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Leonardo DiCaprio’s Surprising Moulin Rouge Audition Fail (Photo Credit – Facebook)

Imagine Leonardo DiCaprio singing “Lean on Me.” Sounds wild, right? It didn’t go as planned when he auditioned for Moulin Rouge’s lead role, Christian. Despite being a rising star, fresh off Romeo + Juliet, DiCaprio had one major hiccup: his voice. According to the actor, his singing was atrocious. The audition involving DiCaprio, director Baz Luhrmann, and a piano player didn’t improve. Leo remembers, “When I hit the high note, he just turned to me. ‘Yes, D, I don’t know if this conversation should continue.’” Ouch. So, after all, Christian’s poetic soul wasn’t to be voiced by DiCaprio.

While DiCaprio had the looks and charm for the role, the musical chops just weren’t there. Enter Ewan McGregor. The Scottish actor stepped in, crooning his way into the hearts of Moulin Rouge fans...

Wicked has another sales record to add to its growing list: The film soundtrack has debuted at the #2 spot on the Billboard 200 chart, the highest debut for a big-screen adaptation of a stage musical ever.

The Universal Pictures, Verve Records and Republic Records soundtrack to Part One of the movie musical was kept from the #1 spot on the chart (dated Dec. 7) by the debut of Kendrick Lamar’s surprise album Gnx, which marks his fifth consecutive chart-topper.

In addition to the #2 spot on the 200 Chart, Wicked took the top spot on Billboard’s Top Album Sales, Soundtracks and Vinyl Albums charts.

The Wicked film was released November 22, and over the Thanksgiving weekend became the highest grossing Broadway-musical-based movie ever at the domestic box office. By Sunday, the running total of the Jon M. Chu-directed movie was $263.1M.

The film, based on the Broadway musical that’s been playing since...

Monday Update with Moana 2 actuals: Now that Sunday’s actuals are in, Disney’s Moana 2 has surfed even higher across its launch frame domestically, swelling the global start to $389M. That’s a new milestone as Disney confirmed the phenom has posted the highest ever reported animated opening weekend at the global box office, overtaking the previous record held by The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

We understand that Dis didn’t call out the record yesterday because the studio wanted to wait until the actuals were tallied, particularly given there were no holidays overseas and that estimates were dependent on family weekend play.

International came in slightly lower than estimated, at $163.8M, but this has not affected the host of Moana 2 milestones (see below for the weekend roundup).

Previous, Sunday: Disney’s Moana 2 has shattered expectations with a $386.3M global opening.

Lil Xan Breaks Silence on Boston Nightclub Altercation (Photo Credit – Instagram)

Lil Xan was body-slammed after an individual rushed the stage, and he has subsequently addressed the incident.

The rapper is reportedly evading the police in the aftermath of an altercation between him and a concertgoer at the Royale nightclub in Boston, Massachusetts, late Friday night on November 29.

Lil Xan Posted an Instagram Story to Address the Incident

In the early morning hours of Sunday, December 1, Lil Xan opened up about the situation. He wrote, “To people thinking I did what I did unprompted, all need a chill buddy. He kept reaching for my d—. I gave him multiple warnings to stop, but he did not and kept trying to touch me. Am I proud of how I acted or handled the situation? Hell no, I feel terrible about it. I’m a human like you, and I will be doing heavy reflecting after this.

Worldwide box office November 29-December 1 RankFilm (distributor)3-day (world)Cume (world)3-day (int’l)Cume (int’l)Territories 1. Moana 2(Disney) $300.8m $386.3m $165.3m $165.3m 51 2. Wicked(Universal) $109m $359.3m $29m $96.9m 62 3. Gladiator II(Paramount) $57.9m $320m $27.2m $208.8m 65 4. Red One(Warner Bros) $17.9m $148.7m $5m $72.6m 76 5. Her Story(various) $17.5m $38.8m $17.5m $38.8m 6 6. Venom: The Last Dance(Sony) $6m $468.2m $3.8m $330.3m 67 7. Heretic(various) $3.3m $38.7m $2.4m $11.9m 28 8. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever(various) $3.3m $32.1m $10,000 $145,000 3 9. Crayon Shin-chan the Movie: Our Dinosaur Diary(China) $3.3m $33.3m $3.3m $33.3m 1 10. Good Luck(various) $2.8m $2.8m $2.8m $2.8m 1

Credit: Comscore. All figures are estimates...

Worldwide box office November 29-December 1 RankFilm (distributor)3-day (world)Cume (world)3-day (int’l)Cume (int’l)Territories 1. Moana 2(Disney) $300.8m $386.3m $165.3m $165.3m 51 2. Wicked(Universal) $109m $359.3m $29m $96.9m 62 3. Gladiator II(Paramount) $57.9m $320m $27.2m $208.8m 65 4. Red One(Warner Bros) $17.9m $148.7m $5m $72.6m 76 5. Her Story(various) $17.5m $38.8m $17.5m $38.8m 6 6. Venom: The Last Dance(Sony) $6m $468.2m $3.8m $330.3m 67 7. Heretic(various) $3.3m $38.7m $2.4m $11.9m 28 8. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever(various) $3.3m $32.1m $10,000 $145,000 3 9. Crayon Shin-chan the Movie: Our Dinosaur Diary(China) $3.3m $33.3m $3.3m $33.3m 1 10. Good Luck(various) $2.8m $2.8m $2.8m $2.8m 1

Credit: Comscore. All figures are estimates...

