Hollywood Predicts Potential $100 Million Opening Weekend For ‘Barbie,’ $50 Million For ‘Oppenheimer’

For a month with at least three major blockbuster releases, July also has plenty of highly anticipated indie releases, many of which made their premieres earlier in the year at film festivals. From “Theater Camp” to “Kokomo City,” smaller releases will be fighting for the spotlight as big-budget productions such as the latest in the “Mission Impossible” franchise and, of course, “Barbie” is released.

Warner Bros. is speaking out and defending their upcoming movie, Barbie, following it getting banned in Vietnam.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Sky and Warner Bros. Discovery have announced a renewal of their multi-year content and platform agreement in New Zealand, securing Sky as the continuing home of HBO, Max Originals, Warner Bros. and Discovery. WBD says that the deal keeps open its options on how and when to launch the HBO Max streaming service in the country. The agreement includes a continuation of Warner Bros. Discovery’s eight channel portfolio (Discovery, Discovery Turbo, Living Channel, TLC, ID, Animal Planet, Cartoon Network and CNN International); current and future seasons of HBO series such as “House of The Dragon,” “The Last of Us” and The White Lotus; returning series “True Detective: Night Country,” “Euphoria” “Game of Thrones,” “Sex & The City,” “Chernobyl”; Max Original series including “Peacemaker” and “The Flight Attendant,” future Warner Bros. blockbuster movies and a library titles including the “Harry Potter,” “Lord of the Rings” and “DC Universe” movies.

 is coming to an end.The Hollywood Reporter broke the news of the HBO series' cancellation on Thursday, two months after the fourth season concluded its six-episode run.Creator, showrunner, writer and star Robin Thede issued a statement about the move, which is being characterized as a mutual decision to end on a creative high note.«Thank you to all the immensely talented cast members, guest stars, writers, directors, editors and crew members who have made A Black Lady Sketch Show an Emmy-winning success,» Thede wrote. «I especially want to recognize the Black women and other women of color who excelled in every department at ABLSS.

Billie Eilish has announced the release date and title of her new song for the forthcoming Barbie soundtrack.The ‘Happier Than Ever’ singer took to social media to reveal that she is one of the featured artists contributing to the highly anticipated film’s soundtrack. Eilish shared that the upcoming song ‘What Was I Made For?’ will make listeners “sob”.To announce the song, the 21-year-old singer shared a photo on Instagram of the Barbie logo with the track’s title written above it.

Angelique Jackson The fourth season of the Emmy-winning comedy series “A Black Lady Sketch Show” will be its last, Variety has learned exclusively. “Thank you to all the immensely talented cast members, guest stars, writers, directors, editors and crew members who have made ‘A Black Lady Sketch Show’ an Emmy-winning success,” series creator and star Robin Thede said in a statement about the decision to end the show. “I especially want to recognize the Black women and other women of color who excelled in every department at ‘ABLSS,'” Thede added. “I am also eternally grateful for the support of Issa Rae and Jax Media, Amy Gravitt, Casey Bloys and the entire team at HBO, Max and Warner Bros. Discovery.”

Vietnam’s decision to ban the movie has been making headlinesNow Warner Bros. is attempting to clarify its intention.The film, directed by Greta Gerwig, was set to hit theaters in the country on July 21, aligning with its big-screen release in most countries around the world.However, Vietnam announced the movie will not be released due to a scene that includes a map using the “nine-dash line” — a set of line segments that represents China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea — which Vietnam claims violates its sovereignty.But the studio rejects the need for controversy.“The map in Barbie Land is a child-like crayon drawing,” a spokesperson for the Warner Bros.

Ryan Gosling might be “just Ken” in the forthcoming Barbie movie, but he’s so much more than that to longtime love Eva Mendes.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Of all the impressive skills Barbie has amassed in her 64 years as a working doll, who knew that cartography would be a focal point of her highly anticipated summer movie debut? But here we are. Trailers for the upcoming “Barbie,” from director Greta Gerwig and Warner Bros. Pictures, have led to the dissemination of a controversial map used in the film – one depicted in a scene with stars Margot Robbie and Kate McKinnon (known in the film as “Weird Barbie”) — and the studio is speaking up after days of international headlines. “The map in Barbie Land is a child-like crayon drawing,” a spokesperson for the Warner Bros. Film Group told Variety. “The doodles depict Barbie’s make-believe journey from Barbie Land to the ‘real world.’ It was not intended to make any type of statement.”

