Latest news with #DreamWorks'
Time of India
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
What goes around comes around: Tom Cruise secures THESE screens for Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning in the West
In 2023, Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible faced IMAX competition from Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer. Now, Cruise has secured an exclusive three-week IMAX window for Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning in 2025. This strategic move highlights the importance of premium formats in box office success, reversing the situation from two years prior. When Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One released back in July 2023, Tom Cruise found himself facing an unexpected and rather frustrating hurdle. Despite being one of Hollywood's most vocal advocates for the theatrical experience and premium formats like IMAX, Cruise had to watch helplessly as Oppenheimer, helmed by Christopher Nolan — another staunch IMAX loyalist — swept up most of the coveted IMAX screens within just ten days of Dead Reckoning's release. Nolan's exclusive three-week deal with IMAX left Cruise's blockbuster scrambling for prime real estate, triggering reported heartburn within the Mission: Impossible camp. At the time, insiders noted Cruise's disappointment. After all, he had been championing the cause of big-screen spectacles, urging audiences back to cinemas post-pandemic, only to be edged out by another director's IMAX-first strategy. The timing couldn't have been worse for Dead Reckoning, a film tailor-made for the larger-than-life experience that IMAX offers. Fast forward to 2025, and it seems Cruise took that hard lesson to heart. Word on the street is that for Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning, Cruise has secured an exclusive three-week IMAX window — a strategic coup that ensures the film will dominate premium screens until June 13. Only then will DreamWorks' How to Train Your Dragon reboot step in to claim its share of the IMAX pie. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Secure Your Child's Future with Strong English Fluency Planet Spark Learn More Undo It's a move that signals Cruise's astute understanding of the modern box office battleground, where premium formats can make a crucial difference in opening numbers and overall grosses. More importantly, it's a moment of poetic symmetry — what went around in 2023 has now come around in 2025. Cruise, who once ceded ground to Nolan, now finds himself in the driver's seat. One might wonder why movie stars crave for IMAX screens which have a very limited presence across the globe- at last count it has less than 2000 screens. But as per current trends, these screens provide as much as 10 % of total box office revenue, thus making it a good business decision. Final reckoning which also stars Hayley Atwell , Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg , Esai Morales and Pom Klementieff has already corssed US $ 100 million in USA. Check out our list of the latest Hindi , English , Tamil , Telugu , Malayalam , and Kannada movies . Don't miss our picks for the best Hindi movies , best Tamil movies, and best Telugu films .
Tatler Asia
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Tatler Asia
From Barbie to Labubu: a history of iconic collectable dolls that shaped generations
2. Raggedy Ann Above Raggedy Ann (Photo: Prisencolinensinainciusol / Wikimedia Commons) Created by Johnny Gruelle, Raggedy Ann was less about fashion and more about values. Barbie wasn't the first feminist doll icon, after all. Raggedy Ann promoted kindness, loyalty and resilience. She debuted in 1915 and came with her own series of wholesome, sometimes gently preachy books. Her popularity endured for nearly a century thanks to her unthreatening design and 'let's talk about our feelings' energy. While they don't command toy shelves anymore, Raggedy Ann's impact is still hand-stitched into the fabric of American nostalgia. 3. Barbie (1959) Above Barbie is probably the most famous of all iconic collectable dolls. