Guilty pleasures
By NewsPress Now
‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ jolts box office with $110M opening weekend
After 36 years of waiting, the juice is finally loose again in “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” this time racking up $110 million in its premiere weekend.
The long-awaited Tim Burton sequel is the third-best opening weekend of the year, only behind box office triumphs “Inside Out 2” and “Deadpool & Wolverine.”
Michael Keaton returns as the titular spirit and Catherine O’Hara and Winona Ryder also reprise their roles as Delia and Lydia Deetz, with newcomer Jenna Ortega playing the latter’s daughter, Astrid. Willem Dafoe, Monica Bellucci and Justin Theroux round out the cast.
The Warner Bros. sequel is the second-highest grossing September movie of all time, only behind 2017’s “It,” which opened with a staggering $123 million. The 2019 sequel “It Chapter 2” opened with $91 million and previously held the No. 2 spot for September openings.
The original “Beetlejuice” film earned a mere $8 million in its opening weekend in 1988, unadjusted for inflation, but went on to make $77 million in theaters domestically as it became a cult classic.
“There’s life in the afterlife,” said Jeff Goldstein, distribution chief for Warner Bros. “Many things have to happen simultaneously and all the stars are aligning.”
Goldstein, who confirmed the film’s budget of $100 million, said the studio expected an opening weekend of between $80 million and $90 million. Given the early success, he said the film “may get really long legs” with Halloween season approaching.
Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore, said September is “not known as a hotbed of $100 million blockbuster debuts,” but attributed part of the film’s success to Burton’s singular style and the star cast.
In addition to the returning cast, Ortega, who starred in the Netflix series “Wednesday” about the Addams family character, likely brought in younger audiences.
“If all this was were a nostalgia play for people who saw the first movie, it wouldn’t really necessarily work,” Dergarabedian said. “Part of the magic formula of ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ is having a great cast of a revered generation of actors and then having young actors who are making their own mark.”
The electric opening weekend kicks off the fall movie season with a bang after a sleepy Labor Day weekend and a relatively slow August that saw newer films struggle as holdover movies ruled the box office.
Beyond “Beetlejuice,” “Deadpool & Wolverine” placed second on the box office charts, making $7.2 million in its seventh weekend. Its cumulative domestic total is now $614 million.
“Reagan,” the Dennis Quaid-led biopic about the 40th U.S. president, continues to beat expectations. Climbing the ranks to third place in its second weekend, the film made $5.2 million.
“Alien: Romulus” and “It Ends With Us,” two more holdovers from the summer, came in fourth and fifth place, respectively. The sci-fi horror film brought in $3.9 million and the romance drama brought in $3.8 million.
The only other new release of the weekend to make it on the box office rankings was “The Greatest of All Time,” an Indian Tamil-language science fiction action film. The movie stars Joseph Vijay and was directed by Venkat Prabhu, who is known for directing and writing other Indian action films.
Kendrick Lamar
will headline the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show
LOS ANGELES | Kendrick Lamar will pop out on the NFL’s biggest stage next year: The Grammy winner will headline the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show in New Orleans.
The NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation announced Sunday that Lamar would lead the halftime festivities from the Caesars Superdome on Feb. 9. The rap megastar, who has won 17 Grammys, said he’s looking forward to bringing hip-hop to the NFL’s championship game, where he performed as a guest artist with Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent and Eminem in 2022.
“Rap music is still the most impactful genre to date,” Lamar said in a statement. “And I’ll be there to remind the world why. They got the right one.”
Lamar, 37, has experienced massive success since his debut album “good kid, m.A.A.d city” in 2012. Since then, he’s accumulated 17 Grammy wins and became the first non-classical, non-jazz musician to win a Pulitzer Prize for his 2017 album “DAMN.”
The rapper’s latest album “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers” was released in 2022. He was featured on the song “Like That” with Future and Metro Boomin on a track that spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this year. He also scored another hit with “Not Like Us.”
In 2016, Lamar gave a stunning seven-minute performance of tracks such as “The Blacker the Berry” and “Alright” at the 58th Grammy Awards. Lamar dazzled as an opener two years later at the Grammys with a performance of “XXX.”
In June, Lamar turned his Juneteenth “Pop Out” concert into a celebration of Los Angeles unity. It came on the heels of his rap battle with Drake during the three-hour concert featuring a mix of p-and-coming LA rappers and stars including Tyler, The Creator, Steve Lacy and YG.
