Capillary Technologies Expands Partnership with Adobe to Deliver Best-In-Class Customer Engagement & Loyalty Solutions – Technology Today – EIN Presswire
TodayBring Your Own Book Club: 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Erie Community Library, 400 Powers St., Erie. Calling all tween book lovers to this low-stress book club. Discuss any book — a current read or an old favorite. There will also be a craft. Registration required. This program is for ages 9-12 years of age. Free, highplains.libcal.com.
High Road Home at Rosalee’s Pizzeria: 6 p.m. Wednesday, Rosalee’s Pizzeria, 461 Main St., Longmont. The High Road Home brings a progressive bluegrass sound with a clear focus on lyrically-driven songwriting, while continually pushing the boundaries of tradition, relentlessly experimenting with arrangements and improvisation at live shows. The band is made up of David Allen Willis, along with Adam Hines, Chase Marler, Wolf Loescher and Lena Dow. Free, 303-485-5020, rosaleespizzeria.com.
Upcoming
Page Turners Book Club: 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Carbon Valley Regional Library, 7 Park Ave., Firestone. Calling all avid readers. Join every second Thursday to discuss books from a variety of genres. Free, highplains.libcal.com.
Demo Dungeons & Dragons: 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Erie Community Library, 400 Powers St., Erie. Demo Dungeons & Dragons: One Shots will be a taste test for teens and tweens who want to give D&D a try but who aren’t sure about committing to a full campaign. Join the second week of each month to play bite size versions of the popular role playing game where players will experience the breadth of possibilities of the world of Dungeons and Dragons and RPGs, make new friends and build life and improv skills. Free, highplains.libcal.com.
Peter Garland performance: 6 p.m. Thursday, Bricks on Main / Miss Krissy’s Bistro, 471 Main St., Longmont. Your friendly neighborhood Piano Man, Peter Garland brings his mix of covers and originals to Bricks on Main for the afternoon. Bring friends and enjoy the vibe of solo Billy Joel, sway to a soulful ballad or two, sing along with the playful guitar and tap your foot to some rock and blues. Enjoy food and drinks by Miss Krissy’s Bistro. Free.
Left Hand Investment Q&A: 6 p.m. Thursday, Left Hand Brewing, 1265 Boston Ave., Longmont. Join for a casual Q&A in the Tasting Room with CEO and Founder Eric Wallace to learn more about capital raise, supporting independent business and how to get involved. Ask questions, listen to updates and network with others in the community. First pint is free. Free, lefthandbrewing.com.
Atom Collective at Left Hand Brewing: 5:30 p.m. Friday, Left Hand Brewing, 1265 Boston Ave., Longmont. The Atom Collective is a dynamic groove, funk and jazz band that’s all about spreading joy and good vibes across Colorado’s Front Range. For fans of funky basslines, groovy beats or smooth jazz-inspired improvisation, the Atom Collective delivers a musical experience that’s sure to leave listeners smiling and tapping their feet. Free, lefthandbrewing.com.
50 Shades of Blue at Bricks: 6 p.m. Friday, Bricks on Main / Miss Krissy’s Bistro, 471 Main St., Longmont. 50 Shades of Blue is truly a collaborative, democratic band. Like all democracies, its creative process can be noisy and even contentious, but the end result is always better than any one of members had imagined in the first place. Take some of Dan Crecco’s New Orleans tinged drums and percussion, add Christine Webb’s soulful vocals and solid bass lines, then throw in Doc Seely’s mastery of all things with six strings, and the result is a savory gumbo of funkilicious blues and R&B. Free.
Vudu Sunshine at Bootstrap Brewing: 6 p.m. Friday, Bootstrap Brewing Company, 142 Pratt St., Longmont. Vudu Sunshine lays down originals that span across multiple genres and its own interpretation of rock, funk, smooth jazz and reggae covers. bootstrapbrewing.com.
