‘Bullet Train’ speeds through box office again this weekend

box office, there is a near-term question mark about what will happen next: Will recovery stall due to a paucity of Hollywood tentpole movies? Or will international theatrical decouple and find new drivers to maintain the momentum? The good news is that most of the international market’s top territories are now fully open and operating without significant restrictions on seating capacity. These include the U.K. and Ireland, Japan, France, Germany, Spain, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and Brazil. The smaller number of territories still laboring under restrictions nevertheless include some valuable ones: China, Turkey, Argentina, Hong Kong and Russia.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and Media After Warner Bros. executives signed off on the risky decision to bankroll their $90 million look at the life of Elvis Presley with a little-known actor portraying the hip-swinging rocker, producer Gail Berman reached for her phone. She wanted to immortalize the moment for Austin Butler, the man who reportedly beat out the likes of Ansel Elgort and Miles Teller to land the kind of role that can make a career. “I needed to take a photo of all these people sitting around after they made a decision that was going to mark a major change in Austin’s life,” says Berman. “It was wonderful that they saw from his screen test just how good he was, and that they were ready to support him on this journey.”

Wise men say only fools predict that adult films don’t work at the pandemic box office, however, older moviegoers kept falling in love with Warner Bros.’ Elvis this summer to the point where it’s now director Baz Luhrmann’s highest grossing movie ever of his career in U.S./Canada with $144.851M, beating the original run of his 2013 title, The Great Gatsby, which made $144.84M.

BAFTA Launch Filmmaking Campaign With Digital Cinema Media BAFTA and Digital Cinema Media have launched a new campaign titled ‘Behind every BAFTA’ based around a national cinema ad that highlights the diverse range of skills that contribute to the production of award-winning films, games, and television with the aim to inspire the next generation of creative talent. DCM’s creative arm DCM Studio produced the ad, which is narrated by double BAFTA-winner Big Zuu and features rare behind-the-scenes content and clips from films including Skyfall, Get Out and 1917. The ad premieres on Friday, August 19, across the UK and will run for seven weeks, appearing alongside films such as Jordan Peele’s latest NOPE, Olivia Wilde’s Venice-bound Don’t Worry Darling, and the Brad Pitt-starrer Bullet Train.

Naman Ramachandran BAFTA and Digital Cinema Media (DCM) have partnered on a cinema campaign, which premieres Aug. 19 across the U.K., to inspire the next generation of creative talent by showcasing the diverse range of skills and knowledge that goes into making award-winning films, games and television.

Naman Ramachandran Despite the star wattage of A-listers Aamir Khan and Akshay Kumar, the underwhelming box office performance of “Forrest Gump” adaptation “Laal Singh Chaddha” and “Raksha Bandhan,” respectively, have set the alarm bells ringing in Bollywood.Both films released on Aug. 11. The date was tailor-made for “Raksha Bandhan,” a film about brother-sister relationships, as it coincided with the festival of Raksha Bandhan, which celebrates siblinghood.

Naman Ramachandran Universal’s “Nope,” directed by Jordan Peele and starring Daniel Kaluuya, debuted atop the U.K. and Ireland box office with £1.8 million ($2.2 million), according to numbers released by Comscore.In second position, Sony’s Brad Pitt vehicle “Bullet Train” sped to £909,264 and now has £5.06 million after two weekends.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterJordan Peele’s science-fiction thriller “Nope” landed at the international box office, generating a so-so $6.4 million from 19 territories.The film had the biggest start in the United Kingdom and Ireland with $2.1 million, which ranked below the $2.6 million haul that the opening of Peele’s debut feature “Get Out” amassed in the same territory. In Australia, “Nope” scored $1.2 million, which falls below “Get Out’s” $1.4 million debut in the country.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterIs everyone on vacation?That would be one plausible explanation behind the great box office slowdown. Although three new movies opened nationwide, none were able to crack the top five on domestic charts and only two — A24’s satirical slasher “Bodies Bodies Bodies” and Lionsgate’s low-budget, vertigo-inducing thriller “Fall” — managed to infiltrate the top 10.It’s even more dire that Sony’s action-thriller “Bullet Train,” which claimed the top spot for the second weekend in a row with $13.1 million from 4,357 North American locations, was the sole film to bank at least $10 million in ticket sales. After two weeks on the big screen, the Brad Pitt-led “Bullet Train” has generated $54.4 million at the domestic box office.

