David Adjmi’s “Stereophonic” scored five Tony Awards including best play, and “The Outsiders” took home four trophies including an upset win for best musical as Broadway honored its finest on Sunday night.

Jonathan Groff won lead actor in a musical and co-star Daniel Radcliffe won featured actor for “Merrily We Roll Along,” which took home four awards total including best revival of a musical. Heading into the ceremony, the Alicia Keys musical “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Stereophonic” led with 13 nominations each, and a starry list of contenders included Eddie Redmayne for “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club,” Jessica Lange and Jim Parsons for “Mother Play,” Rachel McAdams for “Mary Jane,” Leslie Odom Jr. for “Purlie Victorious,” and Sarah Paulson and Corey Stoll for “Appropriate.” The ceremony can now be streamed on demand; here’s how.

The complete winners list:

Best musical
“Hell’s Kitchen”
“Illinoise”
WINNER — “The Outsiders”
“Suffs”
“Water for Elephants”

Best play
“Jaja’s African Hair Braiding”
“Mary Jane”
“Mother Play”
“Prayer for the French Republic”
WINNER — “Stereophonic”

Best revival of a musical
“Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club”
“Gutenberg! The Musical!”
WINNER — “Merrily We Roll Along”
“The Who’s Tommy”

Best revival of a play
“An Enemy of the People”
WINNER — “Appropriate”
“Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch”

In the most moving speech of the night, Maleah Joi Moon accepts the Tony for lead actress in a musical for “Hell’s Kitchen.”

(Charles Sykes / Invision / AP)

Lead actress in a musical
Eden Espinosa, “Lempicka”
WINNER — Maleah Joi Moon, “Hell’s Kitchen”
Kelli O’Hara, “Days of Wine and Roses”
Maryann Plunkett, “The Notebook”
Gayle Rankin, “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club”

An emotional Jonathan Groff accepts the award for lead actor in a musical for “Merrily We Roll Along.”

(Charles Sykes / Invision / AP)

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Lead actor in a musical
Brody Grant, “The Outsiders”
WINNER — Jonathan Groff, “Merrily We Roll Along”
Dorian Harewood, “The Notebook”
Brian D’Arcy James, “Days of Wine and Roses”
Eddie Redmayne, “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club”

Lead actress in a play
Betsy Aidem, “Prayer for the French Republic”
Jessica Lange, “Mother Play”
Rachel McAdams, “Mary Jane”
WINNER — Sarah Paulson, “Appropriate”
Amy Ryan, “Doubt: A Parable”

Lead actor in a play
William Jackson Harper, “Uncle Vanya”
Leslie Odom Jr., “Purlie Victorious”
Liev Schreiber, “Doubt: A Parable”
WINNER — Jeremy Strong, “An Enemy of the People”
Michael Stuhlbarg, “Patriots”

Features actress in a play
Quincy Tyler Bernstine, “Doubt: A Parable”
Juliana Canfield, “Stereophonic”
Celia Keenan-Bolger, “Mother Play”
Sarah Pidgeon, “Stereophonic”
WINNER — Kara Young, “Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch”

Featured actor in a play
WINNER — Will Brill, “Stereophonic”
Eli Gelb, “Stereophonic”
Jim Parsons, “Mother Play”
Tom Pecinka, “Stereophonic”
Corey Stoll, “Appropriate”

Theater veteran Kecia Lewis, winner for featured actress in a musical for “Hell’s Kitchen.”

(Charles Sykes / Invision / AP)

Featured actress in a musical
Shoshana Bean, “Hell’s Kitchen”
Amber Iman, “Lempicka”
Nikki M. James, “Suffs”
Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer, “Monty Python’s Spamalot”
WINNER — Kecia Lewis, “Hell’s Kitchen”
Lindsay Mendez, “Merrily We Roll Along”
Bebe Neuwirth, “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club”

Daniel Radcliffe accepts the Tony Award for best actor in a featured role in a musical for “Merrily We Roll Along.”

(Charles Sykes / Invision / AP)

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Featured actor in a musical
Roger Bart, “Back to the Future: The Musical”
Joshua Boone, “The Outsiders”
Brandon Victor Dixon, “Hell’s Kitchen”
Sky Lakota-Lynch, “The Outsiders”
WINNER — Daniel Radcliffe, “Merrily We Roll Along”
Steven Skybell, “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club”

Direction of a play
WINNER — Daniel Aukin, “Stereophonic”
Anne Kauffman, “Mary Jane”
Kenny Leon, “Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch”
Lila Neugebauer, “Appropriate”
Whitney White, “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding”

Direction of a musical
Maria Friedman, “Merrily We Roll Along”
Michael Greif, “Hell’s Kitchen”
Leigh Silverman, “Suffs”
Jessica Stone, “Water for Elephants”
WINNER — Danya Taymor, “The Outsiders”

