One Piece Film: Red Narrowly Beats Black Adam at Friday Box Office

While Crunchyroll’s anime releaseOne Piece Film: Redwon a closely contested race at the Friday box office just by a hair, Warner Bros. and DC Films’ holdover superhero filmBlack Adamis expected to top the weekend by a considerable margin. TheDwayne Johnson-fronted action film has been dominating the box office for two weeks, and is looking to top $135 million domestically by Sunday. That’s a so-so result for a film that is said to have cost upwards of $195 million to produce, minus marketing, and will face an existential threat in exactly one week with the arrival of Disney’s hugely anticipatedBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever....

July 18, 2025 · 3 min · 482 words · Dr. Dylan Evans

Riverdale Cast and EP on Jughead's Hatred of Birthday Parties

On The CW seriesRiverdale, Archie (KJ Apa) is struggling with his feelings about the decision his father, Fred (Luke Perry), has made to finalize the divorce with Archie’s mother, Mary (Molly Ringwald). At the same time, Betty (Lili Reinhart) decides to throw Jughead (Cole Sprouse) a surprise birthday party that he definitely doesn’t want, which gives Cheryl Blossom (Madelaine Petsch) the perfect opportunity to wreak havoc. After screening the next episode, “Chapter Ten: The Lost Weekend,” at the offices of The CW in Burbank, California, co-stars KJ Apa, Cole Sprouse and Luke Perry were joined by showrunnerRoberto Aguirre-Sacasato talk about the show’s various inspirations, how the Andrews men will be dealing with the return of Mary, why Jughead hates his birthday so much, what FP (Skeet Ulrich) actually stands for, whether Archie’s naivete is inherent in the character, how Cheryl Blossom fits into the overall mystery, and what viewers can expect from the season finale....

July 18, 2025 · 6 min · 1250 words · Pamela Garcia

Sara Paxton on The Front Runner, Donna Rice, and Jason Reitman

From directorJason Reitmanand based on the bookAll the Truth is OutbyMatt Bai, the real-life story ofThe Front Runnerfollows the rise and fall of politician Gary Hart (Hugh Jackman), the charismatic senator who was considered the front runner for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination, until his campaign was derailed by the story of an extramarital relationship with Donna Rice (Sara Paxton). As tabloid journalism found its voice in politics, no amount of smarts, idealism and excitement could keep Hart’s race going, and the questions surrounding his personal life affected all of those around him....

July 18, 2025 · 10 min · 1954 words · Jeffrey Graham

Sorry Crunchyroll, You’re No Longer the Anime Streaming Giant as Another Major Platform Has Now Taken the Lead

For a long time,Crunchyrollhas been a dominant force in the anime streaming scene. In an era where every broadcaster and media outlet has fought for a share of the streaming market, Crunchyroll has found a niche audience and catered to it for many years. However, despite having an extensive library of anime content, it was recently reported that anime fans have discovered a new platform for consuming their content. According to a new study byDentsu, it revealed that 48% of viewers globally go toNetflixto watch anime....

July 18, 2025 · 2 min · 373 words · Martin Hernandez

Star Wars: Rogue One: Mads Mikkelsen's Character Revealed

While folks are stilltrying to nail downexactly what scaly-eyed baddieMads Mikkelsenis playing inDoctor Strange,we’ve finally got an answer as to who the former Hannibal star plays inStar Wars: Rogue One. He’s playing…Jyn Erso’s (Felicity Jones) father. Of course he is, generational tales are classic Star Wars. Naturally, the actor was tight-lipped about any details (honestly, I’m stunned he even let this tidbit slide, especially considering the hoopla over Rey’s parentage), so we don’t know if Jyn’s pop is a good guy or a classic villain in the making....

July 18, 2025 · 2 min · 304 words · Jane White

Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, & More to Save TCM

There may be a light at the end of the tunnel forTurner Classic Movies (TCM). The beloved cable network for classic movies both well-known and obscurewas recently guttedwhen Warner Bros. Discovery’s latest round of layoffs impacted many of the tenured top executives who helped shepherd TCM to greatness. Following what seemed like a major loss for consumers and film archiving, three legendary directors have stepped in to offer their aid in righting the ship....

July 18, 2025 · 4 min · 742 words · Lance Ochoa

The Alienist Season 2 Could Happen, but Should It?

