Thanks Primarily To Universal, and To a Lesser Extent Disney, This Was the Second Highest Grossing Summer Ever
Domestic grosses for the 2015 summer season totaled $4.48 billion, the second largest figure in history, trailing only 2013’s $4.75 billion. It’s also an impressive 10.4 percent increase from last summer, where only one film (Guardians of the Galaxy) grossed $300 million. In 2015, there were four such projects. However, just because the numbers are up overall doesn’t mean that all the studios will be celebrating together, as most of it came from Disney and Universal. (SR)
The Long-Awaited ‘Trainspotting’ Sequel Is Definitely, Finally Happening
Director Danny Boyle, in Telluride with his new movie Steve Jobs, confirmed that the sequel will be his next film and that all four stars of the first film — Ewan McGregor, Jonny Lee Miller, Robert Carlyle and Ewen Bremner — are all committed to doing the film, it’s only a matter of coordinating schedules. (CB)
China Film Execs Claim ‘Terminator’ a Victim of Box-Office Fraud to Boost Propaganda Movie
Something stinks at the Chinese box office – at least, that’s what the CEOs of the country’s two largest private film studios are suggesting. Since its release on Aug. 28, Chinese propaganda film The Hundred Regiments Offensive has been battling Paramount’s Terminator: Genisys for the top spot at the Chinese box office. Now, a broad swath of China’s film community has raised questions about the nationalistic war epic’s outsize performance. (THR)
Edgar Wright Wants To Add Some Star Power To His Next Film, Has Jamie Foxx Set To Fill the Bill
Oscar winner is in talks to board Baby Driver opposite Lily James and Ansel Elgort. Foxx is set to play a crime boss who coerces a young, talented getaway driver to work for him. Elgort pays the driver, who relies on the beat of his personal soundtrack to be the best. He must face the music when a doomed heist threatens his life, love and freedom. Wright will write and direct with Eric Fellner, Tim Bevan and Nira Park producing. (DH)
Working Title Television US Finds Itself a Brand New President
Andrew Stearn, formerly president of television at John Wells Productions, has come aboard the company to run its U.S. operation. Stearn is set to join the company and will work closely with Working Title Films founders Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner as well as Liza Chasin, Working Title’s president of U.S. production. His mandate is to work with creative talent and broadcasters on both sides of the Atlantic to develop a range of projects and co-productions. (VAR)
‘Game Of Thrones’s Season Six Cast Keeps Growing, as Richard E. Grant Now Comes Aboard
The actor has recently appeared in HBO’s Girls, BBC’s Downton Abbey and Doctor Who, and there are no details yet as to his role. He joins other recent castings like former HBO star Ian McShane (in another Thrones mystery role) and silver screen legend Max von Sydow (in a re-casting of the Three-Eyed Raven), as well as Freddie Stroma as Dickon Tarly (Samwell’s brother) and Pilou Asbæk as Euron Greyjoy (Theon’s uncle). Thrones returns next spring. (EW)
Netflix’s New Series Might Be an ‘Unfortunate Series Of Events’, but It Just Got Very Lucky
Barry Sonnenfeld has come on the project to direct and executive produce the series, based on Lemony Snicket’s best-selling series. Sonnenfeld is currently at work on the cat comedy Nine Lives, starring Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Garner and Christopher Walken, due out next year. The Netflix series will cast its leaden pall on the streaming service sometime in 2016. (EMP)
The Big Announcement Has Come: Sam Smith Is Singing the ‘Spectre’ Theme Song, Which Debuts Online Today
Speculation has run rampant over the last few months regarding just who might be performing the movie’s them song, but Sony and MGM have been able to keep a lid on the identity of the artist who wrote and recorded the song in secret. That changed yesterday, when Smith tweeted a picture of him wearing a ring featuring the villainous group’s logo on it. The song hits the internets this morning. (COL)
Increasing Your Productivity: Five Ways You’re Sabotaging Yourself
People talk a lot about productivity, but rarely spend much time discussing what it is. “Productivity” is highly personal, but ultimately, it’s about achieving goals. A goal could be anything from maximizing profits in a business, to getting a nine-to-five job done faster so that you have some mental and physical resources left over to pursue personal interests. (FB)
Online Film School: Five Tips For Doc Makers Who Shoot In Extreme Situations
The maker of a film about the climbing of the difficult peak Meru has some thoughts that could be helpful to other filmmakers who might be able to apply them to less extreme types of shoots and even to non-climbing documentary filmmaking. (IW)