Fresh off receiving seven Oscar nominations his film Belfast, Kenneth Branagh‘s Death on the Nile topped the Valentine’s weekend box office. The follow-up to 2017’s Murder on the Orient Express, also directed by and starring Branagh, delivered an estimated 12.8 million.
Death on the Nile added an estimated $20.7 million overseas, for a first-week cumulative worldwide total of $33.5 million.
Last week’s number one movie, Jackass Forever, dropped to second place, delivering an estimated $8.1 million in its second week of release. The film’s stateside tall currently stands at $37.4 million to go with $10 million internationally, for a global total of $47.4 million.
Moviegoers didn’t say “I do” to the Jennifer Lopez/Owen Wilson-led romantic comedy Marry Me, which stumbled out of the gate with an estimated $8 million debut for a third-place finish.
Spider-Man: No Way Home banked just shy of $7.2 million in its ninth week of release, taking fourth place. Its total here in the states now stands at $759 million, putting it just $1 million short of overtaking 2009’s Avatar as the third-highest grossing film of all time at the domestic box office. Overseas, No Way Home has earned just under $1.05 billion to date, putting its worldwide tally at $1.8 billion.
This week’s third debut, the Liam Neeson thriller Blacklight, rounded out the top five, grabbing an estimated $3.6 million. The film hasn’t opened overseas yet.
According to published reports, Ivan Reitman, who directed comedy classics like Animal House, Stripes, and Ghostbusters, died Saturday at 75.
Born in 1946 in what is now Slovakia, to Jewish parents who survived the Nazi occupation, Reitman’s family fled to Canada when he was four years old. Raised in Canada, he eventually ended up in the orbit of rising comic stars Dan Akykroyd, John Belushi and Harold Ramis, from the country’s Second City troupe. Belushi and Akyroyd would later star on Saturday Night Live, while Ramis, who co-wrote Reitman’s first feature, 1978’s Animal House, was a veteran of Canada’s beloved sketch show SCTV, as was eventual Ghostbusters co-star Rick Moranis.
Prior to that, 1978’s Animal House brought Belushi big screen stardom, and in 1979 Reitman directed another SNL vet, Bill Murray, in the summer camp comedy Meatballs.
Reitman collaborated with Ramis and Murray again, along with another SCTV vet John Candy, for the 1981 hit Stripes, with the gang playing unlikely military heroes. The friends would again re-team for Ghostbusters in 1984, on a script from Ramis and Aykroyd — although Candy’s off-center take on accountant Louis Tully saw Moranis getting the role instead.
Originally conceived as a vehicle that would have included Belushi, who died of a drug overdose in 1980, Ghostbusters overcame a demanding shooting schedule to become a franchise-spawning blockbuster. The original movie is ranked by The American Film Institute #28 on its list of the top 100 comedies of all time.
The film, also starring Ernie Hudson, and Annie Potts, led to the hit Ghostbusters II in 1989. The gang was reunited, minus a retired Moranis and Ramis, the latter of whom passed away in 2016, in the 2021 hit Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which was directed by Reitman’s son, Jason, and which was not only dedicated to Ramis, but featured a CGI version of him in a pivotal role from the Great Beyond.
Reitman also directed the hit Twins with Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1988, before teaming up with the latter in 1990’s Kindergarten Cop. 1993 saw DeVito and Schwarzenegger re-team for Reitman’s comedy Junior. In that year, Reitman’s political satire Dave debuted with Kevin Kline.
The filmmaker also produced hits including the Beethoven family comedies, 1996’s Space Jam, and the college classic Old School in 2003.
While promoting Afterlife, Jason said his dad was perfectly fine with the long shadow of Ghostbusters: “My father, who has made 50 movies…in between directing and producing, he’s made just some of the most important movies of the last few decades, from Animal House to Stripes to Space Jam to Dave. But my father will go down as a director and creator of Ghostbusters, that’s who he is.”
Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images
After taking aim at Pete Davidson, Kid Cudi and others over the weekend on Instagram, Kanye West is now making a plea for his family.
