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Tag: SciFi and fantasy

  • ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ launches with $88M domestically, $345M worldwide

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    NEW YORK — NEW YORK (AP) — “Avatar: Fire and Ash” opened with $345 million in worldwide sales, according to studio estimates Sunday, notching the second-best global debut of the year and potentially putting James Cameron on course to set yet more blockbuster records.

    Sixteen years into the “Avatar” saga, Pandora is still abundant in box-office riches. “Fire and Ash,” the third film in Cameron’s science-fiction franchise, launched with $88 million domestically and $257 million internationally. The only film to open bigger in 2025 was “Zootopia 2” ($497.2 million over three days). In the coming weeks, “Fire and Ash” will have the significant benefit of the highly lucrative holiday moviegoing corridor.

    But there was a tad less fanfare to this “Avatar” film, coming three years after “Avatar: The Way of Water.” That film launched in 2022 with a massive $435 million globally and $134 million in North America. Domestically, “Fire and Ash” fell a hefty 35% from the previous installment. Reviews for “Fire and Ash” were also more mixed, scoring a series-low 68% “fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes.

    Yet those quibbles are only a product of the lofty standards of “Avatar.” The first two films rank as two of the three biggest box-office films of all time. To reach those heights, the “Avatar” films have depended on legs more than huge openings.

    “Avatar” (2009), opened with $77 million domestically but held the top spot for seven weeks. It ultimately grossed $2.92 billion worldwide. “The Way of Water” also held strong to eventually tally $2.3 billion globally.

    “The openings are not what the ‘Avatar’ movies are about,” said David A. Gross, a film consultant who publishes a newsletter on box office numbers. “It’s what they do after they open that made them the no. 2 and no. 3 biggest films of all time.”

    For “Fire and Ash” to follow in those footsteps, it will need robust ticket sales to continue for weeks. Working in its favor so far: strong word-of-mouth. Audiences gave it an “A” CinemaScore.

    In interviews, Cameron has repeatedly said “Fire and Ash” needs to perform well for there to be subsequent “Avatar” films. (Four and five are already written but not greenlit.) These are exceptionally expensive movies to make. With a production budget of at least $400 million, “Fire and Ash” is one of the costliest movies ever made.

    “James Cameron is not known for his low budget movies,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore. “You can’t exactly create the world of Pandora on the cheap. If you’re going to have a 3D movie, an epic film that’s three hours and 17 minutes, it’s a huge buy-in of money, time, resources, and then you have to hope the audience wants to once again go along on that ride.”

    “Fire and Ash” was especially boosted by premium format showings, which accounted for 66% of its opening weekend. A narrow majority of moviegoers (56%) chose to watch it in 3D.

    The “Avatar” films have always been especially popular overseas. “Fire and Ash” was strongest in China, where its $57.6 million opening weekend surpassed the two previous movies.

    “Fire and Ash” didn’t have the weekend entirely to itself. A trio of other new wide releases made it into theaters in hopes of offering some counterprogramming: Lionsgate’s “The Housemaid,” Angel Studios’ “David” and Paramount Pictures’ “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants.”

    In the race for second place, “David” came out on top. The animated tale of David and Goliath collected $22 million from 3,118 theaters, notching the best opening weekend for Angel Studios, the Christian-oriented studio that emerged with 2023’s surprise hit “Sound of Freedom.”

    “The Housemaid,” Paul Feig’s twisty psychological thriller starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, opened with $19 million 3,015 theaters. The Lionsgate release, which cost about $35 million to make, is set up well to be one of the top R-rated options in theaters over the holidays. Based on Freida McFadden’s bestselling novel, it stars Sweeney as a woman with a troubled past who becomes a live-in maid for a wealthy family.

    Trailing the pack was “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants,” which collected $16 million from 3,557 theaters. The G-rated film, based on the Nickelodeon TV series, is the first “SpongeBob” theatrical movie since 2015’s “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water.”

    All of this weekend’s new films will hope the ticket sales keep rolling in over the upcoming Christmas break. Starting Dec. 25, they’ll need to contend with some new wide releases, including A24’s “Marty Supreme,” with Timothée Chalamet; Focus Features’ “Song Sung Blue,” with Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson; and Sony’s “Anaconda,” with Jack Black and Paul Rudd.

    Before expanding on Christmas, “Marty Supreme” opened in six theaters over the weekend, grossing $875,000 or $145,000 per theater. That was good enough for not only the best per-theater average of the year, but the best since 2016 and a new high mark for A24. The film, directed by Josh Safdie and starring Chalamet as an aspiring table tennis player in 1950s New York, is the most expensive ever for A24.

    With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:

    1. “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” $88 million.

    2. “David,” $22 million.

    3. “The Housemaid,” $19 million.

    4. “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants,” $16 million.

    5. “Zootopia 2,” $14.5 million.

    6. “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2,” $7.3 million.

    7. “Wicked: For Good,” $4.3 million.

    8. “Dhurandhar,” $2.5 million.

    9. “Marty Supreme,” $875,000.

    10. “Hamnet,” $850,000.

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  • Daniel Dae Kim is still waiting for his rom-com moment. In the meantime, there’s ‘Butterfly’

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    SEOUL, South Korea — After three decades in Hollywood, Daniel Dae Kim has done spy thrillers, sci-fi epics and medical dramas. But there’s one role that’s eluded the Korean American actor: romantic leading man. “I’m still waiting to play a romantic lead after all these years,” Kim says with a laugh.

    His latest project, “Butterfly,” which features a star-studded cast including top Korean actors Kim Tae-hee and Park Hae-soo (“Squid Game”), follows a former U.S. intelligence operative in South Korea whose past catches up with him. It premiered on Amazon Prime in the U.S. and elsewhere earlier this month, but makes its Korean debut Friday.

    In a recent interview with The Associated Press in Seoul, South Korea, Kim revealed one of his biggest regrets, reflected on cultural lessons from the Korea-U.S. co-production, and opened up about what it’s really like being the bridge between two cultures while pursuing his mission to tell stories “that haven’t been told yet.” The interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

    KIM: As an EP, I’m a job creator. I am a person responsible for a lot of people, and I will fight so much harder for others than I often fight for myself. When I feel like one of the cast, or one of the crew, or one of the writers is not being taken care of, I’m not afraid to talk to anybody and have a hard conversation.

    KIM: Every day, there was something that needed to be translated literally through language but also working styles. In Korea, because it’s a more Confucian society, the hierarchy of departments is very clear. We had to learn to talk to the head of the department who would then talk to the staff, as opposed to if you have an issue with one of the staff, you go directly to the staff. This kind of thing was new to the Americans.

    KIM: I think in 2007 I got a DUI when I was working on “Lost,” and I regret that night every day of my life. At the time, I felt so much shame, so much guilt, so much regret. I felt terrible to my parents, because that’s not the way I think they wanted me to be raised. I think with the right perspective, these things, these mistakes that you made can actually be helpful for your life because they can guide you in certain ways.

    KIM: We’re already seeing it. If you look at what happened with Paramount and CBS News, we’re seeing a chilling effect on free speech and journalism and DEI. “DEI” is a bad word these days, but to me, DEI’s not a fad. The idea of inclusion is not something that’s a political trend. It’s my life. It’s what I’ve lived every decade I’ve been in this business.

    KIM: I’m human, so everyone feels on certain days like, “Oh, this is too tough,” or on another day, “I can’t wait to do this.” But one of the reasons I think I act and produce is because I feel like there are a lot of stories to be told that haven’t been told yet, and one of those stories is a Korean American story.

    KIM: I got so much criticism when I did “Lost” that I had to learn how to not take it so personally because it hurt a lot at the time. When I came to Korea when I was 18, cab drivers would give me such a hard time because I couldn’t speak fluent Korean. And they were like, “You’re Korean, your face is Korean, why don’t you speak Korean?” They had never thought about an immigrant experience from another country. But now Korea is so used to that kind of thing that people are much more understanding.

    KIM: I have a lot of sympathy for actors who take stereotypical roles when they’re starting out because you need some way to break into the business. It’s much easier once you’re more successful and more established because you have more financial stability. It’s something that, if you’re not a person of color, or someone who’s a minority in the United States, you don’t have to think about. You don’t think about what this role means for the rest of a nation or an ethnicity. You just do what you’re drawn to, and that’s very liberating. I am lucky enough now where I can also make those same choices. But I don’t ever escape the fact that whatever I do will be watched and seen by so many people and judged through their own lens and filters.

    KIM: I’m still waiting to play a romantic lead after all these years. I’ve never gotten the opportunity and it’s one of those interesting things because I look the way I do as an Asian American and Asian men were never considered handsome or sexy. That’s changing now though. I’m friends with Jimmy O. Yang and, a few years ago, he got to play a romantic lead in a rom-com. And I said to Jimmy like, “Who would have thought you, Jimmy, would have been the one to be the romantic lead?” But I was so happy for him because it meant that the way we were looking at Asian men was different.

    ___

    Juwon Park is on X: https://x.com/juwonreports.

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  • Millie Bobby Brown and Jake Bongiovi welcome first child via adoption

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    LOS ANGELES (AP) — Millie Bobby Brown and Jake Bongiovi adopted a daughter, the first child for the married couple, this summer, they announced Thursday.

    “We are beyond excited to embark on this beautiful next chapter of parenthood in both peace and privacy,” the couple wrote in a social media statement. No further details were released.

    Brown, 21, and Bongiovi, 23, were married in a private ceremony in May 2024. Representatives for Brown and Bongiovi did not immediately respond to The Associated Press’ request for comment.

    Brown gained recognition for her starring role as Eleven in the Duffer brothers’ sci-fi series “Stranger Things.” The fifth and final season will air this November and December, a culmination of nine years of the show’s production. The British actor has pursued other acting and business ventures in that time, including the Netflix original “Enola Holmes” films and a “Godzilla” film. She even released a romance book in 2023.

    Bongiovi is the son of Jon Bon Jovi, founder and frontman of the rock band Bon Jovi. Bongiovi debuted his own acting career as the star in “Rockbottom,” which released last year.

    Brown stressed the importance of family during the 2024 premiere of her Netflix film “Damsel,” where Bongiovi and his parents were in attendance.

    “I’m just so lucky that they’re here tonight and it just means so much to me,” Brown told The Associated Press then. “Family is everything and just to have my second family here means everything.”

    The couple lives in Georgia. She recently told the AP she enjoys living on a farm, largely disconnected from social media, while promoting her 2025 Netflix film “The Electric State.”

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  • Educators wonder how to teach the writings of Alice Munro in wake of daughter’s revelations

    Educators wonder how to teach the writings of Alice Munro in wake of daughter’s revelations

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    NEW YORK (AP) — For decades, Robert Lecker has read, taught and written about Alice Munro, the Nobel laureate from Canada renowned for her short stories. A professor of English at McGill University in Montreal, and author of numerous critical studies of Canadian fiction, he has thought of Munro as the “jewel” in the crown of her country’s literature and source of some of the richest material for classroom discussion.

    But since learning that Munro declined to leave her husband after he had sexually assaulted and harassed her daughter, Lecker now wonders how to teach her work, or if he should even try.

    “I had decided to teach a graduate course on Munro in the winter of 2025,” Lecker says. “Now I have serious questions whether I feel ethically capable of offering that course.”

    Andrea Robin Skinner, daughter of Munro and James Munro, wrote in the Toronto Star earlier this month that she had been assaulted at age 9 by Munro’s second husband, Gerard Fremlin. She alleged that he continued to harass and abuse her for the next few years, losing interest when she reached her teens. In her 20s, she told her mother about Fremlin’s abuse. But Munro, after briefly leaving Fremlin, returned and remained with him until his death in 2013. She would explain to Skinner that she “loved him too much” to remain apart.

    When Munro died in May at age 92, she was celebrated worldwide for narratives which documented rare insight into her characters’ secrets, motivations, passions and cruelties, especially those of girls and women. Admirers cited her not just as a literary inspiration, but as a kind of moral guide, sometimes described as “Saint Alice.” A New York Times essay that ran shortly after her death, by Canadian author Sheila Heti, was titled “I Don’t Write Like Alice Munro, But I Want to Live Like Her.”

