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Get ready, South Asia! The undisputed King of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan, is set to make a spectacular visit to Sri Lanka, gracing the highly anticipated grand opening of City of Dreams Sri Lanka on August 2, 2025, as special guest. This isn’t just an event; it’s the official launch of “Let’s Go, Let Go” campaign, inviting you to shed your worries and dive into a new era of luxury and entertainment as South Asia’s first integrated resort redefines Colombo as a premier global destination.

A New Era for Colombo Begins

Located along the scenic Colombo coastline, City of Dreams Sri Lanka is a 4.5-million-square-foot architectural marvel, designed by internationally acclaimed architect Cecil Balmond. The resort brings together timeless design, world-class service, and modern indulgence to offer an unmatched hospitality and entertainment experience.

“Let’s Go, Let Go”: A Spirit of Celebration

The opening will also unveil...

Deadline is reporting that Jeremy Allen White and Austin Butler will be going head-to-head in an upcoming crime drama from A24. White, who is a two-time Emmy-winner for his series The Bear, is set to star in Enemies opposite Academy Award-nominee Austin Butler. Enemies is the new film from Henry Dunham, who previously directed another crime thriller with 2018’s The Standoff at Sparrow Creek, which follows a former cop-turned-militia man who investigates a shooting at a police funeral.

Per Deadline, Enemies is about a relentless detective and an infamous contract killer who collide in a deadly game of cat and mouse. Dunham directs from a script that he also wrote, and was able to secure a $25 million budget for the film. The production is scheduled to commence sometime this summer on location in Chicago. The movie will be an A24 production with Ari Aster and Lars Knudsen of Square Peg producing alongside Alejandro De Leon.

Exclusive: Sony’s 3000 Pictures adaptation of Don Winslow’s best-selling crime novel City On Fire is gaining some steam as sources tell Deadline Captain Fantastic director Matt Ross is coming on to helm the pic starring Austin Butler. Butler will also produce along with David Heyman of Heyday Films and Shane Salerno and The Story Factory. Challengers writer Justin Kuritzkes adapted the script.

The trilogy focuses on two criminal empires — one Irish, the other Italian — that control all of New England, until a modern-day Helen of Troy tears them apart and starts a brutal war. The main character, Danny Ryan, is forced to grow from a street soldier into a ruthlessly efficient leader to protect his friends, his family and the home he loves. Fighting the Mafia, the local cops, the feds – everyone – Danny is out to build a dynasty or will die trying.

A modern retelling of the Iliad,...

For Nawazuddin Siddiqui to be fully convincing as a Goan Catholic customs officer, he needed to first polish up his accent. “Deshing” (for dashing) and “impotent” (for important) just won’t do.

That said (and spoken), Siddiqui’s portrait of an angry government officer who won’t be bribed or silenced has its moments of strong impact, especially when Nawaz lets the simmering emotions of discontent spill over, defining the character more by what he feels rather than what he says.

There is a specially forceful monologue at the graveside where Siddiqui, the actor, lets the characters take over.

Such free flow of emotions is sadly rare and infrequent in this turgid-to-tepid biopic, which ticks all the ‘trite’ boxes but forgets to loosen up a bit. Sejal Shah’s direction is strictly by the numbers. The screenplay is on the hero’s side unconditionally. Costao was wronged. The film is designed to rectify the imbalance.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences announced on Monday the 207 feature films eligible for Best Picture consideration, two days before voting for the 2025 Oscar nominations begins.

There are 323 feature films eligible for the Academy Awards, but just 207 met the Best Picture competition eligibility requirements.

As stated by the Academy in a press release, “To be eligible for consideration in the general entry categories, under rules implemented for the 97th Academy Awards year, feature films must open in a commercial motion picture theater in at least one of six U.S. metropolitan areas: Los Angeles County; the City of New York; the Bay Area; Chicago, Illinois; Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas; and Atlanta, Georgia, between Jan. 1, 2024, and Dec. 31, 2024, and complete a minimum qualifying run of seven consecutive days in the same venue. Feature films must have a running time of more than 40 minutes.”

But Best Picture eligibility is different. Films under consideration...

There are 323 feature films eligible for the upcoming Academy Awards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Monday, though a whopping 36% of those – 116 feature films – are not eligible for consideration in the Best Picture category.

The discrepancy between films that have qualified for the top category and films that are eligible in other categories comes either because the filmmakers did not attempt to qualify – likely the case for several documentary, animated or international films. Or because of new eligibility rules that require Best Picture candidates to meet additional benchmarks for diversity and inclusion. This is the second year that Representation and Inclusion Standards (Raise) have been enforced, though they did not appear to disqualify any serious contenders in the category.

Among titles excluded from Best Picture consideration are Andrea Arnold’s “Bird,” starring Barry Keoghan, Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut “Woman of the Year,” Michael Keaton’s directorial debut “Knox Goes Away,...