Everyone is feeling Wicked these days. The film starring Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda has inspired memes, plenty of social media discourse, a surprise piano performance from Jeff Goldblum who plays the Wizard of Oz, and Christmas Day singalong screenings. All the fans want to sing along, including Camila Cabello.

Cabello took to Instagram over the weekend to congratulate the stars and to sing its praises, literally. “You were brilliant Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo,” she captioned an Instagram story, which a fan shared on X,...

Disney’s “Moana 2” sailed to $386 million at the global box office, including a mighty $165.3 million internationally.

Ticket sales for the animated family film stand as the second-biggest worldwide opening of the year after Disney’s billion-dollar Marvel behemoth “Deadpool & Wolverine” ($438 million). The sequel to 2016’s musical hit “Moana” got a jumpstart on the weekend by landing in North American theaters on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving. The follow-up film generated $300.8 million globally over the traditional weekend.

At the domestic box office, “Moana 2” shattered Thanksgiving box office records with $221 million over the five-day holiday frame, overtaking the high watermark set by 2019’s “Frozen II” ($125 million). Overseas, the second “Moana” installment powered to No. 1 in every market aside from China (where a local title reigned supreme). Top-earning territories were France with $18.8 million, the United Kingdom with $15.5 million, Mexico with $11.1 million, Germany with $10.5 million, Italy with $9.3 million and Korea with $9.1 million.

From Dove Cameron to Joe Jonas, these stars attempted to be part of the 2024 Jon M. Chu-directed film 'Wicked.'MEGAAmanda SeyfriedAmanda Seyfried auditioned for Glinda, a role that eventually went to Ariana Grande.Mega

Following her notable performances in the musical adaptations of Les Misérables and Mamma Mia!, Amanda Seyfried attempted to score the role of Glinda in Wicked.

"Last summer while I was playing Elizabeth [The Dropout], on the weekends I was auditioning in person to play Glinda in the movie version of Wicked — because I wanted it that much that I was like, 'You know what? Yeah, I have to play the last scene of The Dropout on Tuesday. I’ll give my Sunday to you,’" she told Backstage.

Dove CameronDove Cameron opened up about the lengthy audition process she went through.Mega

For her Wicked audition, Dove Cameron performed Annie Golden's "How Can I Lose You?...

Updated: Movie theaters finally have something for which to be thankful.

Disney’s “Moana 2” cemented a new Thanksgiving box office record with $225 million over the five-day holiday frame, obliterating the previous high-water marks set by 2019’s “Frozen II” ($125 million) and 2013’s “Hunger Games: Catching Fire” ($109 million). It also stands as the biggest five-day debut in history, overtaking Universal’s 2023 behemoth “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” ($205.6 million). The film’s three-day tally of $139.7 million registers as the best start for Walt Disney Animation ahead of “Frozen II” ($130.2 million the weekend prior to Thanksgiving). Ticket sales for the “Moana” sequel were higher than Sunday’s estimates of $135.5 million over the traditional weekend $221 million over the five-days and far above early projections of $135 million to $145 million.

“‘Moana 2’ has far surpassed our high expectations this weekend and is a testament to the phenomenon that ‘Moana’ has become,” Disney Entertainment co-chairman Alan Bergman said in a statement.

During the course of a record Thanksgiving weekend, Universal’s Wicked: Part One has become the highest grossing movie ever at the domestic box office based on a Broadway musical.

Through yesterday, the Jon M. Chu-directed, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande-starring feature counts $214.3M in the midst of its second weekend, defeating the lifetime gross of Paramount’s 1978 classic Grease.

By Sunday, Wicked is expected to reach just under $263M.

Worldwide with $358M and counting by Sunday, Wicked will stand as the fourth highest grossing movie based on a Broadway musical after Mamma Mia! ($611.2M), Les Miserables ($442.7M) and Grease ($396.2M). Wicked was always perceived to be chiefly domestic-driven at the B.O.

With a running time of two hours and 40 minutes to Moana 2‘s 100 minutes, some box office sources believed that Wicked would hit a buzzsaw in the Dwayne Johnson-Auli’i Cravalho sequel, but the two...

Ever since she broke into the film industry with her role as one of the mean girls in “Mean Girls,” Amanda Seyfried has been making regular appearances in romantic comedies, thrillers and horror films. She recently co-starred in director David Fincher’s “Mank” playing the similarly doe-eyed Hollywood starlet Marion Davies. Let’s take a look at the highlights of this young star’s career in our gallery of her best movies.

Seyfried started her acting career in a few small roles in soap operas and TV. After “Mean Girls,” Seyfried appeared in several indie films, which lead to a role on the HBO series “Big Love,” about a secretly polygamous Mormon family in Utah. From there she won the starring role in the hit musical “Mamma Mia!,” and she has slowly become a familiar face on the big screen. She even nabbed a SAG Ensemble award nomination for her...

Was Taylor Swift interested in Les Misérables? ( Photo Credit – Instagram )

In October 2022, Taylor Swift spilled all the tea about her “nightmare” audition on The Graham Norton Show, and trust us, it’s a wild ride. Turns out, she was up for two roles: Cosette and Éponine. While her look screamed Cosette, her voice leaned more Éponine. Even Swift admitted, “I wasn’t going to get the role.” Still, the chance to audition alongside her fave, Eddie Redmayne, was too good to skip.

