Latest news with #TheGodfather
Metropolis Japan
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Metropolis Japan
Megalopolis
By Don Morton He did it his way A lot of self-appointed cinema experts have commented on what a financial flop this movie is, noting that Francis Ford Coppola spent $100 million of his own money on it and is unlikely to ever see a profit. But what they don't know is that Coppola is admired, not for making moneymakers, but for making the films he wants to make. He made movies like The Godfathe r (I&II) and Apocalypse Now so he could fund The Conversation, One From the Heart and Rumble Fish. Francis has never shied away from risk, and maybe today's film industry needs more of that. So, what's it about? Reader, I have no friggin' idea. The production notes call it 'An epic Roman fable set in an imagined modern America.' Here's some of the critical buzz: 'Dazzling and audacious, uncompromising, satirical yet sincere, magical, meandering and maddening, windy, overstuffed, baffling, too talky, an idea-bloated monstrosity, a garish wonder to behold, a nakedly personal statement.' See what I mean? The massive, often baffled but uniformly committed cast includes Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Laurence Fishburne, Jon Voight, Dustin Hoffman, and dozens more. The whole thing eventually buckles under its own weight, but it's a thrilling demolition to behold. In sum, it's precisely the movie Coppola wanted to make. Whether it's a movie you want to watch depends on who you are, and I can't help you there. It's one of those you have to see to believe. Then we'll talk. (138 min)
Indianapolis Star
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Indianapolis Star
'Jaws' took a big bite out of the box office and changed Hollywood
After "Jaws" hit the big screen 50 years ago – and smashed the then-current box office record – moviemakers and studios knew from then on they were going to need bigger budgets. The Steven Spielberg-directed film cost $12 million to make, more than three times its original budget and about four times the cost of an average film at the time. Of course, much of that involved the building of three mechanical great white sharks. "Jaws" opened June 20, 1975, on 400-plus screens across the U.S. and Universal spent $700,000 on an unprecedented TV advertising campaign, according to the 2010 book "George Lucas' Blockbusting," to drive movie lovers to theaters and create lines as a show of bloodthirsty demand. Overall, Universal spent "a whopping $1.8 million on promo," notes Empire magazine, which in its special June issue deemed the movie "unequivocally the most influential, important and game-changing summer blockbuster … ushering in new levels of pre-release publicity." Hollywood was never the same after "Jaws" and its effects "are still resonating today," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore. "The sensation 'Jaws' created made the movie theater experience the epicenter of culture and spawned what would become known as the summer popcorn movie blockbuster," Dergarabedian told USA TODAY. Join our Watch Party! Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox The Guinness Book of World Records agrees. "Not only did people queue up around the block to see the movie, during its run in theatres it became the first film to reach more than $100 million in U.S. box office receipts," according to the Guinness description of its first summer blockbuster film award. In just over two months, "Jaws" surpassed previous box office leaders "The Godfather" and "The Exorcist." Despite being blockbusters in their own way, "those obviously were not aimed at younger moviegoers and not released in the summer," Dergarabedian said. While "Jaws" is a movie classic, Spielberg recently said he deemed "The Godfather," the film "Jaws" overtook as the box office godfather at the time, stands as the "greatest American film ever made." By the time "Jaws" finished its domestic run in theaters it had made more than a quarter of a billion dollars ($260 million), which is over a billion dollars today," said Ross Williams, founder and editor of The Daily Jaws website in a new documentary "Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story." The documentary premieres July 10 on National Geographic and streams the next day on Disney+ and Hulu. Shark screen attack: From 'Jaws' to 'The Meg,' we rank the 10 best shark movies of all time Also in the "Jaws @ 50" documentary, filmmaker George Lucas recalled how Spielberg invited him and some others to see the in-development shark. 