🎬 Bombshell Incoming 🤯

👋 Bonjour! The Cannes Film Festival kicks off tomorrow. Let’s talk about the Palme d’Or, the epitome of cinematic excellence awarded at the festival. This prestigious trophy is crafted by the Swiss luxury jeweler Chopard, symbolizing the pinnacle of filmmaking achievement. Fashioned from 18 karat gold, its market value hovers around $22,000—though ask any filmmaker, and they'll tell you it's truly priceless. 🏆

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🎞 Here’s what’s on the reel today:

• Marché Madness - Cannes 2024 Kicks Off

• ICYMI BAFTA TV Highlights

• Last Looks: 👀 Bite-sized scoops on developing stories/projects

• Martini Shot 🍸

But first, let’s take a look at what happened at the box office this past weekend!

LAST WEEKEND’S
🎟️ BOX OFFICE BREAKDOWN 🎟️

1. 🦍 Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes: The newest entry in the ‘Planet of the Apes’ saga swings to a whopping $56.5M domestically and $129M globally on its debut. The film’s performance is bolstered by strong reviews and a significant 41% of its total box office coming from premium formats.

2. 🤠 The Fall Guy: Holds strong in its second week with $13.7M domestically and a global cume of $103.745M, showcasing solid staying power.

3. 🎾 Challengers: Nets $4.68M in its third week, reaching a domestic total of $38.07M, showing decent traction.

4. 🎴 Tarot: Pulls $3.45M in its second outing for a total of $12.01M, playing its cards right with audiences.

5. 🦖 Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire: Earns $2.52M this weekend, continuing a strong run with a whopping $191.82M domestic total.

6. 🎖️ Unsung Hero: Brings in $2.25M, bringing its three-week domestic total to $16.78M, holding well against bigger films.

7. 🐼 Kung Fu Panda 4: Kicks in with $2M in its tenth week, amassing a total of $191.17M, proving its long-term appeal.

8. 🏛️ Civil War: Earns $1.8M, reaching a five-week domestic total of $65.21M, amidst a crowded field.

9. 🌌 Star Wars Ep. I: The Phantom Menace: Adds $1.5M in a re-release, soaring to a lifetime gross of $486.62M.

10. 🚪 Abigail: Brings in $1.1M in its fourth week, totaling $24.75M, maintaining a modest presence.

🇫🇷 Marché Madness 🇫🇷
What to Expect as Cannes 2024 Kicks Off

The 77th Cannes Film Festival is gearing up to welcome the world to the French Riviera from May 14-25, 2024. As the second-largest media event in the world, only trailing the Olympics, Cannes attracts over 200,000 filmmakers, actors, agents, and fans, along with 3,000 to 4,000 journalists.

As Cannes rolls out the red carpet, here are some of the challenges it faces:

• Lasting Impact of Strikes: The festival is still feeling the effects of recent Hollywood strikes—fewer high-profile releases.

• Labor Unrest: The festival itself is facing potential disruptions from a strike by its own workers amid ongoing labor unrest in France.

• Global Conflicts: The festival may confront protests related to current global conflicts.

• #MeToo Exposé Rumors: French media is abuzz with rumors of a bombshell #MeToo exposé targeting filmmakers, expected to drop on the festival's opening day. This could significantly affect the atmosphere, impacting everything from panel discussions to film screenings on the Croisette.

The Lineup

Here are some of the films set to make a splash on the Croisette:

• ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’ by George Miller - Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a prequel to ‘Mad Max: Fury Road.’

• ‘Megalopolis’ by Francis Ford Coppola - his $120M passion project, exploring the rebuilding of New York City after a catastrophic event. The project has just sold to major international buyers ahead of the festival.

• ‘Horizon: An American Saga’ by Kevin Costner - A historical drama set in the American frontier.

• ‘Kinds of Kindness’ by Yorgos Lanthimos.

• ‘Oh, Canada’ by Paul Schrader.

• ‘The Apprentice’ by Ali Abbasi - featuring the life of a young Donald Trump.

Even before the red carpet has been unfurled, distributors like A24 and MUBI have been busy snagging promising entries, hoping their early acquisitions might lead to Palme d'Or glory. 🏆

• ‘Parthenope’ by Paolo Sorrentino. Acquired by A24 on May 3.

• ‘The Substance’ by Coralie Fargaet, starring Margaret Qualley, Dennis Quaid, and Demi Moore. Acquired by MUBI on May 8.

Marché du Film (The Market)

The business side of Cannes remains a critical marketplace for buying, selling, and developing film projects. This year's notable packages include:

• ‘Let the Evil Go West’ - Stars Sebastian Stan and Lily James, a psychological horror by Star Thrower Entertainment.

• ‘11817’ - A sci-fi horror about a family trapped by a mysterious force, directed by Louis Leterrier.