Donna Langley is set to take control of content and creative ops across NBCUniversal’s portfolio of brands, as TV chief Susan Rovner exits the company. The shakeup in leadership is the first major restructuring move made by Mike Cavanagh since he took over ousted Jeff Shell’s position atop the Comcast-owned media company. In a memo to staff Thursday, Cavanagh announced NBCUniversal will be reorganized into four key units: NBCUniversal Studio Group, led by Langley, NBCUniversal Media Group, run by chairman of TV and streaming Mark Lazarus, NBCU News Group, run by existing news boss Cesar Conde, and the Universal Destinations and Experiences Group headed up by parks boss Mark Woodbury.

Eva Mendes is still cheering for her Ken, Ryan Gosling! On Wednesday, the actress took to Instagram to share a clip from the leading man's latest role in, which was praised by the film's director, Greta Gerwig."'It’s some combination of MARLON BRANDO meets GENE WILDER meets JOHN BARRYMORE meets JOHN TRAVOLTA.'-Greta Gerwig," Mendes wrote next to a scene from the film, quoting a line from Gerwig's latest interview in .Mendes couldn't agree more as she celebrated her husband in the next line of the post.«One of my favorite things the insanely talented & beautiful GRETA GERWIG says in @rollingstone about Mi Hombre, Mi Vida, Mi Amor …RG

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Welcome to one of the strangest battles in all of Hollywood’s earth-scorched streaming wars. Tune into TNT or Discovery Channel and chances are you might come upon an ad for a new streaming selection on Peacock or Netflix. Stream something on Max — also owned by the TV networks’ parent, Warner Bros. Discovery — and you’ll see no such thing. Nor are you likely to see commercials for something new from Amazon’s Prime Video on Disney+ or Hulu, though it’s certainly possible such promotions might turn up on some of the TV networks also owned by Disney, such as ABC or ESPN. And chances are virtually nil at the current moment that you’ll see anything touting Paramount+ or Tubi on the new ad-supported tier backed by Netflix.

For a month with at least three major blockbuster releases, July also has plenty of highly anticipated indie releases, many of which made their premieres earlier in the year at film festivals. From “Theater Camp” to “Kokomo City,” smaller releases will be fighting for the spotlight as big-budget productions such as the latest in the “Mission Impossible” franchise and, of course, “Barbie” is released.

Tatiana Siegel On July 3, GQ.com rolled out a hot-take story titled “How Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav Became Public Enemy Number One in Hollywood.” The piece, which was written by freelance film critic Jason Bailey and slammed Zaslav as a Logan Roy-esque mogul, quickly disappeared from GQ’s website, while a new, more friendly version popped up with a separate URL. That version, too, vanished not long after, leaving readers puzzled. But did a GQ editor’s relationship with Warner Bros. play a role in the softening and ultimate removal of the story?  GQ editor-in-chief Will Welch is producing a movie at Warner Bros. titled “The Great Chinese Art Heist,” which is based on a 2018 GQ article by Alex W. Palmer. Jon M. Chu (“Crazy Rich Asians”) is attached to direct and produce the film, which chronicles an audacious European museum crime wave that targeted Chinese antiquities. The project already has a script in place by Ken Cheng, Jessica Gao and Jimmy O. Yang. Sources say Welch was involved in the discussions surrounding the removal of Bailey’s initial story and made the call to pull the revamped story, which ran some 500 words shorter than the published version. Those same sources say Warner Bros. Discovery complained about the initial story to two GQ editors, one of whom was Welch. 

banned in Vietnam for apparently featuring a map showing China’s claims to the South China Sea that many say includes the territory of other nations.When asked about the controversy during a press conference on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning was dismissive of Hanoi’s outrage.“China’s position on the South China Sea issue is clear and consistent,” the official said, adding that Vietnam “should not link the South China Sea issue with normal cultural exchange.”The nine-dash line shown on the map represents China’s claim to a vast section of the disputed waters, which are also being fought over by Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan.An international tribunal at The Hague found the Chinese Communist Party’s map illegal. Beijing dismissed the ruling at the time.The map’s inclusion in “Barbie” underscores the growing controversy over Hollywood’s reliance on China, which has rivaled the US for its biggest market in recent years.

