What's news: Matthew McConaughey has decided against becoming a just another politician. The creative world is reeling with the shock news of Virgil Abloh's death. Disney's Encanto opened on top but box office recovery concerns remain. Tom Ford had mixed emotions over House of Gucci.Plus: A new limited drama series will look at the shocking treatment faced by Maria Schneider on the set of Last Tango in Paris— Abid Rahman
Virgil Abloh 1980-2021
►An enormous loss. Virgil Abloh, the visionary founder of the influential fashion label Off-White who went on to become the first Black men's artistic director at French luxury giant Louis Vuitton, died Sunday after a private battle with cancer. He was 41.
A post on Abloh’s verified Instagram page announced his death, explaining that he had been battling a rare, aggressive form of cancer, cardiac angiosarcoma, for more than two years. The obituary.
—"True creative genius." Reflecting Virgil Abloh's huge cultural impact on the worlds of fashion, film, music and design, a lengthy list of Hollywood stars, musicians and fashion executives paid tribute to the late LV men's artistic director. The likes of BTS, Drake, Justin Timberlake, Riz Ahmed, Idris Elba, Venus Williams, Pharrell Williams, Usher, LeBron James and more took to social media to mourn his loss and celebrate his outsized cultural legacy. The reaction.
Box Office: Disney's 'Encanto' Opens With $40.3M, 'Gucci' With $21.8M
►Going Gaga for Encanto. Disney's Encanto topped the domestic chart with a Wednesday-Sunday opening of $40.3 million, the best start of the pandemic era for an animated title. That includes $27 million for the three-day weekend. Overseas, Encanto opened to $29.3 million from more than 47 markets for a global launch of $69.6 million.
THR's Pamela McClintock writes that while Encanto opened in line with expectations, many in Hollywood had hoped it would do more. There’s concern over the pace of the overall box office recovery, particularly in the wake of the new, omicron COVID-19 variant, which could spook domestic audiences after already prompting some cinema closures in parts of Europe.
MGM and United Artists’ House of Gucci was another Thanksgiving winner. Ridley Scott's true crime fashion drama sewed up a five-day debut of $21.8 million and $14.2 million for the weekend, both record numbers for an adult drama in the pandemic era and reflecting star Lady Gaga’s appeal among younger adults. Nearly half of ticket buyers, or 45 percent, were between the ages of 18-34, while 34 percent were 45 and older.
Gucci placed No. 3 behind Encanto and holdover Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Overseas, Gucci opened to $12.9 million from 40 markets for a global start of $34.7 million. The box office report.
—Beauty and the Beast at 30. The talent behind the voices of Belle, the Beast, Gaston and more speak to THR's Christy Piña about the legacy of Disney's monster animated hit Beauty and the Beast that earned nearly $425 million at the global box office. The talk of their memories of working on the film and what it means to be involved with the acclaimed 1991 movie. The story.
—"I often laughed out loud, but was I supposed to?" Tom Ford suspects that House of Gucci will be a hit despite the film rivaling "Dynasty for subtlety." In an essay for digital weekly Air Mail, the filmmaker and former creative director of Gucci during and after the events of the film offers praise for the movie’s "impeccable costumes, stunning sets and beautiful cinematography" but that it was hard for him "to see the humor and camp in something that was so bloody." The story.
McConaughey Decides Against Run for Texas Governor
►"A path that I’m choosing not to take at this moment." Despite leading some polls and generating buzz and publicity, Matthew McConaughey has decided to not run for Texas governor. The Oscar-winner announced on his Instagram account on Sunday that elected office was a “path that I’m choosing not to take at this moment” and that he wants to focus on serving the people of his home state in ways other than pursuing public office. The story.
—Self censorship. Disney+ has dropped an episode of The Simpsons from its recently launched service in Hong Kong that made a joke about the deadly student protests at Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 1989. The missing episode 12 of the 16th season, first broadcast in 2005, happens to be the one where the Simpson family visit Tiananmen Square and come across a placard that reads: “On this site, in 1989, nothing happened.” The story.
—Alive! once more. Spanish filmmaker J. A. Bayona is set to direct a Netflix feature on the 1972 plane crash in the Andes involving an Uruguayan rugby team that forced survivors to extreme measures, including cannibalism. The Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom director co-wrote Society of the Snow with Bernat Vilaplana, Jaime Marques and Nicolás Casariego and it is based on the book La sociedad de la nieve by Pablo Vierci. The story.
—Big changes. The Gotham Awards is set to welcome a “slightly reduced” crowd back to Cipriani Wall Street on Nov. 29. THR's Hilary Lewis spoke to Gotham exec director Jeffrey Sharp about the event including the move to make their acting awards gender-neutral, eliminating its audience award and adding more TV categories. The interview.
—"I was ambushed and completely stitched up." Queen guitarist Brian May took to Instagram to explain that his words were “subtly twisted” to suggest he is unfriendly toward the trans community following an interview at an ITV event last week. The veteran rocker apologized to “anyone who has been hurt by the stories” and emphasized that his heart is “open as always to humans of all colours, all creeds, all sexes and sexualities, all shapes and sizes – and all creatures." The story.
'Last Tango' Series to Explore Maria Schneider's Experience
►CBS Studios has greenlit Tango, a limited event series based on the tumultuous events surrounding the making of Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1972 erotic drama Last Tango in Paris.
Based on a script by Jeremy Miller and Daniel Cohn, Tango traces the 18 months before, during and after the production of the film, explore the claims that Bertolucci along with star Marlon Brando exploited and humiliated co-star Maria Schneider. Lisa Brühlmann and José Padilha will co-direct the series. The story.
—Harrison’s choice. THR's second nicest man Aaron Couch spoke to Dexter: New Blood star Jack Alcott about his character as well as episode four, with the actor recalling his tearful final day on the series. Warning spoilers. The interview.
—"A visual treat enhanced by its engaging story."THR critic Lovia Gyarkye reviews Patrick Imbert's The Summit of the Gods (Le Sommet des Dieux). A photojournalist investigates the fate of a mountaineer who went missing on Mount Everest in this animated feature. The review.
—"Weakened by thin characters and by-the-numbers mystery." THR's chief TV critic Dan Fienberg reviews The Hot Zone: Anthrax. National Geographic spins off its 2019 Ebola miniseries with a six-episode drama about the 2001 anthrax panic, featuring Daniel Dae Kim and Tony Goldwyn. The review.
—What Does It Mean to ‘Yassify’ Anything? [New York Times]
Today...
Today's birthdays: Gemma Chan (39), Anna Faris (45), Janina Gavankar (41), Joel Coen (67), Lucas Black (39), Brian Baumgartner (49), Andrew McCarthy (59), Dany Garcia (53), Don Cheadle (57), Cathy Moriarty (61), Jeff Fahey (69), Howie Mandel (66), Gena Lee Nolin (50), Timo Vuorensola (42)
David Gulpilil, the beloved indigenous Australian actor who introduced the world to his culture in Nicolas Roeg's Walkabout and went on to make his mark in the blockbuster Crocodile Dundee and in the Rolf de Heer dramas The Tracker and Charlie's Country, has died. He was 68. The obituary.
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