Endgame beats Titanic to second highest grossing film

Agencies
May 6, 2019

Los Angeles, May 6: Disney's "Avengers: Endgame" continues its unprecedented box office run, assembling another $145 million at the domestic box office during its second weekend in theaters.

"Avengers: Endgame" now stands as the second-biggest movie of all time with $2.188 billion worldwide. The Marvel juggernaut became the fastest film to gross $2 billion globally in just 11 days, crushing "Avatar's" record of 47 days. It has now generated $619 million at the domestic box office and $1.56 billion internationally.

In North America, "Avengers: Endgame" dipped 59% from its opening weekend. That wasn't enough to secure the biggest second weekend of all time, a record still held by "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" with $149 million. However, it passed "Avengers: Infinity War" ($114 million) to hold the second-biggest weekend ever. Only six films have ever surpassed $100 million in their second weekends.

Repeat viewings from comic-book enthusiasts, as well as premium formats like IMAX and 3D have helped box office receipts reach extraordinary heights. IMAX theaters have accounted for $170 million of tickets sold across the globe, while just under $1 billion has come from 3D screens. Only two films in history -- "Avatar" and "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" -- have earned over a billion dollars from the 3D format.

Overseas, "Avengers: Endgame" remained the No. 1 film in all markets aside from Japan. This weekend, the superhero blockbuster raked in another $282.2 million from 55 international markets. Top foreign territories include China ($575 million), the United Kingdom ($89.9 million), and Korea ($82.1 million).

While "Avengers: Endgame" continues to be the de facto choice among moviegoers, a number of brave studios opened new movies to mixed results.

"The Intruder," a psychological thriller from Sony and Screen Gems, fared the best among newcomers. It debuted in second place, amassing $11 million from 2,222 North American locations. That's a solid start since the studio shelled out $8 million to produce "The Intruder." The PG-13 thriller centers on a married couple who recently purchased their dream home, only to realize the seller keeps creepily meddling in their life. While "Avengers: Endgame" continues to be the de facto choice among moviegoers, a number of brave studios opened new movies to mixed results.

Lionsgate's "Long Shot," a raunchy R-rated romantic comedy starring Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron, nabbed the No. 3 spot with a tepid $10 million from 3,230 screens. Jonathan Levine directed the movie about a journalist (Rogen) who tries to win over his former babysitter-turned-politician (Theron), who is now running for president. It garnered mostly positive reviews since its premiere at South by Southwest. The opening weekend audience skewed female (56 percent), while 68 percent of moviegoers were over the age of 35.

This weekend's final new release, "UglyDolls," launched in fourth place well below expectations, stumbling with $8.5 million from 3,652 venues. STX's animated musical cost $45 million to produce. The A-list voice cast includes Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas, and Pitbull, who all recorded new music for the movie. The family-friendly adventure follows a group of misfit dolls who learn to embrace what it means to be unique.

Meanwhile, Disney's "Captain Marvel" got another boost from "Avengers: Endgame." It landed at the No. 5 spot, generating $4.3 million during its ninth weekend in theaters. The superhero tentpole, starring Brie Larson, has earned $420 million in North America and $1.12 billion globally.

Thanks to "Avengers: Endgame," the year-over-year deficit in ticket sales continues to shrink. After this weekend, box office receipts are pacing less than 10 percent behind last year, according to Comscore. Hollywood is banking on a number of summer hits, including "The Lion King," "Toy Story 4," and "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw" to help close that gap.

"If slow and steady wins the race, then the oncoming barrage of big summer titles should collectively over time knock the percentage even lower and in a systematic fashion in the coming weeks," said Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst at Comscore.

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News Network
January 28,2020

Mumbai, Jan 28: A 33-year-old woman has written to the National Commission for Women (NCW) alleging that Bollywood choreographer Ganesh Acharya used to make her watch porn videos whenever she visited his office in Mumbai.

In a complaint filed with the police, the woman, an assistant choreographer, has alleged that Acharya and two women assaulted her during a function of the Indian Film and Television Choreographers Association (IFTCA) held in suburban Andheri on Sunday.

Besides Acharya, the complainant, Divya Kotian, has named Jayashree Kelkar and Preeti Lad in her complaint for assault, a police official said on Tuesday.

Calls made to Acharya for his reaction remained unanswered.

In her letter to the NCW, Kotian, a resident of suburban Bhayandar, claimed that Acharya forced her to watch adult videos whenever she visited his office.

In her complaint with Amboli police station, Kotian alleged that Acharya was demanding a commission from her for working in the film industry.

Kotian is also a member of the IFTCA.