Spoiler warningfor The Alienist finale. Before talking about a second season, let’s get this out of the way: Yes,The Alienistwas billed as a limited series, but almosteveryhigh-profile, expensive cable or premium drama is limited now unless the ratings are good enough to suggest a follow-up.The Alienistwas a huge get for TNT, one that seems to suggest a network that is looking to pivot into more prestigious TV fare. It started making that move away fromLaw & Orderreruns and towards original series a few years ago, with series likeAnimal KingdomandClaws....

July 18, 2025 · 4 min · 664 words · Joshua Flores

The Making of Baz Luhrmann’s 'Romeo + Juliet' Included a Kidnapping

You’d be pardoned for thinking that “Hostage Negotiator” wouldn’t be something on the curriculum vitae ofmaximalist maestroBaz Luhrmann. As it turns out, the on-set drama of his breakthrough teenage classicRomeo + Julietwas a lot lessteen fantasy romanceand a lot moreSilence of the Lambs, although fortunately in this case, no one got hurt (too badly) and no one had to recruit a serial killer to catch the culprits. Nevertheless, in a turn of events more hardcore than anyone was expecting, Luhrmann revealed ina 1996 interviewthathairstylist Aldo Signoretti was kidnapped and held for ransom....

July 18, 2025 · 6 min · 1088 words · Mary Lopez

Thelma Director Joachim Trier on His Paranormal Queer Love Story

It’s safe to say thatJoachim Trierisn’t known for horror movies. His previous filmsReprise,Louder than Bombs, andOslo, August 31stearned him a reputation as a filmmaker with a knack for contemplative character dramas and subtle, soft-touch investigations of the human condition. For his latest film, Trier takes those qualities and funnels them into the realm of witchcraft and the supernatural withThelma, another thoughtful character drama that boasts an added flourish of surrealism and sensuality thanks to the freedoms of working in the genre sphere....

July 18, 2025 · 11 min · 2300 words · John Lara

This Dark '70s Horror Movie Is Unlike Any Other Female Revenge Film

While thehorrorgenre has always been filled with terrifying scenes of people suffering while trying to overcome evil, it has historically emphasized the torment of women. Whether it be misogynistic portrayals or needlessly cruel moments, this medium that has long championed the stories of underprivileged groups rarely allows its women to thrive unless they fit into the perfect “final girl” persona — or it first shows them gruesomely suffering. It’s rare thata non-male protagonist is allowed to beat out their assailantswithout being angelically innocent or first undergoing some form of traumatizing torture, which is whyAxe, directed byFrederick R....

July 18, 2025 · 7 min · 1378 words · Louis Brown

This ‘Skeleton Crew’ Star’s $205 Million Rom-Com Is a Streaming Hit Almost 20 Years Later

Jude Lawis set to toplineStar Wars: Skeleton Crewnext month alongsideKerry Condon, but one of his classics from nearly 20 years ago is making rounds on streaming after earning more than $200 million at the global box office. Law stars alongsideCameron DiazandKate WinsletinThe Holiday, the 2005 romantic comedy that has crept into the Prime Video top 10, currently sitting in the #10 spot. The film follows Amanda and Iris, a movie trailer editor and a journalist who swap houses for two weeks at Christmas in an attempt to forget their troubled lives until unexpected love changes everything....

July 18, 2025 · 2 min · 362 words · Jane Thomas

Tim Burton Addams Family TV Series In the Works

The Addams Familyare headed back to television. And this time, the similarly macabreTim Burtonis at the helm. According to Deadline, MGM which “controls the underlying rights to the IP” (sexy!) is putting together a package for a new live-action TV series, which Burton would executive produce and potentially direct all of the episodes.Alfred GoughandMiles Millarare also on board the project as head writers and showrunners and would executive produce alongside Burton....

July 18, 2025 · 2 min · 360 words · Veronica Sheppard

Tom Bombadil Isn’t the Biggest Surprise in 'The Rings of Power's Latest Episode

Episode 4 ofThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of PowerSeason 2,“Eldest,”gave fans pieces of lore fromJ. R. R. Tolkien’s texts that we never thought we’d see adapted, never mind in live-action. However, despiteTom Bombadil’s (Rory Kinnear) appearancebeing an incredible adaptation of a character sadly exempt from bothRalph Bakshi’s animated project andPeter Jackson’s trilogy, it was the Entwife Winterbloom (Olivia Williams) appearing that was the biggest shock and deepest cut seen yet in the adaptations of Tolkien lore....

July 18, 2025 · 5 min · 991 words · Daniel Morris