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Exclusive: Universal/DreamWorks Animation’sThe Wild Robot has crossed the three-century mark globally, with $300.5M through Friday. The Chris Sanders-directed critical darling is now at $134.4M domestic and $166.1M from the international box office.

The Wild Robot is the No. 2 non-sequel studio film of 2024, behind It Ends with Us; the No. 1 non-sequel Hollywood animated title of the year; and the No. 4 biggest animated studio movie of 2024 globally, internationally and domestically.

After premiering at the Toronto Film Festival in September, The Wild Robot began staggered overseas release, and has seen terrific holds while playing through school holidays in many markets. Last weekend, the Lupita Nyong’o-starrer overtook the lifetime offshore box office of The Bad Guys. Japan is still to release, on February 7, 2025.

Notably in Mexico, the emotional original animation has surpassed the lifetimes of Elemental, Frozen,...

Netflix is well known for its original content, and many of those titles are geared toward families. In November 2024, the streamer has a massive list of new releases, including several family favorites, including a new fantasy Spellbound, The Fairly OddParents: A New Wish, Pokémon Horizons: The Series part 4, and more.

Check out some of the best family movies to watch on Netflix this month as the holiday season nears, beginning below with the new animated fantasy film Spellbound.

Spellbound

Spellbound is a new Netflix original family adventure fantasy film with the voice talents of Rachel Zegler, John Lithgow, Jenifer Lewis, Tituss Burgess, Nathan Lane, Javier Bardem, and Nicole Kidman.

The movie comes from the creators of Toy Story, the co-director of Shrek, Vicky Jenson, and The Little Mermaid Egot-winning composer Alan Menken. Set in the magic world of Lumbria, where a magical spell has been cast over a kingdom, Princess...

The third season premiere of The Lincoln Lawyer moved the show to the top of the streaming docket.

The Netflix drama based on Michael Connelly’s novels recorded 1.64 billion viewing minutes for the week of Oct. 14-20 (season three premiered Oct. 17), according to Nielsen’s streaming ratings. That’s the third best weekly tally in the show’s history, behind season one’s second week in May 2022 and the debut of the back half of season two in August 2023.

The Lincoln Lawyer pushed the previous week’s No. 1 show, Love Is Blind, down one spot to second overall. The Netflix dating show had 1.21 billion minutes of viewing for the week. Outer Banks (1.1 billion) was the only other title to reach a billion minutes in the United States, though Bob’s Burgers (945 million) came close.

Lost, which made its streaming chart debut in July after rejoining Netflix (it also streams on Hulu...

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“The Lincoln Lawyer” isn’t just a Netflix hit; it’s a certified TV hit. The legal drama from David E. Kelley garnered 1.6 billion minutes viewed on Nielsen’s Top Streaming list for the week that spanned Oct. 14 to 20. Considering the fact that Season 3 of the Manuel Garcia-Rulfo-starring series premiered midway through that week on Oct. 17, those numbers are especially impressive.

According to Nielsen, the audience for “The Lincoln Lawyer” tends to be a bit older than the typical streaming audience, as 61% falls into the 50 years and over age range. However, Nielsen described its viewing profile as “quite balanced,” as it was composed of 17% Hispanic viewers (vs. 19% overall), 14% Black (vs. 14%), 6% Asian (vs. 7%) and 61% white viewers (vs. 61%).

“Love Is Blind” and “Outer Banks” — two other Netflix hits — occupied the...

Asmae El Moudir’s Holy Cow and Cj ‘Fiery’ Obasi’s La Pyramide are among 38 feature film and television projects selected for the Red Sea Souk Project Market, at Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival (December 5-14).

Selected in the ‘in development’ section, El Moudir’s Moroccan feature Holy Cow (working title) follows a truck driver transporting cattle for slaughter houses in Rabat, who becomes the scapegoat when two cows escape.

Scroll down for the full list of projects

It is a debut fiction feature for Moroccan filmmaker El Moudir, who won the best director prize at Cannes 2023 with...

For the second time in two weeks, a previous #1 VOD release, still at premium price, returned to #1 after a week in a lower position.

“The Wild Robot” (Universal), still #4 in theaters this weekend parallel to home availability, repeats the move “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” (Warner Bros. Discovery) managed last week.

The rise comes for two reasons. First, a lack of competitive new releases, including disinterest in “Joker: Folie à Deux” (Wbd). Second is likely its rental price reduction from an initial premium at $24.99 to the more standard $19.99 PVOD cost.

After over three weeks where five different original movies took the top daily spot, Will Smith, whose “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” was his last studio #1, returned with his 2015 mid-level success “Focus.” But for most of the week, “Meet Me Next Christmas” led their list.

Fandango (which ranks by revenue) and iTunes (by transactions) both also list the “Beetlejuice” sequel and “Deadpool & Wolverine...

