Entertainment

Tom Cruise earned his first 100 million dollar domestic opening weekend with the estimated $124 million debut of Top Gun: Maverick, over the three-day weekend — almost doubling his previous best. It’s projected to hit $151 million by the end of the holiday weekend, just shy of the Memorial Day Weekend record holder, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, which took in 153 million.

The sequel to 1986’s Top Gun — which also stars Miles Teller, Val Kilmer, Jon Hamm, and Jennifer Connelly, added an estimated $109.6 million overseas, bringing its worldwide opening tally to $260.6 million.

That knocked last week’s box office champ, Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, to second place with an estimated $16.4 million between Friday and Sunday and $21.1 through Monday. That brings its four-week domestic box-office total to $375.5 million. Overseas, the film grabbed another $497.9 million, for a worldwide total of $873.4 million.

Coming in third was the week’s other new major release, Bob’s Burgers, opening with an estimated $12.6 million over the three-day and $15 million after Monday.

Downton Abbey: A New Era came in fourth with an estimated $5.9 million between Friday and Sunday and $7.5 million over the four-day weekend. Its current North American take now stands at $30.1 million after two weeks. Overseas, A New Era has delivered $40.5 million, bringing its global tally to $70.6 million.

Rounding out the top five was Universal’s The Bad Guys with an estimated $4.6 million for the three-day weekend and just under $6.2 million through Monday.

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There was just no telling how far Auli’i [owl-LEE-ee] Cravalho would go after her star-making role as the titular Disney heroine in 2016’s Moana, but now we all know the answer: far, indeed.

In honor of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Cravalho reflects on the legacy of the role that started her career.

“Moana shaped me, first and foremost,” she tells ABC Audio. “I will always be grateful for her character traits of strength and resilience, and her adventurous nature. And I take them with me wherever I go.”

Cast in the role at age 14 and only 16 when the film was released, Cravalho has quite literally grown up as a Disney princess. Now 21, she understands how important it is for children to see “a young Polynesian heroine that doesn’t have a love interest.”

Cravalho was also given the opportunity to rerecord the film in Olelo Hawai’i, the official Hawaiian language. “Hawaiian is a dying language,” she said. “So, to have that representation, and to hear my cousins who are in Hawaiian immersion school – they [are able to] use that as a teaching aid for language.”

Nielsen consistently reports Moana at the top of its streaming charts. Although the film premiered three years before Disney+ was around, it was made available to stream on the service the day of its launch on November 12, 2019. When Nielsen released its Streaming Unwrapped 2021 data, Moana ranked #2 on the 2021 Top 10 Streaming Movies list.

That’s right – a film that was released in 2016 beat out movies that were released in 2021 – popular titles like Red Notice and Jungle Cruise.

“Moana lives on in so many different ways,” Cravalho said. “And I can just only sit back and be just as grateful for it.”

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Closing arguments in the high-profile dual defamation trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard began Friday.

The trial began April 11 in Fairfax, Virginia, and was presided over by Judge Penney Azcarate.

Depp, 58, sued Heard, 36, for $50 million over a 2018 op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post in December 2018. In the piece, she wrote about surviving domestic abuse without identifying her alleged abuser by name. Heard filed a $100 million countersuit against Depp in response.

In their respective testimonies during the trial, both Heard and Depp claimed the other abused them. The former couple, who met while filming 2011’s The Rum Diary and were married from 2015 to 2017, denied each other’s claims of abuse.

Depp’s lawyer, Camille Vasquez, began Depp’s closing arguments. She described Heard as “violent,” “abusive” and a “deeply troubled person.”

“What is at stake in this trial is a man’s good name,” Vasquez said. “Even more than that, what is at stake in this trial is a man’s life — the life that he lost when he was accused of a heinous crime, and the life he could live when he is finally vindicated.”