all-pink wardrobe — and no Kens are allowed.Dena Daniels has loved the Mattel dolls her whole life and played with them until other children started to bully her for being “too old” for it all.For years she felt she was hiding her “authentic self” by hiding her love of Barbie in order to adhere to societal expectations.“I was concerned about people’s approval and pleasing those around me, especially men,” she told Kennedy News and Media.But the mom-of-two was tired of hiding her love for all things Barbie, so she decided to “live her truth” by “pink-ifying” her home during the summer of 2021.“One day I just woke up and thought, ‘I’m not getting any younger; I want to do what I want to do. I don’t care what anyone else thinks about it, I want to be me,'” she admitted.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Food Network has renewed its latest “Baking Championship” spinoff, “Summer Baking Championship, for a second season. “Summer Baking Championship” features 10 talented bakers from around the country competing in unique summer-themed baking challenges featuring the flavors, ingredients and celebrations of the season for a chance to earn the title of Summer Baking Champion and win $25,000, per the cable channel’s official description for the competition series. The show is hosted by Jesse Palmer, with Duff Goldman, Carla Hall and Damaris Phillips serving as judges.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor A mass exodus of Black women from senior leadership posts across Hollywood during the last few weeks is raising questions about the depth of the film and television industry’s commitment to diversifying the top ranks of the entertainment industry. The high-profile departures have sparked outrage on social media, with mounting concerns that major studios are only performing lip service after pledging to elevate more people of color to positions of influence. In the last month, six Black women executives in prominent leadership roles have abruptly left their positions in the studio system. Many oversaw DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) departments, putting them on the frontlines of larger effort to change corporate cultures and hiring practices. The exits include Karen Horne, who led DEI efforts at Warner Bros. Discovery and Jeanell English, executive VP of impact and inclusion at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. The other prominent executives are Netflix’s Vernā Myers, the streamer’s first head of inclusion; Disney’s LaTondra Newton, chief diversity officer and senior VP; and another Warner Bros. executive, Terra Potts, VP of worldwide marketing. On Monday, Joanna Abeyie, the BBC’s creative diversity director, joined their ranks. And even though the steady stream of departures is alarming, multiple industry sources tell Variety that more BIPOC executives are expected to join them in the coming weeks.

“Barbie” director Greta Gerwig has a good reason why she chose not to use CGI on Margot Robbie’s feet.

GQ magazine has removed a profile of Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav from its website after the company objected to the article.

For fans of the “Batman” film franchise, there are two films that get a lot of shit from the fandom. You see, after Tim Burton released his two “Batman” films, beginning in 1989, Warner Bros.

not fantastic. “Barbie” director Greta Gerwig has revealed her refusal to CGI a certain body part of the famous doll in the upcoming film, calling the very idea “terrifying.” “There was a big discussion in the beginning,” Gerwig, 39, told the hosts of Australian talk show “The Project.” “Everyone said, ‘Are you going to CGI all the feet?’ And I thought, ‘Oh god, no! That’s terrifying! That’s a nightmare.’ Also, Margot [Robbie] has the nicest feet. She has these beautiful dancer feet.

Days after Vietnam banned Warner Bros’ upcoming Barbie due to a scene depicting a map of the South China Sea with the “nine-dash line” that is contested by its government, the Philippines is now weighing whether it will follow suit.

Barbie, Mattel’s next film will focus on the brand’s beloved purple dinosaur, Barney.Said Barney film will see Get Out and Nope‘s Daniel Kaluuya serve as a producer, with the actor previously saying via a press statement: “Barney was a ubiquitous figure in many of our childhoods, then he disappeared into the shadows, left misunderstood. We’re excited to explore this compelling modern-day hero and see if his message of ‘I love you, you love me’ can stand the test of time.”While it unclear if Kaluuya will also star in the film, a Mattel Film executive has newly revealed in an interview with the New Yorker that the movie will take on a “surrealistic” approach geared towards adults.“We’re leaning into the millennial angst of the property rather than fine-tuning this for kids,” Mattel Films exec Kevin McKeon said about the Barney movie.