Jason Isaacs has been cast in the animated flick ‘Pierre the Pigeon-Hawk’.The ‘Harry Potter’ actor, 61, will star alongside Black Eyed Peas member Will.iI.am, 49, in the upcoming music-driven film, which follows a hybrid pigeon-hawk who finds himself trapped between two worlds as he tries to accept his differences and dual identity.‘Pierre the Pigeon-Hawk’ - which is being helmed by Exodus Film Group, Toonz Media Group and JAKM3N Productions - also stars rap icon Snoop Dogg, ‘The White Lotus’ actress Jennifer Coolidge, ‘Sing' star Jennifer Hudson, ‘Dark Matter’ actor Jimmi Simpson and stand-up comedian Russell Peters.Tara Whitaker and John D. Eraklis are set to direct, while Straight Outta Crampton Media CEO Ciaran Crampton and Jay Dowski write the script.Crampton told Variety: "We are beyond lucky to be working with a cast of this magnitude. They have elevated this project to the highest level. We are...

The season four premiere of Outer Banks brought the Netflix show back onto the streaming charts — but with only half a season released this time, it fell well short of its last premiere.

The YA drama delivered 1.19 billion minutes of viewing for the week of Oct. 7-13 (season four debuted Oct. 10), good for second place overall in Nielsen’s streaming rankings. By comparison, season three’s opening week in February 2023 — which featured the entire season released at once — drew 3.15 billion minutes of watch time.

The half-season release (part two premiered Thursday) for Outer Banks undoubtedly played a part in the lower viewing time total. Season four of Emily in Paris similarly had a sizable decline with a half-season premiere in August (but season three of Bridgerton in May did not).

Netflix’s dating show Love Is Blind led the Oct. 7-13 charts with 1.23 billion minutes of viewing; no other show crossed the 1 billion mark.

Marrakech International Film Festival has unveiled the full line-up for its 21st edition which will open with Justin Kurzel’s crime thriller The Order onNovember 29 and run to December 7.

Kurzel’s debut featureSnowtownwon thefestival’s jury prize in 2011, and the filmmaker returned in 2022 to serve on the jury.

This year’s jury will be presided over by Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, replacing Thomas Vinterberg, and will award the Étoile d’Or for best film to one of 14 first- and second-time features in the international competition.

In total, the festival will screen 70 films from 32 countries, including 14 documentaries, 12 Moroccan titles, nine world...

Netflix continues to be a place where initially poorly-received movies go to thrive. A number of 2024 releases, including the critically panned horror pic "Tarot" and the family film (and box office bust) "Harold and the Purple Crayon," have quickly climbed the streaming charts after hitting the streamer this year. Now, an already-forgotten 2016 biopic is getting the Netflix treatment.

The movie in question is called "The Infiltrator," and it just dropped on the streamer on November 1, 2024. It's worth noting that the film is also available on tons of other free and paid subscription services right now, including Paramount+, The Roku Channel, Hoopla, and Plex. But Netflix is still a massive, culturally dominant streamer, and its viewership data is now easily available thanks to sites like FlixPatrol. According to the data site, the movie was the sixth most-watched feature film title on Netflix as of November 5, 2024, ranking higher than recent Netflix Original...

Tyler Perry’s “Beauty in Black” series is gaining more traction as it rose to become Netflix’s most-watched TV series of the week.

After the series debuted as the No. 4 most-watched Netflix TV show with 5.6 million views from its Oct. 24 premiere through Oct. 27, “Beauty in Black” got a significant viewership boost in its second week, logging 8.7 million views during the week of Oct. 28.

Viewership for “Beauty in Black” outpaced “Territory,” which took the No. 2 spot on the TV list with 6.3 million views, as well as the Season 2 debut of “The Diplomat,” which scored 5.6 million views in the four-day interval between its Oct. 31 premiere and Nov. 3. Likewise, “This Is the Zodiac Speaking” took the No. 4 spot on the list with 5.5 million views this week while “The Lincoln Lawyer” Season...

Warner Bros.’ woes with “Joker: Folie à Deux” continue with a weak debut on PVOD. The disastrous around $300 million investment for them left theaters after four weeks with under $60 million in domestic gross. Now, it is falling flat in initial PVOD response.

It placed fourth on both iTunes (which ranks by transactions) and Fandango (revenue-counting) after its release last Tuesday. “The Substance” (Mubi), released on Thursday (and also streaming at their site for subscribers), is third at iTunes, sixth at Fandango, debuts at #1.

‘Martha’Netflix

Their “Don’t Move,” another female-centered genre original which led last week is second. “Martha,” their documentary on multimedia lifestyle celebrity Martha Stewart, directed by R.J. Cutler (“The September Issue”) is third. Anna Kendrick’s “Woman of the Hour,” #1 before that, is #6.

A curious addition, not an original but little seen is at #7. “Fall into Winter,” Lori Loughlin’s first film since her release from prison...

The big-screen adaptation of “Wicked,” starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande as the famed young witches Elphaba and Glinda, is filled with all sorts of easter eggs and nods to the hit Broadway musical as well as “The Wizard of Oz.” But one detail of the film caught the eye of Grande’s fanbase in particular.

