Entertainment
'Kingdom of Planet of the Apes' climbs to top of box office
More than five decades since a group of astronauts led by Charlton Heston took a ill-fated journey to a strange world, moviegoers are still ape over the “Planet of the Apes” franchise.
“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” the latest entry in the series of films about a planet ruled by talking apes, made a smash debut over the weekend, ruling the box office chart with a monster $56.5 million. It’s the third highest opening of the year, after the $81.5-million debut of “Dune: Part Two” in early March and the $58.3-million domestic opening of “Kung Fu Panda 4” a week later.
The performance of the film was particularly impressive, coming seven years after a trilogy that concluded with “War of the Planet of the Apes.” Unlike previous installments, “Kingdom” has no well-known stars as a lure for audiences.
In second place was “The Fall Guy,” the stunt-heavy action film that had a lackluster launch last week. The movie declined a respectable 51% with $13.7 million for a total of $49.7 million. The movie’s less-than-expected opening last week signaled that the summer of 2024 is likely to see a major drop-off after the “Barbenheimer” magic of 2023.
The steamy tennis romance “Challengers,” with $4.7 million, the horror movie “Tarot,” with $3.5 million, and “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” with $2.5 million, rounded out the top five films. In sixth through 10th places were “Unsung Hero,” $2.25 million, “Kung Fu Panda 4,” $2 million, “Civil War,” $1.8 million, “Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace,” $1.5 million, “Abigail,” $1.1 million.
“Planet of the Apes” easily made more than the rest of the top 10 combined.
The opening for “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” directed by Wes Ball, was the second best in the series, after the $72-million opening weekend of 2014’s “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.” It’s the 10th movie in the “Planet of the Apes” franchise that began in 1968.
“Kingdom” came with strong reviews and positive buzz (80% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and a “B” CinemaScore). Mark Kennedy of the Associated Press called it “thrilling” and “visually stunning.”
Looking ahead, this week sees the release of the comedy “If,” starring Ryan Reynolds, and the Amy Winehouse biopic “Back to Black.” The week after, Memorial Day weekend, brings “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” and “The Garfield Movie.”
Estimated ticket sales are for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Entertainment
Anderson Cooper bids ’60 Minutes’ a final goodbye
Anderson Cooper has signed off from “60 Minutes” for the last time.
After two decades as a correspondent on the CBS’ news magazine, he officially ended his run Sunday night.
Cooper, who also hosts a news program on CNN, announced in February his plans to leave CBS, months after an internal shake-up that followed the arrival of editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss.
“Things can always evolve and change, and I think that’s awesome, and things should evolve and change, but I hope the core of what ’60 Minutes’ is always remains,” Anderson said on-air. “I think the independence of ’60 Minutes’ has been critical.”
Throughout the farewell segment, the 58-year-old journalist, who was hired in 2007, reminisced about some career highlights, like speaking with Holocaust survivors and people battling malnutrition in Niger, as well as interviewing A-listers like Lady Gaga and Prince Harry. He also said he hopes the show continues to be a reliable source of investigative journalism.
“I think the trust it has with viewers is critical to the success of ’60 Minutes.’ When you see a ’60 Minutes’ story, and you’re like, ‘That was a really good story.’ It was a good story because it requires time, it requires patience, it requires money,” he said. “I hope that’s known and honored and valued and continues.”
His departure comes at an uncharted time for CBS, as the company undergoes several leadership changes. Last year, billionaire David Ellison successfully merged his company, Skydance Media, with Paramount, CBS’s parent company. Soon after, Ellison hired Bari Weiss as CBS News editor-in-chief.
Two months after taking on the new role, Weiss made the widely panned decision to pull a “60 Minutes” episode that examined the alleged abuse of deportees sent from the U.S. to an El Salvador prison. The decision earned Weiss heavy criticism and accusations that the move was politically motivated, which CBS has denied.
Cooper said that he’s leaving the program to spend more time with his young children. He will remain as an anchor for CNN.
He added, “I hope ’60 Minutes’ is around for when my kids grow up and have kids of their own, and they can watch it with their kids.”
Movie Reviews
Review | Paper Tiger: Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson lead dark gangster movie
3.5/5 stars
The American filmmaker started his career with 1994’s Little Odessa, starring Tim Roth as a Russian-Jewish hitman operating in the Brighton Beach area of New York. His next two films, The Yards (2000) and We Own the Night (2007), kept him ensconced in the world of low-life criminals.
Paper Tiger also casts the Russian mob as the antagonists. Set in 1986 in Queens, New York, it stars Miles Teller and Adam Driver as the Pearl brothers, Irwin and Gary.
Irwin (Teller), an engineer, is married to Hester (Scarlett Johansson) and has two teenage sons: Scott (Gavin Goudey), who is about to turn 18, and the younger Ben (Roman Engel), who is diligently studying for his exams.
Gary (Driver), a former policeman who still has connections on the force, encourages Irwin to team up and create an environmental clean-up business involving the filthy Gowanus Canal.
Entertainment
Pedro Pascal goes undercover for ‘Star Wars’ surprise at Disneyland
Pedro Pascal took his “Star Wars” character to the streets on Saturday, going undercover as the Mandalorian to surprise Disneyland guests aboard the Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run attraction.
A video posted on Disney’s social media showed the actor in full costume, then lifting his helmet to reveal himself.
“Now you all have to die because you’ve seen my face,” he joked to the stunned parkgoers.
After the surprise, Pascal posed for pictures with the dozen or so fans.
Pascal was later joined by co-star Sigourney Weaver, director Jon Favreau and LucasFilm President Dave Filoni at Galaxy’s Edge, the 14-acre “Star Wars”-themed section of the park modeled after an outpost on the fictional planet of Batuu.
The appearance was part of the press tour for “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” a spinoff of the Disney+ series “The Mandalorian.” The film, which releases on May 22, is the first “Star Wars” movie to hit theaters since 2019.
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