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As the famous line goes, "Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten... when it comes to receiving the Disney live-action treatment." That's right, folks — we've marvelled at Elliot in Pete's Dragon, gawped at Beauty & The Beast's titular furry fella, witnessed photorealistic Simba in The Lion King, and... well... you get the idea! Now, it's noughties banger Lilo & Stitch's turn to go from drawn to life, guided by the Oscar nominated filmmaker behind Marcel The Shell With Shoes On, Dean Fleischer Camp. And while we've only had a few blink-and-you'll-miss-it glimpses at what Camp and co have been working on up til now, today we got our first proper look at Stitch in all his live-action glory. Check out the new teaser trailer for the movie below:

Behold, Stitch! He's mischievous, he's a menace, he's blue, he's incredibly lifelike, and — but of course! — he's also cute and fluffy.

As an avowed defender of the Ewok films, regular /Film readers shouldn't be surprised to see yours truly's byline on this article. The two TV movies about the teddy bear-like inhabitants of the forest moon of Endor made by Lucasfilm in the 1980s -- 1984's "Caravan of Courage: The Ewok Adventure" and 1985's "Ewoks: The Battle for Endor" -- may no longer be canon to the "Star Wars" franchise under the watchful eyes of Mickey Mouse and friends, yet their pulpy sci-fi/fantasy adventure ethos has continued to manifest itself in the property, most recently with "The Mandalorian" season 3. Now, it appears at least one element of the Ewok films is about to become canonical thanks to "Skeleton Crew," the upcoming "Goonies"-esque "Star Wars" series that, similar to "Caravan of Courage" and "The Battle for Endor," follows a group of youngsters in over their heads on a most unexpected adventure.

Some sitcom actors only ever get one really great role, but Jim Backus had several. The actor, who played wealthy Wall Street regular Thurston Howell III on the popular castaway series "Gilligan's Island," had already made a name for himself by the show's premiere in 1964. He'd appeared regularly on the radio before TV was the dominant media of the time, and voiced the nearly blind cartoon character Mr. Magoo beginning in 1949. Backus also played a key role in Nicholas Ray's 1955 teen movie "Rebel Without A Cause," portraying the father who falls short when James Dean's angsty antihero Jim Stark needs him.

A few years before "Gilligan's Island," Backus even got his own show, aptly named "The Jim Backus Show" in the style of the time. In the Backus-led series, which was also called "Hot Off the Wire," the actor played a man named Mike O'Toole, who was attempting...

As expected, Lucasfilm used D23 to launch the first official trailer for Star Wars: Skeleton Crew. Starring Jude Law, the series is being billed as a coming-of-age story set in the Star Wars universe. It centers around a young quartet, played by Ravi Cabot-Conyers, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Kyriana Kratter, Robert Timothy Smith, who cross paths with a mysterious Jedi named Jod Na Nawood, who’s being described as a quick-witted charmer.

The trailer, while short, promises a bigger scope than other recent Star Wars series, with the look impressively cinematic. The series certainly has an impressive roaster of directors, including Jon Watts (Spider-Man: No Way Home), David Lowery (Pete’s Dragon), the Daniels (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert) (Everything Everywhere All At Once), Jake Schreier (Thunderbolts), Bryce Dallas Howard (The Mandalorian) and Lee Isaac Chung (Twisters).

Here’s the official synopsis from Disney and Lucasfilm:

“Skeleton Crew” follows the journey of...

The Dark Age of American Animation For close to a century now, Disney has been synonymous with American animation at large. If you go back and watch a Disney animated feature from the 1940s or ‘50s, you’ll notice just how fluid and lushly drawn the animation itself often is and how it manages to hold up to the test of time. Even a more modest production from that period proved magnificent, like ‘Lady and the Tramp’, which was so lavishly produced that it was shot in ultra-wide CinemaScope. Contrast the Disney output of this period, basically up to the time of Walt Disney’s death in 1966, with the animated Disney ventures that came afterward. While movies like ‘Robin Hood’ and ‘The Rescuers’ are not exactly bad per se, the jump from hand-drawn animation to computer animation is noticeable. Things to do: Subscribe to The Hollywood Insider’s YouTube Channel,...

"I've been looking for you for a very long time..." Nova Vento has revealed the official trailer for an indie film titled Adam the First, set for US release in limited theaters in February on Valentine's Day. It's the latest film from writer / director Irving Franco. The story follows Adam, who sets out on a cross-country adventure to track down a series of men who could be his estranged father, each one with a different life that could become his own. A few films have done this before. This one stars Oakes Fegley (the kid from Pete's Dragon and Wonderstuck) as Adam, along with Larry Pine, T.R. Knight, Eric Hanson, Kim Jackson Harris, and David Duchovny. The director explains: "In making Adam the First, I set out to tell a story that was universal and timeless yet deeply personal all at once. Adam meets many kinds of people on this epic journey.

