When it came to the movies that popped in multiplexes, 2024 was all about the sequels. Whether audiences were returning for more Deadpool, Gru or Godzilla, recognizable properties were the big attraction at cinemas. Sequels — such as “Inside Out 2,” “Deadpool & Wolverine,” “Despicable Me 4” and “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” — […]

Do international moviegoers have something against witchy BFFS Elphaba and Glinda, Michael Keaton’s Ghost with the Most and a band of fearless storm chasers led by Glen Powell? If not, how do you explain that even though “Wicked,” “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” and “Twisters” were domestic box office powerhouses, they weren’t as warmly received in overseas markets? […]

A blue, anthropomorphic speed demon is expected to outpace the future king of Pride Lands at the weekend box office. Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” is projected to claim a leading $55 million to $60 million from 3,800 North American theaters in its debut, while Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King” should be trotting close behind […]

David Fincher’s 2010 Facebook drama “The Social Network,” 1974’s indie horror classic “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey’s Catskills-set love affair “Dirty Dancing” have been selected for preservation by the National Film Registry. The Librarian of Congress annually recognizes 25 motion pictures that are at least 10 years old and register as “culturally, historically […]

Who can say if the title of “Wicked: Part Two” has been changed for the better? But it has been changed for good. Literally. Universal Pictures has renamed the sequel to this year’s musical hit to “Wicked: For Good.” The movie, which chronicles the second act of the beloved Broadway show, will open in theaters […]

Kraven may be the world’s greatest hunter, but the comic book villain couldn’t manage the climb to the top of the box office charts. Sony’s “Kraven the Hunter,” a superhero spinoff starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Spider-Man’s notorious foe, launched behind already low expectations, at No. 3 with $11 million from 3,211 theaters. It landed the […]

“Tangled” is the latest Disney movie to get the live-action treatment. The studio is developing a reimagining of the 2010 animated movie, a musical take on the Brothers Grimm story about the magically long-haired princess Rapunzel. “The Greatest Showman” filmmaker Michael Gracey is in talks to direct the film from a script by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, […]

“Kraven the Hunter” could get declawed in its big screen debut. The comic book spinoff, set in Sony’s universe of Marvel characters, is targeting a paltry $13 million to $15 million from 3,200 theaters its opening weekend. Based on projections, “Kraven the Hunter” could contend with February’s misfire “Madame Web” ($15.3 million debut) for the […]

National Cinema Day, an annual event in which movie theater tickets are heavily discounted, is returning in 2025 with a new title and expanded programming that won’t confine the affordable festivities to one day. Retitled “@ the Movies,” the initiative — hosted by The Cinema Foundation, the non-profit branch of the National Association of Theatre […]

It’s looking like Chris Evans will return in “Avengers: Doomsday.” The actor, best known to Marvel fans for playing Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is circling another MCU appearance in 2026’s comic book epic. However, it’s not clear who he’ll be playing because (spoiler alert!), at the end of 2019’s […]

Netflix scored the most Golden Globe nominations of any media company on Monday, leading on the film front with 13 nods and the TV side, too, with 23. The streamer’s genre-defying Spanish-language musical crime drama “Emilia Perez” landed 10 nominations, the most of any film this year, including recognition in best motion picture musical or […]

Warner Bros. shuffled its film release schedule, planting “Final Destination: Bloodlines” on the calendar in summer and delaying the J.J. Abrams-backed mystery thriller “Flowervale Street” to 2026. “Final Destination 6” will be released on May 16, 2025. It’s taking over the slot previously occupied by “Flowervale Street,” which was set for mid May but has […]

“Moana 2” has notched $600 million in global ticket sales, standing as the sixth-biggest movie of the year after just two weeks of release. Disney’s animated sequel, which was developed as a TV series before pivoting to theaters, has generated $300 million overseas and $300 million domestically for an even global tally of $600 million. […]

Disney’s animated adventure “Moana 2” remained the de facto choice at the movies, collecting a leading $52 million from 4,200 North American theaters in its second weekend of release. Ticket sales for the family friendly sequel declined by 63% from its record-breaking Thanksgiving debut of $139 million over the traditional frame and $225 million during […]

“Grey’s Anatomy” actor T.R. Knight is returning to Broadway in “Stranger Things: The First Shadow,” a stage play based on the massive Netflix television series. The show, which opens in 2025, takes place in the fictional town of Hawkins, Ind. in the decades before Eleven and her crew of misfits entered the Upside Down. As […]

Regal Cinemas, one of the world’s largest movie theater chains, has secured new financing to restructure a portion of its debt. The exhibition company has arranged a $1.9 billion loan that extends maturity dates to as far out as Dec. 1, 2031. The refinancing comes after a record-breaking Thanksgiving at the box office, though overall […]

Mattel is being sued for mistakenly printing the URL for a pornographic site on the packaging for special-edition “Wicked” dolls. According to court documents, a South Carolina resident is launching a class action lawsuit after purchasing the toy for her young daughter, who visited the X-rated website that had “nothing to do with the ‘Wicked’ […]

Alamo Drafthouse is expanding its presence in the Bay Area. The cinema chain will open two new San Francisco theaters, Alamo Drafthouse Mountain View and Alamo Drafthouse Westfield Valley Fair, in the next year. The Austin-based circuit is taking over spaces from ShowPlace Icon and plans to have the theaters fully converted and operating by […]

“Oh, Mary” writer and star Cole Escola is departing the show in 2025, but the comedic play isn’t leaving Broadway. “GLOW” actor Betty Gilpin is taking over the role of Mary Todd Lincoln. She’ll begin a limited, eight-week engagement on Jan. 21, 2025 through March 15. “I have worshiped at the altar of Cole for […]