On Monday, Valentine’s Day, Ye posted a photo of his ex Kim Kardashian wearing a sparkly long coat. He captioned the pic in all caps, writing, “I DON’T HAVE BEEF WITH KIM I LOVE MY FAMILY SO STOP THAT NARRATIVE IM NOT GIVING UP ON MY FAMILY I BOUGHT THIS COAT FOR KIM BEFORE SNL I THOUGHT IT WAS PARTICULARLY SPECIAL I HAVE FAITH THAT WE‘LL BE BACK TOGETHER.”
Kanye then addressed the media, writing, “SOMETIMES PEOPLE CALL ME CRAZY BUT TO BE IN LOVE IS TO BE CRAZY ABOUT SOMETHING AND I AM CRAZY ABOUT MY FAMILY HAPPY VALENTINES.”
In now-deleted posts over the weekend, Ye dissed Davidson, who’s currently dating Kim, as well as Kid Cudi and Machine Gun Kelly, for being friends with Pete. Cudi responded, calling Ye a “dinosaur” and tweeting, “You ain’t no friend.”
On Sunday, Ye attended the Super Bowl with his kids North, 8, and Saint, 6.
(WINDSOR, Ontario) — The bridge in Canada where thousands of semi truck drivers have camped out in a protest against COVID-19 vaccine mandates may reopen Sunday night, according to officials.
The blockade of commercial trailers on the Ambassador Bridge, which connects the city of Windsor, Ontario, to Detroit, ended peacefully Sunday with no violence after police described many protesters exhibiting “aggressive, illegal behavior” on Saturday, Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens told ABC News.
Authorities now have the bridge under control after the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Ontario Provincial Police and Ottawa Police Service responded to the volatile scene on Saturday, where several hundred protesters planted themselves about 100 feet from the foot of the entry to the bridge, even as all of the trucks left the scene throughout the day in the face of a police crackdown.
A judge had ordered Friday that the protesters disperse after the demonstrations interrupted the flow of goods between the two countries, especially crippling the auto industry on both sides of the border.
City officials hope to reopen the bridge Sunday night.
“Today, our national economic crisis at the Ambassador bridge came to an end,” Dilkens wrote in a statement. “Border crossings will reopen when it is safe to do so and I defer to police and border agencies to make that determination.”
Dilkens wrote that while the nation of Canada “believes in the right to freedom of speech and expression,” those exercising those rights must also abide by the law.
“As Canadians, there is more that unites us, than divides us and we must all find the resolve to approach those who hold different views with tolerance and respect,” Dilkens said. “Illegal acts, blockades and hate speech must not be tolerated and should be denounced.”
Thousands of truckers have been protesting the COVID-19 vaccine mandates for weeks as part of what is being called the “Freedom Convoy.” The number of demonstrators reached as many as 4,000 over the weekend.
The protests began in Canada’s capital city last month after truckers began protesting the requirement for them to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to cross the U.S.-Canada border.
ABC News’ Luke Barr, Nadine El-Bawab, Matt Foster, Elwyn Lopez and Ivan Pereira contributed to this report.
(INGLEWOOD, Calif.) — The Los Angeles Rams delivered a Hollywood Super Bowl ending Sunday, defeating the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in front of a star-studded home crowd at SoFi Stadium.
Watch game highlights from ABC’s Good Morning America:
LA Rams’ two-time All-Pro offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth talks Super Bowl LVI victory:
Wayne’s World, the big-screen adaptation of the popular 1990s Saturday Night Live sketch, turns 30 years old today.
The big-screen adventure of Mike Myers‘ Wayne Campbell and Dana Carvey‘s Garth Algar was made for just $20 million, but it went on to earn over a most excellent $180 million worldwide — the most successful SNL sketch-turned-movie to date. However, considering some others included A Night at the Roxbury, It’s Pat and The Ladies Man, that might not come as a surprise.
Wayne’s World made #5 on 1992’s list of the Top 10 highest-grossing films, with a performance that year of more than $120 million.
The movie centered on the titular pair’s tangling with a TV producer played by Rob Lowe, who wants to take their Aurora, Illinois, public access show to the big time. However, along the way, the producer tries to sabotage the deal, and steal Wayne’s rock-singer girlfriend, played by Tia Carrere.
The movie, which also starred Ed O’Neill, Brian Doyle Murray, the late Chris Farley and Lara Flynn Boyle, also had cameos from Alice Cooper and the late Meat Loaf.
The film boasted a number-one soundtrack that included Cooper, who performs in the film, as well as The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Cinderella, among others.
