TV/Film
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Beyoncé ruled the box office this weekend.
Her concert picture, Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé, opened in first place with $21 million in North American ticket sales, according to estimates from AMC Theatres Sunday (Dec. 3).
The post-Thanksgiving, early December box office is notoriously slow, but Renaissance defied the odds. Not accounting for inflation, it’s the first time a film has opened over $20 million on this weekend in 20 years (since The Last Samurai).
Beyoncé wrote, directed and produced Renaissance, which is focused on the tour for her Grammy-winning album. It debuted in 2,539 theaters in the U.S. and Canada, as well as 94 international territories, where it earned $6.4 million from 2,621 theaters.
“On behalf of AMC Theatres Distribution and the entire theatrical industry, we thank Beyoncé for bringing this incredible film directly to her fans,” said Elizabeth Frank, AMC Theatres executive vice president of worldwide programming, in a statement. “To see it resonate with fans and with film critics on a weekend that many in the industry typically neglect is a testament to her immense talent, not just as a performer, but as a producer and director.”
Though Renaissance did not come close to matching the $92.8 million debut of Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour in October, it’s still a very good start for a concert film. No one expected Renaissance to match The Eras Tour, which is wrapping up its theatrical run soon with over $250 million globally. Prior to Swift, the biggest concert film debuts (titles held by Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber for their 2008 and 2011 films) had not surpassed the unadjusted sum of $32 million.
The 39-city, 56-show Renaissance tour, which kicked off in Stockholm, Sweden in May and ended in Kansas City, Missouri in the fall, made over $500 million and attracted over 2.7 million concertgoers. Swift’s ongoing Eras Tour, with 151 dates, is expected to gross some $1.4 billion.
Both Beyoncé and Swift chose to partner with AMC Theatres to distribute their films, as opposed to a traditional studio. Both superstars have been supportive of one another, making splashy appearances at the other’s premieres. Both had previously released films on Netflix (Miss Americana and Homecoming). And both are reported to be receiving at least 50% of ticket sales.
Movie tickets to the show were more expensive than average, around $23.32 versus Swift’s $20.78, according to data firm EntTelligence.
Critics and audiences gave Renaissance glowing reviews — it’s sitting at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and got a coveted A+ CinemaScore from opening weekend audiences who were polled. EntTelligence also estimates that the audience, around 900,000 strong, skewed a little older than Swift’s.
Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes fell to second place in its third weekend with an estimated $14.5 million. The prequel has now earned over $121 million domestically.
Godzilla Minus One is expected to take third place on the North American charts. The well-reviewed Japanses blockbuster distributed by Toho International cost only $15 million to produce and has already earned $23 million in Japan. Toho’s 33rd Godzilla film is set in the aftermath of World War II, stars Ryunosuke Kamiki and was directed by Takashi Yamazaki.
Trolls Band Together landed in fourth place in its third weekend with $7.6 million, bringing its domestic total to $74.8 million.
Noah Kahan made his Saturday Night Live debut on Dec. 2, performing songs from his latest album, Stick Season (We’ll All Be Here Forever). The Vermont-born singer-songwriter, who snagged a best new artist nominee at next year’s Grammys, opened with his Post Malone collaboration “Dial Drunk” and closed with his breakthrough song “Stick Season,” which […]
Mariska Hargitay recently introduced her new cat Karma to the world, and no one is more thrilled than Taylor Swift.
The Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star shared a photo of her sweet pet on Instagram earlier this week. “Karma is a Cat @taylorswift Meet Karma. My Cat. #MeAndKarmaVibeLikeThat #AndIKeepMySideOfMyPawClean #KarmaIsACat,” Hargitay wrote, revealing the inspiration behind her cat’s name is, of course, a lyric from a song by Swift.
On the chorus of the Midnights track “Karma,” Swift sings, “Sweet like honey, karma is a cat purring in my lap ’cause it loves me.”
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On Saturday (Dec. 2), two days after Karma the cat made their debut on social media, Swift publicly shared her reaction to the kitty’s arrival.
“Are you serious?!!!! Nothing has ever come more full circle,” Swift wrote in the comments section of Hargitay’s post. “LOVE THIS SO MUCH!!”
Hargitay and Swift — who in 2014 named one of her own cats Olivia Benson after the actress’ starring role on SVU — have been connected for years.
After becoming friendly, Swift invited Hargitay to appear in 2015’s “Bad Blood” music video alongside Ellen Pompeo, whose Grey’s Anatomy character Meredith Grey inspired the name of Swift’s first cat in 2011. In June 2015, Hargitay walked the catwalk as one of Swift’s celebrity guests on the 1989 World Tour. More recently, Hargitay’s taken in more than one Eras Tour show and showed her support for the singer at the premiere of the Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour film.
