Latest news with #BridgetJones:MadAbouttheBoy
Irish Examiner
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Minecraft Movie smashes €60m at Ireland and UK box office and set to top 2024 hit Wicked
A Minecraft Movie has become the biggest film of the year so far in Ireland and the UK after just four weeks on release, figures show, passing €60m at the box office. The fantasy adventure comedy, based on the hit video game, has made £51.7m (€60.7m) at the combined box office across the two jurisdictions. This is enough to overtake 2025's previous highest-grossing film, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, which notched up €54.3m after 11 weeks in cinemas. The forthcoming bank holiday weekend is likely to give A Minecraft Movie a further boost, meaning it could soon pass the €70m taken by the musical Wicked, which was last year's highest-grossing release in the UK and Ireland. A Minecraft Movie stars Jack Black and Jason Momoa as misfits who get pulled into a cubic world based on the video game. The film has attracted huge audiences to cinemas in recent weeks, mainly of young children and teenagers, with some breaking into wild and eruptive behaviour at key scenes and lines of dialogue. A moment when US actor Jack Black's character shouts "chicken jockey" has triggered particularly raucous celebrations, including whoops, clapping and the throwing of popcorn. The line is a reference to a baby zombie riding a chicken - something that occurs extremely rarely in the video game. Last week, Jack Black's Steve's Lava Chicken from A Minecraft Movie climbed to number 30 in the Irish singles charts. The song became the shortest song ever to enter the singles charts at just 34 seconds. A test of the Minecraft Movie's popularity may come in the shape of the latest superhero film in the Marvel Comics franchise, Thunderbolts*, which opens in Ireland this weekend. The box offices figures for Ireland and the UK were published by the British Film Institute using data from Comscore. The US opening at the box office for A Minecraft Movie earlier in April made it the biggest of the year with opening weekend sales of $163m (€143m), Warner Bros. said.
RTÉ News
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
A Minecraft Movie is biggest film of 2025 so far in Ireland and UK
A Minecraft Movie has become the biggest film of the year so far in Ireland and the UK after just four weeks on release, combined box office figures show. The fantasy adventure comedy, based on the hit video game, has made £51.7 million at the combined box office in Ireland and the UK. Box office figures for Ireland and the UK are combined by international film companies into a single market, quoted in Sterling. A Minecraft Movie 's box office haul is enough to overtake 2025's previous highest-grossing film, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, which notched up £46.3 million after 11 weeks in cinemas. The upcoming bank holiday weekend is likely to give A Minecraft Movie a further boost, meaning it could soon pass the £59.6 million taken by the musical Wicked, which was last year's highest grossing release in Ireland and the UK. The film has attracted huge audiences to cinemas in recent weeks, mainly young children and teenagers, with some breaking into wild behaviour at key scenes and lines of dialogue. A moment when actor Jack Black's character shouts "Chicken jockey!" has triggered particularly raucous celebrations, including whoops, clapping, and the throwing of popcorn. The line is a reference to a baby zombie riding on the back of a chicken - something that occurs on extremely rare occasions in the video game. A test of the Minecraft Movie 's popularity may come in the shape of the latest superhero film in the Marvel Comics franchise, Thunderbolts, which opens this weekend. All box offices figures have been published by the British Film Institute using data from the media analytics company Comscore.
BreakingNews.ie
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BreakingNews.ie
Minecraft Movie is biggest film of 2025 so far Ireland and UK
A Minecraft Movie has become the biggest film of the year so far in Ireland and the UK after just four weeks on release, figures show. The fantasy adventure comedy, based on the hit video game, has made €60.6 million (£51.7 million) at the combined box office across Ireland and the UK. Advertisement This is enough to overtake 2025's previous highest-grossing film, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, which notched up €54.3 million (£46.3 million) after 11 weeks in cinemas. The forthcoming bank holiday weekend is likely to give A Minecraft Movie a further boost, meaning it could soon pass the €69.9 million (£59.6 million) taken by the musical Wicked, which was last year's highest-grossing release in Ireland and the UK. The film has attracted huge audiences to cinemas in recent weeks, mainly of young children and teenagers, with some breaking into wild and eruptive behaviour at key scenes and lines of dialogue. A moment when US actor Jack Black's character shouts 'chicken jockey' has triggered particularly raucous celebrations, including whoops, clapping and the throwing of popcorn. Advertisement The line is a reference to a baby zombie riding a chicken – something that occurs extremely rarely in the video game. A test of the Minecraft Movie's popularity may come in the shape of the latest superhero film in the Marvel Comics franchise, Thunderbolts*, which opens in Ireland and the UK this weekend. All box offices figures have been published by the British Film Institute using data from Comscore.