Hulu is kicking off 2025 with a bang by adding tons of new content for subscribers starting January 1. From popular movies like American Psycho, Heat, and John Wick to new series like Goosebumps: The Vanishing, there’s plenty to check out.

Here’s the full list of movies and TV shows coming to Hulu in January 2025:

January 1 Dick Clark’s Primetime New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2025: Special Premiere Kids Diana Show: Let’s Celebrate Together: Complete Season 1 Papa Jake: Epic Box Forts: Complete Season 1 After Earth (2013) American Psycho (2000) The Devil’s Own (1997) The Devil’s Own En Español (1997) Dirty Grandpa (2016) Empire Records (1995) Ender’s Game (2013) The Great Debaters (2007) Heat (1995) Insidious (2011) Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013) Insidious: Chapter 2 En Español (2013) Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015) Insidious: Chapter 3 En Español (2015) The Intouchables (2011) John Wick (2014) John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) John Wick: Chapter 3 (2019) The King Of Comedy (1983) Little Manhattan (2005) Man of the House (2005) Man Of The House...

Hulu is starting 2025 strong as the platform will add a lot of new content for its subscribers starting January 1. From movies like American Psycho, Heat, and John Wick to new series like Goosebumps: The Vanishing, Hulu is bringing A Lot to watch.

Here’s every movie & TV show releasing on Hulu in January 2025:

January 1 Dick Clark’s Primetime New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2025: Special Premiere Kids Diana Show: Let’s Celebrate Together: Complete Season 1 Papa Jake: Epic Box Forts: Complete Season 1 After Earth (2013) American Psycho (2000) The Devil’s Own (1997) The Devil’s Own En Español (1997) Dirty Grandpa (2016) Empire Records (1995) Ender’s Game (2013) The Great Debaters (2007) Heat (1995) Insidious (2011) Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013) Insidious: Chapter 2 En Español (2013) Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015) Insidious: Chapter 3 En Español (2015) The Intouchables (2011) John Wick (2014) John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) John Wick: Chapter 3 (2019) The King Of Comedy (1983) Little Manhattan (2005) Man of the House (2005) Man Of The House...

Eighty-nine songs and 146 scores are on the Oscar ballots for Best Original Song and Best Original Score, according to lists obtained by TheWrap.

The list of songs is five fewer than last year, when 94 songs qualified. The scores fell two short of last year’s total of 148.

In the song category, Joshua Oppenheimer’s post-apocalyptic musical “The End” and the singer-songwriter drama “Dandelion” submitted three songs each, the maximum number of submissions allowed under Oscar rules. Films that submitted two songs included “Emilia Perez,” “Aadujeevitham – The Goat Life,” “Albany Road,” “Am I Racist?,” “Captain Avispa,” “The Garfield Movie,” “I Saw the TV Glow,” “Moana 2,” “Left Behind,” “Mufasa: The Lion King,” “Twisters” and “Your Monster.”

All of the songs considered to have the best chance of making the shortlist are eligible, including “El Mal” and “Mi Camino” from “Emilia Perez,” “Winter Coat” from “Blitz,” “Harper and Will Go West” from “Will & Harper,...

Thanksgiving has long been a deadline of sorts for studios campaigning for Oscar nominations, because it offers the tempting proposition of a holiday weekend in which voters might have free time to catch up on movies. In past years, that meant a steady stream of screener DVDs arriving in voters’ mailboxes in the days before Thanksgiving – but now, with the Academy focusing on its members-only screening platform and placing restrictions on physical screeners, the push is to get new films into the Academy Screening Room before the holiday.

Fifteen new films were added to that room on Wednesday, a departure from the usual weekly additions, which typically come every Friday. The newcomers include Best Picture contenders “Conclave” and “The Piano Lesson,” following a Nov. 22 influx that included “Emilia Perez,” “Joker: Folie a Deux,” “Juror No. 2,” “Nightbitch,” “A Real Pain,” “The Room Next Door,” “Saturday Night” and “September 5.”

But some major films are still missing,...

The 2024 Hollywood Music in Media Awards were handed out on Wednesday night, Nov. 20, during a ceremony that took place at The Avalon in Hollywood. Winners were decided by the Hollywood Music in Media Academy, which consists of journalists, filmmakers, performing artists, publicists, and other industry professionals.

The big winner was Jacques Audiard‘s Netflix musical “Emilia Pérez,” which claimed Best Music-Themed Film, Biopic, or Musical, where it beat other formidable awards contenders like “A Complete Unknown” and “Wicked.” The film’s star Zoe Saldaña also won Best Song (Onscreen Performance) for “El Mal,” defeating Timothee Chalamet playing Bob Dylan‘s “Blowin’ in the Wind” in “A Complete Unknown” and Cynthia Erivo belting out “Defying Gravity” in “Wicked.” Lastly, the film won Best Score (Feature Film) for Clément Ducol and Camille, bringing its total to three, making it the most awarded film of the year.

“The Wild Robot” won two awards,...

