| | | | | | What's news: A Minecraft Movie crossed the $700m mark. Amazon has canceled Clean Slate after one season. The next Star Wars Celebration will take place in L.A. Hayden Christensen will reprise the role of Anakin Skywalker in season two of Ahsoka. — Abid Rahman
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Pope Francis 1936 - 2025 ►"His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of his Church." Pope Francis, history’s first Latin American pontiff who charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor but alienated conservatives with critiques of capitalism and climate change, died Monday. He was 88. Bells tolled in church towers across Rome after the announcement, which was read out by Cardinal Kevin Ferrell, the Vatican camerlengo, from the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta, where Francis lived. “At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father,″ Ferrell said. The obituary. |
Harvey Weinstein's Last Stand ►"People are realizing that the phrase ‘believe women’ is an anti-American and anti-ends-of-justice idiotic statement." Joe Rogan was eating an elk steak while watching the first installment of right wing commentator Candace Owens’ latest project aiming to exonerate convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein when he came to a realization: He agreed with the far-right commentator. “I can’t believe I’m on Harvey Weinstein’s side,” he said on a March 22 podcast. “I thought he was guilty of like heinous crimes and then you listen, and you’re like ‘Wait, what? What is going on?'” THR's Winston Cho writes that the Rogan episode was a boon to the disgraced former Hollywood mogul's legal team, which is betting that the current climate around #MeToo will play in their client's favor this time around, or at the very least, not against him. The story.
—"Blindsided." Irish hip-hop group Kneecap drew headlines during their weekend two performance at Coachella 2025, but not for the reasons a buzzing band typically claims. The group performed in the Sonora tent in front of large screens that projected references to genocide, denouncements of Israel and calls to “free Palestine.” Their set on April 18 also condemned the U.S. for its military support of Israel. While the Coachella music festival is no stranger to political statements made onstage, this call to “Fuck Israel” has incensed Jewish groups who are calling out the fest’s promoter Goldenvoice (a subsidiary of AEG) for its part in booking the band. The story.
—"Disgraceful language." Haley Joel Osment is speaking out and apologizing for using an antisemitic slur during his arrest. The actor was arrested on April 8 at the Mammoth Mountain ski resort on suspicion of public intoxication. On Thursday, the Mono County District Attorney’s office announced that Osment was charged with public intoxication and cocaine possession and due to be arraigned on July 7. After bodycam footage and other videos were released by TMZ, Osment could be overheard calling an officer driving him to jail a “fucking Nazi” and used the K-word. Osment is now apologizing for his language saying he’s “absolutely horrified” by his behavior. The story.
—Arrested. Joe Seiders, the drummer for indie rock band the New Pornographers, has been arrested on possession of child pornography charges, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department confirmed Thursday. Soon after the arrest, the band said that Seiders, 44, is no longer a member of the group. “Everyone in the band is absolutely devastated by the news of the charges against Joe Seiders — and we have immediately severed all ties with him,” the band said in a statement shared on social media. “Our hearts go out to everyone who has been impacted by his actions.” The story.
—🤝 Vendido! 🤝 TKO Group Holdings continues to expand, with one of its flagship properties the WWE announcing the acquisition of the Mexican Lucha Libre promotion AAA. The deal was announced by WWE chief content officer Paul Levesque at Wrestlemania 41, which was held this weekend in Las Vegas alongside Fillip’s chairman Alberto Fasja, AAA’s Marisela Peña and Dorian Roldán Peña. Terms of the deal between the WWE and AAA parent company Filip were not disclosed, though the WWE says that the Peña family, which has led AAA since its founding in 1992, will continue to be involved. The story. |
Box Office Upset: 'Sinners' Beats 'Minecraft' ►Sin-ema! Ryan Coogler‘s Sinners more than found redemption at the Easter weekend box office. Ditto for Warner Bros. In a surprise upset, the movie beat fellow WB blockbuster A Minecraft Movie and topped the chart with an estimated $45.6m from 3,308 theaters, including Imax screens, well ahead of an expected $40m. Based on Friday’s gross of $19.2m, Sinners looked to open to the latter figure, but a spike in walk-up Saturday business changed the landscape. Sinners achieved its victory after earning near-perfect reviews and stellar audience scores. Overseas, it started off with $15.4m from select markets, for a global total of $61m.