So, she flew to London for a screen test—and got hit with 19th-century reality. “When I got there, they put me in full 19th-century street urchin costume and told me they were going to paint my teeth brown, and I was like, ‘You are going to do that after I meet Eddie Redmayne, right?” she said. Yep, it was as awkward as it sounds.

Swift, who described the experience as a nightmare,...

Celebrity interviews can either be a hit or a miss but one thing’s for sure – they will give us some unforgettable moments no matter how awkward. Something similar happened with Anne Hathaway and the cast of Les Misérables when they sat down with reporter Kjersti Flaa to talk about the 2012 musical. After deciding to take a unique approach to their discussions, the reporter came up with the idea to sing a question to the cast members and while the majority of them matched her energy, Anne Hathaway was simply not feeling it that day.

Anne Hathaway in Les Misérables (2012) | Credits: Universal Pictures

The Internet may have different opinions when it comes to talking about Anne Hathaway but her attitude during the interview with Kjersti Flaa did not sit right with most netizens. Recently, the reporter recalled what went down on set that day and how her reaction was the...

Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey successfully danced through life on the Wicked set thanks to a shared Broadway background, the pair shared Sunday.

“I feel like we were both very theater children in the room,” Grande told People. The pop star plays Glinda, the future Good Witch, who falls for Bailey’s Fiyero in Wicked. Bailey added that the “theater children” energy was “incessant.”

Grande made her Broadway debut at 15 in the musical Thirteeen, and Bailey was a child actor with the Royal Shakespeare Company before moving on to West End productions like Les Misérables.

“We were very giggly together,” Grande added. “That was the tough thing with us. We were the giggliest pair. It carbonated our chemistry.”

“It gave us fizz,” Bailey added.

The “Thank U, Next” star said that she and Bailey were “falling for each other as friends in real life” while their characters fell for one another,...

Cynthia Erivo has weighed in on the debate of whether or not it’s okay to sing along at the cinema while watching Wicked.

Elphaba herself, Cynthia Erivo, is the latest actor to chime in on whether or not audiences should be allowed to belt out tunes like ‘Defying Gravity’ and ‘What Is This Feeling?’ while watching Wicked in the cinema.

Earlier in the week, Dwayne Johnson, who voices demigod Maui in Moana 2, said audiences have every right to sing along to the film’s songs.

“Sing! You’ve paid your hard earned money for a ticket, and you’ve gone into a musical, and you’re into it,” he told BBC News on Sunday. “Especially if you love music, that’s the fun part.”

Erivo seems to agree. The actress was in attendance at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade which was broadcasted on NBC on Thursday and...

The biggest movie in the world right now is Wicked, the musical revisionist take on The Wizard of Oz that in no way includes James Franco and/or a CGI monkey voiced by Zach Braff.

Wicked, of course, fills us in on the Wicked Witch of the West’s backstory, casting her in a more sympathetic light, which wasn’t totally necessary, considering that most of us would be justifiably pissed off if a teenager accidentally killed our sibling and then helped themselves to the corpse’s footwear.

Wicked has already made over $165 million worldwide. Its opening weekend was the biggest ever for a movie based on a Broadway musical, and it’s considered an Oscar frontrunner. And according to some folks on the internet, we have James Corden’s non-involvement to thank.

Obviously, the people who actually made the movie, and the original show, deserve the most credit. But...

It’s a good year for the musically inclined. This awards season is full of actors who sing. And that doesn’t just mean the performers who were already known for their vocal chops like musical theater star Cynthia Erivo and pop singer Ariana Grande in “Wicked.” There are a number of singing actors for whom music isn’t their primary claim to fame, like Timothée Chalamet in “A Complete Unknown,” Zoe Saldaña in “Emilia Pérez,” Angelina Jolie in “Maria,” Kingsley Ben-Adir in “Bob Marley: One Love,” and even Saoirse Ronan in “Blitz.” Will those stars get a bump for showing their vocal range in addition to their dramatic range?

Some stars over the last 20 or so years were recognized for expanding their repertoires. Nicole Kidman earned an Oscar nom for the 2001 musical “Moulin Rouge!” — though her co-star Ewan McGregor was snubbed despite also doing his own singing. “Chicago” (2002) earned...

„Wicked“ hat seinen Erfolgslauf in den USA zu Beginn der Woche nahtlos fortgesetzt – mit einem Novemberrekord am Montag und einem fantastischen Ergebnis am Dienstag. Während auch „Gladiator II“ weiterhin ordentliche Zahlen schreibt, steht „Vaiana 2“ nach umwerfenden Dienstagszahlen vor einem möglichen Thanksgiving-Rekord.

Sammelt Rekorde: „Wicked“ mit Cynthia Erivo und Ariana Grande (Credit: Upi)

„Es war wirklich Wahnsinn – ich habe es kaum geschafft, Karten zu bekommen.“ Erzählte mir gestern ein Kinobetreiber/Verleiher/Produzent, der sich tatsächlich so oft in Los Angeles und Umgebung aufhält, dass er ein AMC-Abo nutzt; der just am vergangenen Wochenende in den USA war, wo er sich unter anderem „Wicked“ ansah – und der absolut begeistert ob der vollen Säle war.

