Box Office: ‘Super Mario Bros. Movie’ Scores Again With Huge $87 Million, ‘Renfield’ Flops With $7.7 Million Debut

He’s a dude! Kenan Thompson is the longest-serving Saturday Night Live cast member — but his career dates back decades.

A Place In the Sun host Jonnie Irwin has given his fans on social media another home renovation update, after revealing the huge project which will see him convert a property for his family to live in has hit a bump in the road.

No love lost? Prince Harry is still at a standstill with the royal family over who’s at fault for their rift.

A close-knit family. Ice-T opened up about his special bond with his and wife Coco Austin’s 7-year-old daughter, Chanel — including their unique sleeping arrangement.

Six months and counting! Lindsay Hubbard and Carl Radke are inching closer to their wedding day — but their guest list is still being decided.

Not in the cards. Shakira and Tom Cruise recently sparked romance rumors at Formula 1’s Miami Grand Prix, but an insider exclusively tells Us Weekly that the pair aren’t pursuing a relationship.

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Tim McGraw’s dog, Lepshi, is also celebrated in his own right!

Choosing sides? Kim Zolciak-Biermann‘s daughter Brielle seemingly supported her mother amid her divorce from Kroy Biermann.

The headteacher of a primary school has criticised SATs tests after watching pupils break down in tears.

Amad plans

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Disney+ shed another 4 million subscribers in the first three months of 2023, marking the Disney-owned streamer’s second consecutive quarterly drop after closing 2022 with its first-ever decline. On the bright side, the Mouse House also managed to narrow its streaming business losses by $400 million, down 26% year over year. On Wednesday, CEO Bob Iger and Co. beat Wall Street estimates for Disney’s quarterly earnings and revenue due to an impressive Jan.-March showing at the company’s theme parks. That win comes during a fiscal Q2, which concluded April 1, plagued by companywide layoffs, a looming (and now active) writers strike, and a turf war with Florida Gov. Rick DeSantis.

Luann de Lesseps doesn’t know the meaning of the words “too soon”! She’s shooting her shot while she can!

were expecting Disney to report earnings of $0.88 per share on revenue of $21.7 billion. Disney shares closed Wednesday at $101.13 per share, down 1% today and 13.7% YTD.

Fran Drescher. While on Sirius XM’s “The Julie Mason Show,” the actor teased that the possible November special could “maybe” become a backdoor pilot. She also highlighted the importance of SAG sticking with the Writers Guild of America during the WGA strike.

Chase Sui Wonders is finally giving some insight into her relationship with Pete Davidson!

Nicolas Cage went the extra mile for his role in "Vampire’s Kiss" by eating bugs. The iconic Hollywood actor reflected on when he ate several cockroaches for the 1988 cult movie during an interview for his latest role as Count Dracula in "Renfield." "Oh yeah, I ate it twice, because the director did it just to prank me," Cage, 59, told Yahoo! Entertainment. "I'm not one to give advice, but [Nicholas Hoult] ate a potato bug, so he took it to another level." His "Renfield" co-star Nicholas Hoult, 33, responded, "The cockroach is worse than a potato bug I think … the cockroaches I got to eat in this were caramel." While discussing their new vampire horror-comedy, both actors continued to debate which insects were worst to eat on set.  "Oh, but he ate a real potato bug, which is terrifying to me and so are cockroaches.

Vampire’s Kiss, telling Yahoo Entertainment that he’ll “never do that again”.Vampire’s Kiss stars Cage as publishing executive Peter Loew, who thinks he’s turning into a vampire. In the scene in question, Loew picks up a cockroach that is scuttling across the cooker in his apartment and then eats it whole for breakfast. The film’s script originally called for Cage to swallow a raw egg instead, but Cage insisted it be a cockroach.“I saw it as a business decision because when people see the cockroach go in my mouth… [they] really react,” he said during the film’s DVD commentary track.In another recent interview with Mediacorp, Cage reflected further on his bug-eating days.

“Renfield” star told Yahoo Entertainment of his regrets. “I’m sorry I did it at all.”Cage claimed on the film’s DVD commentary track that he was the one that begged for the live insects, as the original script allegedly called for Cage to simply swallow a raw egg. “I saw it as a business decision because when people see the cockroach go in my mouth … [they] really react,” he reportedly said.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Nicolas Cage will not be eating cockroaches on camera ever again. The Oscar winner recently told Yahoo Entertainment that eating two cockroaches on camera during the making of his 1988 comedy “Vampire’s Kiss” remains a career regret. “I’ll never do that again,” Cage said. “I’m sorry I did it at all.” “Vampire’s Kiss” stars Cage as a literary critic who becomes convinced he is a vampire. The film’s script originally called for the actor to swallow a raw egg, but Cage insisted it be a cockroach instead. As he said on the film’s DVD commentary track: “I saw it as a business decision because when people see the cockroach go in my mouth…[they] really react.”