Not that Minecraft, now in its third weekend, is any slouch as it jumped the $700m mark globally. Based on early weekend grosses, it appeared the record-breaking video game adaptation would stay No. 1 with $45m. Instead, it’s on course to take in $41.3m from 4,032 locations in a double win for Warners’ film empire (family films are always hard to model on Easter weekend because of holiday distractions).
THR's Pamela McClintock writes that all told, WB was the unqualified winner of this year’s box office Easter egg hunt, commanding 64 percent of the market. To boot, Minecraft has helped push year-to-date domestic box office revenue into the black for the first time in months. The box office report. |
Studios Warn That Ticket Price Hikes Could Sour Summer Box Office ►Save us Tom, you're our only hope. In times of financial upheaval, the thinking goes, movie theaters weather the storm as the cheapest form of live entertainment, stretching back nearly a century to the Great Depression. People may be putting the brakes on vacations, pricey sporting events or concerts, but a trip to see a film costs far less than those other offerings. However, others worry that the landscape has changed dramatically since COVID-19, which coincided with the rise of premium video-on-demand and streaming. THR's Pamela McClintock writes that with new Mission: Impossible and Jurassic World films, there’s reason to be optimistic about the summer season — unless consumers cut costs amid volatile economic times. The analysis.
—"The percentage you get back in terms of actual budget doesn’t compete with places like England." Ben Affleck is weighing in on the flight of film and television productions from Hollywood. The actor and filmmaker took on California’s production crisis in an interview with the Associated Press at The Accountant 2’s red carpet premiere at L.A.’s TCL Chinese Theatre on Wednesday. “I think part of the problem with California is they came to take this industry for granted a little bit,” Affleck said, noting that other jurisdictions offer more favorable exchange rates and tax rebates. The story.
—🤝 Sold! 🤝 Dark workplace comedy feature Don’t Tell Larry is hoping to start conversations this summer. The indie film from directors Greg Porper and John Schimke has been acquired by Level 33 Entertainment, which is set to launch international sales at the Cannes Film Festival and release the movie theatrically June 20. Leading the cast are Patty Guggenheim, Ed Begley Jr., Dot-Marie Jones, Kenneth Mosley and Kiel Kennedy. Don’t Tell Larry centers on Susan (Guggenheim), an ambitious office worker who tells a small lie to her offbeat colleague (Kennedy) in hopes of landing a promotion, with the situation soon spiraling out of control. The story. |
Star Wars Celebration Announces L.A. as Next Location ►Chewie, we're (going) home. Star Wars Celebration is coming home to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Star Wars franchise. The massive Lucasfilm fan convention will hold its next edition in Los Angeles, timed to commemorate the release of the very first Star Wars movie in 1977, it was announced Sunday in Tokyo, Japan, the site of this year’s event. A source close to Lucasfilm told THR that the Los Angeles Convention Center will likely play host to the 17th Star Wars Celebration. The venue previously held the fourth edition of Star Wars Celebration in May 2007, which honored the 30th anniversary of Star Wars. The story.
—📅 Dated and expanded! 📅 The third season of animated anthology series Star Wars: Visions will debut on Disney+ on Oct. 29. The Visions panel at Star Wars Celebration was a newsy one, with executive producer James Waugh revealing that three episodes of the third volume will be sequels to three fan favorite episodes from volume one, including "The Duel." Waugh also pulled back the curtain on a expanded platform for Visions, titled Star Wars: Visions Presents, that will give animators more time to tell a story via spinoff standalone limited series. First up is The Ninth Jedi, which will come out sometime in 2026. The story.