The Starfleet uniforms seen on the original "Star Trek" series back in 1966 were designed by William Ware Theiss, a costume designer who had previously worked on major Hollywood productions like "Spartacus," and who would go on to design for films like "Harold & Maude," "Bound for Glory," and "Pete's Dragon." According to an article on StarTrek.com, Theiss became friends with D.C. Fontana on the set of "Spartacus" (Fontana worked as a member of the studio's typing pool), which gave him the connection he needed to land his "Star Trek" job. It was Theiss' idea to make futuristic space uniforms look more shirt-like and casual, which stood in contrast to the shiny-and-chrome sci-fi costumes that were more in vogue at the time.

Theiss was also notorious for the skin-revealing outfits he designed for the show's many female guest stars, and he was noted for being able to ride the line...

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(Welcome to Tales from the Box Office, our column that examines box office miracles, disasters, and everything in between, as well as what we can learn from them.)

Until "The Little Mermaid" arrived in 1989 and ushered in another golden age for Disney animation, the '80s were not an otherwise great period for the storied studio. That opened the door for other studios and creators to swoop in and steal some of Disney's glory. Enter Don Bluth, one of animation's most heralded creators, who cut his teeth at Disney before going out on his own. Bluth, with the backing of Universal Pictures, Steven Spielberg, and George Lucas, directed "The Land Before Time," one of the most beloved '80s animated films around.

Bluth helped fill the void after Walt Disney passed away, directing movies like "The Rescuers" and "Pete's Dragon.

Amazon MGM Studios and The Jim Henson Company are teaming to develop a series based on the work of Brian and Wendy Froud.

Brian and Wendy will executive produce the project along with their son, Toby. The Jim Henson Company will also executive produce.

Currently titled “Faerie,” the series is described as a “modern Henson family adventure set in the magical world of Brian & Wendy Froud’s Faeries.”

The official series description states: “When the Faeries kidnap an unsuspecting father, his family must venture into the Faerie realm to rescue him. Through their journey, they will discover their inner strength and unique potential, challenging the expectations that the human world has put upon them. At its core, Faerie is a story of perseverance and the strength of a family’s love, filled with magic, adventure, and self-discovery at every age.”

The Jim Henson Company is repped by UTA.

The Frouds...

(From left): Alexander Molony, Ever Anderson, Joshua Pickering, Jacobi Jupe in Peter Pan & Wendy Photo: Disney Adapting well-known and much-beloved animated features and making them look and feel refreshed for a whole new generation is a tall order. Many have attempted it, but only a handful have truly understood how to do it properly.

When Walt Disney Studios President Sean Bailey took the stage at D23 Expo to preview the studio’s upcoming slate of live action films, he made it very clear that the remakes aren’t going anywhere.

His presentation focused heavily on live action and CGI remakes of Disney’s most beloved animated films, delighting nostalgia-seeking fans with early looks at movies like “Snow White,” “Peter Pan and Wendy,” and “The Little Mermaid.” The enthusiastic reception to the star-studded event was a reminder that Disney’s pairings of classic material with A-list talent remains a very profitable formula. Keep reading for a roundup of all the live action projects previewed on Day 1 of the fan event (those interested in our animation coverage can find it here).

“Hocus Pocus 2”

Bailey kicked off the event by giving fans a look at some highly anticipated direct-to-streaming sequels, starting with “Hocus Pocus 2.” Picking...

Peter Pan, Wendy, and the Lost Boys are on a new adventure in the trailer for Disney’s “Peter Pan & Wendy.”

The first look at the upcoming film, which debuted at D23 Expo on Friday, opens with Ever Anderson as Wendy stumbling upon the Lost Boys — who are not all boys. When Wendy points out the discrepancy, she’s met with a sassy, “So?”

It isn’t long before Alexander Molony’s Peter Pan appears to whisk Wendy away. And, of course, it wouldn’t be “Peter Pan” unless the famous boy who wouldn’t grow up was being pursued by Captain Hook, played by Jude Law, who plays a pretty mean bad guy, guaranteed to make you at least a little uneasy. We also got a brief glimpse at Yara Shahidi, who plays a stunning Tinker Bell.

Also Read:

‘Haunted Mansion': First Footage From Star-Studded Disney Ride...

From an early age, animator Don Bluth was a great admirer of Disney and has said in interviews that as a child, he would practice drawing by copying old Disney comic books. This childhood activity led to him being hired by Disney to work on their feature film version of "Sleeping Beauty" in the mid-1950s. After a stint doing missionary work and animating for various TV shows, Bluth returned to Disney in the mid-'70s to work on the company's version of "Robin Hood." Bluth worked on various animated features for Disney, eventually rising to the role of animation director for the 1977 film "Pete's Dragon." Over the course of working for Disney, however, Bluth became kind of disillusioned with the way the company owned all of their animators' work, and how animators were all trained to draw and animate the same way. Bluth left Disney in 1979 to form his own production company.

