Latest news with #HungerGames'
Tom's Guide
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
Netflix just got this sci-fi action movie with 'The Hunger Games' vibes — and it's already crashed the top 10
Remember the 2010s, when it seemed like almost every week, a new dystopian movie based on a young-adult (or YA) novel hit theatres? The competition to be the next 'Hunger Games' was intense, and while there were a few winners like 'The Maze Runner,' there were also an awful lot of losers. 'The 5th Wave' falls into the latter category. Released in 2016, it was a modest box office success, but didn't reach the heights the distributor, Sony, had hoped, as a sequel never followed (despite there being two more books in the series). To be honest, it's a movie I haven't thought about in almost a decade. So, I was a little surprised to see it making serious waves now that it's arrived on Netflix. The movie arrived on the world's most popular streaming service in its first wave of new content for August, and just a few days later and it's already climbing the platform's top 10 most-watched list. It currently ranks in the No. 8 spot, but I could rise even higher in the days ahead. But underneath the hooky premise, there's an extremely generic quality to 'The 5th Wave' that saw it struggle to stand out in an overcrowded genre. So, if you're considering adding this sci-fi movie to your Netflix watchlist, here are all the details you need to help make your decision. Based on the best-selling novel by Rick Yancey, 'The 5th Wave' takes place on an Earth that has been left devastated by an alien invasion carried out in four waves. The first attack disabled all electricity and communication devices, the next created devastating natural disasters, the third spread a deadly strain of bird flu, and the fourth saw humans mind-controlled to kill each other. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. With fear spreading of a fifth (and final) wave on the way, Cassie Sullivan (Chloë Grace Moretz) is a teenager trying to survive in this new world, and most importantly, be reunited with her younger brother (Zackary Arthur), who is being housed on a military base. To find her brother, she's forced to ally with a mysterious young man, Evan Walker (Alex Roe). But in a world where hostile aliens hide in plain sight, Cassie may not be able to trust anybody she encounters, and the truth of the impending fifth wave might prove to be humanity's end. There's a lot on the surface that I like about 'The 5th Wave.' I think the core concept of an alien invasion hitting the planet in four, increasingly deadly, waves is a fantastic setup, and the paranoia that grips the movie's cast due to the mystery fifth wave adds a sense of mystery. The movie opens particularly strongly, after a quick introduction to Cassie, and the current state of the world (spoilers: things aren't looking good for humanity), the flick jumps to an extended flashback to the invasion being carried out and the first four waves. You'll have to forgive some truly awful CGI in parts, but otherwise, it's an excellent starting point. The problem is that after this compelling intro, the movie doesn't seem to have any further original ideas of its own. Instead, the following two acts play out like a greatest hits collection of YA genre beats. There are all the expected tropes, from our heroine slowly morphing from frightened survivor to capable action hero, and of course, there's a snappy romance as well. Naturally, there are two love interests for Cassie to consider, with Nick Robinson's Ben Thomas thrown into the mix alongside Alex Roe's Evan. I suppose you could give the third act some credit for attempting some big swings, but things get increasingly messy as the finale approaches. What starts as an enjoyable mystery (what is the fifth wave?) becomes more of an exercise in nonsensical storytelling. 'The 5th Wave' also feels frustratingly small-scale, considering it's about an alien force invading the planet. Most of the movie takes place in the woodlands of Ohio, and while I assume this was for budgetary reasons, it does mean that you never get the full scope of this dystopian future. We're constantly told that Earth has been devastated, but we don't see it. The movie also doesn't explore some of the deeper themes that helped to elevate 'The Hunger Games' above its YA trappings. 'The 5th Wave' doesn't have anything to say about society or humanity (which is a key component of dystopian fiction). It all leads to a movie-watching experience that is at best mildly entertaining, and at worst, generic. However, even calling it 'mildly entertaining' might be a little generous, because the critics were not so kind. The movie holds a terrible 17% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with the site's 'Critics Consensus' criticizing the 'unimpressive effects' and 'plot points seemingly pieced together from previous dystopian YA sci-fi films,' a summary that I can't dispute. Viewers didn't care for it all that much either, while its audience score is a little higher at 38% it's still far from a ringing endorsement. Frankly, this isn't a movie I'll be recommending any Netflix subscribers add to their watchlist this month. Just go rewatch 'The Hunger Games' instead. If you are looking for some new Netflix additions worth your attention, here's my roundup of the best new to Netflix movies for August 2025. Or, if you're in a sci-fi mood, we have a guide covering the overlooked sci-fi movies currently on Netflix that you probably missed. Watch "The 5th Wave" on Netflix now Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
