'28 Years Later' deftly revives a franchise of the undead

Among its many other attributes, '28 Years Later' is a reminder of why Ralph Fiennes is a cultural object to be treasured. Rarely bothering with lead roles, the actor prefers instead to airdrop into films as a politely strange supporting presence, radiating intelligent lunacy tinged with regret. In Danny Boyle's new movie — a jump-start to a dormant franchise and the first in a new trilogy — Fiennes appears midway through, dyed yellow with iodine and apologetic about the tower of skulls in his backyard. And he's one of the movie's good guys.

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Vogue

8 minutes ago

• Vogue

Bally Spring 2026 Menswear Collection

Bally has been linked to sports since the beginning of the Swiss brand, in 1851. Technical footwear has long played a role, too, including Bally's first tennis shoe in 1937, along with various shoes made for horse riding and golf, and the hiking boots used in the 1950s for the first ascent of Mount Everest. Today's Tennis collection for spring 2026 nodded to that history with a mixture of tradition and reinterpretation. Its starting point was the Competition sneaker, originally launched in 1983, now reissued to become more contemporary and sleek, as a celebration of a shoe worn by the Swiss 1992 French Open champions. This Tennis collection—designed by the internal creative team—was not conceived for playing, but instead as an homage to the aesthetics of the sport, which were also evoked through the clothes. The preppy proposals were presented in a white, red, and blue palette that explored late 1930s silhouettes with ample white pants, blue blazers, and spongy polos. The sweatshirts were more ironic, with tennis-related patches and vintage-inspired logos. Knitwear was an off-duty reinterpretation of braided twin-sets. An archival print of small tennis balls was widely used—also in a bright green accent—for short-sleeved shirts and lightweight scarves; the white and burgundy Bally ribbon was reprised, especially for accessories. Retro travel bags, themed canvas totes, and shoulder strap bags in perforated leather—the Bally signature Beckett model—were among the main accessories, together with more playful ones such as the cylindrical (and unconventional) clutch, the racket holder and a micro-tennis-ball-shaped keychain.

Associated Press

10 minutes ago

• Associated Press

Prada wants to change the conversation away from aggression, toward gentleness

MILAN (AP) — With global tensions escalating, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons want to change the conversation to something gentle, calm and nice with their menswear collection for next summer, previewed during Milan Fashion Week on Sunday. 'We tried to make a change of tone, from powerful to gentle, calm,'' Prada said after the show. 'Basically, the opposite of aggression, power, nastiness.'' 'Sometimes it is good to reflect, and be a bit more calm,'' added Simons, her co-creative director. Innocence reimagined In that vein, the pair's latest menswear collection recalled childish innocence, opening with short shorts that were more precisely elasticized briefs, with pleated pockets, worn with a sturdy, sure-footed shoe and black sock and a crisp white buttoned-down shirt with a naive print of a sun and waves. These panty-shorts were paired also with leather coats, long cotton shirts or fringed knitwear that give men access to the pant-less look already embraced by some female celebrities. Freedom in form and color A more serious double-breasted suit was worn with the sleeves pushed up in a get-to-work gesture layered over track jackets. Track pants with a side stripe or straight, cropped cotton trousers otherwise anchored the looks with leather jackets, car coats or knitwear. Urban looks ensembles paired with backpacks and flip-flops, on the verge of the getaway. Light, summer looks were finished with loafers. Nothing was completely office, and nothing was completely beach. The silhouette was deliberately unstructured, and the color palette broad and undefined. Gray, black, khaki and navy were offset by red, sky blue, lime green and turquoise and purple, monochromes mixing casually, as if to say, any way you want. 'We wanted everything to be human in its dimension, to be light and fresh and colorful,'' Simons said. Playful, with a shadow There was humor, even whimsy, in bright cone-shaped woven raffia hats that recalled a shuttlecock, some with strands of raffia feathering over the eyes as if a shade. In the spirit of change, the showroom was left deliberately raw, with concrete and orange beams exposed and sunlight streaming through the high windows. Childlike daisy-shaped rugs were the only decoration. While the colorful headgear and floral accents put a smile on people's faces, news that the U.S. had entered Israel's war with Iran on Sunday cast a somber mood. 'We are always very aware of that,'' Prada said. 'Good luck to everyone.'' Celeb frenzy Outside the Prada Foundation showroom, hundreds of fans screamed for the arrival of Asian pop group TransfOrmProject, South Korean actor Lee Do-hyun and Japanese singer Sana. Also on hand were English-Ghanaian rapper Stormzy, NBA star Anthony Edwards and actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Harris Dickinson.

San Francisco Chronicle​

23 minutes ago

• San Francisco Chronicle​

‘How to Train Your Dragon' tops the US box office as ‘Elio' marks a new low for Pixar

NEW YORK (AP) — Neither Pixar nor zombies were enough to topple 'How to Train Your Dragon" from the No. 1 slot at North American box offices over the weekend. The Universal Pictures live-action remake remained the top film, bringing in $37 million in ticket sales in its second weekend, despite the sizeable new releases of 'Elio' and '28 Years Later.' , according to studio estimates Sunday. 'How To Train Your Dragon' has rapidly amassed $358.2 million worldwide. Six years after its last entry, the Dean DeBlois-directed 'How To Train Your Dragon' has proven a potent revival of the DreamWorks Animation franchise. A sequel is already in the works for the $150 million production, which remakes the 2010 animated tale about a Viking boy and his dragon. Pixar's 'Elio' had a particularly tough weekend. The Walt Disney Co. animation studio has often launched some of its biggest titles in June, including 'Cars,' 'WALL-E' and 'Toy Story 4.' But 'Elio,' a science fiction adventure about a boy who dreams of meeting aliens, notched a modest $21 million, the lowest opening ever for Pixar. 'This is a weak opening for a new Pixar movie,' said David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm FranchiseRe. 'These would be solid numbers for another original animation film, but this is Pixar, and by Pixar's remarkable standard, the opening is well below average.' 'Elio,' originally set for release in early 2024, had a bumpy road to the screen. Adrian Molina — co-director of 'Coco' — was replaced mid-production by Domee Shi ('Turning Red') and Madeline Sharafian. Back at Disney's D23 conference in 2022, America Ferrera appeared to announce her role as Elio's mother, but the character doesn't even exist in the revamped film. Disney and Pixar spent at least $150 million making 'Elio,' which didn't fare any better internationally than it did in North America, bringing in just $14 million from 43 territories. Pixar stumbled coming out of the pandemic before stabilizing performance with 2023's 'Elemental' ($496.4 million worldwide) and 2024's 'Inside Out 2' ($1.7 billion), which was the company's biggest box office hit. 'Elemental' was Pixar's previously lowest earning film, launching with $29.6 million. It rallied in later weeks to collect nearly half a billion dollars at the box office. The company's first movie, 'Toy Story,' opened with $29.1 million in 1995, or $60 when adjusted for inflation. It remains to be seen whether 'Elio's' decent reviews and 'A' from CinemaScore audiences can lead it to repeat 'Elemental's' trajectory. With most schools on summer break, the competition for family audiences was stiff. Disney's own 'Lilo & Stitch,' another live-action remake, continued to pull in young moviegoers. It grossed $9.7 million in its fifth weekend, bringing its global tally to $910.3 million. . '28 Years Later' signaled the return of another, far gorier franchise. Director Danny Boyle reunited with screenwriter Alex Garland to resume their pandemic apocalypse thriller 25 years after '28 Days Later' and 18 years after its sequel, '28 Weeks Later.' The Sony Pictures release opened with $30 million. That was good enough to give Boyle, the filmmaker of 'Slumdog Millionaire' and 'Trainspotting,' the biggest opening weekend of his career. The film, which cost $60 million to make, jumps ahead nearly three decades from the outbreak of the so-called rage virus for a coming-of-age story about a 12-year-old (Alfie Williams) venturing out of his family's protected village. Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer and Ralph Fiennes co-star. Reviews have been good (90% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) for '28 Years Later,' though audience reaction (a 'B' CinemaScore) is mixed. Boyle has more plans for the zombie franchise, which will next see the release of '28 Years Later: The Bone Temple' next year from director Nia DaCosta. '28 Years Later' added another $30 million in 59 overseas markets. After its strong start last weekend with $12 million, A24's 'Materialists' held well with $5.8 million in its second weekend. The romantic drama by writer-director Celine Song and starring Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans has collected $24 million so far. With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore: 1. 'How to Train Your Dragon,' $37 million. 2. '28 Years Later,' $30 million. 3. 'Elio,' $21 million. 4. 'Lilo & Stitch,' $9.7 million. 5. 'Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning,' $6.6 million. 6. 'Materialists,' $5.8 million. 7. 'Ballerina,' $4.5 million. 8. 'Karate Kid: Legends,' $2.4 million. 9. 'Final Destination: Bloodlines," $1.9 million. 10. 'Kuberaa,' $1.7 million.