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“Thelma” (Magnolia), an unlikely action-comedy starring June Squibb as a nonagenarian grandmother who becomes a phone scam victim, has grossed about $7.3 million through its third week. Though not a blockbuster by summer standards, in the specialized world, and particularly outside awards season, “Thelma” is a blockbuster, headed for between $9-10 million domestic, theatrically. And at a time of challenge for this sector. How it got there suggests some lessons for distributors.

Something clicked here. “Thelma” debuted last January at Sundance with immediate acquisition interest, selling to Magnolia, which isn’t normally known for mid-wide-level releases.

By all indications, the plan has worked. “Thelma” is already Magnolia’s highest-grossing narrative feature in the company’s 23-year history. Adjusted, “Woman Thou Art Loosed” and “The World’s Fastest Indian” ended up slightly bigger, but both were around 20 years ago.

What happened was by design. Magnolia releases a lot of films, usually of a...

The success of Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” seems to have given the box office a much-needed jumpstart this weekend, helping a number of smaller releases. Read on for the weekend box office report.

After achieving the second-largest opening for an animated film, Disney and Pixar’s animated sequel “Inside Out 2” had a negligible second weekend drop to bring in an estimated $100 million this weekend. That’s down just 35% from its opening weekend, but more importantly, it brings its domestic total to a whopping $355.2 million after just ten days. That is, by far, the biggest success we’ve seen at the box office since last July’s “Barbie,” as it also surpassed the $282.1 million made by “Dune: Part Two,” to become the highest-grossing movie of the year.

“Inside Out 2” added another $164.4 million overseas this weekend to bring its global total to $724.4 million in two weeks. That also passes the global total for “Dune,...

New year, new Hulu! As the streamer welcomes in dozens of new and classic titles this January, including its new whodunit series “Death and Other Details,” it will first have to say goodbye to the old.

A few titles have already been removed from the library so far this month, including the hit samurai thriller “13 Assassins,” but over the next few weeks of January, dozens more titles will be leaving the platform, including the beloved baseball coming-of-age comedy “The Sandlot,” several Christmas classics, and the 1996 box office buster “Twister.”

Don’t miss your last chance to watch— fill up your watch list with The Streamable’s top picks (and everything else) for what’s leaving Hulu this month!

30-Day Free Trial $7.99+ / month hulu.com What are the 5 Best Shows and Movies Leaving Hulu in January 2024? “Apollo 11” | Wednesday, Jan. 31

“Dinosaur 13” director Todd Douglas Miller picks another number with “Apollo 11,...

From Mean Girls to Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask), there are plenty of movies based on self-help books. Adaptations of books are very common because existing source material comes with an existing audience, which gives studios a head-start on marketing. But film producers tend to go after the rights to books with a narrative, so the screenwriter has something to work from. This includes fictional novels, nonfiction historical accounts, or biographies covering the life story of an important figure. However, some producers have turned the abstract teachings of self-help books into movies.

Movies based on self-help books have used the themes and subject matter of their source material. For example, the film adaptation of the pregnancy guide What to Expect When You’re Expecting is a romantic comedy about parenthood. Other self-help books do come with some sort of built-in narrative, like...

The month of April for Hulu is jam-packed with TV and film goodies, from Adam Sandler’s 1999 comedy “Big Daddy” to Fox’s hit sitcom “New Girl.”

On top of Hulu’s rollout of a new interface, it’s also adding some major film and TV titles to its platform. Some of the highlights that set off the first day of April include “American Psycho,” “Shrek” and its sequel “Shrek 2,” plus the Tim Story-directed “Think Like a Man.”

Anime series will be all the rage on Hulu with the dubbed version of the new popular series “Chainsaw Man” arriving, along with “Spy x Family” and “Black Clover.” If you’re looking for something a little bit more kid-friendly, the family can al enjoy “Despicable Me” and “Despicable 2,” “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days” and “Nanny McPhee.” For the lovers and heartless romantics, “Dear John” and “Date Night...

Even if you’ve signed up for every streaming service out there, it can feel monumental when a title moves from one to another. In April, Netflix mainstay “New Girl” moves to Hulu; still streaming, but not where fans are used to finding it — like rearranging the furniture in your apartment and waking up surprised every day that the couch is over there now.

But what’s important is that “New Girl” lives on, now joining Hulu’s own TV and movie library and originals from Freeform, FX, National Geographic, and more. Later in the month, Leila Gerstein’s “Saint X” — based on the novel by Alexis Schaitkin — premieres with three episodes, recounting the story of a young girl found dead during a family vacation and the sister piecing it together years later. Alycia Debnam-Carey, Josh Bonzie, West Duchovny, Jayden Elijah, Bre Francis, Kenlee Anaya Townsend, Betsy Brandt, and Michael Park star.

Exclusive: Breakthrough and Miracles From Heaven producer DeVon Franklin and his Franklin Entertainment are developing a feature film based on Michael Todd’s New York Times bestseller Relationship Goals: How to Win at Dating, Marriage, and Sex with Amazon Studios. Michael Elliot (Brown Sugar) and Cory Tynan (Woman Thou Art Loosed) will write the script.

Relationship Goals is a candid, inspiring guide to finding lasting love and sustaining a healthy relationship that encourages readers to get real about their goals. The book is based on Todd’s viral, multimillion-view sermon series about dating, marriage and sex. Relationship Goals spent 13 straight weeks on the New York Times bestsellers list and debuted at No. 1 on Amazon. The musical single “Relationship Goals (Revelation)” reached No. 10 on Billboard’s R&b chart.

Franklin is producing the project under his Franklin Entertainment. Katarina Hicks will oversee for the project for the company.

Franklin has a first-look deal at Paramount Pictures.

Over the past few days, the entertainment community has lost legends such as Carrie Fisher and George Michael, but fans are also mourning the loss of another talented entertainer who might not be quite as well known. Ricky Harris, a comedian and actor who may be best known for playing Malvo on the TV series Everybody Hates Chris, passed away after suffering a heart attack. While he may not have been a household name, he had a huge impact on the hip-hop community, with several prominent hip-hop artists paying their respects through social media.

The Hollywood Reporter confirmed the actor passed away from a heart attack through his manager, Cindy Ambers. The actor's manager also revealed to other news outlets such as the Los Angeles Times that her client had another heart attack two years ago, although no other details about his passing were given. Ricky Harris grew up in Long Beach,...

T.D. Jakes is a minister, author, talk show host, and most importantly for this publication—a filmmaker. While filmmakers like Spike Lee, Tyler Perry and Lee Daniels dominate the debates, headlines and even awards for black film, T. D. Jakes plugs along quietly producing films that inspire, educate and entertain. As a film producer, he is prolific. He’s produced on average one film per year since 2004’s “Woman Thou Art Loosed.” This makes him one of Hollywood’s top producers, which is all the more remarkable because filmmaking is his side gig. T.D. Jakes will release his second film of the year—“Black Nativity”— on November 27. His next production is “Heaven Is...

Production is underway in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada on the family feature, Heaven is for Real for TriStar Pictures. Based on the #1 New York Times best-selling book of the same name, the film brings to the screen the true story of a small-town Pastor who must find the courage and conviction to share his son's extraordinary, life-changing experience. Heaven is for Real is directed by Randall Wallace ( Braveheart , We Were Soldiers , Pearl Harbor , Secretariat ). The screenplay is by Christopher Parker and Randall Wallace, based on the book by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent. The film is produced by Joe Roth ( Alice In Wonderland , Oz The Great and Powerful , Snow White and the Huntsman ), Td Jakes ( Jumping The Broom , Not Easily Broken , Woman Thou Art Loosed: On The 7th...

Now that we're in 2013, it seems a bit strange to hear about a film competition that only nominates black actors, black filmmakers, and Tyler Perry. But we have one, and it's presented by the NAACP Image Awards, which just announced its winners. George Lucas' "Red Tails," which has a 39% fresh rating on RottenTomatoes, took home the Best Film award, beating "Beasts of the Southern Wild," "Django Unchained" and "Flight." At the same time, "Red Tails" lost to "Beasts of the Southern Wild" in the Best Independent Film category. So who knows what this all means. Denzel Washington won Best Actor for "Flight" and Samuel L. Jackson won Best Supporting Actor for "Django Unchained." Tyler Perry once again went home empty-handed. Best Film: * Red Tails * Beasts of the Southern Wild * Django Unchained * Flight * Tyler Perry's Good Deeds Best Actor: * Denzel Washington (Flight) * Jamie Foxx (Django Unchained) * Morgan Freeman (The Magic of Belle Isle...

