Posted on

YouTube Scores Again! ‘Amazing Digital Circus’ Crushes Box Office

“The Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act” shocked everyone this weekend.

But why?

The theatrical release, actually the final two episodes of the animated series spliced together, made the most money during the critical Thursday frame.

That’s more than “Scary Movie,” the film which debuts at no. 1 this weekend, and more than horror sensations “Obsession” and “Backrooms.”

A look at one raw number suggests we all should have seen it coming. Two numbers, actually.

The YouTube channel that hosted the show’s pilot episode, Glitch, has 21.3 million subscribers. The show’s pilot episode has generated nearly 440 million views since October.

Plus, the series has 1.2B global online views, according to Fathom Entertainment.

Why wouldn’t “The Amazing Digital Circus” crush the box office competition? ANd it did so on roughly half the number of screens available to its studio competition.

It’s the latest example of YouTube flexing its theatrical might. For those who thought the twin horror hits of “Obsession” and “Backrooms” were just anomalies, think again.

Just imagine how many studio executives will be scouring YouTube for their next directorial hires. They’ve already discovered Curry Barker and Kane Parsons, the directors behind “Obsession” and “Backrooms,” respectively.

Both flexed their creative might on digital platforms, including YouTube, prior to their breakout films.

“The Amazing Digital Circus” did just that on YouTube. Meanwhile, an IP born in the ’80s likely won’t make back its budget after this weekend’s results.

“Masters of the Universe” is on track to earn roughly $30 million on a $200 million budget. Gen Z isn’t as familiar with that property as their parents. Chances are, they’re much more in touch with “The Amazing Digital Circus.”

And the numbers bear that out.

Fathom Entertainment says “Circus” was scheduled for a four-day release. Now, given the audience enthusiasm, its run will go through June 18.

The title also became the largest ticket presales winner in Fathom history.

What’s more impressive? Fans could have waited a few days to see the show’s finale for free online. The final installments will go live on Glitch’s YouTube channel on June 19.

They. Just. Couldn’t. Wait.

The movie business is roaring back this year, and we still haven’t seen “Toy Story 5,” “Moana,” “The Odyssey,” “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” “Avengers: Doomsday” or “Dune 3” yet.

The triple blend of traditional IPs, video game adaptations and YouTube-based stories is the jolt Hollywood desperately needed.

Source

Posted on

R-Rated ‘Scary Movie’ Trounces Family-Friendly ‘Breadwinner’

Woke killed the R-rated comedy.

It’s hard to deny. It’s even more challenging to bring them back, en masse, to movie theaters.

The recent “No Hard Feelings” was a good first effort, drawing a modest crowd and delivering a few adult laughs. The recent “Busboys,” released with zero fanfare, pushed the envelope but quickly disappeared from theaters.

Others, like “Ricky Stanicky” and “Balls Up” debuted on Prime Video, not in theaters. The former found some R-rated laughs while the latter proved unwatchable. (Full disclosure: This critic watched the first 25 minutes of “Balls Up” but bailed at that point – so not a full-throated review)

Now, we have our first R-rated comedy smash in a while, courtesy of the Wayans family.

“Scary Movie,” the sixth film in the parody franchise, is set to make an estimated $56 million this weekend in a very crowded, competitive marketplace. That’s gold, especially since the film’s budget came in around $30 million.

That’s just math.

Now, compare that to the reception for “The Breadwinner.” The squeaky-clean comedy gives Nate Bargatze his first major film role. He’s the most popular stand-up comedian in the country by a large margin.

Yet the film opened to a tepid $7+ million in its opening frame, and it’s expected to fall roughly 59 percent this weekend.

“The Breadwinner” will likely crush it on VOD and, later, a streaming service. The comic’s first film simply didn’t lure his legion of fans to theaters.

Audiences chose an R-rated comedy that vowed to offend and cross every line. The latter was literally in the film’s marketing materials.

We’ll need more data to draw more conclusions from this box office information, but it suggests we’re eager to see more bawdy comedies at our local cineplex.

Could “The Hangover: Part IV” be next?

Do you long for the return of R-rated comedies in theaters? Which ones are your personal favorites?

Source

Posted on

2026 Summer Movie Calendar

Images from Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, Supergirl, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Toy Story 5, and Scary Movie(Photo by Nicola Goode/©Lucasfilm Ltd., Warner Bros. Pictures, ©Sony Pictures Releasing, Disney/Pixar, Paramount Pictures)

Technically, the first day of summer this year will be June 21, but as far as we’re concerned, the summer movie season starts on May 1. With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of all the major theatrical releases — as well as a handful of notable ones on streaming — for you to look forward to during the months of May through August.

Movie ticket and concession prices are as high as they’ve ever been, and we know it’s important to make strategic decisions about where to spend your money. So check out the full schedule below, and plan accordingly.

May | June | July | August

May 1

May 8

May 15

May 20

May 22

May 29

June 5

June 12

June 19

June 26

July 1

July 3

July 10

July 17

July 24

July 31

August 7

August 14

August 21

August 28

Thumbnail images by Miya Mizuno/©Sony Pictures, ©Universal Pictures, Geoffrey Short/©Universal Pictures

Find Something Fresh! Discover What to Watch, Read Reviews, Leave Ratings and Build Watchlists. Download the Rotten Tomatoes App.

Source

Posted on

Mandy Moore Couldn’t Keep a Straight Face in The Breadwinner

Comedian Nate Bargatze has been doing stand-up since 2002, doing the kind of “clean comedy” that made Bob Newhart and Steve Martin a household name. In 2024, he became the highest-grossing stand-up comic, and he continues to play to sold out crowds all across the country. Considering his massive success, you might be wondering why he wanted to do The Breadwinner, his feature film debut, which has him playing a stay-at-home dad.

“Me and the writer, Dan Lagana, talked about writing a movie together, [and] this kind of fit with my stand-up, so we figured let’s just dive into this world.” Bargatze later explains that he wanted to make this a film for the whole family: “I think a lot of [movies] are getting harder to go to as a family […] This is a movie that’s [like] Home Alone or Mr. Mom, that you could see as a family, and that’s not being shown to the kids today.”

Someone who isn’t new to starring in films is Bargatze’s co-star Mandy Moore. She talks about her somewhat return to her comedy roots. “I’m not necessarily yucking it up in this film. I get to be the mom, who keeps things organized […] We’re surrounded by a hilarious group of people [in this film], and my real job was trying to keep it together and not break.”

(Photo by TriStar Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection. THE BREADWINNER)

In the film, Moore plays Katie Wilcox, the wife of Bargatze’s Nate Wilcox, who gets the opportunity of a lifetime when she lands a deal on Shark Tank, the long-running business reality series that features entrepreneurs pitching to potential investors. Moore talks about what it was like pitching on the show. 

“I’ve never been so nervous. They slotted us in at the very end of the day, so we had an hour and a half. We were on the clock, and we filmed it like a regular Shark Tank episode.” Moore was so anxious, she needed a pep talk from the stage manager. “My heart was beating out of my chest… [But] I wanted it to feel real. This is a woman who’s never been on camera before. The stakes are so unbelievably high.”

Watch the full Big Ticket interview with Nate Bargatze and Mandy Moore above, and check out The Breadwinner on the big screen when it opens on May 29. — Bryce Marrero

The Breadwinner opens in theaters on May 29, 2026. Get your tickets here.

Subscribe to the Big Ticket Podcast: Apple | Spotify

Thumbnail image by Sony Pictures

Find Something Fresh! Discover What to Watch, Read Reviews, Leave Ratings and Build Watchlists. Download the Rotten Tomatoes App.

Source

Posted on

The Devil Wears Prada 2 First Reviews: A Worthy, Entertaining

Arriving 20 years after the original, The Devil Wears Prada 2 hits theaters this Friday, and the first reviews are now online. Fans of the original are sure to enjoy the long-awaited return of Meryl Streep’s Oscar-nominated, fictionalized send-up of Anna Wintour, as well as Anne Hathaway’s Andy and Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci in their supporting roles. But anyone looking for more substance from the sequel may be disappointed.

Here’s what critics are saying about The Devil Wears Prada 2:

Does it live up to the original?

