
Austin Abrams in ‘Resident Evil‘
Sony
This story first ran in the animation newsletter “Sketch to Screen.” Subscribe here to receive a new entry every Thursday.
Few premises are as eternal or as durable than a group of friends solving mysteries: Hanna-Barbera practically made an entire genre of it in the ’70s, taking the premise of the classic “Scooby-Doo” and xeroxing it for a dozen other shows. And yet, that type of storytelling is in frustratingly short supply, at least on TV: Scooby-Doo hasn’t had a real kids’ show since 2021, while the options for children’s entertainment nowadays tend to lean more towards the infantile and episodic like “Paw Patrol” than anything parents can enjoy alongside their kids.
So that makes a rare gem like “My Brother The Minotaur,” which premiered on Apple TV last week, all the more satisfying. One of the best recent children’s offerings from the streamer, which quietly has arguably the best library of quality family programming, “My Brother, The Minotaur” marries its gentle, charming comedy with a genuinely compelling serialized mystery. It’s the type of show you can pace out from day to day, or gleefully binge in one go.
The show opens with main character Lorcan (Ely Solan) waking up and screaming in horror at the sight that awaits him in the mirror: an acne breakout. His horns and fur aren’t a particularly surprising sight: Lorcan is a Minotaur, living on the Irish island Bryony as just another kid for as long as he can remember. Adopted by a human family, Lorcan is occasionally the target of some bullying, but otherwise spends most of his days as just another kid, attending school with his adopted brother Charlie (Billy Jenkins) and their two best friends Dana (Billie Boulet) and Harper (Luciana Akpobaro).
When the show picks up, Lorcan is experiencing a strange series of nightmares centered around a terrifying rabbit-faced man, a creature pulled from Celtic mythology known as a Pooka. When the dreams start bleeding into real life, Charlie — who fancies himself an amateur detective — convinces his brother and friends to investigate Lorcan’s mysterious origins, a thread that soon unravels an entire secret fantasy world kept under wraps by the elders of the island.

“My Brother the Minotaur” is a co-production of Irish animation studios Dog Ears and Cartoon Saloon, the latter of which is best known for its stunning Oscar animated features “The Secret of Kells” and “Wolfwalkers;” creator Donal Managan has worked on several of the studio’s films.
The difference between a movie and TV budget is clear from watching “My Brother the Minotaur,” but the series is still a stunner, mixing blocky thick-lined characters that wouldn’t look out of place on Cartoon Network in the early aughts with lush, rustic backdrops that draw inspiration from the studio’s Irish roots. In set-pieces involving the Pooka, dark lighting and strong use of shadow results in some scenes that can give younger viewers a genuine fright. The pedigree of the studio also shows in some of the vocal talent involved, which includes a hammy Michael Sheen as a scheming hotel owner and Brian Cox as Lorcan and Charlie’s kindly grandfather.
The quality of the animation remains consistent across the shows 10 episodes, which range from 22 to 28 minutes long with a finale that stretches up to 40. Each episode title is formatted like a reference to “Dungeons & Dragons” — from “Gateways & Gatherings” to “Labyrinths & Lies” — nodding to the show’s sense of joyous discovery. Each episode clips along at a steady, smart pace, unveiling new revelations about the secrets of Bryony without ever feeling like it’s stretching the story out or spinning it in place.
It helps that the characters are so charming, with development that proves genuinely meaty for the show’s light and optimistic tone. Dana and Harper occasionally feel extraneous, there to fill out the group rather than carry out their own narrative arcs, but the bond between Charlie and Lorcan, and Lorcan’s search for his place in the world, is a solid emotional core the show never loses sight of.
“My Brother the Minotaur” goes to strange, fantastic places, and by its end has some rousing action setpieces. But its well-sketched setting and realistic depictions of the kids means its deeper conflicts are very of this world, tackling questions of identity and displacement that people of all ages can relate to. The season ends on a cliffhanger promising another adventure for the gang: here’s hoping the show gets a chance to peel its mysteries back even further.
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The MTV Video Music Awards are back tonight for the 42nd awards show, celebrating the best music videos of the year.
Hosted by 3x VMA winner Snoop Dogg, the ceremony broadcasts live on Sunday night from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, with performances from Madonna, Kacey Musgraves, Lisa, Sombr and more.
Madonna leads this year’s nominations with 13 categories, tying Lady Gaga’s 2010 record for most nominations in a year. She’s followed by Taylor Swift (11), Sabrina Carpenter (nine) and Ariana Grande (eight) in earning the most nominations.
Tonight’s awards show will honor Nirvana with the Video Vanguard Award, and Taylor Swift will receive the inaugural MTV VMA Artist Director Honors, with her “Patient Zero” music video from The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore making its world premiere during the simulcast.
This years MTV VMA performances will include tributes to Dolly Parton and George Michael, marking 40 years since his solo debut album Faith.
With all this and more expected for the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards, read on for how to watch or stream the awards show.
The 2026 VMAs will air live from on Sunday, Sept. 27 from 7:30-9:30pm ET/4:30-6:30pm PT on CBS, simulcast on MTV and streaming on Paramount+ (Premium) in the US. The show will be available globally the next day on Paramount+ and MTV.
The VMA presenters include some of this years nominees and winners of VMAs past, as well as a survivor, a superhero, a scream queen and a Saturday Night Live alum.
The lineup features Alex Warren, Belmont Cameli, Brandon Sklenar, Charli xcx, Ciara Miller, David Corenswet, Ella Bright, Isabel May, Jeff Probst, Rachel Dratch, Teyana Taylor, Troye Sivan and Tyla.
Returning to the VMAs stage for her first performance there in 23 years, Madonna will open the awards show with some songs from Confessions II, presented by Spotify.
Following Dolly Parton’s death at age 80 last month, Kacey Musgraves will perform a tribute to the Queen of Country. Meanwhile, Raye, Sombr and Teddy Swims will team up for a tribute performance directed by Adam Blackstone, celebrating 40 years since the late George Michaels’ career-defining album Faith (1987).
Also performing at the 2026 MTV VMAs are Gener8ion & Yung Lean, Lisa, Shaboozey & Gunna and Sienna Spiro.
For more info, visit MTV.com.
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What was old at the global box office this weekend was new as Disney/Marvel Studio’s Avengers Endgame: Encore led in an exceptional take for a re-release of $86M WW.
Beamed Andrew Cripps, Disney’s Global Boss of Distribution, “The success of the re-release reiterates that there’s a massive fanbase for this franchise, and the fact that it’s a seven-year old movie on Disney+, it’s an incredible opening.”
Close to 14% of Encore‘s cash came from Imax which made $13.7M off the superhero pic for $4M domestic and $9.7M abroad.
Yes, with a handful of minutes of extra footage of the Russo Brothers’ upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, Encore was an advertisement for that movie, but one which yielded more bucks to the overall Marvel Cinematic Universe with $35 billion global across 38 titles. After this weekend, the lifetime worldwide take for Avengers: Endgame moves to $2.885B behind Avatar‘s $2.92B and ahead of Spider-Man: Brand New Day‘s updated global tally of $2.495B.
With $26M stateside, that repped the third best start for a re-release behind 1997’s re-issue of Star Wars ($35.9M) and 2011’s The Lion King 3D ($30.2M).
Overseas with $60M, Encore was the second highest foreign debut for a re-release behind Titanic 3D in 2012 at current rates. That James Cameron movie at the height of the 3D crazy did $67M boosted by China.
Avengers: Endgame bowed to No. 1 in China ($13.5M), UK ($5.4M), Mexico ($4.2M), Italy ($2.6M), Brazil ($2.2M), Germany ($2M), Australia, and was the best non-local in Japan ($2.6M) and Spain ($1.7M). Disney estimates that Encore was the highest ever opening weekend for a MPA re-release in UK, Mexico and Brazil as well as Netherlands, Greece, S. Africa, Poland, Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Israel, Kazakhstan, Macedonia, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine, UAE, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Taiwan and all smaller Latin American territories.
Pic was second highest opening ever for a MPA title in Italy, Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and Argentina.
Other No. 1 openings were Austria, Belgium, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, Bosnia, Croatia, Czechia, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan (non-local), Lebanon, Qatar, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, India (non-local with $2.8M), Indonesia (non-local), Vietnam (non-local), Argentina and all smaller Latin American territories.
The Anthony and Joe Russo directed movie ranked second in Korea in the holiday period of Chuseok holidays (Sept. 24-27) that’s described as the country’s Thanksgiving by sources. The No. 1 pic in Korea was The Assassin in a box office weekend where three local films dominated the top 5.
France did $2.1M, but Paramount’s Heart of the Beast led there with a Brad Pitt wow factor, that David Ayer directed military vet and dog feature seeing $3.8M.

Austin Abrams in ‘Resident Evil‘
Sony
Second place worldwide is a fight between zombies and Pitt. Sony/Constantin’s Resident Evil posted a second frame of $50.3M, $27M of that coming from 65 overseas markets on 12,500+ screens. Cume abroad in both Sony and Constantin territories is $93M with an overall $196.5M WW.
UK, Mexico, and Australia each set franchise records in just the second weekend with market totals of $11.5M ($2.9M weekend), $9.0M ($2.2M weekend), and $5.4M ($1.7M weekend), respectively. France (Metropolitan) earned $1.8M (-39%) for a market take of $5.0M, and Germany (Constantin) grossed $1.5M (-40%) for a local cume of $4.5M cume. Next stops are China on Oct. 5 and Japan on Oct. 9 for the flesh eating beings.

Brad Pitt and Odin in ‘Heart of the Beast’
Paramount Pictures
Heart of the Beast barked up $50.1M WW with $30.1M abroad from 63 markets. As we told you, France was tops, but also New Zealand and this is the ultimate outdoors film for them ($454K including previews from 128 sites. Also big was United Arab Emirates where a lot of yank moviegoers are with $1M, No. 1 at 58 sites. Middle East grossed $2.6M on the pic.
Rest all including previews (except Argentina) were UK (No. 3, $2.7M at 559 locations), Mexico (No. 2, $2.4M), Australia (No. 3 with $1.6M at 307), Spain (No. 3, $1.5M at 326), Italy (No. 3 $1.2M at 370), Japan (No. 4, $1.2M at 344), Germany ($1M, No. 3 at 428 sites), Brazil (No. 4 $925K at 585 locations), Colombia (No. 2 $872K at 210), Netherlands (No. 3 $574K at 116 locations), Taiwan (No. 3 $419K at 90 sites), Poland (No. 3 grossing $407K at 178 locations), India (opened at #5 grossing $392K at 345 locations, Peru (No. 3 $304K at 108 locations), Ukraine (No. 1 $306K at 171 locations), Argentina (No. 3 $292K at 180 locations), Portugal (No. 1 $290K at 48 locations), Hong Kong (No. 4 $285K at 57), and Belgium (No. 3 grossing $276K at 80 locations).
A24’s Primetime with $19.1M stateside, had a limited launch abroad with $1.2M in France, Germany, Austria, India, Taiwan, Baltic’s and Iceland for an overall $20.3M WW. Of that France did $530K and Germany/Austria was $325K. What’s interesting is some distribution sources believe, at least stateside, that Heart of the Beast is going to have a fantastic multiple off that A- CinemaScore, while Primetime is front loaded with a B. I beg to differ as Primetime sells itself when you sit in theater, however, the truth will be in the numbers.

(from front) Raissa (Liza Soberano), Prince Mermahn (Kevin McCann), Raww (Dave Franco) and Jo (H.E.R.) in DreamWorks Animation’s Forgotten Island, directed by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado.
Universal’s second weekend foreign, first weekend in North America of DreamWorks Animation’s Forgotten Island did $18.4M WW ($5.6M foreign from 34 territories and $12.8M domestic).
Philippines led with No. 1 $1.5M this weekend at 280 locations, well above major tentpoles Super Mario Bros, Despicable Me 4, Zootopia 2 and Minions: The Rise of Gru. It’s the biggest opening of the year for a Universal title there ahead of Odyssey. Spain did $500K at 390 sites for a No. 5 rank. The film has received a strong 7.3 FilmAffinity Score, just below The Wild Robot (7.5) and above Inside Out 2 (7.1) and Puss In Boots: The Last Wish (7.0). Italy was also No. 5 bow with $500K at 372. Brazil did $400K, No. 6 at 682. That includes $190K in previews. Israel posted No. 1 with $300K at 70 sites in line with Trolls and above Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Puss In Boots: The Last Wish, Wish, Hoppers and The Wild Robot. Forgotten Island opens into Sukkot Holidays, which run from Sept. 25 to Oct. 3. Korea bowed to $219K at No. 10 at 550 sites, which includes $117K in previews. The film has received a strong CGV Egg score (96%). Sweden saw $150K at 132 in No. 5, an opening at this level is in line with Elio, Goat and Puss In Boots: The Last Wish. Australia held over with $737K in weekend 2 for a $1.8M cume. School holidays are taking place in 50% of the market, with the remaining 50% starting next Monday. Forgotten Island ranks No.4, as the top family film in the market, above Coyote vs. Acme (No.8), PAW Patrol (No.7) and Shaun the Sheep (No.10). Mexico added $300k in weekend dos to reach $1.4M cume. Forgotten Island ranks No.7 in the market.
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