“Where is Greta?” Photo: Warner Bros./Everett Collection
Disney can have Baby Yoda; Warner Bros. has the OG little guys with big ears. Gremlins 3 is on the way, CEO and Road Runner enemy David Zaslav revealed on his November 6 earnings call. Steven Spielberg will return to the franchise as producer, per The Hollywood Reporter. Chris Columbus, who wrote the first Gremlins film, returns to produce and direct as well as co-write with Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein, who directed 2025’s successful Final Destination reboot. Gr3mlins will be out in theaters on November 19, 2027.
Gremlins 2: The New Batch was released in 1990, 35 years ago. While the 1984 original was a massive hit — earning $212 million on just an $11 million budget — The New Batch is a cult-classic bomb. It cost more than the first, with a reported budget of $50 million, and was significantly less successful, earning just over $40 million, per Consequence of Sound. As such, the Gremlins have not been let out of their cage until now.
It’s not the first time a Gremlins reboot has been attempted, however. WB reportedly “fast tracked” a third film in the franchise back in 2015 — but it never happened. Columbus believed it would “impossible to revisit in a CGI environment.” “Those are edgy Muppets in a sense and you don’t want to lose that sense of anarchy that those gremlins had, because behind the scenes are 25 puppeteers making them come to life,” he said to Coming Soon in 2010. There is no confirmation yet on how the modern Gremlins will be created, but given Columbus’s involvement, there’s hope the film returns to puppeteers. How else can they re-create the beauty of Greta, the sexy-girl Gremlin introduced in the sequel? The people (namely Jade Thirlwall) demand more Greta.
London — The suit worn by Will Ferrell in the 2003 comedy hit “Elf” is going under the hammer at an auction of movie memorabilia in London this December, and the skin-tight green and yellow piece of Hollywood Christmas magic is expected to fetch over a quarter of a million dollars.
Bidding for the iconic suit, complete with the conical hat and matching tunic, will begin at 50,000 pounds, the equivalent of about $65,000, but it’s expected to eventually sell for as much as 200,000 pounds, or about $261,000, when the hammer falls at the Propstore Winter Entertainment Memorabilia auction.
According to the description on the Propstore Auction house’s website, there are tags reading “Mr. Ferrell” on the inside of the tunic and the stockings, with “Hero-3” also handwritten on the tunic tag.
Buddy’s screen-matched hero Elf costume is expected to fetch up to $261,000
Andrew Matthews/PA Images via Getty Images
The auctioneers say the belt also has “Mr. Ferrell” written on it in blue ink.
Large movie productions often create several versions of the same props, but the term “hero” is typically used to describe the highly-detailed iterations which are central to the plot and intended for close-up shots in the final cut of the movie.
The suit going up for sale does not appear to be the same one that Ferrell wore to an NHL hockey game in Los Angeles just after Christmas last year, when he gave fellow sports fans a giggle by sitting near the ice looking disgruntled with a beer and a cigarette in the garish outfit.
Will Ferrell entertained fans by wearing an Elf-like costume to a hockey game
Ronald Martinez / Getty Images
Another notable item up for sale in the December auction is Marty McFly’s iconic hoverboard from the second and third installations of the “Back to the Future” trilogy, which is expected to sell for more than $156,000.
According to the product description, it’s the lightweight foam version of the prop, which actors used for scenes where their characters were seen carrying the boards, rather than a wooden version that Michael J. Fox and his fellow actors were seen riding in other parts of the movies.
The example of the then-futuristic hoverboard does have some “wear from use and age, including adhesive residue around the fastening strips, cracks in the foam, and paint chipping throughout,” according to the auctioneers.
The foam prop was used by actors in scenes where they carried the futuristic Hoverboard
Andrew Matthews/PA Images/Getty
The most valuable lot in the auction, however, will be the original prop used as Boba Fett’s rifle in “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.”
The auction house says it is the only known example of the prop. Other stunt versions and castings were made for later movies in the franchise, but, according to Propstore Auctions, this EE-3 carbine blaster has been “identified by its serial number and photo-matched by details on the stock, directly confirming its provenance.”
The blaster, which started its life as a genuine 1917 Webley & Scott No.1 Mark I flare pistol, is expected to fetch the equivalent of around $915,000 when it goes under the hammer.
The unique prop used by the Boba Fett character in “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back,” is expected to fetch the equivalent of around $915,000 at auction.
Andrew Matthews/PA Images/Getty
The three day auction begins on December 5 and will feature other iconic film memorabilia including Indiana Jones’ fedora, worn by Harrison Ford in the 1984 “Temple of Doom” movie, Obi-Wan Kenobi’s lightweight lightsaber from 1999’s “Phantom Menace,” and Jack Nicholson’s stunt axe from the horror classic “The Shining.”
A new concert film from the Cure will hit theaters on December 11. Directed by British filmmaker and longtime collaborator Nick Wickham, The Show of a Lost World documents the band’s November 2024 performance at London’s Troxy to celebrate the release of Songs of a Lost World. Their 31-song setlist included the only performance of the album in full to date and a 45th anniversary tribute to 1980’s Seventeen Seconds. Frontman Robert Smith handled The Show of a Lost World’s mixing.
Songs of a Lost World marked the Cure’s first studio album in 16 years. The band followed it up with a remix album featuring contributions from Four Tet, Mogwai, and Deftones frontman Chino Moreno, among others.