Directed by Neema Barnette, the second film in Pastor Td Jakes' Woman Thou Art Loosed! series, sub-titled On The Seventh Day, stars Blair Underwood, Sharon Leal, Nicole Beharie, and Pam Grier. On the Seventh Day, which premiered at the Pan African Film Festival early this year, is now available on DVD, Blu-ray and VOD, as of yesterday, September 4. The film had a limited theatrical release in April, via CodeBlack Entertainment and its partnership with AMC theaters, grossing around $1.2 million domestically. To recap, the film centers on a husband and wife who find themselves in the midst of a crisis, when their young daughter is kidnapped. The kidnapper is...

Directed by Neema Barnette, the second film in Pastor Td Jakes' Woman Thou Art Loosed! series sub-titled On The Seventh Day, stars Blair Underwood, Sharon Leal, Nicole Beharie, and Pam Grier. On the 7th, which premiered at the Pan African Film Festival early this year, will released on DVD/VOD September 4. The film had a limited theatrical release - a first through CodeBlack and its partnership with AMC theaters back in April, and grossed around $1,213,128 domestically. To recap, the film centers on a husband and wife who find themselves in the midst of a crisis, when their young daughter is kidnapped. The kidnapper is supposedly a serial killer who murders his victims...

Prior to her acting debut in 1996’s Set It Off, Kimberly Elise arrived in L.A. as a writer/director. At that time, thanks to a short film she helmed, Elise was admitted to the Graduate Director’s Program at The American Film Institute. “I made 3 films and had the most educational year of my life up to that point,” says the four time NAACP Award winner, who switched gears to full-time actress after she was offered the role of a single mom set to execute a bank robbery alongside three other women in F. Gary Gray’s action crime thriller. The talented beauty went on to star in several prominent roles in films such as John Q, Woman Thou Art Loosed, Diary of A...

Coming off the success of their doc "Jiro Dreams of Sushi," Magnolia Pictures has another doc-related reason to celebrate with the strong debut numbers from Kevin Macdonald's "Marley." Appropriately released over 4/20 weekend, the film led a batch of newcomers that included Sony Classics' "Darling Companion" and Sundance Selects' "Goodbye First Love." Also notable were the expansions of "Damsels in Distress," "Bully" and "Monsieur Lazhar," as well as a big stumble in the second frame of last weekend's top debut, Woman Thou Art Loosed!: On the 7th Day." Check out the full rundown below: The Debuts: "Marley" (Magnolia Pictures) Kevin Macdonald's Bob Marley doc debuted on a substantial 42 theaters across the country and saw a very strong $260,000 gross as a result. Averaging $6,190, the film -- which chronicles the life of reggae legend Bob Marley -- is off to a...

Each Tuesday, Indiewire publishes a box office chart that sorts the final weekend numbers of all specialty releases by per-theater average.  Check out the full chart here, but here's some highlights: Top Per-Theater Average: "Here" (Strand Releasing) Braden King's Sundance 2011 alum "Here" also made a debut on a single New York screen, and managed the best per-theater-average of any film in release: $7,927. While not a spectacular number for a one screen debut, it beat out "Hit So Hard" and "How To Grow a Band," which also had exclusive beginnings. Best Debut: "Woman Thou Art Loosed! On The 7th Day" (CodeBlack) Following the massive success of last year's stand-up comedy doc "Kevin Hart: Laugh at My Pain," CodeBlack Entertainment has another hit on its hands with Neema Barnette's "Woman Thou Art Loosed!: On the 7th Day." Starring Blair Underwood and Sharon Leal as a couple...

The country just can’t get enough of Katniss Everdeen as The Hunger Games remained #1 at the box office for the fourth straight week with $21 million, and it just keeps taking out competitors week after week. This past weekend, it withstood an attack from The Three Stooges ($17 million), The Cabin in the Woods ($14.7 million), which finished second and third respectively, while Luc Besson-produced Lockout, finished a disappointing ninth with just $6.2 million.

