Box Office: 'Encanto,' 'Ghostbusters' Lead Quiet Weekend

►Omicron looms. Disney's animated musical Encanto led the post-Thanksgiving session at the box office, which is usually a quiet weekend following the holiday. This year was further complicated by the ongoing pandemic and concerns about the new omicron variant.

Encanto grossed $12.7 million from 3,980 theaters in its second weekend for a domestic total of $58 million and $58.1 million overseas — where omicron is more of a concern — for a global cume of $116.1 million. The pic is setting records in parts of Latin America, where it has earned $5.9 million in Colombia, the film’s No. 1 foreign market behind France ($6.5 million).

Sony’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife followed closely in second place with an estimated $10.2 million from 4,059 locations as it jumped the century mark for a domestic cume of $102.2 million through Sunday. Internationally, the film earned another $13.1 million from 53 markets for a foreign cume of $42.9 million and $145.1 million globally. On Sunday, Sony was also celebrating huge presale numbers for its upcoming Spider-Man: Far From Home, which rolls out in mid-December. The box office report. 

—This account doesn’t exist. Alec Baldwin has deleted one of his two verified accounts on Twitter, days after his emotional interview on ABC in which he talked about the fatal shooting on the set of Rust for the first time. Baldwin’s verified @alecbaldwin account no longer exists on Twitter as of Sunday evening. The story. 

—Return to normalcy. Lorne Michaels, Bette Midler, Berry Gordy, Justino Diaz and Joni Mitchell were awarded lifetime achievement awards for artistic excellenceat at the Kennedy Center Honors. This year’s event represented a return to political normalcy, with President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden attending. The story. 

—ICYMI. CNN fired Chris Cuomo following an investigation into his conduct in relation to brother Andrew Cuomo when the former New York governor was being accused of sexual harassment. The NYT reported that an allegation of sexual misconduct had been made against Cuomo. According to the Times, lawyer Debra S. Katz informed CNN on Wednesday about the claim from her client, a former junior colleague at another network; no details were provided. The story. 

'Fear the Walking Dead' Renewed

►What the Dickens! Fear the Walking Dead is returning in a big way following the close of the first half of its seventh season. AMC on Sunday revealed that its Walking Dead prequel series has been renewed for an eighth season, with former leading lady Kim Dickens set to rejoin the show as a series regular. Dickens, whose Madison Clark was killed off three years ago in season four, will make her triumphant return to the zombie drama in the back half of season seven, which will return April 17. The story. 

—Game, set and match. THR's Scott Fienberg has the scoop on King Richard star Will Smith, supporting actresses Aunjanue Ellis, Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton and supporting actors Jon Bernthal and Tony Goldwyn share the Ensemble Performance Award at the 2022 Palm Springs International Film Awards. The story. 

—A man of taste. Stephen Sondheim thought Trey Parker’s Team America: World Police was the best film of 2005 and voted as such for the Academy Awards that year. The late Broadway legend shared his Oscars vote for the action comedy in a personal letter to Parker that was published on the Book of Mormon‘s social media following the passing of Sondheim on Nov. 26 at 91. The story. 

—Six wins. Aleem Khan’s directorial debut After Love was the standout performer at this year’s British Independent Film Awards. The film — about a widowed Muslim convert who uncovers the secret life led by her late husband — landed six awards at Sunday night’s ceremony, including the top honor of best British independent film. The list of winners. 

—"I feel like we all take ourselves so seriously." Halle Berry says she set her Razzie for Catwoman on fire but attended the 2011 ceremony to accept it because of how Hollywood views awards. In a new interview, the Bruised actor-director said she made the unusual decision to attend the Razzies as she felt there is a culture of elitism around awards. The story.

Tom Holland to Play Fred Astaire

►"The script came in a week ago." Tom Holland has confirmed he is set to play Fred Astaire in a biopic from Sony. While promoting Spider-Man: No Way Home in London, Holland told reporters that he’ll play the iconic actor-singer-dancer in an upcoming film produced by Amy Pascal, who had previously revealed plans for the feature to GQ. The story. 