New York Times
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Reality TV Wades Into Cross-Generational Dating Pools
Age-gap relationships are nothing new when it comes to depictions of older men in TV and film plots. But a wave of recent releases, including 'Babygirl,' 'The Idea of You,' 'Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy" and 'Lonely Planet,' have zeroed in on romantic and sexual relationships between women in midlife and younger men. Two new reality dating spinoffs are now catching up. Bravo's 'Love Hotel,' which premiered Sunday, features three over-50 'Real Housewives' — Luann de Lesseps, 59, Gizelle Bryant, 54, and Shannon Beador, 61 — looking for love among eligible bachelors whose ages range from their 30s to their 60s at a luxury resort in Los Cabos, Mexico. (Ashley Darby, 36, rounds out the group of bachelorettes.) In the first episode Bryant asks Wale Alesh, 38, if he wants children. When he responds that he does, the cameras cut to Bryant in an interview filmed after. 'Gizelle doesn't have a uterus, so that means we aren't compatible,' she says, speaking in the third person. Meeting Jay Bramble, 46, Bryant explained: 'My three daughters are in college. I have the house to myself, so I just walk around naked.' He responded, 'You're living the dream.' Bryant, who is divorced and who dated the 'Winter House' cast member Jason Cameron, 38, on a past season of 'The Real Housewives of Potomac,' said it's important that audiences see mature women living vital love lives. 'Hey, ain't nobody dead because they have, like, jumped over 39,' she said in an interview. Bryant added that the program gives the women a chance to show 'we can spend whatever days we have left in a happy place with somebody that, you know, you really want to rock out with.' Several of de Lesseps's relationships and marriages were chronicled on 'The Real Housewives of New York,' but she said 'Love Hotel' gives her an opportunity to show that she's 'in the driver's seat' when it comes to dating. 'I'm not 20 anymore. I feel like 20, but I'm at a different stage of dating,' de Lesseps said, adding: 'I make my own money, my kids are grown.' Their attitudes reflect the fact that Americans are marrying later now than they did 50 years ago, for example, according to median age charts for first marriages from the U.S. Census Bureau. And the experiences of more seasoned daters are not often portrayed on most reality dating shows. ABC's 'Bachelor' franchise capitalized on that starting in 2023, when it looked to pair the 72-year-old widower Gerry Turner with the 60-and-up contestants of 'The Golden Bachelor.' The next year, Joan Vassos, then 61, searched for love on 'The Golden Bachelorette.' This summer, the popular spinoff 'Bachelor in Paradise' will feature 35-and-under singles from the original show alongside 'Golden' hopefuls, including Gary Levingston, 66, of 'The Golden Bachelorette.' The logistics of the show, and whether the contestants will be grouped by age, has not been announced, but the draw of heaping them all into the same show seemed clear to Levingston. Without age diversity among contestants, he said, 'you've left out a part of the market segment that's still out here.'
