At $12.7 million, “Encanto” (Disney) led a weekend when all films combined could only manage around a $51 million total. This year’s animated release from the studio dropped 53 percent, within range of the post-holiday second weekend for similar titles. But the drop came from a low-end start. Some context for the rut theaters are in: Two years ago, weekend three of “Frozen II” (which opened a week earlier) did $35 million, almost three times as much as “Encanto....

Even as a young woman, Nasatir was a forceful personality. Critic Joe Morgenstern first met her through their mutual friend Pauline Kael in the mid-1960s, he wrote in an email, “when Marcia was still a literary agent and before she became a studio executive at United Artists and rose to fill the position, with passion and distinction, that prompted her to use ‘firstmogulette’ as her email address. She knew books and loved them, but movies were her greater love, and as recently as six or eight months ago, long after she had left the business as a producer, she was talking, as she always had, about stories that needed to be turned into films....

The new film is called “Father Stu: Reborn.” While the original film — released this April ahead of the Easter holiday — was dinged with an R-rating for “language throughout,” the new cut still features “language, an accident scene, sexual references, some violence and smoking.” A perfect evening for the whole family. “Father Stu: Reborn” will open in theaters December 9, and it’s a choice time for Sony to take a chance on wringing a few extra dollars out of the story, as there are no other major studio releases debuting that weekend....

Isaac has expressed relief over the fact that the show’s performance is not measured in box office returns, allowing the creative team to be more experimental. “There was a lot of room to try stuff because there wasn’t the pressure that we got to make sure we make however many hundreds of millions of dollars on the opening weekend,” Isaac said. “We could make very weird decisions.” Isaac’s excitement about the show’s creative direction is palpable, and it looks like he is not the only one feeling that way....

A lack of innovation, especially compared to recent side-scrollers such as “Hollow Knight” and “Ori and the Will of the Wisps,” is the only real negative that can be levied at “Metroid Dread,” and though it’s a valid criticism, it’s more than made up for by the game’s high level of polish and overall consistency. If you’ve previously played a 2D “Metroid” title or any of the myriad of video games that have been inspired by the franchise, you’ll know exactly what to expect here, but “Dread” is a reminder that “Metroid” has long set the industry standard for side-scrolling action for good reason....

“You know, I didn’t want to put pressure on myself to walk out of this feeling like I’d grown in terms of my feelings towards my dad,” Michael said. “I just wanted to be the best actor I could be, portraying Tony in the way David wanted, scene by scene. I didn’t think about my grief because…well, I would have shit the bed.” Michael continued, “My dad’s character had all this beautiful sensitivity underneath this aggression....

Netflix isn’t providing any further details about Flanagan’s “The Fall of the House of Usher,” other than confirming the limited series will run eight episodes. Flanagan will direct four of the episodes himself, while Michael Fimognari will also direct four installments. Fimognari knows Flanagan’s vision better than most as he served as cinematographer on “Hill House” and the director’s feature film efforts “Doctor Sleep,” “Ouija: Origin of Evil,” “Oculus,” “Gerland’s Game,” and more....