Book of a musical
Kristoffer Diaz, “Hell’s Kitchen”
Bekah Brunstetter, “The Notebook”
Adam Rapp and Justin Levine, “The Outsiders”
WINNER — Shaina Taub, “Suffs”
Rick Elice, “Water for Elephants”

Orchestrations
Timo Andres, “Illinoise”
Will Butler and Justin Craig, “Stereophonic”
Justin Levine, Matt Hinkley and Jamestown Revival (Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance), “The Outsiders”
Tom Kitt and Adam Blackstone, “Hell’s Kitchen”
WINNER — Jonathan Tunick, “Merrily We Roll Along”

Choreography
Annie-B Parson, “Here Lies Love”
Camille A. Brown, “Hell’s Kitchen”
Rick Kuperman and Jeff Kuperman, “The Outsiders”
WINNER — Justin Peck, “Illinoise”
Jesse Robb and Shana Carroll, “Water for Elephants”

Scenic design of a play
dots, “Appropriate”
dots, “An Enemy of the People”
Derek McLane, “Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch”
David Zinn, “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding”
WINNER — David Zinn, “Stereophonic”

Scenic design of a musical
AMP featuring Tatiana Kahvegian, “The Outsiders”
Robert Brill and Peter Nigrini, “Hell’s Kitchen”
Takeshi Kata, “Water for Elephants”
David Korins, “Here Lies Love”
Riccardo Hernández and Peter Nigrini, “Lempicka”
Tim Hatley and Finn Ross, “Back to the Future: The Musical”
WINNER — Tom Scutt, “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club”

Costume design of a play
Dede Ayite, “Appropriate”
WINNER — Dede Ayite, “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding”
Enver Chakartash, “Stereophonic”
Emilio Sosa, “Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch”
David Zinn, “An Enemy of the People”

Costume design of a musical
Dede Ayite, “Hell’s Kitchen”
WINNER — Linda Cho, “The Great Gatsby”
David Israel Reynoso, “Water for Elephants”
Tom Scutt, “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club”
Paul Tazewell, “Suffs”

Lighting design of a play
Isabella Byrd, “An Enemy of the People”
Amith Chandrashaker, “Prayer for the French Republic”
Jiyoun Chang, “Stereophonic”
WINNER — Jane Cox, “Appropriate”
Natasha Katz, “Grey House”

Lighting design of a musical
Brandon Stirling Baker, “Illinoise”
Isabella Byrd, “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club”
Natasha Katz, “Hell’s Kitchen”
Bradley King and David Bengali, “Water for Elephants”
WINNER — Brian MacDevitt and Hana S. Kim, “The Outsiders”

Sound design of a play
Justin Ellington and Stefania Bulbarella, “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding”
Leah Gelpe, “Mary Jane”
Tom Gibbons, “Grey House”
Bray Poor and Will Pickens, “Appropriate”
WINNER — Ryan Rumery, “Stereophonic”

Sound design of a musical
M.L. Dogg and Cody Spencer, “Here Lies Love”
Kai Harada, “Merrily We Roll Along”
Nick Lidster for Autograph, “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club”
Gareth Owen, “Hell’s Kitchen”
WINNER — Cody Spencer, “The Outsiders”

Original score (music and/or lyrics) written for the theater

“Days of Wine and Roses”
Music & Lyrics: Adam Guettel

“Here Lies Love”
Music: David Byrne and Fatboy Slim
Lyrics: David Byrne

“The Outsiders”
Music & Lyrics: Jamestown Revival (Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance) and Justin Levine

“Stereophonic”
Music & Lyrics: Will Butler

WINNER
“Suffs”
Music & Lyrics: Shaina Taub

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Hit Man is a fairly standard script. It doesn’t waste your time. It gets straight to the point. And it is a hell of a lot of fun.

Release Date: 05/24/2024 Runtime: 115 minutes Director: Richard Linklater Rotten Tomatoes: 97% iMBD: 7.1/10 Where to Watch: Netflix

Mild-mannered professor of psychology and philosophy Gary Johnson (Glen Powell) lives at home with his plants, his birdfeeders, and his two cats Id and Ego

This sets up his character right away and tells the audience everything they need to know. He works part-time doing tech support for the local police, assisting on undercover ops to bust criminals trying to hire hitmen. But one day, the assigned agent is put on suspension at the last minute and Gary is chosen to take his place. Nervous, intellectual, science-obsessed Gary… their best option.

Whether he succeeds or fails will depend on if his anxiety gets the better of him. Walking into a diner to confront the criminal, everyone is on edge. But by the end, it’s clear that Gary is a natural.

The police department starts assigning him more jobs. As he gets into the act of convincing the targets that he is a lifelong criminal, he starts to take a liking to it—his psychology background and solo lifestyle affording him the flexibility to become anyone he needs to be to get them to let their guard down and make incriminating statements.

Then, one day, he meets a woman (Adria Arjona) attempting to escape from a dangerous husband

The lines between his real self and his undercover persona blur as he develops genuine feelings for her while also playing into her desires. This leads to a web of lies, confused identities, and criminal actions that stand apart from the usual tropes of the romantic comedy genre.

