Latest news with #WBEI
Straits Times
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
New Final Destination film slays North America box office with $66m opening
Canadian actress Kaitlyn Santa Juana stars in Final Destination: Bloodlines as a young woman who learns how her dying grandmother long ago cheated Death. PHOTO: WBEI LOS ANGELES - Final Destination: Bloodlines, the latest instalment in the horror franchise (2000 to present), made a grisly splash in North American cinemas over the weekend, taking in US$51 million (S$66 million) to debut in the top spot, industry estimates showed on May 18. 'This is a sensational opening for the sixth episode of a horror series,' said Mr David Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research, adding that critics' reviews and audience scores were 'excellent'. The previous film in the franchise, Final Destination 5, opened in 2011 to just US$18 million. Canadian actress Kaitlyn Santa Juana stars in the Warner Bros flick as a young woman who learns how her dying grandmother long ago cheated Death – and she now has to deal with the shocking ramifications of that. The movie also featured American actor Tony Todd, who died at age 69 in November 2024. In one of his final movie roles, he played the recurring character William Bludworth, the mysterious mortician who had appeared in Final Destination (2000), Final Destination 2 (2003) and Final Destination 5. In second for the May 16-through-May 18 period was the previous weekend's leader, Marvel superhero film Thunderbolts from Disney, at US$16.5 million. The film about a motley bunch of antiheroes stars English actress Florence Pugh and Romanian-born American actor Sebastian Stan. Vampire thriller Sinners, starring American actor Michael B. Jordan in dual lead roles, claimed the third spot, taking in US$15.4 million, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations estimated. Bloodlines and Sinners continued a recent string of successes for Warner Bros, on the heels of commercial flops Mickey 17 (2025), The Alto Knights (2025) and Joker: Folie A Deux (2024), American magazine Variety noted. Yet another Warner film, A Minecraft Movie, placed fourth, at US$5.8 million. The live-action film, starring American actors Jack Black and Jason Momoa, has pulled in US$416.6 million in North America and US$512 million internationally in seven weeks. And in fifth place, at just under US$5 million, was Amazon MGM Studios' thriller The Accountant 2, with American actor Ben Affleck playing a neurodivergent math genius with criminal ties and American actor Jon Bernthal as his hit-man brother. Rounding out the top 10 were Hurry Up Tomorrow (US$3.3 million), Friendship (US$1.4 million), Clown In A Cornfield (US$1.3 million), Until Dawn (US$800,000) and The Amateur (US$712,000). AFP - Final Destination: Bloodlines is showing in Singapore cinemas. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Warner Bros fends off Superman copyright lawsuit ahead of new movie
Warner's new Superman movie, starring American actor David Corenswet, is scheduled to be released in July. PHOTO: WBEI Warner Bros fends off Superman copyright lawsuit ahead of new movie NEW YORK - Warner Bros Discovery convinced an American judge to dismiss a lawsuit over rights to the iconic character Superman, lifting a legal headache before the entertainment company releases its new Superman movie later in 2025. United States District Judge Jesse Furman in New York said on April 24 that his court lacked jurisdiction over the copyright claims brought by the estate of Superman's co-creator, late illustrator Joseph Shuster. The lawsuit against Warner and its DC Comics subsidiary, part of a long-running legal battle over the rights to Superman, had sought damages for the superhero's unauthorised use in Britain, Canada, Australia and other countries. A Warner spokesperson said the company was pleased with the decision. 'As we have consistently maintained, DC controls all rights to Superman,' the spokesperson said. The estate's attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The estate refiled its lawsuit in New York state court on April 25. Shuster, who died in 1992 at age 78, created Superman with late writer Jerome Siegel and licensed the character to DC's predecessor Detective Comics. Shuster's estate's lawsuit, filed in January, said that the rights to Superman reverted to the estate under British law in 2017, 25 years after his death. The estate accused Warner of failing to pay royalties to use Superman in countries that follow British law on copyright reversion, which also include India, Israel and Ireland. Judge Furman agreed with Warner on April 24 that the case should be dismissed because it was 'brought explicitly under the laws of foreign countries, not the laws of the United States'. Warner's new Superman movie, directed by American film-maker James Gunn and starring actor David Corenswet, is scheduled to be released in July. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Sinners star Michael B. Jordan, director Ryan Coogler and a dozen years of collaborations