Exclusive: Primetime Emmy nominee Kate Mara and The Green Knight filmmaker David Lowery have boarded Shawn Bannon’s feature documentary, The Smell of Money, which centers around Elsie Herring and her North Carolina community as they square off with the multibillion-dollar pork industry, which has been spraying animal waste on their homes and land for decades.

The pic, written by Jamie Berger, will premiere at the Sarasota Film Festival.

Bannon also producers. Michelle Cho serves as associate producer.

A century after her grandfather claimed his freedom from slavery, Herring and her rural North Carolina community are fighting the world’s largest pork company for their freedom to enjoy clean air, pure water, and a life without the stench of sh**..

Sitting on her front porch one sunny day in the 1980s, she felt droplets pouring down on her––but a revolting odor made clear that what landed on her skin and clothes was not rain.

Exclusive: Rising young actor Oakes Fegley has signed with Verve for representation.

Fegley, who was formerly with ICM Partners, follows his agent Jr Ringer, who recently moved to Verve from ICM.

Fegley will next be seen co-starring in Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical film The Fabelmans for Amblin and Universal. He previously starred in The Goldfinch for Warner Brothers, in the title role of Pete’s Dragon for Disney and Wonderstruck for Amazon Studios.

Other credits include starring roles in The War With Grandpa opposite Robert DeNiro and Fort Bliss opposite Michelle Monaghan. On television, he has recurred in Person of Interest and Boardwalk Empire.

Fegley continues to be repped by Wright Entertainment and attorney Michael R. Williams.

Exclusive: Professional basketball player and producer Jarnell Stokes has signed with Babette Perry at Innovative Artists, who will rep him for both on-camera and production deals.

Stokes is currently developing two drama series examining the ruthless intersection of sports, music and street culture in his hometown of Memphis.

The first, Break the Cycle, follows the struggles of twin 16-year-old orphan brothers as they each seek a piece of the American dream. Stokes is co-creating the series with writer-producer Taylor Materne (Hustle), with Chris Pavoni (Supergirl) on board to produce alongside Walk Like A Duck Entertainment. The second series, collegiate sports drama Rocky Top College, centers on an institution of the same name that harbors a dark secret. When the school’s newest recruit joins the team, full of promise and hope for a better life, they set him up on a regimen to dominate on the court. But as waves of anxiety and hallucinations surface,...

Further new titles include ‘The Sopranos’ prequel ‘The Many Saints Of Newark’.

Fourteen new titles are looking to make the most of the last session at the UK-Ireland box office before James Bond film No Time To Die dominates cinemas.

Independent titles such as The Green Knight, Sweetheart, Gagarine and The Man Who Sold His Skin are going up against Warner Bros’ The Many Saints Of Newark, in a truncated week for new titles.

No Time To Die opens on Thursday, September 30, with many cinemas screening the film from 00.01 BST. With projections from Gower Street Analytics that the film will...

Some of the recent Disney life-action remakes - and Aladdin, I am definitely looking at you - are little more than pale imitations of the original animations, losing their charm in translation. But this reimagining of Mulan, thankfully, is up there with David Lowery's Pete's Dragon in finding something fresh to say with the material by jettisoning the songs and the emphasis on comedy in favour of bringing its more emotional and adventurous themes to the fore.

Whale Rider director Niki Caro, draws on the fine martial arts tradition of Chinese wuxia to give this tale of a young woman who disguises herself as a man to save her father from battle an epic sweep. Where the 1998 animation played the gender differences down purely stereotypical lines, and already feels dated in its outlook, this...

Malcolm Marmorstein, screenwriter of the 1970s Disney hits Pete’s Dragon and Return from Witch Mountain and a decade earlier was a key element of the Dark Shadows writing staff when ABC’s gothic soap opera famously introduced vampire character Barnabas Collins, died Saturday in Los Angeles. He was 92.

The cause of death was cancer, his stepdaughter Romy Fleming told Deadline.

A New Jersey native, Marmorstein began his career as a stagehand and stage manager on Broadway, working on such iconic productions as A Streetcar Named Desire with Marlon Brando and Damn Yankees with Gwen Verden.

Before moving to Los Angeles in 1967, Marmorstein began writing for the New York-based soap The Doctors, where he was head writer before being hired away by Dark Shadows creator Dan Curtis in late 1966. During Marmorstein’s early tenure on what was then a failing Jane Eyre-style melodrama, Curtis and his small writing staff began...

Newcomer Alyssa Wapanatâhk has closed a deal to make her feature film debut and play Tiger Lily in Disney’s “Peter Pan & Wendy,” an insider with knowledge of the project told TheWrap. Additionally, insiders add that this version of Tiger Lily is being reimagined for the new film.

