‘Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’ Wields $72M Global Debut

Every year, CinemaCon bestows honors on the people in front of the camera and behind the scenes during their annual convention. Here’s a look at who is receiving accolades in 2023.  CinemaCon Passepartout Award: Niels Swinkels, Universal Pictures Intl An optimist about cinema despite the COVID catastrophe, even Swinkels is surprised bythe size of snap-back. The recipient of CinemaCon’s Passepartout Award for excellence in the international marketplace will receive his kudo at the International Day lunch and awards ceremony on April 24. “What went beyond my expectations has been seeing box office records being broken so quickly after the pandemic, both locally and globally,” says Swinkels, exec VP & managing director of Universal Pictures Intl. “For Universal, we’ve seen certain territories achieve the biggest animation grosses of all time for ‘Minions: The Rise of Gru’ and ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.’” Beyond that, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” just opened strongly. 

Thania Garcia Songwriting partners Harry Styles and Kid Harpoon have received Ivor Novello nominations for the 2023 iteration of the awards show that honors British or Irish songwriters and composers. They’re tied with Cleo Soul (Cleopatra Nikolic) and Dean “Inflo” Josiah Cover as the most nominated pair of the evening with three nominations each. In partnership with Amazon Music, the Ivors have also selected Florence Welch (Florence + the Machine), Styles and Harpoon, Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers (Wet Leg), George Daniel and Matty Healy (the 1975), and Central Cee and Young Chencs as nominees for the coveted songwriter of the year category.

Ed Meza @edmezavar Austrian television is awash with crime, mystery and historical drama, and the country’s biggest hits and new productions are heading to MipTV. Among this year’s most anticipated titles is the upcoming “Kafka,” starring Swiss actor Joel Basman (“KaDeWe,” “The Awakening of Motti Wolkenbruch”) as the famed Bohemian writer. The six-part series is currently shooting in Vienna and Salzburg and is set to premiere on Austrian pubcaster ORF and Germany’s ARD early next year, commemorating the 100th anniversary of Franz Kafka’s death. “Kafka” is produced by ARD, ORF and John Lueftner and David Schalko’s Vienna-based Superfilm. Schalko is directing and co-writing the series with bestselling author and screenplay writer Daniel Kehlmann (“Measuring the World”), based on the Kafka biography by Reiner Stach, who is alsoadvising the production.

EXCLUSIVE: A Spy Among Friends, the story of British spies Kim Philby and Nicholas Elliott that stars Damian Lewis and Guy Pearce, recently premiered on MGM+.

Vanderpump Rules alum Brittany Cartwright and her matron of honor, Katie Maloney, haven't talked in a while. Cartwright revealed on the Thursday's episode of Watch With Brittany Cartwright and Jax Taylor that the two have grown apart with time. «We still have love for each other,» Cartwright said. «It's crazy seeing Katie because she was literally my matron of honor.

Reminiscing about the past. Brittany Cartwright revealed that she’s grown apart from Katie Maloney since leaving Vanderpump Rules two years ago — and she wishes that weren’t the case.

These stars have some major pull.

TIME has revealed its annual list of who they consider to be the most influential people in the world right now. The TIME100 issue of the magazine comes with a cover story on Doja Cat, one of a handful of musicians included in this year's list, alongside a foreword written by Elvis director Baz Luhrmann. Check out her cover above.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Variety will bestow its International Achievement in Film Award on German production, licensing and distribution company LEONINE Studios at a ceremony at the Cannes Film Festival next month. This award is the most prestigious honor Variety can bestow on an international film company or executive, and is designed to spotlight the honoree’s achievements over the past few years. Steven Gaydos, Executive Vice President, Global Content, Variety, said: “Building on the links to a storied, successful history, LEONINE Studios has rapidly established itself in the past few years as one of the world’s leading producers, licensors and distributors of premium movies and series.

