Monday, September 15, 2025

Cristin Milioti Calls ‘The Penguin’ Role a “Bright Spot” Despite Being “Grizzly” While Accepting First Emmy

Cristin Milioti, who plays the character Sofia Gigante in the show *The Penguin*, won the 2025 Emmy for best lead actress in a limited series on Sunday. During her acceptance speech, she thanked everyone and shared how much she loved playing Sofia.

She started by saying, “Thank you so much.
 I’m so profoundly grateful.” She mentioned that she wrote her speech on the back of a piece of paper from a recent therapy session. “I loved making this show and I loved playing Sofia so much,” she said.

This win was Milioti’s first Emmy award and her first nomination.
 She beat out other strong contenders like Cate Blanchett, Meghann Fahy, Rashida Jones, and Michelle Williams for the honor.

Speaking from the stage, she said, “It’s very hard to make sense of being alive right now in this world and so I’m deeply grateful for the bright spots.”
 She added, “Making this show with our incredible cast and crew and getting to inhabit this woman was a bright spot for me despite it being, like, very grizzly. Playing her felt like flying.”

She thanked her “incredible family” for supporting her and showing her “movies that were very inappropriate for my age.”
 Milioti also thanked her friends, saying, “I have the best friends in the world. You’re the reason that I’m standing. You’re the whole reason that I’ve gotten through life,” she said, with tears in her eyes.

She wrapped up her speech by thanking the showrunner, Lauren LeFranc, for making the show special.
 She also thanked her team and the people behind the scenes. She ended with, “I love you and I love acting so much!”

After her nomination was announced, Milioti talked to *The Hollywood Reporter* in August.
 She said, “I feel really good, it’s so nice. I feel so thrilled for our show. You never know how these things are going to go, and I’m so blown away by the amount of nominations we have and that so many members of our incredible crew got nominated.”

*The Penguin* got a total of 24 nominations across different categories at the Emmy Awards.
 Her other show, *Black Mirror*, was also nominated.

The 2025 Emmy Awards were hosted by Nate Bargatze and held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
 The show aired on CBS and streamed on Paramount+ from 5-8 p.m. PT/8-11 p.m. ET.

Sunday, September 14, 2025

Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle’ Reigns With $33 Million Opening Day — Already the Biggest Debut Ever for Anime

Anime is making a big comeback at the box office, with *Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle* bringing in $33 million across Friday and preview showings from 3,315 theaters. This is the highest single day gross ever for an anime movie in the US, beating the earlier record of $10.9 million set by *Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero* in 2022. It's also the biggest opening weekend for an anime film, passing the $31 million mark that *Pokémon: The First Movie – Mewtwo Strikes Back* set back in 1999. However, that movie started on a Wednesday and played for two full days before the usual three-day frame.

*Infinity Castle* is the first part of a planned trilogy that wraps up the *Demon Slayer* series.
 It's being shown in both subtitled and dubbed versions, and it's playing in upscale theaters, helping boost its earnings. The movie earned $6.4 million just from Imax screenings on Friday alone. Critics and moviegoers are really liking it, with CinemaScore giving it a solid "A" rating. But its success isn't just in the US. *Infinity Castle* has already made over $279 million worldwide, including more than $200 million in Japan, where it's still number one after eight weeks. It's now the third most successful movie of all time in Japan.

Crunchyroll, Sony's anime distributor, is making waves in North America.
 In 2021, they brought *Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train* to theaters, which was a huge hit, earning $20 million. *Infinity Castle* could more than triple that. After *The Conjuring: Last Rites* made a great start with $84 million, the September box office is doing better than expected.

This success is also great for Sony, who had a quiet summer with big movies.
 Anime usually does best when fans rush to see it early, so the rest of the weekend will depend on how much people go on Saturday. Current estimates say it could make around $56 million, with some predicting over $60 million. *Infinity Castle* might even beat *Bad Boys: Ride or Die* to be Sony's biggest opening in over two years.

While *Infinity Castle* is number one, there are other movies opening this weekend.
 Universal's Focus Features is bringing *Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale* to screens. Lionsgate is releasing *The Long Walk*, a Stephen King horror story, and Bleecker Street has *Spinal Tap II: The End Continues*, a comedy sequel.

*Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale* is in third place, making $8.8 million from 3,694 theaters.
 It's expected to earn about $19.5 million, up from *Downton Abbey: A New Era*'s $16 million in 2022. The movie has great reviews and a strong CinemaScore "A."

Lionsgate's *The Long Walk* is in fourth place, earning $4.76 million from 2,845 theaters.
 It's projected to open around $11 million, which is good for a $20 million budget. Reviews are positive, but CinemaScore came in with a "B."

*The Conjuring: Last Rites* is in second place, making $8.4 million on Friday, down from the previous week.
 It's already made $113 million in the US, ranking as the 14th-biggest movie of the year in just eight days.

Disney is re-releasing *Toy Story* to celebrate its 30th anniversary, and it earned $1.1 million in 2,375 theaters.
 The movie might end up in the top five.

*Spinal Tap II: The End Continues* has made about $820,000 from 1,919 theaters.
 It might just make the top 10. The movie is a sequel to the 1984 classic *This Is Spinal Tap*, and it brings back Rob Reiner and the original cast to make fun of modern rock tours. Reviews are mostly positive, and fans gave it an "A-" on CinemaScore.

Saturday, September 13, 2025

Paul Thomas Anderson, Sean Penn and Regina Hall Join the Oscar Fight With Timely Epic ‘One Battle After Another’

In 2006, Martin Scorsese finally won an Oscar. After many years of being overlooked for movies that really shaped American cinema — like "Taxi Driver" (1976), "Raging Bull" (1980), and "Goodfellas" (1990) — the movie industry fully supported his film "The Departed." While some movie lovers and critics didn't think it was his best work, it was his time. Hollywood likes to celebrate people, and Scorsese got that recognition.

Nearly 20 years later, Paul Thomas Anderson might be facing a similar situation.


The L.A.-born director behind "Boogie Nights" (1997), "Magnolia" (1999), "There Will Be Blood" (2007), and "The Master" (2012) has been nominated for 11 Oscars across different categories like directing, writing, and best picture.
 But he hasn't won any. His latest film, Warner Bros.' 162-minute thriller "One Battle After Another," could be the one that finally brings him an Oscar, if the studio makes the right moves.

Oscar history has many examples of how studios help their favorite directors win.
 Think of the Coen brothers with "No Country for Old Men" (2007), Guillermo del Toro with "The Shape of Water" (2017), and Christopher Nolan with "Oppenheimer" (2023). These weren't always their best works — some people might say they were — but they came at a time when the movie world was ready to give their creators recognition. There weren't any better options, so the industry decided to honor them.

At 55 years old, Anderson is in that same position.
 Warner Bros. could use a similar strategy they used to get Scorsese to win with "The Departed." They could highlight Anderson's new film, which mixes action, comedy, and political themes. The movie is loosely based on Thomas Pynchon's novel "Vineland." It tells the story of ex-revolutionaries who reunite to save a friend's daughter after an old enemy comes back. The cast includes lots of Oscar winners and nominees like Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, Regina Hall, and a rising star named Chase Infiniti.

DiCaprio plays Bob Ferguson and brings a lot of energy, making a case for the film to be considered for a comedy or musical category at the Golden Globes.
 But DiCaprio hasn't been nominated for an Oscar since "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" (2019), even though he was in best picture nominees like "Don't Look Up" and "Killers of the Flower Moon." That makes his chances for a nomination this year uncertain.

Sean Penn, who has won two Oscars before, has a strong chance for recognition too.
 He plays Col. Steven J. Lockjaw, a white supremacist with a magnetic presence. His performance is compared to some of the most memorable roles in history — like Christoph Waltz's Oscar-winning performance in "Inglourious Basterds" (2008) and Michael Fassbender's role in "12 Years a Slave." Penn's two previous wins for "Mystic River" (2003) and "Milk" (2008) show he's respected by the Academy. This could make him the most likely nominee from the cast. However, winning a third Oscar, especially in the supporting category, is really hard. Only a few people have done it, like Ingrid Bergman and Walter Brennan.

