Category: Entertainment

Backrooms, the psychological horror film from 20-year-old director Kane Parsons, has marked a new bright spot for the horror genre.

The film, which stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve and Mark Duplass, debuted May 29. It brought in more than $81 million at the domestic box office in its opening weekend, off a $10 million budget, according to The Numbers, a film industry data site that tracks box office revenue.

Backrooms not only routed at the box office but made history in the process, with Parsons becoming the youngest director to helm a #1 box office film globally, A24 confirmed to ABC News this week.

The film is also the largest original horror debut in history, according to the studio.

Additionally, Obsession, a horror film starring Inde Navarrette that debuted in May, has brought in more than $104 million in the weeks since its May 15 theatrical premiere, according to The Numbers.

According to a brief synopsis from A24, Backrooms centers around a “strange doorway” that “appears in the basement of a furniture showroom” one day.

A trailer for the film shows Ejiofor’s character, Clark, the furniture store owner, discovering the doorway before ending up in a large, dimly lit room with nothing but furniture piled up at the center and various voices speaking foreign languages over a fuzzy loudspeaker.

He later explains his confusion to his therapist, Dr. Mary Kline, played by Reinsve, before the trailer returns to the mysterious space, with Clark now exploring with some company. The trailer concludes with Reinsve entering the space as well.

Backrooms was written by Will Soodik, and was produced by horror filmmakers James Wan and Osgood Perkins, Arrival producer Shawn Levy and more. Finn Bennett and Lukita Maxwell also star in the film.

Backrooms is the debut film from director Parsons, who came to prominence via a series of wildly popular YouTube videos exploring a similar premise, most of the videos garnering millions of views apiece.

His most popular video, simply titled The Backrooms (Found Footage), has accumulated more than 81 million views since it was shared on Jan. 7, 2022.

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Anna Kendrick is directing the new film The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo.

The actress and director is set to helm the film adaptation of the bestselling Taylor Jenkins Reid novel for Netflix, ABC Audio has confirmed.

Kendrick will direct from a script written by Little Fires Everywhere scribe Liz Tigelaar, with current revisions by Francesca Sloane. Reid is executive producing the film.

The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo follows “a young journalist’s long-awaited interview with Evelyn Hugo, an aging Hollywood starlet, who pulls back the curtain on her seven marriages. As she tells tales of Hollywood scandals, betrayals, and woe, she unveils shocking truths about her own life and the lives of everyone around her,” according to an official description from Netflix.

At this time, none of the film’s roles have been cast. Netflix says the adaptation is getting ready to enter production and that fans should stay tuned for more soon.

This marks Kendrick’s second time directing a film for Netflix, after her 2023 directorial debut crime thriller Woman of the Hour.

The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo was published in 2017. Netflix first announced plans to adapt the novel for its streaming service back in March 2022.

Reid’s novel Daisy Jones & The Six was previously adapted into a limited TV series for Prime Video. It released in 2023, and starred Riley Keough and Sam Claflin.

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It’s official: Taylor Swift is joining Woody, Buzz and the gang in Toy Story 5.

She’s written and recorded a song for the film called “I Knew It, I Knew You.” You can preorder the single now from her website; it’s set to ship on or around June 19, which is when the film hits theaters. However, the singles are only available until Wednesday at 1:59 p.m. ET or while supplies last.

There are three different versions of the song available: the standard version, a piano version and an acoustic version. All are available as CD singles with different artwork. The song itself will be out on Friday.

Taylor wrote on Instagram, “You knew it! My new original song ‘I Knew It, I Knew You’ for Disney and @pixar’s @toystory 5 will be yours on June 5th. I’ve always dreamed of getting to write for these characters who I’ve adored since I was a 5 year old kid watching the first Toy Story movie.”

She continues, “I fell instantly in love with Toy Story 5 when I was lucky enough to see it in its early stages, and I wrote this song as soon as I got home from the screening. Sometimes you just know, right?”

According to a press release, the song is inspired by the journey of Toy Story character Jessie and “marks a return to Taylor’s country roots.” Director and screenwriter Andrew Stanton said in a statement, “[Taylor’s] connection to Jessie and the immediate way she understood what the character was going through was undeniable.”