The Universal movie, directed by Jon M. Chu, began screening for press, critics and influencers last month, and as audience members shared their rave reviews and first reactions on social media, fans quickly noticed that Grande is billed “Ariana Grande-Butera” in the film’s end credits.

It doesn’t take more than cursory Google search to educate the uninitiated, but Grande-Butera is the Grammy-winning superstar’s birth name. Still, it’s a conspicuous addition since Grande has never used her full name professionally.

As the “Wicked” world press tour kicked off on Sunday in Australia,...

Netflix’s rom-com series Nobody Wants This attracted more viewing in its second week, moving up one spot to second overall in Nielsen’s weekly streaming charts.

The series starring Kristen Bell and Adam Brody drew 1.21 billion minutes of watch time for the week of Sept. 30-Oct. 6, a 16 percent improvement on its premiere week. It also moved up one spot in the overall rankings, as the prior week’s second-place title, Inside Out 2, dropped by 50 percent to a still strong 908 million minutes of viewing on Disney+.

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story finished first overall for the third consecutive week with 1.41 billion minutes of viewing, down about 41 percent week to week. Netflix’s dating show Love Is Blind returned to the charts with a billion-minute week; its seventh season premiered on Oct. 2.

Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power debuted its season two finale on Oct.

Exclusive: The cast of A24’s Sing Sing, led by Colman Domingo, is set to receive the 2024 Gotham Social Justice Tribute at the 34th edition of The Gothams, taking place live and in person at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City on Monday, December 2.

The Social Justice Tribute was created in order to recognize the actors and filmmakers behind the most compelling purpose-driven films taken to the big screen. Sing Sing‘s cast is being honored for touching global audiences with the impactful real-life story of the Rehabilitation Through the Arts program at Sing Sing Correctional Facility and its alumni.

Directed by Greg Kwedar from his script written with Clint Bentley, Sing Sing follows a wrongfully convicted Divine G (Domingo) as he finds purpose by acting in a theater group alongside other incarcerated men, including wary newcomer (Clarence Maclin) while imprisoned at the Ossining, New York-based Sing Sing. In...

Good news, movie buffs! On top of Netflix's own film content, the streamer has ensured that our watch lists will continue to be stacked with great movies for years to come.

Netflix and Universal Pictures have had a streaming deal in place for years that allows animated films from the studio to stream on Netflix, including DreamWorks and Illumination titles, and it has officially been extended.

The companies announced on Oct. 29 that the successful licensing deal for animated movies continues to be in effect, and beginning in 2027, the deal will include live-action titles from both Universal Pictures and Focus Features.

This is huge news for both Netflix and Universal, but also for those of us at home enjoying the movies. The selection will grow to include some big blockbusters.

Netflix continues movie streaming deal with Universal

According to Variety, Universal's movies will begin streaming on Netflix at least eight...

Netflix and Universal have renewed their licensing deal for animated films, including Illumination and DreamWorks titles, adding U.S. rights to live-action Universal and Focus releases starting in 2027.

Universal Filmed Entertainment Group releases will continue to have their pay-1 release window on Peacock, in keeping with a key strategic objective over the past couple of years at NBCUniversal. But the longer tail of animated films on Netflix, especially durable ones like Sing, has been good business for both companies and will continue under the new agreement.

The pact gives Netflix exclusive rights to the titles no later than eight months following theatrical release. After the initial premiere on Peacock, Netflix will have a 10-month window during which these films are available only on Netflix before they return to Peacock. Netflix will also license rights to Universal’s full animation and live-action film slate for additional windows in subsequent years as...

Universal Filmed Entertainment Group has signed a new licensing deal with Netflix, renewing a pact for the studio’s animated feature and adding the U.S. rights for live-action titles from both Universal Pictures and Focus Features.

The two companies expanded an existing deal that sees Illumination and DreamWorks Animation titles like The Super Mario Bros. Movie and the Minions films stream on Netflix.

Additionally, starting in 2027, the U.S. rights to live-action films from the studio will also be licensed onto the service no later than eight months following theatrical release after the premium video on-demand window and following an initial four-month streaming release onto Peacock. Such deals are highly lucrative for the legacy studios.

Netflix will have a 10-month window during which the Uni and Focus films are available only on Netflix before they return to Peacock, after which Netflix will also license titles from the Uni film...

Netflix customers will be able to add even more Universal movies to their queue with the studio’s live-action titles coming to the streamer in the U.S. starting with the 2027 slate.

Netflix and NBCUniversal’s Universal Filmed Entertainment Group announced a deal to renew their existing licensing deal for animated films from Illumination and DreamWorks Animation. Now, beginning with the 2027 slate, Netflix will have U.S. rights to live-action films from both Universal Pictures and Focus Features “no later than eight months” following their theatrical release.

After the Universal films’ initial premiere on NBCU’s Peacock, Netflix will have a 10-month window during which these films are available only on Netflix — before they return to Peacock. Netflix will also license rights to Universal’s full animation and live-action film slate for additional windows in subsequent years as well as rights to select titles from Universal’s film library, the companies said.