    “No one knows the compromises another makes, especially when that person is as private as she was and transforms her trials into fiction,” Heti wrote. “Yet whatever the truth of her daily existence, she still shines as a symbol of artistic purity.”

    Educators in Canada and beyond are now rethinking her life and work. At Western University in London, Ontario, Munro’s alma mater, the school has posted a statement on its website saying that it was “taking time to carefully consider the impact” of the revelations. Since 2018, Western University has offered an Alice Munro Chair in Creativity, with a mission to “Lead the creative culture of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, serving as a mentor and a model.” That chair, held for the past academic year by Heti, will be left unfilled as “we carefully consider Munro’s legacy and her ties to Western,” according to the school.

    Requests with Heti’s agent and publicists for comment were not immediately answered.

    For the fall semester at Harvard University, authors and faculty members Laura van den Berg and Neel Mukherjee will be co-teaching “Reading for Fiction Writers,” a review of literary works ranging from the science fiction of Octavia Butler to the “realist” fiction of Munro. Van den Berg, a prize-winning writer whose books include the story collection “The Isle of Youth” and the novel “State of Paradise,” says that Munro’s failure to support Skinner has forced her to rethink her approach to the class.

    “I’ll never read Munro the same away again, and won’t be teaching her the same way,” she says. “To me, what was so painful about what Andrea Skinner has been through is the silence. And feeling that she could break her silence after her mother was gone. To me, to just stand in front a group of students and read the lecture I had originally prepared would feel like a second silencing.”

    A former student of Lecker’s, Kellie Elrick, says she is still figuring out how Munro should be taught and how to think of her work. Munro’s stories have enriched her life, she says, and she doesn’t regret reading them. Elrick, entering her fourth year at McGill, sees parallel narratives, “difficult to reconcile,” of “Munro the writer” and “Munro the mother.”

    “I think that it’s perhaps both productive and dangerous to read an author’s work biographically,” she added. “It may allow us (the readers) to think we may understand things, but there are things we can never truly know about the lives and intentions of writers.”

    One of the Munro stories that van den Berg and Mukherjee plan to teach is “Friend of My Youth,” narrated by a woman long estranged from her mother, whose “ideas were in line with some progressive notions of her times, and mine echoed the notions that were favored in mine.” Mukherjee, a Booker Prize finalist in 2014 for the novel “The Lives of Others,” is unsure about how, or whether, to work in the recent news about Munro when teaching ”Friend of My Youth,” which the author had dedicated to her own mother.

    He believes in separating the “art from the artist, that we all have done bad things.” He considers himself “very conflicted,” sharing van den Berg’s horror that Munro chose her husband over her daughter, but also finding that her work may have gained “richer depth, now that we know something in her life that she may have been trying to come to terms with.”

    “I don’t see writers as would-be saints,” he says.

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  • Netflix’s recipe for success includes ‘secret sauce’ spiced with Silicon Valley savvy

    Netflix’s recipe for success includes ‘secret sauce’ spiced with Silicon Valley savvy

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    LOS GATOS, Calif. — Although its video streaming service sparkles with a Hollywood sheen, Netflix still taps its roots in Silicon Valley to stay a step ahead of traditional TV and movie studios.

    The Los Gatos, California, company, based more than 300 miles away from Hollywood, frequently reaches into its technological toolbox without viewers even realizing it. It often just uses few subtle twists on the knobs of viewer recommendations to help keep its 270 million worldwide subscribers satisfied at a time when most of its streaming rivals are seeing waves of cancellations from inflation-weary subscribers.

    Even when hit TV series like “The Crown” or “Bridgerton” have wide appeal, Netflix still tries to cater to the divergent tastes of its vast audience. One part of that recipe includes tailoring summaries and trailers about its smorgasbord of shows to fit the personal interests of each viewer.

    So someone who likes romance might see a plot summary or video trailer for “The Crown” highlighting the relationship between Princess Diana and Charles, while another viewer more into political intrigue may be shown a clip of Queen Elizabeth in a meeting with Margaret Thatcher.

    For an Oscar-nominated film like “Nyad,” a lover of action might see a trailer of the title character immersed in water during one of her epic swims, while a comedy fan might see a lighthearted scene featuring some amusing banter between the two stars, Annette Bening and Jodie Foster.

    Netflix is able to pull off these variations through the deep understanding of viewing habits it gleans from crunching the data from subscribers’ histories with its service — including those of customers who signed up in the late 1990s when the company launched with a DVD-by-mail service that continued to operate until last September.

    “It is a secret sauce for us, no doubt,” Eunice Kim, Netflix’s chief product officer, said while discussing the nuances of the ways Netflix tries to reel different viewers into watching different shows. “The North Star we have every day is keep people engaged, but also make sure they are incredibly satisfied with their viewing experiences.”

    As part of that effort, Netflix is rolling out a redesign of the home page that greets subscribers when they are watching the streaming service on a TV screen. The changes are meant to package all the information that might appeal to a subscriber’s tastes in a more concise format to reduce the “gymnastics with their eyes,” said Patrick Flemming, Netflix’s senior director of member product.

    What Netflix is doing with its previews may seem like a small thing, but it can make a huge difference, especially as people looking to save money start to winnow the number of streaming services they have.

    Last year, video streaming services collectively suffered about 140 million account cancellations, a 35% increase from 2022 and nearly triple the volume in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic created a boom in demand for entertainment from people corralled at home, according to numbers compiled by the research firm Antenna.

    Netflix doesn’t disclose its cancellation, or churn rate, but last year its streaming service gained 30 million subscribers — marking its second-biggest annual increase behind its own growth spurt during the 2020 pandemic lockdowns.

    Part of last year’s subscription growth flowed from a crackdown on viewers who had been freeloading off Netflix subscribers who shared their account passwords. But the company is also benefiting from the technological know-how that helps it to keep funneling shows to customers who like them and make them think the service is worth the money, according to J. Christopher Hamilton, an assistant professor of television, radio and film at Syracuse University.

    “What they have been doing is pretty ingenious and very, very strategic,” Hamilton said. “They are definitely ahead of the legacy media companies who are trying to do some of the same things but just don’t have the level of sophistication, experience nor the history of the data in their archives.”

    Netflix’s nerdy heritage once was mocked by an entertainment industry that looked down at the company’s geekdom.

    “It’s a little bit like, is the Albanian army going to take over the world?” former Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes said of Netflix during a 2010 interview after being asked about the threat Netflix posed at the time.

    Not long after that put-down, Netflix began mining its viewing data to figure out how to produce a slate of original programming that would attract more subscribers — an ambitious expansion that forced Time Warner (now rolled into Warner Bros. Discovery) and other long-established entertainment companies such as Walt Disney Co. into a mad scramble to build their own streaming services.

    Although those expansions initially attracted hordes of subscribers, they also resulted in massive losses that have resulted in management shakeups and drastic cutbacks, including the abrupt closure of a CNN streaming service.

    What Netflix is doing with technology to retain subscribers to boost its fortunes — the company’s profit rose 20% to $5.4 billion last year — now is widening the divide with rival services still trying to stanch their losses.

    Disney’s 4-year-old streaming service recently became profitable after an overhaul engineered by CEO Bob Iger, but he thinks more work will be required to catch up with Netflix.

    “We need to be at their level in terms of technology capability,” Iger said at a conference earlier this year. “We’re now in the process of creating and developing all of that technology, and obviously the gold standard there is Netflix.”

    Netflix isn’t going to help its rivals by divulging its secrets, but the slicing and dicing generally starts with getting a grasp on which viewers tend to gravitate to certain genres — the broad categories include action, adventure, anime, fantasy, drama, horror, comedy, romance and documentary — and then diving deeper from there.

    In some instances, Netflix’s technology will even try to divine a viewer’s mood at any given time by analyzing what titles are being browsed or clicked on. In other instances, it’s relatively easy for the technology to figure out how to make a film or TV series as appealing as possible to specific viewers. If Netflix’s data shows a subscriber has watched a lot of Hindi productions, it would be almost a no-brainer to feature clips of Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt in a role she played in the U.S. film, “Heart of Stone” instead of the movie’s lead actress, Gal Gadot.

    “We want to do a really good job putting the things that you prefer in front of you,” Kim said. “Part of that is the content recommendations themselves, but it’s also about how we present the content to you.”

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  • How Chinese science fiction went from underground magazines to a Netflix blockbuster

    How Chinese science fiction went from underground magazines to a Netflix blockbuster

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    CHENGDU, China — For a few days in October 2023, the capital of the science fiction world was Chengdu, China. Fans traveled from around the world as Worldcon, sci-fi’s biggest annual event, was held in the country for the first time.

    It was a rare moment when Chinese and international fans could get together without worrying about the increasingly fraught politics of China’s relationship with the West or Beijing’s tightening grip on expression.

    For Chinese fans like Tao Bolin, an influencer who flew from the southern province of Guangdong for the event, it felt like the world finally wanted to read Chinese literature. Fans and authors mingled in a brand new Science Fiction Museum, designed by the prestigious Zaha Hadid Architects in the shape of a huge steel starburst over a lake.

    But three months later, much of that goodwill turned sour as a scandal erupted over allegations that organizers of the Hugo awards — sci-fi’s biggest prize, awarded at Worldcon — disqualified candidates to placate Chinese censors.

    The event embodied the contradictions that Chinese science fiction has faced for decades. In 40 years, it’s gone from a politically suspect niche to one of China’s most successful cultural exports, with author Liu Cixin gaining an international following that includes fans like Barack Obama and Mark Zuckerberg. But it’s had to overcome obstacles created by geopolitics for just as long.

    With a big-budget Netflix adaptation of his “The Three-Body Problem” set to drop in March, produced by the same showrunners as “Game of Thrones,” Chinese sci-fi could reach its biggest audience yet.

    Getting there took decades of work by dedicated authors, editors and cultural bureaucrats who believed that science fiction could bring people together.

    “Sci-fi has always been a bridge between different cultures and countries,” says Yao Haijun, the editor-in-chief of Science Fiction World, China’s oldest sci-fi magazine.

    Chinese sci-fi’s journey abroad started with another convention in Chengdu three decades ago, but politics nearly derailed that one before it could get off the ground.

    Science Fiction World planned to host a writers’ conference in the city in 1991. But as news of the brutal crackdown on student protesters in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square circled the globe in 1989, foreign speakers were dropping out.

    The magazine sent a small delegation to Worldcon 1990, hosted in The Hague, to save the conference.

    Its leader was Shen Zaiwang, an English translator in Sichuan province’s Foreign Affairs Department who fell in love with sci-fi as a child. He packed instant noodles for the weeks-long train journey across China and the fragmenting Soviet Union.

    In The Hague, Shen used toy pandas and postcards of Chengdu to make the case that the city — more than 1,800 kilometers (1,000 miles) from Beijing — was friendly and safe to visit.

    “We tried to introduce our province as a safe place, and that the people in Sichuan really hope the foreign science fiction writers can come and have a look and encourage Chinese young people to read more science fiction novels,” Shen says.

    In the end, a dozen foreign authors attended the conference. It was a small start, but it was more than anyone could have imagined a few years earlier.

    China’s science fiction community faced suspicion at home as well.

    Science fiction magazines such as Chengdu’s Science Fiction World started being launched in the late 1970s and early 1980s, as China began opening to the world after the Mao era.

    But in the early 1980s, Beijing initiated a nationwide “spiritual pollution cleaning” campaign to quash the influence of the decadent West, and sci-fi was accused of being unscientific and out of line with official ideology. Most of the young publications were shuttered.

    Science Fiction World’s editors kept going.

    “They believed if China wanted to develop, it needed to be an innovative country — it needed science fiction,” Yao, the editor, said in a recorded public address in 2017.

    In 1997, the magazine organized another international event in Beijing, headlined by U.S. and Russian astronauts. The conference got attention in the Chinese press, giving sci-fi a cool new aura of innovation, exploration and imagination, Yao says.

    China’s growing sci-fi fandom was devouring translated works from abroad, but few people abroad were reading Chinese stories. Liu Cixin was going to change that.

    A soft-spoken engineer at a power plant in the coal-dominated province of Shanxi, his stories were hits with genre fans.