Emilia Pérez leads the 2024 nominees for the Hollywood Music in Media Awards, which honor scores and songs in film and other visual media categories. Blitz is next with three, followed by The Wild Robot, Moana 2, and Wicked with two each. See the full list below.

Among the nominees are such hitmakers and composers as Elton John and Brandi Carlile, Miley Cyrus, Diane Warren, Pharrell Williams, A.R. Rahman and Linda Perry, among others.

The hardware will be handed out at the 15th annual Hollywood Music in Media Awards on November 20 at The Avalon in Hollywood. Several of the nominated songs will be performed live during the ceremony.

The HMMAs will present this year’s Outstanding Career Achievement Award to legendary lyricist Bernie Taupin, who collaborations with Elton John produced some of the greatest pop songs and albums on the 1970s. The duo scored 10 No. 1 singles in the UK and seven in the U.

“City of Dreams” 12 million children are victims of modern-day slavery today according to the film “City of Dreams.” Jesus is one of those 12 million children here but he fought back. Wonderfully played by Ari Lopez and effectively directed by Mohit Ramchandani, “City of Dreams” is now out in theaters. “Greedy People” A dark-comedy

The post Movie Reviews: “City of Dreams,” “Greedy People,” “The Deliverance” appeared first on Manny the Movie Guy.

Afraid is set to earn one of Blumhouse's worst wide release opening weekends in many years. The 2024 horror movie, which follows a family who beta tests a new AI assistant whose desire to help them turns deadly, was written and directed by Chris Weitz and stars John Cho, Katherine Waterston, Havana Rose Liu, and David Dastmalchian. The Afraid movie debuted the same weekend as a variety of new releases, including the political biopic Reagan, the L.A. riots thriller 1992, and the human trafficking drama City of Dreams.

Per Variety, as of Sunday morning, Afraid is projected to debut with a 3-day domestic opening weekend of $3.7 million and a 4-day Labor Day holiday weekend gross of $4.4 million. The movie, which comes with a $12 million price tag, landed at No. 9 on the chart for the weekend, just ahead of weekend 3 of the 15th anniversary re-release of Coraline. That 3-day total is Blumhouse's...

Edgar Wright’s cult classic horror-comedy Shaun of the Dead grossed an estimated $600k for the 3-day weekend and $720k for the four days in Focus Features re-release for the comic zombie-fest’s 20th anniversary.

That’s a bloody nice showing as fans turned out for the cult film starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost playing exclusively in Dolby Cinema at 133 AMC theaters for a limited engagement. AMC Burbank was the highest grossing. The re-release is fully remastered with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos for the first time ever.

Shaun of the Dead, from 2024, written by Wright and Pegg, quickly became a cultural phenomenon in the annals of horror-comedy history. Pegg’s Shaun is a 30-something loser working living in the outskirts of London who must rise to the occasion when the town is inexplicably overrun with zombies,

It’s the latest re-rerelease to stalk the box office with animated...

In recent years, Labor Day weekend’s reputation as a box office dead zone has been upended by strong showings from films like “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” and “The Equalizer 3.” Unfortunately, for 2024, standard perception prevails with a predictably lackluster showing.

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” (Warner Bros.) opens next week to a projected $100 million+ debut, starting what looks like an improved rest of the year compared to the final four months in 2023. For now, it’s tread water time, with the late summer’s best doing best (and in some cases holding extremely well).

The weekend’s total of $86 million was down only $6 million from last year despite the boost from the Denzel Washington sequel ($35 million). Key was the sustained strength of previously top titles. Still #1 “Deadpool & Wolverine” (Disney) fell only 17 percent ($15 million), now about $600 million. Two Universal hits already on PVOD did even better. #5 “Twisters” actually...

The summer season is officially over at the North American box office and Deadpool & Wolverine has dominated a sleepy Labor Day weekend with $15.2 million over three days and an estimated $19.5 million through Monday.

The Marvel Studios threequel has been #1 for five out of the past six weekends and is the second highest-grossing movie of the year behind Inside Out 2 (it won't top the Pixar sequel but this is still a phenomenal result for Marvel Studios after a tricky 2023).

As we write this, Deadpool & Wolverine sit at $603.8 million in North America and $1.25 billion globally. It's an incredible result and one which should open the door to more R-Rated MCU movies and plenty more Deadpool and Wolverine in the years ahead.

If nothing else, we'd expect those two to take centre stage in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars; however, Disney is surely mulling over another movie starring Ryan Reynolds...

A week after its theatrical release, The Crow hasn't improved its stance at the box office and left the top 10. Instead, Deadpool & Wolverine continues to make waves as the second-highest-grossing film of 2024.

The Crow, based on the eponymous comic book series by James O'Barr, has been adapted several times over the years, but the highest-rated one remains Alex Proyas' version from 1994, despite its tragic story surrounding lead actor Brandon Lee's death. This year, Rupert Sanders had his own take starring Bill Skarsgrd, but the film failed to impress, as it flopped at the box office with a $4.6 million opening at the domestic box office, and just passed $10 million globally, a disappointing performance given its $50 million budget, per Box Office Mojo, adding only $1.8 million domestically in its second week. Meanwhile, the blockbuster Deadpool & Wolverine has just passed a major milestone, Variety reports.