—Piracy concern. Warner Bros/Village Roadshow’s The Matrix Resurrections has finally secured its official China release date. The film will open in the world’s largest theatrical market on Jan. 14, 2022. Matrix 4 goes live on HBO Max in the U.S. on Dec. 22, making piracy a major concern for its China earnings. The story. 

—Charged with murder. Gabriel Hall, the brother of Bachelorette and Bachelor Nation star Ivan Hall, has been charged with murder. According to reports, Hall was charged with murder in connection to the death of Carlos Veliz Jr., a 33-year-old man found with a gunshot wound in a convenience store parking lot in Abilene, Texas on Aug. 31. The story. 

—Bat-together. Some of the team behind the iconic Batman: The Animated Series are reuniting for a podcast. At Los Angeles Comic Con on Saturday, voice actors Kevin Conroy (Batman) and John Glover (The Riddler) revealed that an audio drama was in the works that will continue the 1990s series. According to the actors, writer Alan Burnett is developing the project. The story. 

—Things are looking up. Global advertising in 2021 and 2022 will end up growing faster than previously expected as the rebound from the coronavirus pandemic continues, according to media investment giant GroupM’s latest forecast. The story. 

Review: Netflix's 'Voir'

►"The good essays overflow with movie love, the worst are at least short." THR's chief TV critic Dan Fienberg reviews Netflix's Voir. Executive producer David Fincher is the big name behind this series of six brief essays about the joys of movie-going and movie-viewing, focusing on films like Jaws, 48 Hours and Lawrence of Arabia. The review. 

—"There’s a certain discipline there." THR's Tyler Coates spoke to Nine Perfect Strangers stars Nicole Kidman and Regina Hall about sharing screen time (while Kidman remained in character for the entire shoot), the experience of filming in the remote area of Byron Bay, Australia, and what they both learned about microdosing’s mental health benefits. The interview.

—Confronting myths. THR's Hilary Lewis spoke to Dickinson showrunner Alena Smith about latest time-travel infused episode of the Apple TV+ series which sees Hailee Steinfeld's Emily journey to a world where she's a published author but "is also confronted with the fact that as such she is deeply misunderstood." Warning spoilers. The interview. 

In other news... 

—Theater review: Jerry Zaks' Mrs. Doubtfire

—Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse unveils first-look footage

—Chris Hemsworth shares “very, very cold” video from Extraction 2 location in Prague

—Tiny Bell Canyon becomes hot spot for celebrity real estate

—Why spending $100k to stage a house in Los Angeles makes sense

—Pharrell Williams, Alana Haim visit Chanel labyrinth at Art Basel Miami Beach

—Ken Burns celebrates Buck O’Neil being elected to Baseball Hall of Fame: “I’m near tears”

—Where to go surfing next year in Palm Springs (yes, Palm Springs!) 

—Bob Dole, Senate leader and presidential candidate, dies at 98

What else we're reading...

—Kodi Smit-McPhee Is Here Now [GQ]

—Rick Macci Coached Venus and Serena Williams For Years. He Told Us What King Richard Left Out [Esquire]

—On Succession, Jeremy Strong Doesn’t Get the Joke [New Yorker]

—A Gay Afghan Refugee’s Haunting Story Comes to Stunning Life [Daily Beast]

—Netflix Makes the Most Movies in Hollywood. It Wants to Make the Best [Bloomberg]

Today... 

Today's birthdays: Judd Apatow (54), Sarah Rafferty (49), Janine Turner (59), Colin Salmon (59), Ulrich Thomsen (58), Gina Hecht (68), Steven Wright (66), Leon Russom (80), Craig Brewer (50), Nick Park (63), Jack Thorne (43), Shekhar Kapur (76)