The film also has a few strong supporting actress performances.
 Chase Infiniti, who is new to the scene, plays Willa, Bob's daughter. She stands out and is the film's biggest surprise. The decision of whether to list her as a lead or supporting actor could be crucial for her Oscar chances.

Teyana Taylor also shines, especially in the early part of the film.
 She plays Perfidia Beverly Hills, a mercenary. Although she has limited screen time, her performance is strong. Regina Hall, on the other hand, might be the hidden gem. She plays Deandra, who deals with betrayal and survives as a Black woman in a revolutionary movement. Hall won a New York Film Critics Circle award in 2018 for "Support the Girls," which was the first win for a Black actress. That recognition could help her make it to the Oscars.

For Warner Bros., Anderson's film is part of a crowded slate that includes Ryan Coogler's vampire epic "Sinners" and Zach Cregger's horror hit "Weapons."
 Managing three big Oscar campaigns at once could be tough for the studio. The last time Warner Bros. had two best picture nominees was in 2021 with "Dune" and "King Richard." And even though "Dune" was a huge hit, its director, Denis Villeneuve, wasn't nominated for best director. That shows how tricky it is for any director from the studio to get an Oscar nomination. No Warner Bros. director has been nominated since Todd Phillips for "Joker" (2019), and no director has been left out of an Oscar category in a single year since 1975. The last time a Warner Bros. director won was Alfonso Cuarón for "Gravity" in 2013.

Meanwhile, the inclusion of casting director Cassandra Kulukundis in the Q&A shows the studio is paying attention to the new casting category.
 Kulukundis has been involved in casting almost all of Anderson's major films and understands his unique way of mixing big stars with new talent like Infiniti.

The film is reportedly one of the most expensive Anderson has ever made, with a budget between $130 million and $175 million.
 That's way more than his highest-grossing film, "There Will Be Blood," which made $76 million. The film's performance at the box office will be closely watched, especially if it doesn't meet expectations as WB tries to continue their streak of $40 million-plus openings. If the film does not do well financially, the awards campaign could face challenges — it's hard to stay on top of both commercial success and critical acclaim.


The release of “One Battle After Another” arrives at a key time for American movies, as Anderson’s film uses dark humor to look at political extremism in a country dealing with division and conflict. Steven Spielberg’s support, calling the film “a reflection of what’s happening today,” adds a lot of weight to its chances. The movie focuses on white supremacist groups, rebel armies, and political extremists, and it feels like a clash between Antifa and MAGA. The real damage happens to people caught in the middle, and the film never directly faces its main “bad guy.” Whether the public sees it as too realistic or as important art will influence how it is received at the Oscars. Warner Bros. has to decide whether to support or distance itself from this conversation. The review embargo lifting next week may give some early clues, but it’s hard to guess where people’s opinions will be in March compared to now.

“One Battle After Another” is exactly the type of bold, big-name, politically focused film that could bring the Academy together or split them.
 Also, if the campaign highlights Anderson’s long-awaited recognition, Penn’s tough role, and Hall’s big break, the movie might position itself as a top competition.

The main question is whether the Academy is ready to give Anderson his long-overdue Oscar.
 If the voters are, then history shows it won’t matter if it’s his best work—only that it’s finally his time.

“One Battle After Another” opens on September 26.


The first official charts for best actress and supporting actress will be released on Friday.
 Here are the updated Oscar predictions.



* = PREDICTED WINNER
(All predicted nominees below are in alphabetical order)

Oscars Predictions Tracking
(Sept. 11, 2025)
Best Picture
“Bugonia” (Focus Features)
“Hamnet” (Focus Features) ***
“A House of Dynamite” (Netflix)
“Is This Thing On?” (Searchlight Pictures)
“Marty Supreme” (A24)
“One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.)
“The Secret Agent” (Neon)
“Sentimental Value” (Neon)
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.)
“Wicked: For Good” (Universal Pictures)