'He (Steven) wanted to show us the construction of the shark, which was impressive. So I thought, 'Great this is going to be a good movie.' It was obvious it was going to be a big hit.' Spielberg, who discusses the struggles making the film in the documentary, was skeptical. "George looked at the shark and said, 'Wow this is going to be the most successful movie ever made.' and I, of course, looked at George like, 'Well you know from your lips to you know' ... but I didn't believe that." Lucas would go on to write and direct "Star Wars," which was released in May 1977 and would break the box office record set by "Jaws." Then, Spielberg would leapfrog him with "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" in 1982. Before "Jaws," summer had been theatrical territory owned primarily by B movies and exploitation films such as 1974's "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." After "Jaws," the major Hollywood studios, which had avoided summer, now identified it as the prime releasing season, and 'Jaws' inspired hundreds of summer thrillers and F/X pictures," wrote the late Roger Ebert in his book "The Great Movies II." Spielberg himself would go on to spawn many more summer blockbusters including "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "Jurassic Park," "A.I. Artificial Intelligence," "War of the Worlds" and "Minority Report" – all hitting theaters in the month of June. Two Indy adventures – "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" and "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" – released in May, the years 1989 and 2008, respectively, and "Saving Private Ryan" in July 1998. Outliers: "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" landed in theaters in December 1977; other December releases were "The Color Purple" (1985) and "Schindler's List" (1993). Spielberg had "hit after hit after hit for so long, and most of the time they were summer blockbusters," Shawn Robbins, founder and owner of Box Office Theory, told USA TODAY. His hit list included thrillers, fantasy and science fiction. "Genres, in a lot of ways, evolved because of what 'Jaws' did for summer blockbusters," he said. "Jaws" also raised the stakes, by moving "the bar in terms of audiences and what kind of thrill they might get," said J.J. Abrams, in the "Jaws @ 50" documentary. For instance, Lucas in "Star Wars," sought to match the thrill audiences got when Chief Brody (Roy Scheider) kills the shark in "Jaws," said Abrams. "When you think about it, it is a bit like the Death Star moment.' Studios' desire to have a release crowned as a summer blockbuster continues today. This summer's success, so far, of "Lilo & Stitch" and "Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning" suggests the goal of a summer hit remains. "'Lilo & Stitch' has been a huge start to the summer season and one of Disney's most successful remakes that they've done," Robbins said. The financial success of "Jaws" migrated beyond the movie theater. Spielberg, along with Lucas, transformed movies into intellectual properties, which could be parlayed into merchandise, theme parks, video games, books, and TV shows, Robbins said. "They became a significant part of the pop culture fabric." ''Jaws' was the perfect movie at the right time to become an absolute sensation and in turn changed the whole model on which Hollywood based its revenue generating capabilities," Dergarabedian said. "Nothing was ever the same after 'Jaws.'" Mike Snider is a reporter on USA TODAY's Trending team. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @ & @mikesnider & msnider@
USA Today
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
'Jaws' took a big bite out of the box office and changed Hollywood
'Jaws' took a big bite out of the box office and changed Hollywood Fifty years ago, Steven Spielberg's movie 'Jaws' made box office history, becoming a pop culture phenomenon and spawning five decades of blockbusters seeking to match the film's thrills and success. Show Caption Hide Caption Top 3 scary moments in 'Jaws' 'Jaws' turns 50 this summer and USA TODAY film critic Brian Truitt celebrates with his favorite bloody moments. After "Jaws" hit the big screen 50 years ago – and smashed the then-current box office record – moviemakers and studios knew from then on they were going to need bigger budgets. The Steven Spielberg-directed film cost $12 million to make, more than three times its original budget and about four times the cost of an average film at the time. Of course, much of that involved the building of three mechanical great white sharks. "Jaws" opened June 20, 1975 on 400-plus screens across the U.S. and Universal spent $700,000 on an unprecedented TV advertising campaign, according to the 2010 book "George Lucas' Blockbusting," to drive movie lovers to theaters and create lines as a show of bloodthirsty demand. Overall, Universal spent "a whopping $1.8 million on promo," notes Empire magazine, which in its special June issue deemed the movie "unequivocally the most influential, important and game-changing summer blockbuster … ushering in new levels of pre-release publicity." Hollywood was never the same after "Jaws" and its effects "are still resonating today," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore. "The sensation 