‘The Lost City’ leads domestic box office

Naman Ramachandran S.S. Rajamouli’s Indian blockbuster “RRR,” starring NTR Jr and Ram Charan, has grossed INR10 billion ($132 million) globally, according to numbers released by producer DVV Entertainment. An action-drama set in the 1920s, the historical fiction story by Vijayendra Prasad and Rajamouli imagines real-life Indian freedom fighters Alluri Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan) and Komaram Bheem (NTR Jr) meeting and becoming fast friends.

Refresh for latest…: Lots of moving parts at the international box office again this weekend as early rollout of another major studio title is kickstarting into business prior to its domestic debut. To wit: Warner Bros’ Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore made its first apparition in 22 offshore markets this frame, grossing $58M to lead overseas turnstiles before it heads to North America in the coming week. Meanwhile, Paramount’s Sonic The Hedgehog 2, which already had a strong launch in key offshore hubs last frame, is on a tear. The Jeff Fowler-directed sequel added $37M internationally this weekend, and with the $71M North America debut, landed as the global No. 1 movie this session. Factoring in last weekend, Sonic’s international cume is $70M for a $141M running global total.

Naman Ramachandran “RRR” screenwriter K.V. Vijayendra Prasad will pen the script of “1770 – Ek Sangram,” a big-budget adaptation of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s 1882 Bengali-language novel “Anandamath” (aka “The Abbey of Bliss”).Set in 1770, the story takes place against the backdrop of the Sannyasi Rebellion when a brotherhood of monks banded together to fight the ruling British East India Company. “Vande Mataram,” which was later adopted as India’s national song, was first published in “Anandamath.” Friday (Apr.

“Peacemaker” and “The Suicide Squad” headliner John Cena is set to star in action comedy “Officer Exchange” at Amazon Studios, according to an individual with knowledge of the project.The script is written by Ben Zazove and Evan Turner and is currently in development at the streamer.“Officer Exchange” centers on Shepard “Shep,” a wrecking ball of a cop who teams up with an Indian police officer to take down a diamond smuggling ring in India.Producing the project for Amazon are producers Peter Safran (“Shazam”) and John Rickard (“Blue Beetle”) of The Safran Company. Cena is the executive producer.Speaking of “Peacemaker,” the show will return for a second season.

EXCLUSIVE: We hear that Officer Exchange, a big action comedy project, just sold to Amazon Studios. Peacemaker and The Suicide Squad star John Cena is starring in a script by Ben Zazove and Evan Turner. The project is currently in development.

Catherine Zeta-Jones to Amal and George Clooney [pictured] and Peter and Emily Andre, here at HELLO! we have found all the most loved-up couples and taken a look at their stories to finding romance. Click through our gallery of star couples who have big age differences.Amal and George Clooney - Age gap: 16 years It came as a shock when George Clooney confirmed his engagement to Lebanese-British beauty Amal Alamuddin, who he had been dating for seven months. The silver fox finally found his match in the beautiful human rights lawyer, who George has always credited as being "the smart one" in the marriage.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefWildBrain CPLG, the agency and licensing arm of kids and family entertainment group Wildbrain, is to open three new offices in Singapore, Taipei and Seoul as part of a major expansion into the Asia-Pacific. The licensing team which is part of WildBrain’s existing Shanghai operations will be expanded and renamed WildBrain CPLG China.Maarten Weck, EVP & MD of WildBrain CPLG, will lead the Asia expansion and be responsible for the management and growth of WildBrain CPLG’s team and business in the region.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorLimonero Films, a boutique distributor of factual shows and documentaries, based in London, has announced a string of sales ahead of MipTV.Make Waves Media’s “Thirties in Color: Countdown to War” has been sold to Japan’s NHK, Italy’s RAI, Spain’s RTVE and Germany’s RTL, which also licensed “Victorian Britain on Film” and “Wild Relations.”The wildlife title “Wild Relations” was picked up by KBS in Korea and Radio Television Hong Kong.“Framed in Miami: The Versace Connection,” Limonero’s first true crime series, was picked up by Discovery in Italy, and their food and travel show “Hidden Flavors of India: North East” by Discovery Asia.Andy Cohen’s “Beijing Spring,” about the Chinese cultural revolution of 1979, was licensed to Sweden’s SVT and Switzerland’s RSI.

Drivers have been told to expect an "avalanche" of fines after councils were given new powers to make motorists pay for offences.

Film at Lincoln Center and The Museum of Modern Art has set Audrey Diwan’s Happening and The African Desperate by Martine Syms will bookend the 51st edition of their collaboration, New Directors/New Films running April 20–May 1 in NYC.

Refresh for latest…: After setting a new opening day record for a local title in India, S.S. Rajamouli’s RRR (Rise! Roar! Revolt!) continued a strong run in the home market throughout the weekend and picked up an estimated $3.8M from 16 offshore hubs along with $9.5M from North America.

A Manchester City football coach is to tackle two epic charity challenges in a matter of months as part of the club's drive to help youngsters with mental health issues.

In a post-shutdown theatrical market where box office success has been defined by films that won the interest of men under 35, “The Lost City” has renewed hope that audiences in other demographics will show up to theaters even during the pandemic when studios offer quality material that isn’t a big blockbuster. It’s also a victory for one of the film’s stars, Channing Tatum, who already drew strong turnout from women last month with his previous film “Dog” and like that title was heavily involved in social media promotion for “The Lost City.” With stars like Tatum and Sandra Bullock in lead roles, Daniel Radcliffe and Brad Pitt in supporting positions and plenty of on-location shooting, “The Lost City” had a much bigger production budget than most romantic comedies with a reported $68-70 million spend and still has work to do to reach theatrical profitability.

S.S. Rajamouli’s highly-anticipated Telugu title RRR has come roaring out of the gate, both at home and abroad. With an estimated 137 crore ($18M) on Friday in India, the epic smashed records to set the best opening day for a local film ever. In so doing, Rajamouli topped his own previous record-holder in the market, 2017’s Baahubali 2: The Conclusion. Worldwide, the opening day in India, along with North America and other offshore launches, came in at an estimated 223 crore ($30.5M)

While the romcom adventure film starring Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum has some work to do to turn a profit with its reported $68-70 million budget, it still stands as the third Paramount film to open to No. 1 at the box office. After having a very limited presence in theaters last year, Paramount found some theatrical success in the early stages of 2022 with low-budget offerings “Scream” and “Jackass Forever” and is now hoping to find more with this pricier mid-budget film catering to a different demographic than the mostly 18-35 male crowd that has defined the theatrical market.

Naman Ramachandran Warner Bros.’ “The Batman” continued atop the U.K. and Ireland box office for the third weekend in a row with £3.3 million ($4.4 million), according to numbers released by Comscore. The film, starring Robert Pattinson and Zoë Kravitz now has a total of £32.6 million.

EXCLUSIVE: Since it opened in late February, Hindi crime drama Gangubai Kathiawadi has been racking up impressive numbers at the international box office and setting pandemic-era records for an Indian title. Starring Alia Bhatt, the feminist tale based on the true story of a girl from an affluent family sold into prostitution who became a so-called “mafia queen” of Mumbai, is proving a rare breakout for a female-led Bollywood feature.