Sony Pictures has officially announced more cast members of Sam Mendes’ Beatlesmovies. As previously reported, Saoirse Ronan will playLinda McCartney. Meanwhile, Mia McKenna-Bruce will portray Ringo Starr’s late first wife, Maureen Starkey Tigrett; Shōgun’s Anna Sawai will take on the role of Yoko Ono; and White Lotus breakout Aimee Lou Wood will play Pattie Boyd, who was married to George Harrison between 1966 and 1977.
According to Sony Pictures, announcements will be made soon about the actors portraying John Lennon’s first wife, Cynthia; manager Brian Epstein; producer George Martin; influential sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar; and other figures.
From classic movies with live music to new tunes from Vampire Weekend and a Grateful Dead Celtic band, there’s a lot to see and hear this weekend in the Bay Area.
Here’s a partial rundown.
Classical picks: Hitchcock + orchestra; New Century
This week’s events light up the classical music scene with an iconic film score, a symphony at the opera, and a tribute to the seasons.
Halloween-appropriate: Scary enough? It has to be, when the San Francisco Symphony’s “Film with Live Orchestra” series presents Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo,” featuring composer Bernard Herrmann’s brilliantly spooky score. With the film on the big screen, conductor Conner Gray Covington will lead the orchestra in a live performance of the spine-tingling music. Come early to see the Symphony’s latest Art Installation, “Dia de los Muertos,” for a pre-show treat.
Symphony at the Opera: Since the start of fall, San Francisco Opera has brought dazzling productions to the stage; now, with “Parsifal” up and running and “The Monkey King” still to come, the company is presenting a concert conducted by company Music Director Eun Sun Kim. This one-night-only event features mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack singing works by Manuel de Falla; Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony completes the 90-minute program.
Details: 7:30 p.m. Nov. 1; War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco; $29-$250; sfopera.com.
New Century, new “Seasons”: The New Century Chamber Orchestra starts the fall season with Vivaldi’s beloved “Four Seasons,” along with works by Dvorak and Bulgarian composer Dobrinka Tabakova; conducted by company music director Daniel Hope, four performances are on the schedule.
Details: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 30 at First Church UCC, Berkeley; 7:30 Oct. 31 at Empress Theatre, Vallejo; 7:30 p.m. Nov. 1 at Herbst Theatre, San Francisco; and 2 p.m. Nov. 2 at Osher Marin JCC, San Rafael; tickets $35-up; ncco.org.
— Georgia Rowe, Correspondent
More movies and music
Fans of classic silent films can catch two of them — “Phantom of the Opera” and “Nosferatu” — at Grace Cathedral this weekend. But the real star of the events won’t be on the screen but seated at Grace Cathedral’s famed 7,500-pipe Aeolian-Skinner organ, which has been a key facet of the church since it was installed in 1934. The organ will be played by musician Dorothy Papadakos, who started out as a jazz pianist in her native Reno and has evolved into a world-renowned organ player, thanks in part to her long stint as organist at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York as well as her Grammy-winning stint with the Paul Winter Consort (their live album “Silver Solstice” remains a New Age/ambient classic).
Papadakos is, among other things, considered a talented improviser, which will come in hand in these gigs. She’ll accompany the 1925 silent version of “Phantom of the Opera” starring Lon Chaney, at 8 p.m. Oct. 30, and the 1922 version of “Nosferatu” — a film that was once ordered destroyed because it was deemed to be an unauthorized adaptation (read: ripoff) of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” — at 8 p.m. Oct. 31. The church — which is a San Francisco landmark and always worth a visit — is at Taylor and California streets in San Francisco. Tickets are $34.50-$44.50; go to www.sfjazz.org.
— Bay City News Foundation
Cool shows, great album
In late October of last year, Vampire Weekend performed two memorable sold-out shows — an evening gig, followed the very next day by a matinee performance — at the legendary Madison Square Garden in New York City. The shows included many longtime Vampire Weekend fan favorites, of course, such as “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa,” “A-Punk” and “Oxford Comma.”
Yet, the NYC-born indie-pop act — led by vocalist-lyricist-guitarist Ezra Koenig — also performed a wonderful assortment of cover songs during those two shows. The list includes a number of Big Apple-appropriate tunes, such as the easily recognizable “Seinfeld Theme,” the Frank Sinatra favorite “Theme From New York, New York,” the Ramones’ blistering “Blitzkrieg Bop” and Billy Joel’s classic “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant,” the latter of which was reportedly performed with a candlelit table and waiter in a tux on the Garden stage.
Other cuts to make the Vampire Weekend setlist were The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside,” Talking Heads’ “Burning Down the House,” The Surfaris’ “Wipe Out,” Kate Bush’s “Wuthering Heights” and Thin Lizzy’s “The Boys Are Back in Town.”
Now all VW fans can experience the shows thanks to “Weekend at the Garden,” a limited edition double-LP recorded during that epic NYC stand. The offering, which includes portions of the two performances rather than the complete shows, is part of the band’s Frog on the Bass Drum vinyl series.
The Shaker Theater is showing the original 1968 “Night of the Living Dead” in a warehouse with a haunted maze in October 2025 in Oakland. (Shaker Theater)
Pop-up theater brings scares to Bay Area
This Halloween, you can see a scary movie in your local AMC theater. Or you can watch one as perhaps it was meant to be watched: In a dark warehouse full of horrific decor, where it feels like zombies could break down the door any minute.
The Shaker Theater is a new underground pop-up cinema in a residential part of northern Oakland. For its inaugural run, it’s been playing George Romero’s 1968 “Night of the Living Dead” during October, with final runs up until Halloween evening. It’s the uncensored, 96-minute original preserved on real celluloid. There will be popcorn and soda and, for more fun, before the movie the theater is playing clips from its “deep archives of rare and bizarre material.” Think Halloween safety films, forgotten trailers and classic monster-movie moments.