The thriller film has been a huge success since it was released in December and it’s easy to see why14:26, 08 Jan 2025Updated 14:26, 08 Jan 2025Carry-On official Netflix trailer starring Taron EgertonThe thriller film Carry-On has soared to become one of Netflix’s most-watched movies ever, securing the fifth position on the platform’s top 10 most-watched English language films list.Netflix’s data reveals that the suspenseful movie has been streamed a staggering 149.4 million times since its release on December 13, totalling an impressive 298.7 million hours viewed.It has outperformed Leave The World Behind (143.4 million views), The Gray Man (139.3 million views), Damsel (138 million views), We Can Be Heroes (137.3 million views) and The Mother (136.4 million views).This new record means that Daniel Craig’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery has been bumped from the top 10, where it previously held the tenth spot.Carry-On has amassed a significant 17.4 million views in just this week, equating to 34.7 million hours viewed, and has maintained a place in the global top ten for four weeks, reports the Mirror.Carry-On has broken several records since it’s release(Image:
ASTANA – The Kazakh film “Citizens of the Roof” has won two nominations at the Golden Lion International Film Festival (GLIFF) in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, the Kazakh Ministry of Culture and Information reported on Jan. 6.
Excerpts from the film. Photo credit: gov.kz
The film was honored as the Best International Feature Film and won the Best Debut Filmmaker of Feature Film award. Notably, the movie highlighted five female debuts: producer Aliya Sharipbayeva, screenwriter Zhanna Timofeyeva, production designer Yelena Aitova, actress Lidiya Yartseva, and director Gulshat Smagulova.
“Citizens of the Roof” tells the story of the friendship between Damir, a young man with a troubled past, and Kostya, an autistic teenager. The film touches on themes of social adaptation for people with special needs and the value of inclusion.
The film was also recognized as a quarter-finalist at the Oniros Film Awards in New York in December 2024.
TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Science is not usually a topic fifth grade students love.But at Davis-Monthan Air Force base, students are ditching the books and getting hands-on learning as part of the DOD Starbase program.”Our students come in for 25 hours of S.T.E.A.M. instruction spread over five visits. Each visit has a different focus, but those focuses encompass a lot of the S.T.E.A.M. entities,” says Kristine Impellizzeri, director of the Davis-Monthan program, said.S.T.E.A.M. stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics.The first of five courses focused on science and building a ‘starship’ that would keep an egg from cracking on impact.With over 30 students being divided into groups, the results were mixed.But that is exactly what Impellizzeri and her group of teachers are going for.“It’s really, really exciting to see the end result, because that’s the process we want them to go through,” says Impellizzeri.Fifth grade student Elayna Livingood was in one group that succeeded on their first try. And she says science isn’t her favorite subject. “I didn’t really know what science meant until today. And today was just really fun. I didn’t think we were gonna do something really fun with like, hands on doing this,” says Livingood.Impellizzeri and her team are part of the federally funded Starbase program, but she also has Tucson roots of her own. And she says the community she knows all too well, has played a pivotal role in the success they have seen.”We’ve been really, really supported here. Our community out here not only represents positive role models to our students, but they also set the stage with providing opportunities for students to learn about different careers,” says Impellizzeri.Starbase usually brings in 900 students over the course of a year, and they are partnered with the Vail School District, but also aim to bring in schools from around Tucson.More information can be found on their Facebook page.
——Blake Phillips is a reporter for KGUN 9. Originally from St. Louis, Mo., Blake grew up in Sierra Vista. During his college tenure at the Missouri School of Journalism, Blake worked for the NBC affiliate KOMU-TV in Columbia. He is excited to return to a place he calls home and give back to the community in which he grew up. Share your story ideas and important issues with Blake by emailing [email protected].
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Bollywood actor-turned-BJP MP Kangana Ranaut criticized the selection criteria for the Oscars, accusing the Academy of picking ‘anti-India’ films, which show the country in a bad light, for the competition.To Read Lifestyle Stories in Urdu – Click Here
Out and about to promote her first film as a solo director, ‘Emergency’, Kangana Ranaut took the opportunity to speak about the selection criteria of the titles, chosen to compete for the foreign language category at the prestigious Oscar Awards.
Weeks after Kiran Rao’s critically acclaimed ‘Laapataa Ladies’, failed to make it to the Oscars 2025 shortlist, Ranaut has now claimed that ‘anti-India’ films are deliberately picked in the Academy Awards race to show the country as a ‘shithole’.
“Usually, the agenda they push for India is very different. Jo Oscar pick karta hai (What Oscars pick) is anti-India,” she asserted. “Abhi bhi jo film praise garner kar rahi hai (even now, the film that is garnering praise), I was very excited about it. I heard the director say that in India, you don’t have the freedom to love the way you want to love because of religious intolerance. I haven’t even seen the film.”
“For the Oscars, it has to be a film that makes the country look bad. Slumdog Millionaire, etc. It always has to be a film that makes the country look like a shithole,” maintained the ‘Queen’ actor.
