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Theatrical licensor Music Theatre International has announced that the musical The Magician’s Elephant is now available for licensing. Adapted from the award-winning children’s novel by Kate Dicamillo and featuring music and lyrics from Marc Teitler and book and lyrics from Nancy Harris, The Magician’s Elephant tells the story of a town recovering from war and the people affected by its wake. In Baltese, people have lost all faith in life and each other. Peter, a young orphan is told by a mysterious stranger that his sister is still alive, and he will find her through ‘the elephant’. There has never been such a creature in Baltese, a town where nothing extraordinary ever happens. Then one day,...

Exclusive: O-t Fagbenle and Sian Clifford have joined as series regulars and Ronny Chieng in a recurring role in Peacock’s upcoming comedy, The Miniature Wife. Details regarding their characters are under wraps.

They join series leads and executive producers Elizabeth Banks and Matthew Macfadyen and cast Zoe Lister-Jones and Sofia Rosinsky in the series created and executive produced by Jennifer Ames and Steve Turner, who also serve as showrunners.

Based on the short story written by Manuel Gonzalez, The Miniature Wife is a high-concept marital comedy examining the power (im)balances between spouses, Lindy (Banks) and Les (Macfadyen), after a technological accident induces the ultimate relationship crisis.

Greg Mottola will direct the first two episodes and serves as an executive producer alongside Banks, Macfadyen, Ames, Turner, Michael Aguilar and Michael Ellenberg and...

Castlevania: Nocturne's second season brings back the stars of the first year, alongside a major figure from the previous show in the franchise. The sequel series to Castlevania and an adaptation of the video game series of the same name, Castlevania: Nocturne shifted the plot to the events of the French Revolution and focused on a small group of heroes working to undermine the plans of the aristocratic vampire messiah. Despite their efforts to stop her, the heroes were ultimately thwarted in Castlevania: Nocturne's season 1 ending.

With Erzsebet realizing her full power and converting Tara into a vampire, season 2 opens with the vampire messiah searching for the heroes as they barely escape her grasp. However, Richter and his allies have a chance to turn the tide with the help of Alucard, the legendary half-vampire warrior who helped save the world in Castlevania. Here are all the prominent returning...

Netflix's ‘The Magician's Elephant’ is a captivating adaptation of Kate Dicamillo's beloved novel, brought to life through breathtaking visuals and a talented cast. The film is a whimsical and magical journey that will delight viewers of all ages. The story follows a young orphan boy named Peter who is on a quest to find his long-lost sister. Along the way, he meets a mysterious fortune teller who promises to help him in his search. After being told by the fortune teller to follow the elephant, it creates confusion for him. How can an orphan stuck in the country of the United Kingdom ever get the chance to see an elephant? On the night of a magic show, a low-skilled magician accidentally summons an elephant to his show, causing a city-wide panic. However, in everyone’s fear and perception of doom, Peter seizes the opportunity and follows the elephant.

Brian Tyree Henry has joined the cast of Universal’s untitled Pharrell Williams and Michel Gondry musical project.

The Oscar, Emmy and Tony nominee joins Kelvin Harrison Jr., Halle Bailey and Oscar winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph in the coming-of-age musical, set in the summer of 1977 at Virginia Beach and inspired by Atlantis Apartments, Williams’ childhood neighborhood.

Gondry is set to direct the project based on a script by Martin Hynes and Steven Levenson. Williams and Mimi Valdés will produce through I Am Other and Gil Netter will produce through Gil Netter Productions.

Universal’s senior vice president of production development Ryan Jones and Christine Sun, director of production development, will oversee the project for the studio.

Henry starred on Donald Glover’s acclaimed series “Atlanta” for four seasons as Alfred “Paper Boi” Miles, earning an Emmy nomination for his performance. He also scored a supporting actor Oscar nomination for the 2022 film “Causeway” opposite Jennifer Lawrence.

Halle Bailey is set to join Universal Pictures’ untitled Pharrell Williams and Michel Gondry project.

Bailey will co-star opposite Kelvin Harrison Jr. and join newly minted Oscar winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph in this coming-of-age musical set in Virginia Beach in the summer of 1977, inspired by Atlantis Apartments, Williams’ childhood neighborhood.

Michel Gondry is set to direct the project based on a script by Martin Hynes and Steven Levenson.

Williams and Mimi Valdés will produce through i am Other and Gil Netter will produce through Gil Netter Productions.

Universal’s senior vice president of production development, Ryan Jones, and director of production development, Christine Sun, will oversee the project for the studio.

In 2023, Bailey led Disney’s live-action adaptation of “The Little Mermaid” alongside Melissa McCarthy. Variety‘s Peter Debruge praised her performance, writing in his review, “Halle Bailey is all the reason that any audience should need to justify Disney revisiting this classic.

Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.

Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:

Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys

2024 Oscars Predictions:

Best Original Score Killers of the Flower Moon Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone Credit: AppleTV+

Weekly Commentary: It’s Ludwig Göransson taking home another Oscar for “Oppenheimer,” following his first win for “Black Panther.”

Next.

Will Win: “Oppenheimer” (Ludwig Göransson)

Could Win: “Killers of the Flower Moon...

Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.

Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:

Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys

2024 Oscars Predictions:

Best Original Song Barbie

Weekly Commentary: With an original song win, Billie Eilish, 22, and Finneas, 26, would become the youngest artists ever to win two Oscars before the age of 30. The pair won for James Bond theme “No Time to Die” in 2022, and are nominated this year for “What Was I Made For,...

Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.

Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:

Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys

2023 Oscars Predictions:

Best Animated Feature

Weekly Commentary: Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Boy and the Heron” has garnered both the Golden Globes and BAFTA Awards, solidifying its status as a strong contender in the animated feature category. However, what’s intriguing is the absence of Miyazaki and his producer Toshio Suzuki at the award ceremonies,...

321 films are in contention for this year’s Academy Awards, while 265 features are eligible in the best picture category, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Monday as it released its annual “reminder list” for members.

To be eligible in the general categories, films (meaning a runtime of more than 40 minutes) must open in a commercial theater in at least one of the following areas: Los Angeles County; the city of New York; the Bay Area; Chicago, Illinois; Miami, Florida; and Atlanta, Georgia, between Jan. 1, 2023 and Dec. 31, 2023. Additionally, it must complete a minimum qualifying run of seven consecutive days in the same venue.

To be eligible for the best picture category specifically, the movies must be eligible for the general entry and have “submitted a confidential Academy Representation and Inclusion Standards entry form.” Additionally, the film must meet two of the four standards required, in addition to the theatrical component.

This marks the seventh year that the entire membership of the academy can take part in the nomination stage of the Animated Feature Oscar race. Previously, only select members of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch and invited members from the other branches could serve on the committee that decided the nominees. Collectively, the committee tended to favor traditional and stop-motion films over CG fare. (Scroll down for the most up-to-date 2024 predictions for Oscars Best Animated Feature.)

Mandatory attendance at screenings has been dropped and voters who want to be on the nominations committee need only attest to having seen all the contenders at theaters or screenings or by way of the the academy’s streaming site.

The method of determining the nominees has also changed. Gone is the system where voters scored a film from 6 (poor) to 10 (excellent) with only those movies meriting an average mark of at least 7.5 eligible for a nomination.

Our Pmc sister website Variety is reporting that the motion picture academy has named 149 movies as eligible for Best Original Score at the 2024 Oscars. See the complete list below of every score currently on the ballot for the music branch. A total of 15 will be announced this Thursday, December 21, on the Oscar short list. A final five will be revealed on January 23 as the the actual nominees.

SEEOscars 2024: Which 94 tunes are eligible for Best Original Song?

Gold Derby has been offering you the opportunity to predict the Best Original Score category for the past few weeks. Among some of the surprise omissions: “Asteroid City,” “Flora and Son,” “The Little Mermaid” and “Wonka.” Each film used too much non-original music to remain qualified.

According to our most current Gold Derby odds with over 6,800 people predicting, here are the scores ranked in the top 10:

1. “Oppenheimer” – 71/20 odds

2. “Killers of the Flower Moon...

Our Pmc sister website Variety is reporting that the motion picture academy has named 94 tunes as eligible for Best Original Song at the 2024 Oscars. See the complete list below of every song currently on the ballot for the music branch. A total of 15 will be announced this Thursday, December 21, on the Oscar short list. A final five will be revealed on January 23 as the the actual nominees.

SEEDiane Warren interview: ‘The Fire Inside’ from ‘Flamin’ Hot’

Gold Derby has been offering you the opportunity to predict the Best Original Song category for the past few weeks. Among some of the surprise omissions:

“Barbie” producers have chosen not to submit “Barbie World,” “Speed Drive” and “Pink.” That film’s three official submissions are “I’m Just Ken,” “Dance the Night” and “What Was I Made For?”

“Trolls Band Together” producers have not entered “Family,” “Watch Me Work” and “Let’s Get Married.

Ninety-four songs and 149 scores have been deemed eligible in the music categories for the 96th annual Academy Awards, Variety has learned.

Voting began Thursday, with 390 members of the Academy music branch eligible to vote in this year’s competition. And for the first time in years, there appear to be no surprises or glaring omissions.

Any film can submit up to three songs, and the “Barbie” entries were as expected: Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made for,” Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night” and the Mark Ronson-Andrew Wyatt song “I’m Just Ken.”

