ENTERTAINMENT

Ridley Scott's long-awaited sequel, Gladiator II, has charged into the global box office, earning $87 million USD in its opening weekend across 63 markets. This epic debut marks Paramount Pictures' biggest international R-rated opening and Scott's strongest overseas launch, surpassing previous hits like The Martian and the original Gladiator.Two decades after the Oscar-winning first film, the sequel chronicles the protagonist's quest to restore Rome's glory while battling in the Colosseum's brutal arena. The star-studded cast includes Pedro Pascal and Denzel Washington, with Washington's performance already drawing Oscar buzz.The film dominated key markets, collecting $11.4 million USD in the United Kingdom, $10.3 million USD in France, and $5.6 million USD in Spain. IMAX and other premium...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has named Conan O'Brien as the host of the 97th Academy Awards.The comedian, host and writer is set to take over hosting duties from Jimmy Kimmel, who served as the Oscars host for two years straight. “America demanded it and now it’s happening: Taco Bell’s new Cheesy Chalupa Supreme. In other news, I’m hosting the Oscars,” O'Brien said in a humorous statement.“We are thrilled and honored to have the incomparable Conan O’Brien host the Oscars this year,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang added in a joint statement. “He is the perfect person to help lead our global celebration of film with his brilliant humor, his love of movies and his live TV expertise. His remarkable ability to connect with audiences will bring viewers togeth...

Pamela Anderson takes on one of her most emotionally charged roles in The Last Showgirl, a new drama directed by Gia Coppola. The film follows Shelly, a veteran Las Vegas showgirl forced to confront her future after her long-running show abruptly closes.Set against the vibrant yet bittersweet backdrop of Sin City, Anderson portrays Shelly's journey as she grapples with life beyond the stage. The film features an original song by Miley Cyrus titled "Beautiful That Way," adding an emotional dimension to the narrative.Other notable cast members include Jamie Lee Curtis, who portrays Annette, Shelly’s best friend and confidante; Dave Bautista as Shelly's manager and ex-lover; Brenda Song, Kiernan Shipka alongside Billie Lourd, who plays Shelly’s daughter.The Last Showgirl will premiere in thea...

Sophie Turner has a new project up her sleeve and this time, the Game of Thrones alumni is set to lead Amazon Prime Video's new Tomb Raider series. Variety has confirmed that the Turner is slated to star as the lead role of Lara Croft in the Phoebe Waller-Bridge-produced series.While the deal has not been fully closed just yet, Turner is set to be the titular tomb raider. The Waller-Bridge series was greenlit at the streamer earlier this year under her overall deal with Amazon. She is set to write and executive produce. Turner becomes the latest actress in the long list of high-profile celebrities who have taken on the role of Lara Croft. The series first originated as a video game and gained great popularity over the years. Previously, Angelina Jolie and Alicia Vikander took on the role o...

Cameron Diaz comes out of 11-year acting retirement with a new Netflix spy film with Jamie Foxx titled Back in Action. The streamer dropped the first official teaser trailer of the film, which is slated to arrive at the beginning of next year.In 2022, Hypebeast reported on Diaz's return to acting. Foxx had uploaded a phone conversation between himself and Diaz as they dialled in Tom Brady to help her "un-retire." The Back in Action project was announced in mid-2022 and production began later that year. Now, two years later, the comedic thriller finally has a set release date.The film follows Diaz as Foxx as they star as they portray a retired CIA agent couple named Emily and Matt. As the find themselves in the suburbs, they are also brought back into the field of action, exhilarated at ret...

Lady Gaga is keeping the momentum going in Hollywood. According to Variety, the publication has learned from sources close to the production of Netflix's Wednesday, that season two will see a cameo from the singer.While it is currently uncertain what exactly Gaga's role will be in the next season, sources have revealed that originally the production team wanted Gaga for a much larger role, though it ultimately did not work out. The second season of the show is currently filming in Ireland. Gaga's role in Wednesday would mark her most recent acting project to date. The Wednesday news come after the actor starred opposite of Joaquin Phoenix in Joker: Folie à Deux. She has been previously nominated for an Academy Award for best actress for A Star Is Born and has been nominated three times for...