Über einige der Rekorde, die „Wicked“ am Startwochenende geschrieben hat, haben wir bereits berichtet – ebenso über die Bestmarken, die bei AMC vor dem Hintergrund des Doppelstarts von „Wicked“ und „Gladiator II“ erreicht wurden.

Unterdessen reißen die...

Idris Elba might be making the jump from the MCU to Eternia, leaving Heimdall behind to play another highly-skilled warrior in service of a sprawling mythical kingdom.

The Wrap is reporting that Elba is in talks to play Prince Adam's loyal master of weapons, Duncan, aka Man-At-Arms in MGM and Mattel's live-action Masters of the Universe movie.

If he signs on, Elba will join Nicholas Galitzine as Prince Adam/He-Man, Riverdale alum Camila Mendes as his right-hand woman and (possible) love-interest, Teela, and Alison Brie as Skeletor's second-in-command, Evil-Lyn.

As for Skeletor himself, Jared Leto is said to be on the studio's radar to play He-Man's nemesis, but this has yet to be confirmed. Previous rumors have claimed that Sacha Baron Cohen was in contention to play the iconic baddie.

After numerous false starts, Netflix was all set to develop a feature take on the...

Are Wicked Fans Allowed to Use Phones in Cinemas? Film Sparks Online Discourse - Main Image

It’s taken almost a decade for the stage musical Wicked to make it to the big screen, and even after all this waiting, the movie is only the first part of the whole musical.

While everyone is busy singing the praises of the Wicked movie online, a suspicious trend has been sparked and the fans online have been fighting about it—are people allowed to use phones in cinemas?

Using Phones During Wicked Screenings

While it’s normal to rave about the movie online after (sometimes even during) a screening, one post had been asking some Wicked fandoms to ‘show your Wicked photos’, which had apparently sparked an online debate. Here’s the post:

This was then followed up by several people who were talking about how it was bad manners in cinemas...

If you were shopping in Target this weekend, you didn’t hear the sound of Christmas carols over the loudspeaker, rather the showstopper “Defying Gravity” from Universal’s Wicked.

But there’s more, for on the main throughfare at the Sunset Boulevard location is a standee of Wicked attire, from slippers to sweatshirts. Meanwhile, over at their Starbucks, you had a choice between Elphaba’s Cold Brew and Glinda’s Pink Potion.

While it should be a marshmallow world in the winter, it’s a Wicked one, and we’re just living in it. For Universal Pictures and its lineup of 450 promotional partners, the studio has defied all gravity in racking up a media value for the Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo tentpole of $350 million — the most ever for a Hollywood theatrical release. That number beats the promo partner campaigns of 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home ($220M), 2019’s Avengers: Endgame...

Charlize Theron (“Monster”) is the latest Oscar winner to join the cast of Christopher Nolan‘s next movie, following the likes of Matt Damon (“Good Will Hunting”), Anne Hathaway (“Les Misérables”), and Lupita Nyong’o (“12 Years a Slave”).

In addition, Robert Pattinson was announced last week, and lovebirds Tom Holland and Zendaya joined the cast previously. It looks like everyone in Hollywood now wants to work with Nolan following the success of his 2023 blockbuster “Oppenheimer,” which won seven total Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director.

Little is known about the new film that’s directed, written, and produced by Nolan for Universal Pictures, except that it will be an “event” and it will have an IMAX theater release on July 17, 2026. That’s — checks calendar — a whopping 20 months away. If only we had the ability to fast-forward through time, like Nolan’s central character in “Interstellar” (2014).

This marks Theron’s first career collaboration with Nolan.

Wicked opened in theaters this past weekend to glowing reviews and an explosive box office; the movie has made $164 million worldwide, already recouping its $145 million budget (although it probably has a while to go before it makes back what I imagine was an equally huge marketing budget; you couldn't avoid hearing about this thing). It's a hit.

I loved the movie. I'm a big fan of musicals generally, but they have a spotty reputation at the movies. Wicked adapted Stephen Schwartz's musical with all the glitz and gusto it needed, helped along by excellent casting in the form of Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande as Elphaba and Glinda, the future Wicked Witch of the West and Good Witch of the North respectively.

After wading through middling movie musicals like Sweeney Todd, Les Misérables, and Joker: Folie à Deux — all of which give too much screentime to performers who are...

Jon M. Chu appears to have pulled off a rare feat. He’s shepherded a beloved Broadway stage musical to the screen in an adaptation that actually lives up to its predecessor. Judging by critical and public reaction on opening weekend, at least, “Wicked” is now on a short list of movies including “Chicago,” “Dreamgirls,” “Hedwig and the Angry Itch” and the recent remake of “West Side Story” that have successfully made that transition this century.

Continue reading Jon M. Chu On The Surprising Cameos That Are More Than Cameos In ‘Wicked’ [Interview] at The Playlist.

Rank Film (distributor) Three-day gross (Nov 22-24) Total gross to date Week 1. Wicked (Universal) £13.7m £13.7m 1 2. Gladiator II (Paramount) £4.7m £18.4m 2 3. Paddington In Peru (Studiocanal) £4.2m £24.4m 3 4. Red One (Warner Bros) £822,000 £5.8m 3 5. Heretic(Efd) £205,457 £205,457 4

Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.26

Wickedcast its spell on UK-Ireland audiences this weekend, bringing in £13.7m in its debut – the best-performing opening weekend for a stage-to-screen adaptation in the territory, and the biggest opening weekend of 2024.