Dracula, where he’s been memorably portrayed by greats like Alexander Granach (in 1922’s silent Nosferatu), Dwight Frye (as a wide-eyed madman in 1931’s Dracula), and Tom Waits (chewing the scenery, and bugs, in 1992’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula), Renfield is perpetually overshadowed by the blood-sucking count.Universal’s new Renfield (★★☆☆☆), a big-budget spinoff of the Dracula story, set in present-day New Orleans, promises to give the character his overdue shine. Unfortunately, the film is an overcooked clash of genre and tepid grasps at modernization, whose greatest asset is — you guessed it — Dracula himself, played by a glammed-up, fang-gnashing Nicolas Cage.

The acting life isn’t always glamorous. Sometimes, you have to sacrifice for the part. Submitted for your approval is one Nicolas Cage, who has revealed a major regret captured on film while out promoting his current horror comedy, Renfield, which features Cage as Dracula and Nicholas Hoult as the title servant, R.M. Renfield.

J. Kim Murphy Mamma mia! “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is staying on top at the domestic box office. The Universal release added a commanding $22.6 million on Friday from 4,371 theaters. After achieving the biggest opening weekend of the year, “Mario Bros.” actually added 28 more locations in its sophomore outing. The Universal, Illumination and Nintendo co-production is now projecting an $80 million gross for the three-day frame, which would mark an impressive 45% drop from its $146 million opening weekend. e. On Friday, “Super Mario Bros.” crossed the $500 million mark globally. The film is now the highest-grossing release of 2023 so far and the biggest video game adaptation in history.

Clint Eastwood is getting back in the director’s chair.

Nicholas Hoult has been in a few films you might have heard of. He’s been a young version of X-Men’s blue mutant The Beast, and was in George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road.

Jenelle Riley Deputy Awards and Features Editor This article first appeared as part of Jenelle Riley’s Acting Up newsletter – to subscribe for early content and weekly updates on all things acting, visit the Acting Up signup page. Sometimes, you find startling accuracy in the most unlikely places. Codependency and toxic relationships have long been fodder for film and television, but lately there’s been a batch of quality entertainment that does an excellent job of depicting the reality of an unhealthy relationship — and the struggle to break free from one. Surprisingly, it’s comedic entertainment that seems to be doing it best as of late. Take the first season of the Apple TV+ comedy “Shrinking,” which depicts a therapist (Jason Segel) trying to help a client (Heidi Gardner) break up with her verbally and emotionally abusive husband. It’s a character arc that rings only too true, expertly captured by “Saturday Night Live” breakout Gardner. Over on HBO Max, the animated series “Harley Quinn” has spent three seasons showing how its titular character starts a new life out from under the shadow of the ultimate toxic boyfriend, the Joker. While it’s a fantastical story that uses heroes and villains with superpowers, the metaphor is apt — Harley Quinn has no identity outside of her famous paramour and has to rebuild her life, and self-worth, on her own.

Angelique Jackson Legendary actor and filmmaker Clint Eastwood is closing in on his next project, with plans to direct “Juror No. 2.” The legal drama is set up at Warner Bros., with Nicholas Hoult and Toni Collette circling the lead roles. Eastwood will direct and produce the project alongside Adam Goodman, Tim Moore and Jessica Meier. Jonathan Abrams penned the script. “Juror No. 2” will take place during a murder trial and follows a juror (Hoult), who realizes that he may have caused the victim’s death. He must decide whether to manipulate the jury to save himself, or reveal the truth and turn himself in. Collette would play the prosecutor. Warner Bros. is nearing a green light on the project, with a production start eyed for June, following Eastwood’s 93rd birthday on May 31.

Five wide releases hit theaters this weekend, but Illumination and Universal’s Super Mario Bros. Movie will reign supreme with a second weekend, -60% of $58M. Already the plumbers have plunged a running stateside total through nine days of $260M, with $300M+ this weekend in sight.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor When director Chris McKay was making “Renfield” he turned to production designer Alec Hammond (“Donnie Darko”) to help deliver a fresh and updated take on the Dracula story, by taking “a big monster movie, rooting it in the classic movies, but subverting any expectations.” The film starring Nicolas Cage as Dracula and Nicholas Hoult as his faithful sidekick Renfield, begins in 1931, in black-and-white. It was important, Hammond says, to set up Cage’s world in the historic context of harkening back to classic Dracula movies before jumping to the present day. The Charity Hospital in New Orleans, which had been abandoned since Hurricane Katrina, was the perfect location for Hammond to set Dracula and Renfield’s modern-day lair.