Awards season is officially underway, according to the Gotham Film & Media Institute, and “Anora,” “Babygirl,” “Challengers,” “A Different Man,” and “Nickel Boys” are among the films in competition at this year’s Gotham Awards.

On Tuesday, the membership-based, non-profit independent film group announced its nominees for the 2024 Gotham Awards, the “start of the annual awards season” according to press materials. “Anora” led with four nominations, including Best Feature, Best Lead Performance for Mikey Madison, Best Supporting Performance for Yura Borisov, and Best Director for Sean Baker.

The other Best Feature nominees included “Babygirl” (which landed Nicole Kidman a nomination for Best Lead Performance), “Challengers,” “A Different Man” (which also received recognition for Adam Pearson in Best Supporting Performance), and “Nickel Boys” (which had two other nominations – Best Director for RaMell Ross and Breakthrough Performance for Brandon Wilson).

Other highlights among the nominees include Demi Moore and Pamela Anderson in the Best Lead Performance category,...

When Universal’s “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” opened in December 2022, the “Shrek” spinoff sputtered to a $12.4 million debut. Then, something miraculous happened. Thanks to TikTok and solid buzz, the animated adventure about the swashbuckling cat enjoyed nine lives on the big screen. Ticket sales barely declined week over week, and “The Last Wish” ended its run with $186 million domestically — 15 times its opening weekend — and $481 million globally.

Universal experienced this phenomenon again with Illumination’s “Migration,” which had a disappointing $12.4 million start around Christmas 2023. The cartoon tale about a family of mallards sustained momentum and flew to $127 million in North America — more than 10 times its debut — and nearly $300 million worldwide. (The average film has a 3 or 4 multiple — industry parlance for the ratio of final gross to opening weekend.) “Puss in Boots 2” and “Migration” hold the two highest animated multiples of the past 20 years.

Now, it’s happening once more...

Two films shared top spots on VOD charts. The newly released “Transformers One” (Paramount) leads at Fandango (which ranks by revenue), while “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” (Warner Bros.) in its third week returned to #1 at iTunes (calculating by transactions). Both films rent for $19.99.

Netflix continues its string of originals placing first on its top 10 movie list (briefly interrupted by “Bad Boys Ride or Die”), with “Don’t Move” (a horror/thriller with Sam Raimi as one of the producers) taking over the #1 spot.

“The Wild Robot” (Universal), still the #3 film in theaters this weekend, placed second on both charts (it was #1 once during the week at iTunes). “Transformers One” is fourth at iTunes, though it was #1 initially earlier in the week. “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is #3 at Fandango.

Now in its second week, “Alien: Romulus” (Disney), renting at an unusually high $24.99 (as are “The Wild Robot” and “Deadpool & Wolverine”), dropped #5 at Fandango and #7 at iTunes.

The Producers Guild of America is honoring Chris Meledandri, founder and CEO of Illumination, with the 2025 David O. Selznick Achievement Award for his “extraordinary producing accomplishments.” Melendandri is the second animation producer to receive this recognition in the 36 years the awards have been running. The ceremony will take place at the annual Producers Guild Awards on Feb. 8 at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles.

Meledandri founded Illumination Studios in 2007. Before then, he was president of 20th Century Fox Animation. His credits include “Despicable Me,” “The Lorax,” “Hop,” “Minions,” “The Secret Life of Pets,” “Sing,” “The Grinch,” “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” “Ice Age” and more.

“The extraordinary vision and innovation Chris brings to animated feature films has not only captivated audiences of all ages but also been instrumental in reshaping the entertainment landscape,” said Producers Guild of America Presidents Donald De Line and Stephanie Allain in a joint statement.

Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri is set to receive the Producers Guild of America’s David O. Selznick Achievement Award.

Meledandri will be honored at the 2025 PGA Awards, set for Feb. 8 at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles. The boss of the animation company behind the Despicable Me franchise is only the second animation producer to receive the Selznick Award after John Lasseter received the honor in 2009.

Earlier recipients of the David O. Selznick Award also include Steven Spielberg, Barbara Broccoli, Mary Parent, Charles Roven, Brian Grazer, David Heyman, Kevin Feige and, most recently, Martin Scorsese. Meledandri, who launched Illumination in 2007, in a statement paid tribute to the filmmakers that came before him and paved the way for his own career.

“Early in my career, I was fortunate enough to work with legendary filmmakers who taught me the intricacies of storytelling, production and connecting with an audience. Their...

Chris Meledandri, founder and CEO of the animation powerhouse Illumination, will be honored with the David O. Selznick Achievement Award at the 36th Annual Producers Guild Awards, the guild announced Thursday.

Meledandri’s credits include “Despicable Me,” the Oscar-nominated “Despicable Me 2,” “The Lorax,” “Minions,” “The Secret Life of Pets,” “Sing,” “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” and “Migration.”