Five other films submitted the maximum of three songs, including two from Disney: the live-action “The Little Mermaid,” with “For the First Time,” “The Scuttlebutt” and “Wild Uncharted Waters,” all by Alan Menken (who won Oscars for the original in 1989) and Lin-Manuel Miranda; and “Wish,” the Julia Michaels-Benjamin Rice tunes including “I’m a Star,...

The Academy has revealed the list of eligible films for consideration in best animated, documentary and international feature of the year, encompassing a broad range of blockbusters and critically acclaimed titles.

GKids’ “The Boy and the Heron,” Pixar’s “Elemental,” Sony’s “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” and Illumination’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” are among the 33 animated films in the running. This is up from 27 in 2023, when “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” took home the prize.

The eventual five nominees are determined by members of the shorts and animation branch, and any Academy members outside the branch who wish to participate. The number of outside members who opt in is unknown. All films submitted for animated feature also qualify for the Academy Awards in other categories, including best picture.

Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Oscars predictions in all categories.

There are 88 films representing their countries for the international feature Oscar,...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Thursday unveiled the films eligible for consideration for the 2024 Oscars in the categories of Documentary Feature Film and International Feature Film and Animated Feature Film.

A total of 167 documentaries have made the cut for the 96th Academy Awards, while 88 countries are eligible for the International Feature. Shortlists of 15 films in both categories will be revealed December 21.

In the Animated Feature race, 33 films are eligible for the 2024 race.

Final Oscar nominations will be revealed January 23, 2024, with the 96th Oscars to air Sunday, March 10 on ABC hosted by Jimmy Kimmel.

Here are the film lists revealed today, with AMPAS noting that not all have had their qualifying release yet, a requirement to advance in the voting process.

Animated Feature

The Amazing Maurice

Blue Giant

The Boy and the Heron

Chang’an

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget

Deep Sea

Elemental

Ernest & Celestine: A...

Leave it to Adam Sandler to deliver the animated surprise of the holiday season with the “SNL”-influenced “Leo” (currently streaming on Netflix). It’s a smart, funny, existential musical comedy about a jaded 74-year-old class pet lizard (voiced by Sandler), who dispenses advice to Florida fifth graders. It’s also a return to the indie roots of his last animated musical, “Eight Crazy Nights.”

But “Leo” is more personal. It’s the second Sandler family affair this year, following “You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah”: Sandler’s wife, Jackie, and his daughters, Sunny and Sadie, voice characters in the film. In fact, the genesis of the project occurred when Sandler put on “Grease” for his daughters when they were tweens and realized that it was inappropriate.

That got Sandler thinking about doing a musical comedy centered around “Grease” for the fifth grade with long-time collaborator,...

Leo is an animated musical comedy film directed by Robert Marianetti, Robert Smigel, and David Wachtenheim, from a screenplay by Robert Smigel, Paul Sado, and Adam Sandler. The Netflix film revolves around Leo the Lizard who has been stuck in the same Florida school for over seven decades, and when he finds out that he only has a year to live but instead he ends up helping the students. Leo has a very talented star cast giving their voices to the characters including Sandler’s whole family, Bill Burr, Rob Schneider, Jason Alexander, and Cecily Strong. So, if you loved the Netflix film, here are some similar animated movies you could watch next.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Disney+) Credit – Disney+

Synopsis: Greg Heffley is a scrawny but ambitious kid with an active imagination and big plans to be rich and famous – he just has to survive middle school first.

SAG-AFTRA may still be on strike, but studios are, nevertheless, pushing their Oscar contenders to garner the adequate (and allowed) attention they need to land nominations.

One of the main methods is getting industry voters out to screenings and making films available on the Academy Screening Room and BAFTA screening platforms. With the two significant organizations banning physical DVD screeners, voting members rely on the respective digital viewing portals to catch up on some of this year’s contenders vying for awards consideration.

Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Oscars predictions in all categories.

The Academy performs a heavy vetting process for each film that chooses to submit for consideration. Historically, over 300 movies are in the running for best picture consideration, with more films joining the fray over the next several months. Distributors are the ultimate decision-makers of when a movie is placed in the Academy Screening Room for viewing.

Netflix has released its Top 10 for the week of March 27, and it was little to no surprise that Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston‘s comedy sequel “Murder Mystery 2” entered the English language films chart in first place. After all, the original 2019 movie was such a huge hit for Netflix.

The action-comedy sequel entered the charts with 64.4 million hours viewed, the second-biggest launch for a comedy film with 42 million views, appearing in the Top 10 in 91 countries with it being the #1 movie in more than 60 of those countries.