Director
Paul Thomas Anderson, “One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.) ***
Jon M. Chu, “Wicked: For Good” (Warner Bros.)
Ryan Coogler, “Sinners” (Warner Bros.)
Joachim Trier, “Sentimental Value” (Neon)
Chloé Zhao, “Hamnet” (Focus Features)

Actor
Timothée Chalamet, “Marty Supreme” (A24)
Daniel Day-Lewis, “Anemone” (Focus Features)
Dwayne Johnson, “The Smashing Machine” (A24) ***
Wagner Moura, “The Secret Agent” (Neon)
Jesse Plemons, “Bugonia” (Focus Features)

Actress
Jessie Buckley, “Hamnet” (Focus Features) ***
Cynthia Erivo, “Wicked: For Good” (Universal Pictures)
Kate Hudson, “Song Sung Blue” (Focus Features)
Renate Reinsve, “Sentimental Value” (Neon)
Emma Stone, “Bugonia” (Focus Features)

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Sep 11, 2025 3:06pm PT
Paul Thomas Anderson, Sean Penn and Regina Hall Join the Oscar Fight With Timely Epic ‘One Battle After Another’


By Clayton Davis

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One Battle After Another
Warner Bros.
In 2006, Martin Scorsese finally got his Oscar. After decades of being passed over for films that defined American cinema — “Taxi Driver” (1976), “Raging Bull” (1980), “Goodfellas” (1990) — the industry threw its full weight behind “The Departed.” The Boston mob drama wasn’t considered his best work by cinephiles or critics, but it was his time. Hollywood loves a coronation, and Scorsese got one.

Nearly 20 years later, Paul Thomas Anderson may be at the same crossroads.


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The L.A.-born auteur behind “Boogie Nights” (1997), “Magnolia” (1999), “There Will Be Blood” (2007) and “The Master” (2012) has racked up 11 Oscar nominations across directing, screenplay and best picture categories. But he’s never heard his name called from the Dolby Theatre stage. His latest effort, Warner Bros.’ sprawling 162-minute thriller “One Battle After Another,” could finally deliver that elusive statue, if the studio plays its cards right.

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Oscar history is littered with examples of the “it’s their time” campaign strategy — just look at the Coen brothers with “No Country for Old Men” (2007); Guillermo del Toro with “The Shape of Water” (2017); and Christopher Nolan with “Oppenheimer” (2023). These weren’t necessarily career-best works — though some would argue they were — but they arrived at a moment when the industry was ready to anoint their creators, and their respective fields didn’t offer any realistic other option.

Anderson, at 55, now occupies that same territory. Warner Bros. could run the same playbook it used to secure Scorsese’s win with “The Departed,” only this time with a genre-bending thriller that mixes action, comedy and political allegory.

Loosely inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s novel “Vineland,” “One Battle After Another” follows ex-revolutionaries reuniting to rescue a comrade’s daughter after an old enemy resurfaces. The ensemble is stacked with Oscar winners and nominees: Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, Regina Hall and breakout Chase Infiniti.

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DiCaprio, playing Bob Ferguson, brings comic energy, and one that makes the case for a comedy/musical submission for the film at the Golden Globes. However, DiCaprio’s recent Oscar drought — no nominations since “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” (2019) despite appearing in best picture nominees “Don’t Look Up” and “Killers of the Flower Moon” — suggests his inclusion isn’t guaranteed in what is already considered a brutally competitive best actor race.

Two-time Oscar winner Sean Penn presents the strongest individual case for recognition. His portrayal of Col. Steven J. Lockjaw, a white supremacist with disturbing charisma, represents his finest work in 15 years. It echoes bits of Christoph Waltz’s Oscar-winning turn in “Inglourious Basterds” (2008) with the mixture of Michael Fassbender (“12 Years a Slave”) meets Peter Sellers from “Dr. Strangelove” (1964) — a detestable character rendered with such magnetic precision that audiences can’t look away. Penn’s two previous wins for “Mystic River” (2003) and “Milk” (2008) show his appeal to Academy voters, which could make him the cast’s most likely nominee. However, a third statuette can be hard to come by, especially when winning your third in supporting. Only Ingrid Bergman for “Murder on the Orient Express” (1974) and Walter Brennan for “The Westerner” (1940) have achieved such a feat (noteworthy: all of Brennan’s wins were in supporting actor).