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons) Barbie has been a teenage fashion model, a surgeon, an astronaut and President. She's worn plastic heels and cultural expectations in equal measure. Since 1959, she's embodied both empowerment and controversy—a dream girl and a feminist battlefield in six-inch platforms. She's still selling faster than you can say 'Dreamhouse', thanks to that Greta Gerwig film. 4. Trolls (1959) Above Trolls (Photo: Meg Jenson / Unsplash) Originally carved by a Danish woodcutter as a lucky charm, Troll dolls exploded into global fame in the 1960s and again in the '90s. They had a kind of kitschy renaissance with neon hair and jewel belly buttons. Equal parts adorable and creepy, these stubby-limbed creatures captured hearts with their chaotic charm and 'so-ugly-it's-cute' energy. Today, they're back with a glitter-soaked vengeance thanks to DreamWorks' musical franchise, but vintage collectors still seek the classic, beady-eyed originals with hair like a windstorm in Ibiza. 5. Blythe Dolls (1972) Above Blythe Dolls (Photo: Kathy B / Wikimedia Commons) Launched in 1972 and relaunched in the 2000s, Blythe dolls were initially considered too weird. They have oversized heads, colour-changing eyes and an eerie stare, but the art and fashion world fell hard for these iconic collectable dolls. These days, they're styled like miniature Vogue editorials and sold for thousands. Think of them as the Anna Wintour of dolls—intimidating but iconic. 6. Cabbage Patch Kids (1982) Before there were TikTok drops and sneaker raffles, there were toy store stampedes for Cabbage Patch Kids. Debuting in the early 1980s with their soft cloth bodies, pudgy faces and adoption certificates, these iconic collectable dolls ignited an unmatched consumer craze. Every child wanted their own oddly adorable baby with a unique name and birth story. Part wholesome, part headline-making mania, Cabbage Patch Kids weren't just a toy; they were a social phenomenon. 7. American Girl Dolls (1986) These 18-inch iconic collectable dolls brought context to the playroom. With detailed historical backstories and accessory sets that cost more than your rent, American Girl Dolls taught kids about abolition, immigration, war and suffrage, one embroidered bonnet at a time. They're now as beloved by grown women on eBay as they once were by nine-year-olds in prairie dresses. 8. Bratz (2001) Bratz dolls burst onto the scene in the early 2000s like a glitter bomb with attitude—huge heads, heavy makeup and a wardrobe straight off a Y2K music video. They were the antithesis of Barbie: unapologetically edgy, ethnically diverse and dressed for the club at age 13. Bratz threw traditional beauty out the window and replaced it with street style and smudged eyeliner. Though these iconic collectable dolls were accused of being 'bad influences', they're now embraced by fashion kids and drag queens alike. 9. Sonny Angel (2005) If Kewpie had a trendy Gen Z nibling, it'd be Sonny Angel. These tiny, wide-eyed baby boys wear nothing but elaborate headgear: strawberries, hamburgers, snowmen—you name it. Designed in Japan by Toru Soeya, they were made to 'bring healing' and quickly became surprise must-haves. Sonny Angels are now a collectable phenomenon and a favourite among aesthetic girlies who like their serotonin in miniature form. 10. Monster High (2010) If Bratz were the rebel teens of the doll world, Monster High was their gothic, undead cousin who listened to My Chemical Romance and drank iced lattes in a haunted cafeteria. Launched in 2010, Monster High reimagined the children of classic monsters—Draculaura, Frankie Stein and Clawdeen Wolf—as stylish, self-aware high schoolers navigating teen life with fangs, bolts and killer heels. Every doll had a backstory, a punny name and a look that was equal parts horror movie and haute couture. It was the first mainstream doll line to centre freakiness as fabulousness—and kids ate it up. 11. Noodoll (2009) Born in London with Taiwanese roots, Noodolls are kawaii-style plushies with names like Ricecarrot and Ricemonster. They're the therapy plushies of the design world. Now regaining momentum after the Labubu brouhaha, Noodolls are a soft power staple for millennials who grew up and now need something soft to cry into at their WFH desk. 12. Labubu (2015) Part goblin, part woodland spirit, Labubu was created by Hong Kong-based artist Kasing Lung and produced by POP MART. With snaggle teeth, devilish eyes and twisted whimsy, Labubu dolls look like they've crawled out of a haunted Lisa Frank sketchbook, and Gen Z is obsessed. Ultra-coveted and often sold out, these iconic collectable dolls have become part of the new wave of 'designer toys' that blur the line between doll and fine art. See more: The rise of Labubu: Why are people obsessed with this plush toy accessory?