To get into the screening, visitors must first navigate a “Corridor of Horror” designed by local artist Rob Vertigo. Picture a classic haunted house, but turned into spooky-maze form. Did your group just lose a member? It’s probably nothing to worry about, they’re no doubt right behind you …. Wait, that’s not Chad! (Screams.)
Details: Preshow begins at 6:30 p.m. and movie starts at 8 p.m.; 950 54th St., Oakland; $18 online or $20 at the door; instagram.com/shakertheater.
— John Metcalfe, Staff
Freebie of the week
We tend to think of great film experiences as those that expose us to brilliant camerawork, incisive dialogue, or a poignant or hilarious reflection on the world at large. But let’s not forget the joys that await us at the other end of the spectrum. There is nothing quite like experiencing a truly terrible film with a room full of gleefully derisive bad-movie fans. There’s a reason why “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes” spawned three sequels and too many spoofs and homages to count, and it wasn’t John K. Culley’s nuanced cinematography. Halloween, it seems, is a favorite time to indulge in bad-movie bliss, probably because violent mutant vegetables and irritable aliens fit most comfortably in the horror genre.
And so it is that this week delivers the opportunity to view one of the most glorious and beloved bad movies of all time, “Robot Monster.” The film, in case the clever title doesn’t make it obvious, is about an alien robot sent to destroy Earth but who defies its orders when it saves an imperiled woman from certain death. The 1953 film took four days and $20,000 to make, $4,000 of which was spent on incorporating 3D technology. One of the stars was cast because he already owned a gorilla suit and therefore didn’t need to be costumed. So, yeah, this was not an extravagant production. Yet, it grossed $1 million in its first year and has gone on to be a favorite among those who revel in the wonders of wretched filmmaking. If such a buffet of bad moviemaking – in 3D!! – is your thing, “Robot Monster” will screen at 6 p.m. Oct. 30 at the Internet Archive, 300 Funston Ave., San Francisco. The screening is free but if you feel like making a donation to the Internet Archive or co-presenter the Golden Gate Stereoscopic Society — both of which are dedicated to preserving humankind’s digital history — certainly no one would hold it against you.
When you think about it, Wake the Dead would be a tremendous name for a screeching-loud punk band or maybe a Goth band. But the real Wake the Dead is neither of those things. It is a collection of very talented Bay Area musicians merging two of their musical passions – Grateful Dead classics and Irish/Celtic music. The name is certainly appropriate, as it references the Dead as well as Irish wakes, which are known to be deeply heartfelt and celebratory affairs. The moniker also mirrors the title of the Dead’s 1973 album “Wake of the Flood,” the first recording the band released acting as its own label. Adding to the plays on words, the band’s annual gig at the Freight & Salvage in Berkeley celebrates the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos), the holiday widely observed in Mexico, in which family members and friends gather to honor loved ones who have passed away.
If all this is simply too much to ponder, just know that Wake the Dead will, per tradition, return to the Freight & Salvage on Nov. 1 to perform a Day of the Dead-themed show at which you are likely to hear high-energy Celtic takes on such Dead classics as “China Cat Sunflower” and “Eyes of the World.”
Details: The show begins at 8 p.m.; tickets are $26.50-$44; or you can livestream the show for $25; more information is at thefreight.org.
— Bay City News Foundation
Celebrating Día de los Muertos
The skeletons are dangling from the windows and looming merrily overhead the staircase in the festive lobby of Davies Hall, as the San Francisco Symphony gears up at 3 p.m. Nov. 1 to mount its 18th annual celebration of the Day of the Dead, the joyous Mexican tradition held to pay love and respect to ancestors who have passed on. The centerpiece of the festivities is a symphony concert, but multiple preconcert family-friendly activities are planned in the lobby and upper floors, including marigold flower making, offering-altar installations, a mariachi instrument petting zoo, sugar skull decorating and costumed dancers from Casa Círculo Cultural. The Symphony, conducted by Lina González-Granados, will perform traditional and contemporary Latin American music associated with the holiday, including Gabriela Ortiz’s “Kauyumari,” selections from Arturo Márquez’s “Espejos en la Arena,” the Intermezzo from Ricardo Castro’s “Atzimba” opera, Paul Desenne’s “Hipnosis Mariposa,” Jimmy Lopez’s “Loud,” Márquez’s popular Danzón No. 2 and Gabriela Lena Frank’s “The Mestizo Waltz.”
Details: Tickets, which are 50 percent off for those under 18, range from $27.50-$175; go to www.sfsymphony.org.
— Bay City News Foundation
An orchestral showcase
The San Francisco Opera takes a breather from its usual regimen of presenting full-fledged and lavish operatic productions to let Music Director Eun Sun Kim shine a solo spotlight on her instrumentalists in a single night concert of music by Ludwig van Beethoven and Manuel de Falla at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 1 in War Memorial Opera House. The program opens with “Siete Canciones Populares Españolas,” a set of songs inspired by de Falla’s home country of Spain, sung by mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack, and continues with the second orchestral suite from the same composer’s ballet “El Sombrero de Tres Picos” (“The Three-Cornered Hat”). Following the intermission, the concert will conclude with Beethoven’s mighty Fifth Symphony. Tickets, $29-$250, can be purchased through www.sfopera.com.