Roc Nation founder Jay-Z called Lamar a “once-in-a-generation” artist and performer.
“His deep love for hip-hop and culture informs his artistic vision,” Jay-Z said. “He has an unparalleled ability to define and influence culture globally. Kendrick’s work transcends music, and his impact will be felt for years to come.”
Roc Nation and Emmy-winning producer Jesse Collins will serve as co-executive producers of the halftime show. The creative direction of Lamar’s performance will be provided by pgLang, a creative company founded by Lamar and Dave Free — who has previously directed the rapper’s music videos.
“Time and time again, Kendrick has proven his unique ability to craft moments that resonate, redefine, and ultimately shake the very foundation of hip-hop,” said Seth Dudowsky, the head of music at the NFL.
Last year, Usher shined with a star-studded show with guests including H.E.R., Jermaine Dupri, Lil Jon, Ludacris and Alicia Keys.
“The Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show is a celebration of the music we love and the incredible artists who make it, all on the world’s biggest stage,” said Oliver Schusser, the vice president of Apple Music and Beats.
Linkin Park
reunite seven years after Chester Bennington’s death
NEW YORK | Linkin Park is back with a new lineup and debuting their first new music since the 2017 death of lead singer Chester Bennington.
On Thursday, the band kicked off a livestream showcasing new singer Emily Armstrong and drummer Colin Brittain, who will join returning members Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson, Phoenix and Joe Hahn in Linkin Park’s new lineup. Shinoda and Armstrong share vocal duties.
The new lineup launched into a new single, “The Emptiness Machine,” at the top of the stream. Armstrong’s performance style comfortably continues the band’s legacy: Her full-throated vocals recall Bennington without attempting parody, immediately evidenced on the second song of the set: “Somewhere I Belong.”
“This is a very special day for us,” Shinoda said as he led introductions, mentioning that guitarist Alex Feder was filling in Delson for the night. “In the role of Chester Bennington this afternoon is each of you,” Shinoda addressed the crowd.
The new Linkin Park also announced a new album, “From Zero.” It releases Nov. 15.
The rock-rap band is one of the most commercially successful acts of the 2000s, aided by Bennington’s vocals. At 41, he died by suicide shortly after the release of the group’s last album, “One More Light.” In the years since, Linkin Park has dropped a number of re-releases, including 20th anniversary editions of “Hybrid Theory,” “Meteora” and, this year, the career-spanning greatest hits collection, “Papercuts.”
“Before Linkin Park, our first band name was Xero. This album title refers to both this humble beginning and the journey we’re currently undertaking,” Shinoda said in a statement announcing the upcoming release.
Armstrong comes from alt-rock band Dead Sara and Brittain is a songwriter and producer who has worked with Papa Roach, One OK Rock and All Time Low, among others. He replaces original drummer Rob Bourdon, who “has decided to step away,” a band representative told The Associated Press.
“The more we worked with Emily and Colin, the more we enjoyed their world-class talents, their company, and the things we created,” Shinoda said. “We feel really empowered with this new lineup and the vibrant and energized new music we’ve made together. We’re weaving together the sonic touchpoints we’ve been known for and still exploring new ones.”
The band also announced the “From Zero World Tour,” featuring five arena shows in Los Angeles; New York; Hamburg, Germany; London and Seoul this month, and a sixth in November in Bogotá, Colombia.
NFL Kickoff record 28.9 million viewers watch Kansas City hold off Baltimore
STAMFORD, Conn. | Kansas City’s thrilling 27-20 victory over Baltimore on Thursday night was the most-watched NFL Kickoff game since it started in 2002.
The game had a total audience average of 28.9 million, surpassing the 27.6 million that watched the New England Patriots defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2015 opener on NBC. Streaming did not start getting added to audience figures until 2016.
It was a 5% increase from the 27.5 million that watched Detroit beat Kansas City in last year’s opener.
Despite the start of the game being delayed 20 minutes due to a storm that included lightning, NBC averaged 24.3 million, according to Nielsen, with the audience peaking at 33 million during the second quarter (8:30-8:45 p.m.).
It also drew a 37 share on NBC, which is its largest for any regular-season game since it started carrying NFL prime time games in 2006. A share is the percentage of all television sets in use at a given time watching a program.
According to Adobe Analytics, streaming on Peacock, NBC and NFL digital platforms averaged 4.6 million.
—From AP reports
