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Reuters
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Reuters
Marvel's 'Thunderbolts*' to test Chinese appetite for Hollywood as trade war rages
SHANGHAI, April 30 (Reuters) - New Disney (DIS.N), opens new tab movie Thunderbolts* is poised to test Chinese appetite for Hollywood blockbusters as it opens in cinemas around China on Wednesday, making it the first American film to hit movie theatres in the country since a new trade war began. The film, a part of the sprawling Marvel franchise, was approved for release in China before Washington and Beijing slapped tit-for-tat tariffs on each other. That meant the movie, which sees an unconventional band of antiheroes brought together to combat a supervillain, escaped a decision by China to curb Hollywood imports earlier this month as part of its retaliation against the United States. In 2024, a total of 42 American films were released in China, but Chinese audiences have been gravitating away from Hollywood for some time. Releases so far in 2025 have included Snow White, which made 9 million yuan ($1.24 million) at the Chinese box office and Captain America: Brave New World which pulled in 104 million yuan. In comparison, 2025 box office leader Ne Zha 2 has grossed more than 7 billion yuan in its home market. "It's hard to remember the last American film I watched..." said Beijing resident Pan Lei, a frequent cinema-goer. "I think it should be Dune, which was four years ago." Pan, 49, said that American films like the Marvel movie franchise have been standard fare for nearly 20 years, and any novelty of their production and visual effects has largely worn off. "I miss the days when we could watch wonderful Hollywood films like Titanic, Speed, True Lies and Iron Man in cinemas," he said, adding: "I think the younger generation doesn't share the same idea of Hollywood as my generation." While Chinese moviegoers around Pan's age were once accustomed to Hollywood films dominating China's box office, the rapid development of a homegrown industry has seen domestic films with local stars and specifically Chinese stories rise to supplant them over the past decade. Since 2015, Chinese films have ranked number one at the local box office each year, while the number of foreign films at the top of the box office takings have become rarer. Even without a new trade war and a rise in geopolitical tensions between the United States and China, it's doubtful Hollywood films will ever be able to regain their once-dominant position in the Chinese market, analysts say. "China will continue to dominate its home market," said Stanley Rosen, professor of political science at the University of Southern California. "China has learned a lot from Hollywood — for example, from their earlier collaboration with DreamWorks in Shanghai — and simply does not need the Hollywood blockbusters anymore." "Only two Hollywood films made over $100 million in China last year, and I don't expect any will do so this year," he added. ($1 = 7.2645 Chinese yuan renminbi)
Reuters
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Reuters
Diego Luna feels he will need therapy after farewell to 'Andor' show
LOS ANGELES, April 17 (Reuters) - For actor Diego Luna, Season Two of the Disney Plus (DIS.N), opens new tab series "Andor," based on the "Star Wars" franchise, correlates with real-life sociopolitical issues that go beyond the show. "Oh my God, it's so pertinent today. But think about it. If it had been ready a year ago, it probably would have been pertinent again," said Luna, who plays the show's lead Cassian Andor, in an interview. The series is about a community taking control and having a responsibility to be active citizens, Luna observed. "It's always a beautiful reminder." The second and final season of the acclaimed "Star Wars" television series will begin streaming on Disney Plus on Tuesday. This season follows the adventures of rebel agent Cassian Andor as numerous characters come together to create the Rebel Alliance, a staple within the "Star Wars" movies. The first season of "Andor," created and written by Tony Gilroy, was nominated for best drama series at the Primetime Emmy Awards. "The writing of Tony Gilroy, it's always like proving you wrong. When you think, 'OK, it's going to go there and he's going to solve it this way,' he comes up with an idea that just makes you rethink everything and see it from a perspective you didn't know it was even possible," Luna said. One unpredictable element is the romantic yet toxic relationship between two Imperial officers, Dedra, played by Denise Gough and Syril, portrayed by Kyle Soller. After a clip was released online to promote the new season, many fans began "shipping," or rooting for the two characters to become a romantic couple. Gough admitted that until listening to Ben Mendelsohn, the Australian actor who plays antagonist Orson Krennic, she was in the dark about the meaning of "shipping." "Ben Mendelsohn was like, 'It's like the Love Boat. You're on the Love Boat," she said. "So that's Ben Mendelsohn's idea of shipping." Season Two marks the end of Luna's journey as Andor and as executive producer for the series. "I'm going to need therapy to answer it," Luna said when asked how he will say goodbye to his role.
Reuters
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Reuters
Disney TV crime series regains original name after Italy court order revoked
ROME, March 27 (Reuters) - A Disney (DIS.N), opens new tab TV crime series will return to its original name after an Italian court annulled a decision that had forced the show to adopt a new title, the global entertainment giant said on Tuesday. "Avetrana - This is not Hollywood" is an Italian-language, fictionalised account of the 2010 murder of a 15-year-old girl by her family members and of the media frenzy that surrounded the case. The Reuters Daily Briefing newsletter provides all the news you need to start your day. Sign up here. Before its launch in October, the mayor of Avetrana, the small town in southern Italy where the crime occurred, took legal action against the four-part series on the grounds its name gave the municipality a bad name. A court in Taranto accepted the mayor's appeal, provisionally blocking the show's release. It then went on air after Disney, acting as distributor, and producers Groenlandia agreed to shorten the name to "This is not Hollywood". With the full title restored, including the word Avetrana, "the series finally reclaims one of its founding elements", director Pippo Mezzapesa said. "The title could not ignore the name of the town where the events took place," he added. Last year, film and TV industry representatives criticised the court decision to halt the series, with the head of the Italian producers' association APA Chiara Sbarigia calling it "a serious violation of the principle of freedom of expression".