“The extraordinary vision and innovation Chris brings to animated feature films has not only captivated audiences of all ages but also been instrumental in reshaping the entertainment landscape,” PGA presidents Donald De Line and Stephanie Allain said in a joint statement. “His hands-on, meticulous approach to producing has resulted in the rare accomplishment of record-breaking films and beloved franchises. We are proud to honor Chris with this prestigious award as a leader in both the animation industry and our industry as a whole.”

Meledandri stated, “Being recognized by my peers with the...

"I will sing when I am ready to sing!" Let her sing! Netflix has unveiled the full official trailer for the film Maria, the latest cinematic work from renowned Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larrain, continuing his series about tormented women - after Jackie and Spencer before this. This new film focuses on the beloved opera singer Maria Callas, as portrayed by the beloved actor Angelina Jolie. It premiered at the 2024 Venice Film Festival earlier this year, with stops at NYFF & London as well. And it's set for a theatrical release in November before it's streaming on Netflix in December. From acclaimed director Pablo Larraín, Maria will tell the tumultuous, beautiful, and tragic story of the life of the world's greatest female opera singer, relived, and reimagined during her final few days living in 1970s Paris. Also starring Pierfrancesco Favino, Alba Rohrwacher, Valeria Golino, Kodi Smit-McPhee, and Haluk Bilginer. With costumes by Massimo Cantini Parrini,...

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“Outer Banks” Season 4 held onto its title as Netflix’s most-watched TV show of the week for the second week in a row.

After the first half of Season 4 debuted atop the list following its Oct. 10 premiere with 15.5 million views, “Outer Banks” Season 4 maintained its dominance on the English TV list with 8.8 million views during the week of Oct. 14, despite its viewership nearly being cut in half. Viewing also spiked for “Outer Banks” Season 1, which rose to the No. 8 spot on the list with 2.2 million views.

Viewership for “Outer Banks” Season 4 narrowly outpaced the newest season of “The Lincoln Lawyer,” which debuted its third season on Oct. 17 and scored 7 million views to land in second place on the English TV list.

Netflix hits “Nobody Wants This” and “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story...

The big news in home movie viewing this week isn’t that new-to-pvod “The Wild Robot” (Universal) and “Alien: Romulus” (Disney) split the #1 positions on the iTunes and Fandango top 10 charts.

The significant development is that both, like “Deadpool & Wolverine” (Disney), rent for 48 hours at $24.99, not the standard $19.99. That’s a 25 percent increase for PVOD, an increasingly essential source of studio revenue.

A few big hits have tested the $24.99 rental, including “Dune 2” and “Inside Out 2,” but “Robot” and “Alien” are successes of just over $100 million, not blockbusters.. Studios get 80 percent of the cost after a small carrier fee; the $5 increase represents about $4 more for each rental.

DreamWorks Animation’s “Robot” arrives after its third weekend in theaters. That’s not unusual for Universal, although in recent months they sometimes held back another week or two for bigger titles.

Marketing for the home showings may boost theater attendance.

Universal-owned animation studio Illumination surprised fans with a Halloween special based on its popular Sing franchise. The special, Sing: Thriller, was released on Netflix this Wednesday and announced the day before.

The 11-minute short sees the cast and characters reenact scenes from the music video for the famous 1983 Michael Jackson song “Thriller.” Many of the actors, such as Matthew McConaughey, Scarlett Johansson, Nick Kroll, Taron Egerton, and Tori Kelly, return for the special. Garth Jennings, director of the first two films, also returns to direct and voice the character Ms. Crawly.

So is Sing: Thriller full of spooky songs and terrifying tunes? Let’s find out.

The special begins with the theater troop performing a play at the theater. We see many cameos in the crowd, including a surprise return of fan-favorite Mike the Mouse from the first Sing movie, who was originally voiced by Seth McFarlane. They put...

Scarlett Johansson has done some remarkable work as an actress in Hollywood. But in this slew of roles and projects, her portrayal of Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe would definitely be the highlight of her career. However, despite this popularity, her character also had to endure some major objectification on the Iron Man 2 set.

Scarlett Johansson in Iron Man 2 | Credits: Paramount Pictures

Apart from her wonderful roles, Johansson is also known to be quite vocal in expressing her opinions. In the same manner, she did not shy away in a past interview, when she called out Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark for objectifying her character on set.

Scarlett Johansson Called Out the Objectification of Black Widow in Iron Man 2

Scarlett Johansson entered the industry when she was just nine years old and faced several obstacles in her way. However, with her talents, she broke...

Taron Egerton plays a blackmailed Tsa agent who receives special instructions from an unknown passenger in the new Carry-On trailer; the film premieres Dec. 13 via Netflix. “You got 10 minutes before everyone in this airport dies,” the unknown passenger, played by Jason Bateman, says. “All you have to do is nothing.”

The trailer, released Wednesday, features an explosive car crash, shoot-outs, and a carry-on bag with an undisclosed weapon. Carry-On follows novice Tsa agent Ethan who attempts to stop the unknown traveler from letting the deadly package onto a Christmas Eve flight.

