Global Production Bodies Unite to Ask Governments to Ensure Streamers Invest More in Local Content

Naman Ramachandran Viacom18 and Marflix’s Bollywood actioner “Fighter” was the highest grossing film of the weekend at the global box office, with box office revenues of $25.1 million, according to data from ComScore. The film, directed by Siddharth Anand, whose previous film, Shah Rukh Khan starrer “Pathaan,” was one of the biggest Indian hits of 2023, stars Bollywood A-listers Hrithik Roshan, Deepika Padukone and Anil Kapoor. “Fighter” revolves around the Indian Air Force and released on Thursday, Jan.

Saudi Arabia side Al-Shabab are reportedly willing to offer former Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea a return to football.

Refresh for latest…:We’re still in a holdover pattern for Hollywood at the global and international box office, though milestones continue to be reached on an offshore and worldwide basis for existing releases. Meanwhile, Anyone But You saw an uptick overseas and drops were good for others (including newly-minted Oscar nominees). One new local entry, India’s Fighter, flew to the top of the global weekend chart. 

EXCLUSIVE: Gaz Alazraki, Alisa Tager, Mark Alazraki and Moises Chiver have partnered to create Maquina Vega, a new production company with offices in Los Angeles and Mexico City, which will provide a pipeline between the English and Spanish-speaking worlds.

Naman Ramachandran Indian star Shruti Haasan will headline India-U.K. film co-production “Chennai Story.” Haasan, who is also a renowned musician, has acting credits across India’s various language film industries and in the U.S. and U.K.

Greater Manchester Police's organised crime task force has cracked a ring of violent criminals that were importing drugs into the country by hiding them in sweet packets and bottles of soft drinks. After arresting the Bolton-based drug traffickers, they also found rifles and other weapons.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent MIAMI — Buoyed by a near celebratory inaugural edition last year – the first time many execs attending had seen one another post-Pandemic – the 2nd Content Americas neared its final bend to lift-off on Tuesday, with a bullish attendance and a market still reacting to the Netflix Corrective of 2022 when it began to measure the cost of its dramatic expansion worldwide. Delegates, as of Monday, were approaching 2,000, nearly 25% up on 2023’s 1,600. That includes 150 exhibition companies and a significant increase on buyers – 950, doubled from last year.

EXCLUSIVE: There’s a famous line from the Spanish poet Antonio Machado that is familiar to most Spaniards: “Caminante, no hay camino. Se hace camino al andar,” which translates as “Traveler, there is no path. The path is made by walking.” 

Saudi’s Joy Awards Honors Anthony Hopkins, Kevin Costner & More

So, here we are in mid-January, and though we’re staring down the barrel of a tough year ahead, it’s not all wintry doom and gloom on an international box office (and combined global) level. 

Naman Ramachandran Warner Bros. Discovery, the Board of Control for Cricket in India and Pitch International have signed a package of rights that will see them broadcast live international cricket hosted in India on its linear and digital platforms, TNT Sports and Discovery+, for the next five years.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Christian Wikander, the well-respected Swedish executive who joined Banijay nine months ago as global head of scripted, will be stepping down from his role on Feb. 2.

Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay has spoken about the role Jose Mourinho played in his career, after the Portuguese manager was axed by Italian side Roma this week.

The British Film Institute has revealed the list of TV, film, and animation companies that have won funding from its latest £3.3M ($4.2M) Global Screen Fund payout.

Ben Croll Capping a growth year that saw Gallic productions draw 37. 4 million global theatrical admissions for a total of $254 million in international receipts, producers and sales agents indicated that geopolitical tensions and eco-responsible transformation would be two of the major stressors on France’s film export business in the months to come.

Martin Dale Contributor Founded in 2012, Paris-based WTFilms, run by Gregory Chambet and Dimitri Stephanides, has built a strong reputation as a sales agent for break-out genre pics and has recently diversified into production, to access hit projects. As competition ramps up for more ambitious projects with strong theatrical potential, Chambet decided to move to Los Angeles in mid-2023, while Stephanides remains based in Paris. “At WTFilms, we aim to continue to work on both sides of the Atlantic,” explains Chambet.

Manchester United have inserted a buy-back option into Sevilla's agreement to sign Hannibal Mejbri.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Nominations for the 2024 Producers Guild of America Awards have been announced with the surprise of two international titles — Justine Triet’s “Anatomy of a Fall” and Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest” — the first time two international titles have been nominated by the guild. The lineup includes many of the Oscars‘ usual suspects as voting for nominations is underway.

Dennis Harvey Film Critic During the Cold War, we had “I Married a Communist” and “I Married a Monster From Outer Space” — two predicaments that the era’s paranoias rendered basically the same thing. In recent years, however, a more common screen fantasy might be summarized as “Whoops, My Significant Other Turns Out to Be an International Spy/Assassin.” There have been numerous efforts in that vein, of variably intentional absurdity.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Disney Brand Television has acquired two more seasons of “Miraculous — Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir,” as well as three original animated specials from ZAG studio and Method Animation, a label owned by Mediawan Kids & Family. Currently in production, the sixth and seventh seasons, as well as the specials will roll out on Disney Channel worldwide in the fall, and will go on to stream on Disney+ globally thereafter. “Miraculous — Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir” follows the adventures of two teens with secret identities, Marinette and Adrien, who transform into superheroes Ladybug and Cat Noir to save Paris from villains.