The Devil Wears Prada 2 not only justifies its return but rewards longtime fans with a funny, heartfelt ride through nostalgia.
— David Gonzalez, The Cinematic Reel

Hey, it might even be an improvement on that first flick.
— Gregory Ellwood, The Playlist

Effortlessly chic and consistently entertaining, it’s hard to imagine any fan of the original film walking away unsatisfied.
— Yasmine Kandil, Discussing Film

You are unlikely to be disappointed… [The] sequel hits familiar beats that fans will eat up.
— David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter

It’s nice to reunite with old characters that we love [and] witness a healthy dose of fan servicing.
— Tomris Laffly, RogerEbert.com

This sequel, for good long stretches, feels like old times — even if it’s hard to imagine fans of its predecessor cherishing repeat viewings to quite the same extent.
— Guy Lodge, Variety

Fans may not find it the superior film in terms of tight storytelling, but it is a deeply enjoyable, worthy follow-up.
— Michael Sowell, Nerdspin

When it comes to fashion and cinema, imitations may sell, but nothing beats an original.
— Nick Schager, The Daily Beast

Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, and Stanley Tucci in The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026)(Photo by Macall Polay/20th Century Studios)

But is it necessary?

The Devil Wears Prada 2 succeeds where many legacy sequels stumble; it finds a reason to exist beyond nostalgia.
— David Gonzalez, The Cinematic Reel

This legacyquel still more than justifies its existence by expanding out from the original’s fashion magazine to the world of print journalism at large, mining more mature emotional content that reflects the many years that have passed since the original.
— Dan Bayer, Next Best Picture

Unlike most long-delayed sequels that lean too heavily on “remember this?” nostalgia and ultimately fall flat, this film earns its place.
— Michael Sowell, Nerdspin

The sequel is already so last season, despite its fast fashion grasp at relevancy. Unlike the original, it doesn’t have what it takes to stick around.
— Siddhant Adlakha, JoySauce.com

Is its fan service effective?

We get several nods to the original film that strike the right balance of reverence and nostalgia rather than simply hitting beats of remembrance.
— Erik Anderson, AwardsWatch

It understands what made the original resonate in the first place, while updating its message for a new era.
— David Gonzalez, The Cinematic Reel

The movie goes out of its way to give us the fans what we want with winks at “florals for spring,” renewed old grudges, and emotional awakenings.
— Tomris Laffly, RogerEbert.com

Personally, I appreciated the many, many callbacks to the original film — so much nostalgia. Watching the sequel felt like spending time with family.
— Danielle Solzman, Solzy at the Movies

It’s a sequel made with intelligence and respect for both its predecessor and the legions who still love it, so much so that it functions less as a follow-up than as a kind of tribute act.
— Guy Lodge, Variety

Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026)(Photo by 20th Century Studios)

Will it actually appeal to journalists?

In a world where journalists and critics continue to lose access and job security, the film becomes a reflection on the fight to preserve journalistic integrity.
— David Gonzalez, The Cinematic Reel

Parent CompanyMergingDownsizingContent. If you find any of these words and phrases triggering, well, you at least have a supposed ally in this sequel.
— Tomris Laffly, RogerEbert.com

For anyone who works in the contracting media space, Prada 2 may actually feel too close for comfort.
— Gregory Ellwood, The Playlist

Hathaway gets to deliver the film’s single allotted f-bomb, which is meaningfully deployed: “Journalism still f–king matters!”
— Courtney Howard, Fresh Fiction

How is the script?

The Devil Wears Prada 2 delivers a screenplay that feels deeply connected to these beloved characters. While it leans into nostalgia, Brosh McKenna also has something timely to say.
— David Gonzalez, The Cinematic Reel

It’s clear they were waiting for the right script and, apart from an unnecessary and miscast love interest for Andy, McKenna has come through in spades.
— Gregory Ellwood, The Playlist

McKenna, working this time without the safety net of direct source material, has composed a shiny soap-bubble satire of a doom-laden cultural and journalistic landscape. As bubbles go, this one is easy to burst, but what it reflects back at us isn’t too far removed from the truth.
— Justin Chang, The New Yorker

[McKenna] taps into the current zeitgeist without sacrificing authenticity. The result is something that feels both fresh and familiar, retaining the sharpness that made the original movie so enduring.
— Yasmine Kandil, Discussing Film

While Brosh McKenna smartly ensures that the issues impeding the characters’ progress have matured alongside them, that can’t stop the film from feeling like a retread of the first.
— Dan Bayer, Next Best Picture

Certain story beats feel forced as the script works to bridge the chronological gap, and the film occasionally loses momentum toggling between corporate commentary and character drama.
— Michael Sowell, Nerdspin

A tighter script would have stopped the middle section from feeling like the movie is spinning its wheels.
— Ian Sandwell, Digital Spy

Is it funny?

Unsurprisingly, this sequel is wildly witty and has no trouble drawing consistent laughter from viewers.
— Yasmine Kandil, Discussing Film

The comedic sequences land brilliantly.
— Michael Sowell, Nerdspin

Stanley Tucci and Anne Hathaway in The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026)(Photo by Macall Polay/20th Century Studios)

Could it use more substance?

The movie is best when it sticks to fluffy, fun nostalgia rather than shooting for substance.
— David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter

The Devil Wears Prada, for all its pretensions to be About Something, is really just a finely-tuned bit of escapist fluff, and the sequel follows suit.
— Dan Bayer, Next Best Picture

Beneath the glitz and glamour is a more sentimental core than the original.
— Yasmine Kandil, Discussing Film

While there are some fun moments, some biting comments, and some sarcastic lines, there is a serious social commentary on the state of print media and the transition to an online presence.
— Allison Rose, FlickDirect

Nobody going into the sequel would expect it to be (or even want it to be) a tome on modern venture capitalism, but characters constantly hint at the shifting digital landscape in ways that threaten to further complicate the story. Unfortunately, this never really happens.
— Siddhant Adlakha, JoySauce.com

You can’t help but wish that this edition of the story was a bit more… groundbreaking.
— Tomris Laffly, RogerEbert.com

How is Meryl Streep’s return as Miranda Priestly?

Streep’s rare sequel return finds new spins on Miranda, with cracks in her icy exterior being broken far earlier than in the original film.
— Erik Anderson, AwardsWatch

Streep’s light touch, even with physical comedy like Miranda struggling with the overheads, is impeccable.
— David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter

Streep is an old pro at elevating a screenplay, and she does so here with elegant ease, finding lovely grace notes to paint a full portrait of this once-unstoppable woman just realizing she may be on the decline.
— Dan Bayer, Next Best Picture

Streep is Streep, and we can’t think of a higher compliment to pay her than that.
— David Fear, Rolling Stone

Streep’s second go-round… unfolds as a series of micro-indignities — a plunge from her Olympian perch, one stumble at a time.
— Justin Chang, The New Yorker

Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway in The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026)(Photo by Macall Polay/20th Century Studios)

Is the character still iconically cruel?

Don’t worry… Miranda still has more than enough glorious one-liners.
— Gregory Ellwood, The Playlist

Her Miranda may now be too familiar to be menacing, but the hushed, lacerating economy of her line readings, the glassy reserve of her body language, the layers of passive-aggressive meaning she compacts into one arched brow or tight half-smile all invite a kind of in-the-presence-of-greatness awe.
— Guy Lodge, Variety

She is a bit softened, but not entirely — she still reaches for an offensive remark or two as Miranda does. But while those quietly delivered insults are consistent with her character in the first movie, they feel underbaked here.
— Tomris Laffly, RogerEbert.com

The venom has been completely drained from Brosh McKenna’s pen. The insults in the first film stung, but here they merely poke; they’re good for a giggle, but you won’t hear people throwing around lines from this film in a decade.
— Dan Bayer, Next Best Picture

Bigger than any structural issues is the conceptual problem of Miranda just not being any fun this time around… The character’s forcibly congenial tone is a product of the movie’s half-hearted commentary on changing times.
— Siddhant Adlakha, JoySauce.com

A neutered Miranda is a pointless Miranda… Miranda is far less caustic and scary than before and, consequently, a good deal less funny.
— Nick Schager, The Daily Beast

How is Anne Hathaway’s performance this time?

Anne Hathaway once again proves herself to be the leading lady of a generation… She is such a genuine pleasure to watch in the role.
— Yasmine Kandil, Discussing Film

Hathaway once again shoulders Andy’s mix of steeliness and flightiness with consummate grace, and her shifting perspective reshapes our own prejudices.
— Justin Chang, The New Yorker

Hathaway is effortlessly charming.
— David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter

Hathaway is radiant and chipper as ever.
— Siddhant Adlakha, JoySauce.com

Hathaway adds grit to her ingenue version of Andy Sachs, yet still maintains the sense of innocence and righteousness needed to make her an appropriate tour guide for the audience.
— David Fear, Rolling Stone

Emily Blunt in The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026)(Photo by Macall Polay/20th Century Studios)

Do Blunt and Tucci get more of their own scene-stealing moments?