This weekend, we celebrate Día de Muertos, welcome a new month, and acknowledge that tomorrow is National Knock Knock Joke Day. So, get your best one ready to tell whoever you invite to join you at one of our best bets. Keep reading for four days of Korean films, a concert of musical showstoppers, the return of one of the country’s preeminent humorists, and much more.
The police find a young woman standing over the dead body of a man, the author of a novel about a kidnapping. She claims the story is based on her own kidnapping, the author her kidnapper, but refuses to say more unless she can talk to a former classmate-turned-detective in Chun Sun-young’s 2024 thriller A Girl with Closed Eyes, which will open Korean Film Nights at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, on Thursday, October 30, at 7 p.m. The weekend-long festival returns for the seventh year with a selection of new and cult favorite films from South Korea, including Lee Min-jae’s zombie romcom, Zombie for Sale; the transplant recipients turned superheroes in Kang Hyeong-cheol’s Hi-Five; and Parasite director Bong Joon Ho’s 2009 film, Mother. Tickets to individual screenings are available for $8 to $10, and you can view the full schedule here.
Though known for masterworks like La Boheme and Madame Butterfly, experience three of Giacomo Puccini’s less familiar one-acts – Il tabarro, Suor Angelica, and Gianni Schicchi – when Houston Grand Opera presents Il Tritticoat the Wortham Theater Center on Thursday, October 30, at 7 p.m. Soprano Corinne Winters, who plays a role in each, told the Houston Press the program is “like reading short stories,” adding that audiences will find them “just as compelling as an episode of a binge-worthy TV show. Especially in these kinds of operas which are so real and so relatable I think they’re going to get lost in it.” Performances will continue at 2 p.m. on Sunday, November 2, and 7 p.m. on Saturday, November 8; Wednesday, November 12; and Friday, November 14. Tickets are available here for $25 to $367.50.
Carol Channing first delivered “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” in the 1949 stage production of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, but it was Marilyn Monroe’s performance in Howard Hawks’ 1953 film version that earned it 12th place on the American Film Institute’s list of the 100 greatest works of American movie music. The song will be featured alongside showstoppers from musicals like West Side Story, The Sound of Music, and Cats during From Stage to Screen: Broadway Meets Hollywood at Jones Hall on Friday, October 31, at 7:30 p.m. Conductor Steven Reineke and the Houston Symphony will welcome Broadway stars Elizabeth Stanley and Hugh Panaro for the concert, which will be performed again at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, November 1, and 2 p.m. Sunday, November 2. In-hall tickets are available here for $29 to $141. Saturday night’s performance will be livestreamed, with access available here for $20.
Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a time to honor those who have passed, a tradition celebrated throughout Mexico and parts of Latin America rooted in pre-Columbian beliefs and shaped by the Catholicism introduced by the Spanish in the early 1500s. On Saturday, November 1, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., you can join the celebration during MECA’s 2025 Día de Muertos Festival: Honoring Our Past, Celebrating Our Future at the Historic Dow School. The celebration, free and open to the public, includes family-friendly art activities and cultural workshops, authentic Latin American crafts and flavors, and live music and dance performances from acts like Danza Azteca Macuilxochitl, Mexico Folklorico, and Grupo Aliados, as well as a curated exhibition of community ofrendas, or altars. The festival continues on Sunday, November 2, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
A magazine contest gave Johann Strauss II the idea for his first and only full-length ballet in 1898. From more than 700 scripts, the winner was Aschenbrödel, which is Cinderella in German. Strauss died before completing the ballet, but not before moving the action to a department store, making the heroine a shop girl, finishing the first act, and sketching out the rest. On Sunday, November 2, at 7 p.m., you can see Stauss’ ballet (finished by composer Josef Bayer) when World Ballet Company presents Cinderella at the Wortham Theater Center, courtesy of Performing Arts Houston. The Los Angeles-based company boasts 40 professional ballet dancers from more than ten countries, hand-painted sets, and over 150 hand-sewn costumes in their touring production. Tickets can be purchased here for $33.90 to $141.25.
The birth of an iconic, eleven-and-a-half-inch-tall blonde doll recounted by Renée Rosen. Rachel Cockerell’s deep dive into her great-grandfather’s role in relocating thousands of Russian Jews to Galveston. Mitch Albom‘s exploration of “love, time, and the ache of second chances.” They are all stories you can learn more about during the Ann and Stephen Kaufman Jewish Book & Arts Festival, which begins at the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center of Houston on November 2 and runs through November 15. There are a variety of ticketing options available here, including individual event tickets for $16 to $84, premium tickets for $33 to $50, a book bundle plus ticket option for $32 to $39, access to virtual recordings for $16 to $25, a “Pick 3” subscription for $39 to $59, and a full festival subscription for one ($139 to $193) or two ($278 to $386).
Nick Fradiani as ‘Neil – Then’ with ‘The Noise’ and the Band in A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical. Credit: Jeremy Daniel
Dr. Charles Steinberg believed that Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” had “transformative powers,” which is why the song became a well-known Fenway Park tradition. It’s one example of the reach Diamond’s music has, as is the success of A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical, coming to the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts on Tuesday, November 4, at 7:30 p.m. Jer, a member of the production’s ensemble dubbed “The Noise,” told the Houston Press, “If you love theatrical magic, I think our show does that so beautifully. We label this as a small intimate play with music.” Performances will continue at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, 1 p.m. Thursday, 2 p.m. Saturday, and 1:30 and 7 p.m. Sunday through November 9. Tickets can be purchased here for $55 to $265.
