News

As absurd as it is to say about a film that ends with an onscreen Qr code imploring viewers to “Pay It Forward,” “Sight” probably would be better if it was preachier. At the very least, it would be more memorable.

The latest project from Angel Studios, “Sight” certainly looks and feels like the type of cheap contemporary Christian cinema that both its production company and its director specialize in. But whenever the movie looks like it might go full Christian medical drama a la the inexplicably Oscar-nominated “Breakthrough,” it always pulls back from launching into a sermon. Sure, there’s a kindly nun and an unbearable syrupy sweet church scene, but by the end of “Sight,” it’s not particularly clear how devout main character Ming Wang is to Christianity, or if he’s even a believer in the first place.

The lack of aggressive shilling for the world...

For decades, Memorial Day weekend has traditionally been a hugely busy weekend at the box office, often offering the biggest of franchise sequels — or in this case, two potential franchise prequels? Read on for Gold Derby’s box office preview.

The Memorial Day bump that has helped so many franchise installments before will certainly be in play for George Miller‘s return to the post-apocalyptic world of Mad Max with “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” a prequel that tells the earlier story of Charlize Theron‘s character from “Mad Max: Fury Road.” This one stars Anya Taylor-Joy as the title character, joined by Chris Hemsworth as a new antagonist called Dementus, as well a mix of new characters and ones that appeared in “Fury Road.”

Miller’s career as a filmmaker pretty much began back in 1980 with “Mad Max,” a cult action movie that introduced Mel Gibson to the world,...

Jan A.P. Kaczmarek, the Polish composer who won a Oscar for his score of the 2004 film Finding Neverland, died today in Krakow following a years-long battle with Multiple System Atrophy. He was 71.

His death was announced bythe Polish Music Foundation.

A prolific composer for film and television, Kaczmarek’s credits beginning in the 1980s and building momentum in the 1990s and 2000s. Among the titles: Total Eclipse, Washington Square, Aimee and Jaguar, Unfaithful, Soldier’s Girl, The Visitor, City Island, Get Low and Paul, Apostle of Christ.

But it was his score for Finding Neverland that he’ll perhaps be most remembered for. Nominated for both BAFTA and Golden Globe awards, the score for Marc Forster’s J.M. Barrie 2004 biopic won the Oscar for Best Original Score the following year. The win made Kaczmarek an international presence in cinema.

Born in Konin in 1953, Kaczmarek abandoned his legal training in the 1970s...

Special announcement: as a special culinary bonus, all ten of this month’s Don’t-Miss Indies are, in fact, pumpkin spiced. Go ahead and lick your laptop or smartphone glass to confirm. No? Hm. Looks like that WordPress update hasn’t pushed through yet. Regardless, the spirit of Autumnal renewal (picaresque decay?) presently fills the October air, heralding the onset of Awards Season and its bountiful horn full of cinematic goodies. Starting here…

Foe

When You Can Watch: October 4 (Film Independent Presents), October 6

Where You Can Watch: Film Independent, Theaters

Director: Garth Davis

Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Paul Mescal, Aaron Pierre

Why We’re Excited: An intricately crafted love story presented under the guise of a sci-fi tinged psychological thriller, writer-director Garth Davis’s latest offering is based on Iain Reid’s 2018 novel by the same name. Living on an isolated farm in the year 2065, Henrietta “Hen” and husband Junior have...

Jim Caviezel‘s acting career has spanned over three decades, and he’s worked with such filmmaking giants as Ang Lee, Tony Scott and Terrence Malick. A devout Catholic, Caviezel was profoundly moved during production of the 2004 hit “The Passion of the Christ” in which he portrayed Jesus and began changing his career focus to making inspirational films that more directly appeal to audiences of faith, such as “When the Game Stands Tall” and “Paul, Apostle of Christ.”

In his 2023 movie “Sound of Freedom,” Caviezel plays the real-life Tom Ballard, a Dhs special agent who goes rogue to rescue a young girl who has been kidnapped by a Colombia sex-trade ring. The film has been celebrated by politically conservative audiences, while critics were more mixed. Despite the controversy surrounding the film, “Sound of Freedom” became the unexpected box office hit of 2023, crossing the coveted $100 million mark in only 16 days.

See...

Jim Caviezel’s acting career has spanned over three decades, and he’s worked with such filmmaking giants as Ang Lee, Tony Scott and Terrence Malick. A devout Catholic, Caviezel was profoundly moved during production of the 2004 hit “The Passion of the Christ” in which he portrayed Jesus and began changing his career focus to making inspirational films that more directly appeal to audiences of faith, such as “When the Game Stands Tall” and “Paul, Apostle of Christ.”

In his 2023 movie “Sound of Freedom,” Caviezel plays the real-life Tom Ballard, a Dhs special agent who goes rogue to rescue a young girl who has been kidnapped by a Colombia sex-trade ring. The film has been celebrated by politically conservative audiences, while critics were more mixed. Despite the controversy surrounding the film, “Sound of Freedom” became the unexpected box office hit of 2023, crossing the coveted $100 million mark in only 16 days.

With all the debate,...

Greg Kinnear has joined the cast of “Sight,” a biopic about pioneering medical entrepreneur Dr. Ming Wang, led by actor Terry Chen.

The Open River Entertainment project has commenced a six-week shoot in Vancouver. The film features a predominantly Chinese cast and will be shot in English and Mandarin. Andrew Hyatt is writing and directing. Darren Moorman of Reserve Entertainment and David Fischer of Open River are producing.