Ranaut further clarified about her movie, “Emergency is not that film.”
“The West is ready to see how India stands today. I have never cared about these awards. I don’t care about Indian awards or Western awards. It is a film that’s brilliantly made, and it is as good as any international film,” she described. “But at the same time, I know how geopolitics works. We, as nationalist people, don’t have much hope with these award functions.”
Also Read: ‘Laapataa Ladies’ makers react after film’s exit from Oscars 2025 race
For the unversed, Ranaut is awaiting the release of her ambitious debut directorial ‘Emergency’, scheduled to hit theatres on January 19.
The political biopic, directed and produced by, and starring Ranaut in the lead role of former Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, was previously scheduled for theatrical release on September 6, last year. However, the film’s certificate was revoked by CBFC (Central Board of Film Certification), due to its sensitive theme.
Over 1,000 students from across the island of Ireland will flood through the doors of the RDS to participate in the 61st Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition, which represents the 25th year that BT Ireland has stewarded the exhibition. The participants will begin their unforgettable BTYSTE experience this morning, setting up their projects and preparing for the first round of judging, which will be carried out by 85 leading experts from Ireland’s science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) academic and industry sectors.
The first round of judging will be completed after the official opening of the exhibition this afternoon by President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins.
A supporter of the BTYSTE for many years, President Higgins’ address to students and their teachers this afternoon will be particularly momentous as it will be his last in office.
Throughout President Higgins’ terms in office, his championing of the exhibition has inspired many young people to explore their passion for STEM by entering the BTYSTE.
The opening ceremony will be streamed live from 2pm on the BTYSTE website and on Facebook Live.
As the RDS Dublin fills up with many young people seeking to change the world for the better, BT Ireland, in partnership with Business in the Community Ireland (BITC) and the American Chamber (AmCham), will hold an exclusive Executive Leaders Forum for business leaders this morning.
This year’s forum will focus on the importance of collaboration for expanding Ireland’s STEM pipeline.
Broadcaster Áine Kerr will MC today’s Forum, and speakers will include Managing Director of BT Ireland, Shay Walsh, as well as 2024 BTYSTE winner Seán O’Sullivan, who will talk about the importance of fostering STEM interest from an early age.
Companies represented at the event’s panels include IDA Ireland, American Chamber, Analog Devices, NOW Group, Fidelity Ireland, and ServiceNow.
Speaking ahead of the first day of the exhibition today, Mari Cahalane, Head of the BTYSTE said: “This year marks 25 years since BT Ireland became custodian of the Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition and is an extremely special occasion for me as I have been privileged be part of the organisational proceedings on behalf of BT Ireland since then.Advertisement
“Since its inception in the 1960s, the exhibition epitomises BT Ireland’s purpose, ‘connect for good’, setting many of the brightest young minds that this country has ever seen on the path to change the world, and we could not be prouder to help evolve this incredible event in the last twenty-five years.”
BT Ireland’s team of almost 180 volunteers will be ensuring that the participants and their teachers will enjoy a BTYSTE experience this year that they will never forget.
I would like to thank them for all their hard work, and to our esteemed guest, President Higgins, for his unwavering support over the years, helping us and all involved keep the BTYSTE prominently on the national agenda each year.
The BTYSTE opens to the public from Thursday, January 09 to Saturday, January 11, with a full programme of fantastic events and special acts for everyone to enjoy, including all student projects being on display throughout.
Additionally, over 60 brilliant stands from the exhibition’s partners, including the Department of Education, Analog Devices, Amgen, RTE, Stripe, BT, Re-turn, Permanent TSB, will be on display in the RDS.
Tickets to the BTYSTE can be purchased at https://ticketing.btyoungscientist.com or at the venue.
Visitors can plan their visit to the RDS in advance by downloading the?free?BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition app, available on Android and Apple devices.
Full of helpful information, the app includes an exhibition map, a search tool for student projects and exhibitors, a schedule of events, as well as links to the BTYSTE social networks for live updates throughout the event.?
For more information on the exhibition, please visit the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition website or follow @BTYSTE on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), YouTube or Snapchat.
Pierce Aerospace Awarded $10M Contract for Drone Remote ID Technology – Technology Today – EIN Presswire
As one year ends and another begins, the film industry insists that old acquaintances should not be forgotten. A bimonthly helping of sequels is coming to a theater near you in 2025, with continuations of long-running franchises, including Avatar, Mission: Impossible, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and a couple of overdue follow-ups like Zootopia 2, Paddington In Peru, and Tron: Ares. But those we know nothing about, such as the mysterious Predator sequel Badlands, are the ones we’re most excited about.
Ease into a new year with some familiar faces and check out some of 2025’s most anticipated sequels, and also Jurassic World Rebirth.
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Den Of Thieves 2: Pantera (January 10)
Six years is too long to wait for a sequel to Den Of Thieves, the 2018 heist thriller-cum-instant-cable-classic that operates like Heat with a concussion (complimentary). Reuniting with his former enemy, Donnie (O’Shea Jackson Jr.) links up with walking whiskey flask “Big Nick” O’Brien (Gerard Butler in his scummiest scumbag performance), who’s tired of working with the so-called “good guys” of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and wants in on honest criminality, not simply police corruption. Big Nick catches up with Donnie in Europe, where they will pool their talents for a massive diamond heist. One hopes Pantera retains the original’s junky action movie atmosphere, proving once again why Gerard Butler is king of January.
Paddington In Peru (February 14)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTvudSGfHRI
As is typically the case when a new Paddington movie floats politely into theaters, the world could use the rain-ready teddy. Returning for a third installment, Paddington takes his first steps without Sally Hawkins (Emily Mortimer takes over as Molly Brown) and director Paul King, who is currently serving a life sentence in the Wonka factory. Commercial vet Dougal Wilson will make his feature debut stepping in for King, but it remains to be seen if Paddington (Ben Whishaw), now searching for his Aunt Lucy in Darkest Peru, can withstand so much change. Nevertheless, a heaping helping of marmalade would hit the spot right now. As always, our prayers are with the little guy because we’d hate to give a hard stare to a Paddington movie.
Thunderbolts* (May 2)
Marvel should swap the much-discussed asterisk in the title for its upcoming superhero team-up Thunderbolts* for a question mark. With its cache ebbing and flowing post-Endgame—its biggest flop was followed by one of its biggest hits—the studio is doubling down on change and putting second-stringers in the starting lineup. While we wait to see how a new Captain America handles himself off streaming, Thunderbolts* makes a whole movie out of Avengers rejects (played by Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, and Lewis Pullman—with ringers Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Rachel Weisz) led by Captain America’s best friend, Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan). Marvel’s banter wizards better be working overtime on this one, because if Thunderbolts* isn’t funny, what are we even doing here?
Final Destination: Bloodlines (May 16)
Finally, some real sequels. It’s been 14 long years since the Grim Reaper last greased the tracks of his sadistic Rube Goldberg machines, and fans are ready for some of the most implausible death scenarios the hooded menace can think of. We don’t know what the plot of this new entry is (and probably couldn’t explain the plot of the last five), but Final Destination: Bloodlines has a lot to live up to—Final Destination 5 made for a surprisingly satisfying closed loop.
Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning (May 23)
Ethan Hunt’s mission, should he choose to accept it, is to reckon one final time. For what is supposedly the actor’s last Mission after 30 years on the run, Tom Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie want to go out on a high note, especially after the somewhat underwhelming response to Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning Part One. We’ve already seen some pretty spectacular stunts in the trailer, as well as more callbacks and references to other franchise entries, which Dead Reckoning played to enthralling effect. But will Cruise succeed in his life’s mission of killing himself on screen for our entertainment? We’ll find out on May 23.
28 Years Later (June 20)
In 2002, Danny Boyle, Alex Garland, and Cillian Murphy made zombie movies move faster than any zombie movie had moved before. Twenty-two years later, they’re ready to make the dead sprint again with 28 Years Later, part one of a diptych of legacy sequels surrounding the still-running problem of undead Brits. 28 Years Later’s plot is still a bit hazy, though we know there are doctors in this movie, and one of them is Ralph Fiennes playing a post-apocalyptic general practitioner helping a young boy’s sick mother (thoughts and prayers with that woman). There’s also some talk of a Bone Temple, which will be further explored in 2026’s 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.
M3gan 2.0 (June 27)
Thanks to some tight dance moves and a macabre sense of humor, 2022’s M3gan slayed all day at the box office. The surprise hit served memes and scares in equal measure, priming its audience for an even campier sequel. Rest assured, M3gan 2.0 is booting up for a summer release, stepping away from the January doldrums of its predecessor and tiding us over until she and Annabelle can get their own team-up movie together. We’re asking again: Annabelle Loves M3gan, when?