Egypt Today
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Egypt Today
Upcoming Animated Movie Sequels Set to Rekindle Fan Favorites
Several highly anticipated animated movie sequels will be released soon, offering exciting continuations of beloved stories. Here's a roundup of what's coming: 1-Zootopia 2 Disney's dynamic duo, Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde return to solve a new mystery in the Marsh Market. The film is scheduled for release on November 26, 2025. 2-The Bad Guys 2 DreamWorks' charming criminals are back, teaming up with a new all-female squad for one last heist. Set to hit theaters on August 1, 2025. 3-Shrek 5 Eddie Murphy has confirmed he's working on the fifth installment of the Shrek series, with a projected release in 2025. A Donkey spinoff is also in development. 4-Incredibles 3 Pixar has officially announced the third installment of the superhero family saga, with Brad Bird returning as director—release date to be announced. 5-Frozen 3 Disney continues the icy adventures of Elsa and Anna, with the third film slated for release on November 25, 2026. These sequels promise to bring back favorite characters and introduce new adventures, making the upcoming years exciting for animation fans.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Universal's CinemaCon Presentation Focuses on What Works in Theaters: Sequels and Horror
A lot of the conversation at CinemaCon 2025 has been about trying to find the elusive answer to the question of how to get audiences back in theaters for films that aren't franchises and horror…the sort of offerings that made up the vast majority of Universal's CinemaCon presentation on Wednesday afternoon. The presentation, which kicked off with an elegant, 50-piece live orchestra playing iconic Universal film scores and showcased everything from 'Wicked: For Good' to 'Jurassic World: Rebirth,' was a notable departure from Warner Bros.' focus on risky original titles and Lionsgate's attempts to strike a balance on expanding their franchises and offering some low budget originality. Universal's message was about stability, offering titles that audiences know and which will likely provide reliable box office while the industry as a whole tries to figure out how to effectively bring variety back to the big screen in a way that the masses will buy tickets for. Universal's pitch to theaters began Wednesday morning with an advance screening of this June's live-action remake of DreamWorks' 'How to Train Your Dragon.' If the studio's confidence that fans of the animated film will turn out in droves to see Toothless ridden by a live-action Hiccup regardless of online grumblings wasn't clear enough, series director Dean DeBlois was sent out to announce that a remake of 'How to Train Your Dragon 2' has already been greenlit for a summer 2027 release. That franchise focus continued with a presentation of 'Jurassic World: Rebirth,' a bet that 'Jurassic' fans hunger for dinosaur smashing is so unending that they can launch a brand new story led by Scarlett Johansson. Given that the three previous 'Jurassic World' films all topped $1 billion, with the first 'Jurassic World' holding the studio record, it's a pretty easy bet to make. The sequel focus continued across Universal's stable of production companies. At Blumhouse, where several recent titles like 'Wolf Man,' 'The Woman in the Yard,' and 'Night Swim' haven't become breakout successes, the studio will turn to sequels of recent films that have broken out like 'M3GAN,' 'The Black Phone,' and 'Five Nights at Freddy's,' which got the fans' rabid fanbase excited when a new trailer dropped online as it was screened to exhibitors in Caesars Palace. Other sequels include 87North's followup to 'Nobody' starring Bob Odenkirk, and DreamWorks' animated 'The Bad Guys 2,' which looks to build off the $250 million global theatrical run of its predecessor by bringing in families that saw the first film in theaters as well as others who may have seen the film on Peacock or premium on-demand. And of course, there's the biggest 'sequel' of all: 'Wicked: For Good,' the second part of Jon M. Chu's record-setting Broadway adaptation. Universal took a big gamble on a massive marketing campaign rivaled only by 'Barbie' in recent memory to get the world to come see Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande on the big screen, and now 'Defying Gravity' has taken over the zeitgeist. The question now is only whether the second part of this duology can top the $747 million global run of last year's film. That's not to say originality was completely absent. While Focus Features' portion of the presentation also had a sequel with 'Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale,' the specialty division also showed off the latest from two critical darlings: Wes Anderson and Yorgos Lanthimos. After Anderson's 'Asteroid City' found some traction with the Letterboxd crowd two years ago, the filmmaker has