Regina Hall in “One Battle After Another.”
Warner Bros.
The film’s supporting actress categories offer intriguing possibilities. Newcomer Chase Infiniti commands attention as Willa, Bob’s daughter, holding her own against A-list veterans. It’s worth keeping an eye on whether her campaign positioning — lead versus supporting — will play out and the decision will be crucial for her chances. She truly is the film’s greatest discovery.

Two other powerhouse performances stand out from the women. Teyana Taylor, building on her breakthrough in the indie drama “A Thousand and One,” (2023) dominates the film’s opening as mercenary Perfidia Beverly Hills. However, limited screentime could make her a longshot, especially in a near three-hour epic. Veteran Regina Hall, however, may prove the secret weapon. Her Deandra operates through body language and subtext, exploring how a Black woman navigates revolutionary betrayal while protecting herself. Hall’s 2018 New York Film Critics Circle win for “Support the Girls” — the first for a Black actress — shows industry respect, and could help propel her to Oscar recognition.

For Warner Bros., Anderson’s film enters a packed internal slate that includes Ryan Coogler’s vampire epic “Sinners” and Zach Cregger’s surprise horror hit “Weapons.” Managing three awards campaigns of this scale will test the studio’s bandwidth. The last time WB landed two best picture nominees was in 2021 with “Dune” and “King Richard.” Notably, Denis Villeneuve was left out of best director for “Dune” — a cautionary tale for any of the studio’s director’s chances.

In fact, the studio’s directing category drought is particularly stark. No Warner Bros. director has been nominated since Todd Phillips for “Joker” (2019), and two directors haven’t been nominated in a single year since 1975’s “Barry Lyndon” and “Dog Day Afternoon.” WB’s last directing winner was Alfonso Cuarón for “Gravity” in 2013.

Meanwhile, the inclusion of casting director Cassandra Kulukundis at the Q&A signals attention to the new casting Oscar category, where Anderson’s ensemble work has always excelled. Kulukundis has cast most of Anderson’s memorable films, understanding his unique ability to blend established stars with discoveries like Infiniti.

The film’s reported $130–$175 million budget (depending on varying reports) makes it Anderson’s most expensive. Just for context, his highest-grossing film to date is “There Will Be Blood,” which tallied $76 million. The film’s box office trajectory will be scrutinized, especially if it comes up short as WB attempts to extend its record streak of $40 million-plus openings. Awards campaigns often falter if the narrative shifts to financial underperformance, and this one will need to balance commercial expectations with critical prestige.

The arrival of “One Battle After Another” comes at a pivotal moment for American cinema, with Anderson’s film confronting political extremism through dark comedy as the nation wrestles with division and violence. Steven Spielberg’s endorsement — calling the work “a reflection of what’s happening today” — gives it heavyweight backing. Centering on white supremacist groups, revolutionary militias and political extremism, the film plays like “Antifa vs. MAGA,” where the real casualties are those caught in the middle, while its ultimate “villain” is never faced. Whether voters view it as too raw of a reflection of the current tensions or embrace it as essential art will shape its awards trajectory. Warner Bros. must decide whether to lean into or away from that discourse. The review embargo lifting next week will provide the first clues, though it’s impossible to predict where voters’ minds will be in March compared with today’s unsettled climate.

“One Battle After Another” is exactly the kind of ambitious, star-studded, politically charged work that could galvanize the Academy, or perhaps even divide it. Moreover, if the campaign emphasizes Anderson’s overdue status, Penn’s villainous turn and Hall’s breakout, the film could position itself as a top-tier contender.

The real question is whether the Academy is ready to give Anderson his overdue statuette. If voters are, history says it won’t matter if it’s his greatest work, only that it’s just his time.

“One Battle After Another” opens on Sept. 26.

The first official charts for best actress and supporting actress are set to debut on Friday. The overall Oscar predictions updates are below.


