movies

Indie Film Box Office: Neon Horror ‘Hokum’ Starring Adam Scott

Published

4 months ago

May 3, 2026

Neon’s Adam Scott-starring Hokum by Damian McCarthy (Oddity) debuted with $6.4 million on 1,885 screens, a nice start for the witchy tale with a $5-million budget set in a creepy Irish inn. It pulls in at no. 5 in North America behind the likes of The Devil Wears Prada 2, Michael, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and Project Hail Mary, big studio films all with much wider runs.

When novelist Ohm Bauman (Scott) retreats to a remote inn in Ireland to scatter his parents’ ashes, he is consumed by tales of a witch haunting the honeymoon suite. Disturbing visions and a shocking disappearance force him to confront dark corners of his past. Also stars Brendan Conroy, David Wilmot, Peter Coonan, Michael Patric, Will O’Connell and Florence Ordesh.

Neon is selling the film internationally. It’s the distributor’s first release of its projects under a partnership with Spooky Pictures, which has a co-production partnership with Image Nation, and the latest in a partnership slate with Waypoint’s Cweature Features.

The opening gross speaks to the film and the overall strength of the box office, which is up 18% this weekend versus a year ago, according to Comscare. Hokum is Certified Fresh at 86% on Rotten Tomatoes with an 82% Popcornmeter and a B Cinemascore.

At no. 6 is Angel Studio’s animated Animal Farm by Andy Serkis with a $3.4 million opening on 2,600 screens. Based on George Orwell’s iconic allegorical novel, it features the voices of Seth Rogen, Gaten Matarazzo, Glenn Close and Woody Harrelson.

Magenta Light Studios’ shark thriller Deep Water debuted at 1,675 locations to $2.15 million. Directed by Renny Harlin,Produced by KISS’ Gene Simmons, it stars Aaron Eckhart and Ben Kingsley. An eclectic group of international passengers enroute from L.A. to Shanghai are forced to make an emergency landing in shark infested waters.

The 36 Cinema Distribution’s release with Variance Films of RZA’S One Spoon Of Chocolate grossed $574k opening weekend on 636 screens. The Wu-Tang Clan founder directed, wrote and produced the revenge thriller that follows an ex-military convict (Shameik Moore) seeking redemption in a small town.

Limited: Francesco Sossai’s Cannes-premiering The Last One For The Road from Music Box Films opened to $7.5k on two screens.

Event: The Met: Live in HD transmission of Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin grossed circa $670k in North America with one screening (Saturday) at about 800 cinemas. Starring soprano Asmik Grigorian and baritone Iurii Samoilov, and conducted by Timur Zangiev in his Met debut, Encore screenings of Eugene Onegin in select U.S. theaters on May 6. Directed for cinema by Gary Halvorson, hosted by mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato. The high-definition simulcasts, which reliably draw audiences, will conclude the 2025–26 season with Gabriela Lena Frank’s El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego on May 30.

movies

CA Lawmakers Compromise With Film Industry On Corporate Tax Credit Cap

Published

2 hours ago

August 29, 2026

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The California production community can breathe a sigh of relief: State lawmakers have officially introduced a bill meant to allow studios a few key exemptions from a recently enacted restriction on corporate tax credits.

AB136, introduced Friday evening, addresses concerns raised from stakeholders including the Motion Picture Association about the threat of undermining the efforts to expand California’s Film & TV Tax Credit pool to $750 million.

Lawmakers have to consider legislation for 72 hours before voting. With that in mind, a vote on AB136 is likely to come Monday evening, hours before the midnight end to the legislative session.

The state budget, passed this summer, seeks to stabilize revenue by preventing corporations from offsetting more than $5 million in tax liability annually for the next three years. Several advocacy groups pushed for a complete exemption, but the solution introduced by lawmakers on Friday evening does fall short of that.

Instead, only independent productions will be completely exempt from the $5 million cap. The legislation also addresses concerns about the payback period for studios that have elected to refund credits for cash. Current law allows studios to get cash instead of claiming the credit against tax liability for a 10% discount on the total with a payback period of five years. The fix accelerates that to two years with just a 5% discount.

The new legislation will also extend the expiration date of the non-refundable tax credits that were issued prior to 2025.

movies

Tennessee Governor Plans To Rename Nashville Airport For Dolly Parton

Published

2 hours ago

August 29, 2026

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As the world mourns Dolly Parton, Tennessee has plans to immortalize the late Queen of Country while welcoming visitors to Music City.

On Friday, Gov. Bill Lee‘s office announced a partnership with the Nashville International Airport (BNA) in conversations with Parton’s team to rename the airport in honor of the 11x Grammy-winning country pop/songstress, who died at age 80 on Tuesday.

The Metro Nashville Airport Authority will discuss its naming policy and Gov. Lee’s proposal to rename the airport at its Thursday, Sept. 17 meeting.

“Dolly Parton’s extraordinary life is forever woven into the fabric of our state,” said Gov. Lee in a statement. “From her rural mountain home in East Tennessee to global stages, Dolly carried the Volunteer Spirit with her.

“At a place where Tennessee welcomes the world, it is fitting that Nashville International Airport would bear the name of our state’s favorite daughter and greet travelers with the enduring legacy of Dolly’s music, generosity, faith and kindness,” he added.

Born Jan. 19, 1946 in Pittman Center, Tennessee, Parton lived with husband Carl Dean in his native Nashville for several years, and he died there last March at age 82.

Parton’s family announced that she died in Nashville on Tuesday following a brief sickness with cancer. Although she remained busy until her final days, the “I Will Always Love You” artist had dealt with health issues over the past year.

movies

Nicole Kidman On “Spontaneous” Appearance In Troye Sivan Video

Published

3 hours ago

August 28, 2026

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Nicole Kidman seems to be popping up onscreen everywhere the past few years, and Troye Sivan‘s latest music video was no exception.

After the Oscar-winning actress made a surprise appearance in the 3x Grammy-nominated artist’s “She’s the Best” music video earlier this month, she recently explained the “spontaneous” decision.

“I love him. I’ve known him for such a long time,” Kidman told Attitude. “He called me up and just said: ‘Will you be in this with me?’ I didn’t even need to read anything, I didn’t need to have any information, I just said: ‘Yeah! I’m in!’ But that’s me! I make very spontaneous decisions!”

Marking the lead single on Sivan’s upcoming fourth studio album of the same name, the video for “She’s the Best” features Kidman on a night out in New York City, where Sivan serenades and dances with her at a bar before slipping into drag.

Kidman’s appearance in her fellow Aussie’s video came after they co-starred in the 2018 Joel Edgerton-helmed adaptation of Garrard Conley’s memoir Boy Erased, recounting the author’s experience as an LGBTQ kid in conversion therapy.