Performing Arts Houston will once again bring David Sedaris, the humorist and best-selling author behind books like Calypso, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, and Let’s Explore Diabetes With Owls, to town on Tuesday, November 4, at 7:30 p.m. for An Evening with David Sedaris at Jones Hall. Sedaris, who has a new collection of essays titled The Land and its People set to be published next summer, will read, tell stories, and participate in a Q&A session during the event. After the performance, Sedaris will stick around in the lobby for a book signing. If you’re without a book, or want to pick up a new one, Brazos Bookstore will be on hand with a selection of titles for you to purchase. Tickets to the evening can be purchased here for $33.35 to $113.85.
He’s easily one of the most prolific actors of our time, and the guy has never even been nominated for an Academy Award. He’s worked with directors including Quentin Tarantino, John Carpenter, Cameron Crowe, and Ron Howard.
He’s a living legend and a master of his craft, and it’s time for us to give Kurt Russell his flowers.
Kurt’s body of work spans six decades and multiple genres of film. He’s starred in some of the biggest action movies including Escape from New York and Big Trouble inLittle China. He also joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Peter Quill’s father Ego in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. It’s safe to say there’s truly nothing he can’t do.
A 12-hour documentary series centered on the United States’ war for independence is premiering on PBS in November. Co-directors Ken Burns and Sarah Botstein join “The Takeout” to discuss what went into making “The American Revolution” and what they discovered in the process.
Artificial intelligence may be changing how content is made, but its bigger impact on media is how the technology is altering who is able to access that content, one media executive said.
Jyoti Deshpande, a film producer and president of media and content business at Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries, said during a Sunday panel at Fortune Global Forum in Riyadh that AI-powered algorithms on streaming platforms are limiting some audiences from watching certain shows and movies.
“The larger problem comes in distribution and the use of algo when content is being shown,” she said.
Algorithms have become a ubiquitous and key tool in keeping users engaged on streaming platforms. According to a survey of 2,000 American streaming-service subscribers commissioned by user-experience testing platform UserTesting and conducted by Talker Research, a subscriber spends an average of 110 hours per year scrolling on their streaming platforms, with half of respondents saying the amount of content available is overwhelming.
In May, Netflix had its first major homescreen update in more than a decade, which shows fewer titles, but more animation and video features. The update also includes “responsive recommendations” that generate titles based on what subscribers have been searching for and watching in the recent past.
Algorithm blind spots
Deshpande suggested that while streaming algorithms like Netflix’s are good at identifying what is within a subscriber’s tastes, the algorithm may limit what that user is exposed to, to the detriment of studios trying to produce films. The Reliance Industries executive used the example of Laapataa Ladies, a film she produced that became India’s entry into the International Feature Film category of the 2024 Oscars. While the movie was promoted heavily because of its nomination, Deshpande said Laapataa Ladies was not made readily available to some users, such as those in the United Kingdom, because the platform’s algorithm did not believe those users to be interested in the film.
In 2024, about 70% of Hollywood’s global revenue came from international markets, but according to Deshpande, for certain international film producers, the opposite is true. She suggested the onus to make international content more available to diverse audiences is on streaming platforms.
“Ours is the reverse,” she said. “And I would say it would be the same for Arabic content: more revenues from the domestic market and less from the international markets.
“If these large platforms, Amazon, prime, Apple, Netflix—the big boys—if they don’t openly promote this content and make it discoverable to everyone, how do we get there?” Deshpande concluded.
The changing global box office
According to Netflix, the platform employs a “local for local” strategy that intentionally shows audiences content from their home country that is culturally specific, but that international titles such as RRR and Squid Game have found western audiences because of their popularity. Apple and Amazon did not respond to Fortune’s requests for comment.
Hollywood’s hold on the global box office may be starting to change. Two decades ago, U.S. films had a 92% share of the global box office compared to today’s still-dominant 66%, Bloomberg reported last month. Last month, KPop Demon Hunters, an animated Korean film, became Netflix’s first No. 1 box office title.
“It was the super fans who watched the movie and repeat watched the movie that drove the recommendation engine that got it in front of more super fans who also fell in love with the movie,” Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said during the company’s earnings call last week.
Cameron Crowe is looking back on the memories and music that shaped his life in his new memoir, “The Uncool.” The book traces his path from a teen journalist to a hit director.
It’s hard to quantify the success of TheSocial Network. It made $224 million at the box office against a $40 million budget; it was nominated for eight Oscars, winning three; it recently placed at No. 10 on both the New York Times’ industry poll and readers poll for the best movies of the 21st century. So … let’s make another one, right? That always goes well. The Social Network’s “follow-up” is in development at Sony with Aaron Sorkin returning to direct in addition to writing the script. Below, everything we know about the sequel that’s not exactly a sequel, including the latest cast members.
The movie, which is not a direct sequel to the original film, is titled The Social Reckoning,per Variety.
The film will be based on 2021 Wall Street Journal reports “The Facebook Files,” by Horwitz. Based on leaked internal documents from Facebook, the reports claim Facebook allowed celebrities and public figures (like Donald Trump) to post content that regular users (like activists) would not be allowed to post, then did not tell its Oversight Committee. They also allege that Facebook’s response to human and drug trafficking on the site was “weak” and that Facebook knew that Instagram is “toxic” for teen girls but downplayed the negative effects publicly. The documents that the reporting was based on were gathered and disclosed by Haugen, a product manager on Facebook’s civic integrity team.
