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“Venom: The Last Dance” (Sony) was the default #1 with a $16.2 million gross. That’s an uninspiring number for the top spot, but the threequel now stands at $394 million worldwide and predecessor “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” totaled $507 million. “Dance” could do the same.

The modestly budgeted “Heretic” (A24) and “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” (Lionsgate) are battling for a #2 slot that won’t be certain until Sunday’s actuals come in. Both did around $11 million, a bit over projections.

However, the most noteworthy aspect of the box office on this post-election weekend is that the top 20 is so wildly eclectic that it’s quite possible even the most committed cinematic completist will never see them all.

That’s all the more strange with Veteran’s Day on Monday, making this a four-day weekend for many. Usually that encourages major studios to place their top films, but studios held back due...

Based on a story by cartoonist Berkeley Breathed, Hitpig is an animated comedy from British studio Ani venture. We meet Hitpig, a bounty hunter pig who has a change of heart after being hired to capture dancing elephant Pickles from her abusive circus owner employer, the eccentric Leapin’ Lord.

Directed by David Feiss and Cinzia Angelini, the film explores Hitpig and Pickles bonding on a whimsical journey that challenges Hitpig’s views on friendship, compassion, and his career choices.

Jason Sudeikis lends his voice to the gruff yet good-hearted Hitpig. Kids will love the hilarious performances from Rainn Wilson as the unhinged Leapin’ Lord and RuPaul as a flatulent polecat. The movie’s intended audience is young children, incorporating heartfelt messages about kindness alongside silly humor and colorful characters.

In this review, we’ll take a look at the plot and how Hitpig and Pickles’ relationship develops. We’ll examine...

As Americans prepare to watch the election next week, they seem less inclined to watch the movies. Theaters are seeing a somewhat muted weekend to start November, with the widest new release, Robert Zemeckis and Tom Hanks’ time-warping drama “Here,” now coming in behind the already slim projections it had going into the weekend.

The Miramax-financed production grossed $1.94 million from 2,647 locations across Friday and preview screenings, now on pace for an opening weekend around $5.1 million. It’s a disappointing sum for “Here,” which carries a production budget around $45 million. Sony’s TriStar is handling distribution after acquiring rights to the film.

The hope for “Here” is that the reunion between Zemeckis, Hanks and fellow “Forrest Gump” star Robin Wright could reach an older audience. Written by “Gump” scribe Eric Roth, adapting Richard McGuire’s acclaimed graphic novel, the film sees Zemeckis using cutting-edge technology again, with lots of de-aging effects on his actors.

At your local theater, you might’ve seen a gaudy-looking poster for a generic, cheap-looking animated film called Hitpig! If you were wondering if it was somehow good, I’m here to tell you that it’s exactly what you’d expect: a dumb, annoying, and predictable animated comedy without much going for it.

Hitpig! Review

Hitpig! follows a down-on-his-luck bounty-hunting pig, played by Jason Sudeikis, tasked to return an elephant (Lilly Singh) for a million-dollar payday. Hilarity ensues. Along the way, the two mismatched allies meet a wide variety of adversaries that threaten their mission and make it all the more ridiculous.

With a screenplay from three separate writers and two directors, it’s unsurprising that this story is all types of messy. We’re introduced to the titular Hitpig years after his caretaker was brutally murdered by a crocodile. It’s a weird way to start, and it...

The holiday movie season may be getting off to a slow start over the next few weeks, but that’s not due to the lack of star power or Oscar hopefuls. Read on for Gold Derby’s box office preview.

What’s a little strange about this November kick-off weekend is that there are not one, not two, but three movies from filmmakers who have directed movies that won Best Picture at the Oscars. And yet, only one of them is getting a wide theatrical release and is bound to report box office.

That movie is “Here,” based on the graphic novel by Richard McGuire. It reunites “Forrest Gump” director Robert Zemeckis with two of his stars, Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, as well as Oscar-winning screenwriter Eric Roth, for a unique family drama that essentially keeps the camera in place to show the events of a specific Philly location over time.

Sony will own the first weekend of November at the box office, with the second frame of the Culver City lot’s Venom: The Last Dance down around 60%, or $20 million, for No. 1, followed by the studio’s release of Miramax’s adult drama Here.

