Disney had enormous success in 2019 with Jon Favreau’s “The Lion King,” a remake of the beloved 1994 animated movie that used photorealistic CGI and virtual production techniques to appear as if it was shot in “live-action.” The movie earned $1.6 billion worldwide and remains the 10th highest-grossing movie of all time, unadjusted for inflation. […]

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 […]

Early in “The Lion King,” the adorable yet spoiled African prince Simba goes gallivanting around his father Mufasa’s lands, taunting his future subjects with the song “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King.” In Broadway terms, it’s a classic “I want” number, telling audiences what’s in the character’s heart at that point in the film, […]

Disney’s “Moana 2” stayed atop the U.K. and Ireland box office for the third consecutive weekend with £3.6 million ($4.5 million), bringing its cumulative total to £26.4 million ($33.5 million), according to numbers from Comscore. Universal’s “Wicked” continued to demonstrate staying power in second place, adding £3.4 million in its fourth week for a robust […]

The first reactions to Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King” have started pouring in on social media, and members of the press are roaring with excitement over the prequel to the 2019 photorealistic remake of “The Lion King.” “‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ is the perfect prequel,” wrote Variety‘s senior artisans editor Jazz Tangcay. “So beautifully crafted. […]

Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King” begins with the voice of James Earl Jones, followed by a title card that reads, “In Remembrance.” Jones, who died in September at 93 years old, originated the voice of King Mufasa in the 1994 Oscar-winning animated feature “The Lion King,” its direct-to-video sequels and the 2019 live-action remake. Jones […]

Jay-Z and Beyoncé walked the red carpet at the “Mufasa: The Lion King” premiere in Los Angeles on Monday night to support their daughter, Blue Ivy Carter. The 12-year-old voices Kiara, the daughter of Simba (Donald Glover) and Nala (Beyoncé), in the prequel to the 2019 photorealistic remake of Disney’s “The Lion King.” Glover and […]

Update (Dec. 11): Variety has been able to confirm through multiple sources that Coralie Fargeat’s body-horror film “The Substance,” starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, has made the internal top 20 shortlist for visual effects for the Academy Awards. Oscar shortlist voting is currently underway and closes on Friday, Dec. 13. Update (1:42 p.m. PT): […]

Following a string of changes in recent years as Technicolor Group restructured its business around visual effects, the company has appointed industry vet David Conley as the new president of its VFX brand MPC, whose work includes VFX Oscar winner “The Jungle Book,” Oscar nominated “The Lion King” and upcoming prequel “Mufasa: The Lion King.” […]

It can be tricky keeping track of which movies release each week, especially with the holiday season ushering in a tidal wave of awards films and four-quadrant blockbusters. With a few big titles still left for the year, check out what is coming to theaters in December. After last weekend’s underwhelming audience turnout for both […]