Ahead of the full lineup announcement scheduled for Sept. 29, AFI Fest officials unveiled the titles they handpicked for red carpet galas and special screenings at the Canva presented event.
Universal’s global box office has crossed $5 billion for the third time in the studio’s history. The studio is also the first to reach this milestone in 2026. With this week’s grosses, Universal-distributed films have tallied $1.788 billion domestically and $3.218 billion
The studio's 'The Odyssey,' 'Super Mario Galaxy Movie' and 'Michael' stand as three of the five titles to hit the billion-dollar mark this year.
As the title implies, “Never After Dark” is a horror film that isn’t stuck in the shadows. “There’s something very tactile and direct, and a lot of it takes place during the day or at least fairly bright interiors,” writer and director Dave Boyle says. “We talked a lot about
Sharon Levy is exiting Banijay’s Endemol Shine North America after nearly a decade at the company — including most recently as CEO. The restructure comes following this summer’s completion of the $8 billion merger between Banijay and All3Media, with Banijay Americas CEO Ben
Global Citizen Festival has been canceled due to the extreme weather forecast for New York City. The event was slated to take place on Saturday at the Great Lawn in Central Park, with performances from Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean, Lenny Kravitz, John Legend and more. But
“Princess Diaries” star Heather Matarazzo revealed she may not qualify for health insurance if she doesn’t find work soon. The actress, who starred alongside Anne Hathaway in the “Princess Diaries” films as Lilly Moscovitz, replied to a post from “Atypical” actor Jack Haven
Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s latest stunt has paid off. The Season 29 premiere of “South America” — renamed from “South Park” as a parody of Donald Trump’s controversial initiatives to rename major landmarks — hit 4.2 million viewers in three days. That total accounts for
Dreamworks Animation knows how to tell stories about friendships, whether it’s between a boy and a dragon in “How to Train Your Dragon” or Donkey and Ogre in “Shrek” or a robot and bird in “The Wild Robot.” Its latest feature, “Forgotten Island,” anchors its story in two best
All Things Go NYC Festival has been canceled because of “severe weather conditions,” organizers said in a statement. The event was slated to take place Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Forest Hills Stadium, with performances from Zara Larsson, Lola Young, Brandi Carlile, Ethel
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What drives celebrities like Henry Winkler, Tom Morello or Wendie Malick along with politicians and activists to get involved in working for change? How did their families shape their commitment to saving democracy, and keeps them going in the face of today’s massive obstacles?
Horror streamer Shudder has acquired the rights to “Sundown,” a new supernatural horror feature from director Rebekah McKendry, Variety can exclusively reveal. According to an official logline, “‘Sundown’ follows three generations of women who reunite in a remote cabin to
Spain-based Begin Again Films secured an international sales deal for “Paula & Hortência – The Last Chance.’ The film, directed by Georgia Guerra-Peixe Joca, is a biopic on the life of the two titular legends of Brazilian women’s basketball. The film will star Tainá Müller
It’s an unseasonably warm September day in Chatsworth, and the air conditioning at the Capital Arts soundstages has gone out. The crew has one day to churn out four microdramas for Nithya Raman’s campaign for Los Angeles mayor. They are running a little behind schedule. “Quiet
'Heart of the Beast,' 'Primetime' and 'Forgotten Island' are among the newcomers for the crowded weekend.
One of the year’s scariest movies will be ready to stream before Halloween: “Evil Dead Burn” will be released on HBO Max on Oct. 2. The third movie since the “Evil Dead” series reboot in 2013 (and sixth film in the franchise overall) had its theatrical release July 10. Directed
The hottest ticket in New York City is to the Knicks home opener at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, Oct. 20. Since winning the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs back in June, the Knicks have become the toast of New York with good vibes around the city, massive TV
Peter Sarsgaard has joined the upcoming Paramount+ drama series “Laird,” Variety has learned. Sarsgaard will join previously announced lead Kenneth Branagh in the show, which was announced with a series order back in July. The logline for “Laird” states that it is “an epic
The Montclair Film Festival has unveiled the complete lineup for its 2026 edition, bringing a slate of international premieres, awards season contenders, documentaries and independent films to New Jersey. Among the highlights are Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi’s “La Bola
“I’m still trying to act, and I want to be better,” offers John Cho. “And you can’t be better without a good role.” Cho, 54, has been fighting for the right roles since he first gained notice as a high school party boy chanting “MILF!” in the coming-of-age hit “American Pie”
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — RioFilme, the film and TV company of Rio de Janeiro City, will launch a call for proposals amounting to R$100 million ($20 million) for film and TV show production, development, distribution and international co-productions, Leonardo Edde, president of
'You Can See Everything' gets a rather unexpected advisory from the MPA, and fans have plenty of thoughts.
The first thing to know about “Charlie Harper” is that it’s not, in fact, about someone called Charlie Harper. Charlie (Nick Robinson) and Harper (Emilia Jones) are a couple, meeting and parting at various stages across a five-year timeline; the title of this earnestly
Patti LaBelle, Common and Public Enemy were among the artists and executives who were celebrated on Thursday night at the sixth annual Black Music Action Coalition Gala, held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. Throughout the evening, BMAC and its president/CEO Willie
Fox News is replacing one opinionated business anchor with another, assigning Larry Kudlow to anchor “Sunday Morning Futures” on an interim basis following its ouster of longtime staffer Maria Bartiromo. Kudlow will host the 10 a.m. program starting Sunday, and continue through
“The Light in the Darkness: Director’s Cut,” from game designer Luc Bernard, launched Tuesday. Originally released in 2023, the free Holocaust narrative game puts players in the experience of a Polish-Jewish family in Nazi-occupied France. This newly expanded and enhanced
Sony’s “Resident Evil,” last week’s zombie-infested box office champion, will face a few new challengers as it attempts to stay No. 1 for the second week in a row. Marvel’s “Avengers: Endgame Encore” re-release, Paramount and Brad Pitt’s survival thriller “Heart of the Beast,”
Ed Sheeran’s challenging month continues as a pair of his high-profile stadium shows have been canceled due to weather. The pop star’s Sept. 25 and 26 shows at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., have been nixed due to a nor’easter that’s set to hit the East Coast, with
The weeklong theatrical run from Oct. 9 will see net proceeds from ticket sales supporting the flagship Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library launched by the late Queen of Country Music.