Tucci is the movie’s other MVP and gets many of McKenna’s best lines.
— David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter

Stanley Tucci’s Nigel, Miranda’s bestie and longtime lieutenant, rises above the mawkish soup with the film’s most genuine performance.
— Julian Roman, MovieWeb

Blunt is having the most fun of anyone in the cast, stealing every scene just as she did in the original film.
— Dan Bayer, Next Best Picture

Emily Blunt isn’t necessarily stealing the show this time — though she remains as unfiltered as ever.
— Danielle Solzman, Solzy at the Movies

Every time you think Blunt has hilariously stolen the movie from her co-stars, Streep, Hathaway, or Tucci pop up to remind you what powerhouses they are and steal it back.
— Gregory Ellwood, The Playlist

Are there any new cast additions worth mentioning?

Simone Ashley [is] the stand-out as Miranda’s first assistant, Amari, who isn’t just the “new Emily” and has a fun dynamic with Streep as Amari keeps Miranda in check.
— Ian Sandwell, Digital Spy

Supporting characters like Jin (Helen J Shen), Amari (Simone Ashley) and Charlie (Caleb Hearon) are barely one-dimensional. They’re all surprisingly underwritten and underutilized, despite their opportunities for screen time where they could leave a mark.
— Courtney Howard, Fresh Fiction

Does it have any fun cameos?

Cameos from real-world fashion figures and A-listers cement the film as a love letter to the industry.
— Michael Sowell, Nerdspin

What makes The Devil Wears Prada 2 even better, to some extent, is that Anna Wintour filmed a cameo.
— Danielle Solzman, Solzy at the Movies

There are some cameos and casting that seem a bit too “influencer” driven (slight cringe on two in particular).
— Gregory Ellwood, The Playlist

Few make a huge impression. Perhaps that’s because the stars of the original movie have only gotten more famous over the years.
— Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence

Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci in The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026)(Photo by Macall Polay/20th Century Studios)

How is the costume design?

I am by no means a fashionista, but even I can appreciate some of the outfits seen in the movie… The best of the best is featured, making the second film visually stunning.
— Allison Rose, FlickDirect

Many of the outfits are to die for… Costume designer Molly Rogers certainly deserves awards consideration.
— Danielle Solzman, Solzy at the Movies

Molly Rogers, the film’s costume designer and a protégé of the legendary Patricia Field, who worked on the original, will certainly be in awards contention for her contribution. The cast and their costumes look absolutely incredible.
— Julian Roman, MovieWeb

The baroque absurdist touch that couture doyenne Patricia Field previously brought to the proceedings is missed, as is the way the clothes were showcased by the first film’s crisp, gleaming look.
— Guy Lodge, Variety

The fashion here gave me brief pauses… There is something stale about some of [Andy’s] pinstriped suits and looks.
— Tomris Laffly, RogerEbert.com

There are many articles of clothing worn on screen that are objectively fabulous and craveable. There are also many outfits that are fugly as hell.
— Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence

Does the movie look good as a whole?

Visually, the film is a feast. The direction captures the high-octane gloss of the fashion world while grounding it in the sterile, high-stakes atmosphere of modern boardrooms.
— Michael Sowell, Nerdspin

Filming took place in Manhattan and Milan, so some of the visuals include incredible scenery.
— Allison Rose, FlickDirect

The journey is aesthetically pleasing, with a landscape fashioned by production designer Jess Gonchor and her impeccably crafted worlds.
— Courtney Howard, Fresh Fiction

Visually, the film rarely pushes beyond conventional framing, which feels ironic given the bold, stylized world it inhabits.
— David Gonzalez, The Cinematic Reel

Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026)(Photo by Macall Polay/20th Century Studios)

Are there any other major problems with the sequel?

A side plot involving Andy being commissioned to write a tell-all book on Miranda looms, heralding in the literal creation of the story that bears the film’s very name, is a bit too on the nose, and a very late in the film reconciliation feels unearned.
— Erik Anderson, AwardsWatch

Remind me, are we critiquing conspicuous displays of wealth or endorsing them? You could get whiplash trying to figure out where this movie stands on ostentatious luxury.
— David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter

After devoting so much screen time to the harsh truths about the state of “#content,” McKenna and director David Frankel still want a happy ending, and the one they come up with is a real deus ex machina move.
— Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence

What I found to be the biggest headscratcher in The Devil Wears Prada 2 is its seemingly happy resolution.
— Tomris Laffly, RogerEbert.com

Should there be another one?

I don’t know if… there needs to be a threequel in this series, but this trio will always be in dépêche mode.
— Erik Anderson, AwardsWatch

A third film would require the right story — and the full ensemble — but whether or not that happens, The Devil Wears Prada 2 proves there’s still something vital — and relevant — left in Miranda, Andy, Emily, and Nigel’s world.
— Danielle Solzman, Solzy at the Movies

These days, it feels equally likely that The Devil Wears Prada 3 will be released directly to Instagram Stories, in two-minute vertical chunks. At least the clothes will be… interesting.
— Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence

We’re not sure there will ever be another Devil Wears Prada installment, but be glad this one came along.
— Gregory Ellwood, The Playlist

The Devil Wears Prada 2 opens in theaters on May 1, 2026.

Find Something Fresh! Discover What to Watch, Read Reviews, Leave Ratings and Build Watchlists. Download the Rotten Tomatoes App.

Source

Posted on

Weekend Box Office: Michael Thrills with Biggest Opening Ever for

Back in 2022, the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll had one of the most successful music biopics ever. This year, the King of Pop is poised to have the most successful one ever, at least on the domestic side. Both certainly had their issues (as films and as men), but now, audiences are dancing in the aisles and critics have been receiving their own criticism for not having the same opinion as fans. Let’s take a look at all the numbers and see what all the fuss is about.

King of the Crop: Michael Thrills with Biggest Opening Ever for Musical Biopic

The biggest openers ever for musician biopics have included Straight Outta Compton ($60.2 million), Bohemian Rhapsody ($51.0 million) and Elvis ($31.2 million). Antoine Fuqua’s Michael just blew them out of the water with $97 million; the eighth-highest April opening ever and Lionsgate’s sixth best. (Four of their top five are the Jennifer Lawrence Hunger Games films and the fifth is the final Twilight.) But not only is that a better number than the combined starts of the recent Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody, and Back to Black, Michael nearly doubled those three films together entirely ($52.5 million). Granted, another area where this film has a higher number than all those films combined is the budget.

Originally reported at a cost of $150 million, that number went up at least another $15-20 million (some reports are as high as $200 million total) with the reshoots that forced the production to remove any mention of the sexual accusations and legal issues that followed Michael Jackson after the film, in its current incarnation, ends. That is a lot riding on the international success of the film. Producer Graham King certainly banked that with Bohemian Rhapsody, which grossed over $687 million just on the global stage; domestic tallies put it over $903 million total. So far, Michael is up to $217 million worldwide, and it may need to get as high as $500 million just to break even. After Rhapsody, the second-highest grossing music biopic across the globe is still Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis with $288 million for the time being. Now we keep our eyes on the King of Pop to see if his future is bad, a thriller, or even off the wall.

Tales of the top 10: Mario and Project Hail Mary Continue to Fly High

Mario Bros., the original video game, came out roughly four months after the release of Jackson’s album, Thriller. 43 years later The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is knocked out of its three-week perch at No. 1 by the biopic. These brothers are doing just fine, though, with $21.2 million in weekend four to bring their 26-day total to $386.4 million. That is slightly ahead of last year’s A Minecraft Movie, which was at $382.5 million after a $22.7 million fourth-go. That is keeping its domestic estimate in the $425-435 million range. Worldwide, the film has surpassed $831 million. Add another $40-50 million to date, and its going to take another $120+ million on the international side for it to become the first billion dollar film of the year.

Project Hail Mary continues to put up notable numbers. After a mere 15% drop last week and becoming just the 12th film to put up $20+ million in a fifth weekend, the Lord/Miller film fell 35.7% down to a still robust $13.2 million. That put it over $300 million domestic, and it is outpacing both 2019’s Aladdin and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1. Each of those films grossed just over $10 million in their sixth weekends and finished with $355.5 million and $337.1 million, respectively. Hail Mary likely falls somewhere in between, but it could get closer to Aladdin, maybe even surpass it if its drops get back to the 20% region. Globally the film is over $613 million, the second to already hit that milestone this year. Only eight Hollywood releases did so in 2025.

Lee Cronin’s The Mummy fell just one place this week but took a much bigger tumble behind the dollar signs, falling 58.6% to $5.6 million. That puts its 10-day total at $23.4 million. Looking at other April horror releases, Mike Flanagan’s Oculus lands just behind it at $21.1 million after a $5.1 million second weekend, while Unfriended leads it by just a little with $25 million after a $6.1 million second weekend. So a final domestic gross around $30 million seems to be in the cards for The Mummy. The film is already over $65 million worldwide and is a success for Warner Bros. and the Jason Blum/James Wan partnership.