Related The Crow's Wings Get Clipped at Box Office,...

“Deadpool & Wolverine” notched a major box office milestone, surpassing $600 million in domestic ticket sales. It’s one of 16 films in history to reach that benchmark.

The Marvel superhero sequel hit this achievement during the otherwise desolate Labor Day weekend, in which “Deadpool & Wolverine” ruled over the box office in its sixth outing. The R-rated film, starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, collected $15.2 million over the weekend and an estimated $19.5 million from 3,630 theaters through Monday’s holiday. “Deadpool & Wolverine” has claimed the No. 1 spot for five out of the past six weekends and ranks as the second highest-grossing movie of the year with $603.8 million in North America and $1.25 billion globally.

Labor Day isn’t a holiday that’s known for bringing people to the movies, but this weekend was among the most sluggish of the year. Summer season ended with domestic revenues down 14.3% from 2023 and 26.6% from 2019, the last pre-covid year,...

The summer always gets colder by the end. Even in its sixth weekend, Disney’s “Deadpool & Wolverine” is landing the top slot on domestic charts once again as theaters take in an assortment of low-performing new releases, including Dennis Quaid’s presidential biopic “Reagan” and the Blumhouse horror feature “Afraid.”

The Marvel Studios production earned another $3.6 million on Friday, down about 26% from its daily total a week ago. Apart from a one-weekend ceding of No. 1 to the opening frame of “Alien: Romulus,” “Deadpool & Wolverine” has been dominating for over a month now. Its domestic haul should reach $600 million within the next few days — a milestone that only 15 other releases have ever notched.

The superhero team-up feature comes in ahead of “Afraid,” released by Sony to 3,003 locations. The sci-fi thriller, which follows John Cho and Katherine Waterston as a married couple whose AI-assisted household begins to attack their family,...

Saturday Am: Refresh for more analysis and chart…Here’s something worth celebrating in a summer that’s currently commanding 64% of the year: Disney/Marvel’s Deadpool & Wolverine is bound to cross $600M by Labor Day. Estimates for the four-day are between $19M-$20M. Even on the low end, that gets the Shawn Levy directed/produced/co-written feature to that threshold.

“Naaaanccy….”. Dennis Quaid is Ronald Reagan

Most of the newcomers aren’t making a mark dollar wise, however, Showbiz Direct’s Reagan landed an A CinemaScore and 4 1/2 stars on PostTrak. Current 4-day projection is $9M in 4th place at 2,754 locations after a $2.6M Friday. As expected this movie is playing to the middle of the country with Icon Cinema in Edmond, Ok the top grossing location so far this weekend with $10K. The South is also dominant for the Sean McNamara directed movie. Men/women split is 51%/49% with a 77% definite recommend from audiences.

Mohit Ramchandani’s City of Dreams shines a light on the dark reality of human trafficking. At its core is Jesús, a teenage boy with dreams of soccer stardom who is preyed upon and smuggled across the border. Within the dreary walls of an LA sweatshop, he endures brutal conditions while clinging to hope of escape.

Ramchandani takes on an urgent task—raising awareness of victims like Jesus. But good intentions alone don’t make a whole film. While his direction brings the sweatshop to life, other elements feel exploitative or leave key questions unanswered. Jesús’ harrowing ordeal seems to demand shock value over compassion.

This review examines City of Dreams as both a cautionary story and a flawed artistic work. Through Jesus’ resilient spirit, it provides a window into lives often unseen. But in its ambition to shock, does it lose sight of its message? By exploring its successes and shortfalls,...

Last year’s “Sound of Freedom” made a splash at the box-office appealing to conspiracy theorists and religious groups and convincing audiences that watching it was a morally righteous action taken against those perpetuating the horrors of human trafficking.

“City of Dreams,” from producer-turned writer-director Mohit Ramchandani, seeks to repeat the formula. The “must-see” account this time comes from the perspective of non-verbal 15-year-old Jesús (Ari López) from the state of Puebla in central Mexico. With the promise that he’ll partake in a soccer camp, a cartel-backed trafficker (actor Francisco Denis in an embarrassingly awful part) convinces his father to let him go alone. Instead, the boy is held against his will inside a dark, windowless Los Angeles home that functions as clandestine clothing manufacturing operation. Throughout the ordeal, Jesús holds on to his dream of playing in a packed stadium, which materializes on screen as shiny dreamlike sequences.

The new American-Mexican drama thriller film “City of Dreams” is sad and harrowing but also hopeful and redemptive. It’s about a Mexican boy named Jesus (wonderfully played by Ari Lopez) who is smuggled across the border and sold to a sweatshop in downtown Los Angeles. And all he wants is to become a soccer star.

