#SpiderManNoWayHome crushed box office expectations, generating a mammoth $253 million in North America. After only three days, the release is already the highest-grossing film of this year bit.ly/3mdngeX
#NoWayHome is zooming past opening weekend tickets sales for behemoths like "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," "Jurassic World" and "Black Panther." It is the eighth film to cross $200 million in ticket sales at the domestic box office in a single weekend bit.ly/3mdngeX
#SpiderManNoWayHome captured $334 million overseas and $587 million globally, ranking as the third-biggest worldwide opening weekend ever bit.ly/3mdngeX
“This weekend’s historic results reaffirm the unmatched cultural impact that exclusive theatrical films can have when they are made and marketed with vision and resolve,” says Tom Rothman, Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group chairman and CEO bit.ly/3mdngeX
#SpiderMan is turbo-charging the box office because superheroes sell. Its performance doesn’t reverse fortunes for the beleaguered theater business. Rather, it punctuates the reality that multiplexes are more reliant than ever on big-budget spectacles bit.ly/3mdngeX
For better or worse, #SpiderMan landed on the big screen in the nick of time. The film’s remarkable performance coincides with the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, which is already leading to closures in N.Y. bit.ly/3mdngeX
So far, any fears over developing variants haven’t made a dent in #NoWayHome. Unless moviegoing confidence takes a sudden nosedive, box office analysts expect the film to play and play… and play in theaters, well into the new year bit.ly/3mdngeX
Chris Noth has been dropped from CBS’ series “The Equalizer” after being accused of sexual assault by two women, Variety has learned. bit.ly/3FeLGw8
Noth will be seen in one original upcoming episode of the series that has already been filmed, as well as future encores of episodes that have already aired, but will no longer be a part of the show. CBS had no further comment. bit.ly/3FeLGw8
In a detailed investigation by The Hollywood Reporter published last Thursday, two women, under the pseudonyms of “Zoe” and “Lily,” separately approached the publication months apart and shared their sexual assault allegations against Noth. bit.ly/3FeLGw8
“I am a victim of abuse by a very powerful, very wealthy, and very sick man. I am a victim of Bryan Singer,” says Blake Stuerman.
Singer’s lawyer says Stuerman “simply has an axe to grind” against Singer. bit.ly/3EdMdgt
“I was newly 18, alone in a hotel suite with a rich and famous man who was giving me his full attention, and I was intoxicated for the first time in my life,” Stuerman writes. “You can imagine what happened next.” bit.ly/3EdMdgt
“He would come hang out for a bit, make sure everyone had drinks, and then he’d pick the one, two, or more who he liked,” Stuerman writes of spending time with Singer. “We’d see them an hour or three later.” bit.ly/3EdMdgt
#TheBeatlesGetBack director Peter Jackson reveals how his team of filmmakers took on the task of restoring archival footage of the Fab Four into crystal-clear quality for the new Beatles docuseries.
“In 1969 that film had a quite chunky, grainy desaturated look to it. One of the purposes was to try to restore it, sort of making it look as natural as possible,” says Jackson. bit.ly/3ppPTpV
“Suddenly the colors were just unbelievable,” he adds. “People say, ‘So how did you do all those colors?’ And I’m saying, we didn’t do the colors, they were there.” bit.ly/3ppPTpV
“The Thanksgiving Text” will recount the true tale that began in 2016, when Wanda Dench thought she was texting her grandson to check if he would be coming over for Turkey Day. bit.ly/3rqCVuO
Apparently, she had the wrong cell phone number. She actually texted Jamal Hinton, a high school senior at the time, who accepted her invitation anyway — and has attended her feast every year since. bit.ly/3rqCVuO
“‘Butter’ holds a special place in our heart,” BTS tells Variety. “We shared the song with everyone in hopes of lifting spirits, and the energy and excitement from all those that enjoyed the song across the world, in turn, helped us move forward as well.” bit.ly/3EewDSu
“We are incredibly glad and grateful that the spirit of the song resonated with many,” says the supergroup. “And we feel we owe everyone who listened to the song (and of course, ARMY) a celebration over all that ‘Butter’ has achieved.” bit.ly/3EewDSu
On Wednesday, Hulu released a new documentary special — “#Astroworld: Concert From Hell,” recapping the deadly events at a Travis Scott festival in Houston last month — but quickly removed it after social media backlash. bit.ly/3oih2fb
In a statement, a Hulu spokesperson told Variety, “This was an investigative local news special from ABC13/KTRK-TV in Houston that originally aired on November 20th. This was not a Hulu documentary and has since been removed to avoid confusion.” bit.ly/3oih2fb
In a widely circulated tweet, one commenter — who assumed the program was produced by the streamer — said, “Hulu making a documentary about Astroworld is in poor taste all around. People are still burying their loved ones." bit.ly/3oih2fb