A24’s release of The Drama made $2.6 million in its fourth weekend, bringing its total to $44.8 million to pass Hereditary on their all-time chart. If you’re looking for another statistic, how about it being their fifth-best fourth weekend of wide release ever? A24 also expanded Mother Mary wider this weekend, and it was enough to get it into the top 10. The psychological horror film from David Lowery with Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel grossed $1.25 million for a total of $1.49 million, just one week before another fashion-centric Hathaway film is poised to lead the box office.

For the second time this month, I thought IFC could get headlines for having their biggest opening ever. A couple weeks back, Faces of Death opened to $1.64 million, which ended up being their fourth best ever. This week, Over Your Dead Body, Jorma Taccone’s remake of Tommy Wirkola’s 2021 film The Trip, now with Jason Segel and Samara Weaving as the spouses looking to off one another, opened to just less with $1.5 million, ranking it sixth on their all-time opener list after Dangerous Animals last June began with $1.56 million. Neither were able to best their 2024 release of Late Night with the Devil with David Dastmalchian, which started with $2.83 million. Magnolia pulled off their best opening of all-time last week with Bob Odenkirk in Ben Wheatley’s Normal ($2.55 million) which fell out of the top 10 quickly this week. Congrats to the indies taking their shot with releases in over 1,500 theaters. What’s it going to take for them to put more butts in those theaters, though?

Speaking of indies, Roadside Attractions just had its highest-grossing film since the pandemic in A Great Awakening, now with over $7.5 million. Its their highest-grossing film since 2019’s Oscar-winning Judy made almost $24 million. This week they just missed the top 10 with David MacKenzie’s Fuze starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Theo James, and Sam Worthington. It opened to $1.01 million in 1,164 theaters for their seventh-biggest launch ever. (A Great Awakening opened in 1,289 theaters.) Last year’s Kiss of the Spider Woman musical redux with Jennifer Lopez was their third-biggest ever in 1,331 theaters, and it opened to just $891,046 and grossed a total of $1.62 million. They missed out, thanks to IndieFilms’ release of American Youngboy, the concert film featuring NBA Youngboy, which ended up making $1.19 million in 583 theaters.

Disney/Pixar’s Hoppers is the first film of 2026 to have a stay in the top 10 for eight straight weeks. GOAT fell out with seven, but Hoppers hangs in there with $1.9 million to bring its domestic total to $164.1 million and over $370 million globally, making it the third-highest grossing Hollywood film of the year to date. You, Me & Tuscany added $1.5 million in its third weekend to bring its total to $17.6 million. Kat Coiro’s previous film, the day-and-date theatrical/streaming release of Marry Me with Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson, had made $20.2 million in its first 17 days after a $1.88 million third weekend.

In other news, Sony Classics’ BAFTA-winning I Swear grossed $640,000 in 645 theaters.Vertical Entertainment’s release of Rupert Wyatt’s Desert Warrior with Anthony Mackie, which began filming in 2021, grossed $472,111 in 1,010 theaters. The rub is the film reportedly cost $150 million with the Saudi Arabian film industry. Steven Soderbergh’s The Christophers fell to 295 theaters this weekend, and the Neon release grossed $332,850 to bring its total to $1.3 million. Finally, 20th Century Studios’ re-release of Fight Club made $219,000 over the weekend and has made $804,789 since Wednesday.

On the Vine: Will Miranda Priestly Steal Michael’s Thunder?

The summer movie season kicks off next week, not with the usual big budget, high-concept VFX Marvel film, but still a Disney film, now that they control 20th Century Studios. Expect some big numbers for The Devil Wears Prada 2 with Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci all returning. Neon has the horror film Hokum with Adam Scott, from the director of Oddity, which has a solid 97% with critics after its premiere at SXSW. Also look for Andy Serkis’ animated adaptation of George Orwell’s Animal Farm from Angel Studios.

Full List of Box Office Results: April 24-26, 2026

  1. Michael – $97.0 million ($97.0 million total)
  2. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie – $21.2 million ($386.4 million total)
  3. Project Hail Mary – $13.2 million ($305.4 million total)
  4. Lee Cronin’s The Mummy – $5.6 million ($23.4 million total)
  5. The Drama – $2.6 million ($44.8 million total)
  6. Hoppers – $1.9 million ($164.1 million total)
  7. You, Me & Tuscany – $1.5 million ($17.6 million total)
  8. Over Your Dead Body – $1.43 million ($1.43 million total)
  9. Mother Mary – $1.25 million ($1.49 million total)
  10. American Youngboy – $1.19 million ($1.19 million total)

Erik Childress can be heard each week evaluating box office on Business First AM with Angela Miles and his Movie Madness Podcast. [box office figures via Box Office Mojo]

Thumbnail image by ©Lionsgate

Find Something Fresh! Discover What to Watch, Read Reviews, Leave Ratings and Build Watchlists. Download the Rotten Tomatoes App.

Source

Posted on

16 Special Presentations and Guest Appearances to Check Out at

Turner Classic Movies has been carrying the torch for movie lovers ever since it first flickered onto television screens in 1994. Running back cinema history with no commercial interruption, the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned cable channel serves as a firm reminder that great movies never have an expiration date.

This year marks the institution’s 16th TCM Classic Film Festival, hosted in theaters across Los Angeles’ Hollywood Boulevard. From Thursday, April 30 to Sunday, May 3, TCM is screening more than 80 classic movies with the overarching theme of “The World Comes to Hollywood,” focusing on the cinematic contributions made by those who flocked to Hollywood from distant shores. Here are 16 highlights from the festival program that feature special presentations or notable guest appearances, along with Tomatometers all recently updated with contemporaneous reviews by the Rotten Tomatoes curation team to best reflect how they were received in their own time.

Charlie Chaplin in Modern Times (1936)(Photo by Everett Collection)

Screening: Thursday, April 30 at 5:30pm at Chinese Multiplex House 4, with special guest Tony Shalhoub

In several ways, Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times was, in the parlance of our own modern times, a big flex on the Hollywood system. It was a testament to the silent film icon’s popularity at the box office that he could return to theaters after a five-year absence following his previous film, City Lights, and be met as if he never left. What’s more, Chaplin refused to conform to the dominance of talkies and kept his iconic Tramp character silent, only allowing the compromise of sound effects to intrude on his pantomime.

“I have never felt that I should speak so long as I remained the screen character with which I have been so long identified,” Chaplin told Screen Radio & Daily at the time. “Now I know that until I throw away my baggy trousers and my cane, I shall not talk in a picture.” Modern Times received universal acclaim. While trouble brewed in Europe, critics hailed Chaplin’s old-fashioned throwback as a tonic for a world that was spinning out of control.

Chaplin himself dismissed any political intention in his satire of the capitalist machine, asserting, “It seemed to me a good subject with which to have a little fun, and that was my only idea in dealing with it.” In the same breath, he admitted to hearing that the Soviet film commission reported back to Moscow that he had made “propaganda on behalf of Communism.” Modern Times would prove to be Chaplin’s last appearance as The Tramp, and, true to his word, his last film to go without dialogue. Actor Tony Shalhoub will be a special guest at the TCM screening, which will be projected in 35mm.

When we are feeling that the world has become too hard and too horrible, a chaos of present din and a menace of destruction, Charlie is our crumb of comfort, his flimsy cane our staff of life.” – Ivor Brown, Observer (UK), February 16, 1936

Maxwell Caulfield and Michelle Pfeiffer in Grease 2 (1982)(Photo by Paramount Pictures)

Screening: Thursday, April 30 at 7:30pm poolside at The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, with co-stars Maxwell Caulfield, Lorna Luft, Christopher McDonald, and Adrian Zmed in attendance

Riding on the success of 1975’s Grease, this contentious sequel has spent the last several decades being unfairly reviled. Starring Maxwell Caulfield and Michelle Pfeiffer in a role-reversal romance, Grease 2 attempts to make lightning strike twice, to frayed effect. What the film lacks in originality, it makes up for in its choreography by first-time director and returning choreographer Patricia Birch. Though critics wished for something new, something more meaningful, and catchier tunes, Grease 2 has managed to develop a cult following for charting its own musical path. Without the presence of John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, Grease 2 allows its fresh faces to carry the story through, curiously subverting the expectations of a direct sequel and acting more as a continuation of the world. With all its jiving, rocking, belting, and cool kicking, Grease 2 may not be the exact word, but it has its own groove and feeling. Caulfield and co-stars Lorna Luft, Christopher McDonald, and Adrian Zmed will be in attendance.