The post Behind-the-Scenes Interview: “City of Dreams” appeared first on Manny the Movie Guy.

Due to the sheer lack of compelling options, “Deadpool & Wolverine” is expected to top the box office in its sixth weekend of release.

Several movies will open nationwide — the Dennis Quaid-led biopic “Reagan” and Sony and Blumhouse’s AI horror fable “Afraid” among them — but none are projected to make a dent on box office charts over the Labor Day holiday weekend. Those newcomers are aiming for low-single digits and will be lucky to crack the top five, which looks to be populated with holdovers such as “Alien: Romulus” and romantic drama “It Ends With Us.”

In what’s shaping up to be one of the slowest weekends of the year, Disney’s Marvel sequel “Deadpool & Wolverine” looks to rule with $12 million to $13 million over the extended holiday frame. The R-rated film, starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, has claimed the No. 1 spot for four out of the past five weekends.

Labor Day weekend has always been hit or miss for movie theaters, and the odds and ends released this weekend do not bode particularly well for the final holiday weekend of the summer. Essentially, this is another weekend where we have one bigger release and a bunch of smaller films, with many arriving into a vague number of theaters nationwide. Read on for Gold Derby’s box office preview.

Opening the widest in 3,000 theaters is the new high-concept horror movie “Afraid” from Sony and Blumhouse, written and directed by Chris Weitz (“About a Boy”) and starring John Cho, Katherine Waterston and Havana Rose Liu (“Bottoms”). It’s about a family selected to test out a Siri-like device called “Aia” which is meant to provide the family with anything it can possibly need … and it won’t let anything get in that family’s way either.

Being so high concept and...

The poster for writer-director Mohit Ramchandani’s City of Dreams touts that the film is “from Executive Producers of Sound of Freedom,” though picking them out of the laundry list of credited names might take some time. Among the many producers of Ramchandani’s feature directorial debut who’ve thrown their support behind its marketing campaign are Tony Robbins, Linda Perry, Thomas Jane, and former Republican presidential candidate and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. It would seem that nothing unites people across the political spectrum as fervently as exposing the horrors of child trafficking.

In contrast to Sound of Freedom’s law-enforcement-centred action-movie approach, City of Dreams presents its story through the vivid point of view of a young mute Mexican boy named Jésus (Ari Lopez) who’s been trafficked over the border and sold into the underground sweatshop industry. Lured by the promise of a soccer training camp in Los Angeles,...

Movie producer turned director Mohit Ramchandani has unveiled plans for a $1 million ticket giveaway to promote his upcoming Roadside Attractions’ release City of Dreams.

With sneak previews starting Aug. 28, Ramchandani is giving away tickets to individuals and groups for free thanks to a donation from John Devaney, founder of United Capital and Manor House Films. City of Dreams, based on true events, follows young Mexican teenager Jesús (Ari Lopez), who is enslaved, beaten and forced to work in the squalor of a Los Angeles sweatshop after being brought to the U.S. as part of a premier soccer camp that turns out to be a scam.

City of Dreams is produced by Sean Wolfington, executive producer of Sound of Freedom, the child trafficking drama that became a box office hit last year. The movie’s executive producers include Mira Sorvino, Sylvester Stallone, Pat Riley, Martin Sheen, Kathie Lee Gifford, Katheryn Winnick and Marisol Nichols.

With the theatrical release of Roadside Attractions’ child trafficking drama City of Dreams coming up, the filmmakers will be giving away $1 million in free tickets for a series of sneak previews beginning Wednesday, August 28, the studio announced today.

It’s expected that the giveaway will result in more than 50,000 moviegoers coming out. The hope is to bring out trafficking survivors and individuals from anti-trafficking organizations, as well as schools, churches, municipalities, and people who might not otherwise be able to afford a screening. Complimentary advance preview passes are available at the link.

In the top 25 markets nationwide, iHeart Media will provide live coverage, with on-air talent on site to help bring added awareness to the issue of child trafficking. The ticket giveaway was made possible through a donation from John Devaney, founder of United Capital and Manor House Films.

Inspired by a landmark sweatshop case in El Monte, CA, City of Dreams...

Former Republican Presidential candidate and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy – who recently bought a minority stake in the media company BuzzFeed – is making his first foray into Hollywood by signing on to the forthcoming Roadside Attractions feature “City of Dreams” as an executive producer along with Oscar-winning actress Mira Sorvino (“Mighty Aphrodite”) – who has actively fought human trafficking around the world for decades – and Colleen Camp, a veteran character actor and producer known for “Apocalypse Now,” “Clue” and “American Hustle” (among many others). They join a production written, produced and directed by filmmaker Mohit Ramchandani that features in its cast Jason Patric, Paulina Gaitan, Renata Vaca, Samm Levine, Diego Calva and Nicole Andrews.