    But “The Three-Body Problem,” first serialized by Science Fiction World in 2006, reached a new level of popularity, says Yao.

    Authorities took note. The China Educational Publications Import & Export Corporation, the state-owned publications exporter, picked up the novel and its two sequels.

    The translations were intended from the start as “a big cultural export from China to the world, something very highly visible,” says Joel Martinsen, who translated the trilogy’s second volume, “The Dark Forest.”

    But no one could have anticipated the critical and popular success: In 2015, Liu became the first Asian author to win a Hugo Award for a novel.

    “There was something quite fresh and raw and eye-catching, and even sometimes very dark and ruthless in his work,” says Song Mingwei, a professor of Chinese literature at Wellesley College.

    The next year, Beijing-based writer Hao Jingfang beat Stephen King to win a Hugo for short fiction with a story about social inequality in a surreal version of China’s capital.

    Liu’s translations were also a political breakthrough for the genre: In two decades, it had gone from barely tolerated to a flagship export of China’s official cultural machine.

    The government encouraged the growth of an “industry” spanning movies, video games, books, magazines and exhibits, and set up an official research center in 2020 to track its rise.

    Worldcon Chengdu was to be the crowning achievement of these efforts.

    The event itself was seen as a success. But in January, when the Hugo committee disclosed vote totals, the critics’ suspicions seemed to be confirmed. It turned out several candidates had been disqualified, raising censorship concerns. They included New York Times bestselling authors R. F. Kuang and Xiran Jay Zhao, both politically active writers with family ties to China.

    Leaked internal emails — which The Associated Press could not independently verify — appeared to show that the awards committee spent weeks checking nominees’ works and social media profiles for statements that could offend Beijing, and sent reports on these to Chinese counterparts, according to an investigation by two sci-fi authors and journalists. They don’t show how the reports were used or who made the decisions about disqualification.

    The Hugo awards organizers did not respond to requests for comment by the AP.

    Despite the frictions, Chinese sci-fi remains poised to continue its international rise. Netflix’s adaptation of the “The Three-Body Problem” could bring it to a vast new audience, a coming-out orders of magnitude bigger than Shen Zaiwang’s trip to The Hague.

    And insiders like Song and Yao are looking forward to a new generation of Chinese sci-fi authors that’s starting to be translated into English now.

    It’s led by younger, female writers who were educated abroad such as Regina Kanyu Wang and Tang Fei. Their works explore themes that resonate with younger audiences, Song says, such as gender fluidity and climate catastrophes.

    “When doing anything with the endorsement of either the market or the government, imagination can dry up very quickly,” Song says. “I think often the important thing happens on the margin.”

    Yao continues to believe in sci-fi’s role as a bridge between cultures, even in turbulent times.

    “As long as there is communication,” he says, “we’ll be able to find some things in common.”

    ___

    AP researcher Wanqing Chen contributed to this report.

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  • How Chinese science fiction went from underground magazines to a Netflix blockbuster

    How Chinese science fiction went from underground magazines to a Netflix blockbuster

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    CHENGDU, China — For a few days in October 2023, the capital of the science fiction world was Chengdu, China. Fans traveled from around the world as Worldcon, sci-fi’s biggest annual event, was held in the country for the first time.

    It was a rare moment when Chinese and international fans could get together without worrying about the increasingly fraught politics of China’s relationship with the West or Beijing’s tightening grip on expression.

    For Chinese fans like Tao Bolin, an influencer who flew from the southern province of Guangdong for the event, it felt like the world finally wanted to read Chinese literature. Fans and authors mingled in a brand new Science Fiction Museum, designed by the prestigious Zaha Hadid Architects in the shape of a huge steel starburst over a lake.

    But three months later, much of that goodwill turned sour as a scandal erupted over allegations that organizers of the Hugo awards — sci-fi’s biggest prize, awarded at Worldcon — disqualified candidates to placate Chinese censors.

    The event embodied the contradictions that Chinese science fiction has faced for decades. In 40 years, it’s gone from a politically suspect niche to one of China’s most successful cultural exports, with author Liu Cixin gaining an international following that includes fans like Barack Obama and Mark Zuckerberg. But it’s had to overcome obstacles created by geopolitics for just as long.

    With a big-budget Netflix adaptation of his “The Three-Body Problem” set to drop in March, produced by the same showrunners as “Game of Thrones,” Chinese sci-fi could reach its biggest audience yet.

    Getting there took decades of work by dedicated authors, editors and cultural bureaucrats who believed that science fiction could bring people together.

    “Sci-fi has always been a bridge between different cultures and countries,” says Yao Haijun, the editor-in-chief of Science Fiction World, China’s oldest sci-fi magazine.

    Chinese sci-fi’s journey abroad started with another convention in Chengdu three decades ago, but politics nearly derailed that one before it could get off the ground.

    Science Fiction World planned to host a writers’ conference in the city in 1991. But as news of the brutal crackdown on student protesters in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square circled the globe in 1989, foreign speakers were dropping out.

    The magazine sent a small delegation to Worldcon 1990, hosted in The Hague, to save the conference.

    Its leader was Shen Zaiwang, an English translator in Sichuan province’s Foreign Affairs Department who fell in love with sci-fi as a child. He packed instant noodles for the weeks-long train journey across China and the fragmenting Soviet Union.

    In The Hague, Shen used toy pandas and postcards of Chengdu to make the case that the city — more than 1,800 kilometers (1,000 miles) from Beijing — was friendly and safe to visit.

    “We tried to introduce our province as a safe place, and that the people in Sichuan really hope the foreign science fiction writers can come and have a look and encourage Chinese young people to read more science fiction novels,” Shen says.

    In the end, a dozen foreign authors attended the conference. It was a small start, but it was more than anyone could have imagined a few years earlier.

    China’s science fiction community faced suspicion at home as well.

    Science fiction magazines such as Chengdu’s Science Fiction World started being launched in the late 1970s and early 1980s, as China began opening to the world after the Mao era.

    But in the early 1980s, Beijing initiated a nationwide “spiritual pollution cleaning” campaign to quash the influence of the decadent West, and sci-fi was accused of being unscientific and out of line with official ideology. Most of the young publications were shuttered.

    Science Fiction World’s editors kept going.

    “They believed if China wanted to develop, it needed to be an innovative country — it needed science fiction,” Yao, the editor, said in a recorded public address in 2017.

    In 1997, the magazine organized another international event in Beijing, headlined by U.S. and Russian astronauts. The conference got attention in the Chinese press, giving sci-fi a cool new aura of innovation, exploration and imagination, Yao says.

    China’s growing sci-fi fandom was devouring translated works from abroad, but few people abroad were reading Chinese stories. Liu Cixin was going to change that.

    A soft-spoken engineer at a power plant in the coal-dominated province of Shanxi, his stories were hits with genre fans.

    But “The Three-Body Problem,” first serialized by Science Fiction World in 2006, reached a new level of popularity, says Yao.

    Authorities took note. The China Educational Publications Import & Export Corporation, the state-owned publications exporter, picked up the novel and its two sequels.

    The translations were intended from the start as “a big cultural export from China to the world, something very highly visible,” says Joel Martinsen, who translated the trilogy’s second volume, “The Dark Forest.”

    But no one could have anticipated the critical and popular success: In 2015, Liu became the first Asian author to win a Hugo Award for a novel.

    “There was something quite fresh and raw and eye-catching, and even sometimes very dark and ruthless in his work,” says Song Mingwei, a professor of Chinese literature at Wellesley College.

    The next year, Beijing-based writer Hao Jingfang beat Stephen King to win a Hugo for short fiction with a story about social inequality in a surreal version of China’s capital.

    Liu’s translations were also a political breakthrough for the genre: In two decades, it had gone from barely tolerated to a flagship export of China’s official cultural machine.

    The government encouraged the growth of an “industry” spanning movies, video games, books, magazines and exhibits, and set up an official research center in 2020 to track its rise.

    Worldcon Chengdu was to be the crowning achievement of these efforts.

    The event itself was seen as a success. But in January, when the Hugo committee disclosed vote totals, the critics’ suspicions seemed to be confirmed. It turned out several candidates had been disqualified, raising censorship concerns. They included New York Times bestselling authors R. F. Kuang and Xiran Jay Zhao, both politically active writers with family ties to China.

    Leaked internal emails — which The Associated Press could not independently verify — appeared to show that the awards committee spent weeks checking nominees’ works and social media profiles for statements that could offend Beijing, and sent reports on these to Chinese counterparts, according to an investigation by two sci-fi authors and journalists. They don’t show how the reports were used or who made the decisions about disqualification.

    The Hugo awards organizers did not respond to requests for comment by the AP.

    Despite the frictions, Chinese sci-fi remains poised to continue its international rise. Netflix’s adaptation of the “The Three-Body Problem” could bring it to a vast new audience, a coming-out orders of magnitude bigger than Shen Zaiwang’s trip to The Hague.

    And insiders like Song and Yao are looking forward to a new generation of Chinese sci-fi authors that’s starting to be translated into English now.

    It’s led by younger, female writers who were educated abroad such as Regina Kanyu Wang and Tang Fei. Their works explore themes that resonate with younger audiences, Song says, such as gender fluidity and climate catastrophes.

    “When doing anything with the endorsement of either the market or the government, imagination can dry up very quickly,” Song says. “I think often the important thing happens on the margin.”

    Yao continues to believe in sci-fi’s role as a bridge between cultures, even in turbulent times.

    “As long as there is communication,” he says, “we’ll be able to find some things in common.”

    ___

    AP researcher Wanqing Chen contributed to this report.

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  • 'Mean Girls' fetches $11.7M in second weekend to stay No. 1 at box office

    'Mean Girls' fetches $11.7M in second weekend to stay No. 1 at box office

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    NEW YORK — On a quiet weekend in movie theaters, “Mean Girls” repeated atop the box office with $11.7 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday, while a handful of awards contenders sought to make an impact ahead of Oscar nominations Tuesday.

    With a dearth of new releases in cinemas, Paramount Pictures’ Tina Fey-scripted musical “Mean Girls” pushed its two-week total past $50 million, along with $16.2 million internationally. So far, it’s outpacing the tally for the 2004 original “Mean Girls.”

    Only one new film debuted in wide release: “I.S.S.,” a modestly budgeted sci-fi thriller starring Ariana DeBose. The film, which speculates what would happen aboard the International Space Station if war broke out between the U.S. and Russia, debuted with $3 million on 2,518 screens for Bleecker Street.

    Expectations weren’t high for “I.S.S.,” which drew only so-so reviews and was lightly marketed. Audiences also didn’t like it, giving the film a “C-” CinemaScore.

    But even for January, historically a low ebb for moviegoing, it was a sparsely attended weekend, with paltry options on the big screen. The top 10 films collectively accounted for just $51.3 million in box office, according to Comscore.

    With a similarly thin release schedule on deck for next weekend, it could be the start of a chastening trend for Hollywood in 2024. Due to production delays caused by last year’s strikes, there are significant holes throughout this year’s movie calendar.

    The Jason Statham thriller “The Beekeeper,” from Amazon MGM Studios, remained in second place, grossing $8.5 million in its second weekend to bring its total to $31.1 million. Warner Bros. “Wonka,” six weeks into its smash run in theaters, was third, with $6.4 million in ticket sales. It’s taken in $187.2 million domestically.

    Also continuing to leg out was Sony Pictures’ “Anyone But You.” The rom-com starring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell, crossed $100 million globally in its fifth week of release. It’s the highest grossing R-rated romantic comedy — a genre that has largely migrated to streaming platforms — since 2016’s “Bridget Jones’s Baby.” Domestically, it came in fourth with $5.4 million.

    Much of the weekend’s action was in expanding awards contenders.

    After a qualifying release in December, Ava DuVernay’s “Origin,” starring Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as the “Caste” author Isabel Wilkerson, launched in 125 theaters and pulled in $875,000 — a strong start for the acclaimed film.

    Yorgos Lanthimos’ dark fantasy “Poor Things,” starring Emma Stone, added 820 theaters and grossed $2 million from 1,400 locations. The Searchlight Pictures release, which won the Golden Globe for best comedy-musical, has earned $33.7 million globally in seven weeks of slowly expanding release.