Oscar and Emmy nominee Kinnear will play Misha Bartnovsky, a friend and mentor to Wang. The story chronicles Wang’s rise from poverty and violence, growing up in 1960s China, to his migration to the U.S. It shows his struggles with racial discrimination, and rise to become a world-class surgeon who would design new technology to help restore sight to millions.

Chen most recently appeared in Viggo Mortensen’s directorial debut, “Falling,” and broke out in a supporting role in Cameron Crowe’s “Almost Famous.

UK Covid Supervisor Program

The Production Guild of Great Britain (Pggb) and the British Film Commission (Bfc) are partnering to roll out a new accredited program of Covid supervisor training for film and TV production professionals. Backed by £100,000 investment from Bfc, the new scheme is being developed in consultation with the Producers Guild of America’s Production Safety Task Force. Targeted at production managers, line producers and location managers, it will build on the Bfc’s guidance documents published in July, to help introduce a UK standard of best practice. Helen Curston has been appointed Pggb Director Of Training to oversee the program.

Moonstone Boards Dramedy For AFM

Exclusive: Moonstone Entertainment has boarded world sales ahead of the virtual AFM on director Andrew Hyatt’s completed dramedy All Those Small Things, starring James Faulkner (Game Of Thrones). Set in London and a small town in the Pacific Northwest,...

With Disney and Marvel’s “Avengers: Endgame” gearing up to obliterate box office records, the rest of Hollywood is laying low on the film front.

“Endgame,” a culmination of sorts for the comic-book empire’s film saga, is expected to suck all the oxygen out of other movie theater auditoriums when it launches on April 26. For the most part, studios shied away from major releases even before Avengers in fear that rival movies could struggle to recoup ticket sales beyond opening weekend.

However, there was at least one studio brave enough to take on Disney, and that is, well, Disney. The Magic Kingdom is launching two movies this weekend, most notably, “Breakthrough,” the studio’s first Fox title since completing its $71 billion acquisition of 21st Century Fox. Disney also has “Penguins,” a documentary from the Buena Vista company’s Disneynature label. Both titles are getting a head start on the weekend by opening on Wednesday.

The Republic of Malta – a small, Mediterranean island and major tourist destination – lures filmmakers with its yacht-strewn azure coastlines and historically significant structures such as medieval churches, baroque palaces and ancient fortifications. Producers will also find value in the country’s hefty cash rebate.

Specifically, the rebate ranges from 20% to 25% for qualified expenditures. A 2% bonus is available for productions that feature Malta and its culture, bringing the total incentive up to a total maximum of 27%.

To qualify, productions must spend a minimum of 100,000 euros, or about $118,000. They must also satisfy a cultural test.

Production resources abound on the small island, which is connected by air to many major European cities. Malta is particularly known for its production water tank – one of the world’s largest – which many films use for shooting water and underwater scenes. Plus, a long history of filmmaking has endowed Malta with a deep and experienced crew base.

“Ready Player One” scored at home and abroad with $181 million worldwide, creating his biggest success since “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” in 2008. Even so, the box-office slump of 2018 continues. The weekend dropped over 20 percent from the same date last year, bringing the year to over three percent lower through the first quarter of 2018.

Read More: ‘Ready Player One’: Steven Spielberg Is the King of Blockbusters, and He Needs a Hit

Spielberg’s film is the second-best weekend opening of the year, and only the second over $40 million. By this time last year, eight films had better openings, with six of them higher than “Ready Player One.”

If “Ready” has a three-time multiple of its first four days, it would total $170 million. That would be a strong achievement, although his 18th-biggest film overall. The never-certain China dominated the $128 million showing in most of the world (Japan...

Steven Spielberg’s “Ready Player One” will take over the domestic box office during Easter weekend with $53 million from 4,234 locations.

The Vr-fantasy film starring Tye Sheridan launched a day early on Thursday after Warner Bros. decided to move up the release to take advantage of the vacation-friendly Easter holiday. With the added day, “Ready Player One” will come out more than $30 million ahead of the No. 2 film, “Tyler Perry’s Acrimony,” which is set to reel in roughly $16 million from 2,006 sites.

“Ready Player One” grossed $17 million on Friday, ahead of early forecasts, which had pegged the pic at around $38 million to $42 million for the Thursday through Sunday period. The film also opened day and date in 62 international markets, and earned roughly $28 million Friday for a foreign total of $42 million. In China, “Ready Player One” debuted at No. 1 with $14 million on Friday for a 60% box office share, marking the third-highest Chinese debut for a Warner Bros.

Faith-based filmmaking isn’t dead. While the genre has struggled recently to turn out crossover hits (and nothing has topped the $611M take of Mel Gibson’s controversial smash hit “The Passion of the Christ,” still the top earner in the genre 14 years after its release), brothers Andrew and Jon Erwin’s latest film, “I Can Only Imagine,” surprised this weekend’s box office with a $17 million opening take, good enough to push it to third place in a crowded field. Among contemporary Christian community titles, only “Heaven Is for Real” had a better opening, scoring $22 million when it opened in 2014.

Other faith-based movies have recently faltered at the box office, making the success of “I Can Only Imagine” as a bit of an outlier in a struggling — and often independently made — genre. The last big Christian-leaning hit to crack $100 million at the domestic box office was 2010’s “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader...