‘Straight Outta Compton’ Wins a Second Straight Weekend At the Box Office
The N.W.A. biopic earned $26.7 million to take the top spot again, ahead of Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation which rose back up to second place with $11.7 million. Focus FIlm’s Sinister was the best debut film, finishing third with $10.6 million, while Hitman: Agent 47 with $8.2 million, and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. was fifth with $7.4 million. American Ultra had a flat $5.5 million to debut in sixth place. (BO)
Judge Refuses to Dismiss Revised Animation Workers’ Wage-Fixing Lawsuit
Afederal judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit claiming that the Walt Disney Co., DreamWorks Animation, Sony ImageWorks and other companies violated antitrust laws by conspiring to set animation wages via non-poaching agreements. U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh, in a ruling issued on Thursday, said that the plaintiffs “have sufficiently alleged facts showing that defendants reached an agreement to conspire.” (VAR)
Manchester Securities Asks Court To Postpone Relativity Bankruptcy Hearing
The lender wants U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Michael Wiles to delay to this Friday a key hearing scheduled for tomorrow. It says in an “emergency motion” this morning that Relativity “flagrantly violated” court rules by waiting until late this past Friday to introduce “two key pieces of evidence.” They include a valuation of the company filed under seal. (DH)
As If There Was Any Doubt, George R.R. Martin Has Finally Admitted That ‘Game Of Thrones’ Will End Before the Books
During a Q&A at a conference in Spokane, Washington, the author acknowledged the show seems to be speeding through the story like “a jet locomotive,” and though he used to worry about it getting to the end before him, he no longer does. The next book in the series, The Winds of Winter, is expected some time in the not too distant future. (HP)
Following Years Of Disinterest, Nintendo Is Reconsidering Its Stance On Movie Adaptations
Ever since the disastrous Super Mario Bros. movie in 1993, feature films have not been in the cards for Nintendo’s characters, but that might be about to change. The company’s creative mastermind, Shigeru Miyamoto says in an interview that now the company is reconsidering its longtime stance and thinking of which properties it might like seen translated to film. (FT)
Once Again, the Dreaded “Creative Differences” Leads To a Major Showrunner Change
NBC’s Chicago Med is losing its showrunner. Executive producer Andrew Dettmann is departing the series after creative differences. The spinoff from NBC’s Chicago Fire — and the third in Dick Wolf’s Chicago franchise — has already undergone creative retooling following Laurie Holden’s departure. It’s unclear at this point who from the Chicago franchise — or if someone new — will take over. (TLF)
With Audiences Growing More Accustomed To Immediate Access To Content, Theatrical Windows Continue To Shrink
Less than two years ago, an Indiewire article on the state of day-and-date releasing stated, “It’s unlikely that Hollywood studios and theater owners will ever agree to having films stream day-and-date on Netflix or on VOD.” What a difference two years makes. While studios largely continue to resist the day-and-date model, theatrical windows for indies continue to shrink in order to meet audience demand. (IW)
Trailer Buzz, Part 1: ‘Project Greenlight’
HBO has released the first look at the revamped documentary series from Matt Damon and ben Affleck, following a first-time filmmaker while making his debut feature. The eight-episode series debuts on the cable network on September 13th. (EW)
Trailer Buzz, Part 2: ‘Ash Vs. Evil Dead’
The Starz network has posted a new trailer for its upcoming adaptation of the cult movie series, from Bruce Campbell, Sam Raimi, Ivan Raimi and Tom Spezialy. The show premieres on Halloween night. (SF)
Screenwriters: Improvising Screenplays — Writing Compelling but Unlikeable Characters
Sure, the important thing for a movie is that we, as the audience, live vicariously through the main character. The protagonist often stands as an avatar for us: on a pretty basic, hardwired level, we can’t help but picture ourselves being in the same situation, facing the same obstacles, and taking the same actions as the main character on the screen. But what if the story you’re compelled to write necessarily involves an un-likable character? Is that off-limits? (SM)