‘Three Months’ review: A big career step for Troye Sivan

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.

If Bob Chapek and the rest of the Disney brass thought the March 11 apology over the House of Mouse’s fumbling response to Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ legislation would placate the outrage among their own staff, they should perhaps think again.

If Bob Chapek and the rest of the Disney brass thought the March 11 apology over the House of Mouse’s fumbling response to Florida’s Don’t Say Gay legislation would placate the outrage among their own staff, they should think again.

Naman Ramachandran Warner Bros.’ “The Batman” continued its sway over the U.K. and Ireland box office for the second weekend in a row with £7.4 million ($9.6 million), according to numbers released by Comscore. The dark brooder starring Robert Pattinson and Zoë Kravitz now has a total of £26.5 million.In second place, Sony’s “Uncharted” collected £1.05 million on its fifth weekend and has a total of £21.7 million.

Disney CEO Bob Chapek is facing a major test of his leadership, after the company’s botched response to an anti-gay bill in Florida sparked a staff revolt among LGBTQ employees and their supporters.Chapek apologized to the staff on Friday, saying he should have been “a stronger ally.” But for some employees, who found the company’s silence on the bill profoundly alarming, the statement came too late.“This is a CYA [cover your ass] for Chapek — this is a weak statement,” one Disney staffer told Variety. “We should have gotten this apology on March 1, not weeks after — and after this bill was passed in Florida.”For Chapek, the apology capped a full week of attempted damage control.

A BTS concert in Seoul this weekend will hit a milestone, with tickets for Saturday’s theatrical event in the U.S. priced at what may be a record $35 and the show poised to become the highest grossing worldwide event-cinema release ever.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterThe Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Chapek and other company leaders received a letter from Disney’s LGBTQIA+ Business Employee Resource Groups on Feb. 28, requesting the company “issue a public statement condemning anti-LGBTQIA+ policies in the U.S.” just after Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill had passed the state’s House of Representatives, but before it cleared the Senate, Variety has learned exclusively.“While there are over 200 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills being introduced across the nation (and more globally), we urge you to begin with speaking against these acts: The ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill in Florida (set to go into effect July 1st) and the Texas Governor’s directive for state agencies to investigate gender-affirming care as ‘child abuse,'” reads the letter, which was obtained by Variety Thursday, following Chapek’s first public opposition to the “Don’t Say Gay” bill at the Disney shareholders meeting Wednesday.

More than two decades on the air, Joy Behar faced a surprising situation when she fell out of her chair on The View on Thursday, March 3.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorPalm Springs International Film Society announced today that the annual Palm Springs International ShortFest, one of the largest showcases of short-form cinema in North America, will return with in-person screenings June 21-27. For this year’s edition veteran programmer, Sudeep Sharma will act as interim 2022 ShortFest Director, with the planned maternity leave of PSIFF Artistic Director Lili Rodriguez.“Sudeep’s been an excellent collaborator, holding key roles at ShortFest for close to a decade,’” said Artistic Director Lili Rodriguez.

Girl gang! Jessica Graf and Cody Nickson have two darling daughters at home.

Richard Kuipers Folklore, feminism and film noir come together in Pushpendra Singh’s meticulously crafted fourth feature “The Shepherdess and the Seven Songs.” Set in the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region in Northwest India, this moody fable about an unhappy young bride plotting her escape from tradition and patriarchy is a gripping character study that stutters slightly in the latter stages before producing a magical finale that no-one will forget in a hurry. Singh’s beautifully shot film has traveled extensively on the festival circuit and picked up awards at Hong Kong and Jeonju since debuting at Berlin in 2020.

Pretty in pink! Pregnant Jen Saviano celebrated her baby boy’s upcoming arrival at a Sunday, February 27, shower.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief“Kanaa,” an Indian-produced film from 2018 which tells the story of an aspiring woman cricketer and delves into issues of race and gender equality, will get a theatrical release in mainland China on March 18, 2022, according to Chinese state media. It is only the second Tamil-language film to be released in China in recent years, after “2.0” in 2019.

Jump, Darling, starring a fabulous Cloris Leachman in one of her final film roles, to the sexy-cute 2018 Dutch rom-com Just Friends, and now Jared Frieder’s so-so new dramedy Three Months (★★☆☆☆).Besides exploring and/or exploiting that cross-generational conduit of support and affection, Three Months, like Darling, offers a seemingly juicy role to an Oscar-winning screen legend. In this case, Ellen Burstyn lends a touch of gravitas portraying loving grandma Valerie to gay south Florida high schooler Caleb, played with deadpan snark and sometimes seething anger by pop star Troye Sivan.Caleb’s open and honest relationship with Val is just one of the pillars of support he leans on during the crisis hinted at in the film’s title.

Troye Sivan has linked up with fellow Australian singer-songwriter Gordi for a collaborative single titled ‘Wait’.The shimmering, nostalgic pop cut sees Sivan and Gordi trade verses before harmonising on its pre-chorus and refrain, singing: “One thing I am sure of, for you I’ll wait.”‘Wait’ is lifted from the soundtrack for new film Three Months, which was released yesterday (February 23) on Paramount+. The coming-of-age film, written and directed by Jared Frieder, stars Sivan as protagonist Caleb, a South Florida teen who “finds love in the most unlikely of places” as he waits three months for test results following an exposure to HIV.Listen to ‘Wait’ – and watch the trailer for Three Months – below:‘Wait’ is the second collaborative single Sivan has released from the soundtrack of Three Months.

Tom Holland is riding high these days as one of the hottest movie stars on the planet, with the latest “Spider-Man” movie having topped $1 billion at the international box office.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle EditorTroye Sivan remembers that first time he got tested for HIV. “I was in a new relationship and I wanted to have sex,” he recalls on this week’s episode of the “Just for Variety” podcast. “We both went and got tested and once we were all clear, it was all good to go.”He also remembers learning about the virus that causes AIDS while growing up in Australia.

love to bloom.“I need a lover to keep me sane,” he pleaded in his latest wistful power ballad “Angel Baby,” released just last fall. Yet the forlorn Australian is still missing a love connection, even as Valentine’s Day beckoned just last week.“I do not have an ‘Angel Baby’ love,” the pop crooner told The Post when asked about his dating status in a recent interview. “No, unfortunately not.”As if the 26-year-old multi-hyphenate would have time for a boyfriend anyway with his career soaring right now.He stars in the new coming-of-age film “Three Months,” which premieres on Paramount+ on Wednesday, Feb.