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EXCLUSIVE: CJ 4DPLEX and Cinépolis are expanding their partnership with the launch of four new ScreenX locations in Mexico.

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic SPOILER ALERT: The following essay discusses key plot points, including the ending. Last weekend, I took in “Le Samouraï” for what must have been the sixth or seventh time, relishing the new 4K restoration of Jean-Pierre Melville’s masterpiece (now playing at Laemmle theaters in Los Angeles). As I exited the screening, I discreetly eavesdropped on my fellow audience members. Most seemed impressed.

Naman Ramachandran Netflix has unveiled a spectacular trailer for Sanjay Leela Bhansali‘s series “Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar.” The series is set in Heeramandi, Lahore, British India, where Mallikajaan (Manisha Koirala) rules over an elite house of courtesans. She schemes, fearing no one — until the return of her late nemesis’ daughter, Fareedan (Sonakshi Sinha), brings tensions in the house to a boil. Outside, the city is also roiling, with revolutionaries demanding India’s freedom from British rule, with Bibbojaan (Aditi Rao Hydari), one of Mallikajaan’s daughters, joining the fight for freedom.

As far as decluttering your life goes, there's a woman from Salford who's giving Stacey Solomon a run for her money.

Emiliano De Pablos In a move that could suggest the start of a promising future for Portuguese telenovelas in Spain, sales house Onza Distribution has sold primetime hit soap “Cacau” (“Cacao”) to Mediaset España, one of the country’s two big commercial free-to-air broadcasters. Premiering Jan. 15 in Portugal via broadcaster TVI, the telenovela scored a standout 19.5% ( 861,944 viewers) audience share on its debut.

Rafa Sales Ross Guest Contributor Germany’s Beta Film is bringing the love story between a Dutch prince and a beautiful Argentinian financier to the Croisette. The world premiere of “Máxima” screens out-of-competition at Canneseries on April 9 after being teased at the London TV Screenings in late February.

Annika Pham Picked by Variety as one of the hottest shows at MipTV, ZDF Studios’ comedy drama “The ‘Zweiflers” about a colourful, dysfunctional yet loving Jewish family in contemporary Germany, had a rapturous reception April 7 at its world screening in Canneseries. “It was a profound experience to see how much [the Cannes] audience loved it, not only because of the way it was done but because of the subject matter,” said Aaron Altaras (“Unorthodox”), cast as Samuel, grandson of the patriarch Symcha Zweifler (Mike Burstyn), torn between his Jewish origins and his love for his British Caribbean girlfriend and mum-to-be (Saffron Coomber).

Holly Jones The ambitious Begoña Montes is locked in a toxic marriage to a magnate in the thrilling telenovela period drama “Dreams of Freedom” (“Sueños de Libertad”), produced for Antena 3 by Banijay’s Diagonal TV alongside Atresmedia – who produced groundbreaking shows “Money Heist” and “Velvet.” “Our relationship with Diagonal is, and will continue to be, very good. We worked with them hand-in-hand on many productions, including ‘Amar es para siempre’, the predecessor of ‘Dreams of Freedom,’” Atresmedia fiction director, Montse García, told Variety.

Elton John and his longtime writing partner Bernie Taupin are being honored in a new PBS special and there’s an incredible performers lineup!

Worldwide gross: $2,923,706,026Domestic gross: $785,221,649 James Cameron’s sci-fi fantasy epic “Avatar” smashed records and remains the reigning box office champion. Sam Worthington stars as paralyzed former Marine Jake Sully, who finds a new life on the planet Pandora when he begins inhabiting an avatar version of its native people.

South Carolina defeated Iowa in front of a record-breaking national audience on Sunday.

Being a QVC host brings in the big bucks.

Annika Pham Copenhagen-based DR Sales has secured major sales on the Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner and Visions du Réel Grand Angle entry “A New Kind of Wilderness.” The film, directed by Silje Evensmo Jacobsen, has been acquired by ZDF and Arte for Germany and France, Cinema Delicatessen for the Netherlands, Dalton Distribution for Belgium, Against Gravity for Poland, Kino Pavasaris for the Baltics and Stardust for Japan. “From the moment ‘A New Kind of Wilderness’ was presented to us, we fell in love with the film,” said DR Sales’ Freja Johanne Nørgaard Sørensen.