Right behind it was the original “Murder Mystery” with 24.7 million hours viewed globally, and the previous #1 movie “Luther: The Fallen Sun” with 12.7 million viewing hours. The lack of strong family films in theaters allowed four animated films to get into the Top 10 with Netflix’s “The Magician’s Elephant” leading the pack with 6.3 million viewing hours.

See Netflix Oscar movies: 22 wins and counting

The...

The Night Agent is quickly making its way toward becoming one of Netflix‘s most popular English-language series of all time.

In its second week on the service, the action thriller amassed another 216.4 million hours viewed from March 27-April 2, easily reigning over the Top 10 for the week. Not only did it increase viewership significantly in its second week, it also has positioned itself to likely be crowned one of Netflix’s all-time most-watched TV series.

Since its release, The Night Agent has tallied 385M viewing hours, making it about 120M away from hitting the all-time Top 10 TV list. Currently the 10th spot is taken by Ginny & Georgia Season 2 with just over half a billion viewing hours.

Last week, the series had the third-best premiere week of viewing across Season 1 TV for any Netflix Original when it clocked more than 160M viewing hours in its first few days on Netflix, only behind Wednesday and Dahmer.

In April 2023, Netflix is welcoming a comedy TV series starring Steven Yeun, a TV series about a struggling cop, the movie sequel to The Last Kingdom, a new Power Rangers movie, part 2 of the second season of a drama TV series, season 2 of a fantasy drama based on a comic book, and a lot more. March saw the addition of part 2 of You season 4, the movie Luther: The Fallen Sun, season 2 of Shadow & Bone, the animated movie The Magician’s Elephant, the animated series Agent Elvis, the documentary Waco: American Apocalypse, and the comedy movie Murder Mystery 2.

April will bring a variety of movies and TV shows to add to Netflix’s extensive catalog of licensed content, such as the black comedy American Hustle, the action thrillers The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, and The Bourne Ultimatum, the animated movies Hotel Transylvania and How to Train Your Dragon, Christopher Nolan’s Inception,...

On March 31, Paramount Pictures released “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves,” with Chris Pine leading a band of unlikely adventurers who undertake an epic heist to retrieve a lost relic. The film directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein brings the rich world and playful spirit of the legendary roleplaying game to the big screen in a hilarious and action-packed adventure.

The movie opened to rave reviews, holding fresh at 89% on Rotten Tomatoes with a critics’ consensus that reads, “An infectiously good-spirited comedy with a solid emotional core, ‘Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’ offers fun fantasy and adventure even if you don’t know your Hp from your Op.” The ensemble cast includes Michelle Rodriquez, Regé-Jean Page, Hugh Grant, Justice Jesse Smith, Sophia Lillis and Chloe Coleman. Read our full review round-up below.

See SXSW Festival round-up: Highlights included ‘Air’ premiere and Audience Award winners ‘Flamin’ Hot,’ ‘Mustache’

Dan Bayer...

Netflix’s newest spy thriller series “The Night Agent,” based on the novel by Matthew Quirk and starring Gabriel Basso and recent Oscar nominee Hong Chau, seems to be a bonafide hit for the streamer. It debuted at #1 on the English television list with 168.7 million hours viewed. Created by Shawn Ryan of “The Shield,” the series ending up in the top 10 for 93 countries, many of them at #1. Read on for the Netflix Top 10 (Week of March 20).

Season 2 of “Shadow and Bone” was in second place with 55 million hours viewed – it was #1 in the Ukraine –followed in third by Season 4 of “You” with 30.2 million hours viewed. The first five episodes of the fourth season of reality series “Love is Blind” entered the charts in fourth with 25.5 million hours viewed. The documentary series “Waco: American Apocalypse” entered the charts right behind it with 21.5 million hours viewed.

“Luther: The Fallen Sun” remained #1 for...

“The Night Agent” might not be pulling “Wednesday” numbers, but the new thriller series had a very strong first week on Netflix.

The Shawn Ryan-created thriller topped Netflix’s Global Top 10 English TV series list in its first week of availability, with 168.71 million hours viewed. That’s the most for Week 1 of a new Netflix series, English-language or otherwise, since “Wednesday.” And we’re only counting four days of viewing, as “The Night Agent” debuted on a Thursday; Sunday night is Netflix’s weekly cutoff.

Beyond new debuts, “The Night Agent’s” start was the single best week for a show since Season 2 of “Ginny & Georgia” premiered to 180 hours viewed. Last week marked the third-biggest week for the debut of a Netflix show since the streamer started publicizing the Top 10 lists.

“Wednesday,” of course, still ranks at No. 1 in terms of new-series debuts, after it opened to a...

The Night Agent snuck its way to the top of Netflix’s English-language TV charts for the week of March 20.

