BTS Win Big at American Music Awards; 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife' Opens to $44M; Peacock Renews 'We Are Lady Parts'; THR Actress Roundtable

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( November 22, 2021 What's news: Ghostbusters: Afterlife opened ahead of expectations in a big win for Sony. King Richard, on the other hand, struggled on debut. Ridley Scott has been talking about the Blade Runner and Alien TV shows. Plus: Spotify is removing the default shuffle function for Adele's new album — [Abid Rahman]( THR Actress Roundtable ►"Box office? I don’t care. I did my job." Jennifer Hudson, Kristen Stewart, Tessa Thompson, Jessica Chastain, Kirsten Dunst and Emilia Jones join THR's [Scott Feinberg]( for a lively discussion where they commiserate about overlooked labors of love, the degree to which fear drives their decisions and navigating COVID-19 to give some of the year’s most acclaimed performances. [The roundtable.]( —A gem. Peacock has handed out a second season renewal for the breakout Brit comedy We Are Lady Parts. Created by Nida Manzoor, the comedy about an all-Muslim female punk band has a rare 100 percent rating among critics on Rotten Tomatoes. [The story.]( —The most powerful person in music. Adele has a simple request when it comes to her new album, 30: listen to the songs in the order she presents them. The British superstar’s wish was heard by Spotify when the music streaming giant agreed to remove its default shuffle feature, which plays album tracks in random order, from her latest LP. [The story.]( —It's happening. Ridley Scott has spoken publicly, for the first time, about the upcoming Blade Runner TV series spin-off. The veteran director told the BBC that development was well underway, suggesting that it was being earmarked as a 10-part series. Scott also confirmed that Alien was getting a “similar” TV spin-off. [The story.]( —Strength in numbers. Nine leading independent film and TV production companies from eight different countries have set up a creative and development alliance to jointly develop a slate of high-end drama series and feature films. Called The Creatives, the group includes France's Haut Et Court, Israel's Spiro Films, Razor Film in Germany and Dutch group Lemming Film and it has signed a three-year partnership deal with production giant Fremantle. [The story.]( 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife' Opens to $44M ►Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters: Afterlife easily topped the weekend chart with a better-than-expected $44 million from 4,315 theaters at the North American box office after succeeding in luring both families and males, the most avid moviegoers in the pandemic era. THR's [Pamela McClintock]( writes that the film's performance is a big win for Sony, which was haunted by its failure to revive the franchise with the 2016 female-skewing Ghostbusters. The studio is counting on big business throughout Thanksgiving week and next weekend. Overseas, Afterlife started off with $16 million from 31 markets for a worldwide launch of $60 million. King Richard opened in fourth place with a decidedly disappointing $5.7 million from 3,302 theaters, underscoring the ongoing difficulty adult dramas face when opening nationwide in the pandemic era, and particularly those dramas opening day-and-date in the home (King Richard is available on HBO Max). Heading into the weekend, Warner Bros. was hoping for $7 million to $10 million. [The box office report.]( —Rapprochement. Netflix no longer is public enemy No. 1 in the eyes of at least one mega-theater circuit — Cinemark. On Nov. 12, without revealing actual numbers, the exhibitor gushed in a press release that Red Notice is the most successful Netflix title it has carried, but rivals AMC and Regal aren’t on board. [The story.]( —Perfect 10. THR's TV critics [Dan Fienberg]( and [Angie Han]( pick out the ten standout performances post-Emmys. These actors are the biggest revelations among the crop of shows that premiered after the Emmy eligibility period ended in May. [The selection.]