“She’s pure magic,” Hargitay told Entertainment Tonight in October. “There’s nothing she can’t do. It’s been so beautiful to reconnect to that innocence, you know? I think Taylor gives such a beautiful message to kids and unlocks these girls’ emotions.”
“I see how it affects my daughter, and she cries and just opens up like a flower,” Hargitay said of Swift’s impact. “And [I see] how meaningful it is, and I’m grateful to be part of it and watch that journey.”
“It’s been so beautiful [to see] how she gracefully walked through her journey and allowed herself to evolve and truly step into her power pose, her talent and all of her glory. And she’s got quite a bit of it … I think she is a magicmaker,” she added.
Swift released a remixed version of “Karma” featuring Ice Spice in May, giving the track a boost to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Beyoncé‘s new concert film is headed for a big opening weekend at the box office. The superstar singer’s Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé is likely to earn between between $22 and $24 million in its domestic debut, giving it the largest early December opening in two decades, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film’s distributor, […]
An appeals court upheld the disorderly conduct convictions Friday (Dec. 1) of actor Jussie Smollett, who was accused of staging a racist, homophobic attack against himself in 2019 and lying about it to Chicago police.
Smollett, who appeared in the TV show Empire, challenged the role of a special prosecutor, jury selection, evidence and many other aspects of the case. But all were turned aside in a 2-1 opinion from the Illinois Appellate Court.
Smollett had reported to police that he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack by two men wearing ski masks. The search for the attackers soon turned into an investigation of Smollett himself, leading to his arrest on charges he had orchestrated the whole thing.
Authorities said he paid two men whom he knew from work on Empire, which filmed in Chicago. Prosecutors said Smollett told the men what slurs to shout, and to yell that he was in “MAGA Country,” a reference to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign slogan.
A jury convicted Smollett in 2021 on five felony counts of disorderly conduct, a charge that can be filed in Illinois when a person lies to police.
He now will have to finish a 150-day stint in jail that was part of his sentence. Smollett spent just six days in jail while his appeal was pending.
Lawyers for Smollett, who is Black and gay, have publicly claimed that he was the target of a racist justice system and people playing politics.
“We are preparing to escalate this matter to the Supreme Court,” Smollett spokeswoman Holly Baird said, referring to Illinois’ highest court and also noting that the opinion at the appellate court wasn’t unanimous.
Appellate Justice Freddrenna Lyle would have thrown out the convictions. She said it was “fundamentally unfair” to appoint a special prosecutor and charge Smollett when he had already performed community service as part of a 2019 deal with Cook County prosecutors to close the case.
“It was common sense that Smollett was bargaining for a complete resolution of the matter, not simply a temporary one,” Lyle said.
Special prosecutor Dan Webb was appointed to look into why the case was dropped. A grand jury subsequently restored charges against Smollett in 2020, and Webb concluded there were “substantial abuses of discretion” in the state’s attorney office during the earlier round.
Smollett was not immune to a fresh round of charges, appellate Justices David Navarro and Mary Ellen Coghlan said in the majority opinion.
“The record does not contain any evidence that (prosecutors) agreed Smollett would not be further prosecuted in exchange for forfeiting his bond and performing community service,” they said.
Kelly Clarkson took the Eagles‘ classic “Desperado” to new heights on Friday’s (Dec. 1) episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show. For her daily Kellyoke cover, Clarkson chose the title track from the band’s 1973 album, taking some creative liberties with the well-known melody and hitting some power notes much loftier than Don Henley’s original vocal. […]
Taylor Swift was bejeweled at the Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé London premiere on Thursday night (Nov. 30), and the pop superstar took to Instagram to shower the “Alien Superstar” singer with love. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “Got invited to London by The Queen…✨👑✨ Renaissance: A Film by […]
On Monday, Anderson .Paak is set to make a big splash on Baby Shark‘s Big Show, appearing on the Nickelodeon kids‘ show as “Anderswim .Shaark” — and Billboard has your first look below. In the exclusive clip, Baby Shark and his friends are jamming out with the mysterious new shark — with .Paak behind the […]
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Eddie Murphy is ready to deck the halls and spread some Christmas cheer this season in the hilarious new holiday movie Candy Cane Lane. You can cozy up under the glow of your Christmas tree (real or artificial) and press play on the new film starting Friday (Dec. 1).