Ben Chew, another member of Depp’s legal team, ended the closing arguments for Depp’s side of the case by saying this trial has never been about money or “punishing Ms. Heard” and instead is “about Mr. Depp’s reputation and freeing him from the prison in which he has lived for the past six years.”

Ben Rottenborn, one of Heard’s lawyers, began closing arguments by asking jurors to think about the “message” he said Depp and his legal team are sending to Heard and victims of domestic violence.

“If you didn’t take pictures, it didn’t happen. If you did take pictures, they’re fake. If you didn’t tell your friends, you’re lying…,” he said in part. “And if you finally decide that enough is enough — you’ve had enough of the fear, enough of the pain and you have to leave to save yourself — you’re a gold digger. That is the message that Mr. Depp is asking you to set.”

Rottenborn added that jurors should also consider the First Amendment: “It’s about freedom of speech. Stand up for it and reject Mr. Depp’s claims against Amber.”

Elaine Bredehoft, another member of Heard’s legal team, asked the jury to hold Depp “legally responsible for his actions and to fully and fairly compensate Amber for what he has done by creating this concept of a hoax for the defamation that he has committed.”

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It’s save the galaxy time with Starlord and company! Only this time you’ll have to do it in central Florida. This weekend, Disney Parks debuts its ‘Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind’ attraction at Walt Disney World’s EPCOT — based on the Guardians of the Galaxy films. It’s one of the longest enclosed roller coasters in the world and took almost six years to complete.

“We start you off feeling like you’re on a very conventional, roller coaster-type experience,” says Disney imagineer Tom Fitzgerald, telling ABC Audio it’s a far cry from the typical theme park ride, launching backward and catapulting riders into a 360-degree spin. “Without you even realizing it, we very subtly turn all the vehicles around and suddenly, if you’re in the first car, you’re in the back car!”
 
There’s also that trademark Disney storytelling attached as you board the ride. “Our hook is Peter Quill [Starlord] came to EPCOT when he was a kid, back in the ’80s,” says Zach Riddley, lead creative executive for EPCOT. “The Xandarians say, ‘Hey, we want to bring a message of our culture, technology to Earth. What’s the one place?’ And they went to Starlord and he said, ‘EPCOT.’”
 
And it wouldn’t be Guardians without a killer soundtrack. Six songs are showcased on Cosmic Rewind, including Blondie’s “One Way or Another” and Earth, Wind and Fire’s “September.” Choosing the playlist was no small feat, imagineer Spencer Lynn tells ABC Audio. But a fun one nonetheless. “We tested over 100 songs — we would watch the cast members operating the attraction and if they were dancing, we were like, ‘Let’s keep that one, it’s probably going to be good in the long run!’”
 
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind opens May 27 at EPCOT. Disney is the parent company of Disney Parks and ABC News. 

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After a three-year wait, Top Gun: Maverick is finally in theaters this weekend! Director Joe Kosinski is thrilled the moment is finally here, telling ABC Audio that he feels like his life was leading up to this moment — this was the film he was supposed to direct.

“I made model airplanes as a kid, radio controlled airplanes when I was in high school, I studied aerospace engineering in college,” he shares. “So I’ve always been into it, like obsessed with aviation.”

Speaking of aviation, Kosinaksi says that some of the most complex filming sequences came in the fighter jets, which he had very little control over in the moment and just had to have faith in the actors.

“So there’s no way to communicate when they’re up in the jets. So we built a six camera array,” he explains, adding that they set up everything so that the actors only “had to turn them on.” 

That wasn’t the only complicated thing about making Top Gun: Maverick, though.

“I mean everything’s hard on a movie like this, but…the script, the story is the most important. And until you crack that, everything else almost doesn’t matter,” Kosinski admits. “Everything was hard on this film. But it should be. You’re making Top Gun, so you need to reach high.”

Another thing that’s high, according to Kosinski, is the bar set by the first film, so he hopes that he succeeded in making a film that is “a reason to go back to the movies.” 