Ever Anderson is set to play Wendy while Alexander Molony will play Peter Pan, the famous boy who wouldn’t grow up. “Pete’s Dragon” director David Lowery is directing “Peter Pan & Wendy” from a script he co-wrote with Toby Halbrooks. Jim Whitaker is producing. It was also previously reported that Jude Law was in talks to play Captain Hook. “Black-ish” star Yara Shahidi will be spreading pixie dust in the movie, as she’s set to play Tinker Bell.

Disney adapted J.M. Barrie’s famous novel and play in 1953, and since then, there have been many on-screen adaptations, such as...

The passive voice is crucial to the title of “Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made,” a Disney kid-detective caper with a clear enough moral: that owning your errors and apologizing for them is an essential part of growing up. If any individual mistakes have been made in the film itself, however, they’re as hard to pick out as any particular flourishes of inspiration: This wholesome, gently paced adaptation of cartoonist Stephan Pastis’ quirkier children’s book (the first in a bestselling series) feels more or less assembled by committee. That’s to be expected from an all-ages diversion intended for mass consumption on the Disney+ platform. It’s more surprising, however, coming from independent writer-director Tom McCarthy. In his first feature since 2015’s Oscar victor “Spotlight,” the quiet humanity of McCarthy’s filmmaking meshes oddly with the material’s zanier demands, finally reaching an anodyne middle ground.

“Timmy Failure” isn...

It is surely going to be a very busy spring for Disney, as we are eagerly anticipating the upcoming live-action remakes of both “The Little Mermaid” and “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”, as well as ‘Mulan” which is set to hit theaters on March 25th. We can now add another live-action remake film to the list, as Disney is planning to release “Peter Pan and Wendy”, not to be confused with “Wendy” by director Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild) to be released in 2020 as well. The upcoming Disney remake will be written and directed by David Lowery, assisted by Toby Halbrooks. The pair already made the live-action version of Pete’s Dragon for the studio. Thus far there have been no casting announcements revealed for the project, however, filming is set to begin in April. It has also not been revealed whether or not “Peter Pan and Wendy...

“It was so special to work on Fred’s film,” proclaims “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” production designer Jade Healy, who got to help “carry his message and create his world. It meant a lot.” Watch our exclusive video interview with Healy above.

See Noah Harpster and Micah Fitzerman-Blue Interview: ‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’ screenwriters

Tom Hanks stars in Marielle Heller‘s film as Fred Rogers, host of the iconic children’s TV show “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.” The Tristar release examines how his message of love and forgiveness affects the life of Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys), a fictionalized version of journalist Tom Junod who wrote a profile of Rogers for Esquire magazine in 1998.

Healy wanted her work to both “get his message across” and “recreate his world accurately.” It was important “to make sure that the neighborhood and his stage set were going to be exactly right...

Remakes have been a part of the studio machine since at least as far back as 1904 when the groundbreaking “The Great Train Robbery” was reshot and resold. In the century-plus that followed, remakes have gotten a bad name for themselves and, to some, are indicative of the creative vacancy of the mainstream entertainment industry. But look closer and you’ll find that many filmmakers are doing wonderful things by taking old stories and making them new again, either by adding visual flair or injecting nuance where, perhaps, there was little to be found before. Some of the best movies of the last decade were remakes. And these, we dare say, were the 10 best.

Runners-Up (alphabetically): “About Last Night” (2014), “Benji” (2018), “The Crazies” (2010), “Frankenweenie” (2012), “Ghostbusters” (2016), “The Jungle Book” (2016), “Murder on the Orient Express” (2017), “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” (2013), “A Star Is Born” (2018), “We Are What We Are” (2013)

10. “Let Me In...

Appropos of nothing let's celebrate Helen Reddy's 75th Birthday today! The Pete's Dragon star (the original not this year's remake) was an Australian pop star who had a ton of hits in the 1970s. The only one that gets much airplay today is "I Am Woman" which still shows up in movies and on TV for an instant time capsule. You know how some songs become cultural shorthand. For a time Reddy was a movie and TV presence, too, including at awards shows -- and you know how we love those here at The Film Experience. She was Golden Globe nominated as "Most Promising Newcomer" a now defunct category for the disaster flick Airport '75 and she sang multiple movie theme songs, too!

Let's look back at 10 moments from her TV/Movie history just for kicks and star sightings...

Pete's Dragon is coming home on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD!

“Pete’s Dragon,” a reimagining of Disney’s cherished family film centered on an orphaned boy named Pete and his best friend Elliot -- who just so happens to be a dragon -- comes home on Nov. 29 on Digital HD, Blu-ray™, Disney Movies Anywhere, DVD and On-Demand. Families will be captivated by this magical movie followed by never-before-seen bonus features, including a revealing look at director David Lowery’s personal diary kept during the filming of “Pete’s Dragon,” the design process behind the lovable dragon Elliot, deleted scenes, a tour of the film’s breathtaking production location of New Zealand, audio commentary by filmmakers and actors and hilarious bloopers. "Pete's Dragon" stars Bryce Dallas Howard ("Jurassic World") as Grace, a forest ranger in the Pacific Northwest who happens upon 10-year-old Pete, played by Oakes Fegley ("This is Where I Leave You...

