Entertainment

‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ Is A Box Office Smash

Published

1 year ago

2023-04-10

The audience said let’s go to the movie theater for “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” this weekend. The animated offering from Universal and Illumination powered up with $204.6 million in its first five days in 4,343 North American theaters, including $146.4 million over the weekend, according to studio estimates on Sunday.

With an estimated $173 million in international earnings and a global total of $377 million, “Mario” broke records for video game adaptations (passing “Warcraft’s” $210 million) and animated films (“Frozen 2’s” $358 million).

Its global total makes it the biggest opening of 2023 and the second biggest three-day domestic animated opening (behind “Finding Dory”). It’s also a record for Illumination, the animation shop behind successful franchises like “Minions,” which has made over $5 billion from its 13 films.

Anya Taylor-Joy “honored” to play Princess Peach.

“This partnership between Nintendo and Illumination is just incredible and led to this extraordinary performance,” said Jim Orr, Universal’s president of domestic distribution.

The PG-rated “Mario” is the origin story of Brooklyn plumbers Mario.

The PG-rated “Mario” is an origin story of Brooklyn plumbers Mario, voiced by Chris Pratt, and Luigi (Charlie Day), who fall into a pipe and come out in another world full of Nintendo’s most famous characters, from Bowser (Jack Black) to Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy). Critics were largely mixed. “Mario” currently has a 56% on Rotten Tomatoes. But audiences were more favorable, giving it an A CinemaScore.

Orr said that theater owners were surprised by how broad the audiences were and reported seeing some ticket buyers decked out in character costumes for the movie. According to exit polls, 59% of the audience was male, and 45% were between 18 and 34.

“$377 million worldwide is just astounding and a testament to how important outside-of-the-home activities are for families,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. “Kids and their parents collectively were able to go out, have an outside the home event for the whole family at a relative bargain price compared to a trip or a sporting event.”

Also, Dergarabedian noted there is a long runway before “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” opens on May 5.

“This was a perfect release date,” Dergarabedian said.

“Mario” wasn’t the only movie based on a brand that opened in theaters this week. Ben Affleck’s “Air,” about the origins of Nike’s Air Jordan and how the corporation signed Michael Jordan, also debuted in 3,507 theaters Wednesday. The film, which marks Amazon Studios’ first global theatrical release, has grossed an estimated $20.2 million since opening Wednesday in North America, with $14.5 million coming from the weekend to give it a fourth-place start.

With an R-rating, “Air,” starring Matt Damon, Viola Davis and Affleck, was a bit of adult-targeted counter-programming to the “Mario” juggernaut. Reviews were glowing (95% on Rotten Tomatoes) for the film, which debuted as a surprise screening at the South by Southwest Film Festival last month, helping to bolster buzz. Audiences were 55% male and 39% over the age of 45.

“‘ Air’ found its audience. It’s a solid gross,” Dergarabedian said. “This one is in it for the long haul.”

“Air” is the first film from Affleck and Damon’s new company, Artists Equity which was formed last year in partnership with RedBird Capital.

Second place went to “John Wick Chapter 4,” which made $14.6 million in its third weekend, bringing its total gross to $147.1 million. Close behind was “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves,” which placed third with $14.5 million in its second weekend, while “Scream VI” rounded out the top 5 with $3.3 million.

In limited release, Kelly Reichardt’s art-centric “Showing Up,” with Michelle Williams and Hong Chau, also opened on four screens, grossing $66,932.

“This is such an important weekend for theaters, a home stretch heading into the summer movie season, and this is a perfect scenario,” Dergarabedian said. “It’s game on for movie theaters when many people thought it was game over.”

mario

SOURCE – (AP)

Celebrity

Yoko Ono To Receive Edward MacDowell Medal For Lifetime Achievement

Published

10 hours ago

2024-04-22

Kiara Grace

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NEW YORK — MacDowell, one of the country’s finest artist residence programs, has honored Yoko Ono with a lifetime achievement award. The trailblazing artist, filmmaker, and musician will receive the Edward MacDowell Medal this year, following in the footsteps of Stephen Sondheim and Toni Morrison, among others.

“There has never been anyone like her; there has never been work like hers,” MacDowell board chairman Nell Painter said in a statement Sunday.

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Yoko Ono To Receive Edward MacDowell Medal For Lifetime Achievement

“Over seven decades, she has pleased eyes, aroused mind, encouraged feminism, and supported refugees with imaginative works. Enduringly new and contemporary, her unusually powerful output resonates to our current times, which are in desperate need of her leitmotif: peace.”

In a statement, Ono’s son, Sean Ono Lennon, described the award as “an incredible honor.”

“The history and list of prior awardees are extremely impressive. It makes me very glad to see her work valued and celebrated in this manner,” he remarked.

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Yoko Ono To Receive Edward MacDowell Medal For Lifetime Achievement

Ono, 91, has made few public appearances in recent years and is unlikely to attend the July honors event at the MacDowell campus in Peterborough, New Hampshire. David Newgarden, Ono’s music manager, will receive the award on her behalf.

Ono first rose to prominence as a member of the avant-garde Fluxus movement of the 1960s, before becoming internationally famous after meeting John Lennon, with whom she married from 1969 until his death in 1980. Their many collaborations included the songs “Give Peace a Chance,” “Imagine,” and “Happy Xmas (War Is Over),” which served as the foundation for “War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko,” this year’s Oscar-winning animated short film.