Also boarding the film as “elite ambassadors” supporting a “City of Dreams” awareness campaign are Golden Globe winner and Oscar nominee Sylvester Stallone, legendary NBA coach and executive Pat Riley, actor Martin Sheen, talk show host Kathie Lee Gifford...

Exclusive: Former Republican presidential candidate and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy is making his first foray into Hollywood joining veteran actor and producer Colleen Camp as EPs on director Mohit Ramchandani’s City of Dreams.

The movie, inspired by true events, follows a young boy from Mexico who is trafficked across the border and sold to a sweatshop in downtown Los Angeles. The movie touches upon the current border crisis and the exploitation of migrant children in the supply chain of American corporations. Roadside Attractions, as previously announced, has set a Aug. 30 theatrical release.

“City of Dreams is a gripping thriller inspired by many true stories, and it’s one of the most important films of our time. It ought to make every American, and especially every parent, deeply uncomfortable – by exposing the underbelly of child trafficking in our own country. It’s an American nightmare. I don’t care if you...

Indian studio Applause Entertainment is gearing up for an ambitious slate of projects as it enters its eighth year of operations.

The company, led by managing director Sameer Nair, a pioneer of Indian television with previous stints at Star TV, Ndtv Imagine, Turner General Entertainment and Balaji Telefilms, has its sights set on expanding into new genres and formats while building on its established successes.

Leading the charge is “Nyaya,” a courtroom drama produced in association with Mangata Films. Directed by Nitya Mehra, Karan Kapadia and Heeraz Marfatia, the fictionalized series based on real events follows a 17-year-old girl seeking justice against a powerful ‘godman,’ or leader of a religious cult, who raped her. The project boasts a strong cast including Fatima Sana Sheikh, Aneet Padda, Arjun Mathur, Mohd. Zeeshan Ayyub and Raghubir Yadav.

“When this opportunity came up, we really pounced on it,” Nair told Variety. “They’ve shot it really well.

Exclusive: John Devaney, CEO and Founder of the Miami-based United Capital Markets, on Wednesday announced the launch of Manor House Films, an equity-driven production company that he says will look to support “unique filmmakers and purpose driven films.”

Already, Devaney has had two occasions to do that through the company — first, as the financier of the addiction-themed drama The Prince, scripted by David Mamet, on which we were first to report. Currently in post, the film from director Cameron Van Hoy chronicles an addict’s tumultuous odyssey through the high-stakes world of power, pleasure, and pain on a transformative journey toward recovery.

Pic’s cast includes Nicolas Cage, J.K. Simmons, Giancarlo Esposito, Andy Garcia, Scott Haze, Simon Rex and more. Multiple sources told us the project was inspired by Hunter Biden, though sources close to the production denied it.

Devaney has also financed the P&a budget for City of Dreams,...

Exclusive: Mohit Ramchandani (City of Dreams) has co-written and will direct Asphyxia, a new survival thriller for Capstone Studios.

Daniel Negret and Ramchandani penned the script for the pic, to be produced by the Warner Bros-based Hunt Lowry. Capstone is fully financing with casting currently underway and production to kick off in Q1 2025. The project marks Ramchandani’s sophomore feature on the heels of City of Dreams, an enslaved child labor thriller that Roadside Attractions releases nationwide on August 30.

Asphyxia follows Dr. Joanna Miller, a marine biologist specializing in migratory and birthing patterns in whales, whose ship capsizes in a storm during a routine expedition, killing her entire crew. She’s left stranded in an air pocket inside the mess hall, trying to signal the patrolling coast guard rovers, when she comes across an unexpected survivor, the captain’s daughter. As...

Aiming to be a weapon of mass inspiration in the war against child trafficking, “City Of Dreams” written and directed by veteran producer Mohit Ramchandani showcases one boy’s story of ultimate resilience and hope as he’s trafficked across the border from Mexico and sold to a sweatshop in downtown Los Angeles. City Of Dreams

Visit: www.cityofdreamsmovie.com & watch the powerful trailer here.

Already critically acclaimed with a 100% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the feature film hits theaters nationwide on Aug. 30 via Roadside Attractions, the studio behind Academy Award Winner “Manchester by the Sea,” “Margin Call” and “Winter’s Bone.” The “City Of Dreams” film is supported by icons of film, music and media including New York Times bestseller and speaker Tony Robbins, Academy Award Winning Producer Michael Phillips, award-winning singer-song-writer Linda Perry (“Beautiful”), Academy Award nominated actress Yalitza Aparicio (“Roma”), 5 Time Latin Grammy Winning artist Luis Fonsi, Producer...

Madhuri Dixit is set to take on a dark and challenging role in the upcoming psychological thriller Mrs. Deshpande, directed by Nagesh Kukunoor. Known for her work in web series and television reality shows, Dixit made her digital debut in 2022 with The Fame Game. She is now reportedly finalizing a deal to portray a serial murderer in this new show.