'Jaws' created made the movie theater experience the epicenter of culture and spawned what would become known as the summer popcorn movie blockbuster," Dergarabedian told USA TODAY. Shark screen attack: From 'Jaws' to 'The Meg,' we rank the 10 best shark movies of all time 'Jaws' landed a Guinness world record The Guinness Book of World Records agrees. "Not only did people queue up around the block to see the movie, during its run in theatres it became the first film to reach more than $100 million in U.S. box office receipts," according to the Guinness description of its first summer blockbuster film award. In just over two months, "Jaws" surpassed previous box office leaders "The Godfather" and "The Exorcist." Despite being blockbusters in their own way, "those obviously were not aimed at younger moviegoers and not released in the summer," Dergarabedian said. While "Jaws" is a movie classic, Spielberg recently said he deemed "The Godfather," the film "Jaws" overtook as the box office godfather at the time, stands as the "greatest American film ever made." By the time "Jaws" finished its domestic run in theaters it had made more than a quarter of a billion dollars ($260 million), which is over a billion dollars today," said Ross Williams, founder and editor of The Daily Jaws website in a new documentary "Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story." The documentary premieres July 10 on National Geographic and streams the next day on Disney+ and Hulu. George Lucas had feeling 'Jaws' would be a 'big hit' Also in the "Jaws @ 50" documentary, filmmaker George Lucas recalled how Spielberg invited him and some others to see the in-development shark. 'He (Steven) wanted to show us the construction of the shark, which was impressive. So I thought, 'Great this is going to be a good movie.' It was obvious it was going to be a big hit.' Spielberg, who discusses the struggles making the film in the documentary, was skeptical. "George looked at the shark and said, 'Wow this is going to be the most successful movie ever made.' and I, of course, looked at George like, 'Well you know from your lips to you know' ... but I didn't believe that." Lucas would go on to write and direct "Star Wars," which was released in May 1977 and would break the box office record set by "Jaws." Then, Spielberg would leapfrog him with "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" in 1982. 'Jaws' made it safe for summer blockbusters Before "Jaws," summer had been theatrical territory owned primarily by B movies and exploitation films such as 1974's "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." After "Jaws," the major Hollywood studios, which had avoided summer, now identified it as the prime releasing season, and 'Jaws' inspired hundreds of summer thrillers and F/X pictures," wrote the late Roger Ebert in his book "The Great Movies II." Spielberg himself would go on to spawn many more summer blockbusters including "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "Jurassic Park," "A.I. Artificial Intelligence," "War of the Worlds" and "Minority Report" – all hitting theaters in the month of June. Two Indy adventures – "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" and "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" – released in May, the years 1989 and 2008, respectively, and "Saving Private Ryan" in July 1998. Outliers: "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" landed in theaters in December 1977; other December releases were "The Color Purple" (1985) and "Schindler's List" (1993). Spielberg had "hit after hit after hit for so long, and most of the time they were summer blockbusters," Shawn Robbins, founder and owner of Box Office Theory, told USA TODAY. His hit list included thrillers, fantasy and science fiction. "Genres, in a lot of ways, evolved because of what 'Jaws' did for summer blockbusters," he said. "Jaws" also raised the stakes, by moving "the bar in terms of audiences and what kind of thrill they might get," said J.J. Abrams, in the "Jaws @ 50" documentary. For instance, Lucas in "Star Wars," sought to match the thrill audiences got when Chief Brody (Roy Scheider) kills the shark in "Jaws," said Abrams. "When you think about it, it is a bit like the Death Star moment.' Studios' desire to have a release crowned as a summer blockbuster continues today. This summer's success, so far, of "Lilo & Stitch" and "Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning" suggests the goal of a summer hit remains. "'Lilo & Stitch' has been a huge start to the summer season and one of Disney's most successful remakes that they've done," Robbins said. 'Jaws': A 'perfect movie at the right time' The financial success of "Jaws" migrated beyond the movie theater. Spielberg, along with Lucas, transformed movies into intellectual properties, which could be parlayed into merchandise, theme parks, video games, books, and TV shows, Robbins said. "They became a significant part of the pop culture fabric." ''Jaws' was the perfect movie at the right time to become an absolute sensation and in turn changed the whole model on which Hollywood based its revenue generating capabilities," Dergarabedian said. "Nothing was ever the same after 'Jaws.'" Mike Snider is a reporter on USA TODAY's Trending team. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @ & @mikesnider & msnider@ What's everyone talking about? Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day