Jesse Eisenberg is not attached to return as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. Instead, Succession star Jeremy Strong is taking over the part, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Hard to imagine J. Strong in a curly wig, but based on the similar cringe-o-meter ratings between “L to the OG,” from Succession,and Zuckerberg serenading his wife with “Get Low,” the casting isn’t out of nowhere. Despite his role as Zuck, Strong will not be the lead of the film. That honor will be shared between Anora’s Oscar winner Mikey Madison, who will play Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen and The Bear star Jeremy Allen White, who will play the journalist who wrote Haugen’s secrets up, Jeff Horwitz. They’ll all be joined by comedian Bill Burr in an unknown role. Maybe himself?
Additional cast members include Sinners star Wunmi Mosaku as well as the recently announced Billy Magnussen, former Mary Lincoln Betty Gilpin, Gbenga Akinnagbe, and Anna Lambe of True Detective: North Country.
The Social Reckoning will be released in a little over a year, on October 9, 2026. Get zucking ready.
At the annual BFI and Chanel Filmmaker Awards on Thursday, Tilda Swinton, Edward Enninful, and BFI chief executive Ben Roberts came together to celebrate creative audacity in film and award prizes to emerging filmmakers. This year’s awards were given to rising filmmakers Harry Lighton (writer and director of Pillion), the Neurocultures Collective (which consists of Sam Chown-Ahern, Georgia Bradburn, Benjamin Brown, Robin Elliott-Knowles, and Lucy Walker) and Steven Eastwood, and Sandhya Suri (writer and director of Santosh).
So what exactly does creative audacity entail? According to Roberts, “I think it means that we see someone taking some risks in their work. This work is, how do we help people thread the needle of big, bold, imaginative, creative, risky ideas? They might fail spectacularly as well. But audiences love it when creative audacity lands.”
Each of the award winners received financial support of 20,000 British pounds to aid in expanding their work and exploring new ideas. The winners were selected by a jury led by Swinton, Enninful, and Roberts.
“I think all artists have to aim for [originality],” said Swinton during Thursday’s event at Claridge’s. “That’s the project. Because no artist sets out to be a facsimile of anybody else. What we need is original artists. We don’t need people dressed up as other people pretending to be other people. We need original, authentic voices.”
Guests enjoyed a Champagne reception, presentation of the awards, and a sociable standing lunch. Attending the star-studded event were actors Imogen Poots, Nathalie Emmanuel,Sophie Cookson, George MacKay, Lily Allen, and Connor Swindells.
“I think what [the BFI and Chanel Filmmaker Awards] demonstrate is how deeply Chanel understands what artists’ lives are, what artists need to make work. They need time and they need support. Money is support. But money is also time,” Swinton explained, while enjoying a miniature ice cream cone. “You can’t eat it and not be funny. No, you can’t stand in an insouciant way,” she said jokingly of the tiny dessert.
Lighton, whose debut feature, Pillion, stars Alexander Skarsgård as a biker in the world of BDSM**,** was a highlight of the Cannes Film Festival. Upon collecting his award, Lighton noted how his parents would see the film for the first time this Saturday. “How his parents react will be livestreaming,” said Roberts.
Suri’s narrative feature debut, Santosh, was the UK’s official selection for the best-international-feature Oscar in 2024, while The Stimming Pool is an experimental docu-fiction made, in part, by a collective of autistic artists.
Chanel and the BFI have been partners since 2022, and are striving to create a burgeoning community of filmmakers. Previous winners include Kathryn Ferguson (Nothing Compares), Savannah Leaf (Earth Mama), and Pinny Grylls (Grand Theft Hamlet).
The afternoon was a testament to the power of film. “I honestly believe people need cinema. And as I say, they would really miss it if it wasn’t there,” Swinton said.
Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch put on a masterclass in comedy in The Roses, a brilliant new adaptation of Warren Adler’s 1981 novel War of the Roses, which follows a couple at odds.
The film hit theaters in August, and struck a chord with audiences who rated the film a commendable 79% on the review aggregate site, Rotten Tomatoes.
It’s a brilliant film at just 105 minutes long, and showcases some fabulous performances, not just from Colman and Cumberbatch, but also a brilliant supporting cast, made up of Kate McKinnon, Andy Samberg, Ncuti Gatwa, Sunita Mani, Zoë Chao, Jamie Demetriou, and more.
Below, you can find all you need to know about where to watch The Roses, as well as the The Roses digital release date and The Roses streaming information.
The Roses – How to Watch
The Roses is available on Video on Demand platforms from October 21, 2025. You will be able to rent and buy the title on places like Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home.
Where Can I Watch The Roses?
The Roses is available to rent and buy on Video on Demand platforms from October 21, 2025.
It lands on platforms such as Prime Video, Apple TV+, Fandango at Home, and Google Play on October 21, 2025.
The Roses Physical Release Date
The Roses will be available in Blu-ray and DVD formats from November 25, 2025.
Bonus features include:
Gag Reel
Featurettes:
A House To Fight For – A behind-the-front-door look at the epicenter of both beauty and acrimony. See the construction of the Roses’ home, hear from the designer and the filmmakers on their vision, and discover the actors’ wish to take everything from the house home with them.
The Roses: An Inside Look – Hear from the cast and filmmakers about making The Roses. Learn about the actors’connection and chemistry, and join the grounded, satirical, British, wry wit that only Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch can pull off.
Comedy Gold – This cast is stacked with comedy talent bringing Tony McNamara’s witty dialogue to life with Jay Roach directing. Even Olivia Colman had to ask about this special cast, “How the F did we get them?”
Bonus features may vary depending on the retailer.
The Roses Digital Release Date
The Roses will be available to watch digitally from October 21, 2025.