Warner Bros.
See all Academy Award predictions

Variety Awards Circuit: Oscars



*** = PREDICTED WINNER
(All predicted nominees below are in alphabetical order)

Oscars Predictions Tracking
(Sept. 11, 2025)
Best Picture
“Bugonia” (Focus Features)
“Hamnet” (Focus Features) ***
“A House of Dynamite” (Netflix)
“Is This Thing On?” (Searchlight Pictures)
“Marty Supreme” (A24)
“One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.)
“The Secret Agent” (Neon)
“Sentimental Value” (Neon)
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.)
“Wicked: For Good” (Universal Pictures)

Director
Paul Thomas Anderson, “One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.) ***
Jon M. Chu, “Wicked: For Good” (Warner Bros.)
Ryan Coogler, “Sinners” (Warner Bros.)
Joachim Trier, “Sentimental Value” (Neon)
Chloé Zhao, “Hamnet” (Focus Features)

Actor
Timothée Chalamet, “Marty Supreme” (A24)
Daniel Day-Lewis, “Anemone” (Focus Features)
Dwayne Johnson, “The Smashing Machine” (A24) ***
Wagner Moura, “The Secret Agent” (Neon)
Jesse Plemons, “Bugonia” (Focus Features)

Actress
Jessie Buckley, “Hamnet” (Focus Features) ***
Cynthia Erivo, “Wicked: For Good” (Universal Pictures)
Kate Hudson, “Song Sung Blue” (Focus Features)
Renate Reinsve, “Sentimental Value” (Neon)
Emma Stone, “Bugonia” (Focus Features)

Supporting Actor
Idris Elba, “A House of Dynamite” (Netflix)
Paul Mescal, “Hamnet” (Focus Features)
Sean Penn, “One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.)
Adam Sandler, “Jay Kelly” (Netflix)
Stellan Skarsgård, “Sentimental Value” (Neon) ***

Supporting Actress
Odessa A’zion, “Marty Supreme” (A24)
Emily Blunt, “The Smashing Machine” (A24)
Elle Fanning, “Sentimental Value” (Neon)
Ariana Grande, “Wicked: For Good” (Universal Pictures) ***
Regina Hall, “One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.)

Original Screenplay
“Is This Thing On?” (Searchlight Pictures) — Will Arnett, Mark Chappell and Bradley Cooper
“Marty Supreme” (A24) — Josh Safdie
“The Secret Agent” (Neon) — Kleber Mendonça Filho
“Sentimental Value” (Neon) — Joachim Trier and Eskil Vogt ***
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.) — Ryan Coogler

Adapted Screenplay
“Bugonia” (Focus Features) — Will Tracy
“Hamnet” (Focus Features) — Chloé Zhao
“Nuremberg” (Sony Pictures Classics) — James Vanderbilt
“One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.) — Paul Thomas Anderson ***
“Wake Up Dead Man” (Netflix) — Rian Johnson

Casting
“Bugonia” (Focus Features) — Jennifer Venditti
“Hamnet” (Focus Features) — Nina Gold
“One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.) — Cassandra Kulukundis
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.) — Francine Maisler ***
“Wake Up Dead Man” (Netflix) — Bret Howe and Mary Vernieu

Animated Feature
“Arco” (Neon)
“In Your Dreams” (Netflix)
“KPop Demon Hunters” (Netflix)
“Little Amélie or the Character of Rain” (GKids)
“Zootopia 2” (Walt Disney Pictures) ***

Production Design
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” (20th Century Studios)
“Hamnet” (Focus Features) ***
“Nouvelle Vague” (Netflix)
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.)
“Wicked: For Good” (Universal Pictures)

Cinematography
“Bugonia” (Focus Features)
“Hamnet” (Focus Features)
“One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.)
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.) ***
“Train Dreams” (Netflix)

Costume Design
“Bugonia” (Focus Features)
“Frankenstein” (Netflix)
“Kiss of the Spider Woman” (Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions)
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.) ***
“Wicked: For Good” (Universal Pictures)

Film Editing
“Bugonia” (Focus Features)
“Hamnet” (Focus Features)
“A House of Dynamite” (Netflix)
“One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.)
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.) 

