Michel Franco’s ‘New Order’ Boosts Mexican Box Office, Challenges for Oscar Contention (EXCLUSIVE)

Miss. America 2016 Betty Maxwell is ready for her next crown.

Dua Lipa is facing a second copyright lawsuit over her hit ‘Levitating’, less than a week after it was reported that Artikal Sound System had sued the singer for allegedly plagiarising their song ‘Live Your Life’.As Billboard reports, in a complaint filed in Manhattan federal court on Friday (March 4), songwriters L. Russell Brown and Sandy Linzer allege that Lipa “duplicate[d]” the “signature” opening melody for ‘Levitating’ from their 1979 song ‘Wiggle and a Giggle All Night’ and 1980 song ‘Don Diablo’, performed by Cory Daye and Miguel Bosé respectively.“The signature melody is the most listened to and recognizable part of the infringing works and plays a crucial role in their popularity,” the complaint reads.

A comedy of manners. The Courtship might seem similar to plenty of other reality dating shows, but there’s one major twist: it’s set in Regency England.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefSouth Korean cinema audiences turned out to see “The Batman” but little else over the weekend. That activity put “The Batman” firmly on top of the weekend box office chart, but it left overall business at deeply depressed levels.“The Batman” earned $2.01 million between Friday and Sunday according to data from the Kobis data service operated by the Koran Film Council (Kofic).

Leon Bridges has announced he’ll be embarking on a four-stop tour of Australia later this year.Bridges revealed the news earlier today (March 7) via his social media, sharing a photo of the tour poster.He’ll be playing the first two shows in Perth and Melbourne in September, then heading to Brisbane and Sydney for two October dates, with the latter taking place at the iconic Sydney Opera House. He’ll be supported by Australian musician Milan Ring for all shows except Sydney.General tickets for the dates go on sale Friday, March 11, with pre-sale tickets available from Wednesday, March 9.

The Courtship, viewers are introduced to Nicole and her trusted Court, made up of her father, Claude, her mother, Claire, her sister, Danie, and best friend, Tessa, as they moved into a castle in the English countryside to begin her 19th-century foray into the dating world.After settling in, Mr. Edwards, the show's narrator and Nicole's guide along her journey for love, presented her and her Court with 16 letters of introduction from her potential suitors, which were read with excitement and a few laughs ahead of the night's welcome ball, where her Court helped choose some of her dates for the evening.Arriving in carriages and on horseback, the 16 men vying for Nicole's heart made their way to the palace, where they were greeted with all the pomp and circumstance one can expect from an episode of , traditional twists on modern music included.There, Nicole met a few of the men and even left with six of them, chosen by her Court for a group date, but there was one lucky gentleman who caught Nicole's attention for her first one-on-one date.

“The Lost Daughter” was the big winner, but the 2022 Film Independent Spirit Awards will also be remembered as the year that the Indie Spirits moved away from the Oscars in more ways than one.After decades as the show that takes place the Saturday afternoon before the Academy Awards (or, a couple of times, two or three days before the Oscars), the Spirit Awards moved to a Sunday three weeks earlier, with Film Independent president Josh Welsh explaining, “Shifting earlier in the awards season will allow us to shine an even brighter light on the films and shows we are excited to celebrate.”The move was considered an attempt to influence awards season more than it could in its usual spot, which takes place after Oscar voting has stopped; this year, the Spirit Awards showcased its favorites before Academy voters could even begin casting their ballots.But the date change didn’t really matter, because the Indie Spirit Awards’ connection to and influence on the Oscars has never been more minimal. And that’s likely to be true even though a few of Sunday‘s winners – supporting actor Troy Kotsur, documentary feature “Summer of Soul” and international film “Drive My Car” – will likely repeat at the Oscars in three weeks.Nothing will come out of the Spirit Awards with awards-season momentum that it didn’t already have – because this year’s Spirit nominations were so singular, and so independent, that Academy members couldn’t vote for them if they wanted to.

Chris Coelen is opening up about the criticisms Abhishek “Shake” Chatterjee has about how he was presented to audiences in Love is Blind.

Clayton Davis Oscar winner Colin Firth and former nominee Stanley Tucci, a pair familiar to the awards circuit, could make a splash for their work in “Supernova.” Variety has learned exclusively that Bleecker Street will campaign Firth in the lead actor category with Tucci in supporting.The film made a strong showing at the London Film Festival in October, where it received praise from critics for the stars’ performances. Tucci has been one of Hollywood’s finest actors, winning multiple accolades over his film and television career.