With no new wide releases cracking the top 5, Sony/Columbia’s “Bullet Train” will hold on to the No. 1 spot with a second weekend total of just $13.4 million, a 56% drop from its $30 million opening. With a 10-day total of $54.4 million, the action comedy starring Brad Pitt will likely need overseas revenue to post a theatrical profit against its reported $90 million production budget.

Brian Tyree Henry has found his post-“Atlanta” television role. The actor will star in “Sinking Spring,” a new Apple TV+ series from writer Peter Craig and director Ridley Scott.Based on the book “Dope Thief” by Dennis Tafoya, the eight-episode series will follow “long-time Philly friends and delinquents who pose as DEA agents to rob an unknown house in the countryside, only to have their small-time grift become a life-and-death enterprise, as they unwittingly reveal and unravel the biggest hidden narcotics corridor on the Eastern seaboard,” per the streamer.This will be Craig’s first television project, after working on films including “The Batman” and “Top Gun: Maverick.” He will write and executive produce across all eight episodes and direct one episode.Scott executive produces for Scott Free Productions alongside David W.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterJordan Peele’s latest nightmare, “Nope,” has crossed $100 million at the domestic box office, marking the director’s third feature film (out of three) to achieve that benchmark.After three weeks on the big screen, the film’s North American tally stands at $100.32 million.“Nope” — starring Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer as siblings who discover something spooky hovering around their family’s ranch — is one of the few original movies to cross the $100 million mark in pandemic times. When it comes to movies that aren’t based on existing brands or franchises, only director Baz Luhrmann’s musical biopic “Elvis” ($137 million) and the Sandra Bullock-led romantic comedy “The Lost City” ($105 million) have surpassed the coveted threshold in 2022.

Naman Ramachandran Sony’s Brad Pitt vehicle “Bullet Train” debuted at the top of the U.K. and Ireland box office with a £2.8 million ($3.4 million) opening weekend, according to numbers released by Comscore.As the school holidays continue, in second place, Warner Bros.’ family friendly “DC League Of Super-Pets” took £1.2 million in its second weekend for a total of £6.2 million.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and Media“Bullet Train,” a hyperviolent action thriller with Brad Pitt providing the propulsion, racked up $32.4 million at the international box office.The Sony Pictures release, which carries a hefty $90 million budget, has earned $62.5 million worldwide over its opening weekend. The studio says that those results indicate the film in on pace to match hits such as “Murder on the Orient Express” and “Kingsman: The Secret Service.” Pitt’s latest effort was available in 73% of the international market or more than 15,900 screens. It was the top-grossing global release of the weekend.“Bullet Train,” a star-studded film about battling assassins, performed best in the U.K., where it had a 5-day total of $3.5 million, followed by France with $3.1 million and Mexico with $3 million.

Refresh for latest…: Coming in just slightly ahead of pre-weekend projections, Sony’s Bullet Train pulled into 57 overseas markets for a $32.4M international box office launch. When including the domestic start, the global debut is $62.5M.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and Media“Bullet Train,” a John Wick-ian romp with Brad Pitt in the aisle seat, arrived in theaters with a $30.1 million opening weekend. That’s enough to top the domestic box office chart, but it’s only a so-so result given “Bullet Train’s” $90 million price tag and Pitt’s star power.

While critics reviews have been mixed, audience reception has been more positive with a 78% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 63% recommend rating on Comscore/Screen Engine’s PostTrak.

The Post called “a sexy, bloody crime comedy — is already projected to enjoy a $30 million weekend debut, according to Variety.“DC League of Super-Pets,” which opened on July 29, was dogged down to second place, raking in $3.35 million — a stark departure from the $9.3 million it earned the night it hit theaters. The animated Warner Bros.