As previously reported, fans first suspected Taylor was involved in the film on April 30, when she posted — and then removed — a Toy Story-coded countdown on her website. 

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

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A Different World has received a Netflix release date. The series debuts to the streamer on Sept. 24. It stars Maleah Joi Moon as Deborah Wayne, the youngest daughter of Whitley and Dwayne. A new generation joins her at Hillman College for this show that’s “set against the rituals, humor, and nuances of an HBCU,” according to its official description …

Florence Pugh’s latest film has landed at Paramount Pictures. Variety reports that North American and select international distribution rights for the film The Midnight Library have been scooped up by Paramount Pictures. Pugh is set to star in and produce the film, which will be directed by Lion helmer Garth Davis …

Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman are reteaming for a Disney+ sailing docuseries. The Deadpool & Wolverine co-stars are set to lead a docuseries about the SailGP team they co-own …

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The horror genre scared up big numbers at the box office this weekend.

A24’s Backrooms, directed by 20-year-old Kane Parsons, took the #1 spot with $81.5 million. In addition to beating box office expectations, the film broke all kinds of records.

According to Variety, Backrooms had the biggest debut in history for an original horror film, as well as the biggest debut for a first-time filmmaker on a non-franchise film. Parsons is the youngest director to have a #1 film at the box office.

The film is based on Parsons’ popular YouTube series, and stars Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve as two people who enter a secret doorway into a maze of seemingly endless rooms.

Coming in at #2 in its third week of release was another horror film from a young director and former YouTuber, Obsession, which took in $26.4 million. The film, directed by 26-year-old Curry Barker, tells the story of a crush gone horribly wrong.

The week’s other two new releases, Nate Bargatze’s The Breadwinner and the World War II film Pressure, came in at numbers 5 and 7, respectively.

Here are the top 10 films at the box office:

1. Backrooms — $81.5 million
2. Obsession — $26.4 million
3. Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu — $25 million
4. Michael — $11.7 million
5. The Breadwinner — $7.5 million
6. The Devil Wears Prada 2 — $5.9 million
7. Pressure — $5.75 million
8. The Sheep Detectives — $4.6 million
9. Passenger — $2.6 million
10. Mortal Kombat II — $2 million

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The final trailer for House of the Dragon season 3 has arrived.

HBO has released a brand-new trailer showing off the upcoming third season of the Game of Thrones prequel series. It finds House Targaryen divided as ever, picking up where season 2 left off.

The show’s returning cast includes Matt Smith, Emma D’Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Steve Toussaint, Rhys Ifans, Fabien Frankel, Ewan Mitchell, Tom Glynn-Carney, Sonoya Mizuno, Bethany Antonia, Jefferson Hall, Tom Bennett, Kurt Egyiawan and Freddie Fox.

The new trailer shows off many dragons coming to Westeros amid brutal warfare.

“My enemies have been allowed to muster their strength,” Rhaenyra Targaryen (D’Arcy) says in the trailer. Later on, she says passionately, “Have you not betrayed your queen? Bring Aegon, the usurper, to me.”

House of the Dragon is based on George R. R. Martin’s Fire & Blood. The story is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, centering on House Targaryen.

In addition to airing on HBO linear, season 3 of the fantasy drama series will be available to stream on HBO Max.

House of the Dragon season 3 premieres on June 21.

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I got a text! It reveals the Islanders who make up the cast of Love Island USA season 8.

Peacock has announced the names of the OG Islanders starting the season before bombshells come in to shake things up. The 12 contestants consist of six women and six men who come from the U.S. and England.

Joining the season 8 cast are Aniya Harvey from Tyrone, Georgia; Beatriz Hatz from San Diego, California; Bryce Dettloff from LA; Gabriel Vasconcelos from Miami, Florida; KC Chandler from Fresno, California; Kenzie Annis from Kennesaw, Georgia; Melanie Moreno from LA; Sean Reifel from Easton, Pennsylvania; Sincere Rhea from Cape May, New Jersey; Trinity Tatum from Newport News, Virginia; Vasana Montgomery from Beaverton, Oregon; and Zach Georgiou from Birmingham, England.

