Barbie is a real doll — at the box office, that is. The movie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling netted the biggest sneak preview numbers of the summer of 2023 with a haul The Wrap pegs at $22.3 million.
Like the toys, Barbie‘s box office figure is impressive: The Greta Gerwig-directed film topped big openers like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3‘s $17.5 million Thursday opening, as well as the late 2022, $18 million-earning sneak peek of Avatar: The Way of Water. Barbie also bested the $21.6 million opening of Matt Reeves‘ The Batman in 2022 and easily topped 2022’s $14 million sneak peek of Top Gun: Maverick.
As for the other half of “Barbenheimer,” Christopher Nolan‘s Oppenheimer earned $10.5 million from Thursday night audiences — that’s impressive, particularly for a more than three-hour historical drama.
At London’s famed Leicester Square on Friday, July 21, U.K. actors like Succession Emmy winner Brian Cox, Mission: Impossible partners Simon Pegg and Hayley Atwell, and Selma and Silo star David Oyelowo attended a rally in support of striking SAG-AFTRA members.
The Hollywood Reporter notes the event was organized by the U.K.-based actors and performers’ union Equity, which has declared “total solidarity in this fight.”
According to the trade, Cox talked about how one of SAG-AFTRA’s sticking points, “scary” A.I. tech, personally affected him.
He revealed he was on a show for which he was apparently told an A.I. version of himself would be created. “The artificial intelligence Brian Cox was gonna do animal impersonations. I’ve never done a f****** animal impersonation…” he said. “This is gonna happen to everybody. Nobody’s exempt.”
American Rob Delaney served as an emcee of sorts; the comedian and actor — who was over The Pond working on Deadpool 3 before the film’s set went dark over the strike — also blasted the American Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) as “silly little toddlers.”
According to the trade, he said, “They’re like toddlers. So you’ve gotta show them, you gotta say ‘No.’ And they brag like toddlers. They have these earnings calls and they talk about the subscriber numbers and the blockbuster numbers. Then we ask for a nickel and they’re like, ‘No, no, we don’t have any.’ …”
Delaney also said, “We’re gonna win. We’re gonna…get our tiny little slice of the pie…that we made up the friggin’ recipe for…and posed for funny pictures beside [it]…”
THR reports that while Equity’s 47,000 members can pledge their support to SAG-AFTRA, there can’t be a sympathy strike by U.K.-based talent, as that would violate the country’s strict labor laws.
That’s the name of Freeform’s newest series, its first-ever animated show, which premieres on Friday, July 21. Stars Annie Murphy and Stephen Root spoke to ABC Audio all about the new show before the SAG-AFTRA strike began.
Murphy stars as the titular Petey, a New York City “It” girl whose life changes dramatically after she finds out what her dead father, played by Root, left behind for her.
“Petey is a young woman who thinks that she has it together [but] who does not have it together in the least. And to add insult to injury, she inherits a cult from her dead dad,” Murphy said. “That’s kind of where we start.”
Petey proves that she can run her own cult, but do Murphy or Root think they’ve got what it takes to be able to give it a go?
“Oh gosh, no. I’m so not a type-A personality. Otherwise, I’d direct. No, I like being part of an ensemble,” Root said. “The character that I’m playing is truly out of his mind, but having such a good time doing it.”
Murphy shares Root’s sentiments: “I don’t think I would make a good cult leader at all. I’m too much of a people pleaser. I don’t think I have that manipulative gene in me.”
And while she may differ from her character in that way, Murphy’s had a blast showing up to work in sweatpants, and having the opportunity to just “immediately be over the top and way too much and ridiculous.”
“It’s rare that the director tells you to, like, turn it down, which is always fun, because in film and TV, you’d be fired immediately if you went that bananas right out of the gate,” Murphy said.
Have no fear, your reality roundup is here! Here’s a look at what’s happened in the world of reality television this week.
Bachelorette
– Shawn Booth, known from his engagement to BacheloretteKaitlyn Bristowe, is going to be a dad! He revealed the news on his podcast In the Booth With Shawn Booth Monday. The baby is due on December 12, and though it wasn’t planned, the 37-year-old says he is thrilled and emphasized that the mother of his child is someone he’s known for years and had a relationship with. They’ve chosen to keep the baby’s gender a surprise until birth.
Real Housewives of New York
– OG Real Housewives of New York City fans can finally rejoice as a long-awaited reconciliation has taken place between Bethenny Frankel and Jill Zarin after more than a decade. The iconic duo came together for a special episode of Bethenny’s ReWives podcast, where they discussed everything openly. Their friendship had soured during the early days of RHONY. The podcast reunion, initiated by Bethenny’s fiancé Paul Bernon, marked the first time in 13 years they were alone together. Hesitant at first, Jill’s daughter. Ally, encouraged her to mend fences, making it possible.