Evil” will premiere Thursday, May 23, on Paramount+, the streamer announced Monday. Production recently began in New York City on the previously announced four bonus episodes. Season 4 will include 14 episodes premiering weekly.

Katcy Stephan “Deliver Me From Nowhere,” the upcoming film about the making of Bruce Springsteen‘s landmark 1982 “Nebraska” album, has landed at 20th Century Studios. “The Bear” star Jeremy Allen White is in talks to star as the legendary rocker. Scott Cooper (“Crazy Heart,” “Hostiles”) will write and direct the film, which is based on Warren Zane’s 2023 book “Deliver Me from Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska.” “Nebraska,” the follow-up to Springsteen’s hugely successful album “The River,” was widely expected to be a rock album with the E Street Band.

EXCLUSIVE: Wattpad Webtoon Studios has promoted Jason Goldberg to Head of Global Film, also elevating Alessandra Ferreri to Vice President of Content, Brennan Loftus to Director of Development, Animation, and Jess Brinder to Director, Head of Entertainment Business Development.

EXCLUSIVE: HarbourView Equity Partners, the investment company that bought into Charles D. King’s Macro last year, is putting more money into the film and television business.

Cinema owners, studios and indie distributors gathering in Las Vegas this week for exhibition’s biggest confab seek visibility into a theatrical landscape gut-punched by Hollywood strikes last year just as a post-Covid recovery was revving up. Production halted for months led to fewer releases on the schedule. But there’s reason for optimism, from Dune 2 and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire to a tentpole-laden slate with clips and peeks eagerly awaited by the CinemaCon crowd. Amazon and Apple and studio parents recognize the value of an exclusive theatrical release — a realization that wasn’t at all a given post-pandemic. National Association of Theatre Owners president and CEO Michael O’Leary and Charles Rivkin, chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association, talked with Deadline on the state of the industry as CinemaCon kicks off and ahead of their keynotes on Tuesday.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor AMC Networks plans to offer ad-supported versions to all of its targeted streaming services by the end of the 2024-2025 upfront market, part of a broader bid to give advertisers a potential perch in nearly every video venue. AMC in late 2023 launched an ad-supported edition of its flagship AMC+ streaming venue, which comprises offerings from Shudder, Sundance Now and IFC Films Unlimited. Now, it wants to offer plans tied to those individual hubs, as well as other services, outside of an overarching AMC+ plan.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor CBS is forecasting that viewer interest in the ins and outs of national weather is about to gain new wind. Wendy Fisher, a longtime senior executive at ABC News who ran its newsgathering operations, has been named to lead a newly formed national weather-news operation that will work with both national and local news programs across CBS’ news-and-stations unit. “This is a significant team effort, as Weather coverage plays a role in virtually every program produced by CBS News and Stations,” said Adrienne Roark, president of content development and integration for the Paramount Global division, in a memo sent to staffers Monday.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Oscar-winning Japanese animation film “The Boy and the Heron” earned a chart-topping $34.9 million between Friday and Sunday at the mainland China box office. Over its full five-day opening run, it took an even more spectacular $73 million. China was the last major territory to play the Studio Ghibli-produced fantasy in cinemas – it released in its native Japan in July and is imminently headed to streaming in many other territories – but that did not stop Chinese audiences from lapping it up. While most films release in China on a Friday, “The Boy and the Heron” was given a Wednesday outing in order to capture momentum from the Thursday-to-Saturday Qingming public holiday. Consultancy firm Artisan reports that it earned RMB248 million ($34.9 million) over the conventional Friday-to-Sunday weekend.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic The last time Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band played Los Angeles, back in 2016, it was to formally close down the venerable Sports Arena — “The Dump That Jumps,” as he famously dubbed the about-to-be-demolished venue he’d played so often. His song “Wrecking Ball” had a special resonance, then, in association with that dive that it can’t now: Springsteen’s current home in L.A., the Kia (nee: Fabulous) Forum, which he goes back to the ‘70s with, does jump, but no one’s going to go all Bette Davis and utter “What a dump!” about it in its refurbished state.

