Latest news with #BenicioDelToro
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
‘The Phoenician Scheme' Lands Top Limited Opening Of 2025
Wes Anderson's is now the top-grossing limited opening of the year with an estimated $570,000 this weekend at just six locations in New York and Los Angeles for a per-theater average of $95K. The Focus Features' film expands to 1,500 screens next weekend. The film unseats A24's Friendship, which kicked the indie box into high gear a few weeks ago with a great $445K limited opening and $75K per-theater opening for Andrew DeYoung's feature debut starring comedian Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd. More from Deadline 'The Phoenician Scheme' Review: Benicio Del Toro Hilariously Dominates Wes Anderson's Latest All-Star Wes Anderson Movie – Cannes Film Festival 'The Phoenician Scheme' Cannes Red Carpet Photos: Wes Anderson, Mia Threapleton, Benicio del Toro, Bill Murray, Michael Cera, & More Wes Anderson's 'The Phoenician Scheme' Tees Up Strong Indie Weekend With Angelika Film Center Takeover - Specialty Preview The Phoenician Scheme, written by Anderson and Roman Coppola, stars Benicio del Toro as a family patriarch and business titan beset by rivals and assassins, and Mia Threapleton as his daughter, a nun, whom he wants to inherit it all. Michael Cera, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Riz Ahmed, Mathieu Amalric, Jeffrey Wright, Scarlett Johansson, Richard Ayoade, Rupert Friend, Hope Davis, and Benedict Cumberbatch also star in the pic, which is coming off its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this month. The Phoenician Scheme is the third major collaboration of Focus, Anderson and Indian Paintbrush, who also partnered on Anderson's most recent feature Asteroid City (2023) as well Moonrise Kingdom (2012). It was produced by Anderson for his American Empirical Pictures banner alongside longtime collaborators Steven Rales of Indian Paintbrush, Jeremy Dawson and John Peet. The movie was filmed in Germany in association with Studio Babelsberg. Asteroid City's PTA of $132K was the biggest in years, and The Grand Budapest Hotel in 2014 a record-setter at $200K. The latter ended up scoring nine Oscar nominations including Best Picture and winning four. Focus took over the Angelika Film Center in New York this weekend with Phoenician Scheme on all six screens, a jazz band and movie-themed merchandise and activations in the lobby and concessions – reflected in higher ticket prices — $30 for standard and $60 for premium. NYC's Alamo Brooklyn and AMC Lincoln Square and AMC's The Grove, Century City and Burbank in Los Angeles are other opening theaters. Other new openings: IFC Films debuted UK period thiller to $130K at 412 theaters, and Music Box Fims opened Jonathan Millet's feature debut from Cannes 2024 with French-Tunisian star Adam Bessa at four locations to $5,600. Holdover: Sony Pictures Classics clocked $561K on 526 screens in week 2 (up from 61 last week) for a cume of $977.500. Event cinema had a terrific weekend with the final Met: transmission of the 2024–2025 season, Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia, grossing $906K at about 800 cinemas in North America. Fathom distributes in most markets. Trafalgar had a doubleheader, with Saturday's live worldwide broadcast of j-hope tour — the BTS solo star's concert from Osaka — grossing $789K at 631 screens in North America. The UK-based distributor's collaboration with Hasbro was also out with globally including 428 venues in North America that grossed $420K for Friday and Saturday. MORE Best of Deadline Sean 'Diddy' Combs Sex-Trafficking Trial Updates: Cassie Ventura's Testimony, $10M Hotel Settlement, Drugs, Violence, & The Feds 'Poker Face' Season 2 Guest Stars: From Katie Holmes To Simon Hellberg 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Tonys, Emmys, Oscars & More
NZ Herald
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
Wes Anderson's The Phoenician Scheme is stylish, silly — and sweet
Bad habits: Benicio Del Toro, Mia Threapleton and Michael Cera. Photo / Supplied The Phoenician Scheme, directed by Wes Anderson, is in cinemas now. Wes Anderson's latest flight of fancy is touchingly personal in origin, while still typically charming in style. Set in the fictitious Middle Eastern country of Modern Greater Independent Phoenicia, it's a caper about an estranged parent and child
Geek Tyrant
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Review: THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME Hilariously Quriky and One of Wes Anderson's Best Movies — GeekTyrant