Jurassic World Rebirth (July 2)
Universal was so preoccupied with whether or not it could, it didn’t stop to think if it should keep rebooting the praying-for-extinction Jurassic Park franchise. Ignoring the warnings of Dr. Ian Malcolm (and Jeff Goldblum, who “enjoyed trying to make [Jurassic World Dominion] good”), the studio is ramping up another Jurassic Park trilogy. Directed by Gareth Edwards (Rogue One and 2014’s Godzilla) and written by original series screenwriter David Koepp, Rebirth stars Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali. Still, all the talent in the world can’t hide the fact that there is very little mosquito blood left to drain. Even if critics hate Jurassic World Rebirth (and with a title like that, how could they?), the franchise continues to put butts in seats, which would make Dr. John Hammond proud.
Downton Abbey 3 (September 12)
They’re ba-a-a-ck. After the Crawley family’s brief dalliance with showbiz in Downton Abbey: A New Era, Julian Fellowes’ long-running upstairs-downstairs epic returns with Paul Giamatti in tow. He’ll have big shoes to fill as Downton Abb3y will be the first trip to Yorkshire since Dame Maggie Smith’s passing last year. There isn’t much known about this trilogy capper, but we won’t say no to some Giamatti in period clothing.
Tron: Ares (October 10)
Photo: Disney
Fifteen years after Disney last revved its neon Light Cycle, Tron: Ares arrives at a time more primed for sucked-into-a-video game narratives than the first two Tron movies ever imagined. Now that American audiences have been Welcomed To The Jungle via the Jumanji reboots, they may be more interested in Disney’s long-running computer-generated experiments. It won’t be easy, given how much of the sequel is still shrouded in mystery, save for one damning exception: The movie stars Jared Leto.
Predator: Badlands (November 7)
Director Dan Trachtenberg hit the bullseye with Prey, 2022’s surprising Predator prequel, pitting the monster against a Comanche warrior in 1719 and giving audiences the first truly great Predator movie since 1988. Trachtenberg’s follow-up, Predator: Badlands, takes the opposite route, sending the Predator to an alien planet far into the future. It’s another big gamble that does not, in any way, sound as attractive as a Predator in the 1700s. There are some things to pique our interest, though, including Elle Fanning playing two characters. That said, Trachtenberg promises the Predator is the protagonist this time, and “Predator is the hero” is never as fun as “Predator is going to rip your face off.” But Trachtenberg’s formal daredevilry has paid off in the past. Secrecy did 10 Cloverfield Lane and Prey plenty of favors; the less we hear about Badlands is probably for the better.
Wicked: For Good (November 21)
Ever wonder how the Wicked Witch got so wicked? Wicked: For Good promises to settle the matter…for good. It’s hard to imagine there being even more to the story that wasn’t explored in the overlong Part One, but that movie did set up a few dangling threads that need tying. For what it’s worth, the second half of Wicked, the musical, doesn’t have a great reputation, with many scratching their heads at the idea of splitting the show into two movies in the first place. If Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo already sang the show’s best songs, why should we follow a yellow brick road towards For Good? We’ll at least keep holding space for another bizarre press tour filled with finger-holding.
Zootopia 2 (November 26)
Unlike Moana 2, Zootopia 2 wasn’t cobbled together from a discarded TV show and forced into theaters to refresh the brand for a 2026 live-action movie (allegedly). Still, the long-overdue sequel arrives nearly a decade after Disney’s colossal hit about a detective bunny rabbit and a con artist fox. Specifics are scarce, but Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Wilde (Jason Bateman) will return to the streets of Zootopia for another round of ill-advised metaphors about policing. Oh, and, yes, Shakira will be there too.
Avatar: Fire And Ash (December 19)
Our fingers are crossed that Fire And Ash comes out this year, but these Avatar sequels tend to be tardy. Not that we’re complaining, because they also tend to overdeliver. James Cameron’s third trip to Pandora again concerns the ongoing adventures of Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his Na’vi bride Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) fighting off the continued colonization and ecological devastation of the latter’s homeland. This time, though, the call is coming from inside the house, with Pandora’s “Ash people,” a new Na’vi tribe Cameron’s been hyping, taking shots at the Sully clan. The joke’s on them, though, because that family is formidable.
More from A.V. Club
Theatrical film’s comeback on the back end of 2024 was nothing short of remarkable.