    Cord Jefferson’s “American Fiction,” starring Jeffrey Wright as a frustrated novelist, expanded to 850 screens and pulled in $1.8 million. “American Fiction,” up to $8 million in six weeks, will look for a boost in Tuesday’s Oscar nominations.

    Jonathan Glazer’s Auschwitz film “The Zone of Interest” expanded to 82 screens, grossing $447,684 for A24.

    But after a strong launch, another awards contender, “The Color Purple,” has quickly fallen off the radar of moviegoers. Though widely acclaimed and with the backing of producers Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg, the Warner Bros. musical has dropped fast in recent weeks. In its fourth week of release, the Blitz Bazawule-directed film starring Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson and Danielle Brooks, grossed just $720,000. Its domestic total is $59.3 million, below hopes for the $100-million budgeted film.

    Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

    1. “Mean Girls,” $11.7 million.

    2. “The Beekeeper,” $8.5 million.

    3. “Wonka,” $6.4 million.

    4. “Anyone But You,” $5.4 million.

    5. “Migration,” $5.3 million.

    6. “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” $3.7 million.

    7. “I.S.S.,” $3 million.

    8. “Night Swim,” $2.7 million.

    9. “The Boys in the Boat,” $2.5 million.

    10. “Poor Things,” $2 million.

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  • What to stream this week: Bradley Cooper conducts, Lidia Bastianich cooks and Percy Jackson quests

    What to stream this week: Bradley Cooper conducts, Lidia Bastianich cooks and Percy Jackson quests

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    A new Percy Jackson series and a PBS special hosted by cookbook author and restaurateur Lidia Bastianich are some of the new television, movies and music headed to a device near you.

    Also among the streaming offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists are a heartwarming CBS holiday special about adoption, a thriller starring John David Washington about artificial intelligence and the return of Marvel’s mind-bending “What If…” series.

    — “Maestro,” Bradley Cooper’s follow-up to “A Star Is Born” takes a loving look at the life of Leonard Bernstein and wife Felicia Montealegre. Cooper co-writes, directs and stars opposite Carey Mulligan in a portrait of the public and private side of the legendary composer and conductor. AP Film Writer Jake Coyle called it a “high wire act of a biopic” in his review, favoring the experimental black-and-white beginning over the later years, which focuses more on the increasingly complex family dynamics. The first hour, he wrote, is “like a dream of 1950s New York modernism.” The film, streaming on Netflix on Wednesday, is expected to be a big contender through awards season, especially for Mulligan’s lived-in, decades-spanning portrayal of an artist living in the shadow of a genius and a wife grappling with the compromises she’s made to support him.

    — Artificial intelligence is at the heart of “The Creator,” Gareth Edwards’ visually dazzling sci-fi epic which begins streaming on Hulu on Wednesday. John David Washington plays a retired special forces operative enlisted to help find the creator of advanced AIs after a nuclear bomb destroys downtown Los Angeles. In my review, I wrote that “even if it is a somewhat convoluted and silly mishmash of familiar tropes and sci-fi cliches, it still evokes the feeling of something fresh, something novel, something exciting to experience and behold — which is so much more than you can say about the vast majority of big budget movies these days.”

    — If “The Creator” didn’t have enough “Star Wars” vibes for you, Netflix has another ode to that ever-influential film from Zack Snyder with his long-in-the-works “Rebel Moon – Part 1: A Child of Fire.” Sofia Boutella leads a starry cast (including Djimon Hounsou, Charlie Hunnam and the voice of Anthony Hopkins) in this space opera about a small colony that must rise up against a tyrannical threat to the galaxy. It begins streaming on Friday, Dec. 22 and the second part will follow in April.

    — AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr

    — Prepare the tissues. On Friday, Dec. 22, CBS will air its annual “A Home for the Holidays” musical special, drawing attention to families and life-affirming stories of adoption through the foster care system. Now in its 25th year, the special — presented in partnership with the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and the Children’s Action Network — boasts of a tear-jerking lineup: Lauren Daigle, Gavin DeGraw, David Foster and Katharine McPhee, Pentatonix and CeCe Winans will take on holiday classics. McPhee will also host the event, airing live on CBS and on demand for Paramount+ and Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers.

    — AP Music Writer Maria Sherman

    — PBS is celebrating its 25-year partnership with James Beard-winning chef, cookbook author and restaurateur, Lidia Bastianich, with “25 Years with Lidia: A Culinary Jubilee.” Premiering Monday on PBS (check local listings), Lidia is joined by family and friends to reflect on her more than two decades in public television, and some of the dishes she’s made along the way. The special will also stream on PBS.org and the PBS app.

    — The animated anthology series “What If…?” is a mind-blowing, meta experience for Marvel fans where MCU characters are placed in different timelines and situations to play out an alternate story. Jeffrey Wright narrates as The Watcher, observing from afar. The first season’s storylines explored possibilities including “What If… T’Challa Became a Star-Lord?” and “What If… Killmonger Rescued Tony Stark?” Season two’s premiere, debuting Dec. 22 on Disney+, asks “What If… Nebula Joined the Nova Corps?”

    — Alicia Rancilio

    — Percy Jackson finds out that Greek myths aren’t just a history lesson in a new Disney+ series, based on the bestselling books by Rick Riordan. Walker Scobell (“The Adam Project”) takes the lead as the 12-year-old who goes from dealing with school bullies to battling monsters, while finding out his paternity means he’s a demigod with special abilities. Jackson sets out on a quest to clear his name. The first two episodes of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” drop Wednesday on Disney+.

    — Hilary Fox

    ___

    Catch up on AP’s entertainment coverage here: https://apnews.com/entertainment.

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  • What to stream this week: Bradley Cooper conducts, Lidia Bastianich cooks and Percy Jackson quests

    What to stream this week: Bradley Cooper conducts, Lidia Bastianich cooks and Percy Jackson quests

    [ad_1]

    A new Percy Jackson series and a PBS special hosted by cookbook author and restaurateur Lidia Bastianich are some of the new television, movies and music headed to a device near you.

    Also among the streaming offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists are a heartwarming CBS holiday special about adoption, a thriller starring John David Washington about artificial intelligence and the return of Marvel’s mind-bending “What If…” series.

    — “Maestro,” Bradley Cooper’s follow-up to “A Star Is Born” takes a loving look at the life of Leonard Bernstein and wife Felicia Montealegre. Cooper co-writes, directs and stars opposite Carey Mulligan in a portrait of the public and private side of the legendary composer and conductor. AP Film Writer Jake Coyle called it a “high wire act of a biopic” in his review, favoring the experimental black-and-white beginning over the later years, which focuses more on the increasingly complex family dynamics. The first hour, he wrote, is “like a dream of 1950s New York modernism.” The film, streaming on Netflix on Wednesday, is expected to be a big contender through awards season, especially for Mulligan’s lived-in, decades-spanning portrayal of an artist living in the shadow of a genius and a wife grappling with the compromises she’s made to support him.

    — Artificial intelligence is at the heart of “The Creator,” Gareth Edwards’ visually dazzling sci-fi epic which begins streaming on Hulu on Wednesday. John David Washington plays a retired special forces operative enlisted to help find the creator of advanced AIs after a nuclear bomb destroys downtown Los Angeles. In my review, I wrote that “even if it is a somewhat convoluted and silly mishmash of familiar tropes and sci-fi cliches, it still evokes the feeling of something fresh, something novel, something exciting to experience and behold — which is so much more than you can say about the vast majority of big budget movies these days.”

    — If “The Creator” didn’t have enough “Star Wars” vibes for you, Netflix has another ode to that ever-influential film from Zack Snyder with his long-in-the-works “Rebel Moon – Part 1: A Child of Fire.” Sofia Boutella leads a starry cast (including Djimon Hounsou, Charlie Hunnam and the voice of Anthony Hopkins) in this space opera about a small colony that must rise up against a tyrannical threat to the galaxy. It begins streaming on Friday, Dec. 22 and the second part will follow in April.

    — AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr

    — Prepare the tissues. On Friday, Dec. 22, CBS will air its annual “A Home for the Holidays” musical special, drawing attention to families and life-affirming stories of adoption through the foster care system. Now in its 25th year, the special — presented in partnership with the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and the Children’s Action Network — boasts of a tear-jerking lineup: Lauren Daigle, Gavin DeGraw, David Foster and Katharine McPhee, Pentatonix and CeCe Winans will take on holiday classics. McPhee will also host the event, airing live on CBS and on demand for Paramount+ and Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers.

    — AP Music Writer Maria Sherman

    — PBS is celebrating its 25-year partnership with James Beard-winning chef, cookbook author and restaurateur, Lidia Bastianich, with “25 Years with Lidia: A Culinary Jubilee.” Premiering Monday on PBS (check local listings), Lidia is joined by family and friends to reflect on her more than two decades in public television, and some of the dishes she’s made along the way. The special will also stream on PBS.org and the PBS app.

    — The animated anthology series “What If…?” is a mind-blowing, meta experience for Marvel fans where MCU characters are placed in different timelines and situations to play out an alternate story. Jeffrey Wright narrates as The Watcher, observing from afar. The first season’s storylines explored possibilities including “What If… T’Challa Became a Star-Lord?” and “What If… Killmonger Rescued Tony Stark?” Season two’s premiere, debuting Dec. 22 on Disney+, asks “What If… Nebula Joined the Nova Corps?”

    — Alicia Rancilio

    — Percy Jackson finds out that Greek myths aren’t just a history lesson in a new Disney+ series, based on the bestselling books by Rick Riordan. Walker Scobell (“The Adam Project”) takes the lead as the 12-year-old who goes from dealing with school bullies to battling monsters, while finding out his paternity means he’s a demigod with special abilities. Jackson sets out on a quest to clear his name. The first two episodes of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” drop Wednesday on Disney+.

    — Hilary Fox

    ___

    Catch up on AP’s entertainment coverage here: https://apnews.com/entertainment.

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  • Miniature ‘Star Wars’ X-wing gets over $3 million at auction of Hollywood model-maker’s collection

    Miniature ‘Star Wars’ X-wing gets over $3 million at auction of Hollywood model-maker’s collection

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    DALLAS — A miniature X-wing Starfighter used in a “Star Wars” film sold for over $3 million during an auction over the weekend of items both collected and created by longtime Hollywood model-maker Greg Jein.

    The collection amassed by Jein, who died last year at the age of 76, brought in about $13.6 million during an event at Heritage Auctions in Dallas. The auction house said that everyone from model-makers to collectors and science-fiction fans attended, making the event its best-attended in years.

    Joe Maddalena, Heritage’s executive vice president and a longtime friend of Jein’s, said in a news release Monday that the auction was “a profound testament to my friend as both a visual-effects master and one of the great collectors.”

    Jein not only had an Oscar and Emmy-nominated career making miniature models for nearly half a century, but he also spent a lifetime collecting costumes, props, scripts, artwork, photographs and models from the shows he loved.

    The Red Leader X-wing Starfighter that was used in the 1977 film “Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope” sold for about $3.1 million after a bidding duel between two collectors, the auction house said. Also going for an eye-popping amount was a “Star Wars” Stormtrooper costume that sold for $645,000.

    A rare surviving spacesuit from Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film “2001: A Space Odyssey” sold for $447,000.

    Jein was a fan of “ Star Trek ” before he worked on the franchise — and some of the items that he collected were popular at the auction. A filming model of the “SS Botany Bay” vessel from “Star Trek: The Original Series” from the 1960s went for $200,000 while prop devices from that series like a hero phaser went for $187,500 and a tricorder garnered $175,000.

    Jein, who grew up in Los Angeles, was still early in his career when he led the team that created the mothership for Steven Spielberg’s 1977 film “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” The model that appears gigantic in the movie is just over 5 feet (1.5 meters) long and now part of the collection at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. A small preliminary model, which is about 5 inches (12 centimeters) long, brought in $55,000 at the auction.

    Lou Zutavern, Jein’s longtime friend and shop supervisor, said that he and Jein always had “a ball” working together. He said Jein was a great friend, and recalled the time he brought a box filled with model kits to entertain Zutavern after he had a knee surgery.

    Zutavern said his friend had a love of Hollywood history, and a passion for seeking out items for his collection.