Dave McNary Film ReporterNeon has acquired U.S. rights to Andrei Konchalovsky’s “Dear Comrades!” on the heels of the film being announced as Russia’s official submission for the upcoming Academy Awards.The film is set in 1962 as the Communist government raises food prices, triggering a strike by rebellious workers from the small industrial town of Novocherkassk.

Feed the Love campaign, which donates to nonprofits Feeding America, Toys for Tots and One Simple Wish.The singalong is produced by Done+Dusted for Disney.

THE controversial film Cuties has been put forward for an Academy Award, despite calls for it to be pulled from Netflix. France’s Oscar selection committee put forward five films in its official submission to the International Feature Film category at the 2021 Academy Awards.

Guy Lodge Film CriticDo married couples in the movies ever go on vacation just for the hell and fun of it? Or is it always to get away from something, to cover over an absence, to shorten a yawning distance between them? Alice and Niklas, the Viennese pair at the center of “What We Wanted,” aren’t about to break with tradition. Coolly attractive and comfortably off, they nonetheless arrive at a Sardinian beachside resort under a low cloud of depression and discontent: They’re in their early forties, their latest attempt at in vitro fertilization has just failed, and they’re staring down the future of a marriage they don’t know how to complete, if not with an elusive and long-desired child.

writing in his review, “Walhberg is entirely believable as a man trying to unlearn what were once his blunt, oafish responses to anything he didn’t want to face.”“The version of the film that was screened at Toronto was very promising, and after working with the filmmakers and Mark Wahlberg on a revised cut, we feel it has now reached its full potential,” Mark Gill, president and CEO of Solstice Studios, said in a statement. “Thanks to a lot of hard work as well as the addition of a new original end title song from legendary songwriter Diane Warren, we believe this film now has newfound power and emotional potency that substantially elevates its very important message.

Chadwick Boseman is among the nominees at this year’s Gotham Awards.

Naman Ramachandran The Kenya Film Commission has selected “The Letter” as the country’s official entry for the Oscars’ best international film category.“Filmed with a gentle pace and incredible closeness, ‘The Letter’ is an intimate family portrait that reveals an indestructible female power,” read promotional materials from the org.A Kenyan family drama of Shakespearean proportions, “The Letter” is a tribute to the fearless spirit of 94-year-old Margaret Kamango.

It’s Anne Hathaway‘s birthday! Today, November 12, the beloved actress turns 38 years old, and we cannot believe everything that Anne has accomplished over the course of her career. Anne has truly conquered nearly every facet of film. She can do comedy, drama, musicals, and has an Oscar to boot! To celebrate Anne’s birthday, we’re looking back on her marvelous career and everything she’s accomplished.

Selena Gomez is ready to scale a big-screen biopic about Peruvian mountaineer and social entrepreneur Silvia Vásquez-Lavado. Titled In the Shadow of the Mountain, the film is based on upcoming memoir of the same name by Vásquez-Lavado, who became the first Peruvian woman to summit Mount Everest and the first openly gay woman to complete the Seven Summits, a challenge to climb the highest mountain on each continent.

Jamie Dornan is Irish, but sounds like he’s eaten a box of lucky charms." Even Dublin Airport's Twitter account said they were calling the 'accent police' posting: "There’s fashion police Grammar police We even have airport police Is there such a thing as accent police? If so, somebody better call ‘em.

Hillbilly Elegy is here to remind you: These people are actors! Of course they know how to appear sane on television! They surely will do anything if they think they'll get an award.Amy Adams has been nominated for an Oscar six times, only to watch someone else win it. Glenn Close has done that dance seven times.

Dave McNary Film Reporter“Panama,” an action-thriller with Mel Gibson and Cole Hauser attached to star, has received financing from Grandave Capital as a third-party investor, Variety has learned exclusively.Hauser will portray a rugged and decorated ex-marine who is sent undercover by his former commander, played by Gibson, to execute a high-value deal with untrustworthy adversaries. The film is currently in pre-production with Mark Neveldine directing from a script by Daniel Adams and William R.

Clayton Davis In a time where the world is as polarized as ever, there seems to be a yearning to show oppression in all cultures. With Black Lives Matter gaining significant traction, a film about a caucasian venture capitalist’s upbringing doesn’t feel exactly well-timed in our climate.

Christopher Vourlias Lesotho has entered the Academy Awards race for the first time with the selection of Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese’s “This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection” for best international feature film at the 2021 Oscars, Variety has learned.Set in the small Southern African nation, “This Is Not a Burial” is the story of an 80-year-old widow whose village is threatened with forced resettlement when local authorities announce the construction of a nearby dam. The widow’s desire to protect her home — and the cemetery where her family members are buried — sparks a resistance movement in her community, while exposing the fault lines in a country torn between an agrarian past and a relentless push for development.