—🎭 Anakin is back (again) baby! 🎭 Hayden Christensen will reprise his fan-favorite role of Anakin Skywalker for season two of Ahsoka, the Lucasfilm Disney+ show that stars Rosario Dawson. The announcement was made at Star Wars Celebration. Elsewhere, Ahsoka creator and director Dave Filoni also said Game of Thrones actor Rory McCann is taking over the role of Baylan Skoll from the late Ray Stevenson, who died in May 2023. Filoni also confirmed that Admiral Akbar will return in season two and go head-to-head with Grand Admiral Thrawn played by Lars Mikkelsen. The story. |
'Last of Us' Co-Creator Unpacks That Agonizing Death ►"All relationships break." THR's James Hibberd spoke to The Last of Us co-creator Craig Mazin about the latest episode of the hit HBO show. Mazin breaks down that heartbreaking episode two twist, what happened behind the scenes and what it means for the show's future: "If the emotional response is not intense, then we f***ed up." Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"It’s immersive and it’s confronting." THR's most handsome interviewer Abid Rahman spoke to the equally handsome Jacob Elordi and filmmaker Justin Kurzel about their new epic Amazon Prime Video limited series The Narrow Road to the Deep North. The Aussie duo discuss the making of the harrowing and heartfelt series, the pressures they felt adapting Richard Flanagan's Booker Prize-winning novel and how the show speaks to modern Australia. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"To have the opportunity to see a love story and build a love story could be so beautiful and unique. And it’s also cheaper!" THR's Brian Davids spoke to Diego Luna and Adria Arjona about season two of their critically acclaimed Disney+ Star Wars series Andor. The series will end with season two, but the duo say they could be lured back to explore one specific gap in the tale. The interview. |
Who's Really Who on 'The Studio'? ►Griffin Mill is obvious, right? Seth Rogen’s savvy Hollywood satire The Studio has half the town wondering who inspired the Apple TV+ show’s characters. THR's Julian Sancton and Benjamin Svetkey rounded up the prime suspects. The story.
—One and done. Amazon Prime Video has canceled Clean Slate, which was television legend Norman Lear's final completed project, after one season. Series stars Laverne Cox and George Wallace, as well as their fellow co-creator Dan Ewen, broke the news in a guest column on Deadline. Clean Slate premiered on Prime Video on February 6; by “the end of March” it was canceled, the trio wrote. Cox, Wallace and Ewen called the series a “labor of love,” and a “seven-year effort” that “was gone in a puff of server exhaust.” The story. |
Film Review: 'Sneaks' ►"Kicks with no kick." THR's Lovia Gyarkye reviews Rob Edwards and Christopher Jenkins' Sneaks. This animated film, about a pair of coveted sneakers, features a starry voice cast that includes Anthony Mackie, Chloe Bailey, Martin Lawrence, Swae Lee, Macy Gray and Laurence Fishburne. The review.
In other news...
—Conan does the Haka with Taika Waititi in trailer for Conan O’Brien Must Go
—Marlon Wayans pushes a football star too hard in trailer for Jordan Peele-produced Him
—RuPaul’s Drag Race crowns S17 champion
—Joel Katz, longtime music industry attorney, dies at 80
What else we're reading...
—Ed Kilgore wonders which way the Catholic Church will turn after the death of Pope Francis [Intelligencer]
—As the threat of artificial intelligence looms, John Cassidy outlines how we might survive an AI revolution [New Yorker]
—Chris Lee talks to anonymous Hollywood execs who, incredibly, think Ryan Coogler’s Sinners deal "could end the studio system" [Vulture]
—A vaccine researcher talks to Rachel Nuwer about what it's like to be working in that profession with RFK Jr. heading up HHS [Intelligencer]
—Another jaw-dropping story about Pete Hegseth. Greg Jaffe, Eric Schmitt and Maggie Haberman report that the former Fox News guy shared attack details in a second Signal chat [NYT]
Today...
...in 1995, Buena Vista unveiled the Sandra Bullock rom-com While You Were Sleeping in theaters, where it would go on to gross $182m globally. The original review.
Today's birthdays: James McAvoy (46), Gugu Mbatha-Raw (42), Claire Denis (79), Patti LuPone (76), Andie MacDowell (67), Toby Stephens (56), Robbie Amell (37), Tony Danza (74), Rob Riggle (55), Bridget Everett (53), John Cameron Mitchell (21), Jean-Pierre Dardenne (74), Iggy Pop (78), Sarah Catherine Hook (30), Nicole Sullivan (55), Sophie Rundle (37), Frank Dillane (34), Thomas Doherty (30), Eva De Dominici (30), Christoph Sanders (37), Kate Vernon (64), Lea Myren (24), Brian White (50), Maimie McCoy (46), Jennifer Blanc-Biehn (51), Hadley Fraser (45), Roy Dupuis (62), Dylan Bruce (45), Lisa Darr (62), Joel de la Fuente (56), Emma Tremblay (21), Jeff Anderson (55), Taegen Burns (18), Valerie Tian (36), Brianne Davis (43) |
| Gary Jensen, a stunt coordinator who collaborated with Bryan Singer on The Usual Suspects and the first two X-Men films and with Kevin Smith on Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and four other movies, has died. He was 74. The obituary. |
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