Notably, Zach is the brother of Love Island USA season 7 bombshell Charlie Georgiou.

Love Island USA follows singles who go on a search for love while living in a Fijian villa. “Throughout their stay in a tropical oasis, Islanders will couple up to face brand new heart-racing challenges and bigger twists and turns than ever before,” according to an official synopsis. “Temptations rise and drama ensues as new ‘bombshells’ arrive, forcing Islanders to decide if they want to remain with their current partners or recouple with someone new.”

Ariana Madix hosts the season, which will be narrated by Iain Stirling.

Love Island USA season 8 premieres on June 2. New episodes drop every day during premiere week, with new episodes streaming every day except Wednesdays thereafter.

Additionally, its companion series Aftersun returns on June 13 with new episodes every Saturday. Along with its new hosts Ciara Miller and Tefi Pessoa, the series will now feature never-before-seen footage and Islanders’ genuine reactions as they start to reenter the world.

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Ready, set, binge! Here’s a look at some of the new movies and TV shows coming to theaters and streaming services this weekend:

Prime Video
Spider-Noir: Nicolas Cage reprises his Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse role in this new live-action series.

Hulu
Deli Boys: Season 2 of the comedy series arrives.  

Apple TV
Star City: Watch the premiere of this new For All Mankind spinoff series.

Movie theaters
Backrooms: This original horror movie from director Kane Parsons arrives in theaters. 

Pressure: Brendan Fraser and Andrew Scott star in this drama film about the hours leading up to D-Day. 

The Breadwinner: Comedian Nate Bargatze is married to Mandy Moore in the comedy film.

That’s all for this week’s Weekend Watchlist – happy streaming!

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The animated film Hoppers has set its Disney+ release date. Pixar’s latest feature will be available on the streaming service starting on June 3. The movie follows a young woman named Mabel who uses groundbreaking technology to put her consciousness inside of a lifelike robotic beaver. She then uncovers a hidden animal world and the rules that shape it …

See Oscar Isaac star in the new trailer for In the Hand of Dante. The Netflix film features a star-studded cast. Along with Isaac, it includes Gal Gadot, Gerard Butler, John Malkovich, Sabrina Impacciatore, Martin Scorsese, Al Pacino and Jason Momoa. Julian Schnabel directed the film, which arrives to the streaming service on June 24 …

The upcoming Rambo prequel now has a release date. Lionsgate is set to release John Rambo in theaters on June 4, 2027. The film is an origin story that takes place before the events of the 1982 film First Blood. Noah Centineo stars as the titular United States Army Special Forces veteran, taking over the role from Sylvester Stallone …

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We all know bad weather has the power to wreck plans, but it’s a little different when those plans involve the most pivotal operation in World War II. 

The new film Pressure, out Friday, recounts this little-known piece of WWII history. 

Andrew Scott stars as Capt. James Stagg, the meteorologist tasked with forecasting the weather for D-Day. When he realizes that a storm is on its way to derail the Allied Forces’ plans for the massive seaborne invasion, he must deliver the bad news to Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, played by Oscar winner Brendan Fraser. Together, they need to find a way forward or risk losing the war — and with just 72 hours to make a crucial decision, the pressure is a lot more than barometric.

“Who doesn’t want Brendan Fraser yelling in your face?” Scott jokes of their tense scenes together.

“I love the fact that they’re two quite formidable characters, but in very, very different ways, from very, very different cultures, who ultimately have a great deal of respect for each other, and a great deal of humility about their position in the world and what their duty is,” he tells ABC Audio.

Scott adds that it’s moving to see two people who wanted to do the right thing by the world rather than peacock their own achievements.

It was a quality Fraser came to admire about future U.S. president Eisenhower and how he ultimately humanized such an imposing historical figure for the film.

“The things that were important to me that I grew to admire about Eisenhower were his ability to listen to people rather than just hear them and also that he took accountability for the choices that he made,” Fraser says. 

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