The Kardashians
– Kylie Jenner and Jordyn Woods appear to have reunited as photos obtained by The Daily Mail, show the two were seen leaving a restaurant together in Los Angeles Saturday, July 15. The former BFFs, both 25, had a very public falling-out four years ago when news of Woods allegedly cheating with Tristan Thompson, Kylie’s sister Khloé Kardashian‘s boyfriend at the time.
On Friday, July 21, Marvel Studios revealed the official trailer to The Marvels, the team-up movie starring Captain Marvel‘s Brie Larson, Ms. Marvel‘s Iman Vellani and WandaVision‘s Teyonah Parris.
The new snippet shows how Brie’s Carol Danvers, Iman’s Kamala Khan, and Teyonah’s Monica Rambeau come to find their powers “entangled.” Rambeau figures it out, saying, “So we switch places whenever we use them. You can absorb light. I can see it, and Kamala can turn light into physical matter — which I have never heard of.”
Samuel L. Jackson‘s Nick Fury calls it “a good theory.”
Apparently, it was all part of revenge at the hands of Zawe Ashton‘s Dar-Benn, a leader of the Kree race seen in Captain Marvel and other MCU entries. In a face-off with Danvers, she refers to her as “the annihilator,” explaining, “You took everything from me. And now I’m returning the favor.”
Larson’s character says, “She’s targeting every planet we call home,” leading the pair to team up whether they get along or not — although the latter doesn’t apply to Vellani’s fangirl Kamala, who’s naturally pretty psyched about the prospect.
The Marvels opens November 10.
Marvel Studios is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.
If you’re a Star Wars fan with very deep pockets, you’ll have a chance on Saturday, July 22, to own an action figure called the “Holy Grail” of collectibles.
U.K.-based Excalibur Auctions is putting on the block an unopened, vintage Star Wars Jawa figure from the company Palitoy that’s expected to fetch as much as $20,000.
The item would be rare enough because it hasn’t been opened in all these years, but for collectors, what makes it so unique is the little figure was given a vinyl cape when it was packaged.
Jonathan Torode, Excalibur’s auctioneer commented, “This figure is one of the rarest carded Star Wars figures known to exist, with approximately 10-15 examples documented – the vinyl cape on the Jawa, was substituted with a cloth cape not long into production, and the UK Palitoy carded variation is even rarer than the USA Kenner version. It’s a privilege to handle such a piece of Star Wars toy history.”
So, if you won the Powerball or Mega Millions — or just wish you did — check out Excalibur’s Toys & Model Railways Collectors Sale, where you’ll see the coveted little critter and other rare figures that are up for auction.
Legendary crooner Tony Bennett, who made teenyboppers scream in the 1950s and toured with Lady Gaga in the 2000s, has died at age 96.
Bennett, who passed away in his hometown of New York City on Friday, July 21, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016, but he didn’t reveal it until February 2021.
Born Dominick Benedetto in Queens, New York, Bennett was blessed with the ability to sing pop hits, jazz tunes and the Great American Songbook. After serving in World War II, he got his big break in 1949 when Bob Hope took him on tour. He signed with Columbia Records and scored a string of hits through the ’50s, including “Because of You,” “Cold, Cold Heart,” “Rags to Riches” and “Stranger in Paradise.”
In 1962, Bennett released what would become his signature song, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.” Though it only reached #19 on the charts, it won him two Grammys, including Record of the Year.
With the onset of the British Invasion, Bennett’s hits declined, and by the end of the ’70s he had two failed marriages, a drug problem, no manager, no record label and was in trouble with the IRS. In desperation, he turned to his children for help. Taking over as his manager, his son Danny Bennett then engineered one of the greatest comebacks in musical history.
Danny made a concerted effort to insert Bennett into pop culture, with appearances on SCTV, Late Night with Letterman, The Simpsons and MTV, the latter including a stylish video for his 1993 song “Steppin’ Out with My Baby.”
The culmination of this campaign was the 1994 album Tony Bennett: MTV Unplugged, featuring appearances by Elvis Costello and k.d. lang.It was named Album of the Year at the 1995 Grammy Awards.
Since then, Bennett has retained his cool, appearing at the U.K.’s Glastonbury festival, mentoring on American Idol, playing himself in movies like Analyze This and singing with the likes of Christina Aguilera, Michael Bublé, Bono, George Michael and Billy Joel on his 2006 album, Duets: An American Classic — one of several star-studded duets albums he released.
Bennett first sang with Lady Gaga on his 2011 album, Duets II, which debuted at number one on the Billboard Top 200 chart. That led to a close friendship and, eventually, their 2014 duets album, Cheek to Cheek, which also debuted at number one and won a Grammy. A tour followed in 2015. In August 2021, Bennett celebrated his 95th birthday onstage at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall with Lady Gaga; their second duets album, Love for Sale, was release in October 2021.
