'F9' Off to Fast Start; Allison Mack Speaks Of NXIVM Cult "Regret"; Scott Weiland Biopic In the Works; BET Awards Coverage

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( June 28, 2021 What's news: F9 was able to shoulder the weight of expectation with a muscular debut at the box office. Sunday's BET Awards, live and in-person, pointed to a post-pandemic return to normalcy — [Abid Rahman]( 'F9' Races Ahead ►"We messin' with magnets now?" In news that will cheer the whole of Hollywood, but Universal in particular, F9 raced to a huge $70 million debut at the weekend box office, a pandemic-era record for North America and the biggest domestic opening since Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in December 2019, writes THR's [Pamela McClintock](. The ninth instalment in the enduringly popular Fast & Furious franchise is playing in 4,179 theaters in North America, the widest count for any film opening in recent months as more and more cinemas flip on the lights. F9 easily surpassed the $60 million domestic launch of 2019 spinoff Hobbs & Shaw, unadjusted for inflation, but couldn’t match the $98.8 million start of The Fate of the Furious in 2017, underscoring the fragile nature of the box office recovery. Globally, the movie has crossed $400 million. [The full box office analysis.]( —"The biggest mistake and regret of my life." Former Smallville actress Allison Mack is speaking out in the days leading up to her sentencing for involvement in the NXIVM sex cult. THR obtained a letter Mack wrote addressing "those who have been harmed by my actions," which accompanied sentencing guideline recommendations from her attorneys. [The story.]( —In the works. Dark Pictures is developing a film about Scott Weiland, the former frontman of the Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver, who died in 2015 at age 48. The producers have acquired the book rights to Not Dead & Not for Sale, Weiland’s memoir that was written with David Ritz. [The story.]( BET Awards 2021 ►Year of the Black Woman. Andra Day, H.E.R., Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion and Silk Sonic were among the winners at the 2021 BET Awards, which were handed out Sunday night at a live, in-person show that felt like a return to pre-pandemic norms. [The show recap and winners list.]( —The Queen. An emotional Queen Latifah was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award during the BET Awards. MC Lyte and Lil’ Kim paid tribute to the rapper-actress, and she performed with Monie Love and Rapsody before giving a speech alongside her father and holding a photo of her late mother. [The story.]( —Giving people their flowers. In another sign of a return to normalcy, stars including Jennifer Hudson, H.E.R., Queen Latifah, Issa Rae, Lil Nas X and Taraji P. Henson walked the red carpet before the BET Awards. [The red carpet roundup.]( —Cardi BET. Rapper Cardi B's stole the show with her performance at the BET Awards which even managed to break some news, that of her second pregnancy. She took the stage with Migos in a blinged-out, one-piece outfit with a mesh cutout showing off her pregnant belly. [The story.]( Emmys: Why Limited Series Have the Most Potential ►Critics' conversation. THR critics [Daniel Fienberg]( and [Robyn Bahr]( look back at a competitive television season dominated by star-driven shows with definitive endings that captured the attention of audiences. [The conversation.]( —"We didn't overthink it." Loki star Sophia Di Martino talks to THR about episode 3’s significant reveal, as well as reflecting on shaking up the MCU with Tom Hiddleston and why the two didn't have a chemistry read before her casting. Warning spoilers. [The interview.]( —Wait, what? It may be jaw-dropping for some of his fans to hear, but Quentin Tarantino says that for a while, he considered a remake of Reservoir Dogs as his final work of art in Hollywood. [The story.]( L.A. Is Back, Baby ►The taste of freedom. L.A. restaurants have been able to return to full-capacity indoor dining, and vaccinated patrons are not required to wear masks even at check-in. But the lifting of restrictions does not mean the end of the hardships the restaurant industry is facing. [The story.]( —"The roaring '20s thing seems likely." L.A. nightlife veteran Jared Meisler, the impresario behind Bar Lubitsch, The Roger Room, The Little Friend and Venice’s beloved The Brig, spoke with THR about the state of the bar and restaurant scene as restrictions become a distant memory and summer kicks off. [The interview.]( —Rebound incoming. As office work returns, with entertainment employees who left town during the pandemic trickling back, the Los Angeles apartment market is expected to heat back up: "It’s going to be a reversal of the downtrend we’ve seen." [The story.]( —$700 dog massage. Tourists are flocking back to L.A. and they’re spending money like a drunken sailor. On top of paying exorbitant prices to pamper pets, one high-net-worth Midwesterner recently flew two "members of staff" to the city by private jet and treated them to a $30,000 shopping spree at Neiman Marcus. [The story.]( In other news... —Daytime Emmys apologize [for misidentifying Marguerite Ray]( during in memoriam segment. —[Following cockroach photobomb]( could The Talk set be infested? —Comcast’s Sky [increasing on-set safety measures]( in wake of U.K. #metoo scandal. —[Bruce Springsteen’s Broadway show]( reopens with first full-capacity show. —[Max Rosenthal]( father of Everybody Loves Raymond creator Phil Rosenthal, dies at 95. —Swizz Beatz and D-Nice’s quarantine innovation honored at [Culture Creators Awards](. —[RTL Group sells Belgian operations]( to DPG Media, Groupe Rossel in $300m deal. —Real estate agents reveal how they sell [houses with sordid pasts](. What else we're reading... —"Ziwe Is Trapped in an Interminable Dance with Whiteness" [[New Yorker]( —"His Insurrection: Inside the Oval Office on January 6." [[New York Magazine]( —"Robot Rock: Can Big Tech Pick Pop’s Next Megastar?" [[The Guardian]( —"TV's Hero Cops Are Under Scrutiny. But Bosch Knew The System Was Broken All Along" [[Los Angeles Times]( —"John McAfee and the Birth of Modern American Paranoia" [[Rolling Stone]( —"Is This TV's Most Toxic Stereotype?" [[BBC]( Today... ... in 1985, Columbia released Joel Schumacher's St. Elmo's Fire, an angsty, R-rated post-college drama starring the leading lights of the Brat Pack. [The original review](. Today's birthdays: [John Cusack]( (55), Mel Brooks (95), Kathy Bates (73), Ayelet Zurer (52), Mary Stuart Masterson (55), Alessandro Nivola (49), Mike White (51), Florian Zeller (42), Jon Watts (40), Jessica Hecht (56) John Langley, the creator of the long-running TV show Cops, has died. He was 78. [The obituary.]( This email was sent to {EMAIL} by Penske Media Corporation. Please add email@email.hollywoodreporter.com to your address book to ensure delivery to your inbox. Visit the [Preferences Center]( to update your profile and customize what email alerts and newsletters you receive. 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