NEW YORK – Of all the storied bonds between visionary directors and their movie star alter egos – Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro, Pedro Almodovar and Antonio Banderas, Kelly Reichardt and Michelle Williams – few have been as seamless as the one between American duo Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan. Since their first meeting, during casting for the biographical drama Fruitvale Station (2013), Jordan has starred or appeared in all five features Coogler has written and directed, including two Black Panther superhero blockbusters (2018 and 2022) and a Rocky boxing drama spin-off (2015) . Their film Sinners took the top spot at the North American box office with an opening haul of US$46 million (S$60 million) and is now showing in Singapore cinemas. It ups the ante by assigning Jordan not one part but two. He plays twin brothers Smoke and Stack, enterprising gangsters who encounter supernatural resistance to the juke joint of their dreams in Jim Crow-era Mississippi. Coogler, a former college football athlete, said he learnt the value of a consistent partnership from playing wide receiver. 'Sometimes, I'd have four or five different quarterbacks in a season, and that was always tough,' he said. 'It gave me a real appreciation for how important chemistry is when you can find it.' Ryan Coogler (left) and Michael B. Jordan at the Sinners' New York premiere on April 3. PHOTO: AFP In a joint interview in April, Coogler and Jordan, both 38, broke down their career-long working relationship, film by film, including Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. It was made after the 2020 death of American actor Chadwick Boseman, star of the original Black Panther. These are edited excerpts. Sinners (2025) In Sinners, Michael is playing twins who have a vicious reputation. But the movie shows them trying to open up a juke joint that will give people jobs and a place to decompress. We want them to succeed. It is something that has been consistent in all the movies you have done together: heroes with real flaws or villains who inspire empathy. Michael B. Jordan plays twins in Sinners. PHOTO: WBEI Coogler: It's a testament to his charisma. As soon as you put the camera on him, you just naturally care about the guy – 'Aw, man, my heart goes out to this person . ' I've always found that when you push that, when you see how far you can go and have the audience still be with him, that's where you get an interesting contrast. For me, he would actually be the wrong person to cast if it was somebody who had no flaws. Because it would get awkward. I think you need that contrast to make it feel like reality. Fruitvale Station (2013) Michael B. Jordan (second from left) in Fruitvale Station. PHOTO: GOLDEN VILLAGE This was your first feature film as a director, Ryan, and Michael's first as a lead actor. What was it about that experience that bonded you? Coogler: I knew he was going to be great in the movie, but it was all the other intangibles that I didn't expect. Him being kind, respectful, responsible, family-oriented, but also in the pursuit of excellence. It all started with us both being like, 'Let's make something great' – you know what I'm saying? 'If we're here, let's be here.' Jordan: Acting is a lonely journey. It's a lot of nos and a lot of self-doubt in the beginning. I started young and you're finding yourself, who you are in this industry that, for a long time, limited what you could be. At a pivotal time, when I was really questioning and doubting, he basically told me, 'I believe you are a movie star, and I want everybody else to see that too.' And it gave me the reassurance and the confidence I needed. It made me double down and fuelled this fire that I had to make it a reality. Creed (2015) Director Ryan Coogler (left) on the set of new Rocky movie Creed with actor Michael B. Johnson. PHOTO: WARNER BROS Another theme that is present across your work is characters with daddy issues. Coogler: (Laughs) A lot of that is IP. With Creed, I wanted to make a movie about Apollo Creed, but (American actor) Carl Weathers' character died in Rocky IV (1985), so we found (another) way in with that (via Creed's son Adonis, played by Jordan). The Killmonger stuff (from Black Panther)? I moved him to Oakland, but the rest of his story is ripped straight from the comics. When it comes to Sinners, for me, the twins were like Cain and Abel. And I started to think, 'What if instead of Cain killing Abel, he killed Adam?' Like, if the two siblings were so close that nothing could come between them? I also really wanted to explore the blues and those archetypes, and it felt like the kind of thing a blues hero would sing about. My relationship with my dad is fine (laughs). It's as complicated as anybody's, and he's obviously one of the most important people in my life. Black Panther (2018) Black Panther starring Michael B. Jordan (left) and Chadwick Boseman. PHOTO: THE WALT DISNEY CO What did Michael bring to the Killmonger character that was not in the comic books? Coogler: The comics were written by white Jewish guys who were influenced by African-American culture, but I wanted the movie to feel like it was more rooted in the Continent. Killmonger is the one character who is fully representing an African-American perspective. When he shows up in the movie, you feel something shift. He talks like he talks, and he dresses how he dresses. He instantly becomes an avatar for this ideology that challenges the other characters. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) Michael, you have one scene in the film, when Killmonger appears to Shuri in a vision. Your character died at the end of the first Black Panther. Had you been angling to get in on the sequel? Jordan: Man, that's tough. You know, we dealt with a huge loss. (Boseman died while the sequel was still in development.) But before that, there were plans for something else. I was looking forward to what that was going to be. Coog had to figure out where do you go from there? How do you progress this bigger machine with sensitivity, care, understanding? So, he crafted this other thing with these pieces that he had left on the board and figured out how to do that , and I'm still not sure how he did . Coogler: Killmonger was in the script that I wrote before Chad died. So, I had to find a way for him to be in this one that felt organic to what the story was. (Jordan) was in Atlanta making Creed III (2023), directing