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.

Fox's Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children has debuted on top of the box office, with long-weekend takings of $4.8 million. Tim Burton's latest has knocked off The Secret Life of Pets, which fell 7 per cent to bring in $3.99 million. The Universal title now sits on $25.1 million after four weeks. Just an inch behind Pets was Sony's The Magnificent Seven, which debuted on 250 screens and made $3.98 million. The long weekend saw Warner Bros' Storks soar, with its takings of $2.3 million up 31 per cent on last week's debut. The animated film has now made $5.2 million overall. Bridget Jones's Baby took a tumble this week, falling 33 per cent to ring up $2.16 million. Now on screens for three weeks, the Universal film sits just shy of $14 million. Roadshow's Sully also fell, down 25 per cent on last week with takings of $1.4 million. The Clint Eastwood film has now made $11.2 million after four weeks.

Shia Labeouf is on the cover of Variety, and nestled among his introspective comments about his personal and professional trajectory are some unexpected thoughts about Steven Spielberg. The actor, who worked with the vaunted filmmaker on the “Transformers” franchise (which Spielberg produced) and “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” (which he directed), says that “I don’t like the movies that I made with Spielberg.”

Read More: ‘American Honey’ Trailer: Sasha Lane & Shia Labeouf Wreak Havoc Across the Heartland in Andrea Arnold’s Cannes Prizewinner

“The only movie that I liked that we made together was ‘Transformers’ one,” adds Laboeuf. During his recent #AllMyMovies performance, in which the actor live-streamed himself watching every single movie he’d appeared in, he left during the second installment in the toy-based series of films directed by Michael Bay. “You get there, and you realize you’re not meeting the Spielberg you dream of,...

There's been a bit of confusion in the media as of late about the performance of this year's crop of summer movies. Pieces abound about the so-called dismal state of the season, and yet when you look at it purely from a numbers perspective, 2016 actually ranks as the second-best summer ever in terms of domestic box office (2013 remains firmly in first place). So why all the doomsaying? First, let's take a look at a list of this summer's out-and-out "flops" -- a designation that can roughly be judged by measuring a film's budget-to-gross ratio. Historically, for a title to be deemed "profitable" it has to have made at least two times its production budget, and by that measure, the last four months have produced a total of six outright box office failures. They are: Star Trek Beyond Budget: $185 million Worldwide gross: $285 million Ghostbusters Budget: $144 million Worldwide gross: $219 million Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles...

Here's your estimated 4-day box office returns (new releases bolded): 1. Don't Breathe - $19.5 million ($54.9 million total) 2. Suicide Squad - $12.8 million ($300.2 million total) 3. Pete's Dragon - $8.583 million ($66.3 million total) 4. Kubo and the Two Strings - $8.537 million ($36.3 million total) 5. Sausage Party - $6.5 million ($89.6 million total) 6. War Dogs - $6.02 million ($36.5 million total) 7. Bad Moms - $6.0 million ($103.7 million total) 8. The Light Between Oceans - $5.9 million ($5.9 million total) 9. Hell or High Water - $5.6 million ($15.7 million total) 10. Mechanic: Resurrection - $5.5 million ($15.6 million total)   The Big Stories As Labor Day weekends go, it certainly is not one to write home about. Audiences showed...

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comScore today announced the official worldwide weekend box office estimates for the weekend of September 4, 2016, as compiled by the company's theatrical measurement services.

As the trusted official standard for real-time worldwide box office reporting, comScore provides the only theater-level reporting in the world. Customers are able to analyze admissions and gross results around the world using comScore's suite of products.

comScore's Senior Media Analyst Paul Dergarabedian commented:

"Paramount's 'Star Trek Beyond' beamed up an out of this world opening of $31.3 million in China for an overall international weekend of $37 million in 40 markets, thus propelling its international total to $131.1 million and its global cumulative to $285.3 million."

The top 12 worldwide weekend box office estimates, listed in descending order, per data collected as of Sunday, September 4, are below.

1. Star Trek Beyond - Paramount Pictures - $39.5M

2. Suicide Squad - Warner Bros. - $21.8M

3. Don't Breathe - Sony - $21.M

4. Secret Life Of Pets,...

Labor Day weekend is sending the Summer 2016 movie season out with more of a whimper than a bang, but that isn't to say there aren't performances that stand out. While the weekend's two new wide releases*The Light Between Oceans and Morgan*failed to have much of an impact on the overall weekend, Sony's horror/thriller Don't Breathe became only the second horror film to top the weekend box office two weekends in a row since 2014. On top of that, Bad Moms has now crossed the $100 million mark domestically, Suicide Squad will soon top $300 million and The Secret Life of Pets moved up another notch on the all-time animated list while Finding Dory continued to pad its lead. With an estimated $15.7 million three-day weekend Screen Gems' Don't Breathe finished atop the box office for a second weekend in a row with a drop of just 41% as its cume now...