Irish Times
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Magic movies: The 25 best comedies of the past 25 years
What happened to the modern comedy film ? They still arrive in cinemas, but few stick around as they used to. The romcom is no longer a staple. The teen romp is nowhere near as bankable as the big dumb family flick. With that in mind we have, a quarter of the way through the 21st century, gathered the 25 best from that period for you to stream, rent or (you never know) take down from the shelf. The usual compromises apply. No more than one film per director. The century begins in 2000. We are leaving animation for another day. And, yes, all these films are comedies. That genre can deal with the grimmest of issues. All titles listed as streaming are also available to rent from services such as Apple, Sky and Google. READ MORE 25. Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy Michael Morris, 2025 By far the best in the Bridget Jones series. Far better than it needed to be. Jonsey slips into middle age with enormous dignity. Hugh Grant softens his definitive cad. Available to rent. Read our full review here 24. Borat! Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan Larry Charles, 2006 One sensed a certain cooling, over time, on the borderline racism in this first Borat film's treatment of its title character, but the sequel was a smash – and picked up an Oscar nomination – during the Covid years. Still funny. Streaming on Prime Video 23. Force Majeure Ruben Östlund, 2014 Ruben Östlund has since won the Palme d'Or twice, but he has yet to surpass this excruciating comedy about a dad abandoning his family to an avalanche. Yes, it's a variation on George Costanza fleeing the fire in Seinfeld, but so what? Available to rent. Read our full review here 22. The Banshees of Inisherin Martin McDonagh, 2022 Not every Irish person was on board with the heightened version of island life, but Martin McDonagh's taste for the mordant humour remains as pungent as ever. 'How's the despair?' Streaming on Disney+. Read our full review here 21. Sorry to Bother You Boots Riley, 2018 Boots Riley's satirical swipe at corporate insensitivity came out of nowhere to carve out its own space. LaKeith Stanfield plays a black man who adopts a white persona to succeed at work – with predictably compromising results. Available to rent. Read our full review here 20. The Death of Stalin Armando Iannucci, 2017 Armando Iannucci assembled an incomparable cast – Simon Russell Beale, Steve Buscemi , Andrea Riseborough , Michael Palin and more – to make a grimly hilarious study of what happened after Stalin left the planet. Jason Isaacs stands out for his bluff Yorkshire take on Field Marshal Zhuko. Streaming on Netflix. Read our full review here 19. Love & Friendship Whit Stillman, 2016 It may be a stretch to call this the best Jane Austen adaptation – Ang Lee's Sense and Sensibility probably retains that title – but Whit Stillman's take on the author's obscure Lady Susan is surely the funniest. Shot in Ireland. Streaming on Disney+ and Mubi. Read our full review here 18. 24 Hour Party People Michael Winterbottom, 2002 Steve Coogan stars as Tony Wilson, founder of Factory Records, in the definitive take on Manchester's postpunk scene. 'It's a pity you didn't sign the Smiths,' God tells him. 'But you were right about Mick Hucknell. His music's rubbish.' Streaming on Plex 17. The Lobster Yorgos Lanthimos, 2015 Yorgos Lanthimos's transition from Greek weird wave to the quasi-mainstream of Poor Things and The Favourite began with this pitch-black Irish production set in a world where the single life is not tolerated. Colin Farrell is heartbreakingly pathetic. Rachel Weisz is equally strong. Available to rent. Read our full review here 16. Shaun of the Dead Edgar Wright, 2004 Pretty much nobody saw it coming when Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg , colleagues from the TV show Spaced, moved into cinema with an endlessly inventive pastiche of the zombie film. Pegg is now in Mission: Impossible. Wright is all over Hollywood. Available to rent 15. Punch-Drunk Love Paul Thomas Anderson, 2003 Paul Thomas Anderson essentially asks what life would be like with an Adam Sandler character in the real world. The answer is: pretty darn terrifying. Emily Watson is equally strong as a variation on the demure heroines who fall for Sandler in his mainstream comedies. Streaming on Prime Video 14. The Grand Budapest Hotel Wes Anderson, 2014 Opinions vary on what has become of Wes Anderson . Some think he has gone from strength to strength. Others feel he has slipped into self-parody. But all agree he was at the top of his game with this period comedy inspired by the work of Stefan Zweig. Ralph Fiennes confirms his comic chops. Streaming on Disney+. Read our full review here 13. May December Todd Haynes, 2023 A masterpiece of unsettling tone from Todd Haynes . Natalie Portman catches up with Julianne Moore some years after the latter's character got in hot water for an affair with a teenager. Pitched at the level of comic melodrama throughout. Streaming on Sky Cinema. Read our full review here 12. Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story Jake Kasdan, 2007 Twenty years after This Is Spinal Tap finished off the rockumentary, Jake Kasdan's comedy did the same for the music biopic. John C Reilly's Dewey Cox is Jim Morrison. He's Johnny Cash. He's Brian Wilson. 'I want an army of didgeridoos!' Available to rent 11. Sexy Beast Jonathan Glazer, 2000 Yes, the director of Zone of Interest does make this list. Jonathan Glazer's debut feature is one of a kind: a geezer gangster film that features an unclassifiable comic performance from Ben Kingsley . His Don Logan is simultaneously terrifying and hilarious. Available to rent 10. Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World Radu Jude, 2023 Entirely original satire from the Romanian oddball Radu Jude about a young woman seeking cast members for a corporate video in contemporary Bucharest. Makes swift turns at every juncture. Ruthlessly funny throughout. Available to rent. Read our full review here 9. Adaptation Spike Jonze, 2002 Spike Jonze and the writer Charlie Kaufman followed up Being John Malkovich with an alleged adaptation of Susan Orlean's book The Orchid Thief that largely abandoned the text for an investigation of the screenwriting process. Nicolas Cage , as Charlie and his fictional brother Donald, has never been better. Streaming on Mubi and Plex 8. Get Out Jordan Peele, 2017 Few films listed under 'comedy' at the Golden Globes generated more disagreement than Jordan Peele's rattling horror about a young black man embarrassed by the patronising – but initially benign – attentions of white liberals. The film is, however, plainly a descendant of Peele's satirical TV sketches on race. Available to rent. Read our full review here 7. Songs from the Second Floor Roy Andersson, 2000 Roy Andersson's 21st-century films are always the same yet always surprising. As was the case with later projects, this sombre, wry collection of sketches finds various Swedes trapped in comic despair. 'What can I say? It's not easy being human,' one character says. True enough. Available to rent 6. Step Brothers Adam McKay, 2008 Like Walk Hard – another John C Reilly flick on our list – Adam McKay's comedy landed softly with audiences and critics before going on to become an endlessly quoted classic. 'You and your mom are hillbillies,' he tells his new stepbrother, Will Ferrell . 'This is a house of learned doctors!' Streaming on Prime Video 5. Frances Ha Noah Baumbach, 2012 Noah Baumbach looked to have lost his way with missteps such as Greenberg before teaming up with Greta Gerwig and finding a lighter touch with this tale of a young woman contemplating her own lack of direction in a monochrome New York City. Streaming on Prime Video. Read our full review here 4. A Serious Man Joel and Ethan Coen, 2009 So many options this century from Joel and Ethan Coen. This intricate tale of an academic in 1960s Minnesota losing his cool as his wife falls for another man and his son takes up marijuana just steals it from O Brother Where Art Thou? and Inside Llewyn Davis. Available to rent 3. Team America: World Police Trey Parker, 2004 The US didn't really get it at the time, but the South Park team's puppet-led examination of the war on terror has given the world endless memes. In truth it's as much about Hollywood's self-indulgence as it is about global politics. 'You are worthress, Arec Barrwin!' Streaming on Paramount+ 2. Anora Sean Baker, 2024 The most satisfactory retooling of screwball comedy since the 1950s. There is real poignancy to Mikey Madison's performance, but the picture is most memorable for the clattering pace of its pursuits through New York City. Antic madness combined with emotional depth. Winner of the Palme d'Or and best-picture Oscar. Available to rent. Read our full review here 1. Lady Bird Greta Gerwig, 2017 Greta Gerwig looks back to her own upbringing in Sacramento, in California, and discovers a wealth of teenage traumas for Saoirse Ronan's plucky title character to process. The tense relationship between Lady Bird and her mother – a brittle Laurie Metcalf – is particularly well handled. A contemporary classic. Available to rent. Read our full review here
