MOVIES

HOLLYWOOD ROYALTY AND CINEMATIC HEAVYWEIGHTS LIGHT UP CANNES 2025

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If the Cannes Film Festival were a person, it would be that effortlessly cool celebrity who never ages, always dresses in haute couture, and somehow knows everybody. As the French Riviera braces itself for another whirlwind of glitz and glamour from May 13 to 24, Cannes 2025 is already being touted as one of the most star-studded editions in recent memory. A staggering lineup of cinematic legends, rising auteurs, and streaming-era provocateurs are converging on the Côte d'Azur, proving that the festival's sparkle has only grown brighter.

JOSH HOLLOWAY GETS BACK TOGETHER WITH J.J. ABRAMS FOR GRITTY 1970s CRIME SERIES ‘DUSTER’ ON MAX

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Josh Holloway is officially back with J.J. Abrams, and Lost fans couldn’t be more thrilled. Holloway, who notoriously played Sawyer on the iconic ABC series, is re-teaming with Abrams for a new crime show titled Duster, which debuts on Max on May 15, 2025.

PROTAGONIST PICTURES LAUNCHES SPECIALIST LABEL ‘PROTAGONIST PICKS’ AHEAD OF CANNES

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Protagonist Pictures, the UK-based sales, finance, and production outfit behind independent films that have won awards, unveiled a boutique label, Protagonist Picks. The new label was launched shortly before the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and will introduce distinctive, globally relevant storytelling through a responsive, nimble strategy. Isabel Ivars, a seasoned industry executive, has been promoted to Director of Sales, overseeing both Protagonist Picks and the company’s extensive library.

FINN WOLF HARD AND HELENA ZENGEL SHARE THEIR MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH WILLEM DAFOE

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In A24's latest fantasy-adventure film "The Legend of Ochi," young stars Finn Wolfhard and Helena Zengel found themselves in the unique position of working alongside veteran actor Willem Dafoe. The film, which follows a young girl's journey to return a forest creature to its family, marks another milestone in Wolfhard's expanding career beyond his "Stranger Things" fame.

NOTHING BUT JOY: ‘INSIDE OUT 2’ TOPS 2024’S MOST PROFITABLE BLOCKBUSTER LIST WITH $650 MILLION IN PROFIT

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Pixar gold once more. The animation studio’s sequel Inside Out 2 is 2024’s highest-grossing movie, taking Deadline’s Most Valuable Blockbuster Tournament for the year with a projected $650 million net profit. The movie’s record-breaking performance not only revitalized Pixar’s box office prospects but also redefined what success in the current theatrical landscape looks like.

‘SINNERS’ REMAINS STRONG WITH $13M SECOND FRIDAY AS ‘THE ACCOUNTANT 2’ OPENS WITH $9.4M

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Ryan Coogler’s Southern Gothic horror film Sinners is performing strong legs at the box office, raking in $13 million on its second Friday. That positions the movie to take in an estimated $42 million second weekend, an 8% drop from its $48 million opening. That’s a performance that’s out of character for a genre defined by steep second-weekend falls.

GUY RITCHIE to DIRECT ‘ROAD HOUSE 2’ WITH RETURN OF JAKE GYLLENHAAL

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Director Guy Ritchie is set to direct Road House 2, the follow-up to Amazon MGM Studios’ breakout remake of the 1989 cult classic. Jake Gyllenhaal returns to reprise bouncer-turned-boxer Elwood Dalton’s explosive presence from the original movie. The follow-up tells the unlikely success story of a movie that courted controversy but went on to smash streaming records.

MCKENNA GRACE CAST IN ‘HUNGER GAMES: SUNRISE ON THE REAPING’

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Lionsgate revealed that Mckenna Grace will be playing the role of Maysilee Donner in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, the new chapter in the expanding world of Hunger Games. The movie will be out on November 20, 2026, and is an adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ same-named 2025 novel.