Where the songs, arrangements, and choreography in G-1 tended to look and sound alike, this film has gaits and dynamics.” – Jeff Milar, Houston Chronicle, June 12, 1982

Marlene Dietrich in Blonde Venus (1932)(Photo by Everett Collection)

Screening: Thursday, April 30 at 9:15pm at Chinese Multiplex House 4, with special guest Nicholas Josef von Sternberg

After a turbulent creative back-and-forth between director Josef von Sternberg, Marlene Dietrich, and Paramount Studios, Blonde Venus could have easily become a very different film. What started out as a simple script dispute, led to a two-week creative standoff between the three parties. Eventually, Sternberg and Dietrich returned to complete production, shaping the final version into a gripping tale about a woman navigating love, survival, and societal judgement. It does raise the question, however, of what the alternate version might have looked like.

Regardless of the outcome, the film’s 1932 premiere drew critical attention, with reviewers and audiences captivated by Dietrich’s magnetic performance and Sternberg’s visual daring. The film pushed boundaries with its adult themes and moral ambiguity, marking it as one of the most provocative and talked about films of early 1930s Hollywood. Blonde Venus cemented Dietrich’s status as a screen legend and proved that cinema could be glamorous, emotional, and boldly fearless all at once. Von Sternberg’s son, Nicholas Josef von Sternberg, will be in attendance as a special guest.

Directed by Josef von Sternberg, [Marlene Dietrich] is offered in her first role as an American woman, a warm, loving, humanly-moved personality, through which Dietrich exemplifies an artistry more brilliant than in anything she has yet given the screen.” – Republic Staff, Arizona Republic, September 25, 1932

Richard Gere and Brooke Adams in Days of Heaven (1978)(Photo by Everett Collection)

Screening: Thursday, April 30 at 9:30pm at the Egyptian Theatre, with co-star Brooke Adams in attendance

When Terrence Malick’s long-awaited sophomore feature, Days of Heaven, was finally ready to be unveiled at the 31st Cannes Film Festival, the editing process had taken so long that its fresh-faced star — Richard Gere — had already booked, filmed, and made a name for himself with another film in the interim, Looking for Mr. Goodbar. Lamenting to the New York Daily News that audiences would have had a very different introduction to him if Days of Heaven had premiered first, Gere described the mysterious film as “people trying to find some sunshine and some peace in their lives.”

While the finished product did feature Gere and co-star Brooke Adams as runaway lovers scratching out a future for themselves in early 20th century Texas, it was the sunshine that made the biggest impression on audiences and critics. Directors of photography Néstor Almendros and Haskell Wexler’s painterly depiction of golden hour was so striking that the film was immediately hailed as a watershed visual accomplishment, with News & Observer’s Bill Morrison commenting that it was “as though the French impressionists had exchanged canvas for celluloid.”

According to Adams, Malick’s completed vision was very different than what she and her co-stars had originally signed up for. “Terry wrote a script and then couldn’t bear to hear his words,” she told the New York Daily News at the time. “He really did three films. He wrote one, did another and edited a third version.” Adams will be attending the TCM screening as a special guest.

“Days of Heaven does not function as we expect movies to function. There may be an outline of a story and a set of characters, there may even be a beginning and an end, but all of this is illusive and dreamlike, as if you could reach out and poke your finger through the vapor-like structure created by the director.” – John Huddy, Miami Herald, December 20, 1978

Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Horst Buchholz, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, Brad Dexter, and James Coburn in The Magnificent Seven (1960)(Photo by Everett Collection)

Screening: Friday, May 1 at 9:00am at Chinese Multiplex House 1, with special guest William Joyce

Watching Eli Wallach in The Magnificent Seven, it would be hard to believe that the shiny, gold-plated teeth he sported were anything but the real thing. A speculated handful of 24-carat gold, to be exact. Not only did Wallach’s gold-rimmed teeth add to the film’s authenticity, so did the fact that it was shot primarily on location in Morelos, Mexico, which was also home to Mexican Revolutionary leader Emiliano Zapata. With this sense of realism firmly in place, the film has stood the test of time, becoming one of the most well-known Westerns of its decade. The Magnificent Seven is a Western that crackles with tension, courage, and cinematic bravado.

With Yul Brynner leading the cast under the direction of John Sturges’ brilliant direction, it’s no wonder that, upon its release, critics praised the ensemble’s chemistry and Sturges’ skillful staging, setting it apart from its celebrated source material, Japanese auteur Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 masterpiece Seven Samurai. They noted the film’s ability to thrill without sacrificing character depth. The Magnificent Seven helped set a new standard for Westerns, combining high-stakes action with enduring storytelling, and its impact has resonated through decades of remakes, adaptations, and pop culture references. It remains a landmark of the genre, a story of courage, loyalty, and legend. Writer and illustrator William Joyce will be in attendance as a special guest.

Sturges is no Kurosawa, but he makes Seven into the cinematic equivalent of a catchy cover tune that loses some of the original’s depth, but adds a snap all its own.” – Keith Phipps, AV Club, January 11, 2006

Screening: Friday, May 1 at 10:00am at the El Capitan Theatre, with special guests Mario Cantone and Andreas Deja

It’s curious (and curiouser) that Alice in Wonderland was arguably animation titan Walt Disney’s biggest passion project of his career and, inarguably, his biggest personal disappointment. Before the cartoonist had ever doodled Mickey Mouse, he cut his teeth as a filmmaker making a series of shorts based on Lewis Carroll’s heroine. By the time he went into production on a full-length animated feature adapting the book, it was widely reported that it was the film he had most wanted to make for decades. It was also considered one of his steepest challenges yet, with the added pressures of turning a critically adored literary masterpiece into family entertainment and developing an animation style that wouldn’t be too derivative or dismissive of artist John Tenniel’s iconic book illustrations.

When Disney’s Alice finally arrived in theaters, it received generally warm reviews with some grumblings accusing the children’s entertainer of flattening Carroll’s complex work into a silly spectacle. The picture failed to break even at the box office in its initial run and became Disney’s least favorite of his cartoon children, the filmmaker reportedly complaining it had “no heart.” After his death, Alice was finally re-released to much greater success in 1974, where its psychedelic imagery was welcomed by college-aged audiences. Disney animation veteran Andreas Deja and stand-up comedian Mario Cantone will be attending the TCM screening as special guests.

The Disney film may not please the purists, to whom every word in Alice is part of the sacred tablet. But it represents the best (and most honest) work he has done since Snow White — which is to say, the most creative and imaginative work the American screen has known.” – Sydney J. Harris, Ottawa Citizen, July 12, 1951

Kirk Douglas in Ace in the Hole (1951)(Photo by Everett Collection)

Screening: Friday, May 1 at 6:00pm at Chinese Multiplex House 1, with special guest Josh Mankiewicz

Billy Wilder’s scabrous journalism satire Ace in the Hole caused such a commotion upon its release in 1951 that leading actor Kirk Douglas felt compelled to pen a syndicated op-ed beseeching the American public to give the picture a chance. While the movie star had already performed a heel turn in the boxing romance The Champion just a few years prior, it still hadn’t been enough to prepare audiences for the diabolical lengths he would go to as Ace’s Chuck Tatum, an unscrupulous reporter who exploits a trapped man’s plight all in the name of a juicy story. The film got such a scandalized reception at the box office that Paramount Pictures would retitle it The Big Carnival for a re-release just a couple months later.

Ace in the Hole garnered a begrudgingly impressed reception from critics, most of whom had to hand it to the picture’s acidic boldness even when its cynicism was aimed squarely at their newsroom peers. Douglas, for his part, cited the movie’s ability to provoke as a virtue. “You may hate me as Chuck Tatum… or cheer me,” he wrote. “But I don’t think you’ll be indifferent.” Dateline NBC correspondent Josh Mankiewicz will be attending the TCM screening as a special guest.

Perhaps one of Hollywood’s greatest sins is its general reluctance to take a chance on stepping on anyone’s toes. The result is an endless flow on sugar-coated pills that conform, not to actual life, but to the Hollywood idea of what life should be like to keep the public happy. Once in a long, long time, though, a rebellious movie turns up — a movie like Ace in the Hole.” – John McDowell, Newark Star-Ledger, July 26, 1951

Barry Newman in Vanishing Point (1971)(Photo by ©20th Century Fox Film Corp.)