The series, created by Shawn Ryan and based on the novel of the same name by Matthew Quirk, debuted on March 23, raking in 168.7M hours viewed in its first few days on the streamer. According to Netflix, that is the third-best premiere week of viewing across Season 1 TV for any Netflix Original. It also appeared in the Top 10 in 93 countries.

Love Is Blind Season 4 also debuted its first five episodes this week, bringing in 25.52M hours viewed. That brought it to No. 4 on the list. Episodes 6-8 drop on March 31, followed by episodes 9-11 on April 7 and the final episode on April 14. Waco: American Apocalypse was also a newcomer on the list this week with 21.5M hours viewed (No. 5).

Shadow and Bone Season 2 held onto its second place spot on...

If you’re looking for a snapshot of the top 10 most-watched movies streaming on Netflix in the US, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve gathered the current list of the most popular films on the streaming service, along with a brief synopsis and information on who stars in each movie. Did your favorite crack the top 10 on Netflix right now?

Currently, the top 10 movies on Netflix in the US are:

The Chronicles of Riddick The Hunger Games: Catching Fire The Hunger Games The Magician’s Elephant Riddick Sing 2 Minions: The Rise of Gru Luther: The Fallen Sun Dragged Across Concrete I See You 10 ‘The Chronicles of Riddick’ (2004)

Director: David Twohy

Cast: Vin Diesel, Thandiwe Newton, Karl Urban, Alexa Davalos, Colm Feore

Runtime: 1h 59m | Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

Related: All The Riddick Movies in Order of Release Date [How to Watch]

IMDb – Rating: 6.6/10 | Popularity: 1,112 | Metascore: 38

The renowned criminal Richard Bruno...

This weekend, Netflix is adding a documentary series about a tragic event, an action thriller TV series, and a new season of a popular reality TV show. Last weekend, the streaming giant welcomed the Bollywood movie Kuttey, season 1 of the Japanese crime drama Tiger and Dragon, the thriller Dragged Across Concrete, the Riddick trilogy, and the superhero movie Kick-Ass 2, along with the documentary Money Shot: The Pornhub Story, season 2 of Shadow and Bone, the animated TV series Agent Elvis, and the animated movie The Magician’s Elephant.

This weekend, Netflix will see the addition of a variety of licensed content, such as the romantic drama Carol, season 1 of the German crime drama series Close to Home: Murder in the Coalfield, the horror movie I See You, the Japanese movie High & Low: The Worst Cross, and the Filipino comedy Partners in Crime. As for original content, Netflix subscribers will get...

Netflix has released its weekly Top 10 global streaming charts for the week of March 13, which includes both original productions and other films and series airing on the streamer across the globe.

Idris Elba‘s “Luther: The Fallen Sun” remained atop the charts of English-language films with another 69.5 million hours viewed. That comes to 62 million views over the film’s first two weeks on the streamer, dividing the 135.5 million hours viewed by the film’s 2.2-hour runtime. The movie remained in the Top 10 for 93 countries and was #1 in a good amount of them, showing the global appeal of Elba’s character.

Vanessa Jopp‘s dramedy “Faraway” was once again in second place with 14.8 million hours viewed, while Netflix’s animated film “The Magician’s Elephant,” based on Kate Dicamillo‘s novel, entered the charts in third place with 13.7 million hours viewed, both of those in the Top 10 for 70+ countries. Meanwhile, maybe it...

You Season 4 continues its reign over the Netflix Top 10, despite the debut of Shadow and Bone Season 2 last week.

The fantasy series hit the streamer’s English-language TV chart at No. 2 for the week of March 13-19, tallying 50.4M hours viewed in the days since its March 16 debut. It struggles to hold a flame to the 64.1M hours viewed that You Season 4 drew during that week.

It’s worth noting that the final five episodes of You Season 4 dropped the week prior, meaning that they had an entire week’s worth of viewing to account for while Shadow and Bone Season 2 only had four days. It’s totally possible (and likely) that viewership for Shadow and Bone will grow week-over-week.

However, You Season 4 still seems to be outperforming overall considering it racked up 75.8M hours viewed last week, when the measurement window only included the first four days after the...

This week in home viewing, the whale topped a bear. “Cocaine Bear” ($19.99) came out on PVOD after its third weekend — standard timing for Universal. Since it was still strong in theaters, home availability would usually guarantee across-the-board #1 rankings at iTunes, Google Play, and Vudu.

But surprise — A24 lowered the price of “The Whale” to $4.99 just before Brendan Fraser’s Best Actor win. The film soared to the top at iTunes and Google Play right after the Oscars.

Both sites rank by transaction, which benefits any lower-cost rental. However, Darren Aronofsky’s film is also #2 at Vudu, which counts by revenue. (Vudu has “Cocaine Bear” at #1).

Meantime, Oscar juggernaut “Everything Everywhere All at Once” — available on streaming as well as theaters — stayed strong at $19.99. That price may have discouraged some buyers, but it still placed fourth or fifth on all charts.