The musical was released at 701 sites, for a site average of £19,543 for Universal.It beat previous stage-to-screen record holder Les Misérables, with £8.1m in 2013. Wicked also knocked Deadpool & Wolverine...

From her feature film debut in Gillian Armstrong's 1994 adaptation of "Little Women" through the mid-2000s, Claire Danes was one of Hollywood's more visible "It" girls, appearing as the lead or the co-lead in about two dozen high-profile studio movies. In just a few years, Danes went from obscurity to the A-list. She made a habit of working with known filmmakers or associating with well-known properties. She was in Baz Luhrman's "Romeo + Juliet," Oliver Stone's "U-Turn," and Francis Ford Coppola's "The Rainmaker," as well as a film adaptation of "Les Misérables" and an update of "The Mod Squad." One cannot underestimate her ubiquity throughout the 1990s.

She might've been even more visible, too, had Danes accepted an offer to play Rose DeWitt Bukater in James Cameron's "Titanic."

In "Romeo + Juliet," Danes played Juliet opposite Leonardo DiCaprio's Romeo. The film is a high-octane, ultra-modern...

Worldwide box office November 22-24 Rank Film (distributor) 3-day (world) Cume (world) 3-day (int’l) Cume (int’l) Territories 1. Wicked(Universal) $164.2m $164.2m $50.2m $50.2m 62 2. Gladiator II(Paramount) $106m $221m $50.5m $165.5m 65 3. Red One(Warner Bros) $22m $117.1m $8.7m $64.2m 76 4. Her Story(Taop) $16.6m $20.8m $16.6m $20.8m 1 5. Venom: The Last Dance(Sony) $11.8m $456.4m $7.8m $322.6m 67 6. Crayon Shin-chan the Movie: Our Dinosaur Diary(China) $8.4m $29.8m $8.4m $29.8m 1 7. The Wild Robot(Universal) $5.8m $317.4m $3.8m $176.7m 81 8. To Gather Around(various) $5.4m $21.2m $5.4m $21.2m 3 9. Paddington In Peru(Studiocanal) $5.4m $30.8m $5.4m $30.8m 1 10. Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin(various) $5.1m $5.1m $260 $260 2

Credit: Comscore.

Worldwide box office November 22-24 Rank Film (distributor) 3-day (world) Cume (world) 3-day (int’l) Cume (int’l) Territories 1. Wicked(Universal) $164.2m $164.2m $50.2m $50.2m 62 2. Gladiator II(Paramount) $106m $221m $50.5m $165.5m 65 3. Red One(Warner Bros) $22m $117.1m $8.7m $64.2m 76 4. Her Story(Taop) $16.6m $20.8m $16.6m $20.8m 1 5. Venom: The Last Dance(Sony) $11.8m $456.4m $7.8m $322.6m 67 6. Crayon Shin-chan the Movie: Our Dinosaur Diary(China) $8.4m $29.8m $8.4m $29.8m 1 7. The Wild Robot(Universal) $5.8m $317.4m $3.8m $176.7m 81 8. To Gather Around(various) $5.4m $21.2m $5.4m $21.2m 3 9. Paddington In Peru(Studiocanal) $5.4m $30.8m $5.4m $30.8m 1 10. Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin(various) $5.1m $5.1m $260 $260 2

Credit: Comscore.

This weekend, two high-profile films spurred renewed confidence for the film business, grossing $270.2 million worldwide and posting the best pre-Thanksgiving box office performance since 2013.

Universal’s musical adaptation, “Wicked,” topped the way with an amazing $114 million domestic debut and $50.2 million overseas sales. The film broke records for Broadway adaptations, outperforming “Les Miserables” substantially. The film, directed by Jon M. Chu, garnered a largely female audience, with 72% of all spectators being women.

“The film’s success demonstrates the power of well-executed musical adaptations,” industry analyst Paul Dergarabedian stated. The critical reception and audience A CinemaScore indicate a strong likelihood of ongoing success over the holiday season.

Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II” also had a huge impact, grossing $55.5 million domestically and $50.5 million overseas. The Roman epic, which stars Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, and Pedro Pascal, has already grossed $221 million worldwide. The film drew a predominantly masculine audience, with 61% of spectators being men.

Universal has been vindicated, thanks to the witches of Oz and the tenacity of studio chief and top NBCUniversal executive Donna Langley.

Over the Nov. 22-24 weekend, director Jon M. Chu‘s Wicked opened to an estimated $114 million domestically, the biggest box office launch of all time for a Broadway adaptation in a landslide victory, considering that the previous record holder, Into the Woods, opened to $31 million, not adjusted for inflation.

Moreover, it’s the fourth-biggest domestic opening among any musical behind three marquee Disney titles.

It couldn’t be a more welcome result for Universal, which was left badly bruised when Oscar-winning director Tom Hooper’s Cats adaptation turned into a box office debacle in 2019. The movie opened to just $6.6 million before topping out at $25.2 million domestically and $75.6 million globally. Langley and her team, however, remained steadfast in sticking with making two Wicked movies (Chu’s sequel debuts a year from now).

“With Wicked,...