Screening: Friday, April 30 at 12:00am at Chinese Multiplex House 6, with special guest Edgar Wright

A fever dream of a chase film, Vanishing Point introduces a new type of American outlaw for the end of the free love era. Vanishing Point unfurls as a stimulant-fueled, nearly nightmarish story of a desperate man in desperate times on the run from the law and maybe even society itself. Offering perhaps a few too many similar thematic digressions on the American spirit as explored in 1969’s Easy Rider, Vanishing Point ultimately received a mixed reception from critics upon its release in March of 1971. Though they couldn’t deny the visual impact of the film’s extended chase sequences, many critics felt it failed to package its explorations of law, order, freedom, and destiny into a coherent narrative.

But with its legacy now cemented as a cult slice of vehicular mayhem thanks to its inspiration on Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof — in which one character calls it “one of the best American movies ever made” — Vanishing Point stands as a uniquely existential and relentless chase film with few, if any, peers. Remade as a network TV movie starring Viggo Mortensen, an updated Vanishing Point attempted to bring the original’s story to the brave new world of 1997, but compared to the original’s thematic indulgences, the few critics that managed to see it simply felt that it barely attempted to say anything at all. Filmmaker Edgar Wright will attend the screening as a special guest.

[Barry] Newman does a good job in portraying this man possessed by the death wish and, although the movie is sloppily edited and directed and the story often cluttered with superfluous characters, the sheer power of relentless speed has an almost hypnotic effect.” – Harvey Taylor, Detroit Free Press, June 9, 1971

Screening: Saturday, May 2 at 8:45am at TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX, with special guest George Stevens Jr.

Originally adapted from the 1925 novel An American Tragedy, A Place in the Sun saw director George Stevens reshaping the material into a modern portrait of desire and consequence. His classic moral tale follows George Eastman (Montgomery Clift), a young man torn between ambition and responsibility, who becomes involved with Alice (Shelley Winters), a working-class woman who becomes pregnant, while also falling in love with wealthy socialite Angele (Elizabeth Taylor). As George is pulled between two conflicting worlds, Stevens’ adaption explores the devastating cost of desire and class aspiration.

Upon the film’s release, critics praised Clift’s nuanced performance and Stevens’ precise direction, highlighting the film’s tragic intensity. The story’s exploration of ambition, love, and social constraints resonated strongly with audiences and earned multiple Academy Award nominations, solidifying its reputation as a high point of 1950s Hollywood drama. American Film Institute founder and writer-director-producer George Stevens Jr., the son of director George Stevens, will be in attendance as a special guest.

The emotional entanglements of the three young people prove tragic, but they are true emotions, and their poignancy has a compelling, deeply moving quality. This story of love and frustration goes straight to the heart.” – Jane Corby, Brooklyn Daily Eagle, August 29, 1951

Screening: Saturday, May 2 at 9:15am at Chinese Multiplex House 6, with special guests Diane Baker and Tara McNamara

By 1936, Alexander Dumas’ novel The Lady of the Camellias was close to 100 years old, already had four film adaptations, and was considered tired material by the masses. It told a classic, tragic story, no doubt, about two people falling in love in a time that prevents them from being happy. What could not have been anticipated was George Cukor reinvigorating the played-out story with style, grace, and all the magnetic talent Greta Garbo had to offer. Camille lives and breathes by Garbo’s human and touching performance, which surprised audiences. This is a picture that elevates the source material through the dedication and high precision of its director, writers, cast, and production designers. Accompanied by luxurious sets, sumptuous period costumes, and a strong supporting cast, Camille has withstood the test of time as a marvelous interpretation of Dumas’ creation. Actress and producer Diane Baker and film journalist Tara McNamara will be in attendance as special guests.

So for a sentimental relic, the book by Dumas, there evolves a picture which is likely to prove to be Garbo’s best vehicle in several years.” – Clark Wales, Detroit Free Press, December 27, 1936

Screening: Saturday, May 2 at at 9:15am at Chinese Multiplex House 1, with special guest Joe Dante

The Rocky Horror Picture Show tells us that;“Michael Rennie was ill the day the earth stood still, but he told us where we stand,” and how right it was. In exploring the anxieties of global security through contact with otherworldly visitors, The Day the Earth Stood Still is a science-fiction moral marvel, simmering with hope for peaceful existence among us all. Written and directed by Robert Wise and starring Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, and Sam Jaffe, this film solidified science-fiction as a legitimate, less silly genre within filmmaking. Taking in the out-of-this-world sets, dazzling special effects, and the humanist message imparted by Wise’s script, Earth remains a prescient, timeless, and thought-provoking picture that truly moves the audience with its fictional dilemma. Filmmaker Joe Dante will attend the screening as a special guest.

Well directed by Robert Wise, sensibly played by Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Billy Gray, Sam Jaffe and Hugh Marlow, The Day the Earth Stood Still is more believable than most of these shiver science shockers.” – Mildred Martin, The Philadelphia Enquirer, September 29, 1951

Screening: Saturday, May 2 at 11:45am at Chinese Multiplex House 1, with special guest Jonah Goldberg

Lonesome Rhodes, a rough rogue whose television ascension helps him amass elite power, fame, and fortune, becomes a cautionary tale against the worship of demagogic figures. Written as a searing satire by Budd Schulberg and directed with intentional hyperbole by Elia Kazan, A Face in the Crowd continues to speak consciously to the current zeitgeist, just as it did upon its release in 1951. This specific critique of TV culture at the time could be seen as foreshadowing the all-consuming power of TV personalities, albeit packaged here in a wildly entertaining format. In his feature film debut, Andy Griffith makes and breaks this film in all respects. Critics found his maniacal performance to be raw, bombastic, and real. While the supporting cast stands at the edges of Griffith’s performance, it is Patricia Neal who manages to stand toe-to-to with his larger-than-life — larger-than-the-screen — personality. Whether a first watch or a rewatch, the performances demand awe and the moral questions posed linger long after it’s over. Journalist, author, and political commentator Jonah Goldberg will be in attendance as a special guest.

It shows how one man can become a nationwide influence, a power, first i the commercial field of product-plugging and then in politics as a kingmaker. It warns the American people of the perils of being influenced, of falling under the spell of a demagogic personality.” – Helen Bower, Detroit Free Press, May 30, 1957

Edward G. Robinson and Paul Lukas in Confessions of a Nazi Spy (1939)(Photo by Everett Collection)

Screening: Saturday, May 2 at 3:30pm at Chinese Multiplex House 6, with special guest Annette Insdorf

In the late 1930s, as the US recovered from its greatest existential threat, The Great Depression, another existential threat had emerged with wide-reaching influence: the Nazi party. With sympathizers of the movement proliferating in the US through the formation the German American Bund in 1936, the Nazi threat was clear and present. And it would be the shocking real-life FBI cases of spy rings related to that organization that would prompt Warner Bros. Pictures to produce Confessions of a Nazi Spy. Inspired in part by the Rumrich spy case, the first major case of international espionage in the US, Confessions would be Anatole Litvak’s fourth directorial effort for Warner and his second with actor Edward G. Robinson. On its release in May of 1939, critics championed the film as a socially conscious, truth-affirming piece of patriotic filmmaking.

And while some critics took issue with what they felt were the film’s occasional dips into outright propaganda, the majority attested to both its entertainment value and its social value as an eye-opening expose of America’s greatest threat. Despite sparse screen time, Robinson’s tough, gritty performance as FBI agent Ed Renard was especially highlighted by critics as lending a strong air of verisimilitude to the film. This keen sense of realism and adherence to the facts wouldn’t please everyone, however, with president of the German American Bund, Fritz Kuhn, unsuccessfully attempting to sue Warner Bros. for millions in libel damages. Kuhn claimed that the studio had spied on his organization to create the film’s story. The bund leader would later be arrested and jailed shortly after the film’s release and deported to Germany some years later. Film historian Annette Insdorf will attend the screening as a special guest.

The director has carefully avoided the usual melodramatic touches of fictitious spy pictures, with the result that it is entirely convincing and much more dramatically effective.” – Ronald D. Scofield, Sacramento Bee, May 29, 1939

Screening: Saturday, May 2 at 9:45pm at the Egyptian Theatre, with special guests Kurtwood Smith and Paul McCrane

The big winners of 1987’s summer box office were sequels and big screen adaptations like Beverly Hills Cop II and The Untouchables, but the two original movies that audiences flocked to both happened to be unique sci-fi action mashups: Predator and RoboCop. While Predator’s box office success wasn’t quite equal to its mixed critical reception, RoboCop was immediately hailed by critics as a near transcendent, fiercely smart evolution in the ‘80s action movie cycle. To them, its ventures into gore-leaden, over-the-top violence were in perfect balance with its knowing satire, near mythical resurrection story, and Paul Verhoeven’s kinetic direction.