Gizmodo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
Francis Ford Coppola's ‘Megalopolis' Is Returning to Theaters, in a Truly Mega Way
Megalopolis, Francis Ford Coppola's long-awaited dream project, came and went from theaters last year. Usually, after that, a film would show up on demand or for streaming but that wasn't the case here. What was happening with Megalopolis? Now we know. Starting July 20, Coppola's film will be taken on the road for a series of events called 'An Evening With Francis Ford Coppola and Megalopolis Screening.' It kicks off in Red Bank, NJ, before going to Port Chester, NY; Chicago, IL; Denver, CO; Dallas, TX; and San Francisco, CA. It includes a screening of the film, obviously, as well as an 'interactive discussion' with Coppola called 'How to Change Our Future.' 'This is the way Megalopolis was meant to be seen,' Coppola said in a statement. 'In a large venue, with a crowd and followed by intense interactive discussions about the future.' You can get tickets on Ticketmaster, which appear to cost around $40. Released last year, Megalopolis was the result of decades of planning and anticipation from the legendary director of The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, and The Conversation. It cost well over $100 million and was paid for almost exclusively by Coppola himself, but it proceeded to bomb at the box office, grossing a little over $14 million. Nevertheless, the film's huge ambition and beyond-weird performances, themes, and visuals gave it the beginnings of cult classic status. Physical versions of the film were released but nothing beyond that. Adam Driver stars in the film as a visionary architect who wants to push his city into the future, only to run into a hard-nosed mayor, played by Giancarlo Esposito. Nathalie Emmanuel, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, and Shia LaBeouf all get in the fun along with Aubrey Plaza as a character named Wow Platinum. Yes, it's a movie where someone named 'Wow Platinum' makes total sense. We don't think Megalopolis is a particularly good movie, but it's certainly fascinating, worthy of discussion, and surely there won't be too many more cases to see Coppola discuss his work in public in the coming years. If you're a fan, take note.
Boston Globe
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
A lioness, a godfather, and a new elementary school: Why is Stoughton fighting with its cable access channel?
While voters eventually approved the new school in April, Lyons's shows leading up to the decision are part of a local controversy that continues to simmer. The local access station has sued the town and its leaders in federal court, alleging that they violated its civil rights and the shared access agreement by trying to interfere with its operations because it dislikes critical programming. Stoughton officials have denied the allegations, arguing that it's SMAC that violated the access agreement — a document that allows SMAC to record and air government meetings. Advertisement The town says the station exhibited an undue political bias against funding for the new school — including by airing programs such as 'A Lioness & You on the Watch' and 'The Stoughton Godfather,' a local talk show that begins with 90-year-old host Peter Ventresco photoshopped into iconic images from 'The Godfather.' Local officials also said the station has failed to provide the select board with updates as required in the agreement. Advertisement The lawsuit raises thorny First Amendment questions about the relationship between a public access channel and its local government at a time when such organizations are at greater risk of shutting down, thanks in large part to lost revenue as Founded in 2009, SMAC is funded all but entirely by cable fees received by the town, thanks to laws that require cable companies such as Comcast and Verizon to pay for public access programming in exchange for operating in local communities. It is an independent nonprofit and is required by federal law to be apolitical and open to all viewpoints. SMAC had a budget of $467,000 last year. The current feud traces back to an earlier, failed vote for the school proposal in June 2024. The new school is estimated to cost a total of $113 million — roughly $47 million of which will come from state grants — which required residents to vote on a debt exclusion. Opponents said the project will put an even greater strain on residents who are already struggling to keep up, while supporters argued that the proposal is the best and cheapest option for its aging schools. The real breaking point came after residents voted down the initial proposal, which prompted Town Manager Tom Calter to form a working group of residents. They produced a detailed report about the project ahead of the revote this year. Advertisement 'I find it easy to get information out,' Calter said. 