Guilty pleasures
By NewsPress Now
Margot Robbie making ‘Monopoly’ movie and Blumhouse reviving ‘Blair Witch’
LAS VEGAS | Margot Robbie has her sights on another toy. The “Barbie” producer and star is making a Monopoly movie, with Hasbro and Lionsgate behind it, the companies announced Wednesday at the CinemaCon conference in Las Vegas.
Robbie, and her production company LuckyChap, were the ones who got “Barbie” to the finish line after many years in development stagnation. The film topped the box office in 2023 with over $1.4 billion in ticket sales worldwide. And now they’ll bring that vision to the classic board game.
Lionsgate is also developing a new “The Blair Witch Project” with the horror experts at Blumhouse, the studio behind “The Purge” and “M3GAN.” It will be the first in a multi-year pact between Jason Blum’s company and Lionsgate, drawing on the studio’s library titles.
The first “Blair Witch” was released in 1999 and became a phenomenon at the box office. It earned $248 million, spawned two sequels and changed the look of many horror movies to follow.
“I’m a huge admirer of ‘The Blair Witch Project,’ which brought the idea of found footage horror to mainstream audiences and became a true cultural phenomenon,” Blum said in a statement. “I don’t think there would have been a ‘Paranormal Activity’ had there not first been a ‘Blair Witch,’ so this feels like a truly special opportunity and I’m excited to see where it leads.”
Lionsgate had a good 2023, with films like “John Wick 4,” “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” and “Saw X” and is optimistic about its upcoming theatrical releases, including the long-delayed “Borderlands,” Eli Roth’s adaptation of the popular video game series which is set for an August theatrical release.
Starring Kevin Hart, Cate Blanchett, Jamie Lee Curtis and Ariana Greenblatt, “Borderlands” was first announced in 2015 and wrapped shooting in 2021 but has faced behind- the-scenes issues and delays. But both Roth and Greenblatt were overwhelmingly positive about the experience on stage at Caesar’s Palace.
“We had the time of our lives making it and I think that audiences are going to love it,” Roth said. “It was this crazy, fun, weird, dysfunctional functional family.”
Greenblatt, who shot “Borderlands” before “Barbie,” took the stage with Roth and said it was the best time she’s ever had on a set.
The company also has a new version of “The Crow,” directed by “Snow White and the Huntsman” helmer Rupert Sanders and starring Bill Skarsgård and FKA twigs, which will open in theaters on Aug. 23.
Brandon Lee starred in the original film, based on the comic book series and released in 1994. Lee died during its filming after being shot with a prop gun that contained a makeshift bullet instead of blanks. The director of that film, Alex Proyas, has been critical of the idea of remaking it.
Henry Cavill also took the stage to talk about a new “Highlander” movie he’s making with “John Wick” director Chad Stahelski, as well as a new Guy Ritchie action pic with Jake Gyllenhaal called “In the Grey” and set for 2025.
Aziz Ansari gave exhibitors a look at his new film “Good Fortune,” which he wrote, directed and stars in alongside Keanu Reeves, who plays an angel, and Seth Rogen.
“I have to thank all the exhibitors who left the strip club this morning to come to the Lionsgate presentation,” Ansari joked.
“Good Fortune” is about a guy who is down on his luck who switches lives with a more successful man, and learns the wrong lesson that money did solve all his problems. Ansari said he wanted to make a comedy for the big screen, specifically.
“It means the world to make a movie that’s going to be in theaters,” he said.
“Good Fortune” does not yet have a release date.
Fogelson closed the presentation with a look at Antoine Fuqua’s Michael Jackson biopic “Michael.” Producer Graham King, whose credits include “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “The Departed,” took the stage to talk about the movie, which is currently filming.
“I’m looking forward to giving the audience a thrill ride they’ve never seen before,” King said.
He said it was “an inside look into the most prolific artist that ever lived” and promised the movie will “get into all of it” including his public and private life. The movie will include 30 of Jackson’s songs and recreations of performances.
Jaafar Jackson stars in “Michael,” set for April 2025.
Other upcoming Lionsgate films include Ritchie’s “The Ministry of Ungentlemenly Warfare,” out next week, the Renny Harlin horror film “The Strangers-Chapter 1,” in May, the Halle Berry thriller “Never Let Go” in September and “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” in November.