I'm a huge fan of Wes Anderson and his film, and The Phoenician Scheme is the kind of film that, at first glance, might seem like more of the same, but that would be selling it short. Sure, the pastel palette, symmetrical compositions, and theatrical diorama-like sets are back. But underneath all that visual pageantry, there's a surprisingly intimate story here, one that feels more emotionally grounded than much of Anderson's recent work. The plot centers on Zsa-zsa Korda (Benicio del Toro), a fabulously wealthy European industrialist who names his only daughter, a nun, as heir to his estate and to take over his business. As Korda embarks on a new enterprise adventure, they soon become the target of scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists, and determined assassins. The whole thing is hilarous and it had the audience rolling with laughter. Anderson tightens the focus in this film as it zeroes in on the relationship between father and daughter (Mia Threapleton), with Michael Cera playing a hilariously deadpan tutor who serves as the film's bemused third wheel. As the trio fends off a host of scheming tycoons and foreign terrorists, the real tension lies not in the physical danger, but in whether Korda and his daughter can understand each other before it's too late. Anderson himself described the movie as 'a story about a father and his daughter,' one he long postponed until it 'spoke to [him] again.' The personal connection shows in the movie. The emotional arc between del Toro and Threapleton is strong character development and storytelling, and what starts as an absurd adventure ends on a note that's genuinely affecting. The film delivers its trademark whimsy, yes, but it also takes a sincere swing at exploring what legacy means when passed down through something more spiritual than just a bank account. Benicio del Toro is a riot here playing an incredibly interesting character and delivering one of the most fun performances of his career. I don't think I've ever heard him talk so much in a film before! He's matched by Threapleton, who's fantastic as his daughter, and Cera also delivers an incredibly fun performance as the anxious, academic observer caught in the middle of an increasingly unhinged story. It's refreshing how The Phoenician Scheme trims down Anderson's usual ensemble chaos. The supporting cast is an embarrassment of riches including Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Scarlett Johansson, Riz Ahmed, and Benedict Cumberbatch, mostly orbit the central trio, never stealing the spotlight. Their presence adds texture without crowding the core story. The result is a film that feels more focused than some of Anderson's recent work, without sacrificing the style and absurdity fans have come to love. There are moments when the film threatens to spiral into overcomplication, but it always reels itself back with sharp writing and that underlying emotional thread. The story offers commentary on wealth and legacy, and it gently pokes at the absurdity of those who think they can control either. The Phoenician Scheme is Anderson doing what he does best, but with more heart and a little less artifice. It's a film about connection dressed in the costume of a caper, with a soft, lingering melancholy underneath all the delightful absurdity. If you're a fan of the films Wes Anderson makes, you're going to enjoy this one! I think it's one of his best. I loved it!
Cosmopolitan
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Cosmopolitan
When 'The Phoenician Scheme' Will Be Available to Stream and How to Watch
It's Wes Anderson season, baby! You know what that means: Intricate production design, tons of stars, tightly constructed visual symmetry, and plenty of deadpan humor. Sign me TF up!! This new film follows Benicio Del Toro's Zsa-zsa Korda, a wealthy businessman, who appoints his estranged daughter as the heir to his estate after multiple assassination attempts of his life. Naturally, there are then lots of shenanigans. It sounds very Wes Anderson. The movie premiered at Cannes earlier this month and is now out in some, but not all, theaters. Here's everything we know about how you can watch it. If you're in New York or Los Angeles, you're in luck, because you can see the movie this weekend! The movie is out in limited release now, and will hit wide release next week Friday. So that means if you can't see it this weekend, you'll be able to see it next weekend. BUY TICKETS NOW Oh, so you hate movie theaters? Is that what you're saying? JK, fine. The movie will eventually be on streaming, fear not. This movie is distributed by Focus Features and Universal Pictures, so that means it will likely go to Peacock. That's where it will be streaming for free. But if you're not a Peacock subscriber, you will likely be able to watch it elsewhere, too. Anderson's last movie, Asteroid City, is available to rent and buy on all the typical places you can rent movies. So it's probably going to be true for this movie, too. It probably won't actually be on those streaming platforms for a while yet because it is a theatrical release. So if you want to see it ASAP, you'll have to get to the theater.