The Three Stooges surprised at the box office, making over half of its $30 million budget back its first weekend, while Joss Whedon faithfuls didn’t support The Cabin in the Woods as many had hoped. It will be interesting to see if the film gets any kind of word of mouth after its did-you-get-it-or-didn’t-you ending will either draw in more curious moviegoers or scare them off. Those that didn’t connect the dots on the ending, or...

This weekend marked the release of Bishop T.D. Jakes' latest motion picture, "Woman Thou Art Loosed!: On the 7th Day," starring Blair Underwood, Sharon Leal, Nicole Beharie and Emmy Award nominee Pam Grier. Shot in New Orleans in less than a month, the film depicts a happy couple whose lives are turned upside down when they have only a week to rescue their 6-year-old daughter from abductors.

The making of the Neema Barnette-directed suspense thriller was an artistic process that began in Los Angeles, according to Leal.

"We kind of went scene by scene and broke everything down, got all the ideas of what we needed to tweak and elevate," Leal recently explained to The Huffington Post. "And that process continued throughout the film. I think one of the great liberties that you have when you're doing an independent film is really to approach it in a artistic,...

“Lockout” and “Woman Thou Art Loosed” led the indie newcomers in a weekend marked by the Weinstein Co.’s expansion of “Bully” into 158 theaters with a PG-13 rating. Open Road distributed “Lockout,” a sci-fi thriller starring Guy Pearce, for FilmDistrict under a service deal. The movie, released in 2,308 locations, brought in $6.3 million for ninth place overall, according to Rentrak estimates. FilmDistrict picked up the $20 million movie from Luc Besson’s EuropaCorp. A spokeswoman said audiences skewed 65 percent male, with the age breakdown close to 50-50 those under and over...

The overwhelming winner amidst a slew of specialty debuts this weekend was Neema Barnette's "Woman Thou Art Loosed!: On the 7th Day." According to estimates provided by Rentrak earlier today, "Loosed" managed to find the best per-theater-average of any film in release, including studio chart topper "The Hunger Games." Also of note this weekend was a respectable debut from Oscar-nominated foreign language film "Monsieur Lazhar" and impressive expansions care of "The Raid: Redemption" and "Bully" -- which headed to 158 screens across the country this weekend with a new PG-13 rating. Check out the full rundown below: The Debuts: "Woman Thou Art Loosed!: On The 7th Day" (CodeBlack Entertainment) Following the massive success of last year's stand-up comedy doc "Kevin Hart: Laugh at My Pain," CodeBlack Entertainment has another hit on its hands with Neema Barnette's "Woman...

The rest of the month may be comprised of releases desperate to avoid "The Avengers" and the onslaught of summer blockbusters. But few studios thought that their movies would become the meat in an 'Avengers'/"The Hunger Games" blockbuster sandwich, as the Lionsgate beast held remarkably steady in week four, suggesting that $400 million domestic may be in play after the film already crossed $500 million worldwide.

This weekend suggested that the film has quite a bit of juice left over. While brand offerings from the likes of Judd Apatow and Nicolas Sparks are set for release in the next couple of weeks, its not crazy to suggest the Gary Ross franchise-starter might run the table for the rest of the month, even if that seems incredibly far-fetched. Still, a less-than-40% drop and a $21 million gross in weekend four makes a case for "The Hunger Games" possibly being the most dominant blockbuster of the year.

Blair Underwood makes his Broadway debut this month playing one of the most legendary yet challenging characters in theater history - the brooding, emotionally abusive, working class Stanley in "A Streetcar Named Desire." The Tennessee Williams play has been updated with a multi-cultural cast but maintains its original setting of New Orleans. In a video chat with Gold Derby, Underwood explained, "One of the many things we wanted to do was make this production very specific and unique to New Orleans, Louisiana ... more specifically the French Quarter where the play is set." While on location to shoot the film "Woman Thou Art Loosed: On the Seventh Day," he wanted to "soak up the flavor and the texture of the culture and really the melody of the language" to prepare for this role. The play opens at the Broadhurst Theatre on April 22 with Nicole Ari Parker (Blanche), Daphne Rubin-Vega (Stella...