Extra.ie
29-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
Who is Mia Carragher? Hunger Games cast new Katniss Everdeen
The Hunger Games franchise is expanding its horizons as it moves to the theatre stage in London later this year. The first-ever theatre adaptation of the iconic books and movie series will arrive in London at the brand-new state of the art venue, Troubadour Canary Wharf Theatre, located in the heart of the city. Based on the original 'Hunger Games' story by Suzanne Collins, the well-known gripping tale follows the fearless heroine Katniss Everdeen as she shows courage and defiance to become a beacon of rebellion and hope in a bleak world. Mia Carragher. Pic: David Ctorza/ The iconic character will be portrayed on the London stage by Mia Carragher, an up and coming 21-year-old actress from Liverpool. Mia is the daughter of Liverpool football legend Jamie Carragher. She was technically briefly on CBS Sports earlier this year when Jamie answered a phone call from her during the live football punditry show. Jamie Carragher and Mia Carragher. Pic: Mike Marsland/WireImage Jamie revealed that Mia was asking where her mother was and the Liverpool icon replied: 'I don't know, I am in London babe.' Presenter Kate Abdo encouraged her colleague to put Mia on loud speaker and fellow pundit Micah Richards jokingly accused her of interrupting the show and costing them an Emmy Award. Mia Carragher. Pic: Instagram Mia responded: 'Oh my God, I am so sorry. I didn't have a clue (he was on live TV).' As CBS Sports is only available in the United States, Jamie joked: 'Are you not putting the dodgy box on?' Mia remarked that her dad was 'lovely' back at home and Jamie said: 'I love you more than anything my girl. What a star.' He also told the panel: 'There is nothing this girl can ever do wrong, I can never shout at her.' Mia Carragher. Pic: Magda Jakubik/ As he hung up the phone she said 'I love you' to her dad and the rest of the CBS Sports team went 'aww' collectively. Mia's older brother James is another Carragher making strides away from home as a professional footballer for League One club Wigan Athletic. Despite also being born in Liverpool, James represents Malta on the international stage after being awarded Maltese citizenship earlier this year. The 22-year-old qualifies for Malta via his and Mia's paternal grandfather, with their dad also getting the citizenship. Mia Carragher. Pic: NickyMia graduated from England's Tring Park School for the Performing Arts in 2022 and also studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. She has previously starred in the film 'One Night in Istanbul' and Channel 4's 'The Gathering'. Mia was recorded practicing her archery and stunt work in a video shared on the Hunger Games: On Stage Instagram account. Mia Carragher. Pic: Instagram In the video, Mia said: 'I'm really excited to play Katniss. I relate to her quite a lot. 'I think she's very fearless, but then she's also got that nurturing quality about her. 'Everyone needs to come and watch The Hunger Games: On Stage because it's going to be like nothing you have ever seen. 'It's going to be an amazing experience, amazing sets, such cool costumes and I don't think many people know, but there's going to be a new theatre built just for this show in Canary Wharf, so you should be there.' Multi award-winning playwright Conor McPherson and Director Matthew Dunster are in charge of bringing the powerful story to life on stage, with the use of 'extraordinary stunts and illusions'. Matthew Dunster heaped praise on Mia for filling the complex requirements needed to portray a character like Katniss Everdeen. He said: 'We searched far and wide, and comprehensively, for our Katniss. It is not easy to step into Suzanne Collins's amazing creation and only one actor combined Katniss's charisma and combat skills – her quiet, tough determination and her brilliant creativity, athleticism, and humour. 'We've found our Katniss in Mia Carragher, and we can't wait for audiences to see her.' The new theatre will seat 1200 spectators, who will 'feel a part of the action in this dynamic round arena, developed with blockbuster entertainment in mind'. The Hunger Games: On Stage gets underway on October 20 with standard tickets starting at £60 and premium tickets from £125.
Los Angeles Times
25-07-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Hollywood is struggling. So why does anyone want to buy a movie studio now?