Rob Minkoff, the co-director of the Disney classic “The Lion King” and the director of “Stuart Little,” is in advanced discussions to board the AI-assisted film “Storm Dogs,” the next project by Tilly Norwood creators Particle 6. The family comedy-drama follows toddler Poppy
Few artists have cast as vast an influence in as short a time as Joy Division, the pioneering Manchester post-punk quartet whose dark, haunting songs and sound helped shape many genres and scenes that were to follow, from the obvious — indie-rock, goth, industrial — to the
Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor’s harrowing award-winning documentary interviewing 24 Israeli soldiers drops first trailer.
Lena Dunham is all business in first look images from upcoming Channel 4/A24 comedy “It Gets Worse.” Dunham guest stars as Greta in the series, which was written, created by and stars Leo Reich. In the first look at the actor in character she is pictured sitting at a wooden
Ludwig may have had his breakout moment with 2012's 'The Hunger Games,' but feels he just reached his "I made it" moment with a stacked lineup of projects, from 'Unabomber' to 'The White Lotus' to his directorial debut 'Billings.'
“Marie Antoinette” is back in Versailles. To mark the 20th anniversary of her 2006 film, director Sofia Coppola has partnered with the Château de Versailles on an unusual exhibition of props, costumes and behind-the-scenes materials, staged in the palace the real queen called
British newspaper The Guardian, JW Films and French sales company MK2 have released the trailer for “NAZA,” the hot-button documentary about the war in Gaza which won a special jury prize at the Venice Film Festival. The doc – which was shot at night on the rooftops of Tel Aviv
Just one year after wrapping an eight-season run on CBS’ “S.W.A.T.,” Shemar Moore’s stoic but righteous Sergeant II Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson Jr. returns on a new network in the spinoff series “S.W.A.T. Exiles.” Created by Jason Nig, the Starz show is set two years after the
Willem Dafoe, who is at the Zurich Film Festival presenting the opening night film “Tenzing,” spoke about the record-breaking 2026 box office while emphasizing the importance of watching the Jennifer Peedom epic in cinemas. The film, which opened to warm Zurich audiences last
Oscar-nominated Italian producer Donatella Palermo (“Fire at Sea,” “Caesar Must Die”) has boarded Eryk Rocha’s highly anticipated doc “Elza” as a production associate. The film will have its world premiere at the Rio Film Festival and its international premiere at the Rome Film
In a long-expected move, Warner Music Group has named Val Blavatnik Managing Director of North America, U.K. & Corporate Development amid several other top leadership moves. Blavatnik, 28, the son of Warner Music’s primary owner Len Blavatnik, will “unify and drive business and
iHeartMedia has announced the lineups for the 2026 edition of its annual “Jingle Ball Tour”: Olivia Rodrigo, Hilary Duff, Jonas Brothers, Sombr, Charlie Puth, Raye, Alex Warren, Katseye, OneRepublic, Ludacris, Teddy Swims, Sienna Spiro and more. Presented by Capital One, the
From the surprise election of mayor Zohran Mamdani to the Knicks winning the NBA championship, it’s been a time for underdog stories in the Big Apple. The New York Film Festival is continuing the trend, pulling off a coup by securing several major world premieres in a year
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — RioMarket, the business section of the Rio International Film Festival, will be held over Oct. 1-11, featuring for the first time a partnership with TikTok and online one-on-one business meetings. The event, taking place in a warehouse in Rio’s port
London’s new venue Apple Music Hall has announced its inaugural lineup, including performances from Elton John, Charli xcx, Burna Boy and more. John is set to open the venue — a state-of-the-art, 600-capacity facility at Battersea Power Station — with a concert on Monday. Apple
Turkish arthouse distributor Baska Sinema has acquired domestic theatrical rights to “A Woman Asleep,” an experimental English-language AI feature directed by pioneering artist and filmmaker Vikki Bardot. Bardot is considered one of the early practitioners of photographic AI
Dolly Parton’s hit 1980 comedy “9 to 5” will return to theaters next month for one week in the wake of the country superstar’s death on Aug. 25 at age 80. All U.S. ticket sales will be donated to The Dollywood Foundation to support its flagship program, Dolly Parton’s
Tim Blake Nelson’s prison saga “The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd,” Diego Luna’s migration drama “Ashes,” Boots Riley’s anticapitalist satire “I Love Boosters,” and Jesse Eisenberg’s latest film “The Debut” are among standout international titles that will launch into Italy
If you’re a streaming service lucky enough to have a hit series on your hands, congratulations — now the hard part begins. Keeping that series on the air, let alone growing its audience over time, can be a daunting task. But there are data patterns worth taking note of that can
The Netflix documentary series “Beyond Society” (“Más Allá de la Sociedad”) had its world premiere at the San Sebastián International Film Festival on September 23. The three-part doc series, created by Juan Antonio Bayona (“Society of the Snow,” “The Impossible,” “A Monster
