SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia does not know why Chinese authorities have detained Australian citizen and television anchor Cheng Lei, Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said on Tuesday, adding to the mystery why the journalist has been taken into custody. The Aust... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia’s trade minister, Simon Birmingham, said Canberra didn’t know why Chinese authorities had detained Australian citizen Cheng Lei, as he warned that the risks for Australian businesses engaged with China had changed. The Australian g... More »
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – U.S streaming giant Netflix is ramping up its mobile-only subscription plans in Southeast Asia and expanding local content, senior executives told Reuters, just as arch-rival Disney arrives in the fast-growing market. The world’s biggest ... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A new “Star Wars” holiday special produced with Legos will debut on Walt Disney Co’s Disney+ streaming service in November, the company said on Thursday. The special will feature Rey and other characters from the most recent “Star Wars”... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – MTV has abandoned the idea of holding its Video Music Awards show at an indoor venue in New York because of the complications of the coronavirus epidemic. The VMA show on Aug. 30, which traditionally features live performances from musi... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – British broadcaster ITV will this year hold its reality TV show “I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here” in a ruined English castle in winter instead of the heat of the Australian jungle, as COVID-19 restrictions make global travel all but imp... More »
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexican schools will not reopen when the academic year begins on August 24 in order to safeguard the health of students and teachers because cases of coronavirus are still too high, education minister Esteban Moctezuma said on Monday. T... More »
(Reuters) – Regis Philbin, a familiar face to TV viewers as an energetic and funny talk and game show host who logged more hours in front of the camera than anyone else in the history of U.S. television, has died aged 88, People magazine said on Saturday, citi... More »
(Reuters) – Walt Disney (DIS.N) has become the latest company to slash its advertising spending on Facebook Inc (FB.O) as the social media giant faces an ad boycott over its handling of hate speech and controversial content, the Wall Street Journal reported on... More »
(Reuters) – Mickey waved from a distance and visitors wore colorful face masks with mouse ears on Saturday as Florida’s Walt Disney World opened to the public for the first time in four months amid a surge of coronavirus cases in the state. Walt Disney Co (DIS... More »
LUANDA (Reuters) – When the Angolan government imposed its coronavirus lockdown in late March, local entrepreneur and innovator Claudio Kiala saw a gap in the market when it came to virtual entertainment. Kiala and his team had been developing a performance pl... More »
CARACAS(Reuters) – With Venezuela now three months into a coronavirus quarantine that has kept children locked indoors, music and art teachers and storytellers are for the first time moving their classes online. The change is an uphill battle in the South Amer... More »
(Reuters) – AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc said on Monday it has delayed the reopening of its theaters in the United States by two weeks to July 30. The world’s largest movie theater operator said that the date aligns with the release of Disney’s “Mulan” and C... More »
(Reuters) – AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc said Friday it will require guests to wear face masks at all of its U.S. movie theaters when they reopen in July, a reversal of a policy from a day earlier that prompted a swift backlash. Regal Cinemas, owned by Cinew... More »
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – The Dutch men’s and women’s national football team players said on Friday they would no longer grant interviews to a popular TV show due to remarks made by a commentator mocking an anti-racism protester. In a statement first published on ... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Film and TV cameras can start rolling in California as soon as June 12, state officials said on Friday as they approved new guidelines to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus on sets. Producers will need approval from local healt... More »
OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) – On stage in an empty auditorium, backed by starry lights, Patrick Kabre plucks his electric guitar and sings through a microphone to an audience many miles away. Kabre is contributing to COVID-Live, a series of sessions by musicians bro... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – “We Are The World,” the celebrity-packed 1985 charity single, is getting an encore this weekend, courtesy of the stars of “American Idol.” “Idol” judges Lionel Richie, who co-wrote the song with the late Michael Jackson, Katy Perry and ... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Fans may have to wait until the fall for the “Friends” reunion special as HBO Max executives are holding out hopes of filming it before a live audience rather than shooting the much-anticipated get together remotely with stars under qua... More »