Just in time for Halloween, the crew behind animated blockbuster Sing is putting together a spooky new take on Michael Jackson’s classic song “Thriller.” In an animated short film based on Jackson’s own game-changing music video, the animal musicians are tasked with putting on another showstopper. But as the song says, they may have to contend with creatures crawling around the neighborhood — in this case, though, that crawling looks a lot more like dancing. Directed by Garth Jennings, and produced by Chris Meledandri, this is one party you won’t want to miss.

“I don’t know if it is possible to enjoy making anything as much as I have done while working on Sing: Thriller,” Jennings tells Tudum. “Our awesome cast and team of geniuses at...

Carlos Marques-Marcet’s Toronto-winning musical drama They Will Be Dust, will open the 69th edition of the Valladolid International Film Week, also known as the Seminci, on October 18.

The end of life drama starring Alfredo Castro and Angela Molina won the Platform section at TIFF last month.

Valladolid, headed by José Luis Cienfuegos for a second year, is a key launchpad into the Spanish market for local and international films.

There are a total of 22 titles in the running for the festival’s top prize, the Golden Spike that comes with a €70,000 award for the Spanish distributor. The Silver Spike...

The Sing franchise is returning, just in time for Halloween.

Netflix announced that the spooky short film Sing: Thriller is set to debut Wednesday on the streaming service. Hailing from Illumination and Universal Pictures, the project returns franchise director Garth Jennings and voice actors Matthew McConaughey (playing Buster Moon), Tori Kelly (Meena), Nick Kroll (Gunter), Scarlett Johansson (Ash), Taron Egerton (Johnny) and Jennings (Miss Crawly).

Sing: Thriller follows Buster (McConaughey) and his friends staging an elaborate version of the Michael Jackson hit “Thriller” for a Halloween party. The crew later realizes that a mysterious ooze has transformed the attendees into dancing freaks.

The short film is based on the 1983 music video for the smash single “Thriller.” Rod Temperton wrote the music and lyrics for the song that is featured on Jackson’s album of the same name, which remains the best-selling album of all time.

Sing: Thriller was written and directed by Jennings,...

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“The Menendez Brothers” documentary debuted as Netflix’s most-watched movie of the week in the aftermath of Ryan Murphy’s explosive TV dramatization of the case.

Alejandro Hartmann’s documentary, which is produced by Campfire Studios and features new interviews with the Menendez brothers and the prosecutors, scored the top spot on the English films list during the week of Oct. 7 with 22.7 million views. Viewership for “The Menendez Brothers” doc nearly doubled that of “The Predator,” which took second place with 12.9 million views, and more than doubled that of “Lonely Planet” as the Laura Dern and Liam Hemsworth-led romcom took the No. 3 slot with 11 million views.

“Bad Boys: Ride or Die” was the No. 4 most-watched English film of the week with 10.4 million views, while “It’s What’s Inside” took...

It’s close to midnight, and something evil’s lurking from Illumination and Universal Pictures. Illumination’s Sing series is getting spooky with Sing: Thriller this Halloween season, inspired by Michael Jackson’s classic short film Thriller. The latest installment in the Sing franchise shuffles onto Netflix tomorrow, October 16, with Sing and Sing 2 director and writer Garth Jennings at the helm.

Here’s the official logline for Sing: Thriller courtesy of Netflix:

After staging a spectacular version of Thriller at the New Moon Theatre, Buster Moon and the cast of Sing leave to celebrate at Clay Calloway’s Halloween party. But when our heroes arrive at the party they discover a mysterious, multi-colored ooze has transformed Clay and his guests into dancing freaks.

The Sing: Thriller cast includes familiar faces like Matthew McConaughey as Buster Moon, Tori Kelly as Meena, Nick Kroll as Gunter, Scarlett Johansson as Ash, Taron Egerton as Johnny,...

Netflix is expanding its annual "Netflix & Chills" line-up with a brand new installment into the popular Sing universe! Starting on October 16, subscribers will be able to watch a spooky short film titled Sing: Thriller, based on Illuminations animated movies Sing and Sing 2. Catch up with some of your favorite characters as they team up for a Halloween surprise based on Michael Jackson's iconic "Thriller" music video.

And the best part is that the original cast is returning to reprise their roles as characters like Buster Moon, Ash, Johnny, and Miss Crawly.

Cast list (in order of appearance)

Matthew McConaughey as Buster MoonTori Kelly as MeenaNick Kroll as GunterScarlett Johansson as AshTaron Egerton as JohnnyGarth Jennings as Miss Crawly

"Thriller" by Jackson is one of the most iconic songs of all time, so it seems like a very fitting way to reunite the Sing crew to honor a timeless pop culture moment.

Sing: Thriller, based on Michael Jackson’s short film of the same name, is headed to Netflix. In the animated Illumination short, Buster Moon, a charismatic koala played by Matthew McConaughey, and the Sing cast head to a Halloween party, after a successful performance of “Thriller” at the New Moon Theater. As the crew arrive at rock star Clay Calloway’s (Bono) Halloween bash, a multi-colored ooze has transformed the party host and his guests into dancing critters.