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Murphy stars as husband and father Chris Carver, whose obsession with the Christmas season drives him to ultimate extremes to win his neighborhood decoration contest — including a deal with an elf named Pepper (Jillian Bell). Too bad Pepper is a trickster who brings the 12 days of Christmas to life and wreaks havoc on the town. Now, it’s up to Carver, his wife (Tracee Ellis Ross) and kids to put a stop to the Pepper’s devious plan and save Christmas before it’s too late.
Other cast members include Thaddeus J. Mixson, Nick Offerman, Robin Thede, Chris Marino, Lombardo Boyar, Danielle Pinnock, Iman Benson, Madison Thomas, Genneya Walton, David Alan Grier and Chris Redd.
Keep reading to learn how to stream the festive new film.
How to Watch Candy Cane Lane
Candy Cane Lane is a Prime original movie, which means you’ll need a Prime membership in order to watch. If you already have a membership, you can press play for no added cost by signing into your account. You can find the movie in Prime Video under new releases. Click here or the button below to watch the movie now.
Don’t have a membership? Amazon offers a 30 day free trial, so you can watch the movie and more for free. Once the free trial is over, you’ll be charged the normal membership price of $14.99/month or $139/year. Click here or the button below to start your free trial.
If you’re a student you can take advantage of the student membership, which comes with a six month free trial and 50% off subscription fee. Those a part of a qualifying government program can also sign up for the EBT/Medicaid membership, which offers a 30 day free trial and half off membership fee.
Along with Candy Cane Lane, you’ll also have access to the entire Prime Video library including exclusive and original movies, TV series, sports and more. Programs you can look forward to watching include The Boys, Gen V, Citadel, Daisy Jones & The Six, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Harlan Coben’s Shelter, Swarm, Medellìn, The Power, Kelce, Harlem, I’m a Virgo, Invincible, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, The Horror of Dolores Roach, Fleabag, The Summer I Turned Pretty, The Wheel of Time and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Better Call Saul and more.
Looking for more content? You can expand your library of offerings with Prime’s premium channel options such as Paramount+, Max, Starz and AMC+.
Streaming isn’t all that you’ll have access to either, a Prime membership also comes with free one-day shipping, grocery delivery, access to Prime members-only deals and Prime Day, Prime Try Before You Buy, Prime Premiere and more.
Check out the trailer for Candy Cane Lane below.
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All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
Season three of Power Book III: Raising Kanan, a spinoff from 50 Cent’s Power franchise, premieres on Starz on Friday (Dec. 1).
A rocky relationship between mother and son reaches a boiling point in the show’s third season. Picking up where the second season left off, season three finds Raquel “Raq” Thomas (Patina Miler) recovering in the hospital after being shot. Meanwhile, Kanan (Mekai Curtis) has distanced himself from his mother after learning the truth about Det. Malcolm Howard (Omar Epps).
Joey Bada$$, London Brown, Malcolm M. Mays, Shanley Caswell, Hailey Kilgore and Antonio Ortiz are included in the cast.
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Read on for ways to watch and stream the series from anywhere.
How to Stream ‘Power Book III: Raising Kanan’ From Anywhere
The season premiere of Power Book III: Raising Kanan drops exclusively on the Starz app at midnight on Friday (Dec. 1). The series will air on the Starz channel at 9 p.m. ET.
If you have access to Starz through cable, satellite or streaming, refer to your local listings for channel information.
Not subscribed to Starz? You don’t need cable to watch Raising Kanan but there are a few special offers to consider. For example, Starz is offering a deal for $3 for the first three months which lets you stream Raising Kanan on the Starz app and online. No contracts, cancel any time.
The Starz app puts you first in line to stream to new episodes as soon as they drop, rather than waiting for the primetime TV broadcast. The subscription includes Unlimited HD streaming, unlimited downloads and subscribers can watch from up to four devices at the same time.
How to Watch Starz on Prime Video
Another way to watch Starz: Prime Video offers another, convenient way to watch Starz. Subscribe to Starz on Prime Video and save 75% off for two months ($2.50/month). The limited offer ends on Dec. 3. Paid episodes of Raising Kanan are also available on Prime Video.
Starz is also available on Philo, Hulu and Fubo (use ExpressVPN to stream internationally).
Want free Starz? DirecTV Stream’s Premier plan includes Starz, Max, Epix, Showtime and Cinemax for free, in addition to 150+ channels, every DirecTV sports package channel, NFL Redzone and DVR storage. You can also add Starz to DirecTV’s cheaper plans for free for the first three months.
Launch your free trial to DirecTV below.
What else can you watch on Starz? Binge-worthy movies and fan-favorite exclusives such as P-Valley, Outlander, Gaslit, BMF, High Town, Shining Vale, Mary & George,Power Book II: Ghost and Power Book IV: Force.
Watch the trailer for the new season of Raising Kanan below.
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