The theatrical box office market is down. It's harder than ever to get people out of their homes and into the cinema. The business model for movies in streaming is still a work in progress. Given all these challenges, who would want to buy a movie studio now? Many people, it turns out. Earlier this month, the entertainment industry was abuzz after reports that film and TV production company Legendary Entertainment, the company behind 'Dune' and 'A Minecraft Movie,' was considering a potential acquisition of 'Hunger Games' and 'John Wick' producer and distributor Lionsgate Studios. Both companies have declined to comment on the reports. It's hardly the only deal news in the film business. In June, independent film finance and production firm Alcon Media Group — known for 'The Blind Side' and 'Blade Runner 2049' — bought the film library of 'Joker' and 'Ocean's Eleven' producer and financier Village Roadshow Entertainment for $417.5 million after an auction process that was part of the West Hollywood company's Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. Village Roadshow did not respond to a request for comment. Alcon could not be reached for comment. And of course, the biggest takeover in the business is the long-pending sale of Paramount Global to Skydance Media, an $8-billion deal that received government approval Thursday. Though the first half of the year has been rocked by uncertainty in the financial markets, including fears about the effects of President Trump's tariffs and trade policies, there is likely pent-up demand for dealmaking that could emerge in the coming months and years, said lawyer Tom Ara, a partner in the private equity group at Weil, Gotshal & Manges, who also leads the firm's entertainment, sports and media practice. 'There's a lot of capital sitting on the sidelines, and I think there's a lot of desire by different strategic and financial players to make deals,' he said. 'Film, TV — it's still the least expensive form of entertainment for the vast majority of the general public, and so it's not going anywhere.' Movie attendance was badly damaged by the COVID-19 pandemic and has not recovered. Domestic revenue remains down 24% from 2019, according to Comscore. But even as the industry has undergone change and upheaval, strategic buyers, both foreign and domestic, see value in what film studios are producing. Intellectual property has become key, as audiences now gravitate mostly toward what they already know. With studios' vast libraries of films, not only could those collections be ripe for reboots, sequels, prequels or spinoffs, but they also give owners options for other, non-film revenue streams, such as merchandise, theme park opportunities, TV shows, streaming deals and licensing. 'It's less about short-term earnings and more about using that film studio as a key to unlock strategic value down the road,' said Brandon Katz, director of insights and content strategy at research firm Greenlight Analytics. 'They're not necessarily standalone cash cows. The interest in one is more about the broader ecosystem.' While intellectual property can come from anywhere, movies are a particularly valuable way to generate value because of their worldwide distribution. A major hit can drive more revenue at every stage of a film's post-release distribution journey, said J. Christopher Hamilton, a practicing entertainment attorney and a professor at Syracuse University who focuses on the business of media. 'It's like being given the raw materials to build the empire,' he said. 'No matter how successful the streaming network is ... it's never going to have the same level of impact globally on every level as a blockbuster hit.' Private equity firms — which tend to be attracted to film and TV libraries because of the cash flow they generate — have retrenched a bit from their previous interest in Hollywood. But some groups have participated in recent deals, including RedBird Capital Partners, which is backing the Skydance bid for Paramount, and Apollo Global Management, which also made a play for Paramount in a joint bid with Sony Pictures Entertainment. Apollo has a minority stake in Legendary. Lionsgate has long been considered a potential acquisition target, particularly as it's one of few so-called mini-major studios left in the industry. The company acquired cable network Starz in 2016 for $4.4 billion to bulk up and better compete in the media ecosystem. But the business model for traditional television cratered amid the rise of streaming, and earlier this year, the two formally split into separate publicly-traded companies. Lionsgate merged its studio business with a special purpose acquisition company in a deal that valued its assets at $4.6 billion and gave it a way to raise new capital. The decoupling from Starz was seen as a way for Lionsgate to separate itself from the declining fortunes of the TV business and potentially be more attractive to buyers as a standalone studio, analysts said. Lionsgate also has a distribution arm, which could be enticing for a company like Legendary, which partners with other studios such as Warner Bros. to release its films. Village Roadshow, which has a library of 108 films including stakes in 'The Matrix' films and 'Mad Max: Fury Road,' went up for sale amid a bruising legal battle with Warner Bros. and after the pandemic and the dual writers' and actors' strikes of 2023 throttled an ambitious slate. Alcon, led by co-CEOs Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove, could be limited in what it can do with the properties, many of which were released by and co-financed with Warner Bros. Pictures. But Alcon still saw value in the assets to supplement its own content library. The Village Roadshow titles collectively generate an estimated $50 million annually, Alcon said. For David Ellison and his billionaire father, Oracle Corp. co-founder Larry Ellison, buying a legacy studio like Paramount is an opportunity to turn around an asset that has long suffered from poor corporate decision making and chronic underinvestment. Who else could be in the market for a studio or film library during this period of consolidation? Foreign buyers are a possibility, particularly those from the Middle East, analysts and experts said. Qatari broadcaster BeIN Media Group already owns a 51% stake in film and TV studio Miramax (Paramount Global owns the other half). Last year, Saudi Arabia launched a $100 million film fund to attract productions to the country. And Hollywood studios are recognizing the potential for new audiences and customer bases in the Middle East — earlier this year, Walt Disney Co. said it would open a new theme park in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Though tech companies like Apple or Google are frequently discussed as potential buyers of legacy studios, the fact that none have yet embarked on a deal — with the exception of Amazon for MGM Studios — could indicate that they don't see it as a business priority, Hamilton said. In the end, the discussion about mergers and acquisitions indicates the volatility of the industry — and individual studios' realistic assessments about their own futures, said Corey Martin, managing partner and chair of Granderson Des Rochers' entertainment finance practice. 'I think that we're going to see further consolidation,' he said. 'You're already seeing the signs of some of these various parties coming to grips, being honest with themselves as companies and platforms about whether they're buyers or sellers — and to the extent you are a seller, how do you best position yourself to maximize shareholder value?'