Here, which reps the Forrest Gump reteam of filmmaker Robert Zemeckis, scribe Eric Roth and stars Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, is expected to do around $7M with an eye on hopefully pulling older adults out again this weekend after they made a date for Focus Features’ Conclave last weekend ($6.6M opening).

It remains to be seen whether Here slots in second place, giving Sony the frame’s 1-2 punch.

The question is whether audiences will go along with watching a generations drama story about various families on the same property/house at a skewed-degree angle. Hanks and Wright are technologically de-aged to their former 1980s/1990s selves,...

Finding pop and rock superstardom led Isabella Summers on an exciting journey. While the co-founder of Florence & the Machine (and current member), Summers helped break the band into the mainstream. With the world lifting Florence & The Machine to superstardom, new opportunities came knocking. Hitpig, a new animated film, continues Summers’s career in film and television. After a few hits, the singer/songwriter takes on the world of animation with the new action comedy. She sat down with FandomWire to discuss the exciting transition and the power of seeing her music on screen.

Adding levity to an animated action comedy.

Summers proves how excited she is to talk about Hitpig. “When I got invited to score this, I was like, ‘Hell yeah.’ This was my chance to be John Williams!” she exclaimed. “It’s basically Pigs in Space, and we’re doing Star Wars. Everyone got on board with that.

We’re a long way from the world of 1990s animation. New animation houses emerged with a splintering at Disney and the rise of Cartoon Network. Two animators who benefited from this world were Cinzia Angelini and David Feiss — the directors of the new release Hitpig. While Angelini found a home at DreamWorks, Feiss created Cartoon Cartoon hits Cow & Chicken and I Am Weasel. With Hitpig, the two animators-turned-directors have an opportunity to create a project that blends modern technology with nineties humor. Both Angelini and Feiss sat down with FandomWire to discuss their new film, the importance of independent animation, and adding Jason Sudeikis to Hitpig at the last minute.

Angelini and Feiss Began in 2D Animation

Both Angelini and Feiss began their careers in the world of 2D animation. Angelini contributed to 90s classics like Balto and Quest for Camelot before finding homes at Dreamworks. Meanwhile, Feiss...

“Hitpig” is a new science fiction animated feature, directed by Cinzia Angelini and David Feiss, based on author Berkeley Breathed’s 2008 book “Pete & Pickles”, following a bounty hunter pig, starring Jason Sudeikis, Lilly Singh, Rainn Wilson, Anitta, Hannah Gadsby and Charlie Adler, releasing November 1, 2024 in theaters:

“…in a futuristic cyberpunk world, ‘Hitpig’, a bounty hunter pig, sets out to capture an elephant named ‘Pickles’, but ends up finding themselves on a criss-crossing world adventure…”

Click the images to enlarge…...

"Don't ever run away again!" Viva Pictures has unveiled an official trailer for a wacky new animated movie called Hitpig!, produced by Aniventure. This weird British-Canadian animated comedy will be hitting US theaters in November this fall. While it sounds similar to Hit-Monkey, it's not really the same, because this one isn't about a hitman pig (unfortunately - would've been cool). In a futuristic cyberpunk world, Hitpig, a bounty hunter pig, sets out to capture an elephant named Pickles, but ends up finding themselves on a criss-crossing world adventure. Based on Berkeley Breathed's 2008 children's book "Pete & Pickles". Starring the voices of Jason Sudeikis as Hitpig, Lilly Singh, Rainn Wilson, Anitta, RuPaul, Hannah Gadsby, and Charlie Adler. How is this even a real concept for a movie? Clearly it's about setting animals free from circuses and zoos, but involving a bounty hunter pig who realizes money isn't worth it? Okay,...

For nine seasons, The Office, the mocumentary-style comedic television show about a paper distributor located in the humble Scranton, Pa has produced years of laughs and memorable content. We have probably worked with some of the employee caricatures represented at Dunder Mifflin at one time or another. We have the office romance, drama, and situations that we'd often envied.

I mean who wouldn't want a goofy, idiotic boss to work for? Who wouldn't want to be a witness to the office couple whose relationship is less stable than a Jenga set? Who would want to watch the office comedian constantly get one over on the office rat? Today we are going to be looking at the cast back when the show first premiered on March 24, 2005.