The pre-Thanksgiving weekend box office potentially just scored its biggest haul in 11 years, thanks to the combined powers of Broadway musical adaptation "Wicked" and swords 'n' sandals sequel "Gladiator II." Of course, in every group project there's one person who does most of the heavy lifting, and in this case it's "Wicked." The "Wizard of Oz" prequel grossed an estimated $114 million domestically, easily landing the No. 1 spot, while "Gladiator II" has opened in second place with $55.5 million. 

There have been a spate of high-profile musical box office bombs over the last five years, including "Cats," "West Side Story," and "Wicked" director Jon M. Chu's last musical outing, "In the Heights." In an extreme reversal of fortunes for Chu, "Wicked" has scored the biggest box office opening weekend ever for a Broadway feature adaptation, both domestically and globally. Overseas ticket sales of approximately $50.2 million (per Deadline) bring its worldwide debut total to $164.2 million,...

Musicals aren’t the most successful genre at the box office. But song-and-dance films may be enjoying — as Glinda sings — a newfound popularity with “Wicked,” Universal’s adaptation of Act One of the beloved Broadway show.

The film collected $114 million in North America and an additional $50.2 million internationally, bringing its global tally to $165 million over the weekend. It’s a huge win for movie theaters (ticket sales have been stubbornly behind 2023 and pre-pandemic times) and Universal. Each installment cost $150 million to produce, not including its inescapable pink-and-green marketing campaign. So “Wicked” needs to resonate at the global box office through Thanksgiving of next year to justify these mega price tags. Then “thank goodness,” as Glinda also sings in the show, that critical reviews and audience sentiment have been euphoric.

Jon M. Chu directed the PG “Wicked,” which stars Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh and Jonathan Bailey. Set before,...

Updated Nov. 30: Broadway musicals adapted to the screen are an erratic genre at the box office, despite Miramax’s multi-Oscar winning Chicago reviving the long-dormant Hollywood genre back in 2002 with $306.8M WW. Yet for every Les Miserables ($442.7M) hit from Universal, there were massive misfires like Dear Evan Hansen and Cats. This weekend, Universal defied the odds with their feature take of the $5 billion-grossing Broadway stage show Wicked, opening to $112.5M domestic, $162.5M worldwide as of Monday morning.

Here’s all the records that Wicked broke in its opening weekend:

The Highest Grossing Movie Ever Based on a Broadway Musical at the Domestic Box Office with $214M and counting as of Nov. 30.

Biggest Global and Domestic Opening for a Movie Based on a Broadway Show, beating the worldwide opening of 2012’s Les Miserables ($103M) and the domestic opening of Disney’s 2014 Into the Woods ($31M).

Biggest Global and Domestic Opening for Ariana Grande ever,...

“Wicked” debuted to $164.2 million at the global box office, a towering figure that includes $50.1 million in overseas ticket sales. Universal’s big-budget adaptation of the hit musical was far bigger in North America with $114 million, ranking as the third-biggest domestic debut of the year and the best ever for a Broadway adaptation.

Globally, “Wicked” notched the largest opening for a film that’s based on a Broadway show, supplanting 2012’s “Les Miserables,” which ignited to $103 million. Ticket sales for “Wicked” rank as the fifth-biggest worldwide debut in history for a musical, ahead of Disney’s 2023 “The Little Mermaid” reimagining ($163.6 million) and behind 2019’s “The Lion King” ($446 million), 2017’s “Beauty and the Beast” remake ($358 million), 2019’s “Frozen 2” ($358 million ) and 2019’s “Aladdin” ($213 million).

Jon M. Chu directed “Wicked,” which stars Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh and Jonathan Bailey. Set before, during and after “The Wizard of Oz,” the...

If you care to find “Wicked,” look to the top of box office charts. Universal’s adaptation of Act One (with some padding) of the popular Broadway musical was No. 1 in North America with $114 million from 3,888 theaters over the weekend.

Those dazzling ticket sales rank as the third biggest domestic debut of the year behind “Deadpool & Wolverine” ($211 million) and “Inside Out 2” ($154 million). Among other benchmarks, “Wicked” landed the fourth-biggest start in history for a musical, ahead of Disney’s recent “The Little Mermaid” remake ($95.5 million) and behind “Frozen II” ($130 million), as well as the best opening (by far) for a Broadway adaptation, overtaking the record held by 2014’s “Into the Woods” ($31 million).

“Wicked” collected an additional $50.2 million at the international box office, bringing its global tally to $164.2 million. It marks the biggest worldwide opening for a film based on a Broadway show, supplanting another Universal musical, “Les Miserables,...

Refresh for Latest…: Universal’s Wicked is sitting pretty in its global debut, now with a projected $165M through Sunday. As expected, the bulk of the bucks going into the witches’ cauldron is coming from North America, with the anticipated split at $117M domestic and $48M from the international box office.

Globally, Wicked will see the biggest opening weekend for a film based on a Broadway adaption, ahead of Les Miserables ($103M); the 6th biggest opening weekend of 2024 worldwide; and the 4th biggest opening weekend ever globally for a musical, ahead of The Little Mermaid ($163.6M).

Internationally, Wicked is landing within the pre-opening range. The film is out in only 61 overseas markets, repping 65% of the offshore footprint — such majors as France, China, Germany and Japan have yet to release the Jon M. Chu-directed first installment of the Broadway musical adaptation.