Kristen Wiig is officially a Five-Timer!

You may be wondering how long Alan Ritchson will portray Jack Reacher in Amazon’s Prime Video series Reacher.

Annika Pham On the heels of its successful world launch at IDFA, the critically-acclaimed anti-colonial pic “Our Land, Our Freedom,” sold by First Hand Films, has landed a deal with BBC Africa Eye. “Our Land, Our Freedom,” a Kenyan/U.S./Portuguese co-production, and the upcoming India-set “Kalari,” to be pitched in Visions du Réel docu festival’s Swiss Preview showcase, epitomize what First Hand Films stands for.

ABBA fans the world over yesterday celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Swedish supergroup’s Eurovision victory in 1974, and one crowd were treated to a surprise appearance by band member Bjorn Ulvaeus.

Annika Pham Norwegian broadcaster NRK has excelled in recent years at bringing bold and thought-provoking shows to the world. After their latest Canneseries winners “Power Play” (2023), “Afterglow” (2022), “Countrymen” (2021) and “State of Happiness” (2018), their latest bet “Dumbsday” (“Dummedag”) has its international premiere April 8 in the French TV festival’s main competition. It first aired on the Norwegian pubcaster Nov.

For more than a decade, Natasha Raskin Sharp has captivated audiences with her expertise and charisma on Bargain Hunt, where she first graced screens in 2014. Since her debut on the hit BBC show, the 37 year old has become a familiar face on various television programs, showcasing her knowledge and passion for antiques. Her talents have extended beyond Bargain Hunt, with notable appearances on other shows like Antiques Road Trip, Flog It, and even the US series Baggage Battles.

Kristen Wiig returned to Saturday Night Live to host the show for the fifth time, which meant she would be inducted into the five-timers club.

Don Lemon and Tim Malone made it down the altar five years after getting engaged!

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Caitlin Clark and Co. delivered big-time for ESPN on Friday with a record audience tuning in to the Final Four game that sent the University of Iowa to Sunday’s national championship. ESPN’s nighttime telecast of UConn-Iowa faceoff delivered an audience of 14.2 million viewers, a new high mark for a women’s college basketball game, per ESPN citing Nielsen data.

Jack Dunn “Hire different.” That was the challenge posed to the entertainment industry by Judi Uttal, president of the Orange County Aspergers Support Group, at the inaugural Autism in Entertainment Conference on Friday morning. As head chair, she welcomed in a colorful audience of over 100 skilled neurodivergent filmmakers, ready and willing to take their shot at show business. “You are the cream of the crop,” Uttal stated in her opening remarks.

Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway left viewers 'bawling' just minutes into this week's episode as an audience member was given a surprise reunion with her daughter after five years - and met her grandchild for the very first time.

Ethan Shanfeld In his final public appearance before the series finale of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” Larry David joined MSNBC’s Ari Melber Friday night for a special discussion in Manhattan hosted by Tribeca Festival. David, a Brooklyn native whose distinctly New York Jewish comedy migrated to the golf courses of West Los Angeles, was warmly welcomed by an audience of a few hundred. He waved off a standing ovation before taking a seat.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent CANNES — “Where Are You?” a screen asked behind speakers at a MipTV panel for “Destination X,” one of the most-awaited new formats in the world. Some audience members at the panel, may have been asking the same thing.

J. Kim Murphy It’s a primate face-off at the box office this weekend, plus some old-fashioned Antichrist horror on the side. Legendary Entertainment and Warner Bros.’ “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” looks to stick on top of domestic charts, holding off the opening weekend bows of Universal’s beat-em-up “Monkey Man” and 20th Century Studios’ horror revival “The First Omen.” That kaiju victory lap probably has less to do with the staying power of “The New Empire” than the strength of its competition though.