Acharya, who was elected as a general secretary of the IFTCA, used to frequently call the complainant at the office in Andheri, the police official said quoting the complaint.

On January 26, when Kotian reached the IFTCA office, Acharya shouted at her and announced that she was being "suspended", he said.

Acharya grew furious after Kotian told him that she is a member of the IFTCA and allegedly asked his team member, Jayashree Kelkar, to slap her, the police official said.

"Kelkar and Preeti Lad hit me in public view which was captured on the CCTV," the complaint stated.

Police have registered a non-cognisable (NC) offence and investigating, the official added.

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News Network
January 2,2020

New Delhi, Jan 2: Hoping her cinematic voice can help bring about lasting change in how society perceives acid attack survivors, actor Deepika Padukone says her latest film Chhapaak should ideally be so impactful that there won't be need for another story on acid violence.

After all, cinema is in itself such a powerful medium, Deepika told news agency ahead of the release of the film, which is based on the life of acid attack survivor and activist Laxmi Agarwal.

The idea behind the social drama is to invoke empathy and understanding rather than paint women who have undergone the ordeal as victims, the actor, who has also produced the film, said in a telephonic interview from Mumbai.

"Beyond the gruesomeness, the violence and all of that, there is a story of the human spirit and hope. That's why we're telling the story," she said.

Deepika, 33, said it was a story that spoke to her and she felt pride in attaching herself to the project.

Chhapaak, directed by Meghna Gulzar and featuring Vikrant Massey, is the second mainstream film to focus on the subject after 2019 Malayalam movie Uyare starring Parvathy Thiruvothu.

"I hope we won't have to constantly tell stories on acid attack survivors for us to see change. I hope with our film we begin to see that change for ourselves as a society and for acid attack survivors.

"If we don't, then we've done something wrong as a society. Cinema in itself is such a powerful medium that hopefully just through this one film we will hopefully be able to see that kind of change and impact," Deepika said.

The actor said there was not much planning behind the decision to back the film financially.

"Sometimes certain films need a little more hand holding, a little more love and support. I felt like I would be adding a little more value as a producer.

"This is a film I'm very proud of, not just from the script point of view but even in terms of the story and its message," she said.

The film, which releases on January 10, will be Deepika's first release in two years and comes after her marriage to frequent co-star Ranveer Singh.

The actor said she used the time to creatively replenish herself.

"It was about finding a film worthy of putting out there. It's not that work at my end had stopped. I was constantly looking for scripts that challenged and excited me.

"I would look at it as time for creative fertility. It's important to nurture yourself. The work that goes on behind the scenes... most often we're constantly on a film set, but whether it's meeting with writers and directors, looking for scripts... That is also part of the creative process and that's what I've been doing."

The title Chhapaak instantly evokes the image of acid being splattered, and Deepika said the director wanted a word for the film's name that could also lend itself to a song.

"I think she said 'chhapaak', which is the sound of a splash, is something that could adapt or lend itself beautifully to a song. Perhaps, it also has to do with fluidity. So on one hand, liquid is known to take different forms, a liquid such as this (acid) can change someone's life forever," she said.

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Agencies
July 25,2020

Mumbai, Jul 25: Movie theatres have been shuttered for months due to the coronavirus pandemic in the country, but the Information and Broadcasting Ministry has now recommended that the Union Home Ministry allow cinema halls to reopen in August. 

I&B Secretary Amit Khare indicated this at a close-door industry interaction with the CII Media Committee on Friday. He said Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla at the Home Ministry would take the final call.

Khare said that he has recommended that cinema halls may be allowed to reopen all over India as early as August 1, or at the latest, around August 31.

The formula suggested is that alternate seats in the first row and then the next row be kept vacant, and proceeding in this fashion throughout.

Khare said that his ministry's recommendation takes into consideration the two metre social distancing norm, but tweaks it gently to two yards instead. The Home Ministry, however, still has to revert on the recommendation.

Cinema owners, present in the interaction, however, pushed back and said this formula is unwise and merely running films at 25% auditorium capacity is worse than keeping the cinemas shut.

The attendees at the meet included media CEOs like N.P. Singh of Sony, Sam Balsara (Madison), Megha Tata, (Discovery), Gaurav Gandhi (Amazon Prime), Manish Maheshwari (Twitter), S. Sivakumar (Bennett Coleman and Co Ltd), and K Madhavan, Star & Disney, and also Chairman, CII Media Committee.

The OTT platforms present, including Gandhi of Amazon Prime, did not push back. Some Bollywood producers, notably those of Amitabh Bachchan's Gulabo Sitabo, have posted their movies on OTT, rather than live out the lockdown uncertainty.

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