Viola Davis is speaking out more about knowing her worth and getting equal pay in her brand new cover story with InStyle magazine.

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentBarcelona-based Filmax has acquired international sales rights to “Mediterraneo: The Law of the Sea,” inspired by the stirring true-life origins story of the Mediterranean-based NGO Open Arms, an open sea migrant search and rescue mission which has saved thousands of lives.Now just initiating post-production, having shot for over eight weeks around Greece and Barcelona, “Mediterraneo” weighs in as a new banner title for Filmax at this week’s American Film Market, where it will present a first promo.Directed by Marcel Barrena (“100 Meters”), “Mediterraneo” turns on the life-changing journey in 2015 of two Spanish lifeguards, Oscar Camps and Gerard Canals, who travel to the Greek island of

them trembling and breaking.“I was not in physical pain but the drowning sensation was like being in a spin dryer. The doctors said I was under water for over three minutes because my lungs were full of water.“When I came to the surface, I wrapped myself around a tree and clung on.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefIran has chosen childhood labor drama “Sun Children” as its national representative for the Academy Awards best international feature film category. It is the sixth time that a firm directed by Majid Majidi will represent the country.The decision was announced on Sunday by the delegation of the representative of Iranian cinema to the Oscar ceremony.

Rebecca Davis editorChina had a relatively quiet box office weekend, in which holdover Korean War-set title “Sacrifice” led for the third week in a row thanks to $14.4 million in sales, according to data from industry tracker Maoyan.This week’s most notable new release was the blood-stained, tear-soaked, seaside-set local crime thriller “Back to the Wharf,” which came in second with a $7.09 million debut. It stars Zhang Yu (“Dying to Survive,” “A Cool Fish”) and was directed by Li Xiaofeng.

MICHAEL McIntyre and his wife Kitty have been spotted on a rare outing as they walked their dog in London. The 44-year-old comic was greeted by fans as he enjoyed a stroll in Hampstead.

Also Read: Christopher Nolan 'Thrilled' With 'Tenet' Box Office PerformanceDespite the pandemic, Focus Features has steamed forward on releasing films in theaters, thanks in good part to the landmark theatrical window deal made between its parent company, Universal Pictures, and the nation’s largest theater chain, AMC. The deal allows Universal and Focus films to screen at AMC locations and then get early release on premium video on-demand after three weekends of theatrical exclusivity, with AMC receiving a portion of the PVOD sales.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaFocus Features’ “Let Him Go” provided a few sparks at an otherwise lifeless box office, opening over the weekend with an estimated $4.1 million.In these COVID times, that was good enough for a first place finish. Focus also took second place with the sophomore weekend of its horror film “Come Play.” Co-produced with Amblin Partners, “Come Play” netted $1.7 million domestically bringing its total to $5.6 million.The speciality division of Universal Pictures has been active during coronavirus in part because of a deal that its studio parent company inked with AMC Theatres.

While scores of major players in Hollywood keep their focus on the U.S. election, a number of celebrities are spotlighting two crises overseas: one, the armed conflict between ethnic Armenian and Azerbaijani forces over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh; the other, protests against ongoing police brutality in Nigeria.

Zoe Hewitt When an accomplishment onscreen seems effortless, it reflects true mastery of a craft. For five costume designers of potential Oscar contenders, the weight of their undertaking — wrestling with ensemble casts and specific periods — remains undetectable on the screen.Donna Berwick’s work on director Spike Lee’s “Da 5 Bloods,” about four Vietnam veterans returning to the country, meant designing for a cast in the present day as well as the 1960s.With only about a week of prep time in Los Angeles before flying to Thailand for filming, Berwick was provided with customary initial measurements and sizing for the cast ahead of any fittings.

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm would have been one of the most-talked about movies of the year even in a 'normal' year for cinema, largely thanks to that Rudy Giuliani scene.However, what most people wouldn't have expected is for the surprise sequel to be talked about in terms of potential awards recognition at the Oscars, Golden Globes and more.

Christopher Vourlias Christos Nikou’s “Apples” will represent Greece in the best international feature film race at the 2021 Oscars, Variety has learned.Nikou’s directorial debut, which opened the Horizons section of the Venice Film Festival and was also a selection in Telluride and Toronto, is the story of a man struggling to recover his memory in the midst of a pandemic that causes widespread amnesia. It will screen this week in competition at the Thessaloniki Film Festival, which runs online Nov.