Mrs. Deshpande will feature Dixit as a serial killer whose expertise is sought by the police to help them understand the methods of another serial killer they are trying to capture, according to a report by Midday. The show is a reimagining of a French series and promises an engrossing story. “The show tells the story of how the police hire a serial killer and pick her brains to understand another serial killer’s modus operandi and nab him,” a source revealed. “The casting is underway. The team is excited...

“Babylon” breakout star Diego Calva is returning to his film roots for Mexican feature “City of Dreams.”

The drama, which is inspired by true events, follows young boy Jesús, whose dreams of becoming a soccer star are shattered when he’s trafficked across the border and sold to a sweatshop making fast fashion in downtown Los Angeles.

The official synopsis reads: “Thrust into a world of exploitation and despair, he’s forced to adhere to the grueling work schedule dictated by El Jefe, a boss who promises freedom for those who complete their quotas. Despite Jesus’s hellish existence, he finds solace in Elena, a girl who was similarly betrayed and sold into slavery. When she goes missing and another co-worker Carlito’s is severely beaten, Jesus realizes that his only hope for freedom is to make a daring escape.”

The film is written and directed by Mohit Ramchandani; Jason Patric,...

Lionsgate has set a release date of Labor Day weekend, August 30, for the action crime thriller 1992, which is one of Ray Liotta’s final film roles. The Emmy-winning actor co-starred in the movie opposite Tyrese Gibson. In addition today, Snoop Dogg boarded the movie as EP through his Death Row Pictures banner.

1992 joins other wide entries on August 30: Sony/Blumhouse’s horror movie They Listen, Showbiz Direct Distribution’s Dennis Quaid title Reagan, and Roadside Attractions’ Jason Patric thriller City of Dreams.

Here’s the 1992 poster that dropped today.

Liotta died in May 2022 at the age of 67 from heart and respiratory issues. At the time, there were several projects he had already shot, i.e, Elizabeth Banks’ Cocaine Bear and the Apple TV+ series Black Bird. Liotta received a posthumous Best Supporting Actor Limited Series Emmy nom for Black Bird; previously, he won the Drama Guest Actor Emmy in 2005 for NBC’s ER.

Leonardo DiCaprio’s Ex Camila Morrone Replaces Elizabeth Debicki In The Night Manager Season 2, Diego Calva Also Joins The Cast ( Photo Credit – Instagram )

Eight years after The Night Manager premiered, work has begun on the second season of the hit thriller series. The show has now made an exciting addition to its ensemble, casting actress Camila Morrone in a prominent role for the new season.

Morrone will reportedly replace The Crown star Elizabeth Debicki, who played Jed in the first instalment. The 26-year-old actress is known for starring in the Prime Video series Daisy Jones & the Six and grabbed the limelight for her former relationship with Leonardo DiCaprio. Another actor who is joining the cast is Narcos: Mexico star Diego Calva.

Camila Morrone and Diego Calva Join the Cast of The Night Manager Season 2

While the details about Camila Morrone’s character in The Night Manager season 2 have been kept under wraps,...

BBC and Prime Video have officially welcomed Babylon star Diego Calva to the cast of the upcoming The Night Manager Season 2. For his performance in Damien Chazelles 2022 period comedy, Calva earned his first Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.

According to Deadline, the acclaimed Mexican actor has been cast to portray one of the lead roles in The Night Manager Season 2, which will feature the return of Tom Hiddleston as Jonathan Pine. Further details about Calvas character are still being kept under wraps, along with the spy thrillers synopsis for the next installment. This marks Calvas first major TV project in a long while, after previously starring in 2021s Narcos: Mexico. He will next be seen in two upcoming drama movies, including City of Dreams with The Lost Boys Jason Patric, and On Swift Horses with Daisy Edgar-Jones and Jacob Elordi.

Related Tom Hiddleston...

Exclusive: Sony’s 3000 Pictures has set Justin Kuritzkes to adapt City on Fire, the first of a bestselling novel trilogy by Don Winslow that is being developed as a star vehicle for Austin Butler.

Kuritzkes is hot off writing the script for the Luca Guadanino-directed Zendaya starrer Challengers, and Butler is producing along with David Heyman of Heyday Films and Shane Salerno of The Story Factory.

After Challengers, Kuritzkes adapted Guadagnino’s next film Queer, starring Daniel Craig and based on William S. Burroughs’ 1985 novel. In 2019, Kuritzkes’ debut novel, Famous People, was published by Henry Holt and Co.

3000’s Elizabeth Gabler and Marisa Paiva are overseeing the City on Fire project for the studio, and Drew Reed was instrumental in tracking the book series.

Winslow’s swan song trilogy – the final installment City in Ruins is just landing on the bestseller lists after being published by William Morrow – is...

Roadside Attractions has snagged U.S. rights to the comedy Summer Camp, starring Diane Keaton (Annie Hall), Kathy Bates (Richard Jewell) and Alfre Woodard (12 Years a Slave), on which we were first to report. Written and directed by Castille Landon (Perfect Addiction), the film is slated for release in theaters on May 31.