Jordan Moreau Universal’s latest monster movie, the blood-sucking “Renfield,” is sinking its teeth into the domestic box office with $900,000 from 2,750 theaters in Thursday previews. It expands to 3,375 locations on Friday. This modern take on Dracula won’t be able to drive a stake through the heart of last week’s box office champion, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.” The animated, family-friendly video game adaptation will get another high score at the box office this weekend, with an expected $58 million to $66 million in its sophomore outing. “Renfield,” starring Nicolas Cage as Dracula and Nicholas Hoult as his lowly servant, is projected to make just $10 million in its opening weekend. Considering the horror-comedy carries a $65 million price tag, it’s not a great start to its run. It will also have to battle the fellow R-rated horror “The Pope’s Exorcist,” which opened to $850,000 in previews and is also on track to earn $10 million this weekend. The upside to the Sony horror movie, starring Russel Crowe as the Vatican’s lead exorcist, is that it only cost the company $18 million.

The new Dracula movie Renfield is now in theaters and it’s expected to be the biggest new release of the weekend.

Stuck in a movie theater seat watching “Renfield” plod along, the answer is a resounding meh.As the Count from “Sesame Street” would say, “‘Renfield’ gets TWO stars! Ah, ah, ah.”Cage — whose career has become so goofy he recently played a parody version of himself who gets kidnapped by a Spanish drug lord — is as funny and self-aware as the evil old vampire. Crazy, it would seem, has become Cage’s new normal. But don’t come looking for a wacky sendup of the story in the vein of Mel Brooks’ “Young Frankenstein.” It’s actually not even as hilarious as that director’s much-worse 1995 movie “Dracula: Dead and Loving It,” and outside of a few basic details the film has little to do with Bram Stoker’s book.“Renfield,” directed by Chris McKay, has more in common with the (far better) “Zombieland” series, with high-body-count action sequences, quick-cut comedy and an unlikely, socially awkward hero. That would be Robert Montague Renfield (Nicholas Hoult), Count Dracula’s beleaguered “familiar,” who has been gifted an unnaturally long life in exchange for bringing the vamp fresh victims.

“Renfield,” an outrageous new take on Bram Stoker’s “Dracula,” told from the point of view of the count’s perpetually put-upon manservant (played here by Nicholas Hoult), the notion of being too over-the-top is considered and then hastily breezed by. In the opening sequence alone, an ancient curse is placed on the dark prince (played, with much scenery-chewing, by Nicolas Cage); when Dracula is freed he turns into a vaporous mist and explodes a priest from the inside. Then Dracula catches on fire and is turned into a crispy skeleton.The sequence is telling both for its bold tonal shifts and for the manic approach to action.

Few characters manage the passage of time quite like Dracula. From the character’s iconic beginnings as a Universal Studios monster to more recent attempts to craft a shared universe, Dracula adaptations often offer the clearest reflection of both the film industry and broader societal trends.

Jenelle Riley Deputy Awards and Features Editor Brandon Scott Jones loves horror films — but despite starring in the CBS series “Ghosts” as forgotten Revolutionary War soldier Captain Isaac Higgintoot, the actor and writer has yet to appear in the horror genre. That all changes with the April 14 release of “Renfield,” starring Nicolas Cage as the legendary Dracula and Nicholas Hoult as his put-upon underling. Jones plays Mark, the leader of a co-dependency support group who advises Renfield — with no idea just how toxic his relationship with Dracula truly is. Jones will also be seen in the third season of “The Other Two,” hitting HBO Max on May 4, reprising his role as Curtis, the confidante to aspiring actor Cary.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Expect “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” to capture the high score at the box office… again. Despite the release of two new movies — Universal’s wacky Dracula horror-comedy “Renfield” and Sony’s R-rated demonic thriller “The Pope’s Exorcist” — Universal and Illumination’s animated adaptation of the popular Nintendo video game looks to loom large in its second weekend of release. After its towering $146 million debut, “Mario” is estimated to bring in $58 million to $66 million, a 55-60% decline from its opening. The PG blockbuster, which cost $100 million and brought back the all-important demographic of family audiences, has generated $204.6 million in North America and $375 million globally since opening last Wednesday. It’s already the fourth-highest grossing animated movie in pandemic times, following “Minions: The Rise of Gru” ($939 million), “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” ($480 million) and “Sing 2” ($408 million).