This balance of dark wit and bone-crushing thrills proved to be a tricky thing to recapture, with RoboCop 2 finding itself critically lambasted as a mean-spirited holding pattern of its predecessor. A watered down approach to the series’ tone would find another critical failure with RoboCop 3 and moderate, though vastly tempered, critical praise with the syndicated series RoboCop. Later attempts to recapture some semblance of the original film’s grim mix of satire and ultraviolence — the miniseries RoboCop: Prime Directives and the 2014 reboot RoboCop — would be viewed by critics as admirable, but wholly uneven experiments. Co-stars Kurtwood Smith and Paul McCrane will be in attendance as special guests.

“Robocop scrapes the bucket of gore but rises above the comic-book mentality with solid acting and action. There is even an epic quality to the character of Robocop.” – John Robinson, Santa Cruz Sentinel, July 24, 1987

Screening: Sunday, May 3 at 9:00am at TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX, with special guests Christopher Barnes, Erin Blunt, Gary Cavagnaro, Scott Firestone, Jackie Earle Haley, Alfred Lutter, Brett Marx, David Pollock, and David Stambaugh

Before Rocky would redefine the sports movie with its release some eight months later, The Bad News Bears would tell its own critically lauded tale of underdogs — albeit much shorter, more foul-mouthed ones — in the spring of 1976. Directed by Michael Ritchie, who had delivered similar satirical treatises on the unique American psychology of winning with The Candidate and SmileThe Bad News Bears was widely noted by critics for its ribald but knowing insights into youth baseball and its raw, salt-of-the-earth characters. Stacked with a roster of richly characterized pipsqueak baseballers, Bears found much critical praise for delivering a refreshingly crass but authentic portrait of youth after an oversaturation of safe and cutesy children’s movies by Disney in the 1970s.

The Bad News Bears showed the world that the kids of the ‘70s may not be alright, but they sure had plenty of spunk. Further attempts at the bat for the series would be seen as lacking Ritchie’s deft directorial touch. With The Bad News Bears in Breaking TrainingThe Bad News Bears Go to Japanthe TV series The Bad News Bears, and the Richard Linklater-directed remake Bad News Bears, critics would find the series becoming the very thing they felt the original steered clear of being: mawkish, witless, and hopelessly inauthentic. Attending the screening will be several of the original child stars, including Christopher Barnes, Erin Blunt, Gary Cavagnaro, Scott Firestone, Jackie Earle Haley, Alfred Lutter, Brett Marx, David Pollock, and David Stambaugh.

“Bad News Bears is not only achingly funny, good-hearted, skillfully schmaltzy and relentlessly entertaining, it’s also one of the most perceptive and revelatory films about male American childhood I’ve ever seen.” – Jeff Millar, Houston Chronicle, April 9, 1976

Screening: Sunday, May 3 at 4:00pm at TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX, with special guest Adam Shankman

Breakfast at Tiffany’s was originally intended to be filmed in Hollywood, but director Blake Edwards ultimately made the sound decision to film it in New York. This choice helped define the film’s atmosphere, centering Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly within a vibrant world of freedom and spontaneity. Not only does Holly’s story radiate with glamour and charm, but it also shimmers with its hypnotic musicality. Henry Mancini’s “Moon River” provides a beautifully understated backdrop to the film’s elegance and emotional tone. In a letter penned to Mancini in 1961, Hepburn wrote, “Everything we cannot say with words or show with action you have expressed for us. You have done this with so much imagination, fun and beauty.”

When the film premiered in 1961, critics were captivated by Hepburn’s magnetic presence and the film’s playful yet bittersweet energy. While some noted its lighter social commentary and occasionally dated elements, audiences fell in love with Holly’s character, and the film quickly became an icon of 1960s Hollywood glamour. Breakfast at Tiffany’s remains a touchstone for fashion, romance, and the enduring magic of a single unforgettable performance. Filmmaker Adam Shankman will be in attendance as a special guest.

Miss Hepburn sparklingly personifies all the Hollies of the world, each of whom has certain personality traits in common, facets which the lovely actress superbly makes her own.” – Ben Kubasik, Newsday, October 6, 1961

The TCM Classic Film Festival runs from April 30 – May 3, 2026.

Archival curation for this feature was led by Robert Fowler, Dom Pembleton, Andrew Allen, and Darla Chavez.

On an Apple device? Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Apple News.

Source

Posted on

Audience Says: Michael Is Pure Entertainment for MJ Fans

Fan anticipation has been high for Michael, the Michael Jackson biopic, ever since it was announced, and if there were any doubters, they were all silenced by the film’s record-setting opening weekend. It’s true that musical biopics have been popular for the past several years, but Michael danced circles around all of them with a $97 million debut, besting previous record-holder Straight Outta Compton, which opened at $60 million.

While critics acknowledged star Jaafar Jackson’s talents in bringing the King of Pop to life, they weren’t so impressed with Antoine Fuqua’s film overall. But it was an entirely different story with audiences, who propelled Michael’s Popcornmeter to a Verified Hot 97%, echoing the critics’ sentiments about Jaafar Jackson’s performance and calling the film the closest thing to a Michael Jackson concert that anyone could ask for.

Here’s what the fans have been saying in the Verified Audience Reviews for Michael.

These reviews have been edited for clarity.

“This movie was pure good old fashioned entertainment! Fantastic history of the great Michael Jackson on full display with great actors to play the parts! Both young and old Michaels were fantastic!!! I’m a big MJ fan but I dragged my husband along and he was so surprised because he loved it too and even shed a tear or two!!”
— Anne, 5 Stars

“Jaafar Jackson’s performance as Michael Jackson is phenomenal, capturing the voice and stage presence we all know and love. Colman Domingo also gives an Oscar-worthy performance as Joe Jackson. The entire supporting cast did a phenomenal job, with Nia Long as Katherine Jackson serving as a great addition to the film. The film’s cinematography and soundtrack are outstanding! This is a must-watch for all MJ fans! Will definitely be rewatching it again soon!”
— Daniel, 5 Stars

“Beautiful, amazing, and spectacular! This is the closest I will get to a concert.”
— Alyssa, 5 Stars

“Yes this is a very Cliffs Notes version of events, but the cast, the staging, the directing makes for such an awesome visual experience. The recreations of the Victory Tour, BAD and Pepsi commercial alone were awe inspiring and Jaafar might be the first time someone is playing Michael that doesn’t come across as an imitation. A must see for fans, I understand the critics takes on it and they aren’t wrong per se but I just left feeling like I immediately wanted to watch it again.”
— Jeffrey J, 4 Stars

“Michael Jackson is my favorite artist. And seeing his story come to life in a film was such an experience. So many emotional scenes and so much joy that came from his life and performances. This movie was a 10/10!”
— Elizabeth, 5 Stars

“Absolutely loved it. Cried a lot… Juliano Krue Valdi who played Michael as a child was compelling and delivered a great performance… Michael, portrayed by Jaafar Jackson, was outstanding. His voice resembled Michael’s, and his dance performance was incredibly authentic. Nia Long conveyed her role as a mother with care and respect. Colman Domingo (Joseph) was portrayed convincingly… Overall, very good movie. Looking forward to Part II asap.”
— Hiwot T, 5 Stars

“This movie was more like a concert!!! Jaafar really embodied his uncle and it was an absolute MASTERPIECE!!!! I left with my jaw dropping because I have no words to express how much fun and joy this movie brought to me.”
— Brand, 5 Stars

“It’s nearly impossible to dive deep into the complexity of the man Michael was in just two hours without leaving out his greatest hits—that would make the movie three or four hours long. However, it touches on the essentials. I laughed, I cried, I got goosebumps, and I left wanting more.”
— Antonio M, 4 Stars

Jaafar Jackson in Michael (2026)(Photo by Bruce Talamon/©Lionsgate)

Michael is a 5 Star, 10/10 MASTERPIECE!!Jaafar Jackson delivered a genius level transformative performance of a lifetime as Michael Jackson (Oscar worthy)… Needless to say, Colman Domingo gave me chills as Joe Jackson. Juliano Valdi as little Michael had me at “hello” and… Nia Long warms the screen with a perfect grace and strength… I promise you it’s not hype. It’s healing.”
— Cassandra, 5 Stars

“For me, it’s a great movie. It shows Michael’s humanity and what a wonderful person he was, someone who cared about others. I’m not interested in the legal aspects; I just want to enjoy what he did with his music, which is what I love. Without a doubt, he’s the best pop artist of all time.”
— Jorge Y, 5 Stars

“It doesn’t portray him as a saint: flaws are shown and contextualized, simplifying without distorting… The main issue is the absence of the artistic genius. The creative process is barely explored… Narratively, the focus on the father-son relationship is excessive, while key periods are rushed or skipped… The performances are strong: both young Michael (Juliano Valdi) and adult Michael (Jaafar Jackson) are convincing, especially on stage. Overall, it’s effective and emotionally engaging, but clearly incomplete.“
— Gabriele P, 4 Stars

