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Here’s a concise description of the reality of the state of moviegoing: In two consecutive weekends, Warner Bros. released two movies. One was the eighth entry in the “Conjuring” horror franchise. The other, an acclaimed musical film, celebrated as a breakthrough in representation of Latinos onscreen. Both concurrently showed at no extra cost on HBO Max for subscribers. “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It” grossed $24.1 million. “In the Heights” managed less than half, at just $11.4...

“Starstruck” has an awkward streak. Not in the put-upon, festival of cringe kind of way, but in the natural wake of two people who genuinely don’t know how each feels about the other. Their time together isn’t all dreaded pauses and goofy silence-fillers, but there are a few of those, too. It’s one of the great achievements of this new HBO Max comedy that this dance of uncertain feelings and independent lives is so well woven into the genuinely funny DNA of the rest of the series that it all...

When visual development artist Chris Appelhans (“Coraline”) realized that “Aladdin” was originally a Chinese folk tale while visiting Shanghai 20 years ago, he had an aha moment about writing and directing an animated genie-in-a-bottle retelling set in modern Shanghai. The result is “Wish Dragon” (streaming Friday on Netflix), an American-Chinese co-production with Sony Pictures Animation, in which working-class college student, Din (Jimmy Wong), teams up with pink, fluffy, snarky genie...

Consider it a celebration with something of an asterisk: in-person film festivals are back! But so are virtual components, making some of the year’s biggest cinematic events both safe and accessible for an even wider audience to enjoy them. After a cancelled 2020 edition and a delayed 2021 event, the Tribeca Festival is bellying up for a hybrid event with a major in-person edge, with lots to watch, no matter in which manner you choose to consume it. In March, the festival announced that it...

The video above was produced by IndieWire’s Creative Producer Leonardo Adrian Garcia. The conversation below relates to PBS docuseries “Philly D.A.,” an eight-part look inside the district attorney’s office of Philadelphia and the challenges faced by Larry Krasner, a longtime progressive defense attorney elected as the city’s prosecutor. Helmed by Ted Passon, Yoni Brook, and Nicole Salazar the docuseries is available to stream in full via the PBS app and website. Libby Hill, TV Awards...

“Wrath of Man” (United Artists), starring Jason Statham as an armored truck company employee with mob connections, topped all Video on Demand charts its first week out. The Premium $19.99 offering led on both FandangoNow and Vudu (which calculate by revenue brought in), and Apple TV/iTunes and GooglePlay (listed by number of transactions). The film, which has grossed about $23 million in theaters, received a PVOD release just after its third weekend in theaters. That’s the Universal/Focus...

While it eventually evolved to become a sprawling, eight-part look inside a Philadelphia institution at a crucial pivot point, “Philly D.A.” didn’t start out that way. Ted Passon and Yoni Brook began filming a smaller-scale documentary project on the longshot local campaign of Larry Krasner, a longtime progressive defense attorney running for the city’s district attorney job. After Krasner’s surprising victory, the two showed up throughout the transition process and in the opening weeks of...

MUBI has become the latest streaming service to expand into audio, announcing on Wednesday a new podcast built around underappreciated cinematic treasures from around the world. The opening season of the series — appropriately named “MUBI Podcast” — will span six episodes, beginning with the debut episode launching on June 3. Hosted by Rico Gagliano, the overall theme for the season is “Lost in Translation” and is centered around helping introduce significant works in international cinema...

Netflix’s next documentary will examine one of the nation’s most infamous murderers via the upcoming “The Sons of Sam: A Descent Into Darkness” docuseries. The streaming service released the trailer for the four-part series Wednesday. The docuseries, which consists of four hour-long episodes, will premiere May 5 on Netflix. Here’s Netflix’s synopsis: The hunt for the “Son of Sam” captivated the world in the late 1970s, but the story behind one of America’s most notorious serial murderers...

News that Kevin Spacey has been cast in his first movie since several allegations of sexual misconduct were made against him starting in 2017 has ignited fury across social media and the film industry. Spacey is set to appear as a sex abuse investigator in a new film by Italian actor and director Franco Nero titled “L’uomo Che Disegno Dio.” Nero is also starring in the movie, as is his wife Vanessa Redgrave. In a statement to CNN, the film’s producer, Louis Nero, defended Spacey’s casting by...

In an unusual show of consensus, reduced-price titles, a new PVOD title, and several independent films dominated all streaming charts. “Godzilla vs. Kong,” still #5 in theaters in its eighth weekend, followed its initial 31-day HBO Max play with PVOD availability. It placed #1 on both revenue sites, and was #3 and the best high-price title at those who rank by transactions. The good news is “Godzilla vs. Kong” is thriving on PVOD at $19.99. The bad news is an awful lot of people don’t seem...

Filmmaking rarely travels a straight path, but for “Monster” it was exceptionally twisty. After the legal drama starring Kelvin Harrison Jr. premiered at Sundance in 2018 in the U.S. Dramatic Competition, it’s seen a title change, its first distribution deal fall through, and the original title restored. Producers Tonya Lewis Lee and Nikki Silver say it was all worth it: The movie premiered on Netflix May 7 and was among the top 10 Netflix titles in the U.S. last week. “It has been a long...

A group of 108 producers have banded together to form the Producers Union, a supervisory union and collective bargaining organization for feature film producers in the United States. Spearheading the organization are Rebecca Green (“It Follows”) and Chris Moore (“Manchester by the Sea”). The group has elected an executive committee with Green as its president and Effie T. Brown (“Dear White People”) as vice president. Currently, the union currently excludes documentary and TV producers...