Makeup and Hairstyling
“Bugonia” (Focus Features)
“Frankenstein” (Netflix)
“One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.)
“The Smashing Machine” (A24) ***
“Wicked: For Good” (Universal Pictures)

Sound
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” (20th Century Studios)
“F1” (Apple Original Films/Warner Bros.)
“A House of Dynamite” (Netflix)
“One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.) ***
“Wicked: For Good” (Universal Pictures)

Visual Effects
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” (20th Century Studios) ***
“Bugonia” (Focus Features)
“How to Train Your Dragon” (Universal Pictures)
“Superman” (Warner Bros.)
“Tron: Ares” (Walt Disney Pictures)

Original Score
“Frankenstein” (Netflix) — Alexandre Desplat
“Hamnet” (Focus Features) — Max Richter
“A House of Dynamite” (Netflix) — Volker Bertelmann
“One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.) — Jonny Greenwood
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.) — Ludwig Göransson ***

Original Song
“Golden” from “KPop Demon Hunters” (Netflix)
“I Lied to You” from “Sinners” (Warner Bros.)
“Train Dreams” from “Train Dreams” (Netflix)
TBA Elphaba Song from “Wicked: For Good” (Universal Pictures)
TBA Glinda Song from “Wicked: For Good” (Universal Pictures) ***

Documentary Feature
“Cover Up” (U.S. Acquisition TBD) ***
“The Eyes of Ghana” (U.S. Acquisition TBD)
“The Perfect Neighbor” (Netflix)
“2000 Meters to Andriivka” (PBS)
“Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk” (U.S. Distribution TBD)

International Feature
“It Was Just an Accident” from France (Neon) ***
“No Other Choice” from South Korea (Neon)
“The Secret Agent” from Brazil (Neon)
“Sentimental Value” from Norway (Neon)
“The Voice of Hind Rajab” from Tunisia (Watermelon Pictures)

Top 3 projected Oscar leaders (films): “One Battle After Another” (11); “Hamnet,” “Sinners” and “Wicked: For Good” (10); “Sentimental Value” (7)

Top 3 projected Oscar leaders (studios): Warner Bros. (24); Focus Features (22); Netflix (18); Neon (14

The Curse of the Sequel: Analyzing the "Sequel Scores" of the Conjuring Universe

Is there another genre that is as popular in making sequels as horror? Halloween, Saw, and Child's Play are just a few horror series that keep coming back to scare people again and again with lots of scary follow-ups. These sequels make us wonder: do they live up to the first movie? We had the same question. Usually, people think sequels don't match the first one, but at IMDb, we take a more scientific look. We check ratings to see how these movies compare, and that's how the "sequel score" was created.

The sequel score looks at how much a sequel's IMDb rating changed compared to the original.
 We use this to see if a sequel is successful or not, and we put it into one of four groups:  

Cursed (Severe Decline): These sequels got lower ratings than the original by more than 5%.
 It's a really bad fate.

Example: A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge got 5.5/10, while the first movie got 7.4/10.


Haunted (Moderate Decline): These sequels are lower than the original but not by much—between 2% and 5%.
 Still scary, but the fun is fading.

Example: Final Destination 2 got 6.2/10, while the first movie got 6.7/10.


In Limbo (Neutral): These sequels are slightly higher or lower than the original, but the difference is less than 2%.
 They're similar to the first, either good or bad.

Example: Friday the 13th Part 2 got 6.1/10, while the original got 6.4/10.


Resurrected (Exceptional Sequel): These sequels have higher ratings than the original by at least 2%.
 They come back stronger than before.

Example: The Purge: Anarchy got 6.4/10, while the first movie got 5.8/10.


With The Conjuring: Last Rites in theaters and new news about a "The Conjuring" TV series coming to HBO Max, it's a great time to check how the sequel scale works.
 It's important to remember that ratings are personal. If you love The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, we don't question that.