Yahoo
25-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Cardiff family says sunbed battle in Torremolinos 'like Hunger Games'
A holidaying family of six say they were forced to join 'Hunger Games' style sunbed wars with other guests to secure the best spots by the swimming pool. Leah Keenan was left shocked after they witnessed the extreme rush for loungers at their hotel. They say some others staying there jumped over fences to beat the queues. The 36-year-old even had to wait over three hours on their first day to get one bed among six of them. The health and safety business partner jetted off abroad with her son Albie, mother Bev, father Terry, sister Lowri and her son Leo. The family were staying at the four-star Hotel Triton, Benalmadena, near Torremolinos, Spain. Leah joked that the rush for beds in the morning was like the Hunger Games, with a lack of staff available to police the flood of guests. READ MORE: Teenager fighting for his life after violent incident as police warn public READ MORE: Locations of three huge new Welsh wind farms revealed that will dominate skylines and power 350,000 homes In the 2012 film and 2008 book, children are forced to fight to the death in events. The pool opened at 10 am with very serious holidaymakers queuing up for over half an hour at the £185-a-night, four-star. During their stay, Leah even spotted a few cheeky guests sneaking round the back and hopping over the fence to secure the best beds. Fortunately, the family from Cardiff, were able to make light of the event despite being forced to join in. 'It was like the Hunger Games of reserving sunbeds every morning,' Leah joked. 'Some days we weren't able to get enough sunbeds, and one day someone just grabbed one of our empty sunbeds whilst one of the family had gone to get a coffee. 'A few guests snuck around the side of the pool and jumped over the fence early to secure beds, whilst others threw their towels over the fence early so that the beds were reserved.' She said: 'When we arrived on day one, around 11am, there were no sunbeds available all day for us. We kept walking around each pool and were able to get one sunbed at around 2pm. I didn't see any lifeguards by the children's pool all day and didn't stop people from jumping the fences or throwing towels over. 'No staff walked around to check if beds were being used or if people hadn't returned to their sunbed after putting towels on it. Which allowed for the majority of people to dump their towels and then leave sunbeds empty for hours on end. 'It became a running joke every day for our family, and we didn't take it too seriously.' Hotel Triton has been approached for a comment.
Int'l Business Times
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Trump's DOJ Fires Prosecutor Who Handled Epstein, Maxwell Cases Without Explanation
The Department of Justice fired a top prosecutor who handled cases on sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his partner Ghislaine Maxwell with no explanation. Maurene Comey, a Manhattan federal prosecutor, and daughter of James Comey, was likely fired by the Justice Department Wednesday, a source told Politico , adding that her firing letter did not come from interim U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. Though the reason remains unclear, her letter reportedly contained mention of Article II of the Constitution, which details the president's powers, two sources told the New York Times . 'Hunger Games' actress Jena Malone announced that she's engaged. Who is her soon-to-be groom Ethan DeLorenzo? Pictured: Malone and DeLorenzo attend Kari Feinstein's Style Lounge on Jan. 23, 2016 in Park City, Utah. Getty Images/Alison Buck The prosecutor's termination was confirmed by a DOJ official to Fox News , though no explanation was given. Comey was one of the prosecutors who led the charges against Epstein in 2019, when he was accused of sex trafficking minors. The disgraced financier died by suicide while awaiting trial the same year. Comey was also involved in Maxwell's case, who was convicted of sex trafficking in 2021. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison, but is currently trying to appeal her conviction. The Trump administration has faced intense scrutiny over the past week following a memo by the DOJ and FBI which determined that Epstein had killed himself, he had "no client list" and found no evidence of blackmail, contradicting popular conspiracy theories that Epstein's death involved foul play. Calls for President Donald Trump's administration to release the Epstein files have been persistent since the start of his second term, but escalated following the report. Prominent MAGA influencers and even some Republican lawmakers have expressed concern about the situation. Democratic lawmakers have also expressed dissatisfaction with the memo, and some have begun demanding the release of the files or a more thorough investigation. Meanwhile, Trump has brushed off concerns about the Epstein files, encouraging his supporters to "not waste time and energy" on the case. The president has also lashed out at reporters for asking about the files, telling the press on Monday that the case was "pretty boring stuff" and encouraging them to cover other topics. Originally published on Latin Times
