Secret Cinema Acquired By TodayTix; Plans U.S. Tour, Permanent LA Location For Immersive Film & TV Experiences

Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo has spoken about going incognito at Harvard University following the success of their self-titled debut.Released in 1994, Weezer’s self-titled debut (also known as the ‘Blue Album’) reached number 16 in the Billboard 200 chart and was certified triple platinum within a year.Following its release though, vocalist Rivers Cuomo enrolled at Harvard University to study English Literature before dropping out in 1996 to record second album ‘Pinkerton’ (but he went on to graduate in 2006). Speaking to Conan O’Brien on his Needs A Friend podcast, (via Rolling Stone) Cuomo revealed that he remained anonymous for a bulk of his time at the university.They didn’t know who he was “until the last day of school because most of our fans at that time were like 10 years old, literally,” Cuomo said.

The stars are stepping out for a special fashion event!

EXCLUSIVE: Vertical Entertainment has secured North American, United Kingdom, and Ireland distribution rights to Broadway Rising, Amy Rice’s documentary chronicling the reopening of Broadway after the 2020 Covid pandemic shutdown.

Manori Ravindran International Editor It may officially be the year of the tiger in the Chinese Zodiac calendar, but in the world of film, it’s definitely the year of the wee donkey. The humble equine features in films such as Searchlight’s “The Banshees of Inisherin” and even Neon’s “Triangle of Sadness,” but nowhere is this loyal beast of burden in the spotlight more than Janus Films and Sideshow’s “EO,” from legendary Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski. The film — which shared the Cannes Jury Prize with Félix Van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch’s “The Eight Mountains” — shares a vision of modern Europe through the prism of a gray donkey, EO, who is torn away by animal activists from his beloved circus performer owner, and passed from hand to hand in the service of humans. On his life’s path, EO meets all sorts of people and experiences joy and pain, as well as disasters and unexpected bliss.

Brent Lang Executive Editor “Devotion,” a drama about a group of elite fighter pilots during the Korean War, will screen at the opening night of the Urbanworld Film Festival. The Sony Pictures and Black Label Media production was directed by J.D. Dillard and stars Jonathan Majors, who will serve as the festival’s official ambassador. HBO will return as a founding partner of the Urbanworld Film Festival, and Visa will serve as presenting partner. The festival will take place from Oct. 26 to Oct. 30. “This year’s slate is incredibly impressive,” said Karen McMullen, head of programming. “We have some of the top artists in the industry as well as exciting new voices premiering their films at Urbanworld. It has been a privilege working alongside this organization as we move into our 26th year as a festival. We can’t wait to see everyone in person in New York City to help us celebrate our dynamic films and filmmakers.”

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. 

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Coolio recorded lines for the “Futurama” revival at Hulu just weeks before his death at age 59. “Futurama” executive producer David X. Cohen told TMZ that the rapper reprised his role as Kwanzaa-bot for the revival, even recording some new music as the character. Fans of the series will recall that Kwanzaa-bot was the counterpart to Robot Santa and the Chanukah Zombie. Every year he flies around the world distributing a book called “What the Hell is Kwanza [sic]?” He originally appeared in the Season 4 episode “A Tale of Two Santas” and again in the Season 7 episode “The Futurama Holiday Spectacular.” He also made a cameo in the “Futurama” film “Bender’s Big Score.”

RuPaul's Drag Race UK star Lawrence Chaney says he's lost for words following the death of contestant Cherry Valentine.

Wendell & Wild, the upcoming Netflix movie directed by Henry Selick that features the voices of Jordan Peele, Angela Bassett, Keegan-Michael Key and Lyric Ross, has been selected as the opening-night film for Animation Is Film, the growing animation festival that will run October 21-23 and October 29 at the TCL Chinese 6 Theaters in Hollywood.

Brent Lang Executive Editor TodayTix Group has acquired Secret Cinema, a London-based entertainment company, in a move that will give the e-commerce company a presence in the burgeoning immersive film and television events space. The pact was for over $100 million, according to a source with knowledge of the deal. That’s a hefty figure and a sign of the rapid growth of Secret Cinema, which has exploded in popularity over the last decade by offering up heavily-produced experiences with the likes of Disney, Marvel, Universal, Paramount, Lionsgate, Netflix, Sony and Eon Productions. The company has sold over one million tickets to more than 50 shows. It has also recently secured a multi-year, multi-title deal with Disney, which kicked off with its hot-selling immersive experience tied to “Guardians of the Galaxy” in Wembley Park.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Korean film producer Baek Jaeho has been named as the inaugural recipient of the Choon-yun Award, a prize set up in honor of Lee Choon-yun, the late chairman of the Korean Association of Film Art & Industry. The award, worth KRW10 million ($7,100), will be presented on the sidelines of the Busan International Film Festival on Oct. 6 in conjunction with IOK Company. Baek participated in the production of 2021 title “Snowball” and was previously involved in indie films “Jane” in 2016 and last year’s “Role.” He also acts and directs. Veteran director Kang Je-kyu praised Baek as ”a filmmaker who maintains his values and outspreads his potential in the insufficient independent film environment.”