Anne-Marie Ross Dies: Lionsgate International Distribution Vet Was 49

Paramount’s Smile is positively grinning ear-to-ear as the horror pic from director Parker Finn saw a wild 19% upswing in holdovers at the international box office in its second frame. The weekend gross was $17.5M in 61 markets for a $40M offshore cume and $89.9M global to date.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “Ticket to Paradise,” a romantic comedy that reunites Julia Roberts and George Clooney, is (surprise, surprise) charming audiences at the international box office. The movie has generated $60 million overseas to date, a promising start given the current challenges facing theatrical rom-coms. Of course, it helps when the genre gets a boost from megawatt stars like Roberts and Clooney. According to Universal, which is backing the film, “Ticket to Paradise” is outpacing recent meet-cute stories like “The Lost City,” “Last Christmas” and “Crazy Rich Asians” at the same point in their respective big-screen rollouts. Over the weekend, “Ticket to Paradise” earned $10.5 million from 61 territories, including debuts in France ($1 million), Mexico ($1 million) and Italy ($800,000). In holdover markets, “Ticket to Paradise,” which features Clooney and Roberts as exes who try to stop their daughter from marrying a near stranger, has been popular in Australia ($8.5 million), the United Kingdom and Ireland ($7.4 million) and Germany ($7.4 million). It opens Oct. 21 in the U.S. and Canada.

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson said his “cold, dark soul” was overcome with emotion after one of his superfans wept after getting the actor’s autograph. The wrestler-turned-Hollywood superstar, 50, made a man cry “tears of joy” by signing his replica WWE replica championship belt at a ‘Black Adam’ fan event at Diego Rivera Museum, Mexico City. In a video The Rock shared with his Instagram followers on Wednesday (05.

A Democratic candidate for Congress from New Mexico is looking to walk back recently unearthed comments he previously made indicating he supported ending oil and gas extraction "immediately."  Gabe Vasquez, a former city council member of Las Cruces, New Mexico, said in 2018 he agreed with environmentalists who sought to get rid of oil and gas extraction "immediately" in favor of renewable energy.  As the November midterm elections approach, Vasquez has recently called the oil and gas industry "incredibly important to this district" not just for the extraction companies themselves, but for the small businesses that support the fossil fuel industry. Vasquez, who is running against incumbent Republican Rep.

Dwayne Johnson has fun with the fans during the promotional event for Black Adam at Museo Anahuacalli on Monday (October 3) in Mexico City, Mexico.

Dr. Brain.On September 29, the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced its nominees for the upcoming 2022 ceremony.

It was a varied offering at the international box office this weekend with newcomers from Hollywood and offshore markets, as well as notable holds, as we inch closer to full-on action later in October. 

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Magnolia Pictures has acquired U.S. rights to “Kompromat,” an action thriller film directed by Jerome Salle (“The Largo Winch” ), starring Gilles Lellouche (“The Stronghold”) and Joanna Kulig (“Cold War”). SND, the commercial arm of M6, is representing the film in international markets. Loosely based on a true story, “Kompromat” stars Lellouche as a French diplomat working in Siberia who is arrested overnight by the Russian authorities. Accused of sexually abusing his own daughter and imprisoned, he realizes he is a victim of a Kompromat. Someone is working with the FSB (Federal Security Service) to frame him. His only way out is to escape.

Mexico has selected five-time Academy Award winner Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truth as its official entry to the best international film category of the Oscars.

Apple TV+ is rolling out new seasons of four of the streamer’s popular series before the end of the year.“The Mosquito Coast” Season 2 will begin rolling out on Nov. 4 with the first episode. New episodes will premiere weekly through Jan.

scattered across numerous disparate streaming services and never all in one place, with some — namely a couple of the Daniel Craig entries — being especially tricky to track down for streaming. As part of the 60th anniversary celebration for Bond, but also in no small part thanks to Amazon’s acquisition of MGM earlier this year, that’s finally changing, and Bond fans now have access to all the films as included with a Prime Video subscription.

Narcos: Mexico has picked up two nominations at the International Emmy Awards 2022 and will battle with Lupin, Vigil and South Africa’s Reyka for the coveted Drama Series prize.

K.J. Yossman “Sex Education,” Jodie Comer limiter series “Help” and “Lupin” are among the shows nominated for an International Emmy Award. 23 countries are represented across 15 categories and 60 nominees. The International Emmys will take place on Nov. 21 in New York. “When you look at the geographic spread, diversity and quality of our Nominees, it becomes obvious that great television knows no borders and is emerging around the world,” said International Academy president and CEO Bruce Paisner. “We look forward to recognizing these outstanding programs and performances on our global stage with the International Emmy.”

K.J. Yossman International streaming service Starzplay has been rebranded as Lionsgate+. Available in 35 countries including the U.K. and Canda, the re-brand will roll out tomorrow (Sept. 29) across all territories. The full list of territories where Starzplay will re-brand as Lionsgate+ is: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, U.K., Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Venezuela, Australia and Japan.

Pat Saperstein Deputy Editor Francesca “Kitten” Natividad, the go-go dancer who became a cult pop culture figure when she was cast by sexploitation film director Russ Meyer in “Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens,” died Saturday of kidney failure after suffering from cancer at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, according to her friend Siouxzan Perry. She was 74. “She adored her friends, cats, family and fans,” her sister Eva wrote in a statement on Facebook posted by Perry. Born in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Natividad moved to Texas as a child, where she became class president of her high school in El Paso. After moving to California, she became a cook and maid for actress Stella Stevens before becoming a go-go dancer and adopting the name “Kitten.” She met “Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!” director Meyer through a dancer friend, and he hired her to narrate his 1976 sex comedy “Up.” She had already had breast implant surgery in Tijuana when Meyer paid for a second surgery, giving her the outsized proportions that would become her calling card.

Her final rose — for now. Moments after Jesse Palmer teased that Tino Franco is going to have to answer for his “indiscretions,” fans saw Rachel Recchia accept his proposal during the season 19 finale of The Bachelorette.

Maury Wills, whose long tenure with the Los Angeles Dodgers began the year after the team moved to the West Coast in the late 1950s and included three World Series championships, died September 19 at his home in Sedona, AZ, the team said Tuesday. He was 89.

Clayton Davis Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages are Davis’ assessment of the current standings of the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any film or performance. Like any organization or body that votes, each individual category is fluid and subject to change. Predictions are updated every Thursday. LAST UPDATED: Sept. 20, 2022 CATEGORY COMMENTARY: A large wave of official submissions have been announced with some expected and a few surprising choices. Some early favorites are already out of the running after not being chosen by their respective countries. Pan Nalin’s “Last Film Show” will represent India instead of the global box office smash “RRR” from S.S. Rajamouli, while Monica Stan and George Chiper’s “Immaculate” will define Romania in the race instead of Cristian Mungiu’s “R.M.N.” The Telluride and TIFF hit “Godland” from Hlynur Pálmason was also passed over for “Beautiful Beings” from Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson