Bad Boys for Life was the resounding winner at the box office as it made $59.2 million. Fellow newcomer Dolittle, which received negative reviews by critics, was a distant second with $22.5 million. Here is this weekend’s top 10:
Bad Boys for Life – A 59.2 million opening is an excellent start for the film. Feature has already made over $106.7 million worldwide.
Dolittle – Life after Iron Man yields this box office disappointment for Robert Downey Jr. Feature, which cost an estimated $175 million, will, may go down as one of 2020’s biggest bombs!
1917 – WWI feature rakes in $22.1 million.
Jumanji: The Next Level – Adventure grosses $9.6 million.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker– Feature makes $8.4 million and has made over $492 million domestically.
Just Mercy – Fact based drama collects $6 million.
Little Women – Acclaimed period drama takes in $5.9 million.
Knives Out – Mystery grosses $4.3 million.
Like a Boss – Comedy collects $3.8 million
Frozen 2 – Animated feature, which has amassed $464 domestically, checks in with $3.7 million.
Sarah Wayne Callies (Colony, Prison Break) has starred in her share of successful shows, and with the upcoming Council of Dadsshe is venturing into the family drama genre. Inspired by Bruce Feiler’s book, Council of Dads centers on a Scott (Tom Everett Scott) and Robin Perry (Callies), a couple who open up their family to close friends after Scott is diagnosed with cancer.
During our interview with Callies, the actress candidly pointed out one reason for her success in the entertainment industry.
“They saw a young white woman and that’s not hard to write for in television. If I had been a woman of color, my career would have been massively different,” said Callies who also had an acclaimed run on The Walking Dead. “And so it’s incumbent upon me now that I am writing, producing, and directing – to write roles for women of color and to try and bring women in whose voices have not been heard.
Click on the media bar to hear Callies discuss why it’s an “honor” to be a part of Council of Dads:
Co-starring Tony Phelan and Clive Standen, Council of Dads premieres March 10 on NBC (10 pm pt/et).
When Korean production Snowpiercer was released in 2013, it wasn’t a big box office hit, but it was critically lauded and wound up gaining an immense cult following — helped, no doubt, by the presence of Chris Evans in the cast. Now the film, about a train carrying all that’s left of the human race after a great extinction, is being adapted into a TV series. Jennifer Connelly and Daveed Diggs are two of the show’s stars, and they talked about what it was like to shoot a show that takes place in train cars where the confined space influences everything. (Click on the media bar below to hear Jennifer Connelly & Daveed Diggs)
Troop Zero tells the story of a young girl who has one obstacle to overcome to win the prize of her dreams: She needs to win a “Birdie Scouts” talent show. The only problem is, she’s not part of the group, so she needs to assemble her own troop to make it into the competition. It’s a sometimes whimsical, sometimes touching movie that co-star Allison Janney says is perfect for a family movie night. (Click on the media bar below to hear Allison Janney)
Troop Zero is streaming now on Amazon Prime Video.
In Dolittle, Robert Downey Jr. works with a long line of big-name co-stars, including Oscar winners Emma Thompson, Octavia Spencer, and Rami Malek, along with Ralph Fiennes, Selena Gomez, and Tom Holland, just to name a few. Except, well, Downey never actually got to work with them. Downey plays the human title character, Dr. John Dolittle, who has the unique ability to talk to animals … and the animals are voiced by that amazing array of talent. Downey told us it was actually a difficult process, because when he was shooting his parts, he was acting against special effects animals who hadn’t been voiced yet, so he had to use a lot of imagination to make it sound credible. (Click in the media bar below to hear Robert Downey Jr.)
When the original Bad Boys hit theaters in 1995, one of the things critics and audiences loved about the film was the chemistry between stars Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. At the time, both actors were much better known for their TV sitcoms — The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and Martin — than their movie roles, and Bad Boys turned both into bankable leading men at the box office. When we spoke to Lawrence and Smith, they talked about how their common comedic experiences really helped them gel, on-screen and off. (Click on the media bar below to hear Will Smith & Martin Lawrence)
If you go see the Oscar-nominated 1917, yes, you will find a few marquee-level names in the cast, like Colin Firth and Benedict Cumberbatch. The movie’s two main characters, however, are played by actors who weren’t exactly household names: Dean-Charles Chapman and George MacKay. While the two leads have been working steadily in primarily British productions, neither has had a real breakout role — until now. And that’s exactly why director Sam Mendes says he hired them for the film. (Click on the media bar below to hear Sam Mendes)
TV’s Fall 2005 season launched some memorable network shows (How I Met Your Mother, Bones, My Name Is Earl) and some that were utterly forgettable Reunion, E-Ring, and Hot Properties). Two shows from 2005’s freshman class are still on the air in their 15th seasons — Criminal Minds and Supernatural. And though this season will be Supernatural’s curtain call, there’s no denying the show’s run has been anything short of amazing, especially since it premiered on a network (The WB) that shut down the following year! Why did Supernatural beat the odds and survive for so long? Stars Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles credit their characters’ brotherly love, backed up by quality writing and the two actors’ incredible chemistry. (Click on the media bar below to hear Jared Padalecki & Jensen Ackles)
Earlier this week, Little Women was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and acting nominations for Saoirse Ronan and Florence Pugh. Between the Oscar buzz and the critical acclaim, it’s no wonder that audiences have been generating great word of mouth (it’s gotten an A- rating from Cinemascore). We asked Ronan why she thinks audiences have reacted so positively to the film, and she believes it all comes down to a story that’s both classic and contemporary at the same time. (Click on the media bar below to hear Saoirse Ronan)
Every year, thousands of tourists flock to the Universal Studios theme park, which is part of the Universal Studios complex in Universal City, CA. And one of the highlights of every tourist’s visit is the tram tour of the Universal backlot. Because it’s a working studio, the trams often pass by active soundstages where movies and TV shows are being filmed. If you’re lucky, you might even spot an actor or two. Or, if you’re a superfan and let the cast know you’re coming, you may just get a very special surprise. Lauren Ash told us the story about how this happened for one big Superstore fan. (Click on the media bar below to hear Lauren Ash)