Garth Jennings, who worked on both Sing and Sing 2, will direct.

The “Sing” gang is returning, but probably not in the way you’d expect.

“Sing: Thriller,” an all-new, original short film set within the world of Illumination’s popular features – 2016’s “Sing” and 2021’s “Sing 2” — premieres on Netflix on Wednesday, Oct. 16. Writer/director Garth Jennings returns for the short, which features voice work by Matthew McConaughey, Tori Kelly, Nick Kroll, Scarlett Johansson, Taron Egerton and Jennings himself.

The logline reads: “After staging a spectacular version of Thriller at the New Moon Theatre, Buster Moon and the cast of ‘Sing’ leave to celebrate at Clay Calloway’s Halloween party. But when our heroes arrive at the party they discover a mysterious, multi-colored ooze has transformed Clay and his guests into dancing freaks.”

The press release notes that the new short is based on the original short film “Michael Jackson’s Thriller,” which was directed by John Landis and written by Jackson and Landis.

The fiasco of “Joker: Folie à Deux” is something that Warner Bros. can’t hide from — other distributors question its officially reported $7 million gross for its second weekend, now #4 after initially ridiculously claiming #3. But the success of its “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” the actual #3, remains a nice counterbalance.

Tim Burton’s sequel, at $275 million in U.S./Canada gross, came out as a PVOD rental only 32 days after release (unusual these days for a WB hit — “Dune Part 2” and “Godzilla Vs. Kong” had 47 day windows). But even without specific figures, it’s clear that it got a lot of action.

It replaced Disney’s “Deadpool & Wolverine,” the year’s second biggest grosser (more than double “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”) after the Marvel film’s first week out. And it likely wasn’t close — it is #1 at Fandango, which calculates by revenue. With “Deadpool” costing 25 percent more to rent ($24.99 to $19.99), that means it had a clear victory.

Romance is the name of the game when it comes to ever-shifting streaming trends, with at least one romance-centered title topping the charts to accommodate for a feel-good factor.

Last month, the Kristen Bell and Adam Brody-starring rom-com "Nobody Wants This" reigned over the Netflix U.S. charts, thanks to a refreshing, authentic storyline driven by characters brimming with charm. Fast forward to the present, we have a new romantic drama sitting at #2 on the Netflix U.S. Top 10 movies list, sandwiched between "Bad Boys: Ride or Die" and (surprisingly), the 2016 animated musical comedy, "Sing" (via FlixPatrol).

Written and directed by Susannah Grant, "Lonely Planet" uses its picturesque setting of Morocco to drive an unlikely romance between a reclusive writer and finance guy, who are drawn together under a hyper-specific set of circumstances that can only occur when you're away on a retreat.

The always superb Laura Dern, who...

Jonathan Fischer, a former Netflix and Illumination Entertainment executive, will join Imax as the company’s chief content officer. The company, which has become the preferred format for moviegoers hoping to catch blockbuster movies like “Dune: Part Two” and “Oppenheimer,” said that Fischer will oversee its content strategy across Hollywood and international films. But he will also help the company diversify, guiding it as it shows and sometimes produces documentaries, concerts, sports and other types of entertainment for its screens.

Fischer will be based in the company’s Playa Vista office and will report to Imax CEO Rich Gelfond.

“Imax is opening its aperture to offer a greater, more diverse content portfolio to audiences worldwide — including more than 100 different awe-inspiring experiences across Hollywood and international films, documentaries, music, sports, and gaming in 2024 alone,” Gelfond said in a statement. “Jonathan brings a wealth of proven experience that will be critical as...

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“Nobody Wants This” hasn’t just overtaken viewers’ hearts; it’s overtaken the No. 1 spot on Netflix’s Top 10 most-watched English-language TV shows. The Kristen Bell and Adam Brody romantic comedy surpassed the viewership for “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” in its second week of eligibility.

Overall, the series secured 15.9 million views compared to the 13.1 million views “Monsters” saw during the week of Sept. 30 to Oct. 6. This isn’t the first time these two shows have shared the first and second spots. Last week, their ranking was reversed with Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s “Monsters” scoring 19.5 million views in its second week on the streamer and “Nobody Wants This” seeing 10.3 million views in its first week.

The two current TV powerhouses were followed by the seventh season of “Love Is Blind,...

How many times has a forgotten film found success on Netflix? Surely too many to count. The service has proven time and time again that, no matter how bad a movie is, if the public have been given long enough to forget it existed, it will more than likely see a resurgence in interest when fed into the streaming machine. Just take a look at the 2008 Keanu Reeves thriller "Street Kings," which had a renaissance on Netflix back in 2023. Or when Netflix breathed new life into the forgotten Aaron Eckhart-led action thriller "The Bricklayer" this year.

Now, it's Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg's turn. Wahlberg is no stranger to a streaming resurgence, with the actor's "Shooter" making waves on Netflix in 2023. This time, though he's joined by Denzel (who only just found his way into Netflix's top charts last month thanks to "American Gangster") in 2013's buddy cop actioner "2 Guns.