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Thousands of visitors streamed into Shanghai Disneyland on Monday for the first time in three months as the Chinese park became the first reopened by Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) after the coronavirus pandemic brought the Magic Kingdom to a stan... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – Millions of Japanese viewers of the world’s longest-running animated cartoon TV show will have to make do with re-runs from next week after the coronavirus pandemic disrupted production, Fuji Television Network said on Sunday. Aired every Sun... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Walt Disney Co’s (DIS.N) acquisitions spree that included swallowing much of Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox last year, and a reputation for operational excellence, turned the company into the world’s most powerful entertainment machi... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s ITV said its popular dating show Love Island would be cancelled this year because of the coronavirus pandemic and there would not be a new series until 2021, in a big setback for the broadcaster’s advertising revenues. ITV said in ... More »
(Reuters) – Comcast Corp (CMCSA.O) owned NBCUniversal is evaluating a significant reduction of staff across its portfolio of media and entertainment properties as part of a cost-cutting effort, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing people familiar... More »
(Reuters) – AT&T Inc. announced on Tuesday that it will make its HBO Max streaming service free to some customers when it launches on May 27. The HBO Max app will be pre-loaded on the AT&T TV set top box. HBO Max will also be included with the AT&T Internet 10... More »
(Reuters) – Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Beyonce and Oprah Winfrey on Saturday headlined a special broadcast of music, comedy and personal stories celebrating those around the world on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic.... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Sketch show “Saturday Night Live” is returning to U.S. television with a new, remotely produced show this weekend, broadcaster NBC said on Thursday. The network said the satirical show, which shut down production in mid-March because of... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Walt Disney Co will release the live-action epic “Mulan” in movie theaters in July and Marvel’s “Black Widow” in November, the company said on Friday as it reshuffled a schedule disrupted by the global coronavirus outbreak. Among other ... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Two top Democrats in Congress on Thursday asked Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai to reassure broadcasters the agency will not revoke their licenses for airing advertisements critical of President Donald Trump. On... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The release of the much anticipated movie sequel to “Top Gun” has been moved to December, Paramount Pictures said on Thursday, the latest disruption in the movie industry caused by the coronavirus epidemic. “Top Gun: Maverick,” starring... More »
DUBAI (Reuters) – Walt Disney Co’s (DIS.N) Disney+ content will be available for the first time in the Middle East and North Africa on regional pay television and online streaming service provider OSN from April 9. Dubai-headquartered OSN has signed a “long-te... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Billie Eilish sang on her sofa, Elton John played a keyboard belonging to his children, and the Backstreet Boys sang in harmony from five locations as dozens of musicians put on a fundraiser for the warriors against a coronavirus. Those... More »
ATHENS (Reuters) – The International Olympic Committee is stepping up its “scenario planning” for the Tokyo 2020 Games — including a possible postponement — as the coronavirus pandemic spreads, it said after an emergency meeting on Sunday. The IOC will hold di... More »
(Reuters) – Abigail Disney, grand daughter of Walt Disney Co’s co-founder Roy Disney, slammed a Twitter post showing a huge crowd at Sunday night’s showing of ‘Happily Ever After’, a fireworks show in Florida’s Magic Kingdom theme park. “Are you … kidding me??... More »
LOS ANGELES, (Variety.com) – Much of public life in the United States essentially ground to a halt this week. In the entertainment world, theme parks shut down, Broadway went dark, studios pulled major tentpoles from their release calendar, and virtually all H... More »
(Reuters) – Walt Disney Co said on Friday it would make the sequel to hit animated movie “Frozen” available on its streaming platform Disney+ three months ahead of schedule in the United States, as media companies respond to the coronavirus outbreak. The compa... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – U.S. theater operators moved to prevent the spread of coronavirus and reassure audiences ahead of a weekend with options ranging from satirical thriller “The Hunt” to Pixar animated adventure “Onward” and faith-based film “I Still Belie... More »
LOS ANGELES, (Variety.com) – Universal and Blumhouse’s “The Invisible Man” materialized at the top of box office charts after debuting to $29 million in North America over the weekend. “The Invisible Man” is Universal’s latest attempt to remake its classic mon... More »
LOS ANGELES, (Variety.com) – After a close box office battle, Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” pulled ahead of Disney and 20th Century’s “The Call of the Wild” on North American charts. The two movies had been in a tug-of-war for first place. Heading into the ... More »