Last week was big for Marvel. At its debut D23 event in Brazil, Kevin Feige showed up to speak of the future of Blade, the titular vampire slayer. Blade, the film, has seen a tumultuous year, with two directors exiting the production and causing delays. First, Bassam Tariq left the project and later Yann Demange did so as well due to scheduling conflicts that came to light before shooting. At the time, industry insider Jeff Sneider shared that star Mahershala Ali is "said to be very frustrated with the process."Brazilian entertainment platform Omelete reported Feige's update at the event. Feige appeared to be confident that the character "will reach the MCU." He said, "We're committed to Blade. We love the character, we love Mahershala's version of him. And rest assured: whenever we change...

A24 is tapping into the nostalgia for the 1990s in its next disaster-comedy endeavor. Aptly entitled Y2K, the first trailer for the forthcoming film from the production studio takes us back to Y2K's infamous turn of the century, immersing us in 1999's ever-so-existential New Year's Eve.Per the Kyle Mooney-directed film's official logline, "On the last night of 1999, two high school juniors crash a New Year's Eve party, only to find themselves fighting for their lives in this dial-up disaster comedy."The trailer begins with Bill Clinton's Y2K address, as he opens "Ladies and gentlemen, we are releasing our final report on the Y2K computer problem."Viewers are then transported to a classic late-90s house party, with attendees including Jaeden Martell, Julian Dennison and Rachel Zegler. As ch...

Hulu has debuted the first piece of footage from the upcoming fourth season of The Bear.The short clip was released as part of the Disney+ 2025 preview video, and shows Carmy and the cast back at the restaurant. Jamie Lee Curtis, who plays Berzattos' mother Donna, confirms her appearance in season four with a clip of her character telling Ayo Edebiri's Syd, "Sometimes, your work family is closer to you than your family family." Additional context surrounding their conversation was not revealed, however Syd seemingly nods with a smile in response.Also appearing in the preview are Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Liza Colón-Zayas, Matty Matheson and Ricky Staffieri.Season three closed out with Syd possibly considering a job at another restaurant and a cliffhanger surround...

Apple Studios and A24 are now in early developments on a film about Sam Bankman-Fried. Variety reports that the film will be adapted from Michael Lewis' book Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon. Lena Dunham is also attached to the script. The book Going Infinite dives deeper into Bankman-Fried's ascension and his "qually spectacular implosion of the cryptocurrency exchange and hedge fund FTX." The book was originally released in October 2023 and became the New York Time bestseller. The official synopsis of the book reads, "When Michael Lewis first met him, Sam Bankman-Fried was the world’s youngest billionaire and crypto’s Gatsby. CEOs, celebrities, and leaders of small countries all vied for his time and cash after he catapulted, practically overnight, onto the Forbes billio...

Denzel Washington has revealed on Australia's Today Show that he will be in Black Panther 3. The upcoming Marvel film will be directed and written by Ryan Coogler and Washington shared that Coogler is writing him a role in the film before his retirement. Back in August, Washington revealed that "there are very few films" left for him in his career. As for working on Coogler's Black Panther 3, Washington said, "For me it's about the filmmakers. Especially at this point in my career, I am only interested in working with the best. I don't know how many more films I'm going to make. It's probably not that many. I want to do things I haven’t done." On speaking of his career, Washington continued, "I played Othello at 22. I am about to play Othello at 70," referring to his Broadway Shakespeare p...

TMS Entertainment has released the official trailer for Sakamoto Days, the highly-anticipated anime adaptation based on Yuto Suzuki’s bestselling shonen manga. Not only is an official release date finally confirmed, but the production company also announced that a second season is scheduled to be released in July 2025.The original Sakamoto Days manga began serialization on Weekly Shonen Jump in November 2020. By 2022, 2.2 million copies were already in circulation as the series rose the ranks on the magazine’s popularity polls, where its name is often seen next to the likes of One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen and My Hero Academia.The promotional video offers a glimpse into Sakamoto Days’ wacky and action-packed premise, centering on the everyday life of Taro Sakamoto, a retired hitman who now run...