However, the most famous contribution to the film might just be Queen‘s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which saw new life after it was included in Wayne’s World‘s memorable headbanging car-cruising scene. The song re-entered the charts and peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Director Penelope Spheeris has said she had to “walk on eggshells” with Myers, who was reportedly nervous about losing the spotlight to Carvey, who at the time was a bigger star.
Although she’s since softened on reported tensions with Myers, she wasn’t asked to direct the movie’s 1993 sequel — and in retrospect it was a blessing: The follow-up was not nearly the critical and commercial hit that the original movie was.
(NEW YORK) — As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.8 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 919,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
About 64.4% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Feb 14, 8:00 am
Prince Charles’ wife Camilla tests positive
Prince Charles’ wife, Camilla, has tested positive for COVID-19 less than one week after her husband tested positive for the virus.
Clarence House said she is self-isolating.
Feb 14, 7:37 am
Walmart drops mask requirement for vaccinated workers
Walmart employees in the U.S. who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will no longer be required to wear masks.
“Unvaccinated associates will be required to continue wearing masks until further notice,” company officials said in a memo obtained by ABC News.
Friday’s policy update was effective immediately for most employees, aside from those working in regions where state or local rules require retail staff to wear masks, the memo said. Associates working in clinical settings or with patients will also still be required to wear masks.
“We will continue to monitor the situation and advise of any changes,” the memo said.
The company, the largest private retail employer in the U.S., will also end its COVID-19 emergency leave policy for most employees at the end of March, the memo said.
(BROOKHAVEN, Miss.) — A white father and son are facing criminal charges after allegedly chasing and firing at D’Monterrio Gibson, a 24-year-old Black FedEx driver, who said he was targeted while delivering packages in Brookhaven, Mississippi, on the evening of Jan. 24.
According to affidavits obtained by ABC News, 35-year-old Brandon Case, the son, has been charged with purposely, knowingly and feloniously attempting to cause bodily injury to Gibson after allegedly shooting at his delivery van.
While Gregory Case, 57, is charged with purposely, knowingly and feloniously conspiring with his son to commit aggravated assault after allegedly chasing Gibson with his pickup truck and trying to block him from driving away.
Gregory Case’s attorney, Terrell Stubbs, and Brandon Case’s attorney, Dan Kitchens, did not immediately respond to ABC News’ requests for comment, but according to the Brookhaven Municipal Court, both attorneys entered not-guilty pleas on behalf of their clients.
Gibson was not injured, but his van and some packages were struck with several bullet holes, according to a police report obtained by ABC News dated Jan. 25. Gibson and his supervisor at FedEx filed the report.
Gibson described the experience as “traumatizing” in an interview with Good Morning America on Sunday.
Gibson said he was driving around trying to find the right address – and finally figured it out. He said once he left the package, Gregory Case tried to use his pickup truck to stop him from leaving the neighborhood.
“He tries to cut me off and like instantly, my instincts kicked in. I swerved by him,” he told GMA.
As he tried to drive away, Gibson said he saw Brandon Case in the middle of the road pointing a gun at his delivery van.
“When he got past him, the guy started shooting towards his vehicle. The back of his vehicle was hit several times,” Carlos Moore, Gibson’s attorney, told ABC News.
Moore said that Gibson called 911 later that night and was directed to the Brookhaven Police Department, where a dispatcher told him that there was a report of a “suspicious person” at the address where he was delivering the packages before he was allegedly chased and targeted by the Cases.
Gibson said that he was wearing his delivery uniform at the time and was driving a van rented by FedEx marked Hertz.
“In this instance, this man was working while Black, and they thought that was suspicious and they evidently, concertedly decided they would accost this man,” Moore said. “And when he would not stop, they intended to kill them.”
Police have not responded to ABC News’ requests for comment, but Brookhaven Mayor Joe C. Cox told ABC News that the Brookhaven Police Department, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and federal agencies “will continue to investigate this matter.”
Gibson said FedEx told him to return to the office that night but sent him out on the same route the very next day.
He said that he was on unpaid leave. While FedEx offered to pay for counseling, Gibson said he was not offered unpaid leave until the story became public.
