Universal Pictures
Diablo Cody’s ‘Lisa Frankenstein’ Gets First Look, Launch Date
Lisa Frankenstein, the Focus Features horror comedy from Oscar-winning scribe Diablo Cody, is set to hit theaters Feb. 9, 2024, just in time for Valentine’s Day. The film, about a misunderstood teenager and her high school crush, is helmed by Zelda Williams in her feature directorial debut. In a first look released by Focus, Lisa Frankenstein […]
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Alexander Payne “Heartbroken” to Premiere ‘The Holdovers’ Without Lead Actors
Alexander Payne brought his 1970-set dramedy The Holdovers to the Toronto Film Festival on Monday, and earned a rapturous ovation from the Princess of Wales Theatre audience on Monday. But the Sideways director expressed sadness that he had come on stage alone and without his principal cast, led by Paul Giamatti and newcomer Dominic Sessa, […]
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Box Office: ‘The Nun II’ Scares Up $3.1M in Thursday Previews
Warner Bros.’ New Line movie division should have no trouble scaring off the competition and winning this weekend’s box office contest. The Nun II — which officially kicks off the fall season after a busy summer — is hoping to open to $30 million domestically or more after earning $3.1 million in Thursday previews. In […]
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James Marsh, Neil Burger, James DeMonaco Films Tapped for Toronto Film Festival Sales Market
The Toronto Film Festival has unveiled its lineup for the Industry Selects program of films beyond the official fest lineup and available for worldwide acquisition as each gets an in-person screening for film buyers and industry execs. Leading the selection is director James Marsh’s Dance First, a biopic with Gabriel Byrne playing the literary giant […]
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Universal’s ‘The Exorcist: Deceiver’ Sequel to Debut in 2025
The Exorcist: Deceiver, the second sequel in a new trilogy from director David Gordon Green, will get a wide release on April 18, 2025. News of the 2025 release for the second chapter in the Exorcist franchise from Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions follows the unveiling of the first trailer for The Exorcist: Believer screening in […]
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‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ Trailer Sees Josh Hutcherson in an Animatronics Nightmare
Dark and grim, the Five Nights at Freddy’s trailer, released Tuesday, takes a look into Freddy Fazbear and friends’ world that perturbs all the fright and fears that can be expected from the video game and Blumhouse Productions. The Emma Tammi-directed film, based on 2014’s multi-platform video game of the same name, stars Hunger Games‘ […]
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Veteran Exec Cathy Nam Joins Universal as Senior VP, Global Communications
Longtime communications executive Cathy Nam has joined Universal Filmed Entertainment Group as senior vp, global communications. The executive is moving from New Line Cinema, the Warner Bros. division at which she spent over two decades honing her PR skills. Per Tuesday’s announcement, Nam will help steer the integrated communications strategy efforts across UFEG’s global portfolio, […]
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‘Asteroid City’ Review: Scarlett Johansson Leads Stacked Ensemble That Gets Marooned in Cloying Wes Anderson Whimsy
New additions to the director’s informal repertory company in this cosmic comedy about love, family and precocious geniuses also include Tom Hanks, Steve Carell, Hong Chau and Margot Robbie.
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Box Office: ‘Fast X’ Zooms to $7.5M in Previews
Fast X zoomed to $7.5 million in previews at the North American box office. The Universal pic is expected to open to $60 million to $70 million domestically. Overseas is another matter, where Fast X is tracking to debut to as much as $220 million. Louis Leterrier directs the 10th installment in the popular franchise […]
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‘Wicked’ Dazzles CinemaCon With First Footage of Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo in Character
Something Wicked happened in Las Vegas on Wednesday. During Universal Pictures’ presentation at CinemaCon, the studio offered up a look at its highly anticipated two-part musical Wicked from director Jon M. Chu and starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. It was received with applause from theater owners, who were treated to looks at flying monkeys […]
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Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda Get Rowdy on Bachelorette Trip to Italy in ‘Book Club: The Next Chapter’ Trailer
Four best friends head to Italy for a bit of hedonistic adventure in the full trailer for Book Club: The Next Chapter. Focus Features’ sequel to the 2018 film Book Club hits theaters May 12 with Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen reprising their roles from the original. Andy Garcia, Don Johnson […]
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Aliens and Tom Hanks Abound in Trailer for Wes Anderson’s ‘Asteroid City’
An alien movie by way of Wes Anderson — the trailer for Asteroid City is here. The spot (below) for Anderson’s latest feature, which takes place in a fictional American desert town circa 1955, stars Scarlett Johansson as a movie star, Tom Hanks as an ornery grandfather and Jason Schwartzman as a recent widower trying […]
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