Reuters
20-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Reuters
'Snow White' debuts in theaters, dogged by controversy
LOS ANGELES, March 20 (Reuters) - Disney's "Snow White" reaches theaters on Friday, after having been dogged by controversies that dragged the retelling of the 1937 animated classic into the culture wars, potentially threatening its box office performance. The big-budget adaptation of Walt Disney's (DIS.N), opens new tab original princess story has been in the works since 2016, following a string of box-office successes with similar live-action remakes of Disney animated films, including "Alice in Wonderland," "Cinderella" and "The Jungle Book." 'The Amazing Spider-Man' director Marc Webb agreed to helm a live-action musical version of the movie that would update the fairy tale for contemporary audiences. The project, with an estimated budget of $270 million, has became mired in the nation's divisions over race, the 2024 election and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Disney declined to comment for this story. "'Snow White' looms as a Hollywood case study of how the world can change under your feet," wrote Richard Rushfield, editorial director of the entertainment industry newsletter The Ankler. "It approaches the finish line having collected more scandals, brouhahas and issues than some studios see in a decade." "Snow White" landed in the what Rushfield described as the "culture war crosshairs" -- a place it has worked to avoid since 2022, when it became embroiled in a dispute with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis over a legislative effort to limit classroom discussion of sexuality and gender issues. The film, like Disney's 2023 live-action remake of "The Little Mermaid," attracted backlash for casting a person of color in the lead role. Disney's selection of Rachel Zegler, an actor of Colombian descent, for the title role, prompted some online critics to deride the project as "Snow Woke." The 23-year-old Zegler fanned some of the controversy. The actor antagonized Trump supporters with a series of temporary Instagram stories posted after the 2024 election, condemning those who voted for the president-elect. "May Trump supporters and Trump voters and Trump himself never know peace,' she wrote, later apologizing for letting her emotions get the best of her. Israeli-born actress Gal Gadot, who plays the film's Evil Queen, provoked calls for a boycott of the movie after expressing support for her native country in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 terror attack. Pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli protesters faced off Tuesday, as Gadot received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Zegler, meanwhile, has been vocal about her "pro-Palestine stance" on X,, opens new tab taking an opposing view to Gadot on the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Against this backdrop, Disney restricted interview access from the red carpet of the film's Los Angeles premiere, which was moved from Hollywood Boulevard to a tented area behind the El Capitan theater because of the Los Angeles Marathon. The movie received an enthusiastic reaction at the premiere. Audience members applauded after many of the musical numbers. ''Snow White' is not only one of their best live-action remakes in years, but it's also a film that recaptures the magic of the 1937 movie. Rachel Zegler IS Snow White, and she delivers such a magical performance,' said online critic Christopher Rates It. Stephen Galloway, dean of the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts at Chapman University, said most of the social media controversies will likely be forgotten if the film receives strong reviews. "The darkness of the web, even when it's not the dark web, doesn't kill a movie," said Galloway. "Everything is basically dependent on, was this movie any good?" Shawn Robbins, founder and owner of Box Office Theory, predicted "Snow White" would open in the high $30 million to low $40 million range at domestic theaters. Other sources predict the movie will bring in $45 to $55 million in North America, and another $55 million globally. "It faces these challenging narratives," Robbins said. "The flip side is that family movies have been doing really well, and there aren't a lot of them coming out before summer so that could be a benefit."
Reuters
11-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Reuters
Disney wins US copyright trial over animated hit 'Moana'
March 10 (Reuters) - A California federal jury said on Monday that Disney's (DIS.N), opens new tab hit film "Moana" did not infringe an artist's copyrights related to his planned animated movie about a teenage hero in ancient Polynesia. The jury rejected Buck Woodall's argument that Disney unlawfully copied from a script, storyboards and other content he shared with a film executive starting in the early 2000s for his film "Bucky," according to a spokesperson for Disney's law firm. Woodall's attorney Gustavo Lage said they were disappointed with the verdict and would evaluate Woodall's options moving forward. Spokespeople for Disney did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the verdict. Woodall, who lives in Baja, Mexico, and Taos, New Mexico, first sued Disney in 2020. He said he shared materials for "Bucky" — about a teenage surfer who time travels to ancient Polynesia — with film executive Jenny Marchick, whose stepsister is Woodall's sister-in-law. The lawsuit said that Woodall in 2011 sent a final draft script for "Bucky" to Marchick, who allegedly passed it off to Disney. Woodall argued that "Moana" copied from "Bucky," citing similarities in their plots, settings and other elements. Disney argued that the makers of "Moana" never saw Woodall's materials and that the works were not similar enough to support his claims. Woodall asked in the lawsuit for at least $100 million in damages. The case was narrowed to only involve Disney's home video distribution wing Buena Vista Home Entertainment after the court found his claims based on the film's theatrical release were time-barred. Woodall separately brought a similar case over "Moana 2" in January in which he is seeking at least $10 billion in damages. The case is Woodall v. Walt Disney Co, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, No. 2:20-cv-03772. For Woodall: Gustavo Lage and Augusto Lopez of Sanchez-Medina, Gonzalez, Quesada, Gomez & Machado For Disney: Moez Kaba, Robert Klieger and Sourabh Mishra of Hueston Hennigan; Arwen Johnson and Michael Roth of King & Spalding