“FedEx takes situations of this nature very seriously, and we are shocked by this criminal act against our team member, D’Monterrio Gibson,” FedEx said in a statement to ABC News. “The safety of our team members is our top priority, and we remain focused on his wellbeing. We continue to support Mr. Gibson, including compensation, as we cooperate with investigating authorities.”
Killings of 2 aspiring NYC rappers spark debate about a controversial rap genre
The Cases are now out on bail, but Gibson’s attorneys are calling for the charges to be “immediately upgraded” and for the incident to be investigated as a hate crime.
“Black lives matter, and not only do they matter, but they matter as much as white lives,” Moore said.
Moore compared Gibson’s case to that of Ahmaud Arbery, the 25-year-old unarmed Black man who was murdered while out on a jog in Brunswick, Georgia, on Feb. 23, 2020.
Three White men — father and son Gregory and Travis McMichael and their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan, who chased and murdered Arbery were sentenced to life in prison on Jan. 7.
They are awaiting trial on federal hate crime charges.
“It seems that this is another father-son duo that thought something was suspicious and took the law into their own hands,” Moore said.
ABC News’ Joanne Aran and Miles Cohen contributed to this report.
Advertisers turned to old favorites and familiar faces to show us a glimpse of the future of cars, telecommunications and food delivery during this year’s Super Bowl.
Among the ads was General Motors, who revived Austin Powers and The Sopranos to push their new line of electric cars.
The Austin Powers crew — including Mike Meyers‘ Dr. Evil, Seth Green as his son Scott, Mindy Sterling‘s Frau Farbissina and Rob Lowe as Number 2 — hatched a plan to “go electric” in an effort to stop climate change from destroying Earth before he could.
Sopranos kids Meadow and A.J., played respectively by Jamie-Lyn Sigler and Robert Iler — recreated the show’s famous open to represent the automaker’s Chevy Silverado “for a new generation.”
Verizon tapped Jim Carey‘s The Cable Guy character to tout its 5G network. Elsewhere, T-Mobile enlisted Dolly Parton and Miley Cyrus, who used their talents to save 5G phones trapped by limited networks.
Anna Kendrick channeled Barbie to promote Rocket Mortgage, while Jennifer Coolidge, Trevor Noah, Gwyneth Paltrow and Nicholas Braun announced Uber Eats’ expansion to include non-edible items.
FTX enlisted Larry David — the ultimate skeptic of anything new and revolutionary — to tout its cryptocurrency company.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, as Zeus, retired to Palm Springs and was unimpressed with earthly electronics, until his wife Herra — played by Salma Hayek — introduces him to the new BMW X M60.
Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd touted Lay’s potato chips, and real-life married couple Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost teamed up to hype Amazon’s Alexa.
Shang-Chi star Simu Liu is in talks to join the cast of the upcoming Greta Gerwig-directed live-action Barbie movie, alongside Ryan Gosling as Ken and Margot Robbie as the titular doll, according to The Hollywood Reporter. America Ferrera has also been tapped to appear in an as yet undisclosed role. Plot details are being kept under wraps. Liu recently wrapped filming on two movies: the romance One True Loves, alongside Hamilton star Phillipa Soo, and the canine drama Arthur the King, with Mark Wahlberg…
Universal Pictures released the first extended trailer for Get Out Oscar-winner Jordan Peele‘s latest thriller, Nope. Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer’s characters run a horse training ranch for Hollywood productions, while Steven Yeun seems to be some sort of rodeo emcee. “What’s a bad miracle? We got a word for that?” asks Kaluuya’s character, before an ominous cloud hanging over the landscape seem to be lifting unsuspecting people skyward. Nope, which also stars Knott’s Landing vet Donna Mills, The Crow‘s Michael Wincott and Euphoria‘s Barbie Ferreira, opens in theaters July 22…
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom actress Daniella Pineda has been tapped for a role in the AMC anthology series Tales of the Walking Dead, according to Variety. She joins Brooklyn Nine-Nine alum Terry Crews, Parker Posey, Rough Night‘s Jillian Bell, ER‘s Anthony Edwards and Hacks‘ Poppy Liu in the Walking Dead spinoff. Each stand-alone episode will focus on both new and established characters within the Walking Dead universe. Details on which characters the quintet will play, or if they’ll appear together or in separate episodes are being kept under wraps. Pineda will next be seen reprising her role as Zia Rodriguez in the upcoming Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom sequel Jurassic World: Dominion…