“A Man Called Otto” (Sony), with its price reduced to $5.99, continued its strong chart showing.

Love Is Blind season four, Murder Mystery 2, Rob Lowe starrer Unstable and docuseries Waco: American Apocalypse and Emergency: NYC are among the much-anticipated projects hitting Netflix this month.

Dating show Love Is Blind returns on March 24, featuring a new group of singles looking to make a connection based on something other than looks.

Later in the month, the streamer drops Rob and John Owen Lowe’s Unstable, a scripted comedy inspired by the playful dynamic between the real-life father and son. In the series, co-created by Santa Clarita Diet creator Victor Fresco, the elder Lowe plays successful biotech entrepreneur Ellis Dragon who is struggling after the death of his wife. John Owen Lowe plays his introverted son, Jackson, who seems to be the only one who can save his dad.

And Netflix closes out the month with Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler’s Murder Mystery 2. The sequel finds Aniston...

Currently available to stream on Netflix, The Magician's Elephant centers around a boy named Peter who is determined to reunite with his little sister. When a fortune teller simply advises him to "follow the elephant," her ominous words lead to more than he bargained for. Challenged by the king himself, Peter must complete a series of impossible tasks if he hopes to discover the truth about the family he thought he lost.

Kate Dicamillo joins forces with producer Julia Pistor and director Wendy Rogers to adapt her 2009 book into a full-length feature. Dicamillo is a two-time Newbery Award winner and is most well-known for her novel Because of Winn-Dixie. Pistor has produced other animated films such as Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, while Rogers has worked on The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian as a visual effects supervisor. The main cast includes Noah Jupe, Sian Clifford, Pixie Davies, Natasia Demetriou, Dawn French,...

Based on the novel of the same name by Kate Dicamillo, The Magician’s Elephant is an endearing, whimsical tale about one boy's quest to find his lost sister and the town he inspires to believe in magic again. In Netflix’s latest animated film, directed by Wendy Rogers from a screenplay by Martin Hynes, the story has less to do with magic and is more focused on the feeling attached to magic.

In the vaguely European town of Baltese, war has brought in clouds of despair. The once vibrant town is now plagued with melancholy, with very few citizens willing to hope. Enter Peter (Noah Jupe), a young orphan who happens upon a tent one day. He meets a fortuneteller who speaks in riddles — until she gives him the answer he needs to set off on an adventure to find his lost sister. Believing she was dead for so many years,...

Based on the book by Newbery Award-winning author, Kate Dicamillo, The Magician’s Elephant will be available to stream on Netflix beginning Friday, March 17th. The animated film centers around a young orphan boy named Peter, who learns from a fortune teller that his sister may still be alive. Desperate to be reunited, Peter heeds the woman's advice to "follow the elephant" that has mysteriously appeared in town. But if he hopes to free the animal and discover the truth about his family, Peter must undergo a series of impossible tasks.

Noah Jupe stars as the voice of Peter and has several acting credits dating back to 2015. However, he is most well known for playing Marcus Abbott in A Quiet Place. Cast members also include Sian Clifford, Pixie Davies, Natasia Demetriou, Dawn French, Brian Tyree Henry, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Aasif Mandvi, Mandy Patinkin, Miranda Richardson, and Benedict Wong.

Related: A Quiet Place...

Painterly animation gets a new twist in Netflix’s “The Magician’s Elephant” (currently streaming), directed by VFX supervisor Wendy Rogers. Adapted from Kate Dicamillo’s 2009 children’s book about two siblings separated by war, the first-time director sought a soft aesthetic to help convey magical realism.

“When I came to the project, it already had producer Julia Pistor [‘Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events’], and they switched from live action to animation,” Rogers told IndieWire. “I met Julia and pitched my vision to Netflix and was lucky to get it.” Rogers wanted the world and overall animation style to be physically grounded, while the soft cloud-filled sky and painted texturing served as part of the magical realism.

“I think the themes that are in the book — belief in the impossible and taking action on that belief through curiosity and always questioning the world — are inspiring,” she added.

When young Peter (Noah Jupe) asks a fortune teller...

With the 95th Academy Awards in the rearview, this week is light on new-to-streaming releases that could credibly contend for future awards. Our top pick this week was a contender – it was nominated for an Oscar, but didn’t win. It’s still very much worth watching once it hits HBO and HBO Max this weekend.

The contender to watch this weekend: “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed”

This documentary was nominated for Best Documentary Feature this year, losing to “Navalny.” It comes from acclaimed director Laura Poitras – a previous Oscar winner for “Citizenfour” – and follows artist and activist Nan Goldin’s righteous crusade to hold Oxycontin manufacturer Purdue Pharma and the controlling Sackler family responsible for the company’s role in creating the opioid crisis. The Sacklers were big funders of art institutions, and Goldin’s pressure campaign successfully got their names off many donor rolls. The documentary comes...