his first movie, and we only got him for a day. But we came up with this scene that, to this day, I'm really proud of. It was nice to be in that throne room again (where Shuri's vision takes place, in an echo from the first film). But look man, (Boseman's) death messed everybody up. (Coogler drops his head and begins sobbing quietly. After two minutes, he regains his composure.) And it might have messed him up (gesturing towards Jordan) the worst. The thing is, this is a tricky business to navigate, like any business, and nobody looked out for us like Chad. Jordan: There's not a lot of us doing what we're doing. With Chad, it felt like we finally had a little squad. It went from being the two of us to three. And then it went back down to two again. But his influence has stayed with us, even on Sinners. We were doing a camera test early on, when I was still finding my way into the characters, and Coog reminded me of what Chad did with T'Challa – how he really leaned into that character and embodied him throughout the shoot. I said, 'Say no more', and from then on, the performance was done in that light. NYTIMES Sinners is showing in Singapore cinemas. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Actor Ben Affleck proud to return for sequel to fan-favourite movie The Accountant
Ben Affleck promoting The Accountant 2 at the Amazon MGM Studios presentation during CinemaCon in Las Vegas on April 2. PHOTO: AFP Actor Ben Affleck proud to return for sequel to fan-favourite movie The Accountant LOS ANGELES – He has two Oscars to his name and played Batman in five movies. But when fans come up to American actor and director Ben Affleck, they often want to talk about one of his more obscure films: The Accountant. The 2016 action thriller cast Affleck as Christian Wolff, an autistic savant who works as an accountant for criminal organisations, using his mathematical genius to scour their books for irregularities. He is also adept at martial arts, marksmanship and other combat skills – all of which come in handy when the secrets he uncovers put a target on his back. They come in handy again in The Accountant 2, which opens in Singapore cinemas on April 24 and sees Christian turning to his estranged brother Brax (Jon Bernthal) – a contract killer – when an acquaintance is found dead. Affleck made his name with Good Will Hunting (1997), the breakout drama he wrote and starred in with buddy Matt Damon, and for which the duo, at age 25, won a Best Original Screenplay Oscar. He went on to star in and direct Best Picture Oscar winner Argo (2012), a political thriller, before playing Batman in DC Extended Universe superhero films such as Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice (2016) and The Flash (2023). But despite The Accountant being one of his smaller projects, it is a film frequently mentioned to him by fans, many of whom discovered it after its initial theatrical release. 'This is a movie that had a longer life in terms of the real-life feedback that I get from people, and what movies they would mention when they come up to me,' says Affleck, 52, at a recent Zoom press conference. Jon Bernthal (right) and Ben Affleck in The Accountant 2. PHOTO: WBEI 'So, I was, like, 'Wow, that movie seems like it's still being watched.' 'And honestly, I'm grateful,' he says of the film, which was produced for US$44 million (S$58 million) and earned a respectable US$155 million at the global box office despite mixed reviews. 'It's a project I've always been incredibly proud of, and one I always thought set the stage for a larger story. 'I think it's also a function of the fact that streaming really started to take off after this movie, so people had the opportunity to pick what they're going to watch,' adds Affleck, who headlined action blockbusters such as Armageddon (1998) and Pearl Harbor (2001) early in his career. Affleck also has a special affection for the role of Christian and the challenge of portraying a highly skilled but neurodivergent person on the autism spectrum. Jon Bernthal (left) and Ben Affleck in The Accountant 2. PHOTO: WBEI 'I just love this character and I really enjoyed playing him,' says the Hollywood star, who has three children aged 13 to 19 with former wife Jennifer Garner, a 53-year-old American actress. He subsequently married American actress-singer Jennifer Lopez, 55, before divorcing in February 2025. The Accountant 2 also expands the role of Brax, whom Christian reunites with at the end of the first movie after not seeing him for years. But the brothers are polar opposites who constantly butt heads, and their fractious relationship makes the sequel more comedic than the first. 'It was a real thrill for me to get back (to Brax),' says Bernthal, a 48-year-old American actor who played a vigilante superhero in the Marvel series The Punisher (2017 to 2019). US actors Ben Affleck (left) and Jon Bernthal at the The Accountant 2 premiere in Hollywood on April 16. PHOTO: AFP The on-screen comedic chemistry he has with Affleck was not entirely scripted, but 'just kind of happened that way', adds the star, who also won an Emmy for his guest role as a drug addict on the comedy-drama The Bear (2022 to present). The Accountant 2's returning American director Gavin O'Connor (The Way Back, 2020; Warrior, 2011) was happy to let Bernthal improvise some of this. 'It was very much supported by Gavin to let moments linger and let them exist naturally. 'I was really let off the leash to have an opinion about that,' says Bernthal, who is married to former nurse Erin Angle, 48, and has three children aged nine to 13. 'And also Jon took pleasure in torturing me,' jokes Affleck. 'So that was really funny.' The Accountant 2 opens in Singapore cinemas on April 24. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