“We just wanted to make an emotional, exhilarating film that gives people a reason to go to the movie theater and makes them feel like they’re a Top Gun pilot for two hours and entertain them,” he says.

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Star Wars fans can finally say “Hello there!” to Obi-Wan Kenobi, the latest Star Wars small-screen series to debut on Disney+. 

The show takes place around 10 years after the events of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. Returning star Ewan McGregor‘s titular Jedi Master is in hiding on Tatooine, keeping an eye on a young Luke Skywalker from afar.

Meanwhile, he’s trying to avoid the clutches of Darth Vader — his fallen former student Anakin Skywalker — as well as Vader’s Jedi hunting Inquisitors. 

Actress Moses Ingram plays Reva [REE-vah], one of Vader’s agents. She tells ABC Audio that the new character is “passionate about her job.”

“She plays the offensive and she’s got to be ten steps ahead. She’s got to be first in line. And I think that drives a lot of what she does.”

She calls seeing her onscreen boss in his iconic black suit — played again by McGregor’s Star Wars prequel co-star Hayden Christensen — “crazy.”

As for McGregor, acting opposite Christensen again was “lovely.” 

“We spent such a lot of time together in Australia when we made Episode II and Episode III and a lot of time in the fight gym…you know, for Revenge of the Sith…for that epic fight sequence at the end, and that took months of training,” he explains.

He said of the off-screen return of the Jedi, “I felt like the last 17 years hadn’t happened at all.”

The Emmy winner also threw cold water on some recent reporting that he’d “lost” his character’s accent.

“It’s been somewhat blown out of proportion…already,” Ewan said with a hearty laugh. 

“I just went back to what I was going to do anyway, was listening to lots of Alec Guinness and I watched all of the movies from start to finish…Did a bit of The Clone Wars, and then I was sort of back into the right world.”

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The wait is over.

Stranger Things returns to Netflix on Friday with volume one of its fourth season. Star Millie Bobby Brown told reporters at a recent roundtable what to expect from Eleven this time around, especially after the loss of her character’s supernatural abilities back in season 3.

“Without her superpowers, who is she?” Brown said. “What does she have? What does she bring to the table? What does she know?”

That’s not the only thing she teases Eleven will be without this season. Previously, the character has been written as “dependent on her friends,” Brown said, insinuating that will change this season. “She’s also trying to figure out who she is without them, without Mike specifically.”

Even though it’s been almost three years since new episodes of Stranger Things dropped in the summer of 2019, Brown said the cast and crew embraced the passing of time instead of shying away from it. “I think the Duffer Brothers do a great job in talking about the time that has passed but also moving forward,” she said. “Our fans are very dedicated and are willing to wait that time out.”

And while it may seem like Eleven is losing a lot this season – her powers, her dependence on her friends – Brown assured that she is gaining just as much.

“These are all things that I think are really nice to explore this season, and, also, [are] really good timing,” she said. “You know, she’s getting older. The kids are all getting older, and with growing up, young people want to gain autonomy from not only their parents, but their friends, and really finding out who they are and searching for that. So, I think it’s quite nice to see Eleven do that this season.”

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Get ready for a whole load of new adventures set in a galaxy far, far away.

Disney+ released a bunch of new information about its upcoming Star Wars projects Thursday morning during Lucasfilm’s biannual Star Wars Celebration event in Anaheim, California.

The trailer for the new series Andor, a prequel to 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story that focuses on fan favorite character Cassian Andor, portrayed by Diego Luna, dropped alongside a confirmed release date of August 31.

Andor will explore “a new perspective from the Star Wars galaxy, focusing on Cassian Andor’s journey to discover the difference he can make,” according to a press release.

Mando and Grogu will make their return next year. The highly anticipated third season of The Mandalorian will debut in February 2023. Those who attended the panel at the Anaheim Convention Center were treated to a teaser of the new season.

Additionally, Jude Law will star in Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, the new series that will be helmed by Spider-Man: No Way Home director Jon Watts. The series will shoot this summer, and its story will center around a group of kids lost in the Star Wars galaxy during the New Republic era.