Still, in like-for-like launch markets, Wicked is on...

Updated, Saturday AM: Universal’s Wicked is coming in with a $46.7M Friday plus previews which has the studio predicting a $117M opening at this point. Paramount’s Gladiator II stands at $60M after a $22M Friday.

Wicked gets an A CinemaScore, a grade that’s up there with other Broadway feature adaptations such as Les Miserables (A), Chicago (A-), Annie (A-), Mamma Mia (A-) and higher than Into the Woods (B). Gladiator II gets a B versus the original 2000 movie’s A.

Let’s remember a few things in case the marketplace hits a bump:

–It’s a holiday week, so there’s plenty of time to head to the cinemas this week. While there was only 1% K-12 schools off yesterday, that grows to 47% K-12 and 18% colleges on Monday per Comscore, eventually rising to near 100% levels on Thanksgiving and Black Friday, the latter being one of the highest grossing days of the year.

As of recent years, there has been a correlation with musical performances being recognized in the Best Supporting Actress category at the Oscars, with eight nominated since 2002, and half emerging victorious. This year, we have potentially three actresses from two movie musicals competing for the five slots: Ariana Grande for Universal Pictures’ “Wicked,” and Zoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez for Netflix’s “Emilia Pérez.” Let’s take a look back at the many scenarios where song-and-dance performers were cited for Best Supporting Actress and what that could mean for this year’s contenders.

There have been a myriad of supporting actresses recognized for film musicals at the Oscars predominantly during the inception of the genre, which include Jean Hagen for “Singin’ In The Rain” (1952), Peggy Wood for “The Sound of Music” (1965), and Kay Medford for “Funny Girl” (1968). But the first victory came for Rita Moreno for “West Side Story” (1961), who...

“You’ll be with me like a handprint on my heart,” Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, sings to Glinda the Good at the end of the musical Wicked. For fans of the longest-running show to open on Broadway this century, it’s an apt metaphor: Over the past two decades, no musical has become quite so embedded in the DNA of theater aficionados of a certain age as this dark prequel to The Wizard of Oz.

For most of those audiences who grew up on this version of Oz, delivered through Stephen Schwartz’s delicious, rhythmically inventive songs and Winnie Holzman’s astonishingly propulsive book, Jon M. Chu’s two-part film adaptation will likely make those heart handprints glow bright. Just like Chu’s exuberant screen version of In The Heights, the first part captures the spirit of the original, a strange concoction of whimsical fairy tale and dystopian thriller,...

If you're a fan of the musical Wicked, then the new Wicked movie will make you happy. It translates the smash hit Broadway show song for song and beat for beat, even keeping dorky little oddities like the way people in Oz pronounce words all funny (e.g. "confusing" becomes "confusifying"). If you're a fan of musicals in general, then the movie will make you happy. The cast steps up, it hits the right emotional notes, and the production is a sumptuous orgy of over-stimulation for the eyes and ears.

If you don't like musicals, I doubt you'll find much to enjoy here, because Wicked refuses to water itself down to appeal to you and your kind. This is musical theater with a capital M and a capital T and a rising trilling crescendo at the end for no reason other than because that's showbiz, baby. For decades now, when...

Is “Glicked” the new “Barbenheimer”?

Whether “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” inspires an unorthodox double feature à la last summer’s simultaneous blockbusters “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” remains a question. Either way, there’s a box office battle brewing between Universal’s pink-and-green musical and Paramount’s bloody sword-and-sandal epic, both of which open on Friday.

“Wicked,” director Jon M. Chu’s big-screen take on the beloved Broadway show, is expected to lead with a huge $100 million to $110 million from 3,880 North American theaters over the weekend. The PG-rated film landed on tracking with projections of $80 million to $85 million, but estimates have increased in subsequent weeks. Given the ubiquity of the stage show, the omnipresence of the Oz-themed marketing campaign and enough brand partnerships (more than 400 in total) to fill Emerald City, rival studio executives and independent tracking services believe that ticket sales could fly to $130 million in its first weekend of release.

What Did Anne Hathaway Say About Christopher Nolan’s No-Chairs Rule On Set? (Photo Credit – Instagram)

Christopher Nolan doesn’t do chairs on set, and Anne Hathaway explained why. The Interstellar star shared the inside scoop during a chat with Les Misérables buddy Hugh Jackman, and it’s pretty simple: if there’s a chair, people sit. And if they’re sitting, they’re not working. Classic Nolan move, right?

Hathaway, who worked with Nolan on The Dark Knight Rises and Interstellar, is all about his vibe. His films? Huge, ambitious, and always under budget and ahead of schedule. So yeah, there’s something to this no-chair rule. “I think he’s onto something with the chair thing,” she said. But it’s not just about chairs. Nolan’s whole filmmaking style is about being minimal yet massive simultaneously. It’s like the director knows exactly what he wants and doesn’t waste time.

BritBox has announced that Shetland Season 9 will premiere on December 11, 2024. New episodes will air weekly until the finale on January 15. Previous seasons of Shetland are available to stream on BritBox.

The new season of the acclaimed murder-mystery drama sees Ashley Jensen and Alison O’Donnell reprise their roles as Detectives Ruth Calder and Alison ‘Tosh’ McIntosh.