2016-09-06T12:17:16-07:00Weekend Box Office: 'Morgan' Crashes, 'Don't Breathe' Reigns

No one expected the Labor Day weekend to be especially lucrative for any of the movies currently in theaters, but the holiday turned out to be even worse than predicted for several films. One of the week's new releases had an especially rough weekend, and the week's top movie remained the same as it was last week.

The highest-grossing movie of the week was Don't Breathe, the home-invasion thriller that also took the top spot last weekend. The film was on track to take in about $17 million over the four-day holiday weekend, a respectably strong hold from last weekend's $26-million take. Even before the beginning of the weekend, Don't Breathe had already earned nearly $40 million domestically. Not bad for a movie with a $10-million production budget.

For the second weekend in a row,...

Saturday Morning Update: With an estimated $4.2 million Don't Breathe is right on track to become the first horror film to top the weekend box office two weeks in a row since Ouija did it back in 2014. The film is looking to crack upwards of $14-15 million for the three-day with a chance at $18 million for the four day. In second is Suicide Squad, continuing its journey to $300 million domestic with another second place finish around $10 million for the three-day and $13-14 million for the four-day after an estimated $2.24 million on Friday from 3,292 theaters. As for the weekend's two new wide releases, neither is faring well. Dreamworks' The Light Between Oceans pulled in an estimated $1.35 million on Friday from 1,500 theaters, heading toward a three-day weekend around $4.6 million and a four-day around $6 million. Looking even worse is Fox's Morgan, which won't even crack the weekend top ten after an estimated $615,000 on Friday from 2,020 theaters,...

Here's your estimated 3-day box office returns (new releases bolded): 1. Don't Breathe - $26.1 million ($26.1 million total) 2. Suicide Squad - $12.1 million ($282.8 million total) 3. Kubo and the Two Strings - $7.9 million ($24.9 million total) 4. Sausage Party - $7.6 million ($80.0 million total) 5. Mechanic: Resurrection - $7.5 million ($7.5 million total) 6. Pete's Dragon - $7.28 million ($54.7 million total) 7. War Dogs - $7.25 million ($27.7 million total) 8. Bad Moms - $5.7 million ($95.4 million total) 9. Jason Bourne - $5.2 million ($149.3 million total) 10. Ben-Hur - $4.5 million ($19.5 million total) The Big Stories It may be the dog days of summer but no one told the horror crowd that. A couple weeks ago I speculated whether or not we...

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comScore today announced the official worldwide weekend box office estimates for the weekend of August 28, 2016, as compiled by the company's theatrical measurement services.

As the trusted official standard for real-time worldwide box office reporting, comScore provides the only theater-level reporting in the world. Customers are able to analyze admissions and gross results around the world using comScore's suite of products.

comScore's Senior Media Analyst Paul Dergarabedian commented, "The box office is 'Bourne' again in China as Universal's 'Jason Bourne' is the No. 1 film there this week and by virtue of this performance is pushed to the number one spot globally with $62 million over the weekend.  Having opened in China on Tuesday, the box office through Sunday is an impressive $50 millionand has already passed the lifetime box office of all the Bourne films in this all-important moviegoing territory."

The top 12 worldwide weekend box office estimates, listed in descending order, per data collected as of Sunday,...

2016-08-28T10:44:14-07:00Weekend Box Office: 'Don't Breathe' Wins Final Weekend of Summer

The last weekend of summer delivered a new top movie after three straight weekends of Suicide Squad taking the top spot at the box office. The result wasn't surprising in terms of the movies in the top spot, but the margin by which the newcomer earned the win was unexpected.

The winner of the week was Don't Breathe, the home-invasion horror thriller about a group of young thieves who plan to rob a helpless blind man, only to discover that their target is not at all helpless. The young criminals' fight for their lives forms the core of the scary story.

Don't Breathe was projected in most predictive models to earn somewhere between $10 and $15 million for the weekend, a total that would have put it in a tight race with Suicide Squad for the number-one slot.

With the 2016 summer movie season all but officially over, plenty of movie bloggers/journalists have been quick to say this past summer has been rather lackluster for film. I would argue otherwise – while some of the blockbusters have crashed and burned at the box office, this past weekend Suicide Squad and Sausage Party still performed strong at the box office. Marvel's Captain America: Civil War and Disney's Pete's Dragon were highlights of the summer as well. So why all the “doom & gloom”? That's likely because most audiences never really gave some of the best films of summer 2016 a chance. There were quite a few hidden gems out there waiting to be seen, if you were brave enough to give them your time (and money). It may not be entirely the audience's fault, though. One of the best films of the summer, Star Trek Beyond, had a very mediocre first trailer...