( American Music Awards 2021 ►BTS FTW. L.A.'s Microsoft Theater played host to the American Music Awards on Sunday night and there were big wins for Doja Cat, Megan Thee Stallion and BTS who all took home three prizes, with the Korean boyband winning artist of the year. The ceremony, hosted by Cardi B, featured performances by Olivia Rodrigo, Coldplay, Chlöe, Måneskin, Carrie Underwood and Jason Aldean, Tyler, the Creator and Walker Hayes. [The winners.]( —Golden Frog winner. Cinematographer Robbie Ryan’s lensing of Mike Mills’ C’mon C’mon topped the EnergaCamerimage main competition, collecting the Golden Frog Saturday during the closing ceremony of the international cinematography film festival. [The story.]( —Will the Academy keep up the momentum? If The Power of the Dog filmmaker Jane Campion scores an Oscar nomination for best director, she will be the first woman to have done so twice, but, THR's [Beatrice Verhoeven]( asks, is that progress? [The analysis.]( —ICYMI. Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update” hosts Colin Jost and Michael Che touched on everything from Kyle Rittenhouse’s acquittal of all criminal charges to Baby Yoda’s float in the Thanksgiving Day parade, to the climate crisis, featuring Aidy Bryant as Mother Earth. [The catchup.]( Broadway's Return Is Triumphant, But Uncertainty Looms ►"Humans have to be as important as the show." The COVID-19 enforced shutdown of Broadway was an unprecedented industry closure unlike anything in recent memory, including worker strikes and the Sept. 11 attacks. Since theaters reopened on Sept. 14, Broadway has come roaring back with now more than 30 shows open. THR's [Abbey White]( talked to insiders about New York's billion-dollar theater industry, how COVID changed the culture and why Broadway's return to "normal" may take years. [The story.]( —"It’s all about leverage." Abbey speaks to Succession star Alan Ruck about whether Connor had a real chance as the pick for the Republican nomination and explains why Logan's choice won't deter his character. Warning spoilers. [The interview.]( —"Running this show for me is like both a dream and a nightmare." THR's [Pete Keeley]( speaks to Rafe Judkins, showrunner on Amazon's big budget adaptation of The Wheel of Time, and he discusses the changes from Robert Jordan’s novel, the challenges of adapting an "unadaptable" property, and why he calls the fantasy series the "most expensive redheaded stepchild ever." Warning spoilers. [The interview.]( In other news... —Film review: Bill Morrison’s [The Village Detective: A Song Cycle]( —Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast [wins Stockholm Film Festival audience award]( —[Molly Shannon reflects on double duty roles]( in The White Lotus and The Other Two, teases memoir —Blink Studios taps [Carolyn Newman to run scripted TV]( —Artist JR on his new documentary Paper & Glue and the [transformative power of art]( —Ranking the top 20 music schools [for composing for film and TV in 2021]( —[Jay Jacobs]( former longtime William Morris music agent, dies —[Will Ryan]( veteran Disney voice actor, dies at 72 —[Emi Wada]( Oscar-winning Japanese costume designer, dies at 84 What else we're reading... —It Was Supposed to Be Their Big Break. Now Two 24-year-olds are at the Center of the Rust Shooting Investigation [[Los Angeles Times]( —Two Fox News Contributors Quit in Protest of Tucker Carlson’s Jan. 6 Special [[New York Times]( —Thousands of Images From Pricey NFTs Are Being Offered for Free [[Bloomberg]( —Candace Bushnell Returns to New York—This Time, Onstage [[Wall Street Journal]( —Ridley Scott Defends Lady Gaga’s House of Gucci Accent [[Vanity Fair]( Today... ...in 1995, America met Buzz and Woody when Toy Story hit theaters. The CGI title, now a franchise, was nominated for four Oscars at the 68th Academy Awards. [The original review.]( Today's birthdays: Scarlett Johansson (37), [Mads Mikkelsen]( (56), Jamie Lee Curtis (63), Leos Carax (61), Mariel Hemingway (60), Dacre Montgomery (27), Mark Ruffalo (54), Steven Van Zandt (71), Jamie Campbell Bower (33), Terry Gilliam (81), Auli'i Cravalho (21), Sidse Babett Knudsen (53), Alden Ehrenreich (32), Hailey Bieber (25), Tom Conti (80) Joey Morgan, star of comedies Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, Flower and Compadres, has died. He was 28. [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. Copyright © 2021 The Hollywood Reporter, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media, LLC. 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