A double missing persons case blurs the lines between the personal and the professional, as Calder and Tosh are drawn into a labyrinthine investigation. When Tosh’s friend, Annie Bett, goes missing she suspects something is seriously wrong.

Ruth Calder – now living in Shetland – has no time to recover from a life-threatening ordeal of her own, as together they set out in search of Annie and her young son, Noah. They discover accountant Annie is estranged from her husband, Ian, and has been staying with mussel farmer John Harris and his two sons, Patrick and Fergus.

Two-time Academy Award winner Renée Zellweger returns to the role that established a romantic-comedy heroine for the ages, a woman whose inimitable approach to life and love redefined an entire film genre.

But in Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, Bridget is alone once again, widowed four years ago, when Mark (Oscar winner Colin Firth) was killed on a humanitarian mission in the Sudan. She’s now a single mother to 9-year-old Billy and 4-year-old Mabel, and is stuck in a state of emotional limbo, raising her children with help from her loyal friends and even her former lover, Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant).

Pressured by her Urban Family —Shazzer, Jude and Tom, her work colleague Miranda, her mother, and her gynecologist Dr. Rawlings (Oscar winner Emma Thompson) — to forge a new path toward life and love, Bridget goes back to work and even tries out the dating apps, where she...

Universal Pictures and Peacock have released the official trailer for Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, which will premiere on Peacock on February 13, 2025. The movie will be released in international theaters on February 12.

Two-time Academy Award winner Renée Zellweger returns to the role that established a romantic-comedy heroine for the ages, a woman whose inimitable approach to life and love redefined an entire film genre

Bridget Jones first blasted onto bookshelves in Helen Fielding’s literary phenomenon Bridget Jones’s Diary, which became a global bestseller and a blockbuster film. As a single career woman living in London, Bridget Jones not only introduced the world to her romantic adventures but added “Singletons,” “Smug-Marrieds,” and “f—wittage” into the global lexicon.

Bridget’s ability to triumph despite adversity led her to marry top lawyer Mark Darcy finally and to become the mother of their baby boy. Happiness at last.

But in...

Zendaya and Anne Hathaway are joining Christopher Nolan’s next movie at Universal, with Tom Holland and Matt Damon already confirmed in the cast.

Nolan is writing and directing the movie, which will hit theaters and Imax on July 17, 2026. Details about the story are still under wraps, and Universal had no comment on the casting.

This film marks a reunion for Hathaway and Nolan, who worked together on the 2014 space film Interstellar and 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises. Earlier this year, Hathaway shared how grateful she was for Nolan casting her in Interstellar during a time when she faced online backlash after her Oscar win for Les Misérables.

“Many people wouldn’t hire me because of how toxic my image was online,” Hathaway told Vanity Fair. “But Christopher Nolan didn’t care and gave me one of the best roles I’ve had … My career stayed on track thanks to him.

Zendaya and Anne Hathaway are joining Christopher Nolan’s next film at Universal, alongside previously announced cast members Tom Holland and Matt Damon.

Nolan is writing and directing the movie, which is set for a theatrical and Imax release on July 17, 2026. Plot details are currently under wraps. Universal had no comment on the casting.

It’s a reunion for Hathaway and Nolan, who previously collaborated on the 2014 space epic “Interstellar” and 2012’s “The Dark Knight Rises.” Earlier this year, Hathaway expressed gratitude for Nolan, who cast her in “Interstellar” amidst a wave of online hate following her Oscar win for “Les Misérables.” “A lot of people wouldn’t give me roles because they were so concerned about how toxic my identity had become online,” Hathaway told Vanity Fair. “I had an angel in Christopher Nolan, who did not care about that and gave me one of the most beautiful roles...

Nominations voting is from January 8-12, 2025, with official Oscar nominations announced January 17, 2025. Final voting is February 11-18, 2025. And finally, the 97th Oscars telecast will be broadcast on Sunday, March 2, and air live on ABC at 7 p.m. Et/ 4 p.m. Pt. We update our picks throughout awards season, so keep checking IndieWire for all our 2025 Oscar predictions.

The State of the Race

As we enter the fall/holiday season, “Wicked” (Universal) and “Gladiator II” (Paramount) are gathering early buzz for the Best Sound Oscar. Other standouts include “Emilia Pérez” (Netflix), “Blitz” (Apple TV+), “Maria” (Netflix), and “Nickel Boys” (Amazon MGM Studios). Still to come are the highly anticipated “Nosferatu” (Focus Features) and “A Complete Unknown” (Searchlight Pictures). Another major contender, course, is “Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.).

In “Wicked,” Jon M. Chu’s adaptation of the Broadway musical by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman, we get the unlikely friendship between...

Russell Crowe’s Last 5 Films At The Worldwide Box Office ( Photo Credit – Instagram )

From playing Javert in Les Miserables and Jor-El in Man of Steel to playing Zeus in the MCU, Russell Crowe is known for playing some heavy roles. He is best known for playing Maximus in Ridley Scott’s 2000 epic historical drama Gladiator. He even won the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role. He has appeared in multiple movies, earning him multiple accolades. His work got him immense fame and helped him accumulate an estimated net worth of $120 million.

Crowe started his career as a musician. In the 1980s, he performed under the stage name Russ Le Roq and released a few singles. He then moved back to Australia and started his acting career there. He is one of the most versatile actors in the industry, and he established that with his range of acting and...