returned with his take on the spy genre in 'The Phoenician Scheme.' Meanwhile, Lanthimos' Emma Stone-led 'Bugonia,' a film about a CEO kidnapped by a pair of conspiracy theorists, will take the early November release slot that Focus has used as a launch pad for recent Oscar contenders like 'The Holdovers' and 'Conclave.' And among the horror sequels was 'Him,' a Jordan Peele-produced film that takes the 'rise and grind' mentality shown in every Nike and Gatorade sports ad and twists it, showing how a rising football star is coerced by that mentality into joining a satanic cult in which he must show he is willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to achieve greatness. One topic that wasn't largely bypassed at the presentation was windowing, an issue that has been pressed by Cinema United CEO Michael O'Leary in his keynote speech and by many exhibitor attendees in industry panels and private conversations. While O'Leary advocated for theatrical windows to expand to 45 days, Universal has stuck by the deal they made with theater chains during the pandemic five years ago to exercise the option to release films on premium on-demand as early as 17 days after theatrical release, or 31 days if the domestic opening weekend exceeds $50 million. In lieu of this, NBCUniversal Chairman Donna Langley reiterated many of the points she and other Universal execs have cited at past CinemaCons to show its faithfulness to theaters regardless of how it plans windows: its status as the studio with the highest wide release volume of any in Hollywood, its standing with the most films in the top 5 of the annual box office charts of any studio since 2021, and marketing campaigns that emphasize seeing the film in theaters and treat each title as a spectacle best enjoyed on the big screen. 'Our audiences are evolving and we need to work harder than ever to earn a share of their time and wallets,' Langley said. 'There's no question we continue to face an uphill climb, but it is one they will climb together.' To that end, Universal's president of domestic theatrical distribution, Jim Orr, praised Christopher Nolan's 'visionary take' on 'The Odyssey,' which is currently in production and will be released in theaters next year. 'We know this film will be a once-in-a-generation cinematic masterpiece that Homer himself would be very proud of,' he said, also tipping to Steven Spielberg's mystery UFO film that Universal will release next summer too. There was one brief mention of theatrical exclusivity during the presentation: Jason Blum, dressed as horror gaming icon Freddy Fazbear, acknowledged that 'Five Nights at Freddy's' was released simultaneously in theaters and on Peacock back in 2023, earning an $80 million opening despite that. But the sequel to 'FNAF,' set to liven up a historically quiet early December release period, will be released only in theaters. In a presentation that included a live orchestra, ScarJo jokes, and the return of Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, Blum's assurance of that exclusivity got as much of an enthusiastic cheer as anything else. The post Universal's CinemaCon Presentation Focuses on What Works in Theaters: Sequels and Horror appeared first on TheWrap.
South China Morning Post
08-03-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
China's Ne Zha 2 still flying high as highest-grossing animated movie of all time
When Kung Fu Panda clawed its way to box office glory in 2008, it sent shock waves through China. Nationalists were bitter that a smash hit banking on Chinese culture was made by Americans, and calls for a government ban ensued. Advertisement However, the success of DreamWorks' film in China also lit a fire under China's film industry. Sure, there were missteps, including a 2011 knock-off film called Legend that failed to win over audiences like the rotund and punchy panda named Po. But the years of intense effort and industrialisation that followed have not only paid off, they have given China bragging rights to the world's highest-grossing animated film of all time: Ne Zha 2. On Monday, ticket sales for the groundbreaking sequel surpassed US$2 billion. And by Friday, after 38 days in theatres, the total had inched up to US$2.015 billion, according to ticketing platform Maoyan. The multibillion-dollar global haul is a first for a non-Hollywood film of any type, and it showed how Western dominance in China's market is not what it used to be. However, some industry insiders and analysts caution that, despite Ne Zha 2's astounding success, it may be premature to herald a dramatic shift to a future where domestic studios continuously crank out this level of box office gold. Advertisement 'This is an achievement of the whole Chinese animation industry,' Wang Changtian, chairman of Beijing Enlight Media, a co-investor of Ne Zha, said on social media after the sequel overtook the previous box office record-holder, Pixar's Inside Out 2, to claim the animation crown.