Summer Camp tells the story of Nora (Keaton), Ginny (Bates), and Mary (Woodard), who have been best friends since being inseparable at summer camp. As the years have passed, they’ve seen each other less and less, so when the chance to reunite for a summer camp reunion arises, they all take it, some begrudgingly and others excitedly. Each of their lives might not be where they’d imagined, but one thing is for sure — Nora, Ginny, and Mary need each other, and summer camp reminds them why.

A Saks Picture Company production, in association with and...

Photo: A24 For children of the ’70s and ’80s, it’s great to see Talking Heads getting a moment in the sun again. From Spike Lee directing David Byrne to Miley Cyrus having him on her New Year special, and Stop Making Sense doing the Imax rounds, it feels like...

Exclusive: Roadside Attractions has claimed U.S. rights to City of Dreams, a thriller exec produced by Roma Oscar nominee Yalitza Aparicio, which examines enslaved child labor in the U.S. Inspired by a landmark sweatshop case in El Monte, CA, the film marks the feature directorial debut of veteran producer Mohit Ramchandani, and will bow exclusively in theaters nationwide April 5th, 2024.

Newcomer Ari Lopez leads an ensemble that also includes Alfredo Castro (Karnawal), Paulina Gaitan (Narcos), Golden Globe nominee Diego Calva (Babylon), and Renata Vaca (Saw X).

The story follows Jesús (Lopez), a young farmer in rural Mexico who dreams of playing for Club Puebla, his local soccer team. With the promise of training at a soccer camp in Los Angeles, Jesús is convinced by his father to leave home, but he soon discovers that he’s been sold to a sweatshop run out of a decrepit mansion in downtown Los Angeles.

The next young adult original graphic novel from DC Comics will focus on the breakout character Dreamer as written by Supergirl actress and trans activist Nicole Maines. Dreamer, who originated on the CW's Supergirl TV show, made her in-universe comics debut in 2022, and now she's getting her own solo story in Bad Dream: A Dreamer Story.

Nicole Maines announced details about Bad Dream: A Dreamer Story in an article from IGN. The graphic novel by Maines and Rye Hickman is the latest project from DC's line of young adult-geared graphic novels featuring characters, both new and old, from across DC Comics' history. In addition to some gorgeous preview pages by Hickman, included below, Maines also revealed some of her thinking as the writer of this story, as the actress who portrays Dreamer in the CW's "Arrowverse" programs, and as one of Dreamer's biggest fans.

“I can’t even tell myself it’s a dream…...

The Mammoth Film Festival is set to open with Shia LeBeouf’s Padre Pio, Abel Ferrara’s historical drama that debuted at Venice.

Ferrara’s latest feature has LeBoeuf playing an Italian friar who rose to prominence at a time when fascist powers began to take over Italy. Padre Pio also stars Asia Argento, Marco Leonardi and Christina Chiriac, and director Ferrara will be at the northern California festival to do a post-film Q&a on March 2.

Mammoth will close with Bonded, which stars Diego Calva and is directed by Mohit Ramchandani. The thriller is inspired by a true story from the producers of Argentina 1985 and is executive produced by Yalitza Aparicio.

Mammoth, which is set to run from March 2 to 6 in Mammoth Lakes, California, has also added the horror thriller Night Shift, which stars Phoebe Tonkin, Lamorne Morris and Patrick Fischler and is directed and written by Benjamin and Paul China.

Mexico’s Yalitza Aparicio, Oscar nominated for her career-launching turn in Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma,” and Infinity Hill, producers of the Oscar-nominated Argentine drama “Argentina 1985,” have boarded sweatshop thriller “City of Dreams” (previously titled “Dreamer”) as executive producers.

The drama features a stellar cast that includes Golden Globe nominee Diego Calva (“Babylon”), Chile’s Alfredo Castro (“From Afar”), Mexico’s Paulina Gaitán (“Narcos”) and Jason Patric (“The Lost Boys”).

The directorial feature debut of helmer-scribe Mohit Ramchandani, “City of Dreams” is produced by Mexican filmmaker Luis Mandoki (“Innocent Voices), Jon Graham (“The Vault”) and Kyle Stroud (“In Full Bloom”).

Drama will have its world premiere at the Mammoth Film Festival where it closes the event on Sunday, March 5.

Inspired by the 1995 El Monte California sweatshop raid, “…Dreams” follows a young Mexican boy who aspires to become a soccer star. His dreams are upended when he’s smuggled across the...

After producing the first two Harry Palmer movies to provide a more realistic, intellectual alternative to his cartoonish James Bond series, producer Harry Saltzman “Bonded” it up for this third entry after The Ipcress File and Funeral In Berlin. Although a troubled production with Big Sleep-level plot complications and an unlikely director in arthouse favorite Ken Russell, it’s considered the liveliest of the Palmer series. Magnetic leading lady Françoise Dorléac (Catherine Deneuve’s sister) was killed in an car accident soon after filming completed.

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