Director Sam Mendes in early conversations to come aboard a live action version of “James and the Giant Peach[/link]” for Disney, Deadline reports. Nick Hornby is writing the screenplay for the adaptation of Roald Dahl’s 1961 children’s novel.

Henry Selick previously directed the 1996 animated feature “James and the Giant Peach” for Walt Disney Animation. The film grossed $28.9 million domestically, according to Box Office Mojo. Dahl’s story follows an orphan living with his two cruel aunts when he meets and befriends a group human-like bugs living inside a giant peach. Together, they embark on a trip to New York City.

Mendes’ latest feature directing job was last year’s James Bond film “Spectre,” his second of the franchise after 2012’s “Skyfall.” He has stated publicly that he’s done with the Bond franchise, however. Other projects listed as “in development” on IMDb Pro for Mendes include the drama-thriller “The...

Ryan Lambie Aug 26, 2016

Director Sam Mendes could be going from Bond to Dahl with a live action adaptation of James And The Giant Peach for Disney...

It's 20 years since the release of Henry Selick's adaptation of Roald Dahl's James And The Giant Peach - a sweet and sometimes macabre fantasy brought to life with a charming mix of live-action and stop-motion animation. The movie wasn't a huge hit, but it remains a beautifully-crafted highlight in Selick's career.

Disney certainly hasn't forgotten about James Henry Trotter and his adventures aboard a giant, floating peach; the Dahl story is set to be the latest in a string of live-action adaptations, which has so far in cluded the likes of Maleficent and this year's The Jungle Book. According to Variety, American Beauty, Skyfall and Spectre director Sam Mendes is in talks to direct a new James And The Giant Peach, with...

This summer has brought its share of successful blockbuster entertainment (The Conjuring 2, Central Intelligence, Finding Dory, Ghostbusters, Star Trek Beyond, Jason Bourne, Kubo and the Two Strings), unexpected pleasures (The Shallows, The Infiltrator, Lights Out, Pete's Dragon, Sausage Party, Ben-Hur)  and movies that didn't quite live up to expectations (Independence Day: Resurgence, Suicide Squad). What will the fall bring? In a nationwide poll conducted by Fandango, moviegoers revealed their most anticipated movies of the upcoming season. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them topped the list, which is really no surprise, in view of the continuing popularity of the Harry Potter universe created by J.K. Rowling. The new movie may be a prequel, taking place...

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Saturday Am Update: With an estimated $10 million on Friday, Screen Gems' Don't Breathe took the #1 spot with ease and will breeze through to a weekend win around $22 million. Meanwhile, Jason Statham's Mechanic: Resurrection pulled in an estimated $2.6 million on Friday and is expected to bring in $6.5-7 million for the three-day weekend. Roadside and Miramar's Southside with You brought in approximately $1 million on Friday and is expected to bring in $2.6-3 million for the weekend while the Weinstein's Hands of Stone brought in an estimated $624k and should finish right around $1.5-1.8 for the three day. You can check out our chart of Friday estimates right here and we'll be back tomorrow morning with a full recap of the weekend. Friday Am Update: Screen Gems and Stage 6 Films' Don't Breathe brought in $1.875 million from Thursday night screenings in ~2,500 theaters. This is just ahead of the $1.8 million Lights Out...

Here's your estimated 3-day box office returns (new releases bolded): 1. Suicide Squad - $20.7 million ($262.2 million total) 2. Sausage Party - $15.3 million ($65.3 million total) 3. War Dogs - $14.3 million ($14.3 million total) 4. Kubo and the Two Strings - $12.6 million ($12.6 million total) 5. Ben-Hur - $11.35 million ($11.35 million total) 6. Pete's Dragon - $11.33 million ($42.8 million total) 7. Bad Moms - $8.0 million ($85.0 million total) 8. Jason Bourne - $7.9 million ($140.8 million total) 9. The Secret Life of Pets - $5.7 million ($346.7 million total) 10. Florence Foster Jenkins - $4.3 million ($14.4 million total) The Big Stories The dog days of summer are most certainly here. Numbers are down. Openings are soft. Unless Don't Breathe...

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The Ben-Hur remake has flopped with an overwhelmingly disappointing $11 million opening weekend. THR reports the film was budgeted at $100 million and finished fifth, just ahead of Pete's Dragon this weekend. The film was outshined by Suicide Squad (in its third week), Kubo and the Two Strings, War Dogs, and Sausage Party, which all finished ahead of it.