James Wan's The Conjuring came out in 2013 and has a strong IMDb rating of 7.5.
 Three years later, The Conjuring 2 came out and got 7.3, which is almost the same. With a change of less than 2%, this sequel is in the neutral category. Eight years later, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It came out with an IMDb rating of 6.3, which is a 16% drop from the original. That makes it a cursed sequel because of the big rating drop.

Now, in 2025, The Conjuring: Last Rites made a big opening weekend, earning $83 million and over 14,000 IMDb ratings.
 It currently has a rating of 6.5, which is a 15% decrease from the original movie. That’s another cursed sequel. Only time and more ratings will show how fans really feel about Last Rites. When looking at the whole franchise, Last Rites has done better with fans than the previous movie, which was The Nun II from 2023.

Super Mario Bros. 2’ Officially Titled ‘Super Mario Galaxy Movie’

The next movie in the Universal lineup, following the huge success of "Super Mario Bros. Movie," has now been officially named "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie." It's set to come out in theaters on April 3, 2026, through Universal and Illumination.

This animated film gets its name from the popular Nintendo video game "Super Mario Galaxy," which was released in 2007 for the Wii.
 The news was shared during a Nintendo Direct event on Friday, which was held to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the original "Super Mario Bros." game, which came out on September 13, 1985. The Direct opened with a special preview of the sequel. It showed Mario sleeping under a tree with Princess Peach's castle in the background as the camera looked up into space. There were quick scenes of a Monty Mole digging underground, Cheep Cheeps swimming in a stream, and Toads moving around the castle.

The original "Super Mario Bros.
 Movie" had a great voice cast, with Chris Pratt as Mario, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Charlie Day as Luigi, Jack Black as Bowser, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, and Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek. All of these actors will be back in the new movie.

The first film, which came out in April 2023, was a massive hit at the box office.
 It became the most successful video game adaptation ever, earning a total of $1.36 billion. It's currently ranked as the fifth highest-grossing animated film ever, behind "Ne Zha 2," "Inside Out 2," "The Lion King," and "Frozen 2."

The story follows two plumbers from Brooklyn, Mario and Luigi, who get sent to the magical world of the Mushroom Kingdom.
 There, Mario joins forces with Princess Peach, Toad, and Donkey Kong to save Luigi from the evil Koopa King Bowser.

Alongside the Mario movie, Nintendo has also teamed up with Sony Pictures to bring a "Legend of Zelda" film to theaters on March 26, 2027.
 The film will be directed by Wes Ball, and Bo Bragason and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth will play Zelda and Link.

Friday, September 12, 2025

Code 3 Movie

Code 3


2025 | R | 1h 44m

Genre: Action, Comedy

Directed by

Christopher Leone

Written by

Christopher Leone

Patrick Pianezza

Produced by

Justin Baldoni

Andrew Calof

Lawrence Mattis

Matt Smith

Paul "Pizza" Pianezza

Cast

Rainn Wilson

Lil Rel Howery

Aimee Carrero

Page Kennedy

Rob Riggle

Yvette Nicole Brown

Edited by Jay Friedkin

Production

company

Wayfarer Studios

Distributed by Aura Entertainment

Release dates

September 12, 2024 (TIFF)

September 12, 2025 (United States)

Running time 100 minutes

Country United States

Language English

The History of Sound Movie

The History of Sound

The History of Sound

2025 | R | 2h 7m

Genre: Drama, History, Music, Romance

Directed by

Oliver Hermanus

Screenplay by

Ben Shattuck

Based on

"The History of Sound"

by Ben Shattuck

Produced by

Sara Murphy

Andrew Kortschak

Lisa Ciuffetti

Thérèsa Ryan-Van Graan

Oliver Hermanus

Zhang Xin

Cast

Paul Mescal

Josh O'Connor

Chris Cooper

Cinematography Alexander Dynan

Edited by Chris Wyatt

Production

companies

Film4

Closer Media

Tango Entertainment

Storm City Films

End Cue

Fat City

Distributed by

Mubi (United States and Canada)

Universal Pictures

Focus Features (International)

Release dates

May 21, 2025 (Cannes)

September 12, 2025 (United States)

Running time 127 minutes

Countries

United States

United Kingdom

Language English