The studio is also currently in production on Mel Gibson’s Mark Wahlberg-starring action movie “Flight Risk” and finishing the John Wick spinoff “Ballerina,” starring Ana de Armas, which will be out next year.
“We’re sorry we asked you all to wait another year for it,” said Lionsgate’s Adam Fogelson. But he did give the audience a first look, teasing the Ballerina’s explosive entry into the world, with fire, swords and a Reeves appearance.
“I believe it will be worth waiting for.”
At movie industry convention, leaders say blockbusters alone aren’t enough
LAS VEGAS | Movie theater owners are still feeling the high from “ Barbenheimer.” The counterprogramming of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” brought audiences to cinemas around with the world, ultimately earning nearly $2.5 billion in combined ticket sales. But, gathered in Las Vegas this week for the annual CinemaCon convention and trade show, they’re also acutely aware that they need more than two movies to survive.
“It is not enough to rely solely on blockbusters,” said Michael O’Leary, the president and CEO of the National Association of Theater Owners. “To have a truly successful filmed entertainment industry, a variety of movies that appeal to movie goers is critical.”
That means, O’Leary said Tuesday, “a strong and vibrant market for movies with smaller or medium sized budgets.”
At CinemaCon, Hollywood studios, exhibitors and tech companies come together to preview what’s next in moviegoing, from the films that they hope will get audiences to the theaters to the latest and greatest in snacks, seating and projection. On stage, the message is (by design) optimistic about the future of cinemas and the industry’s capacity for evolution. Whether it’s streaming, piracy, VHS or television, the leaders in the filmed entertainment industry are always quick to remind that their business has survived its share of existential crises: Someone is always forecasting its demise.
O’Leary made a plea to “our friends in the financial industry” to invest more capital into the system, calling it a “smart investment” that benefits “creatives, studios, exhibition, local communities and, most importantly, movie fans.”
“We know that a movie that begins its journey with theatrical exclusivity is more successful in every subsequent ancillary platform,” he added. “This should appeal to people who want as many film fans as possible to see their movies, but also to people that want to make money.”
Studios including Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, Paramount, Disney and Lionsgate will all take the big stage at Caesar’s Palace to show new trailers or footage from their biggest upcoming films, from “Furiosa” to “Deadpool & Wolverine,” sometimes with the help of movie stars, to stoke excitement in the people who will put these films in their theaters.
2023 was a rollercoaster year for movie theaters. The overall box office was up 20% from the previous year in the U.S., surpassing $9 billion. But that’s still $2 billion shy of where the business was pre-pandemic. There were hits, like “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie,” of course, and other notable successes from traditional studios, like “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” “Wonka” and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.” There were surprises like “Five Nights at Freddy’s” and “Cocaine Bear” and sleepers like “Anyone But You.”
There were also moments of successful innovation, including Taylor Swift and Beyoncé’s groundbreaking partnership with AMC Theaters to release their concert films, circumventing traditional studio middlemen. “ Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour “ made over $260 million worldwide, making it the highest grossing concert film of all time. Toho studios also self-distributed its first film ever, with “Godzilla Minus One,” which made over $114 million worldwide even with a limited release in the U.S.
But there were flops and disappointments too, and some of the tried-and-true genres like superhero movies proved to no longer be the industry supporting tentpoles that they once were. Streamed entertainment continues to be a formidable competitor for eyes and dollars as everyone continues to recover from the pandemic. In 2024, theater owners and studios are also having to grapple with a changed and somewhat depleted pipeline of films following the work stoppage caused by the dual Hollywood strikes.
But O’Leary said that a “great reimagination” is underway.
“Inflection points like these are moments of opportunity,” he added. “And this last year has shown me that the future of this industry—indeed, the state of this industry—is limitless.”
Charles Rivkin, the chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association, talked about the importance of film productions in the U.S., which he said “bolster communities” and account for 2.74 million American jobs. He also made an impassioned plea to combat piracy, which he said costs theaters more than $1 billion at the box office, and hopes to work with Congressional leaders to put for “site-blocking” legislation.