Is The Roses Available to Stream in the US?
The Roses does not yet have an official streaming release. However, the film will likely end up on Disney+ in the coming weeks.
What Is The Roses About?
The official synopsis for The Roses, as per Disney, reads:
Life seems easy for picture-perfect couple Ivy (Colman) and Theo (Cumberbatch): successful careers, a loving marriage, great kids. But beneath the façade of their supposed ideal life, a storm is brewing – as Theo’s career nosedives while Ivy’sown ambitions take off, a tinderbox of fierce competition and hidden resentment ignites. The Roses is a reimagining of the 1989 classic film The War of the Roses, based on the novel by Warren Adler.
A racially profiled police stop-and-search sets two best friends on a collision course in Imran Perretta’s debut feature filmIsh, which he co-wrote with Enda Walsh (Die My Love, Hunger) and developed with producer Dhiraj Mahey through their company Primal Pictures with BBC Film.
The film, which won the audience award at the Venice Critics’ Week, stars Farhan Hasnat, Yahya Kitana and Sudha Bhuchar and tells the story of Ish and Maram, two barely teenagers who “endure police harassment and its seismic repercussions,” according to a note on the website for the 69th edition of the BFI London Film Festival (LFF) where it will be screening on Wednesday. “Naturalistic performances, an atypical score (also composed by multi-disciplinary artist Perretta) and lyrical, monochrome images make this a standout British film, which stands up for characters who are too often marginalized — both onscreen and off.”
Writer-director Perretta, producer Mahey and co-writer Walsh shared insights and a look behind the scenes in a Tuesday LFF Industry Days session, moderated by former BAFTA head of programs Mariayah Kaderbhai and organized in association with The Hollywood Reporter. The session was entitled “Anatomy of a Debut: Ish.”
Asked about the genesis of the coming-of-age film, Perretta said it allowed him to “plumb the depths of my youth and teenage experience.” He recalled an experience that had a huge impact on his life. “Baked into this idea of the coming-of-age narrative is this idea of the loss of innocence,” he said. “And for me, if I was being honest with myself, the moment that I grew up at a time when I didn’t want to was the first time I was dragged into a van by the police. And that happened when I was 13. It was definitely the moment that I sort of became an adult.”
It took him years to realize this, the filmmaker concluded. “It’s about heartbreak and loss with a political meta-narrative,” he said. “It’s [about] self-determining who you are in the world.”
The film is based on Perretta’s experience, but it became a true creative collaboration, all three panelists highlighted. “The soul of the piece was really, really beautiful,” Walsh shared when asked about the point he came on board. “It was about 1,000 pages. It was bloody long. There were all those classic things that I do myself in the first draft. Sometimes you tell it too quickly, and it takes a while for you to figure it out. But it was all there. There was definitely a three-act structure, and I’m a lover of the three-act structure. It was just about the change in temperature and tension around not telling the audience something and the placement of the audience within the script.”
Mahey shared how his goal was to submit the film to screen at Berlin, Cannes or Venice. But the creative team’s work on Ish meant it missed the deadlines for the first two fests, making it all or nothing for Venice, where the movie ended up.
Mahey also shared insight into what went into working with a cast of young people who are not professional actors. “Outside of things like child protection and safeguarding and whatnot, we worked really closely with an organization called We Are Bridge, who are kind of the leaders, I suppose, in working with young actors,” he explained. “So, we had youth workers on set. We had every specialist and had chaperones.”
The two main characters are of British-Palestinian and British-South Asian descent, but that wasn’t the original plan before the casting process. Gaza being in the news was in the script “from the very beginning,” recalled Perretta. “But when we cast Yahya Kitana, who is British-Palestinian, we felt, ‘Well, this is an opportunity to be more specific, to be more sensitive.’ Absolutely, not to make more of it, but just to make sure that we’re looking after this boy in the context of this film and also to really portray things in authentic ways. What does it mean for those young boys to see those images [from Gaza] on a daily basis and to reckon with them? What it means for a young Palestinian boy to see those images and be that far away from family and so on. We felt that we had a responsibility to re-engineer [his] character of Maram to make him fit Yahya’s cultural context more.”
The casting process took a lot of work to get the chemistry right. “We saw a lot of young boys from Luton,” near London, where the story is set, the director recalled. “It was close to 1,000.” It turned out that Hasnat and Kitana had long-running chemistry from real life as they have known each other since they were four and two years old, respectively. “So, they basically were real-life best mates,” concluded Perretta. “What a gift!”
Over the course of her career, Diane Keaton also won a BAFTA Award, two Golden Globes (Annie Hall and 2003’s Something’s Gotta Give) , and a Tony Award, among other honors. She was also well known as a style icon for her trendsetting mix of traditionally masculine garb in unexpected proportions. “When you think of Diane, you think of these great pieces of clothing,” designer Michael Korssaid of Keaton in 2014.
Diane Keaton on May 01, 2021 in Los Angeles,
BG004/Bauer-Griffin
Keaton was also a photographer and writer, penning memoirs Then Again, Brother & Sister, and Let’s Just Say It Wasn’t Pretty. Speaking with Vanity Fair in support of the latter book, Keaton said that her most marked characteristic was “Insecurity in conjunction with ambition.” When asked what her favorite occupation was, she responded “Seeing. As Walker Evans said, ‘Look! We don’t have that much time.’”
Linda and Paul McCartney married in 1969. She’s jointly credited on 1971’s Ram, and performed as a keyboardist and backup singer in his post-Beatles band Wings. Linda McCartney’s first and only solo album, Wide Prairie, was released after hear death from breast cancer in 1998.