As expected, the truth does eventually come out, and in this one it does comes out in perhaps the most hilarious way possible. Discussing the specifics would spoil the story, but needless to say, the pressure builds over the course of the movie until an eventual release that circumvents the standards of the trope in a way that is absolutely delightful.

Despite its dark themes, this movie approaches its subject matter in a light-hearted way that will leave the most morally-upright audience member smiling by the end

Ultimately, it’s a story about identity, the flexible nature of reality, and who we are when personality can be constructed. “Seize the identity you want for yourself” is the quote the movie ends on, and it couldn’t have found a better, more absurd narrative to build that statement on.

About our Admit One Author

Isaac Frankel is a freelance writer and content creator specializing in reviews and analysis of cinema, interactive media, and mythological storytelling. He was raised in Prescott, AZ, wrote his first non-fiction book in 2013 after graduating from Tribeca Flashpoint College with a degree in Game & Interactive Media Design, and currently produces content for the YouTube channel: Off Screen.

More of his work and current projects can be found at www.isaacafrankel.com.

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Hollywood’s summer movie anxieties gave way to joy this weekend with the massive debut of Disney and Pixar’s “Inside Out 2.” The animated sequel earned $155 million in ticket sales from 4,440 theaters in the U.S. and Canada, according to studio estimates Sunday.

It’s the second-highest opening weekend in Pixar’s nearly 29 years of making films and the second-biggest animated opening ever (behind only the $182.7 million launch of “Incredibles 2” in 2018). It’s also the biggest of 2024, which had not had any films debut over $100 million. With an estimated $140 million from international showings, “Inside Out 2” had a staggering, and record-breaking, $295 million global debut.

The success is significant for Pixar, marking a much-needed return to form for a studio that has had a string of underwhelming launches including “Elemental,” which did eventually become a success, and “ Lightyear,” which didn’t. It’s also important for the greater Hollywood ecosystem and the health of theatrical exhibition, which had been running at a 26% deficit before this weekend. “Inside Out 2” marks the biggest opening since “Barbie” launched to $162 million last July.

“This is a monumental weekend for movie theaters,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore.

Kelsey Mann directed “Inside Out 2,” which picks up with Riley as she turns 13. That means the arrival of new emotions like Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos), Envy ( Ayo Edebiri ) and Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser) to the mix. Amy Poehler once again lent her voice to Joy in a cast that includes Tony Hale, Lewis Black and Phyllis Smith as Fear, Anger and Sadness, respectively. It got glowing reviews from both critics (92% on Rotten Tomatoes) and audiences who gave it an A CinemaScore, suggesting that this won’t be a first-weekend wonder either. With kids out of school and an open market until “Despicable Me 4” enters the ring over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, “Inside Out 2” is just getting started.

The film is estimated to have cost $200 million to produce, which does not account for the millions spent on marketing. Going into the weekend, it was tracking for a debut in the $90 million range, which would have been in line with “Inside Out’s” first weekend in June 2019. Even that would have been considered a terrific achievement, and enough to claim the biggest opening of the year — finally unseating March releases like “ Dune: Part Two ” and “ Godzilla x Kong.”

It got off to a huge start with $13 million from Thursday preview showings, which started at 3 p.m. As the only major release of the weekend, its theatrical footprint was equally impressive — playing on 400 IMAX screens, more than 900 “premium large format” screens and over 2,500 3D screens.

“The family audience still loves going to the movies,” Dergarabedian said. “As an outside of the home experience, it’s still a relative bargain.”

This re-commitment to theatrical comes after Disney sent several Pixar films straight to its streaming service, Disney+, during the pandemic including “Soul,” “Luca” and “Turning Red.” Last month, the New York Times reported that Pixar had decided to return its focus to feature films (and not producing shows for Disney+) and that it had laid off 14% of its workforce (about 175 employees).

“As important as this weekend is for the industry at large, for Pixar this is huge. They’ve been trying to get their groove back since the pandemic,” Dergarabedian said. “Pixar had for decades one of the most impressive box office track records ever. They’ve really come back big.”

Second place went to Sony’s “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” now in its second weekend with $33 million, down only 42% from its opening. In just 12 days, it’s already earned more than $112 million domestically and $214 million globally. As of Friday, the four-film franchise had crossed the $1 billion mark.

“Bad Boys’” success last weekend was the start of a higher-earning turnaround for the lagging summer movie season. For Hollywood, the summer season, which runs from the first weekend in May through Labor Day, usually represents about 40% of the yearly box office. The deficit is still significant, with ticket sales down 28% for the summer and 24% for the year (and this is still before “Barbenheimer”), but it’s progress in a more promising direction nonetheless.

“We’re not going to get there overnight,” Dergarabedian said. “But it’s good news for theaters. And we have some big movies on the way.”

Bahr writes for the Associated Press.