I assume they were trying to pull in lovers of old Hollywood and an older movie-going audience who may not see some of the aforementioned films, but it doesn't look like that plan was too successful. While the film did majorly flop in America, it did pull in about $30 million internationally, so there could be hope yet it makes its money back. They won't be getting my money, but what about you? ...

comScore today announced the official worldwide weekend box office estimates for the weekend of August 21, 2016, as compiled by the company's theatrical measurement services.

As the trusted official standard for real-time worldwide box office reporting, comScore provides the only theater-level reporting in the world. Customers are able to analyze admissions and gross results around the world using comScore's suite of products.

comScore's Senior Media Analyst Paul Dergarabedian commented,"'Suicide Squad,' the Warner Bros./DC Comics anti-superhero film, easily crosses the $500 million mark worldwide with $572.7 million earned through this weekend.  Other notable entries on the chart include the $10.7 million international debut for Paramount's remake of the epic 'Ben-Hur' and $6.5 million earned in the international territories for another newcomer, Warner Bros.' comedy 'War Dogs.'"

The top 12 worldwide weekend box office estimates, listed in descending order, per data collected as of Sunday, August 21, are below.

1. Suicide Squad - Warner Bros....

2016-08-21T10:00:45-07:00Weekend Box Office: 'Ben-Hur' Bombs Big, 'Suicide Squad' Repeats

This weekend at the box office was expected to be a weak one for the week's new releases, and in that respect, the weekend went exactly as projected. The new release with the biggest budget turned out to be arguably the biggest flop of the summer, but the other two movies performed well enough to challenge the strongest of the hold-overs from last week.

The big news story of the weak was the spectacular failure of the historical epic Ben-Hur. The flashy adventure flick from the director of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter came to theaters with a production budget of about $100 million and very little pre-release interest from moviegoers. MGM and Paramount, the movie's co-producing studios, promoted the film as a faith-based story in an effort to draw Christian moviegoers to theaters,...

It's a repeat at the top of the domestic box office as Suicide Squad and Sausage Party finished one and two respectively for a second weekend in a row and serving as the third straight weekend at number one for the DC Comics adaptation. The rest of the top five is made up of the weekend's three new wide releases*War Dogs, Kubo and the Two Strings and Ben-Hur*as this weekend's top twelve was down 25% from last weekend, though, compared to last year, the top twelve is up nearly 30% with a combined gross of just over $118 million. As already mentioned, with an estimated $20.7 million Suicide Squad took the number one spot at the weekend box office. The film's domestic cume is now up to $262.28 million, ranking fifth among all DC Comics adaptations. Internationally the film added another $38 million this weekend bringing its international total to $310.4 million for a worldwide cume totaling $572.68 million,...

If you haven’t seen “Stranger Things,” what are you waiting for? If you’re currently watching the hit Netflix series and haven’t finished it, you might want to turn away because there are some major spoilers ahead.

You’ve been warned…

Read More: ‘Stranger Things’ Star Discusses The Cult Surrounding Her Character, Barb

For those binge-watchers who devoured the first season of the sci-fi series created by Matt and Ross Duffer, you might know that the internet has a major crush on Barb (Shannon Purser), Nancy’s (Natalia Dyer) nerdy, but uber cool and independent best friend who suffers a tragic death.

While many hoped that she would be brought back alive from the Upside Down, that wasn’t the case. Now, it’s definitely looking like Barb’s fate isn’t looking so good in a potential second season.

Netflix has yet to confirm a second season for “Stranger Things,...

Three new wide releases are hitting theaters this weekend with Focus Features' and Laika's stop-motion animated project Kubo and the Two Strings serving as the widest debut of the lot. Fellow openers include Warner Bros' War Dogs and Paramount's Ben-Hur, though none of this weekend's new releases are likely to find themselves atop the box office. The DC Comics adaptation Suicide Squad is looking to threepeat as the weekend's #1 film while Sony's R-rated animated feature Sausage Party hopes to hold off Kubo for a second weekend in the runner-up position. Overall this weekend should be yet another improvement over the same weekend last year with the top twelve pulling in around $120 million altogether. Before we get to the weekend's new releases we'll begin with a couple of carryovers, starting with Suicide Squad, which, along with 19 other wide release films in 2016, dropped over 60% in its second weekend. Of those 20 films,...

All this week, IndieWire will be rolling out our annual Fall Preview, including offerings that span genres, a close examination of some of the year’s biggest breakouts, all the awards contenders you need to know about now and special attention to all the new movies you need to get through a jam-packed fall movie-going season. Check back every day for a new look at the best the season has to offer, and clear your schedule, because we’re going to fill it right up.

“White Girl,” September 2

Writer-director Elizabeth Wood exploded onto the filmmaking scene when her controversial debut “White Girl” shocked audiences at the Sundance Film Festival. A fearless portrait of young female sexuality, the film stars “Homeland’s” Morgan Saylor as Leah, a college student who becomes involved with a young drug dealer during the last two weeks of summer in New York City. When the cops...