Ronan recently led the 2023 sci-fi film Foe alongside Mescal. She also starred in a Mike Mills-directed music video for Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer” to celebrate the band’s 50th anniversary earlier this year.
Set for release in April 2028, Mendes’ tetralogy will mark the first scripted films to be granted the Beatles’ music and life rights. It is unclear whether Ronan’s Linda McCartney will appear in all four films or solely the one centered on Mescal’s Macca.
Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel, the grandson of famed director Ingmar Bergman and actress Liv Ullmann, considered economics, law, and journalism before following family tradition and pursuing filmmaking. “I explored several options because—because of my family background—I didn’t want to go into film or writing,” he told Vanity Fair España in an exclusive interview. His mother, Linn Ullman, is a reputable journalist and literary critic. But try as he might to stay away from showbiz, life had other plans for him. “In college, I took a course almost by accident, and it kind of lit a fire inside me,” he says. “I applied to the film school and…I never looked back.”
While lounging at the Hôtel du Palais in Biarritz, Tøndel chaired the jury of the third edition of the French town’s Nouvelles Vagues Film Festival this past June. “It’s a very nice experience: staying in this amazing hotel, in this wonderful city,” he says. “I’ve been very well looked after, and I’ve spent time with tremendously creative and intelligent people. I’m really impressed because, although I’m still young, at 15 years younger, they are much smarter than me.”
Tøndel has been surrounded by creative and intelligent people his entire life. His Swedish grandfather Ingmar Bergman is widely considered one of the most influential filmmakers in modern cinematic history, having helmed classic films like The Seventh Seal (1957), Wild Strawberries (1957) and Fanny and Alexander (1982). His grandmother, Norwegian actress Liv Ullman, was a frequent collaborator with Bergman, who died in 2007, starring in his films Persona (1996) and Scenes of a Marriage (1973), among many others. In 2022, she received an honorary Academy Award.
“That’s a personal thing,” Tøndel says when asked about his famous family. “I went through some not entirely good periods as a child, but I try to work on it personally every day,” he says with a laugh. “I’ll most likely have to do that for the rest of my life. I’ve had some great times, but I’m a very anxious person. I always put myself in the worst-case scenario, and I spin things around. I used those experiences in the film.”
Last night (October 2), both Bruce Springsteen and Jeremy Allen White sat down on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to discuss their respective work careers and where those paths now cross: the upcoming biopic Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere. During the TV show segment, White talked about what it was like to portray the Boss while Springsteen watched him on set, Springsteen talked about his upcoming Nebraska ’82 box set with the long-rumored electric version of the album, and more. Watch it go down below.
Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere hits theaters on October 24. The film follows Springsteen during the creation of his 1982 album Nebraska. The movie also stars Jeremy Strong as Springsteen’s manager; Marc Maron as producer Chuck Plotkin; Johnny Cannizzaro as Steven Van Zandt; Paul Walter Hauser as guitar tech Mike Batlan; Stephen Graham as Bruce Springsteen’s father, Doug; Odessa Young as a love interest name Faye; Gaby Hoffman as Springsteen’s mother, Adele; and David Krumholtz as Columbia Records executive Al Teller.
Long sought-after by fans, Electric Nebraska is the informal title of the album that Springsteen and the E Street Band recorded in 1982 from a collection of demos for his follow-up to The River. Preferring his originals, Springsteen ended up scrapping the full-band versions and instead released the stripped-down versions we now know as Nebraska – with a few electric songs being held back to appear on the later release Born in the U.S.A.Nebraska ’82: Expanded Edition arrives October 17 via Sony.
Actor Mckenna Grace, known for her work in “Young Sheldon” and other films, joins “CBS Mornings” to talk about her latest role in the new Paramount Pictures film “Regretting You.”
It’s officially October (i.e., Halloween month), and yes, bits of horror (gothic) are starting to seep into our best bets. But we’ve also got an imagined clash of intellect between historical figures, an evening of Elvis Presley tunes, and a screening of a classic surrealist film. Keep reading for these and more below.
For many, Elvis Presley has never left the building. Baz Luhrmann, for example, is currently touring his second Elvis-themed picture in four years around the festival circuit. If you’re one of those fans, you won’t want to miss Houston Symphony’s latest concert, King for a Day: The Music of Elvis, on Friday, October 3, at 7:30 p.m. at Jones Hall. Vegas mainstay Frankie Moreno will join the orchestra, helmed by Principal POPS Conductor Steven Reineke, to perform songs like “Suspicious Minds” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” alongside professional dancers Josh Bradford and Lacey Schwimmer. The concert will be performed again at 7 p.m. Saturday, October 4, and 2 p.m. Sunday, October 5. Tickets for the in-hall performances are available here for $29 to $142. Saturday night’s show will also be livestreamed, and you can purchase access here for $20.
July 4, 2026, will mark 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and on Saturday, October 4, at 7 p.m., Apollo Chamber Players will open its American Story series with Declare, a musical and spoken-word program reflecting on the founding document, at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts. The ensemble will be joined by current Houston Poet Laureate Reyes Ramirez as well as five past Poets Laureate – Robin Davidson, Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton, Leslie Contreras Schwartz, Outspoken Bean, and Aris Kian Brown – and former Texas Poet Laureate Lupe Mendez for works that explore American identity, including topics like the right to dissent, equality, and the responsibility to act. Evergreen Quartet will perform before the concert at 6:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased here for $10 to $75.