This weekend, Netflix is welcoming a documentary about a controversial website, the second season of a fantasy TV series, an animated TV series starring a music icon, and an animated movie. Last weekend, the streaming giant didn’t see much licensed content, with the addition of the horror movie World War Z, the Bollywood drama Rekka, the comedy Do Your Worst!, and the Nollywood movie Jolly Roger, but it also brought the documentary series MH370: The Plane That Disappeared, part 2 of You season 4, and the crime thriller movie Luther: The Fallen Sun.

This weekend, Netflix won’t see much licensed content added to its catalog either, but it will bring titles from different genres for everyone to enjoy, such as the Bollywood movie Kuttey, season 1 of the Japanese crime drama Tiger and Dragon, the thriller Dragged Across Concrete, the sci-fi action Riddick trilogy, and the superhero movie Kick-Ass 2. As for original content,...

The Magician’s Elephant is an animation movie directed by Wendy Rogers, and based on a novel written by Kate Dicamillo.

The Magician’s Elephant is a children’s film that aims for the highest “Disney” spirit (that of some years ago): but more tender, childish and somewhat naive, and that, woven by magic, achieves exactly the result it intends to – a film of the old school that, if we let ourselves go, will certainly be charming.

About the Film

Good animation on the technical side that – without being Pixar – takes us along the path of The Sea Beast (another Netflix animation): classicism in form, plot and overall style.

Is it one of those movies for young and old to watch? Absolutely, and with a lot of quality to it. If it sticks to what’s an”easy” approach, it’s a debate that, surely, we shouldn’t get into...

If Netflix has an animation niche when it comes to family fare, then it exists within the realm of pseudo-fantastical worlds that feel like the moderately distant yet undefined past that almost always have a sprinkle of magic in the air. While I acknowledge this, it sounds both very vague and extremely specific. It's part of what makes Netflix's brand of family animation so comforting to watch, and their latest film The Magician's Elephant is no exception.

"The Magician's Elephant" is a new CG-animated fantasy adventure feature, directed by Wendy Rogers, based on the 2009 novel by Kate Dicamillo, starring Noah Jupe, Mandy Patinkin, Natasia Demetriou, Benedict Wong, Miranda Richardson and Aasif Mandvi, streaming March 17, 2023 on Netflix:

"...'Peter' searches for his long-lost sister 'Adele'. To accomplish this. a fortune teller tells him to find a magician with an elephant..."

Click the images to enlarge...

Is there an animal better suited to the big screen than the elephant? From Topsy (Rip) to Dumbo, these magnificent creatures have been especially prominent in documentaries and animation. Continuing this long tradition is “The Magician’s Elephant,” in which a boy (voiced by Noah Jupe) must complete three seemingly impossible tasks to find the younger sister he thought died at birth.

Netflix Animation’s latest offering uses the concept of magic to express the idea that nothing is impossible if your heart is in the right place and you believe in yourself. While the movie itself is more whimsical than magical, it does have a few tricks up its sleeve.

The three trials Peter must complete aren’t edicts from the movie’s eponymous magician, who barely factors into the narrative beyond conjuring the elephant out of thin air, but rather a royal decree from an eccentric king (Aasif Mandavi...

Netflix has released its weekly Top 10 global streaming charts for the week of March 6, which includes both Netflix productions and other films and series airing on the streamer across the globe.

Idris Elba returned as his popular BBC character Luther for Netflix’s “Luther: The Fallen Sun,” which debuted on the channel on March 10 and immediately entered the charts in first place with 65.9 total hours viewed. It was the #1 viewed movie in just about every country in which it was released, other than South Korea and a few other Asian countries.

Also entering the chart at #2 was Vanessa Jopp‘s dramedy “Faraway,” starring Naomi Krauss, which is partially in English. It claimed 21.8 million hours viewed, putting it into the top 10 in 76 countries.

See Netflix Oscar movies: 22 wins and counting

“We Have a Ghost” dropped to third place with 13.4 million hours viewed, followed by the first “The Hunger Games” movie, starring Jennifer Lawrence,...

Netflix's upcoming animated family film, The Magician's Elephant follows a young boy Peter (Noah Jupe) searching for his long-lost sister. With some advice from a Fortune Teller (Natasia Demetriou), he learns he must "follow the elephant" in order to find her. How fortunate, then, that a magician (Benedict Wong) in town just happens to have conjured one up. In a new clip Collider is excited to exclusively reveal, it seems that Peter's efforts are not without some hijinks along the way.