Finally, Disney+ released the teaser trailer for Willow, a new live action fantasy-adventure series from Lucasfilm and Imagine Entertainment based on the classic 1988 film. The series will premiere November 30, and stars Erin Kellyman and Warwick Davis.

And in non-Star Wars news, the release date for Lucasfilm’s Indiana Jones 5 was also announced at the event with the help of Harrison Ford. It’ll hit theaters June 30, 2023.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

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Stars are paying tribute to actor Ray Liotta after the news of his death was announced Thursday. The Goodfellas actor died at the age of 67, ABC News confirmed.

Here are some of the messages remembering the late actor and his impact:

Lorraine Bracco: “I am utterly shattered to hear this terrible news about my Ray. I can be anywhere in the world & people will come up & tell me their favorite movie is Goodfellas. Then they always ask what was the best part of making that movie. My response has always been the same…Ray Liotta.”

Jennifer Lopez: “Ray was my partner in crime on Shades of Blue … the first thing that comes to mind is he was so kind to my children… We lost a great today … RIP RAY … it’s so sad to lose you what seems way to soon … I will remember you always. Sending so much love and strength to your daughter Karsen, your family and all your loved ones.”

Adam Sandler: “Tremendous actor. Sweetheart of a dad. Such a great funny man to know. Prayers are with his whole family.”

Seth Rogen: “I can’t believe Ray Liotta has passed away. He was such a lovely, talented and hilarious person. Working with him was one of the great joys of my career and we made some of my favorite scenes I ever got to be in. A true legend of immense skill and grace.”

Josh Brolin: “My buddy. My friend. How so soon? Why? I’ll miss you. I will think about seeing you at Gold’s often, talking about what to do next, how to find something together. I always looked up to you — the work was always so good, but the man you were always stood out among the rest of them. Yes, I will miss you, pal. Until we meet again, wherever they say that is. #riprayliotta”

Taron Egerton: “I stepped on the set of Black Bird in May of last year deeply excited that I would be working with Ray Liotta and even more excited that he would be playing my father….When I first saw our show I text him telling him that I felt his performance was beautiful and that I was very proud of our work. His response was: ‘you made it easy to love my son.’ Ray, the feeling was so, so mutual. I will miss you.”

Jamie Lee Curtis: “Ray Liotta has died. His work as an actor showed his complexity as a human being. A gentle man. So sad to hear.”

Viola Davis: “RIP Ray Liotta!! Loved your work”

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Camilla Luddington may not be one of the original Grey’s Anatomy stars, but she’s a huge part of the series’ history.

The British actress, 38, joined the ABC medical drama back in season 9 as Jo Wilson. More than 200 episodes later, she is part of the cast celebrating the show’s milestone 400th episode — which also happens to be the season 18 finale — airing Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.

As it turns out, things could have been very different for Luddington, who missed her audition in 2012 because she was at San Diego Comic-Con promoting her role as Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider video game franchise.

Luckily, it all worked out in the end.

“Ten years later, here I am,” she told Good Morning America on Thursday.

Luddington also spoke about how her character’s storyline of becoming a mom this season mirrored her own life, having welcomed her son, Lucas, in August 2020. She also shares 5-year-old daughter Hayden with husband Matthew Alan.

“They’re like, ‘OK, so you’re going to be really tired this season.’ And I’m like, ‘I got this,'” she said, laughing. “Like, her kid was teething, my kid was teething. This season was easy, the mom thing.”

Luddington said showrunner Krista Vernoff is “very open” to the actors pitching stories for their characters. The actress also revealed one storyline she’s keen to pitch herself: her vision for how Grey’s Anatomy should end.

“Can we be on a beach? I just feel like there have been so many huge disasters. Can we just all survive, like, with a cocktail?” she suggested. “That’s what I want. A cocktail on the beach. That’s what I’ll pitch next.”

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