'The problem is that factual information has to compete with misinformation.' Calter and other supporters of the school proposal said that opponents didn't characterize the project accurately, claiming, for instance, that the project did not include the costs of tearing down one of the existing elementary schools and building a new road and bridge. Lyons, treasurer of the Stoughton No More Tax Hikes political committee that opposed the proposal, said that her critics were misunderstanding the group's arguments. 'Saying that I'm full of misinformation? It's preposterous,' Lyons said. When SMAC tried to cover the second meeting of the Calter-appointed working group, a member told SMAC to leave, despite the meeting being open to the public. Calter said the meeting didn't have to be recorded because it wasn't subject to open meeting law. 'Video recording or live streaming the meetings would be contrary to the mission of the working group,' Calter wrote in a public letter at the time, adding that he was worried that clips without context would be released before the final report. The move alarmed SMAC, which sued the town just days after residents approved the school proposal in April, alleging that Calter and Select Board members Steve Cavey, and Joseph Mokrisky were not just trying to hide opposition to the school project but also actively trying to steer SMAC's programming. The station also alleged that Select Board members intimidated SMAC staff and had previously tried to gain influence over the station's operations. Advertisement 'SMAC is under a duty to be independent, and it is independent,' said Joseph Zoppo, an attorney representing the media organization. Town officials denied that they tried to steer programming but argued that SMAC needs to remain unbiased. 'We want them to be able to broadcast ideas, even ones that we don't agree with,' Cavey said. 'But what we do need from them is to be able to take that role seriously.' Turning SMAC away from the meeting also troubled some residents, other officials, and station hosts, including Lyons. She filed an open meeting law complaint with the state attorney general's office, but the office did not find that Stoughton violated the law. 'How dare the town manager not allow SMAC to videotape those working groups so that the working public, or anyone for that matter, could then go to SMAC and watch it at their own convenience,' Lyons said in an interview. 'They're the ones spreading misinformation and outright lies.' Crossover between local politics and SMAC helped fuel the town's concerns that the station has a political bent. Lyons and David Lurie, who up until last month was a SMAC board member, advocated against the school proposal and serve on the town's finance committee. SMAC board chair Bob Mullen is the town moderator. 'I'll never argue what SMAC puts up there,' Calter said. 'But it's pretty easy to argue that they had their thumb on the public policy scale with respect to this project.' Calter singled out the programs from Lyons and Ventresco, the latter of whom he called a 'cynic' who 'does no homework.' Mullen and Lurie declined to comment and referred the Globe to SMAC's attorneys, who said SMAC board members don't make editorial decisions, that the station aired plenty of pro-school programming, and that a lot of people in town hold positions at multiple institutions. Advertisement Ventresco said, 'I never lie, I put the truth out,' and said a lot of misinformation comes from the town. He added that he is supportive of the outgoing and incoming superintendents in town and supports a new school, just not the one voters passed. The outsized attention on SMAC comes as there are few other sources of information in town. The local newspaper, the Stoughton Journal, was combined with neighboring weekly papers in 2019, and the paper stopped printing in 2021, when its coverage went fully online at Gannett's Wicked Local website, a spokesperson said. As the fight between SMAC and Stoughton charges on, some residents want permanent change to what they see as too much overlap and dysfunction in town government and at SMAC. Others point to the difficulty in getting independent and reliable information. 'It's not like it used to be back in the day. People could get information,' said Mark Hausseman, 77, a retired Stoughton resident who the SMAC board tapped in 2020 to evaluate a former station manager. 'I think that's one of the problems.' Aidan Ryan can be reached at
