The showrunners hope the series will be as well-received as the original films in spite of the lack of connection. “I just want to sort of quibble with the ‘vaguely connected,’” said showrunner Patrick McKay in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter last week. “We don’t feel that way. We feel like deep roots of this show are in the books and in Tolkien. And if we didn’t feel that way, we’d all be terrified to sit up here....
From a franchise perspective, “Dumbledore” is a disappointment. Going into April, it joined “Morbius” (Sony) and “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” (Paramount) as one of three films this month that could open over $50 million. The J.K. Rowling adaptation seemed like a particularly strong candidate; not only did its predecessors open to $74 million and $62 million, but it also nabbed the potentially lucrative Easter weekend. Like “Morbius,” it failed to reach that mark — but since “Sonic” beat projections with a $72 million start, the three films combined grossed over $150 million on their openings....
The film begins in JFK airport, as Walter reunites with wife Esther and daughter Sylvia, who’ve made it to the U.S. after long-awaiting their visas in Tanzania. After an awkward reunion where Walter’s now-grown daughter is clearly a stranger to him, he takes them to his cramped one-bedroom New York City apartment, where Sylvia is relegated to the living room. In the years apart, Esther has emerged a pious Christian, following on orders from her pastor to reconnect with her husband in “flesh and spirit....
The global pandemic sidelined several boxing matches over the last year, but the industry is slowly recovering from a financially devastating uppercut. From celebrity boxing matches to bouts between skilled fighters, it seems that viewers have more options to choose from when it comes to content and some of it can be found on FiteTV. What is FiteTV? A premier streaming service where sports fans can watch boxing, MMA, and pro-wrestling events, along with thousands of hours of live, VOD, and free programs....
Short Nite, dedicated to animated films, kicks off at 2 p.m. ET Saturday. The free, 24-hour event will feature 12 animated short films, ranging from Academy Award-nominated titles like 2007’s “Oktapodi” to newer films such as “Bench,” which is currently long-listed for a BAFTA Award. Short Nite represent the first time a video game has been used to host a film festival, and for the filmmakers it offers an unprecedented marketing opportunity: Their work will be broadcast on a video game that, per publisher Epic Games, has more than 350 million registered players....
The disappointments this weekend start with “Freaky.” Trying to predict what the Universal and Blumhouse Productions horror comedy would do was an inexact science; in recent weeks, $4 million has been the ceiling for a wide release. The hope was a more mainstream entry like this one could see $6 million or better. At $3.7 million, it didn’t. Is it the increased resistance to going out? Awareness that it will be available on premium VOD in three weeks?...
“The Jetsons” famously followed a middle class family living in Orbit City in a chrome-tinged future where robots allow humans to live leisurely. It was conceived as a companion show to “The Flintstones,” which famously reimagined 1950s sitcom tropes from shows like “The Honeymooners” in a Stone Age world full of cavemen and dinosaurs. “The Jetsons” took the inverse approach, making a sitcom about an American nuclear family that happens to take place in an era of flying cars and two-hour work weeks....