Steve Carell as Michael Scott The Office -- "Did I Stutter" Episode #4016 -- Airdate 05/01/2008 -- Pictured: Steve Carell as Michael Scott (Photo by Chris Haston...

Exclusive: Viva Pictures has acquired U.S. rights to Hitpig!, a new animated feature starring Ted Lasso‘s Jason Sudeikis, for release in theaters nationwide on November 1. Check out a trailer for the film above.

Based on the New York Times bestseller Pete & Pickles from Berkeley Breathed, the film follows a clever bounty hunting pig (Sudeikis) who catches escaped animals and returns them to their owners. The next job for Hitpig is his biggest yet: returning a dancing elephant named Pickles (Lilly Singh) to a maniacal Vegas showman (Rainn Wilson), for a million bucks. The mission quickly escalates into a wild adventure around the world, and when danger looms, it’s up to Hitpig to save the day, though he can’t do it alone. Eventually, he must realize that some things are more important than a paycheck, coming to discover that friends are the greatest bounty of all.

Produced by Aniventure,...

Updated with new release date: Sony said Tuesday that it will now open Miramax’s Here, the reteam of Forrest Gump filmmaker Robert Zemeckis and its stars Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, on November 1. It’s the only studio theatrical release going wide on that day after Samuel Goldwyn’s Liam Neeson title Absolution, Viva’s animated Hitpig and the George Huang-directed Luke Evans movie Weekend in Taipei. There’s been no buzz that Here will land a place at the fall’s film festival troika of Toronto, Venice and Telluride.

Previously, June 21: Sony said Friday that its new film Here, reuniting the director, writer, and stars of the classic Forrest Gump, will open wide via TriStar Pictures on November 15.

Previously, the film had been scheduled for an exclusive run in Los Angeles in New York on that date, with a limited and wide release to follow on November 22 and November 27, respectively.

The UK’s Gfm Animation is handling international sales on family animation HitPig, that features a starry voice cast including Jason Sudeikis in the titular role, alongside Lilly Singh, RuPaul, Hannah Gadsby and Rainn Wilson.

It’s based on Pulitzer Prize winning author Berkeley Breathed’s characters, with HitPig a rugged pig bounty hunter who makes his living catching escaped animals for big cash. His next target is a naïve, free-spirited elephant who has escaped the clutches of an evil showman. Soon, an unlikely partnership is forged.

Producers are Adam Nagle and Dave Rosenbaum of Aniventure, alongside CG animation by Cinesite.

Argentina, 1985 Leads 2023 Platino Awards Nominations

Santiago Miter’s political thriller Argentina, 1985 leads this year’s Platino awards nominations with 14 nods, including Best Director, Screenplay, and Best Ibero-American Fiction Film. Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s latest pic Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths trails with six nominations alongside Spanish filmmaker Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s The Beasts and Lullaby by Alauda Ruiz De Azúa. On the TV side, the Colombian series Noticia de un kidnapping also notched six noms. This year’s Platino awards take place on April 22 at the Ifema Municipal Palace in Madrid. Check out the full list of nominations here.

Aniventure Taps CAA animation specialist Joe Della Rosa

Aniventure, the London-based family-focused animation company behind productions such as Riverdance: The Animated Adventure and Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank, has appointed CAA veteran Joe Della Rosa as its chief commercial officer. Della Rosa will oversee sales and the...

“The Batman” star Andy Serkis is set to direct an animated adaptation of George Orwell’s classic novel “Animal Farm.”

Serkis is directing the feature at animation and VFX studio Cinesite (“Riverdance: The Animated Adventure”) from a screenplay by Nick Stoller.

“The challenging journey to bring this extraordinary story to the screen has been finally rewarded by the opportunity to partner with the brilliant team at Aniventure and Cinesite,” Serkis said. “Together we hope to make our version of Orwell’s ever relevant masterpiece, emotionally powerful, humorous, and relatable for all ages. A tale not only for our times, but for generations to come.”

Connie Thompson will produce alongside Adam Nagle, Dave Rosenbaum and Imaginarium’s Jonathan Cavendish and Serkis.

Nagle added: “Ever since 1945, when George Orwell first published ‘Animal Farm,’ the story has remained relevant and a key instrument in understanding how the world works. Andy has had a...