    “He loved the search and finding things and making a trade,” Zutavern said. “It was part of the fun for him.”

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  • What to stream this week: Olivia Rodrigo, LaKeith Stanfield, NBA 2K14 and ‘The Little Mermaid’

    What to stream this week: Olivia Rodrigo, LaKeith Stanfield, NBA 2K14 and ‘The Little Mermaid’

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    Olivia Rodrigo’s much-anticipated sophomore album and LaKeith Stanfield starring in the eight-part horror fantasy series “The Changeling” are among the new television, movies, music and games headed to a device near you

    Among the offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists are Disney’s live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid” starring Halle Bailey, the video game NBA 2K14 pays tribute to Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and the popular comfort show “Virgin River” returns for its fifth season on Netflix.

    NEW MOVIES TO STREAM

    — The latest Disney live-action remake, “The Little Mermaid,” lands on Disney+ on Wednesday. Not everyone has been a fan of the studio’s regular retreads of animation classics. But they’ve been dependable box-office successes; earlier this year, “The Little Mermaid” grossed $568.6 million worldwide. In her review, AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr called this “Mermaid” “a somewhat drab undertaking with sparks of bioluminescence” that “doesn’t really sing.” But one element of Rob Marshall’s film has been more widely hailed: the breakthrough performance of Halle Bailey as Ariel.

    — “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” goes the other way, taking a usually live-action franchise into animation. (The first Ninja Turtles movie, in 1990, came out a year before the original “Little Mermaid”; one born in ooze, the other the sea.) The track record of the films that have followed has been pretty poor. But “Mutant Mayhem,” director Jeff Rowe (co-director of “The Mitchells vs. the Machines” ) and co-written by co-producers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, is a vibrant, hip-hop spin for the turtles. In my review of the film, which arrives on VOD and digital on Tuesday, I praised it for some good gags and clever innovations but “one brilliant idea: casting Ice Cube as the voice of the movie’s mutant insect supervillain Super Fly.”

    — AP Film Writer Jake Coyle

    NEW MUSIC TO STREAM

    — Olivia Rodrigo breathed new life into the angsty power ballad when she dropped “Drivers License” back in January 2021, the lead single on her debut LP, “SOUR.” One-hit wonder she was not: then came the fiery power pop-punk of “Good 4 U” and “Brutal.” In 2023, “GUTS,” her highly anticipated sophomore release, builds off the life experiences of a pop superstar now in the throes of fame — and her early 20s. The first two tracks released from the album — the blood-sucking piano ballad “Vampire” and cheeky backslide anthem “Bad Idea Right?” — are miles away from each other and undeniable partners; the perfect tease for a punk-y album unafraid of taking dynamic swings.

    — The K-pop behemoth BTS aren’t active as a group right now; it’s seven members are taking turns fulfilling South Korea’s mandatory military service ( Jin and J-hope have enlisted; Suga has begun the process ). In that absence, the remaining members have taken turns releasing solo material. It’s a bit of brilliant business and fan service: Can you miss a boy band that never really went away? The latest to charm the public with his singular star power is V, on his forthcoming solo release, “Layover.” His rich baritone slides over the retro R&B production of his mournful bilingual singles “Love Me Again” and “Rainy Days.”

    — AP Music Writer Maria Sherman

    NEW SERIES TO STREAM

    — A new series on PBS demonstrates how animals are adapting to climate change in surprising and even inspiring ways. “Evolution Earth,” premiering Wednesday, shows animal migration and behavior changes in response to our changing planet. Like the Edith’s Checkerspot, a butterfly that is thriving at higher elevations, moving away from the heat. The five-part series is narrated by evolutionary biologist Dr. Shane Campbell-Staton.

    — The popular comfort show “Virgin River” returns for its fifth season on Netflix. Starring Alexandra Breckenridge and Martin Henderson, the series follows residents of a small, fictional town in northern California where neighbors help neighbors and the one bar in town also has a gourmet chef. Yes, there’s drama but life seems easier in Virgin River. The first 10 episodes of season five debut Thursday with two additional holiday episodes dropping in November.

    — LaKeith Stanfield (“Judas and the Black Messiah”, “Haunted Mansion”) executive produces and stars in “The Changeling” for Apple TV+. The eight-part horror fantasy series is based on a best-selling book of the same name by Victor LaValle. Stanfield plays Apollo, a rare book dealer in New York whose marriage to a librarian named Emma takes a shocking turn after they welcome a son. The show is a dark mystery that delves into heavy themes including past trauma and parenting fears while also exposing how difficult it is to navigate those things in today’s technology-driven world. The first three episodes of “The Changeling” drop Friday, Sept. 8.

    — Alicia Rancilio

    NEW VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY

    — It’s 2330, and humanity has finally ditched this planet and ventured out beyond the Solar System. In Bethesda Game Studios’ Starfield, you’re a new recruit to Constellation, a band of explorers searching for rare artifacts. It’s a huge project, with more than 1,000 planets to visit — some civilized and friendly, others not so much. Against that sprawling background, the developers are promising a vast array of choices, from what your character and spaceship look like to how you want to deal with the various factions spread across the galaxy. Here on Earth in 2023, Microsoft and Bethesda have a lot riding on Starfield: It’s the most ambitious Xbox game of the year, and it’s the first new universe from the studio since it launched The Elder Scrolls in 1994. Liftoff commences Wednesday on Xbox X/S and PC.

    — The real NBA season is still a month and a half away, but 2K Sports knows that virtual basketball fans are itching to get back on the court. NBA 2K14 pays tribute to Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant with “Mamba Moments,” which let you relive some of the most dramatic games of his career. This year’s edition also introduces “ProPlay,” which translates actual NBA footage into gameplay. And 2K says it has revamped and upgraded its offensive moves, delivering tighter control over layups, dunks and even dribbling. Tipoff is Friday, Sept. 8, on PlayStation 5/4, Xbox X/S/One and PC.

    — Lou Kesten

    ___

    Catch up on AP’s entertainment coverage here: https://apnews.com/entertainment.

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  • What to stream this week: Olivia Rodrigo, LaKeith Stanfield, NBA 2K14 and ‘The Little Mermaid’

    What to stream this week: Olivia Rodrigo, LaKeith Stanfield, NBA 2K14 and ‘The Little Mermaid’

    [ad_1]

    Olivia Rodrigo’s much-anticipated sophomore album and LaKeith Stanfield starring in the eight-part horror fantasy series “The Changeling” are among the new television, movies, music and games headed to a device near you

    Among the offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists are Disney’s live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid” starring Halle Bailey, the video game NBA 2K14 pays tribute to Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and the popular comfort show “Virgin River” returns for its fifth season on Netflix.

    — The latest Disney live-action remake, “The Little Mermaid,” lands on Disney+ on Wednesday. Not everyone has been a fan of the studio’s regular retreads of animation classics. But they’ve been dependable box-office successes; earlier this year, “The Little Mermaid” grossed $568.6 million worldwide. In her review, AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr called this “Mermaid” “a somewhat drab undertaking with sparks of bioluminescence” that “doesn’t really sing.” But one element of Rob Marshall’s film has been more widely hailed: the breakthrough performance of Halle Bailey as Ariel.

    — “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” goes the other way, taking a usually live-action franchise into animation. (The first Ninja Turtles movie, in 1990, came out a year before the original “Little Mermaid”; one born in ooze, the other the sea.) The track record of the films that have followed has been pretty poor. But “Mutant Mayhem,” director Jeff Rowe (co-director of “The Mitchells vs. the Machines” ) and co-written by co-producers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, is a vibrant, hip-hop spin for the turtles. In my review of the film, which arrives on VOD and digital on Tuesday, I praised it for some good gags and clever innovations but “one brilliant idea: casting Ice Cube as the voice of the movie’s mutant insect supervillain Super Fly.”

    — AP Film Writer Jake Coyle

    — Olivia Rodrigo breathed new life into the angsty power ballad when she dropped “Drivers License” back in January 2021, the lead single on her debut LP, “SOUR.” One-hit wonder she was not: then came the fiery power pop-punk of “Good 4 U” and “Brutal.” In 2023, “GUTS,” her highly anticipated sophomore release, builds off the life experiences of a pop superstar now in the throes of fame — and her early 20s. The first two tracks released from the album — the blood-sucking piano ballad “Vampire” and cheeky backslide anthem “Bad Idea Right?” — are miles away from each other and undeniable partners; the perfect tease for a punk-y album unafraid of taking dynamic swings.

    — The K-pop behemoth BTS aren’t active as a group right now; it’s seven members are taking turns fulfilling South Korea’s mandatory military service ( Jin and J-hope have enlisted; Suga has begun the process ). In that absence, the remaining members have taken turns releasing solo material. It’s a bit of brilliant business and fan service: Can you miss a boy band that never really went away? The latest to charm the public with his singular star power is V, on his forthcoming solo release, “Layover.” His rich baritone slides over the retro R&B production of his mournful bilingual singles “Love Me Again” and “Rainy Days.”

    — AP Music Writer Maria Sherman

    — A new series on PBS demonstrates how animals are adapting to climate change in surprising and even inspiring ways. “Evolution Earth,” premiering Wednesday, shows animal migration and behavior changes in response to our changing planet. Like the Edith’s Checkerspot, a butterfly that is thriving at higher elevations, moving away from the heat. The five-part series is narrated by evolutionary biologist Dr. Shane Campbell-Staton.

    — The popular comfort show “Virgin River” returns for its fifth season on Netflix. Starring Alexandra Breckenridge and Martin Henderson, the series follows residents of a small, fictional town in northern California where neighbors help neighbors and the one bar in town also has a gourmet chef. Yes, there’s drama but life seems easier in Virgin River. The first 10 episodes of season five debut Thursday with two additional holiday episodes dropping in November.

    — LaKeith Stanfield (“Judas and the Black Messiah”, “Haunted Mansion”) executive produces and stars in “The Changeling” for Apple TV+. The eight-part horror fantasy series is based on a best-selling book of the same name by Victor LaValle. Stanfield plays Apollo, a rare book dealer in New York whose marriage to a librarian named Emma takes a shocking turn after they welcome a son. The show is a dark mystery that delves into heavy themes including past trauma and parenting fears while also exposing how difficult it is to navigate those things in today’s technology-driven world. The first three episodes of “The Changeling” drop Friday, Sept. 8.

    — Alicia Rancilio

    — It’s 2330, and humanity has finally ditched this planet and ventured out beyond the Solar System. In Bethesda Game Studios’ Starfield, you’re a new recruit to Constellation, a band of explorers searching for rare artifacts. It’s a huge project, with more than 1,000 planets to visit — some civilized and friendly, others not so much. Against that sprawling background, the developers are promising a vast array of choices, from what your character and spaceship look like to how you want to deal with the various factions spread across the galaxy. Here on Earth in 2023, Microsoft and Bethesda have a lot riding on Starfield: It’s the most ambitious Xbox game of the year, and it’s the first new universe from the studio since it launched The Elder Scrolls in 1994. Liftoff commences Wednesday on Xbox X/S and PC.

    — The real NBA season is still a month and a half away, but 2K Sports knows that virtual basketball fans are itching to get back on the court. NBA 2K14 pays tribute to Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant with “Mamba Moments,” which let you relive some of the most dramatic games of his career. This year’s edition also introduces “ProPlay,” which translates actual NBA footage into gameplay. And 2K says it has revamped and upgraded its offensive moves, delivering tighter control over layups, dunks and even dribbling. Tipoff is Friday, Sept. 8, on PlayStation 5/4, Xbox X/S/One and PC.

    — Lou Kesten

    ___

    Catch up on AP’s entertainment coverage here: https://apnews.com/entertainment.

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  • What to stream this week: ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,’ Quavo, ‘Reservation Dogs’ and ‘Mixtape’

    What to stream this week: ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,’ Quavo, ‘Reservation Dogs’ and ‘Mixtape’

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    “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” “The Lost Flowers of Alice Hunt” with Sigourney Weaver and Quavo’s album “Rocket Power” are among the new television, movies, music and games headed to a device near you

    Among the offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists are “Mixtape,” a Paramount+ documentary celebrating hip-hop, and the return of the acclaimed comedy “Reservation Dogs” for its third and final season on FX on Hulu.