A brutal Oscar season is ahead…in a good way.

As the Oscar race heats up, Hollywood is bracing for an intense, wide-open awards season. After its whirlwind tour through the Venice, Toronto, and New York Film Festivals, A24’s newly acquired historical epic “The Brutalist” has emerged as a potential heavyweight in this year’s Academy Awards lineup. Starring Adrien Brody in a career-redefining role as a Hungarian-born Jewish architect who survives the Holocaust and journeys to the U.S., the film screened in front of an influential audience at CAA on Sunday night. The room was filled with industry professionals, journalists, and Oscar winners like Cord Jefferson (“American Fiction”). After the screening, the film’s director, Brady Corbet, and co-writer Mona Fastvold participated in a post-screening Q&a session, giving the audience insight into the seven-year odyssey to bring this project to life.

“The Brutalist” follows 30 years in...

Number two film of the summer “Deadpool & Wolverine” (Disney), held back from any home viewing until after its tenth weekend in theaters, took the #1 spot on both iTunes (ranking by transactions) and Fandango (by revenue). But perhaps only for a brief stay.

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” (Warner Bros.), a major hit though not quite in the same league as the Marvel sequel ($235 million U.S./Canada gross so far versus $634 million; both films still in the top 10) will likely replace it when released Tuesday on PVOD after its fifth weekend. That feels a little early (32 days), more so since Tim Burton’s sequel is still #3, with over $10 million.

But if anything, it appears PVOD release boosts theatrical play as of late, at least in the short term. In any event, with the opening weekend debacle of “Joker: Folie à Deux” (revised downward to $37.8 million), it will provide some immediate cash to the Burbank studio.

Jon-Adrian “JJ” Velazquez has been exonerated.

The 48-year-old Sing Sing actor, who served nearly 24 years in prison for a crime he did not commit, was exonerated of his wrongful murder conviction on Monday morning (September 30) in a Manhattan courthouse in New York City.

The actor “held back tears, pounded his chest and pumped his fist as he hugged friends and family,” via Variety, and “hugged his mother as she wept and cried out, ’27 years!’ in reference to how long it has almost been since Velazquez was first convicted.”

He co-stars with Colman Domingo in the A24 prison drama that follows a group of incarcerated men who find purpose in acting in theater productions. The ensemble features formerly incarcerated actors, and takes place at the Sing Sing Correctional Facility, where he was falsely imprisoned.

Keep reading to find out more…

Sing Sing star Clarence Maclin, director Greg Kwedar and Brent Buell,...

NBCUniversal’s streaming service Peacock had a big July and a massive August thanks almost exclusively to the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. Netflix had an equally massive January-to-June, in part because of all NBCUniversal’s animated movies available on the streamer.

In case you’ve been living under a mountain of other Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, on Thursday, September 19, Netflix shared more than 16,000 lines of its viewership data from the first half of 2024. It lists every show or movie watched on Netflix around the globe, how many views each had, and for how many hours they were watched. Light reading material for us.

Twice a year, there are endless takeaways from Netflix’s data dump. One of the big ones from this set was just how dominant NBCUniversal’s animated films are — only not on NBCUniversal’s own streaming platform, Peacock.

The top six animated films (and nine of 10!) on Netflix over...

Toho animation's official YouTube channel has released a new collaboration music video, featuring the Spice and Wolf: Merchant Meets The Wise Wolf TV anime's second opening theme song, "Sing ," performed by singer Aimer . The clip consists of scenes from the fourth arc of the anime story, "The Legend of the Pagan Gods" which were told in Episode 20-25. Aimer "Sign" x “Spice and Wolf” Collab Music Video As Aimer's 24th CD single, "Sign" released in Japan on August 28, 2024. Aimer "Sign" Music Video Spice and Wolf: Merchant Meets The Wise Wolf Second Cour Crditless Opening Movie "Sign" digital single jacket First press limited edition CD jacket Limited-time production edition CD jacket Related: Spice and Wolf: Merchant Meets The Wise Wolf Shares 2nd Ending Song Anime Music Video Based on the light novels by Hasekura Isuna and Ju Ayakura, Takeo Takahashi acts as chief director alongside Hijiri Sanpei as director for...

Between 1997 and 1998, Mariah Carey and Derek Jeter dated. During this time, she was still technically married to her first husband, Tommy Mottola, though the couple had separated a year prior. Carey fell hard for Jeter, writing several love songs about him. She said that while she felt she was taking a major risk every time she saw him, it felt worth it.

Mariah Carey felt she was taking a major risk with Derek Jeter

Mottola was such a controlling partner that Carey began to refer to their home as Sing Sing. While she was still married to him, she met Jeter at a dinner party. At first she thought he seemed “rather pedestrian,” but he caught her attention when she learned that he, like her, had an Irish mother and a Black father.

“It was as if suddenly I could see him,” she wrote in her book The Meaning of Mariah Carey.