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Yoko Ono To Receive Edward MacDowell Medal For Lifetime Achievement

Over the last 40 years, Ono has had a busy career as a visual and recording artist, with albums like “Season of Glass,” “Starpeace,” and “Take Me to the Land of Hell.” She was recently featured in a career retrospective at London’s Tate Modern.

SOURCE – (AP)

Entertainment

Not A Toddler, Not A Parent, But Still Love ‘Bluey’? You’re Not Alone

Published

1 day ago

2024-04-21

Kiara Grace

Phoenix — A little blue dog with an Australian accent has captivated the hearts of people all around the world.

She is the titular character of “Bluey,” a seven-minute children’s show that has captivated both kids and adults. This week’s publication of its longest episode yet, at 28 minutes, elicited an outpouring of praise for the show, even from those who are neither toddlers nor parents.

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Not A Toddler, Not A Parent, But Still Love ‘Bluey’? You’re Not Alone

“Bluey” follows an Australian blue heeler and her sister, a red heeler named Bingo, as they navigate the days between home and school. It’s popular with kids because of its fun comedy, but it also appeals to adults who miss their childhood.

“My childhood experience wasn’t the best, so I’ve always identified with shows where life is good,” says Miriam Neel, who lives in Colorado. “The parents in ‘Bluey’ enable imagination and creativity and really get involved with their kids, and I wish I had those experiences.”

Neel is 32 and has decided not to have any children of her own. She claims the show has become a part of her morning ritual and is frequently used as background noise when working from home.

“I won’t speak for the entire generation, but millennials find solace in cartoons. “It’s what most of us grew up watching,” she explained. “And if I’m going to spend time watching something, I’d rather watch something that doesn’t make me afraid of the world, like any of the ‘Law & Order’ shows.”

Not A Toddler, Not A Parent, But Still Love ‘Bluey’? You’re Not Alone

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“Bluey,” which currently has over 150 episodes, aired in Australia in 2018 and will begin streaming on Disney+ in 2020. It has also been transformed into a digital series in which prominent fans such as Bindi Irwin and Eva Mendes read excerpts from popular storybooks, as well as a live theater act that travels the world.

The show has also received numerous accolades, including the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Children’s Television Drama every year since 2019 and an International Emmy Kids Award.

The series presents a child’s viewpoint on morning routines, errands, and chores, as well as a glimpse into the lives of parents through mother Chilli and father Bandit.

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Not A Toddler, Not A Parent, But Still Love ‘Bluey’? You’re Not Alone

This week’s special episode, “The Sign,” delves into the emotions surrounding subjects that are relevant to both children and adults, such as moving residences, marriage, infertility, and post-divorce relationships. In addition to these universal themes, the episode concludes the third season with Easter eggs for loyal viewers.

SOURCE – (AP)

Celebrity

Dick Van Dyke Earns Historic Daytime Emmy Nomination At Age 98

Published

1 day ago

2024-04-21

Kiara Grace

AP - VOR News Image

Los Angeles — Dick Van Dyke, 98, is contending for a historic Daytime Emmy.

The actor was nominated Friday as a guest star in a daytime drama series for his role as amnesiac Timothy Robicheaux on Peacock’s “Days of Our Lives.”

Van Dyke is the oldest daytime Emmy nominee. When producer Norman Lear won his final Primetime Emmy nomination in 2022, he was 100 years old. He died the following year.

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Dick Van Dyke Earns Historic Daytime Emmy Nomination At Age 98

Van Dyke is up against Guy Pearce, an Australian actor from Amazon Prime Video’s “Neighbours.”

Van Dyke earned four Primetime Emmys, including three in the 1960s, for his legendary comedy series “The Dick Van Dyke Show.”

Selena Gomez, an actor and singer, is nominated in the culinary series category for her Food Network special “Selena + Chef: Home for the Holidays.” The Food Network’s “Valerie’s Home Cooking,” hosted by actor Valerie Bertinelli and which concluded last year, is also nominated in that category.

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Dick Van Dyke Earns Historic Daytime Emmy Nomination At Age 98

CBS will cancel “The Talk” after its 15th season later this year. Akbar Gbajabiamila, Amanda Kloots, Natalie Morales, Jerry O’Connell, and Sheryl Underwood were nominated for daytime talk show hosting.

The main actress nominations are Tamara Braun of “Days of Our Lives,” Finola Hughes and Cynthia Watros of “General Hospital,” Katherine Kelly Lang and Annika Noelle of “The Bold and the Beautiful,” and Michelle Stafford of “The Young and the Restless.”

The lead actor nominees include Eric Braeden of “The Young and the Restless,” Scott Clifton, Thorsten Kaye, and John McCook of “The Bold and the Beautiful,” and Eric Martsolf of “Days of Our Lives.”

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Dick Van Dyke Earns Historic Daytime Emmy Nomination At Age 98

The Daytime Emmys will be broadcast live on CBS on June 7 in Los Angeles. The show is back to its regular schedule after being postponed until December due to strikes by Hollywood performers and writers. The hosts and Lifetime Achievement award recipients will be announced later.

SOURCE – AP