LOS ANGELES, (Variety.com) – Paramount’s family film “Sonic the Hedgehog” ignited over Presidents Day weekend with $57 million in North America and $100 million globally, the best showing ever for a video game adaptation. “Sonic” is expected to earn $68 millio... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – “Parasite,” a dark social satire from South Korea, won the Oscar for best picture on Sunday, making history as the first film in a language other than English to claim the movie industry’s highest honor. “Parasite,” about the gap betwee... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Three-year-old independent film distributor Neon upstaged the traditional Hollywood studios and streaming giant Netflix Inc on Sunday to grab the coveted best picture Oscar for South Korean have-and-have-nots tale “Parasite.” The movie ... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – South Korean Bong Joon Ho won the best director Oscar for dark social satire “Parasite” on Sunday, becoming the first person from the Asian nation to win the award. The film was one of the biggest winners at the Academy Awards, having a... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – South Korea’s “Parasite,” a pitch-black comedy about haves and have-nots in modern Seoul, won the Oscar for best international film on Sunday after also taking home the award for best original screenplay. The thriller, showing how strug... More »
LOS ANGELES, (Variety.com) – Box office newcomers “Rhythm Section” and “Gretel and Hansel” fumbled as “Bad Boys for Life” remained champions during a painfully slow Super Bowl weekend. Football’s biggest matchup is usually a slow time at movie theaters since S... More »
(Reuters) – Actor and comedian Adam Sandler has reached a deal with Netflix Inc to make four new movies for the global streaming service, the company said on Friday. Sandler, a former “Saturday Night Live” cast member who built a career on movies such as “Grow... More »
LOS ANGELES, (Variety.com) – STX’s “The Gentlemen” proved no match for Sony’s “Bad Boys for Life,” which again left box office competitors in the dust after collecting $34 million in its sophomore outing. Those ticket sales, pushing the Will Smith and Martin L... More »
(Reuters) – The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards for film and television were handed out on Sunday at a ceremony in Los Angeles. Following is a list of winners in key categories: BEST ENSEMBLE CAST IN A MOTION PICTURE “Parasite” BEST FILM ACTOR Joaquin Phoenix... More »
LOS ANGELES, (Variety.com) – Universal’s “Dolittle” and “1917” found out what “Bad Boys” will do when they come for you at the box office. Sony’s “Bad Boys for Life,” the third entry in the Will Smith and Martin Lawrence-led series, beat expectations and tower... More »
LOS ANGELES, (Variety.com) – Sam Mendes’ “1917” marched to box office victory, earning a solid $36.5 million from 3,434 theaters in its first weekend of wide release. Universal and DreamWorks’ World War I drama also defeated Disney’s “Star Wars: Rise of Skywal... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The 2020 Oscars ceremony in February will again have no host, the head of ABC Television Entertainment said on Wednesday. “Let me confirm it now. Together with the Academy (of Motion Pictures), we have decided there will be no tradition... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The highly anticipated movie “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” collected $40 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales on its opening night, the fifth-highest debut of all time, Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) said on Friday. Longtime fans of t... More »
(Reuters) – Apple Inc (AAPL.O) executives met James Bond franchise-owner MGM Holdings Inc and the collegiate athletic conference Pac-12 earlier this year as part of its efforts to boost the Apple TV service, the Wall Street Journal reported on.wsj.com/2PEGhH7 ... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Walt Disney Co’s highly anticipated “Star Wars” movie “The Rise of Skywalker” divided film critics on Wednesday, earning more detractors than any film in the nine-episode saga since 1999 movie “The Phantom Menace.” “Rise of Skywalker,” ... More »
TEL AVIV (Reuters) – Israeli defense electronics firm Elbit Systems said on Wednesday its nanosatellite, called Nanova, was successfully launched into space. Nanova was developed in collaboration with an unnamed U.S. company and is planned to be a part of a na... More »
(This Dec. 15 story corrects headline to give full name of new Jumanji movie) By Rebecca Rubin LOS ANGELES, (Variety.com) – It’s shaping up to be a merry holiday season for “Jumanji: The Next Level.” Sony’s adventure sequel debuted in first place to $60.1 mill... More »
PARIS (Reuters) – Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) will launch its Disney+ streaming service on Vivendi SA’s (VIV.PA) pay-TV business Canal+ platform by the end of March next year, executives of the two groups said in a joint interview released in the daily Les Echos on... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The next “Star Wars” movie arrives in theaters on Thursday promising an epic conclusion to three trilogies over four decades and answers to at least some of the biggest questions that have puzzled fans of the galaxy far, far away. But o... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – “Bombshell,” a drama about sexual harassment allegations at Fox News, led the movie nominees for the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Wednesday and will compete for the top prize of best cast. The film from Lions Gate Entertainment earned ... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Singer Linda Ronstadt, actress Sally Field, and music group Earth, Wind & Fire received the United States’ top awards for the arts on Sunday with a rocking, rousing performance at the annual Kennedy Center Honors show in Washington. Chil... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Caroll Spinney, the puppeteer who brought boyish vulnerability to Big Bird, the towering yellow-plumed character, during 50 years on the groundbreaking children’s television show “Sesame Street” and even made garbage-loving Oscar the Grouc... More »
