Innholdsfortegnelse for 1/6/2022 i Variety

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF As Brent Lang and Rebecca Rubin aptly pointed out in their Dec. 30 story, the mega-success of “Spider-Man: No Way Home” — with global ticket sales of nearly $1.4 billion to date — reminds us that movie theaters “still create a kind of grand cultural happening that simply can’t be replicated on Netflix.” While that is certainly the case, I remain personally troubled by the fact that so many other year-end releases, including “West Side Story,” “The Matrix Resurrections,” “Nightmare Alley,” “The King’s Man,” “King Richard,” “Belfast,” “C’mon C’mon,” “Spencer” and “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” among others, failed to lure crowds to multiplexes. I adore John Fithian, leader of the National Assn. of Theatre Owners, and I have always shared his love and faith in moviegoing and its ability…

Disney Plus racked up more than 118 million paying customers in its first two years. Netflix now boasts more than 216 million worldwide. The COVID-19 pandemic helped lift all boats in the streaming seas. But now the tide isn’t rising nearly as fast: Subscriber numbers are plateauing in mature markets like the U.S. as the streaming wars enter a phase with more gritty hand-to-hand combat. “In 2022, churn is the big story,” says Paul Pastor, founder and chief business officer at Firstlight Media, a streaming infrastructure provider. “Services achieved their 2024 targets without trying. Now there’s real competition to keep those customers, which is why Disney and others are investing heavily in content.” To sustain its momentum, Disney Plus “needs more volume” of programming overall, with a greater mix to…

Despite having not yet seen “No Time to Die” when writing what would become the film’s eponymous theme, Hans Zimmer felt co-writers Billie Eilish and Finneas ingeniously captured the mood he was after with his first-ever James Bond score. “This very quiet song went against the grain of everything the previous big Bond songs had done,” says the Academy Award-winning composer. “At the same time, I felt it was exactly the spirit that we needed to create — the poetry and nostalgia and intimacy we needed to set up at the beginning of the movie.” Zimmer urged producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson to invite Eilish and her brother Finneas to London to see a rough cut. Their demo had been written based entirely on reading just the first…

Under-the-radar aesthetician Jordan LaFragola’s keen eye for detail is hard to miss, from her jewel-box sanctuary tucked inside Charlie Chaplin’s former West Hollywood home to her all-natural facials. LaFragola honed her holistic approach to skin care during a decade working at prominent spas, leading to the development of her Flora Mirabilis face oil ($120) — a plant-based product loaded with nutrients that’s already gained a cult following. The blend is a standout in LaFragola’s bespoke treatments (starting at $200), which count Jimmy Kimmel and Sally Hershberger as fans. floramirabilis.com Physical therapy is viewed as part of the wellness routine at Myodetox, the spa-like boutique clinic expanding across L.A., with locations in West Hollywood (8354 Santa Monica Blvd.), Brentwood (11611 San Vicente Blvd.) and a recently opened Studio City spot (12825…

GRAY’S GOLD The past year has given us several impressive performances by actors playing well-known women. Though two thesps have garnered a disproportionate amount of awards buzz thanks to Film Twitter, Jennifer Hudson deserves heavy Oscar attention for her knockout work as Aretha Franklin in MGM/UA’s “Respect.” It’s an act of daring to sing Franklin songs including “Respect,” “Think,” “(You Make Me Feel Like a) Natural Woman” and “Amazing Grace,” but Hudson pulls it off, managing to sound both like herself and as Franklin. Just as important, she has the speech patterns, the manner and the emotional range to cover 20 years in a remarkable life. “I did a lot of research to find her speaking voice and her singing voice,” Hudson tells Variety. She also tapped into her personal…

AITCH ALBERTO “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe” When Alberto read Benjamin Alire Sáenz’s YA novel “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe,” she knew that the story of two awkward teenage boys who fall in love in 1980s El Paso, Texas, had all the makings of a great movie. “It spoke to me on a visceral level,” Alberto says. “It’s a brown story about brown people that was nuanced and presented us as fully realized human beings. There’s such a void of our stories. We tend to be stereotyped and put in boxes. It became my life’s mission to get the movie made.” So Alberto sprang into action, writing an adaptation on spec and flying out to Texas to persuade the author to give…

Eye-popping catalog sales, the streaming boom and cross-platform pivots have made music an increasingly attractive option for investment. Looking ahead in 2022, these five players are poised to make noise. 1 Michelle Jubelirer, Capitol Music Group chair and CEO You can count on one hand the number of women in chair positions at record companies. The latest to join this elite club is former music lawyer Jubelirer, who was promoted in December to the top post at CMG, home to 80-year-old Capitol Records, Blue Note and Virgin, among other labels and artist services offerings. Her 10 years at the tower offered a front-row seat to massive successes by Halsey, Sam Smith and Katy Perry, and she says her first tasks for 2022 include internal promotions, key outside hires and a…

AWARDS CIRCUIT Walt Disney Studios has conquered the box office, but when will it have its big Oscar moment? The 98-year-old studio has never won the Oscar for best picture with a film bearing the iconic castle’s opening logo. But there is a footnote to this statistic. In 1993, Disney purchased Miramax for a bargain of $60 million, owning the boutique indie distributor until 2010. In that time, “The English Patient” (in 1997), “Shakespeare in Love” (in 1999), Rob Marshall’s musical adaptation “Chicago” (in 2003) and “No Country for Old Men” (in 2008) took home the top prize. Then, through the acquisition of Fox, which was completed in 2019, Disney owned independent studio Searchlight, which walked away with the best picture statuette last year for “Nomadland.” Steven Spielberg’s remake of…

Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s “Drive My Car” is finding its way into the awards conversation, most recently being voted best picture by the L.A. Film Critics Assn. and before that, making it onto the shortlist for international feature film as Japan’s official entry. Its crafts work could help propel its win. Hamaguchi sets much of the narrative, based on a short story by Haruki Murakami, inside a red Saab 900. Yûsuke Kafuku, played by Hidetoshi Nishijima, is a renowned stage actor and director who is still coming to terms with the recent loss of his wife when he accepts an offer to direct a production of “Uncle Vanya” at a theater festival in Hiroshima. There, he meets Misaki Watari, played by Tôko Miura, a young woman assigned by the festival to chauffeur…

In the new series “Somebody Somewhere,” Bridget Everett’s character isn’t pleased when her friend Joel (Jeff Hiller), a gay man having a crisis, shares his vision board. “Dream all you want, Joel, but this is the future,” she declares, gesturing at the beige room around her to indicate the world they’re doomed to inhabit. “We’re in our 40s. And it hasn’t happened yet, has it? It hasn’t happened for you, it hasn’t happened for me — and that’s because it’s not going to happen.” It’s a moment of nihilism on a comedy that finds a way to grace only after establishing pain at its heart. Here, Everett — a Kansas-born stand-up and cabaret artist known for her appearances on “Inside Amy Schumer” — plays Sam, a version of herself had…

For more than 30 years, Sony Corp. has faced speculation about its long-term commitment to entertainment. But under the leadership of chief executive Kenichiro Yoshida, the company has been in entertainment-acquisition mode, notably with its $1.2 billion purchase of anime streaming platform Crunchyroll in August and the takeover of India’s Zee Entertainment last month. The hunt for assets to build up Sony’s IP vault, content production capabilities and niche direct-to-consumer offerings will only continue. “Entertainment is Sony’s DNA,” Yoshida told Variety in a lengthy virtual interview in mid-December from Sony’s headquarters as he sat in front of a large framed poster for “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” the Sony Pictures title that enjoyed a massive worldwide box office debut a few days later. At a feverish moment for media M&A, Yoshida…

Some characters become so indelible they break out of their narratives — none more so than James Bond, who has resounded throughout pop culture and the global moviegoing imagination since 1962. As “No Time to Die” marks the end of Daniel Craig’s run as British Secret Service Agent 007, Bond has bested other fan favorites across genres to become the preeminent cinematic myth of this — or any — era. After 18 months of COVID-19-related delays, “No Time to Die” opened globally this past October, a testament to filmmakers committed to a theatrical release. Their patience paid off: 35% of the film’s U.S. opening-weekend audience were adults who hadn’t seen a film in person in two years. It also attests to how beloved and acclaimed Craig’s Bond is, and the…

Paris Jackson (right) has a few acting cred-its under her belt. The 23-year-old daughter of the late Michael Jackson has appeared on television shows “Star,” “Scream: The TV Series” and “American Horror Stories.” On the film side, we’ve seen her in “Gringo” with Charlize Theron as well as indies “The Space Between” and “Habit.” But it’s her work in “Sex Appeal,” Hulu’s new coming-of-age movie, which is about a brainy high schooler (Mika Abdalla) who tries preparing for a night with her long-distance boyfriend by experimenting with her best friend (Jake Short), that may get Jackson the most attention yet. She plays Danica, a classmate known for her expertise around the bedroom. “Danica is rad. She wears combat boots, and she listens to metal music,” Jackson tells me. “That’s who…

For some, Dry January is a chance to reset health priorities after overindulging during the holidays. For others, abstaining from alcohol is everyday life. For either group, the selection of zero-proof wines, beers, spirits, liqueurs and elixirs has exploded recently, and they’re easier to find than ever at stand-alone stores such as Los Angeles’ Soft Spirits and New York’s Boisson and Spirited Away, as well as from websites like BeClink and The Zero Proof. While Ryan Reynolds touts his Aviation gin, his spouse Blake Lively (above) doesn’t drink at all, leading her to launch Betty Buzz, a line of premium mixers. The flavors — like sparkling grapefruit and agave-sweetened tonic water — can be enjoyed on their own or mixed with non-alcoholic spirits. Crafted from unusual herbs, fruit extracts and…

The Oscar shortlists were announced Dec. 21, and for some, it was an early holiday gift, as well as marking the ramp-up of awards season as showbiz starts to hone campaigns and voters start to really survey the contours of the myriad kudos on offer. DOCUMENTARY FEATURE Some 138 films were eligible for this category, with 15 making the cut, voted on by the Academy’s documentary branch, which will then determine the final nominees. Of the 15, some films were expected, such as front-runner Denmark’s “Flee,” which also made the international film shortlist (and has a good shot at an animated feature nomination). Music docs pepper the list, such as the Cannes-bowing “The Velvet Underground,” from Todd Haynes (Oscar-nommed for original screenplay for “Far From Heaven”). It explores the influential…

Director Joe Wright says of “Cyrano,” now in theaters: “It’s a very personal film. We’re all starved for human connection, and I was determined to make a movie about how we try to connect but often fail.” His musical adaptation of the 1897 play “Cyrano de Bergerac,” starring Peter Dinklage in the title role and Haley Bennett as Roxanne, was filmed in Sicily in a “bubble,” says Wright, because COVID (and a modest budget) prevented traveling to multiple locations. “It was a very difficult film to make, but I wanted it to have a kind of effortless effervescence,” he says of the MGM/UA and Working Title picture. Wright is quick to salute his artisans, saying, “The team made this film with more passion and commitment than any other film I’ve…