“Great entertainment. It’s okay to leave a movie feeling good just for the pure entertainment of it. Jaafar WAS Michael. Colman Domingo WAS Joe Jackson. John Branca wishes he looked as good as Miles Teller.”
— Deborah, 5 Stars

“It’s incredible, Jaafar doesn’t just embody MJ he becomes him… The dancing, the mannerisms, the voice (is spot on) and the finger snapping. Colman Domingo as Joe Jackson was intense and complex… Nia Long is very warm and gentle throughout… If I were to give any critiques it would be the pacing of the story; I feel it skipped over important moments that needed more depth… You must see this in IMAX.”
— Keiron D, 5 Stars

Jaafar Jackson in Michael (2026)(Photo by ©Lionsgate)

“What a fantastic tribute to Michael Jackson! I just finished watching the early screening at the IMAX theatre, excellent cast and of course excellent movie! The whole theatre was singing along to all of his songs. GO SEE IT!!!”
— Basilio B, 5 Stars

“The music & dance scenes are amazing if you love the music. If you are looking for any juicy details of his life it’s not in this movie. They get in the brutality of Joe Jackson to his son. Most of the storyline is sugar coated. I feel this was made to try to improve his image and renew interest in his music.”
— Lisa, 3 Stars

“This film was nothing short of epic. Jaafar Jackson stepped into impossibly big shoes and delivered… You remembered why the world fell in love with him in the first place. What struck me most was how nostalgic it felt. These are songs I have known my whole life, melodies sewn into my memory, and hearing them in that context brought everything rushing back… I came home ready to revisit every album, every era, every sequined glove. A brilliant film. Go and see it. And don’t be too dignified to dance.”
— R B, 5 Stars

“This will be the cheapest concert you can attend this year. and the movie is really really good too.”
— Mel, 5 Stars

“The Michael Jackson film was a powerful and emotionally engaging experience. Jaafar delivered an impressive performance, truly embodying his uncle’s essence—particularly during the musical sequences, where his presence, movement, and energy felt both authentic and captivating… Coleman Domingo’s portrayal of Joe Jackson was equally compelling… Watching this movie with my family made the experience even more meaningful. It was more than just a film—it became a shared moment filled with laughter, nostalgia, and emotion.“
— Racheal S, 5 Stars

“My entire theater broke out singing and dancing and it was truly the closet thing to a Michael concert other than a Michael concert itself. Jafaar Jackson did such an amazing job portraying his uncle… Juliano Krue Valdi also blew me away… Colman Domingo was menacing as Joe Jackson and you can IMMEDIATELY feel his intensity… Nia long did an amazing job portraying Kathrine as well. Great movie overall and I will be seeing this again tonight”
— DaQuan B, 5 Stars

“I’ve been waiting for this movie to come out since it was announced, and it did not disappoint. The whole cast did a stellar job, and Jaafar absolutely crushed it as Michael… His appearance, voice, mannerisms, and dance moves were all top notch. If you are a fan of MJ, this movie will be both uplifting and also have a few moments that will rip your heart out. My only complaint is that some iconic moments and eras were not shown in the movie.”
— KD, 4.5 Stars

Michael is currently in theaters.

Thumbnail image by ©Lionsgate

Find Something Fresh! Discover What to Watch, Read Reviews, Leave Ratings and Build Watchlists. Download the Rotten Tomatoes App.

Source

Posted on

Movie Re-Release Calendar 2026: Your Guide to Movies Back In

We live in a glorious era when we can relive the experience of seeing our favorite films on the big screen, or catch them in theaters for the first time because we missed them (or, in some cases, weren’t even born) when they originally released. Read on to see what movies are getting the re-release treatment this year, and plan accordingly because these tickets often sell out quickly!

Dates Movie Notes
5-8 The Killer Tickets
17-22 Bridesmaids 15th, Tickets
20 Speed Racer Tickets
22 Fight Club 25th, Tickets
26 & 29 The Silence of the Lambs 35th, Tickets
Dates Movie Notes
13 Top Gun 40th, Tickets
24,27 Legally Blonde 25th, Tickets
Dates Movie Notes
25 Avengers: Endgame
Dates Movie Notes
5 V for Vendetta 20th
22 A Beautiful Mind 25th
Dates Movie Notes
19 Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope 50th 

Find Something Fresh! Discover What to Watch, Read Reviews, Leave Ratings and Build Watchlists. Download the Rotten Tomatoes App.

Source

Posted on

Scary Movie: Release Date, Cast, Trailers & More

In 2000, audiences were introduced to Scary Movie (created by Marlon, Shawn, and Keenen Ivory Wayans), a chaotic, razor‑sharp parody that skewered every major horror hit of its time. What followed was an iconic comedy franchise that, despite its often Rotten critical scores, became an instant fan favorite and cemented itself as a cultural touchstone. Now, after more than a decade away from the big screen, the franchise is officially gearing up for its long‑awaited sixth installment.

Known for its outrageous humor and fearless send‑ups of classic horror films, Scary Movie has remained a staple of the genre, standing the test of time thanks to its quotable moments, beloved characters, and unapologetically silly tone. The franchise has also proven to be a box‑office powerhouse, earning nearly $900 million worldwide, with the first film alone grossing over $270 million globally.

So when the all‑new trailer for Scary Movie dropped, fans were ecstatic to see the franchise return to their screens, complete with familiar faces, fresh parodies, and the promise of a summer theatrical release.

Read on to find out everything we know about the upcoming sixth film.

Recommended: The Scary Movie Franchise Ranked
Recommended: Most Anticipated Movies of 2026

Who’s behind the newest installment?

Director Michael Tiddes and Marlon Wayans at the premiere of A Haunted House 2 (2014)(Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

Scary Movie is directed by Michael Tiddes, a filmmaker well‑versed in parody thanks to his work on A Haunted House, A Haunted House 2, Fifty Shades of Black, and the Wayans‑led Netflix comedies Naked and Sextuplets. Tiddes has been a longtime collaborator of the Wayans family, beginning his career as an assistant on White Chicks before moving into directing.

The film is expected to be rated R. Behind the scenes, the creative team is stacked with past collaborators. Rick Alvarez (White Chicks, A Haunted House) joins the Wayans brothers to co‑write and produce. Additional producers and executive producers include Jonathan Glickman (Rush Hour, Wednesday), Alexandra Loewy (The Substance, The Meg), Thom Zadra (The Beekeeper, The Holdovers), and Neal H. Moritz (The Fast and the Furious).

Who’s In It?

Anna Faris and Regina Hall in Scary Movie (2026)(Photo by ©2026 Paramount Pictures)

In a move that thrilled longtime fans, Scary Movie will reunite several original cast members from the early films. Returning stars include Regina Hall as Brenda Meeks, Anna Faris as Cindy Campbell, Marlon Wayans as Shorty Meeks, Shawn Wayans as Ray Wilkins, and Dave Sheridan as Doofy. Faris and Hall, who anchored the first four films, are making a highly anticipated comeback, marking their first return to the franchise in 20 years. They’ll be joined by fellow Scary Movie alumni Lochlyn Monroe and Jon Abrahams, as well as Cheri Oteri (from the original film) and Chris Elliott, who appeared in Scary Movie 2 and Scary Movie 4.

New cast members joining the chaos include Damon Wayans Jr., Kim Wayans, and SNL alum Heidi Gardner. With only one trailer released so far, details about their characters remain under wraps, but anticipation is already high.

What’s It About?

Marlon Wayans in Scary Movie (2026)(Photo by ©2026 Paramount Pictures)

Plot details for Scary Movie are still being kept secret, but the trailer, and comments from Marlon Wayans, offer a few clues. As expected, the film will deliver a fresh wave of parodies referencing both classic and modern horror hits.

Wayans has teased that I Know What You Did Last Summer and the Scream franchise may play a role, while the trailer itself hints at spoofs of films like Longlegs, Get Out, Ma, Sinners, M3GAN, Smile, Weapons, and The Substance. According to Entertainment Weekly, Wayans describes Scary Movie 6 as a “rebooquel” of the franchise, suggesting a fresh start that still embraces the series’ signature absurdity and reunites the original cast and creatives.

Are There Any Trailers?

The first trailer for Scary Movie offers a long‑awaited glimpse of the original cast back in action. It made its surprise debut in theaters, playing ahead of screenings of Scream 7.

When Will It Be Released?

Scary Movie will hit theaters on June 5.

Find Something Fresh! Discover What to Watch, Read Reviews, Leave Ratings and Build Watchlists. Download the Rotten Tomatoes App.

Source