HollywoodNews.com: The Weinstein Company (TWC) announced today that Tom Quinn and Jason Janego have joined forces with TWC Co-Chairmen Harvey and Bob Weinstein to create a new TWC label to bring new films and other specialty entertainment to audiences simultaneously across multiple digital and traditional platforms. Quinn and Janego will serve as Co-Presidents of the yet-to-be named label, which will be based in New York. The announcement was made by TWC COO David Glasser.

Quinn and Janego were among the first in the film industry to explore the potential of emerging digital platforms and were in the vanguard of developing new strategies for alternative distribution during their tenures at Magnolia Pictures, where they were Senior Vice President and Head of Legal & Business Affairs, respectively. In 2005, Magnolia became one of the first distributors to implement the day/date releasing, premiering Steven Soderbergh’s Bubble and Alex Gibney’s Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room...

The Weinstein Company officially announced their plans to launch a VOD label. Deadline reports that TWC have hired Tom Quinn and Jason Janego to run it. This makes sense to me as VOD continues to grow as a way to make money for studios on films that are not a good choice for a wide theatrical release.

Here is the official press release:

New York (September 6, 2011) – The Weinstein Company (TWC) announced today that Tom Quinn and Jason Janego have joined forces with TWC Co-Chairmen Harvey and Bob Weinstein to create a new TWC label to bring new films and other specialty entertainment to audiences simultaneously across multiple digital and traditional platforms. Quinn and Janego will serve as Co-Presidents of the yet-to-be named label, which will be based in New York. The announcement was made by TWC COO David Glasser.

Quinn and Janego were among the first in the film industry...

The Weinstein Company (TWC) announced today that Tom Quinn and Jason Janego have joined forces with TWC Co-Chairmen Harvey Weinstein and Bob Weinstein to create a new TWC label to bring new films and other specialty entertainment to audiences simultaneously across multiple digital and traditional platforms. Quinn and Janego will serve as Co-Presidents of the yet-to-be named label, which will be based in New York. The announcement was made by TWC COO David Glasser.

Quinn and Janego were among the first in the film industry to explore the potential of emerging digital platforms and were in the vanguard of developing new strategies for alternative distribution during their tenures at Magnolia Pictures, where they were Senior Vice President and Head of Legal & Business Affairs, respectively. In 2005, Magnolia became one of the first distributors to implement the day/date releasing, premiering Steven Soderbergh's Bubble and Alex Gibney's Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room...

After changing its director and its title, Gotti: In the Shadow of My Father is getting ready to roll cameras this coming January, and it may do so with a rising star in a major role. As ShowBiz411 (via ThePlaylist) has heard, Captain America and The Devil’s Double actor Dominic Cooper is now rumored to be playing the son of John Travolta‘s John Gotti, in the role of John Gotti Jr.

People are already pointing out that he has no real resemblance to the actual man, who also happens to be a producer on the movie, but the guy is talented enough where I wouldn’t consider it to be a real problem — not only that, but he knows this kind of part. This Friday, in fact, he’ll be seen as Uday “Son of Saddam” Hussein in The Devil’s Double; there would definitely be an interesting...

Actress Kimberly Elise welcomes 44. Born in Minneapolis, her boasting rights include appearances in Set It Off, In The House, Beloved, Bojangles, Bait, John Q, Girlfriends, Woman Thou Art Loosed, Diary Of A Mad Black Woman, The Great Debaters, Grey’s Anatomy and For Colored Girls.

Actress Lela Rochon turns 47 today. A native of California, she’s appeared in numerous films and tv shows including Breakin’, The Facts of Life, The Cosby Show, Amen, Harlem Nights, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Boomerang, The Wayans Bros., Any Given Sunday, Why Do Fools Fall In Love, Brooklyn’s Finest and Waiting To Exhale. Her most recent project was Blood Done Sign My Name.

So… I was just reading This piece on the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye website, posted yesterday, in which Reuben Cannon, Tyler Perry’s long-time producing partner, and an industry veteran of film and TV, and a Chicago native, is interviewed about his roots, his successes, working with Tyler Perry, and the future.

You can read the entire interview Here; but, first let me draw your attention to a portion of it that struck me; specifically… the interviewer asks Cannon for names of any up-and-coming filmmakers/actors/producers/etc that we should be looking out for.