LOS ANGELES, (Variety.com) – “Frozen 2” dominated box office charts for the third weekend in a row as Disney’s animated sequel scored another $34.7 million in North America. Those ticket sales, a 60% decline from its massive Thanksgiving haul, boost its domest... More »
LOS ANGELES, (Variety.com) – Disney’s “Frozen 2” stuffed the box office competition during Thanksgiving, generating $85.2 million over the weekend and a record-setting $123.7 million over the five-day holiday frame. The animated adventure soared past the previ... More »
OSLO (Reuters) – The sequel to Walt Disney Co’s 2013 hit animated musical “Frozen” is generating excitement among indigenous Sámi people in northern Europe, whose culture the movie has taken inspiration from. “Frozen 2” debuted in U.S. cinemas on Nov. 22 and i... More »
(Reuters) – British actor John Boyega said on Wednesday that he left his copy of the closely-guarded script for the new “Star Wars” movie under his bed, and that it ended up for sale on eBay. Boyega, who plays Stormtrooper turned resistance fighter Finn in “St... More »
LOS ANGELES, (Variety.com) – Disney’s “Frozen 2” iced out the box office competition in North America, where family audiences powered the animated adventure to a dazzling $130 million debut. The sequel kicked off above expectations ahead of Thanksgiving, which... More »
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel’s Space Communications said on Monday its Amos-17 communication satellite, which was launched into space in August, has completed its in-orbit testing and reached its final position. Spacecom has suffered some major setbacks in rec... More »
LOS ANGELES, (Variety.com) – “Ford v Ferrari” left its box office competitors in the dust as Disney’s historical sports drama sped its way to $31 million in North America. Directed by James Mangold and starring Christian Bale and Matt Damon, “Ford v Ferrari” d... More »
(Reuters) – Comic book movie “Joker” is poised to surpass $1 billion in global ticket sales on Friday, becoming the first R-rated Hollywood movie ever to overcome the milestone. “Joker,” a dark origin story from Warner Bros. about Batman’s arch nemesis, had so... More »
LOS ANGELES, (Variety.com) – In a surprise box office win, Roland Emmerich’s World War II epic “Midway” took down the competition in North America to land in first place with $17.5 million. Heading into the weekend, Warner Bros.’ Stephen King adaptation “Docto... More »
(Reuters) – Public impeachment hearings for U.S. President Donald Trump next week will mark a historical moment in political television both because of the high stakes and how people will watch the proceedings. The public inquiry into the Ukraine scandal will ... More »
LOS ANGELES, (Variety.com) – “Terminator: Dark Fate” shot past box office competition but still fell short of expectations as Paramount and Skydance Media’s sci-fi sequel debuted to $29 million in North America. Though the sixth installment in the “Terminator”... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Jennifer Aniston returns to television on Friday in “The Morning Show”, an original show for Apple Inc’s new subscription video service, in which the actress reunites with her “Friends” sister Reese Witherspoon. In the 10-episode program, An... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Apple TV+, the iPhone maker’s entry into the crowded streaming TV market, debuts on Friday as the first “all-original” subscription video service, according to Apple Inc (AAPL.O) Chief Executive Tim Cook. All of the programming is origi... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Apple Inc (AAPL.O) unveils its streaming entertainment service, Apple TV+, in more than 100 markets on Friday. The offering will be free for a year for anyone who buys any new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac or iPod touch. The cost for othe... More »
LOS ANGELES, (Variety.com) – Five years after Angelina Jolie’s “Maleficent” cast a spell over the box office, the villainous enchantress has returned to the top of domestic charts. Disney’s “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil,” a sequel to 2014’s fantasy adventure b... More »
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – DreamWorks’ animated movie “Abominable” will not be released in Malaysia after its producers declined to meet a censor board requirement to cut a scene showing China’s “nine-dash line” in the South China Sea, the movie distributor said... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – After three years of Brexit crisis, Sky News is betting that some viewers are so bored by the divorce drama that there is a market for a channel dedicated to news that has nothing to do with Britain’s exit from the European Union. Ever since... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – AT&T (T.N) and Elliott Management are talking about issues the activist hedge fund raised last month when it pushed for change at the U.S. telecommunications and media conglomerate, two people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. Ell... More »
NEW DELHI/MUMBAI (Reuters) – India is deliberating potential censorship on streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, a senior government source told Reuters. While film and TV certification bodies already moderate public content in India, the... More »
(Reuters) – Streaming video leader Netflix Inc is planning to release around 62 new original productions, including films, series, documentaries, and comedy specials, from October to December as it braces for the debut of rival services from Apple Inc and Walt... More »
HANOI (Reuters) – Vietnam has pulled DreamWorks’ animated film “Abominable” from cinemas over a scene featuring a map which shows China’s unilaterally declared “nine-dash line” in the South China Sea, state media reported on Monday. The U-shaped line is a feat... More »
LOS ANGELES, (Variety.com) – Joaquin Phoenix is king of the North American box office once again as “Joker” scores an easy victory in its second weekend with $55 million at 4,374 sites. “Joker” dominated a trio of new entries with animated comedy “The Addams F... More »
(This October 10 story clarifies paragraph 14 on ‘The Martian’) By Lisa Richwine LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – China’s removal of animated comedy “South Park” from online sites just as it dropped U.S. basketball broadcasts highlighted a tension familiar to Hollywood... More »
LOS ANGELES, (Variety.com) – Warner Bros.’ “Joker” laughed its way to a new record at the domestic box office. Despite mounting controversy and security concerns, the R-rated comic-book movie scored $93.5 million over the weekend and now stands as the biggest ... More »
LONDON/NEW YORK (Reuters) – Global mergers and acquisitions (M&A) plunged 16% year-on-year to $729 billion in the third quarter, according to Refinitiv data, the lowest quarterly volume since 2016, as growing economic uncertainty curbed the risk appetite of co... More »
LOS ANGELES, (Variety.com) – “Abominable” towered over the box office this weekend as Universal and DreamWorks’ animated adventure debuted to $20.85 million in North America and $29.7 million worldwide. The PG movie benefited as one of the few offerings at mul... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Spider-Man, the popular web-slinging superhero currently played by actor Tom Holland, will headline a new movie in 2021 and appear in a future Marvel Studios film under a deal announced Friday by Sony Corp (6758.T) and Walt Disney Co (D... More »
(Reuters) – Apple Inc plans to give its feature-length film productions extended theatrical releases before making them available on its streaming TV service, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday. Citing people familiar with the matter, the Journal said ... More »
LOS ANGELES, (Variety.com) – “Hustlers” rolled in the Benjamins this weekend, collecting $33.2 million when it debuted in 3,250 North American theaters. Boosted by rave reviews and stellar word of mouth, “Hustlers” beat expectations and now ranks as the best s... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Apple TV+ premiered its first show at the Tribeca TV Festival on Saturday, flaunting feminist snark, lavish period costumes and a star-studded cast in “Dickinson,” a series that sheds a modern light on the life of an iconic American poet. ... More »
(Reuters) – Apple Inc (AAPL.O) said on Friday that Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger had resigned from the company’s board of directors on Sept. 10 as the two companies prepare to compete head-to-head in the streaming television business.... More »
CUPERTINO, Calif. (Reuters) – Apple Inc (AAPL.O) caught up with hardware rivals on Tuesday by revealing a triple-camera iPhone, and it rolled out a streaming TV service priced at $5 a month, undercutting Disney and Netflix. The announcements came at the compan... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Get out the tiaras and the best china. Hit British television series “Downton Abbey” is about to arrive on the big screen and the makers are feeling uncharacteristically nervous. Driven by fan demand, the aristocratic family and their servan... More »
LAGOS (Reuters) – “Oya!” shouts the director in Nigerian Pidgin English. Actors take their marks. Lighting blinks on. The film crew snaps into action after the order to hurry up. It’s another day in Nollywood, the affectionate nickname for Nigeria’s film indus... More »
LOS ANGELES, (Variety.com) – Lionsgate and Millennium’s “Angel Has Fallen” ruled the box office during an expectedly quiet Labor Day weekend. The third entry in the action franchise generated $11.5 million over the weekend and should close out the holiday with... More »
ANAHEIM, Calif. (Reuters) – Ewan McGregor will reprise his “Star Wars” role as Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi in a series for the upcoming Disney+ streaming service, the actor announced to fans of the beloved movie franchise on Friday. McGregor surprised the crowd... More »
LOS ANGELES, (Variety.com) – “Angel Has Fallen,” the third chapter in Lionsgate and Millennium’s action franchise starring Gerard Butler, had a stronger opening weekend than expected, collecting $21.25 million during its first three days of release. Those tick... More »
LOS ANGELES, (Variety.com) – The Bean Bag Boys, the self-appointed nickname for the trio of best friends in Universal’s “Good Boys,” are conquering much more than sixth grade. They are also leading the domestic box office, exceeding expectations and collecting... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Simulated wireless alert tones used in a “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” skit making fun of a presidential alert test have cost Walt Disney Co’s ABC $395,000 in civil fines with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission. AMC Networks separately on... More »