• ‘The Death of Robin Hood’ - A dark take on the folklore, starring Hugh Jackman, directed by Michael Sarnoski.

• See more here. 👈

As always, we’ll keep you in the loop as Cannes unfolds!

🌟🎭 Highlights and Winners of the 2024 BAFTA TV Awards: The BAFTA TV Awards took place yesterday evening at London’s Royal Festival Hall. Celebrating the crème de la crème of television, the ceremony honored standout shows and performances from the past year. Here are the key highlights and winners from the event:

• The night was glittered with stars like Jeff Goldblum and Martin Freeman.

• First-timers like Bella Ramsey and David Tennant were nominated.

• 'Happy Valley' and 'Top Boy' each took home two awards, with Sarah Lancashire and Jasmine Jobson receiving acting honors.

• ‘The Sixth Commandment’ won 2 awards - Best Leading Actor for Timothy Spall and Best Limited Drama.

• Matthew Macfadyen and Jasmine Jobson triumphed in their supporting roles for 'Succession' and 'Top Boy,' respectively.

• ‘Squid Game: The Challenge’ won the new Reality category.

• Lorraine Kelly received the BAFTA Special Award and joked that being sworn at by presenter Brian Cox (in character) was a career highlight.

• Despite multiple nominations, 'The Crown' left empty-handed.

• 'Black Mirror,' 'Slow Horses,' and 'The Last of Us' also failed to win in their nominated categories.

• Joe Lycett dressed as Queen Elizabeth after losing a bet.

• A live dance performance tribute to ‘Peaky Blinders’ bemused some viewers.

• See the full list of winners here. 👈

Development 🗒️

• Netflix's ‘That '90s Show’ announces Parts 2 and 3 release dates. (more)

• Mahershala Ali and Tom Hardy are set to star in '77 Blackout.’ (more)

• Sigourney Weaver is negotiating to star in the upcoming 'Star Wars' film, 'The Mandalorian & Grogu,' directed by Jon Favreau. (more)

• Andy Serkis is set to portray Heinrich Himmler opposite Woody Harrelson in Oren Moverman's WWII thriller 'The Man with the Miraculous Hands,' as SND acquires sales and distribution rights for its Cannes market debut. (more)

• Vertical Entertainment acquires North American rights to Jordan Scott's thriller 'A Sacrifice,' starring Eric Bana and Sadie Sink. (more)

• Manuel Garcia-Rulfo is set to lead the new 'Jurassic World' movie. (more)

• Bella Ramsey will portray Samantha Lewthwaite, known as 'The White Widow,' in the film ‘Girl Next Door.’ (more)

• Jeff Bridges will star in and executive produce the live-action monster film 'Grendel,' alongside co-stars Bryan Cranston and Dave Bautista. (more)

• Sophie Turner, Archie Madekwe, and Jacob Fortune-Lloyd star in Amazon Prime Video's new heist thriller series 'Haven.' (more)

• Sam Claflin and Rupert Friend will star in the WWII action-thriller 'Perdition,' directed by Henry Dunham. (more)

• Dave Callaham, screenwriter of ‘Shang-Chi,’ has been recruited to write the next ‘Godzilla x Kong.’ (more)

• Lionsgate has pre-purchased North American rights to the action-thriller 'Mutiny,' starring Jason Statham and directed by Jean-Francois Richet. (more)

✅ Renewed & Canceled ❌

• FX is close to renewing ‘Shōgun’ for a second season and securing Hiroyuki Sanada's return as Lord Yoshii Toranaga. (more)

• ‘The Conners’ is renewed for a final S7 by ABC. (more)

• ‘American Idol’ is renewed for S8 at ABC. (more)

• ‘The Bachelor’ is renewed for S29 at ABC. (more)

• ‘Shark Tank,’ ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ ‘Celebrity Wheel of Fortune,’ ‘What Would You Do?’ and ‘Celebrity Jeopardy’ are renewed at ABC. (more)

• ‘Alert: Missing Persons Unit’ is renewed for S3 by Fox. (more)

• ‘The Other Black Girl’ is cancelled after S1 by Hulu. (more)

• ‘Constellation’ cancelled by Apple after S1. (more)

• ‘Scavengers Reign’ is cancelled at Max. (more)

• ‘Not Dead Yet’ is cancelled after S2 at ABC. (more)

• ‘The Cleaning Lady’ is renewed for S4 at Fox. (more)

Other News 🚨

• Gordon Ramsay and Fox Entertainment launch 'Bite,' a comprehensive food and entertainment platform. (more)

• Sesame Workshop writers have ratified a new five-year contract. (more)

• IATSE West Coast Locals and Hollywood studios have engaged in productive negotiations on AI, wages, and working conditions, with discussions set to continue through mid-May. (more)

• The 2024 TV Upfronts in New York will feature NBCUniversal, Fox, Amazon, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, Netflix, and YouTube presenting new projects and schedules to advertisers. (more)