In addition to numerous Grammys and two Emmys, Bennett’s accolades include a Kennedy Center Honor, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Award, Grammy and ASCAP lifetime achievement awards and an 8-foot-tall statue of his likeness in front of San Francisco’s Fairmont Hotel.
A noted civil rights activist, humanitarian and philanthropist, Bennett was nicknamed “Tony Benefit” for his many charity appearances. He was also an acclaimed painter, with works exhibited in galleries around the world. He and his wife, Susan Benedetto, founded the charity Exploring the Arts, as well as the Frank Sinatra School of Arts, a public performing arts high school in Queens.
Bennett is survived by his wife, Susan; his two sons, Danny and Dae Bennett; his daughters, Johanna Bennett and Antonia Bennett; and nine grandchildren.
When Minx returns with its sophomore season on July 21, it’s bringing a bunch of changes along with it.
The series, which was initially an HBO Max original, now airs exclusively on Starz. In an interview held before the SAG-AFTRA strike, star and producer Jake Johnson told ABC Audio that the former HBO Max made a “corporate decision and a financial decision to move on from a lot of shows.”
In fact, Minx was in the middle of production on season 2 when it was retroactively canceled in December 2022.
“We were kind of holding our breath to see if there would be a reaction from the people when the news broke. Because if that didn’t happen, and if people didn’t seem to care or if the response was lukewarm, then, you know, you’re just put in kind of an ugly spot,” Johnson said.
Luckily, fans responded in a major way.
“People were genuinely mad,” Johnson said. “Part of the reason we’re all here right now is that people demanded it. And that makes it really exciting to make a show when people care about it.”
It’s not only the network that’s changed for the show. Ophelia Lovibond, who stars as Joyce Prigger, says the characters feel brand new.
“You think you know them from season 1, and then season 2, it brings out whole different sides to them, which is exciting,” Lovibond said. “There’s so much more scope to explore them.”
Johnson concurs, saying his Doug Renetti “is now a different person.”
“As actors, we were challenged a lot to catch up to the story. They didn’t just repeat season 1,” Johnson said. “It’s fundamentally changing these characters and these relationships. And what’s fun as an actor is then you try to make it feel honest.”
Amid strike-dampened plans for a star-studded announcement at San Diego Comic-Con, Amazon Prime Video has announced that Gen V, a college-set spin-off from its skewed superhero series The Boys, will debut with three episodes on September 29. Subsequently, a new episode will roll out weekly until its finale November 3. As fans await a debut date for The Boys‘ fourth season, Amazon teases Gen V centers on “the training of the first generation of superheroes to know about Compound V, and that their powers were injected into them, rather than God-given.” The streamer adds, “When the university’s dark secrets come to light, the students must come to grips with what type of heroes they are going to become.”…
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is making its way back to Nickelodeon, it was announced Thursday, July 20 at San Diego Comic-Con during Paramount Pictures’ Hall H presentation. All 193 episodes of the original animated series, which follows the action-packed escapades of Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo, will be available to watch on Nickelodeon-owned and operated channels on YouTube, Pluto TV and other platforms later this month…
The sequel to Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic Dune could be shifting its release to 2024, Varietyreports. Sources familiar with the matter revealed that Warner Bros. Film Group is seriously contemplating pushing the highly-anticipated Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya epic from its original November 3 slot, amidst the backdrop of the two Hollywood labor strikes. Both Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment spokespersons declined to comment on the matter…
If you’re thinking of hitting that “Barbenheimer” double feature over the weekend, you can’t go wrong, at least according to the ratings aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.
That’s because Greta Gerwig‘s cotton candy-colored Margot Robbie film Barbie and Christopher Nolan‘s star-studded nuclear drama Oppenheimer have both been “Certified Fresh” by the website.
As of Thursday evening, July 20, Barbie, which also stars Ryan Gosling and Simu Liu, has an 89% Critics Score on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 91% Audience Score.
Oppenheimer, which stars Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr. and Matt Damon, has a Critics Score of 93%. An audience score for the film is still forthcoming, but positive word of mouth from those lucky enough to have seen it — not to mention the hype surrounding the unlikely double-shot hitting theaters Friday, July 21 — predicts moviegoers will be as kind as critics have been.
Meanwhile, the stars of Oppenheimer are sounding off on the mashup. Murphy told ABC Audio before the SAG-AFTRA strike that the Barbenheimer trend is “great for cinema,” adding he’s “definitely going to go and see Barbie.”
“Love Margot Robbie, love Greta Gerwig. Definitely want to see it,” he says.
Emily Blunt suggested seeing “Oppenheimer first, and then if you’re feeling destroyed, you can sort of get a little boost” with Barbie, a strategy Damon agreed with.