Last year’s domestic box office wrapped just 3.9% under 2023’s total, a largely unexpected improvement from around 10% by the end of the summer and well over 20% at the end of spring.
Record-shattering June and July hits “Inside Out 2” and “Deadpool & Wolverine” first triggered the reversal before fall standout “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” and a slew of holiday hits led by “Wicked” and “Moana 2” undid the year’s prior outlook.
One might think this optimistic turn from 2024’s strike-addled film slates will make 2025 a shoo-in for cinema’s best year since the pandemic.
But some distributors’ slates remain as unpredictable as ever.
DISNEYDisney’s pair of summer blockbusters proved pivotal for obtaining the highest studio share of 2024 grosses and countering recent misfortunes of the years prior.
Still, “Inside Out 2” and “Deadpool & Wolverine” were both overdue sequels to characters that hadn’t been seen in a while, as opposed to Pixar’s new IP “Elio” in 2025 and two upcoming MCU films sporting superheroes new to that universe’s current iteration.
Likewise, the next “Captain America” film, which kicks off Disney’s slate in February, is the first to star Anthony Mackie after his character assumed the role of the titular hero, instead of Chris Evans. Marvel hasn’t seen recent success with new branches of its filmic universes, as Sony’s “Madame Web” and “Kraven the Hunter” bombed hard last year.
Plus, Disney hasn’t put its best foot forward with its live-action and photorealistic remakes of animated classics. “Mufasa: The Lion King” isn’t doing terribly at the box office but its performance pales in comparison to 2019’s “The Lion King.” Sean Bailey, the exec who spearheaded these live-action revisits, left Disney in February 2024, a sign the strategy behind such films could change after March’s “Snow White” and May’s “Lilo & Stitch.”
As for aging franchises, it’s tough to see how the return of “Tron,” which sees franchise newcomer Jared Leto in his first leading film role after Marvel dud “Morbius,” will stand out. Still, a new “Avatar” film will be crucial to offsetting any misfires.
WARNER BROS.If major studios routinely face accusations that they try to play the hits too much, Warner Bros.’ 2025 slate is set to skirt that claim significantly.
Sure, James Gunn’s rebooted take on the DC Universe kicks off with “Superman” in July, but it will follow June’s high-octane original “F1” from “Top Gun: Maverick” director Joseph Kosinski.
The rest of the Warners slate holds firm with that pattern. New works from acclaimed directors Bong Joon Ho, Barry Levinson, “Black Panther’s” Ryan Coogler, Paul Thomas Anderson and Maggie Gyllenhaal dot out the calendar, alongside films from such established franchises as “Final Destination,” “The Conjuring” and “Mortal Kombat” complementing a cinematic take on gaming’s mammoth “Minecraft.”
With horror opener “Companion” and comedy “Animal Friends” added to the mix, that’s a whopping nine first-time film properties on the slate, including “Minecraft,” vs. just four established film franchises.
There is also a “Spinal Tap” sequel from original director Rob Reiner that has yet to receive a release date, as well as the next installment of Kevin Costner’s “Horizon: An American Saga,” which was removed from its August 2024 date and remains unscheduled.
Such a vote of confidence in non-franchise films is the work of Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy, the two film execs Warner Bros. Discovery plucked from MGM in 2022.
NEONSpeaking of non-franchise fare, you haven’t heard the last of Neon.
Horror film “Longlegs” stood out last summer as a modest hit that grossed $74 million stateside, the indie distributor’s best domestic hit ever. That benchmark resonated with the industry due to the film’s budget and marketing coming in under $10 million, a reminder of the genre’s dependable model in the right hands.
Neon still specializes in foreign and arthouse fare — it has released the last five Palme d’Or winners and is distributing 2021 winner Julia Ducournau’s next film — but its current 2025 schedule consists almost entirely of horror movies. That includes two films from “Longlegs” director Osgood Perkins in “The Monkey” and “Keeper,” haunted-house thriller “Presence” from Steven Soderbergh and “Hell of a Summer,” the debut film from “Stranger Things” and “It” star Finn Wolfhard.
Even the one non-horror film on the calendar, “The Life of Chuck,” is a Stephen King adaptation from horror maestro Mike Flanagan, whose last film, “Doctor Sleep,” was the follow-up to King’s classic frightfest “The Shining.” Perkins’ “The Monkey” is also adapted from a King story.
Coming off its best year yet at the box office, Neon’s new slate will truly test horror’s theatrical vitality.