"Stranger Things" star Millie Bobby Brown appeared to announce her engagement on Instagram on Monday to Jake Bongiovi, the son of rocker Jon Bon Jovi. The actress shared a black and white photo of the couple smiling and laughing on the beach, both wearing white as she flashes a ring toward the camera on her social media. Brown wrote in the caption on her post, quoting the Taylor Swift song, "Lover," by writing, "I've loved you three summers now, honey, I want 'em all." Bongiovi shared similar photos of the couple on his Instagram as well, with the caption, "Forever."           View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by Millie Bobby Brown (@milliebobbybrown)           View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by @jakebongiovi The couple, Brown, 19, and Bongiovi, 20, faced a litany of comments about being too young to marry when the news broke.

EXCLUSIVE: Rachael Leigh Cook, star of ‘90s movies including She’s All That, has signed a wide-ranging deal with Fox’s Marvista Entertainment.

EXCLUSIVE: Oscar winner Adrien Brody (The Pianist), Oscar nominee Felicity Jones (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story), Emmy winner Guy Pearce (Mare of Easttown) and Conversations With Friends and The Favourite star Joe Alwyn are among cast confirmed for Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist.

Variety’s Miami Entertainment Impact list will be celebrated April 13 at the Miami Entertainment Town event, presented by City National Bank. CEO The Latin Recording Academy   Abud’s appreciation for Miami is multi-layered.

EXCLUSIVE: SAG winner Hugo Weaving (The Lord of the Rings), BAFTA winner Joanna Scanlan (Notes On A Scandal), IFTA winner Ruth Bradley (Guilt), Tom Brooke (Empire of Light) and James Callis (Battlestar Galactica) have joined the season four cast of spy series Slow Horses, starring Oscar winner Gary Oldman. 

So many stars were in attendance to help GQ celebrate at the magazine’s inaugural Global Creativity Awards!

Stunning Culzean Castle has been named among "the most beautiful" in Europe by a top travel outlet. The grand location in Carrick featured among a must-see list of medieval buildings published by Brazilian travel guide Vegas Pelo Mundo.

RuPaul‘s new Build-A-Bear toy has sparked outrage among right-wingers on social media.Described as a “one-of-a-kind collector’s edition”, the new bear features a gold sequin dress and a RuPaul logo stamped on its paw.As news of its announcement was reported by numerous publications, right-wing readers took to social media to express their anger, with many calling for a boycott of the toy company.“It is time to burn your kids Build-A-Bear and boycott the company,” tweeted one person. “This WOKE company is trying to bring SATAN into your homes. In the name of JESUS CHRIST, retweet this.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” opened in fourth place at the mainland China box office with a muted $5 million haul. Top honors belonged to Japanese animation film “Suzume” for the second weekend. “Suzume” incurred a 55% week-on-week drop, falling from $49.6 million in its opening weekend, to $22.1 million in is second, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway. After ten days in Chinese theaters, “Suzume” now has a cumulative total of $80.6 million. Nevertheless, its lead at the top of the box office chart was unassailable. The weekend’s best-placed new release title was “Hachiko,” a Chinese retelling of the Japanese tale of a dog which faithfully waited at a station for its master years after his death. (The story was previously given a U.S. version with Richard Gere in the lead human role.) It earned $8.9 million (RMB61.2 million) in its opening weekend.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” landed into second place at a depressed South Korean box office with a market share barely a fifth that of chart leader “Suzume.” The Japanese animation film earned $4.46 million in its fourth week of release, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). While that was a 26% week-on-week drop, its hold on the chart remained at over 60%. Since releasing on March 8, it has grossed $29.9 million, making it the second highest film of the year in Korea – behind another Japanese animation “The First Slam Dunk” on $35.1 million. “D&D” was the weekend’s top-placed new release and earned $958,000 for a 13% market share. Over the full five days since its opening on Wednesday, it achieved $1.36 million.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves,” an adaptation of the popular role-playing game, ignited at the international box office with $33 million from 60 markets. Paramount and eOne’s film also opened in North America with $38.5 million, bringing its global tally to $71 million. It’s a good start, especially considering Hollywood’s track record in adapting games for the big screen. But “Dungeons and Dragons” needs to keep playing in theaters to justify its $150 million price tag before marketing. Overseas audiences will be key to the success of “D&D.” The film, directed Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley and starring Chris Pine and Regé-Jean Page, enjoyed the biggest start in China with $5 million, followed by the U.K. with $4.3 million, Mexico with $2.4 million, Australia with $2.4 million, and Germany with $2 million.