On March 3, 2023, Michael B. Jordan‘s spinoff franchise from “Rocky” punched its way back to the big screen with “Creed III.” After dominating the boxing world, Adonis Creed (Jordan) has been thriving in both his career and family life. When a childhood friend and former boxing prodigy, Damian (Jonathan Majors), resurfaces after serving a long sentence in prison, he is eager to prove that he deserves his shot in the ring. The face off between former friends is more than just a fight. To settle the score, Adonis must put his future on the line to battle Damian — a fighter who has nothing to lose.

An impressive ensemble cast is filled out by Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Florian Munteanu and Wood Harris. With a critics score of 87% on Rotten Tomatoes (and an even more impressive 96% audience score), the consensus reads, “Stepping out from Rocky Balboa’s iconic shadow at last,...

March is yet another packed month for Netflix.

There’s a live stand-up show from Chris Rock and a film based on BBC series Luther, which marks Idris Eba’s return as the detective. Then there’s an animated series depicting Elvis Presley as a secret agent voiced by Matthew McConaughey.

Meanwhile, Adam Sandeler and Jennifer Aniston are up to mischief once again in a sequel to 2017 comedy Murder Mystery.

There’s also a host of licenced titles being added to the service in March. Find the full list below.

Nb: The Independent compiled this list with help from What’s on Netflix.

UK – Original

Interactive

21 March

We Lost Our Human

TV

1 March

Cheat

Wrong Side of the Tracks season two

The full list of every movie and TV show being removed from Netflix in March 2023

2 March

County Masameer season two

Framed! A Sicilian Murder Mystery season two

Sex/Life...

March is yet another packed month for Netflix.

There’s a live stand-up show from Chris Rock and a film based on BBC series Luther, which marks Idris Eba’s return as the detective. Then there’s an animated series depicting Elvis Presley as a secret agent voiced by Matthew McConaughey.

Meanwhile, Adam Sandeler and Jennifer Aniston are up to mischief once again in a sequel to 2017 comedy Murder Mystery.

There’s also a host of licenced titles being added to the service in March. Find the full list below.

Nb: The Independent compiled this list with help from What’s on Netflix.

UK – Original

Interactive

21 March

We Lost Our Human

TV

1 March

Cheat

Wrong Side of the Tracks season two

The full list of every movie and TV show being removed from Netflix in March 2023

2 March

County Masameer season two

Framed! A Sicilian Murder Mystery season two

Sex/Life...

There’s something for everyone this month on Netflix, including the streamer’s first-ever live-streamed global event: Chris Rock’s comedy special “Selective Outrage.”

The last time the comedian was on a stage of this scale, he was slapped in the face by Will Smith. You’ll have to tune in at 7 pm Pm Pt/10 pm Et on Saturday, March 4 to find out if he addresses the Oscars incident!

On the drama front, the second half of “You” Season 4, starring Penn Badgley, returns March 9. Fans of political intrigue will want to tune into “The Night Agent.” Former child star Gabriel Basso stars as a vigilant FBI agent who answers a call that plunges him into a deadly conspiracy involving a mole at the White House. Idris Elbra returns as disgraced London detective John Luther in “Luther: The Fallen Son” on March 10. And of course, we can’t forget the steamy series “Sex/Life,...

It seems like just last month Netflix was releasing the long-awaited fourth season of its stalker drama You. And that’s because it was just last month that Netflix released You Season 4! Now, with its list of new releases for March 2023, Netflix is finishing off what it started with You Season 4 Part 2.

The five episodes that make up You Season 4 Part 2 will premiere on March 9. The ending of Part 1 left things off on quite the cliffhanger so soon we will get to see how Joe (Penn Badgley) reacts to the reveal of the other serial killer in his orbit. Netflix is premiering a fresh season of another one of its TV hits this month as well with Shadow and Bone Season 2 premiering on March 16.

The biggest TV new in March 2023 might actually come in the form of a movie though. Idris Elba will reprise his iconic British TV role as...

March is yet another packed month for Netflix.

There’s a live stand-up show from Chris Rock and a film based on BBC series Luther, which marks Idris Eba’s return as the detective. Then there’s an animated series depicting Elvis Presley as a secret agent voiced by Matthew McConaughey.

Meanwhile, Adam Sandeler and Jennifer Aniston are up to mischief once again in a sequel to 2017 comedy Murder Mystery.

There’s also a host of licenced titles being added to the service in March. Find the full list below.

Nb: The Independent compiled this list with help from What’s on Netflix.

UK – Original

Interactive

21 March

We Lost Our Human

TV

1 March

Cheat

Wrong Side of the Tracks season two

The full list of every movie and TV show being removed from Netflix in March 2023

2 March

County Masameer season two

Framed! A Sicilian Murder Mystery season two

Sex/Life...