    NEW MOVIES TO STREAM

    — James Gunn’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” reaches an appropriately sincere, satirical and cornball finale in “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.” The film, one of the few non-“Barbie” or “Oppenheimer” summer hits, arrives Wednesday on Disney+ having already grossed $844 million in worldwide ticket sales. Gunn’s underdog superhero trilogy culminates with a tale focused on a backstory for Rocket, Bradley Cooper’s wise-cracking raccoon, and a showdown with a supervillain (Chukwudi Iwuji) hellbent on repopulating Earth with a “perfect” species. In my review, I praised the conviction of Gunn’s soupy sci-fi spectacle, writing: “Whatever this sweet, surreal sci-fi shamble is that Gunn has created, everyone here seems to believe ardently in it.”

    — “Oppenheimer” isn’t the only movie around returning to Los Alamos. Steve James, the acclaimed documentarian of “Hoop Dreams,” in “A Compassionate Spy” details the story of physicist Ted Hall, a brilliant 18-year-old Harvard student when he was recruited to work on the Manhattan Project and went on to pass nuclear information to the Soviets. He confessed in 1998, a year before his death. Hall, one of several scientists to leak information from the atom bomb project, maintained he did it for the good of humanity and to prevent a nuclear monopoly. “A Compassionate Spy” debuts Friday, Aug. 4 on video-on-demand and in theaters.

    — “Turn Every Page: The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb,” a documentary of the decades-long collaboration between the “Power Broker” author and his revered editor is a stirring and affection portrait of two literary giants. The film, directed by the editor’s daughter, Lizzie Gottlieb, will begin streaming Tuesday on the Criterion Channel, just weeks after the death of Gottlieb, who edited novels by Toni Morrison, John Cheever, Joseph Heller and many others. In my review of the film, I wrote: “Civil wars over semicolons and heated debate over the word ‘looms’ would not, on the face of it, seem like the stuff of a gripping big-screen movie. But make no mistake about it, ‘Turn Every Page’… is as much a rock ’em, sock ’em clash of heavyweights as found in any blockbuster.”

    — AP Film Writer Jake Coyle

    NEW MUSIC TO STREAM

    — Quavo will release “Rocket Power,” his first album since fellow Migos member Takeoff was shot and killed outside a bowling alley in November 2022. Quavo introduced the new LP with a trailer that features a massive CGI rocket preparing to launch into space. In a statement, he shared: “Through the process of healing I’ve learned to turn tragedy into triumph. I had to dig deep into my purpose and find the power to keep striving.” This summer, Quavo and Future shared a new song, “Turn Your Clic Up,” which followed recent singles “Greatness” and “Honey Bun.” Shortly before his death, Quavo and Takeoff had shared their joint LP, “Only Built for Infinity Links.”

    — Rick Springfield, whose hits include “Human Touch,” and, of course, “Jessie’s Girl,” is putting out his 21st album, “Automatic.” Written and produced by Springfield, the collection features 20 new songs. “My goal was solid three-minute tunes with the biggest hooks I could come up with,” he said in a news release. Springfield previewed his sound by releasing the title track and “She Walks With the Angels.” The album is dedicated to Matty Spindel, a friend and soundman of 25 years who died in 2022. Springfield will be hitting the road this summer on the I Want My ’80s Tour.

    — AP Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy

    NEW SERIES TO STREAM

    — Hip-hop is markings its 50th anniversary and Paramount+ will stream a documentary called “Mixtape” beginning Tuesday. The film explores how before the hip-hop genre had radio play, streaming or social media, its songs were often shared via mixtapes. Lil Wayne, DJ Khaled, Fat Joe, 2 Chainz, Big Boi and KRS-One are just a few of the artists featured in the doc about mixtape culture.

    — The half-hour critically acclaimed comedy “Reservation Dogs” returns for its third and final season on Wednesday on FX on Hulu. The series follows four Indigenous teens who, when we first meet them in season one, are reeling from the death of their friend Daniel. Daniel’s dream was to leave rural Oklahoma for California. The group decides the best way to honor Daniel is by fulfilling his goal and traveling to this magical state he was enamored with. To get there, they’ll steal and scheme but it’s not an easy road. In this new season, they’ve made it to California but don’t have the means to return home. Now that the friends have achieved Daniel’s wish, they also must decide what to do next with their own lives. The Indigenous representation in “Reservation Dogs” also extends behind-the-camera with each of its writers, directors and crew.

    — Netflix’s popular British rom-com drama series “Heartstopper,” starring Joe Locke and Kit Connor returns for its second season on Wednesday. Locke and Connor play Charlie and Nick, two high school schoolmates who fell in love in season one. The series has been praised for its portrayal of LGTBQ+ characters.

    — Sigourney Weaver and Alycia Debnam-Carey co-star in “The Lost Flowers of Alice Hunt” for Prime Video. The story is based on a novel of the same name by Holly Ringland. Debnam-Carey plays Alice, who as a young girl, moved in with her grandmother June – played by Weaver – after a family tragedy. June is a flower farmer and teaches Alice how flowers can be used as a form of self-expression. The story spans two decades and follows Alice into adulthood. The series debuts Friday, Aug. 4 on the streamer.

    — Alicia Rancilio

    NEW VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY

    — Dungeons & Dragons has seen a boom in popularity over the last few years, with a hit movie, live-streamed games and a major supporting role on “Stranger Things.” But it’s been a while since we’ve gotten a true D&D video game. That drought ends with Baldur’s Gate 3. You begin as just some poor sap with an evil parasite stuck in your brain, but once you round up the typical gang of wizards, brawlers, clerics and rogues, the fate of D&D’s sprawling Forgotten Realms is in your hands. Developer Larian Studios, best known for the terrific Divinity: Original Sin, has shown it has the chops to create stirring role-playing adventures, and has promised that this one could take up to 200 hours to fully explore. You can pick up your sword or wand Thursday on PC, or hold out for the PlayStation 5 version in September.

    — Lou Kesten

    ___

    Catch up on AP’s entertainment coverage here: https://apnews.com/entertainment.

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  • What to stream this week: Taylor Swift, a new animated ‘Superman,’ ‘Biosphere’ and ‘Wham!’

    What to stream this week: Taylor Swift, a new animated ‘Superman,’ ‘Biosphere’ and ‘Wham!’

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    Taylor Swift’s rerecording of her “Speak Now” and survivalist Bear Grylls taking Bradley Cooper and Rita Ora into the wild are among the new television, movies, music and games headed to a device near you.

    Among the offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists are the sci-fi comedy ”Biosphere” starring Sterling K. Brown and Mark Duplass, and a new spin-off series starring Luann de Lesseps and Sonja Morgan from “The Real Housewives of New York City.”

    NEW MOVIES TO STREAM

    — Sterling K. Brown and Mark Duplass are the last two men on Earth in the not-too-distant-future sci-fi comedy ”Biosphere,” available in theaters and on demand on Friday, July 7 from IFC. John DeFore in The Hollywood Reporter wrote that it’s “a mysterious and hilarious pic that really can’t be discussed much without saying things a prospective viewer would be better off not hearing.” “Biosphere” is the directorial debut of Mel Elsyn, who co-wrote the script with Duplass.

    — If Paramount+ isn’t in your streaming bundle, “80 for Brady” will be available on Prime Video starting Tuesday. The movie, inspired by a true story, stars Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno and Sally Field as a quartet of best friends, and lifelong Patriots fans, who go to the super bowl to see Tom Brady play. Reviews weren’t great, but most singled out the legendary actors as reason enough to take a chance. Stephanie Zacherek, in Time, wrote it was “brassy, ridiculous and shameless” and also “irresistible,” while critic Katie Walsh singled out the “loose, absurdist” humor of the screenplay. Plus, it’s only 98 minutes.

    — Freddie (Park Ji-min) is a 25-year-old who was adopted as a child, raised in France and decides to return to South Korea, where she was born, for the first time in “Return to Seoul,” coming to Mubi on Friday, July 7. The critically acclaimed film, written and directed by Davy Chou, got a little lost in its theatrical run but made a handful of year-end best of lists. Richard Lawson, in Vanity Fair, wrote, “She’s a fascinating creation, prickly and mercurial and, for a spell, immoral. But Chou eventually rounds his film into something compassionate, a bittersweet collage of a young life in flux.”

    — AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr

    NEW MUSIC TO STREAM

    — Taylor Swift has given us a chance to travel back in time after she re-recorded her sophomore country album, “Speak Now,” her third do-over after “Red (Taylor’s Version)” and “Fearless (Taylor’s Version).” “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” has 22 songs, including six that were written during the album’s original era, but not recorded until recently. Fall Out Boy and Paramore’s Hayley Williams are among the guest appearances. Swift wrote on social media: “Since ‘Speak Now’ was all about my songwriting, I decided to go to the artists who I feel influenced me most powerfully as a lyricist at that time and ask them to sing on the album.”

    — If PJ Harvey’s new album sounds fresh and inspired that’s because the new songs came out in about three weeks and they were recorded spontaneously. “I Inside the Old Year Dying” is Harvey’s 10th studio album and first since 2016’s Grammy-nominated “The Hope Six Demolition Project.” The album is produced by long-time collaborators Flood and John Parish. Lead folkish single “A Child’s Question, August,” is filled with pastoral imagery, sparse instrumentation and the singer’s soprano.

    — Go to Netflix if you’re hoping to wake up before you go-go to celebrate a special pop duo in “Wham!” The 92-minute documentary about the musical pair — George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley — lands Wednesday and promises access to personal archives including never-before-seen footage, and previously unheard interviews. The doc, directed by Chris Smith, charts the duo’s four-year journey from teenage school friends to global superstars with hits like “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” and “Young Guns.” Michael died in 2016.

    — AP Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy

    NEW SERIES TO STREAM

    — Part one of “The Lincoln Lawyer” season two drops Thursday on Netflix. If you haven’t watched the series based on the novels by Michael Connelly, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo plays Mickey Haller. Haller is a well-known defense attorney in Los Angeles who has a keen ability to think outside the box in ways to help his clients. He’s also often chauffeured around town in a Lincoln while he does work from the back seat. Season one saw Haller return to law after several setbacks including addiction and a divorce. In season two, Haller is the It Lawyer in town. Season two is based on Connelly book’ “The Fifth Witness.”

    — David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan aren’t the only new Superman and Lois Lane in town. A new animated series, “My Adventures with Superman,” has Jack Quaid as the superhero’s voice along with Alice Lee as Lois Lane. Debuting Thursday on Adult Swim, the story follows Clark Kent as a reporter for the local paper in Metropolis who also happens to be a secret superhero.

    — Adventurist Bear Grylls has found more celebrities to take out of their comfort zone and be tested by the great outdoors. Watch Bradley Cooper venture out into the Wyoming Basin on a new season of “Running Wild with Bear Grylls: The Challenge,” premiering Sunday, July 9. Other stars featured include Troy Kotsur, Grylls’ first deaf guest whom he takes to the Scottish Highlands, “Doctor Strange” and “Sherlock” star Benedict Cumberbatch, Tatiana Maslany of “She-Hulk,” recording artist Rita Ora, and Tony Award-winners Daveed Diggs and Cynthia Erivo.

    — Bravo is sending two of its most iconic Bravo-lebrities, Luann de Lesseps and Sonja Morgan of “The Real Housewives of New York City,” and giving them the “Simple Life”-meets-“Schitt’s Creek” treatment in “Luann and Sonja: Welcome to Crappie Lake.” Normally accustomed to trips to the Hamptons or St. Tropez, the pair jet off to Benton, Illinois, where the population is less than 7,000. The socialites check into a motel and are requested by the mayor to boost Benton’s morale. De Lesseps and Morgan revitalize a local theater with a variety show and build a new program. They also take part in activities like searching a nearby lake for crappie fish with their bare hands or going mudding with monster trucks. The show premieres Sunday, July 9, on Bravo and episodes will stream the following day on Peacock.

