brightlight Archives

Apr72025 by cineverseNo Comments

Box Office: ‘Minecraft’ Is Already the Second-Biggest Movie of the Year With $301 Million in Global Debut

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By Rebecca Rubin According To The variety A Minecraft Movie” landed on the big screen as an instant (and surprise) blockbuster smash with $301 million globally, providing Hollywood and cinema owners with a much-needed box office boost. After three days of release, it’s already the second-highest grossing film of the year behind Disney and Marvel’s “Captain America: Brave New World” ($410 million after eight weeks on the big screen). “Minecraft,” a PG action comedy from Warner Bros. and Legendary, will surpass those ticket sales to rank as No. 1 in a matter of days. Among other benchmarks, “A Minecraft Movie” scored the second-biggest international debut for a video game adaptation after Universal and Illumination’s “Super Mario Bros. Movie.” That film, which opened in 2023, s...

Apr72025 by cineverseNo Comments

Kerala Story’ Director Unveils Ambitious Slate, Takes ‘Charak’ to Cannes Market (EXCLUSIVE)

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By Naman Ramachandran According To The variety Indian filmmaker Sudipto Sen, known for his controversial 2023 box office hit “The Kerala Story,” has unveiled an ambitious slate of projects under his new banner Sipping Tea Cinemas, as his producer debut “Charak – Fair of Faith” heads to the Cannes Film Market. The film showed at the European Film Market in Berlin earlier this year. “Charak” delves into the chilling intersection of faith and ritualistic practices, specifically exploring the darkly intense Charak Puja observed in parts of the Bengal region. “‘Charak’ is more than just a film; it’s a sobering examination of the extreme things people will do for religious reasons,” Sen said in a statement. “Through this story, we are forced to confront deeply troubl...

Apr72025 by cineverseNo Comments

My Little Moon” Shines at Riverside Festival with Best Film and Best Actress Awards

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By Cineversedaily News The feature film My Little Moon, directed by Ali Atshani, has won the Best Film award at the 22nd Riverside Festival in California, USA. The Riverside Festival is one of the prestigious festivals in the US, held annually in April in Riverside, California. This year, during the closing ceremony of its 22nd edition on April 6th at the Fox Theater in Riverside, My Little Moon was awarded the Best Film. In addition, Natalia Polo won the Best Actress award at this festival for her performance in the film. The film has previously received numerous accolades at various festivals, including the Kansas City Festival, Santa Fe Film Festival, and many others. Last week, My Little Moon also won the Best Actress award for Natalia Polo at the Kansas City Festival. Natalia Po...

Apr62025 by cineverseNo Comments

A Nice Indian Boy’: Why Levantine Films Believes the Queer Indie Rom-Com Has the Potential to Pop in Theaters

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By Matt Minton According To The variety Levantine Films is betting on the queer rom-com “A Nice Indian Boy” with a theatrical release — a show of confidence in an era where rom-coms are often relegated to streaming platforms. The film stars “Deadpool” actor Karan Soni as an Indian man who brings his white-orphan-artist boyfriend (played by Tony and Grammy winner Jonathan Groff) home to his traditional family. When Levantine Films CEO Benjamin Hung first read Madhuri Shekar’s play, on which the film is based, he recognized that the story was “less about coming out” and more about the process of crossing cultures. “Ideally, we’re looking for projects that are very uplifting and give people hope,” Hung tells Variety about what appealed enough to make a movie. Levant...

Apr52025 by cineverseNo Comments

How Sebastian Stan Finally Brought Hollywood to His Homeland With Romanian Festival Hopeful ‘A River’s Gaze’

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By Matt Donnelly According To The variety It’s hard to imagine Sebastian Stan fighting for any part in Hollywood. The Academy Award nominee has proven he’s as bankable in high-brow indies like “The Apprentice” and “A Different Man” as he is in soaring commercial fare like his continuing role as Marvel’s Bucky Barnes (next appearing in “Thunderbolts”). But a cinematic homecoming that has eluded him over his career. Born in Constanța, Romania, Stan has been trying to find a way to bring his day job back to his birth country and highlight talent in the region. Stan told Variety that’s been looking for the right Romanian script to act in for the for the better part of 15 years. Now, he’s found a way to represent behind the camera as a producer on “A River’s Gaze,” ...

Apr52025 by cineverseNo Comments

Paul Schrader Accused of Sexually Harassing Assistant and Reneging on Settlement

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By Gene Maddaus According To The variety Paul Schrader, the screenwriter of “Taxi Driver” and “Raging Bull,” has been accused in a legal filing of sexually harassing his former assistant, and of backing out of an agreement to pay her a settlement. The 26-year-old woman, identified only as Jane Doe, alleges that Schrader grabbed her and kissed her against her will while they were at the Cannes Film Festival last year for the premiere of his latest film, “Oh, Canada.” She protested and was able to free herself and flee the room, she alleges. Three days later, she alleges that Schrader, 78, summoned her to his hotel room, claiming that he was “dying,” and then exposed his penis to her. The woman’s attorneys allege that Schrader’s lawyers agreed to a monetary settlement...

Mar172025 by cineverseNo Comments

Japan’s Kadokawa Unveils Two New Asian-Focused Titles at Hong Kong FilMart (EXCLUSIVE)

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By Naman Ramachandran According To The variety Japan‘s Kadokawa is set to make a splash at this year’s Hong Kong FilMart with two new titles aimed at the Asian market, both featuring stars with strong regional appeal. The first offering is the completed film adaptation of “My Love Story With Yamada-kun at Lv999,” based on the popular comic series that has sold 4.5 million copies in Japan. The property has already proven its cross-platform appeal with a successful animation series that gained high ratings on streaming platforms including Crunchyroll and Bilibili. The film stars Ryuto Sakuma from Starto Entertainment’s band HiHi Jets, previously seen in “Village,” alongside Mizuki Yamashita, a former member of pop group Nogizaka 46 who appeared in “6 Lying Univer...