Euronews
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Film of the Week: 'The Phoenician Scheme' - Wes Anderson's empty shell
After three decades delighting audiences with ornamental eccentricities and highly stylised aesthetics, is Wes Anderson now simply recycling his same old tricks? Worse, has he forgotten that immersive world-building becomes the crafting of empty shells without precious emotional payoffs? On the back of 2023's Asteroid City and judging by this year's offering, it's a frustrating 'yes' on both counts. Set in 1950, The Phoenician Scheme starts off with a bang. Literally. Corrupt tycoon Anatole 'Zsa-zsa' Korda (Benicio Del Toro), one of the richest men in Europe, is attempting to survive his latest assassination attempt and escape from his sixth plane crash. It's an incredibly promising way to kick things off: explosions, blood, the surprise ejecting of a useless pilot... It's a blast. Once he's come to terms with the fact that his enemies may soon punch his ticket, the industrialist visits his estranged daughter Liesl (Mia Threapleton) and tells her that she is to be his sole heir. Despite his other nine boys. After entrusting his empire to Liesl, who is training to become a nun and whose pious reservations regarding her father's less-than-ethical practices run deep, Korda enlists her to aid him in his latest business venture. Considering the government is planning to sabotage his most audacious project yet in the fictional country of Phoenicia – the details of which he has neatly contained within shoeboxes – he plans a whistle stop tour to visit investors and donors to collect promised advances on the project. Along for the racketeering ride is Bjorn (Michael Cera, who was born to be a perfect addition to the Andersoniverse).He's a Norwegian tutor specialising in the insect world, who may not be as scholarly or as bumbling as he seems... The trio embark on a fast-paced trip that features glorified cameos from dandies Leland (Tom Hanks) and Reagan (Bryan Cranston), a fez-wearing nightclub owner named Marseilles Bob (Matthieu Amalric), American sailor Marty (Jeffrey Wright) and Cousin Hilda (Scarlett Johansson), all the way to the final-level boss - the dastardly Uncle Nubar (a bearded and bushy eyebrowed Benedict Cumberbatch). This all sounds good on paper, but despite a promising pre-credits kick-off and a pleasing pace which lulls you into thinking that dire Asteroid City was a minor mishap and that The Phoenician Scheme could very well be a return to form for Anderson, this latest flight of fancy ends up frustratingly shallow. The rapid-fire and hyper-articulated dialogue falls flat; the starry roll-call of A-listers is wasted; the insistent gag about offering each investor a souvenir hand grenade becomes bizarrely tiresome; and unlike previous offerings The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, The Grand Budapest Hotel or Fantastic Mr. Fox, nothing registers on an emotional level. As joyful as it is to see Benicio Del Toro playing a nonchalant capitalist with redemption (ish) on the mind, he is given precious little in terms of character evolution – especially when compared to similar Anderson archetypes previously played by Bill Murray, Ralph Fiennes and George Clooney in the three aforementioned (and far superior) adventures. These films had heart and emotional payoffs to match the delightfully offbeat and twee antics. All we get here is twee. Not that Wesheads will be left wanting. They'll still have a great time marveling at production designer Adam Stockhausen's craft, with the impeccably manicured sets and Anderson's devotion to symmetry still a visual treat to behold. But not even an amusing blink-and-you'll-miss-him cameo from Bill Murray playing God during one of the Bergman-esque afterlife segments or Anderson newcomer Mia Threaplton stealing every scene she's in with her spot-on deadpan delivery ('They say you murdered my mother. I feel the need to address this') can save The Phoenician Scheme. Like Anderson's recent output (minus the messy but unfairly maligned The French Dispatch), his latest caper lacks the emotional core that ought to complement the stylish visuals. The director may tick off his treasured hallmarks – precise framing, immaculate detail, neglectful parents seeking their warped version of absolution – but it lacks soul, to the point of toppling into parody. So, while not as pleased with itself as Asteroid City was, this brisker and more linear adventure still gives off the impression that Anderson and his regular co-writing compadre Roman Coppola are simply keen to enjoy themselves more than their audience. Anderson may have become a genre onto himself, but considering The Phoenician Scheme ends up joining Asteroid City as one of his least rewarding films to date, the master of the meticulously crafted confection should do well to remind himself the following: sacrificing human depth in favour of quirk for quirk's sake will only make audience members nostalgic for his older and far less empty spectacles. Even The French Dispatch apologists. The Phoenician Scheme is out in cinemas now.
