicle Summer’s unique career — from a star of the avant-garde …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Passionate fans of Titanic have hounded James Cameron for years with their theory that Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) could have survived by joining his beloved Rose (Kate Winslet) on the floating door after the ship sank. In the film, Jack realizes that he would only kill both of them by adding his weight, so he eventually dies in …

Variety reports: As expected, Beyoncé has announced a 2023 world tour on Instagram, supporting her multiple-Grammy-nominated 2022 album, “Renaissance.” She also released the dates and cities on her official website. The timing of the announcement, which comes just days before the Grammy Awards on Sunday, sparks speculation that the singer may perform or at least appear on the show. Beyoncé …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Hulu is laying out the welcome mat for the Hill family: the streamer is reviving King of the Hill from 20th Television Animation, with co-creators Mike Judge and Greg Daniels set to return, as well as the beloved former cast. Judge will reprise his role as Hank Hill, while Kathy Najimy will be back as his wife …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Showtime will no longer be a stand-alone brand. Paramount Global revealed Monday that the company is rebranding the premium cable network as “Paramount+ with Showtime” as part of a wide-ranging change that also brings the two brands together in the streaming world. Later this year, Showtime, which already went through major changes last year with the departure …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Leave the lights on tonight. The trailer and poster for 20th Century Studios’ and 21 Laps’ horror-thriller The Boogeyman has arrived. The Boogeyman opens nationwide June 2, exclusively in theaters. The Boogeyman tells the story of high school student Sadie Harper and her younger sister, Sawyer, who are reeling from the recent death of their mother and …

Variety reports: “Avatar: The Way of Water” has passed “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” as the fourth highest-grossing movie of all time. Director James Cameron’s sci-fi epic has now earned $2.075 billion at the global box office. “The Force Awakens,” another sci-fi sequel released long after previous installments, finished its theatrical run with $2.064 billion after hitting theaters in December …

Yahoo News reports: Taylor Swift dropped a new music video for her song “Lavender Haze” at midnight on Friday, in which her love interest is played by a trans model, Laith Ashley. He and some of Swift’s fans applauded her for casting a trans man, giving representation to other trans people. “Thank you [Taylor Swift] for allowing me to play …

Deadline Hollywood reports: With Wednesday’s worldwide box office grosses included, James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water has surpassed $2.054B globally, and jumped up a notch on the all-time worldwide chart. Globally through yesterday, the epic sci-fi adventure passed Avengers: Infinity War ($2,052M) with $2,054.7M to become the No. 5 highest-grossing movie ever worldwide. The next film in the sights …

Variety reports: The Razzie Awards have introduced an age limit for nominations following blowback after 12-year-old Ryan Kiera Armstrong (pictured above) was nominated for Worst Actress. In a statement, Razzies founder John Wilson apologized and confirmed Armstrong’s name has been removed from the ballot. He also said that going forward under-18s would not be eligible to be nominated for the …

Variety reports: The anticipated biopic of music legend Madonna is taking an indefinite holiday. The project, which the icon was going to direct herself, is no longer in development at Universal Pictures, multiple sources told Variety. Speculation over the fate of the movie began instantly after Madonna announced a career-spanning world tour last week — one that sold out shows …