Rivkin closed by quoting best documentary winner and AP journalist Mstyslav Chernov’s Oscars speech from earlier this year, in which he said that “Cinema forms memories and memories form history” while accepting the statuette for “20 Days in Mariupol.”
Chernov’s words, Rivkin said, “Reminded us of the power and impact of what we do.”
Town creates public art ordinance after free speech debate
CONCORD, N.H. | A New Hampshire town’s new ordinance that was pitched as “a path forward” for public artwork hasn’t resolved a bakery owner’s First Amendment dispute over a large pastry painting, and his lawyer predicts it will only lead to more litigation as town officials become “speech police.”
Conway residents passed the ordinance by a vote of 1,277 to 423 during town elections Tuesday, part of a lengthy ballot for budget and spending items and picking government positions, such as selectboard, treasurer, and police commissioner.
The vote came more than a year after the owner of Leavitt’s Country Bakery sued the town over a painting by high school students that’s displayed across his storefront, showing the sun shining over a mountain range made of sprinkle-covered chocolate and strawberry doughnuts, a blueberry muffin, a cinnamon roll and other pastries.
The zoning board decided that the painting was not so much art as advertising, and so could not remain as is because of its size. At about 90 square feet, it’s four times bigger than the town’s sign code allows.
The new ordinance requires applicants to meet criteria for art on public and commercial property. It says that while the zoning and planning boards must approve the appropriateness of theme, location, and design before the selectboard considers each proposal, the process should make “no intrusion into the artistic expression or the content of work.”
“There’s no part of writing that where we try to limit any kind of speech,” Planning Board Chairperson Benjamin Colbath said at a March 28 meeting. “We did try to carefully write that and certainly took inspiration from what a lot of other communities are doing as well, as well as confirm with counsel on that one.”
A lawyer for the bakery had urged voters to reject the ordinance.
“Typically, people get to decide whether to speak or not; they don’t have to ask the government ‘pretty please’ first,” Robert Frommer wrote last week in the Conway Daily Sun.
“All commercial property owners would have to get permission before putting up any sort of public art in town,” Frommer wrote, and town officials can “deny murals because of what they depict, or who put them up.”
Sean Young, the bakery owner, said he was voting NO: “Local officials don’t get to play art critic.”
Young sued after town officials told him the painting could stay if it showed actual mountains — instead of pastries suggesting mountains — or if the building wasn’t a bakery.
Young’s lawsuit was paused last year as residents considered revising how the town defines signs, in a way that would have allowed the sign to stay up. But that measure was seen as too broad and complex, and it failed to pass.
The mural remains in place for now, as his case heads to trial this November.
Frommer told The Associated Press in an email that the town hasn’t said whether the new ordinance will impact Leavitt’s mural, “and if Sean wanted to paint a different mural with the high school students at any of his businesses, he would have to jump through the ordinance’s unconstitutional hoops.”
The town’s attorney didn’t immediately respond to an emailed request for comment on Wednesday.
When Colbath discussed the ordinance at last month’s meeting, he painted it as a way to facilitate more public art in town.
“There was a hole in our ordinance and I wanted to try to make it clear and an easier path forward for community art,” he said.
Jessica Alba
steps down as
chief creative
officer at Honest
Jessica Alba, who shot to fame in the James Cameron television series “Dark Angel,” as well as films such as “Sin City” and the “Fantastic Four,” will step down as chief creative officer at Honest Company, a personal care company that she founded.
Alba will keep a seat on the company board, but Honest said that she will now focus on “new endeavors.”
The actress founded Honest in 2012 after she suffered allergic reactions to baby laundry detergents. The company went public in May 2021, with shares soaring 44% in their stock market debut.
Sales at Honest Co. have risen steadily, but the company has struggled to turn a profit. Late Thursday, the company put up its first profitable quarter since mid 2021.
“Honest has been a true labor of love for me — one that showed me what’s possible when you infuse purpose into business,” Alba said in a prepared statement.
Alba had early starring roles in Nickelodeon’s series “The Secret World of Alex Mack,” as well as the revival of the 1960s television series “Flipper.”
Shares of Honest Co., based in Los Angeles, fell slightly before the opening bell Wednesday.
—From AP reports