Greta Gerwig‘s highly anticipated film Barbie has received as 12A classification rating in the UK.Per an official classification by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), the film’s 12A rating means only kids above the age of 12 can watch the movie unaccompanied. Anyone below the age of 12 has to be accompanied by an adult.Reasons for the film’s 12A classification are the film’s supposed use of “moderate innuendo”, “brief sexual harassment”, “violence”, “dangerous behaviour” and more.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Authorities in The Philippines are weighing a decision on whether to follow the lead taken by Vietnam and ban Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” movie. Vietnam on Monday announced that it will bar the film’s commercial release due to the movie’s depiction of a map that depicts the “nine dash line,” a disputed representation of China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea. The Philippines, like Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia, have competing claims in the South China Sea and strongly refute China’s claim to nearly the entire maritime region. “If the invalidated 9-dash line was indeed depicted in the movie ‘Barbie,’ then it is incumbent upon the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) to ban the same as it denigrates Philippine sovereignty,” said Philippines Senator Francis Tolentino, vice chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee, according to local media reports.

reinstated at Warner Bros. Discovery after widespread outcry over his dismissal from the classic movie network, thanked fans for their continued support on Tuesday. “The support for TCM, and for me, has been wonderful,” he tweeted.“I just want to say that it’s always taken a true team to make it work,” he added.

Margot Robbie is a native of Australia, but that didn’t prevent her from forgetting that the title of her new movie has a very different meaning Down Under.

ITV presenter Lorraine Kelly isn’t afraid of a daring colour or two, and her latest outfit perfectly demonstrates how to tap into the latest Barbiecore trend that’s sweeping the globe. For her morning presenting gig on Monday, Lorraine wowed in a fuchsia pink pleated midi dress from Phase Eight, with fans raving about how much she suits a bold colour. The Petra Wrap Pleated Midi Dress, £135 here, comes in a vibrant, shocking pink and features a wrap over front and flared mid-length skirt, complete with matching belt which ties at the waist to show off Lorraine’s figure.

Margot Robbie is a native of Australia, but that didn’t prevent her from forgetting that the title of her new movie has a very different meaning Down Under.

Even Barbie can become self-conscious.

During a recent interview with Australia’s Channel 10 talk show The Project, Australia-born Margot Robbie had a brief home-country memory slip while promoting Warner Bros’ upcoming Barbie in which she plays the titular character. 

Communist party?Senator Ted Cruz unleashed boxed-up anger at the upcoming “Barbie” movie for including what his office called Chinese communist propaganda in the anticipated summer blockbuster, out July 21.The Margot Robbie-starring film came under fire for its pro-China, on-screen representation of islands in the South China Sea that are disputed — and have been the subject of two separate military campaigns in 1974 and 1988 — between both Vietnam and China.In 2016, a United Nations court ruled that China’s claim to the regions had no basis in international law.

Tom Cruise still makes time to go to the theatre despite being one of the most famous faces in Hollywood.

Barbie because the film includes the “nine dash line map” that depicts islands in the South China Sea as being controlled by Beijing.Vi Kien Thanh, director general of the Vietnam Cinema Department under the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, announced that Barbie will not be allowed to commercially screen in the nation, as ruled by the National Film Evaluation Council.“We do not grant license for the American movie ‘Barbie’ to release in Vietnam because it contains the offending image of the nine-dash line,” the state-run Tuoi Tre newspaper stated, citing Thanh (via Variety).The move follows Vietnam banning previous films including Uncharted and Abominable over the same issue.In 2016 the UN ruled unanimously against the validity of the “nine dash line” map, however China responded by saying that it doesn’t recognise the UN’s decision.Meanwhile, in other recent Barbie news, Margot Robbie has revealed the one request she made to director Greta Gerwig before filming the new movie.Set for release on July 21, Gerwig’s film stars Robbie in the titular role, with Ryan Gosling as Ken.Speaking about the film in an interview on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Robbie discussed how she fell in love with the character as a child when she was gifted a Barbie Dreamhouse for Christmas.Such was the impact the gift had on her, that she revealed she asked Gerwig to allow her to live out the real-life fantasy of the Dreamhouse in the film.“I’ll follow your vision. Whatever you want this Barbie movie to be, let’s do that,” she remembers telling the director.

Margot Robbie channels the 1960s Sparkling Pink Barbie for the Barbie press conference in Seoul, South Korea on Monday (July 3).