And Cannon answers… “You mean beyond Tyler Perry? Well, look at him. Like [President] Obama is the new face of politics, he is the new face of film in as much as he offers innovative thinking and not looking at traditional models of filmmaking to achieve what he has achieved. He’s trying to enlighten and entertain,...

Today in history, March 29, 2005… Attorney Johnnie Cochran died in Los Angeles at age 67. Cochran was best known for his successful and controversial defense of Orenthal James “O.J.” Simpson during his murder trial.

No stranger to the movie business, did you know that Denzel Washington spent time with Cochran, using him as research for his role as an attorney in the Oscar-winning 1993 film Philadelphia? This was about 3 years before the O.J. Simpson trial.

And according to IMDb, Cochran had a role in 2002′s Showtime (starring Eddie Murphy and Robert de Niro), playing himself (I’ve actually seen that film, but don’t recall him in it; then again it was a forgettable flick).

Cochran also helped finance the 2004 T.D. Jakes drama Woman Thou Art Loosed, which starred Kimberly Elise.

Mr Cochran would have been turning 74 years old this year.

Kimberly Elise had five gray hairs when she started working on Tyler Perry's film "For Colored Girls." By the time it wrapped, she had 50. Playing the tormented, abused Crystal was so emotionally wrenching, "my body thought Crystal's experiences had actually happened to me," Elise says. "Once it was over, I was sure my hair would grow back black. It didn't. The body doesn't know 'pretend.' "During shooting, Elise was so committed to becoming her character, she relinquished an offscreen lifestyle that includes vegetarianism, hiking, yoga, and meditation. She knew the loss would throw her off-center, "but that's where Crystal was: off-center," she says. "That was hard—not to be able to go home and meditate and come back down." Elise, who has never taken an acting class and doesn't view it as a detriment, says she can't articulate her technique, short of saying it's not cognitive but deeply emotional and spiritual.

“The Black Church!” I don’t particularly care for the label, given how non-specific it is. I do understand what people mean when they use it, as in, broadly, churches (Christian) with predominantly African-American congregations in the USA, and there certainly is a history there that shouldn’t be ignored. However, I can’t help but feel like it reinforces the already-existing monolithic view of black people.

Regardless… deconstructing the term isn’t the reason for this post, so let’s move on!

The popularity of my CNN Black Church expose post (read it here, along with all the comments that followed) led me to wonder what some of the best films in circulation are that really tackle the black church, or in which the black church plays a pivotal role. I’m not thinking of documentaries, by the way, but rather fictional narratives. I’m also not necessarily considering...

Leah Remini is throwing her hat into the daytime ring.

The former "King of Queens" star is developing a concept for a daytime show with CBS Television Distribution, sources said. Details are closely guarded, but it's believed that the parties are not necessarily thinking along the lines of a traditional talk show. The project is being eyed for a fall 2009 launch. CBS declined comment.

Remini is the latest personality to emerge as a contender for syndication next season as distributors ramp up their development slates. For its part, CBS also is working on separate talk show projects with Valerie Bertinelli and Bishop T.D. Jakes ("Woman Thou Art Loosed").

Also among the projects rumored or confirmed to be in the works for fall 2009 are a syndicated version of Fox's "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" at Twentieth TV; "Dr. Oz," with Harpo Prods., and a talker featuring Marissa Jaret Winokur at Sony; a talker hosted by Food Network personality Paula Deen at Warner Bros.; and a talk show hosted by Marie Osmond at Program Partners.

Remini, repped by Wma and 3 Arts, co-starred on the CBS sitcom "Queens" for nine seasons and recently appeared in the MSN online series "In the Motherhood," an adaptation of which is being developed at ABC.

Bishop T.D. Jakes, the self-help author behind the religious-themed drama Woman Thou Art Loosed, has signed a three-year production and distribution deal with Sony Pictures Entertainment for theatrical releases and DVD exclusives generated by his production company, TDJ Enterprises. Screen Gems president Clint Culpepper and TDJ CEO Jakes and chief operating officer Curtis Wallace announced the deal Monday. The first film covered by the pact is Not Easily Broken, based on an upcoming novel by Jakes. Scribe Brian Bird (Touched by an Angel) is adapting Broken, which is scheduled to begin filming later this year.