    — Alicia Rancilio

    NEW VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY

    — In 2004, the Japanese developer Nihon Falcom launched one of the most ambitious video game franchises in history with The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky. Ten titles later, the drama of the war-torn land of Zemuria shows no signs of slowing down, and it has been finding a wider Western audience since NIS America took over the English translations in 2019. The latest chapter, The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie, is being pitched as the series’ midpoint, so it may be a good chance for newcomers to catch up and the story so far and brace themselves for the endgame. If you relish the turn-by-turn strategy and anime-influenced storytelling of old-school Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy games, you can pick up the trail Friday, July 7, on PlayStation 5/4 and Nintendo Switch.

    — Lou Kesten

    ___

    Catch up on AP’s entertainment coverage here: https://apnews.com/entertainment.

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  • What to stream this week: Taylor Swift, a new animated ‘Superman,’ ‘Biosphere’ and ‘Wham!’

    What to stream this week: Taylor Swift, a new animated ‘Superman,’ ‘Biosphere’ and ‘Wham!’

    [ad_1]

    Taylor Swift’s rerecording of her “Speak Now” and survivalist Bear Grylls taking Bradley Cooper and Rita Ora into the wild are among the new television, movies, music and games headed to a device near you.

    Among the offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists are the sci-fi comedy ”Biosphere” starring Sterling K. Brown and Mark Duplass, and a new spin-off series starring Luann de Lesseps and Sonja Morgan from “The Real Housewives of New York City.”

    NEW MOVIES TO STREAM

    — Sterling K. Brown and Mark Duplass are the last two men on Earth in the not-too-distant-future sci-fi comedy ”Biosphere,” available in theaters and on demand on Friday, July 7 from IFC. John DeFore in The Hollywood Reporter wrote that it’s “a mysterious and hilarious pic that really can’t be discussed much without saying things a prospective viewer would be better off not hearing.” “Biosphere” is the directorial debut of Mel Elsyn, who co-wrote the script with Duplass.

    — If Paramount+ isn’t in your streaming bundle, “80 for Brady” will be available on Prime Video starting Tuesday. The movie, inspired by a true story, stars Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno and Sally Field as a quartet of best friends, and lifelong Patriots fans, who go to the super bowl to see Tom Brady play. Reviews weren’t great, but most singled out the legendary actors as reason enough to take a chance. Stephanie Zacherek, in Time, wrote it was “brassy, ridiculous and shameless” and also “irresistible,” while critic Katie Walsh singled out the “loose, absurdist” humor of the screenplay. Plus, it’s only 98 minutes.

    — Freddie (Park Ji-min) is a 25-year-old who was adopted as a child, raised in France and decides to return to South Korea, where she was born, for the first time in “Return to Seoul,” coming to Mubi on Friday, July 7. The critically acclaimed film, written and directed by Davy Chou, got a little lost in its theatrical run but made a handful of year-end best of lists. Richard Lawson, in Vanity Fair, wrote, “She’s a fascinating creation, prickly and mercurial and, for a spell, immoral. But Chou eventually rounds his film into something compassionate, a bittersweet collage of a young life in flux.”

    — AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr

    NEW MUSIC TO STREAM

    — Taylor Swift has given us a chance to travel back in time after she re-recorded her sophomore country album, “Speak Now,” her third do-over after “Red (Taylor’s Version)” and “Fearless (Taylor’s Version).” “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” has 22 songs, including six that were written during the album’s original era, but not recorded until recently. Fall Out Boy and Paramore’s Hayley Williams are among the guest appearances. Swift wrote on social media: “Since ‘Speak Now’ was all about my songwriting, I decided to go to the artists who I feel influenced me most powerfully as a lyricist at that time and ask them to sing on the album.”

    — If PJ Harvey’s new album sounds fresh and inspired that’s because the new songs came out in about three weeks and they were recorded spontaneously. “I Inside the Old Year Dying” is Harvey’s 10th studio album and first since 2016’s Grammy-nominated “The Hope Six Demolition Project.” The album is produced by long-time collaborators Flood and John Parish. Lead folkish single “A Child’s Question, August,” is filled with pastoral imagery, sparse instrumentation and the singer’s soprano.

    — Go to Netflix if you’re hoping to wake up before you go-go to celebrate a special pop duo in “Wham!” The 92-minute documentary about the musical pair — George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley — lands Wednesday and promises access to personal archives including never-before-seen footage, and previously unheard interviews. The doc, directed by Chris Smith, charts the duo’s four-year journey from teenage school friends to global superstars with hits like “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” and “Young Guns.” Michael died in 2016.

    — AP Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy

    NEW SERIES TO STREAM

    — Part one of “The Lincoln Lawyer” season two drops Thursday on Netflix. If you haven’t watched the series based on the novels by Michael Connelly, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo plays Mickey Haller. Haller is a well-known defense attorney in Los Angeles who has a keen ability to think outside the box in ways to help his clients. He’s also often chauffeured around town in a Lincoln while he does work from the back seat. Season one saw Haller return to law after several setbacks including addiction and a divorce. In season two, Haller is the It Lawyer in town. Season two is based on Connelly book’ “The Fifth Witness.”

    — David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan aren’t the only new Superman and Lois Lane in town. A new animated series, “My Adventures with Superman,” has Jack Quaid as the superhero’s voice along with Alice Lee as Lois Lane. Debuting Thursday on Adult Swim, the story follows Clark Kent as a reporter for the local paper in Metropolis who also happens to be a secret superhero.

    — Adventurist Bear Grylls has found more celebrities to take out of their comfort zone and be tested by the great outdoors. Watch Bradley Cooper venture out into the Wyoming Basin on a new season of “Running Wild with Bear Grylls: The Challenge,” premiering Sunday, July 9. Other stars featured include Troy Kotsur, Grylls’ first deaf guest whom he takes to the Scottish Highlands, “Doctor Strange” and “Sherlock” star Benedict Cumberbatch, Tatiana Maslany of “She-Hulk,” recording artist Rita Ora, and Tony Award-winners Daveed Diggs and Cynthia Erivo.

    — Bravo is sending two of its most iconic Bravo-lebrities, Luann de Lesseps and Sonja Morgan of “The Real Housewives of New York City,” and giving them the “Simple Life”-meets-“Schitt’s Creek” treatment in “Luann and Sonja: Welcome to Crappie Lake.” Normally accustomed to trips to the Hamptons or St. Tropez, the pair jet off to Benton, Illinois, where the population is less than 7,000. The socialites check into a motel and are requested by the mayor to boost Benton’s morale. De Lesseps and Morgan revitalize a local theater with a variety show and build a new program. They also take part in activities like searching a nearby lake for crappie fish with their bare hands or going mudding with monster trucks. The show premieres Sunday, July 9, on Bravo and episodes will stream the following day on Peacock.

    — Alicia Rancilio

    NEW VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY

    — In 2004, the Japanese developer Nihon Falcom launched one of the most ambitious video game franchises in history with The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky. Ten titles later, the drama of the war-torn land of Zemuria shows no signs of slowing down, and it has been finding a wider Western audience since NIS America took over the English translations in 2019. The latest chapter, The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie, is being pitched as the series’ midpoint, so it may be a good chance for newcomers to catch up and the story so far and brace themselves for the endgame. If you relish the turn-by-turn strategy and anime-influenced storytelling of old-school Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy games, you can pick up the trail Friday, July 7, on PlayStation 5/4 and Nintendo Switch.

    — Lou Kesten

    ___

    Catch up on AP’s entertainment coverage here: https://apnews.com/entertainment.

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  • Tom Sizemore, ‘Saving Private Ryan’ actor, dies at 61

    Tom Sizemore, ‘Saving Private Ryan’ actor, dies at 61

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    BURBANK, Calif. — Tom Sizemore, the “Saving Private Ryan” actor whose bright 1990s star burned out under the weight of his own domestic violence and drug convictions, died Friday at age 61.

    The actor had suffered a brain aneurysm on Feb. 18 at his home in Los Angeles. He died in his sleep Friday at a hospital in Burbank, California, his manager Charles Lago said.

    Sizemore became a star with acclaimed appearances in “Natural Born Killers” and the cult-classic crime thriller “Heat.” But serious substance dependency, abuse allegations and multiple run-ins with the law devastated his career, left him homeless and sent him to jail.

    As the global #MeToo movement wave crested in late 2017, Sizemore was also accused of groping an 11-year-old Utah girl on set in 2003. He called the allegations “highly disturbing,” saying he would never inappropriately touch a child. Charges were not filed.

    Despite the raft of legal trouble, Sizemore had scores of steady film and television credits — though his career never regained its onetime momentum. Aside from “Black Hawk Down” and “Pearl Harbor,” most of his 21st century roles came in low-budget, little-seen productions where he continued to play the gruff, tough guys he became famous for portraying.

    “I was a guy who’d come from very little and risen to the top. I’d had the multimillion-dollar house, the Porsche, the restaurant I partially owned with Robert De Niro,” the Detroit-born Sizemore wrote in his 2013 memoir, “By Some Miracle I Made It Out of There.” “And now I had absolutely nothing.”

    The book’s title was taken from a line uttered by his character in “Saving Private Ryan,” a role for which he garnered Oscar buzz. But he wrote that success turned him into a “spoiled movie star,” an “arrogant fool” and eventually “a hope-to-die addict.”

    He racked up a string of domestic violence arrests. Sizemore was married once, to actor Maeve Quinlan, and was arrested on suspicion of beating her in 1997. While the charges were dropped, the couple divorced in 1999.

    Sizemore was convicted of abusing ex-girlfriend Heidi Fleiss in 2003 — the same year he pleaded no contest and avoided trial in a separate abuse case — and sentenced to jail. The former Hollywood madam testified that he had punched her in the jaw at a Beverly Hills hotel, and beaten her in New York to the point where they couldn’t attend the “Black Hawk Down” premiere.

    The sentencing judge said drug abuse was likely a catalyst but that testimony had revealed a man who had deep problems dealing with women. Fleiss called Sizemore “a zero” in a conversation with The Associated Press after his conviction.

    Sizemore apologized in a letter, saying he was “chastened” and that “personal demons” had taken over his life, though he later denied abusing her and accused her of faking a picture showing her bruises.

    Fleiss also sued Sizemore, saying she suffered emotional distress after he threatened to get her own probation revoked. Fleiss had been convicted in 1994 of running a high-priced call-girl ring. That lawsuit was settled on undisclosed terms.

    Sizemore was the subject of two workplace sexual harassment lawsuits related to the 2002 CBS show “Robbery Homicide Division,” in which he played a police detective. He was arrested as recently as 2016 in another domestic violence case.

    Sizemore ended up jailed from August 2007 to January 2009 for failing numerous drug tests while on probation and after Bakersfield, California, authorities found methamphetamine in his car.

    “God’s trying to tell me he doesn’t want me using drugs because every time I use them I get caught,” Sizemore told The Bakersfield Californian in a jailhouse interview.

    Sizemore told the AP in 2013 that he believed his dependency was related to the trappings of success. He struggled to maintain his emotional composure as he described a low point looking in the mirror: “I looked like I was 100 years old. I had no relationship with my kids; I had no work to speak off. I was living in squat.”

    He appeared on the reality TV show “Celebrity Rehab” and its spinoff “Sober House,” telling the AP that he did the shows to receive help, but also partly to pay off accumulated debts that ran into the millions.

    Many of Sizemore’s later-career films had a sci-fi, horror or action bent: In 2022 alone, he starred in movies with such titles as “Impuratus,” “Night of the Tommyknockers” and “Vampfather.” But Sizemore still nabbed a few meaty roles — including in the “Twin Peaks” revival — and guest spots on popular shows like “Entourage” and “Hawaii Five-O.”

    A stuntman sued Sizemore and Paramount Pictures in 2016, saying he was injured when the allegedly intoxicated actor ran him over while filming USA’s “Shooter.” State records obtained by the AP showed that Sizemore was only supposed to be sitting in the unmoving car and that he “improvised at the end of the scene and drove away in his car.” Sizemore was fired from “Shooter” and the stuntman’s lawsuit was settled on undisclosed terms.

    In addition to his film and TV credits, he was part of the voice cast for 2002’s “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City” video game. He also taught classes at the LA West Acting Studio, according to recent advertisements.

    He is survived by his 17-year-old twin sons, Jayden and Jagger, and his brother Paul, all of whom were by his side when he died.

    “I’ve led an interesting life, but I can’t tell you what I’d give to be the guy you didn’t know anything about,” Sizemore wrote in his memoir.

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  • Ant-Man opens big at box office with $104M for ‘Quantumania’

    Ant-Man opens big at box office with $104M for ‘Quantumania’

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    NEW YORK — Phase five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe may have gotten off to a rocky start, but Ant-Man is bigger than ever at the box office.

    “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” opened with $104 million in domestic ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday, easily surpassing the box-office debuts of the previous two Ant-Man films. The Walt Disney Co.’s “Quantumania” added another $121.3 million overseas to give the pint-sized hero a $225 million global launch.

    It’s easily the largest opening of the year so far. And “Quantumania” did so despite an atypically poor reception for the 31st MCU film. “Quantumania,” starring Paul Rudd as Ant-Man, Evangeline Lilly as the Wasp and Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror, sits at 48% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the only MCU film to rank as rotten beside “The Eternals” (47%).

    Audiences also weren’t thrilled with “Quantumania,” giving it a “B” CinemaScore. “The Eternals” is the only other MCU film to receive a CinemaScore that low.

    Those scores will pose the biggest concern for Marvel as it continues to unroll phase five of the MCU, following mixed reviews for the post-“Avengers: Eternals” phase four of the comic-book franchise. Up next is “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” in May.

    But good reviews or not, theaters hope “Quantumania” — the first blockbuster of the year — is a sign of things to come. After the turmoil of the past three years, there are some 30 more wide releases planned for 2023.

    “It will feel almost in the coming weeks like a pre-pandemic moviegoing environment in terms of the marketplace,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for data firm Comscore. “That’s very good news coming off a very tumultuous past two, three years. This is the start of a big many months for this industry. We’ve sort of been in the waiting room with holdovers like ‘Avatar’ and others.”

    The first “Ant-Man” launched with $57.2 million domestically in 2015, the smallest opening for any movie in the MCU. It ultimately earned $519.3 million worldwide. Its sequel, “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” debuted three years later with $75.8 million and went to collect $622.7 million globally.

    China was vital for both of those releases, which each topping $100 million there. But in recent years, particularly during the pandemic, fewer American movies have secured major releases in the heavily regulated Chinese market. Not since “Avengers: Endgame” in 2019 has a Disney release opened simultaneously in the U.S. and China.

    Whether China will ever go back to those pre-pandemic numbers for U.S. movies, however, remains to be seen — especially as tensions continue to fester over the Chinese balloons surveillance program. “Quantumania” took in $19 million over the weekend in China.

    In its 10th weekend of release, James Cameron’s “Avatar: The Way of Water” remained in second place with $6.4 million. With $2.243 billion globally, Cameron’s sci-fi sequel has now just surpassed “Titanic” — currently back in theaters for its 25th anniversary — as the third-highest grossing film ever. Now, only the 2009 “Avatar” and “Avengers: Endgame” rank above “The Way of Water.”

    Last week’s top film, “Magic Mike’s Last Dance” slid to third place with $5.5 million. The Channing Tatum sequel has collected $18.1 million in two weeks.

    Landing in fourth was Universal’s “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” which has enjoyed an unusually long run in theaters as the top family option since late December. With $5.3 million over the weekend, it has totaled $167 million domestically and more than $400 million worldwide.

    Only one new film went into wide release against “Quantumania.” Open Road and Briarcliff Entertainment debuted “Marlowe,” with Liam Neeson playing Raymond Chandler’s classic private eye, in 2,281 locations. “Marlowe,” though, only mustered $1.9 million.

    Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore, with Wednesday through Sunday in parentheses. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

    1. “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” $104 million.

    2. “Avatar: The Way of Water,” $6.1 million.

    3. “Magic Mike’s Last Dance,” $5.5 million.

    4. “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” $5.3 million.

    5. “Knock at the Cabin,” $3.9 million.

    6. “80 for Brady,” $3.6 million.

    7. “Titanic,” $2.3 million.

    8. “Marlowe,” $1.9 million.

    9. “Missing,” $1.7 million.

    10. “A Man Called Otto,” $1.6 million.

    ___

    This story has been corrected to correct the rankings of “Magic Mike’s Last Dance” and “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” which were originally transposed.

    ___

    Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP

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  • Ant-Man opens big at box office with $104M for ‘Quantumania’

    Ant-Man opens big at box office with $104M for ‘Quantumania’

    [ad_1]

    NEW YORK — Phase five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe may have gotten off to a rocky start, but Ant-Man is bigger than ever at the box office.

    “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” opened with $104 million in domestic ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday, easily surpassing the box-office debuts of the previous two Ant-Man films. The Walt Disney Co.’s “Quantumania” added another $121.3 million overseas to give the pint-sized hero a $225 million global launch.

    It’s easily the largest opening of the year so far. And “Quantumania” did so despite an atypically poor reception for the 31st MCU film. “Quantumania,” starring Paul Rudd as Ant-Man, Evangeline Lilly as the Wasp and Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror, sits at 48% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the only MCU film to rank as rotten beside “The Eternals” (47%).

    Audiences also weren’t thrilled with “Quantumania,” giving it a “B” CinemaScore. “The Eternals” is the only other MCU film to receive a CinemaScore that low.

    Those scores will pose the biggest concern for Marvel as it continues to unroll phase five of the MCU, following mixed reviews for the post-“Avengers: Eternals” phase four of the comic-book franchise. Up next is “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” in May.

    But good reviews or not, theaters hope “Quantumania” — the first blockbuster of the year — is a sign of things to come. After the turmoil of the past three years, there are some 30 more wide releases planned for 2023.

    “It will feel almost in the coming weeks like a pre-pandemic moviegoing environment in terms of the marketplace,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for data firm Comscore. “That’s very good news coming off a very tumultuous past two, three years. This is the start of a big many months for this industry. We’ve sort of been in the waiting room with holdovers like ‘Avatar’ and others.”

    The first “Ant-Man” launched with $57.2 million domestically in 2015, the smallest opening for any movie in the MCU. It ultimately earned $519.3 million worldwide. Its sequel, “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” debuted three years later with $75.8 million and went to collect $622.7 million globally.

    China was vital for both of those releases, which each topping $100 million there. But in recent years, particularly during the pandemic, fewer American movies have secured major releases in the heavily regulated Chinese market. Not since “Avengers: Endgame” in 2019 has a Disney release opened simultaneously in the U.S. and China.

    Whether China will ever go back to those pre-pandemic numbers for U.S. movies, however, remains to be seen — especially as tensions continue to fester over the Chinese balloons surveillance program. “Quantumania” took in $19 million over the weekend in China.

    In its 10th weekend of release, James Cameron’s “Avatar: The Way of Water” remained in second place with $6.4 million. With $2.243 billion globally, Cameron’s sci-fi sequel has now just surpassed “Titanic” — currently back in theaters for its 25th anniversary — as the third-highest grossing film ever. Now, only the 2009 “Avatar” and “Avengers: Endgame” rank above “The Way of Water.”

    Last week’s top film, “Magic Mike’s Last Dance” slid to third place with $5.5 million. The Channing Tatum sequel has collected $18.1 million in two weeks.

    Landing in fourth was Universal’s “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” which has enjoyed an unusually long run in theaters as the top family option since late December. With $5.3 million over the weekend, it has totaled $167 million domestically and more than $400 million worldwide.

    Only one new film went into wide release against “Quantumania.” Open Road and Briarcliff Entertainment debuted “Marlowe,” with Liam Neeson playing Raymond Chandler’s classic private eye, in 2,281 locations. “Marlowe,” though, only mustered $1.9 million.

    Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore, with Wednesday through Sunday in parentheses. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

    1. “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” $104 million.

    2. “Avatar: The Way of Water,” $6.1 million.

    3. “Magic Mike’s Last Dance,” $5.5 million.

    4. “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” $5.3 million.

    5. “Knock at the Cabin,” $3.9 million.

    6. “80 for Brady,” $3.6 million.

    7. “Titanic,” $2.3 million.

    8. “Marlowe,” $1.9 million.

    9. “Missing,” $1.7 million.

    10. “A Man Called Otto,” $1.6 million.

    ___

    This story has been corrected to correct the rankings of “Magic Mike’s Last Dance” and “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” which were originally transposed.

    ___

    Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP

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  • Ant-Man opens big at box office with $104M for ‘Quantumania’

    Ant-Man opens big at box office with $104M for ‘Quantumania’

    [ad_1]

    NEW YORK — Phase five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe may have gotten off to a rocky start, but Ant-Man is bigger than ever at the box office.

    “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” opened with $104 million in domestic ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday, easily surpassing the box-office debuts of the previous two Ant-Man films. The Walt Disney Co.’s “Quantumania” added another $121.3 million overseas to give the pint-sized hero a $225 million global launch.

    It’s easily the largest opening of the year so far. And “Quantumania” did so despite an atypically poor reception for the 31st MCU film. “Quantumania,” starring Paul Rudd as Ant-Man, Evangeline Lilly as the Wasp and Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror, sits at 48% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the only MCU film to rank as rotten beside “The Eternals” (47%).

    Audiences also weren’t thrilled with “Quantumania,” giving it a “B” CinemaScore. “The Eternals” is the only other MCU film to receive a CinemaScore that low.

    Those scores will pose the biggest concern for Marvel as it continues to unroll phase five of the MCU, following mixed reviews for the post-“Avengers: Eternals” phase four of the comic-book franchise. Up next is “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” in May.

    But good reviews or not, theaters hope “Quantumania” — the first blockbuster of the year — is a sign of things to come. After the turmoil of the past three years, there are some 30 more wide releases planned for 2023.

    “It will feel almost in the coming weeks like a pre-pandemic moviegoing environment in terms of the marketplace,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for data firm Comscore. “That’s very good news coming off a very tumultuous past two, three years. This is the start of a big many months for this industry. We’ve sort of been in the waiting room with holdovers like ‘Avatar’ and others.”

    The first “Ant-Man” launched with $57.2 million domestically in 2015, the smallest opening for any movie in the MCU. It ultimately earned $519.3 million worldwide. Its sequel, “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” debuted three years later with $75.8 million and went to collect $622.7 million globally.

    China was vital for both of those releases, which each topping $100 million there. But in recent years, particularly during the pandemic, fewer American movies have secured major releases in the heavily regulated Chinese market. Not since “Avengers: Endgame” in 2019 has a Disney release opened simultaneously in the U.S. and China.

    Whether China will ever go back to those pre-pandemic numbers for U.S. movies, however, remains to be seen — especially as tensions continue to fester over the Chinese balloons surveillance program. “Quantumania” took in $19 million over the weekend in China.

    In its 10th weekend of release, James Cameron’s “Avatar: The Way of Water” remained in second place with $6.4 million. With $2.243 billion globally, Cameron’s sci-fi sequel has now just surpassed “Titanic” — currently back in theaters for its 25th anniversary — as the third-highest grossing film ever. Now, only the 2009 “Avatar” and “Avengers: Endgame” rank above “The Way of Water.”

    Landing in third was Universal’s “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” which has enjoyed an unusually long run in theaters as the top family option since late December. With $5.3 over the weekend, it has totaled $167 million domestically and more than $400 million worldwide.

    Last week’s top film, “Magic Mike’s Last Dance” slid to fourth place with $5.5 million. The Channing Tatum sequel has collected $18.1 million in two weeks.

    Only one new film went into wide release against “Quantumania.” Open Road and Briarcliff Entertainment debuted “Marlowe,” with Liam Neeson playing Raymond Chandler’s classic private eye, in 2,281 locations. “Marlowe,” though, only mustered $1.9 million.

    Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore, with Wednesday through Sunday in parentheses. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

    1. “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” $104 million.

    2. “Avatar: The Way of Water,” $6.1 million.

    3. “Magic Mike’s Last Dance,” $5.5 million.

    4. “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” $5.3 million.

    5. “Knock at the Cabin,” $3.9 million.

    6. “80 for Brady,” $3.6 million.

    7. “Titanic,” $2.3 million.

    8. “Marlowe,” $1.9 million.

    9. “Missing,” $1.7 million.

    10. “A Man Called Otto,” $1.6 million.

    ___

    Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP

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