Steve Pond's Blog, page 80
July 22, 2025
ViX Surpasses 10 Million Subscribers Globally
TelevisaUnivision’s ViX streaming service surpassed 10 million subscribers globally, up from 7 million at the end of 2023, and delivered double-digit growth year over year in the company’s second quarter of 2025.
Contributing to ViX’s growth in the quarter was the CONCACAF Gold Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. It also formed a new, multi-region distribution partnership with Disney to include the its U.S. networks within Hulu + Live TV and brought ViX subscribers inMexico a combined offering with Disney+.
The platform also recently launched six “microdramas,” short-form episodes designed for vertical video, and is on track to launch 40 by the end of the year.
Despite the streamer’s growth, TelevisaUnivision saw its overall revenue fall 4% to $1.2 billion. The Mexico segment’s revenue fell 14% to $394 million, offset by the U.S. segment’s revenue growing 2% to $816 million. The company previously warned investors about the revenue drop in its preliminary results earlier this month, citing the impact of foreign exchange rates and softness in U.S. advertising revenue.
Total ad revenue fell 5% to $742 million, with the Mexico segment seeing an 11% drop to $287 million. In the U.S., ad revenue fell 2% to $455 million, reflecting an improvement from the first quarter as growth in ViX and linear ratings stabilized, driven by strong performance of sports content.
Meanwhile, subscription and licensing revenue was flat at $443 million, but grew 2% excluding the impact of foreign exchange driven by ViX’s premium tiers offsetting linear declines, primarily related to the renewal cycle with a key distribution partner in Mexico. The U.S. grew 9% to $348 million, while Mexico declined 23% to $95 million.
Since , Daniel Allegre has been aggressively cutting costs. The company’s “disciplined execution across product and programming” and growth in its direct-to-consumer division boosted adjusted operating profit 10% to $398 million. Operating expenses fell 9% to $812 million in the second quarter, driven by the company’s cost saving initiatives including lower content, technology, and marketing costs, and the “normalization” of DTC-related investments.
In December, the company said it would undergo layoffs as part of its restructuring, which would impact a “mid-high single digit percentage” of its workforce. That month, TelevisaUnivision’s head of local in the U.S., Jesús Lara, decided to leave his role. Separately, ad sales president Donna Speciale stepped down from her role in June less than a month after the company’s upfront presentation and has been replaced by Tim Natividad.
TelevisaUnivision ended the quarter with $585 million in cash on its balance sheet. Cash flows provided by operating activities for three-month period ending June 30 were $272 million, compared to $88 million in the prior year quarter. Capital expenditures were $23 million, consistent with the prior year quarter.
The company refinanced $1.5 billion in existing debt in July after issuing new senior secured notes due in 2032 and is in active discussions with its commercial bank lenders to refinance its term loan and revolving credit facility, both of which mature in 2027.
The post ViX Surpasses 10 Million Subscribers Globally appeared first on TheWrap.
Yorgos Lanthimos, Noah Baumbach, Kathryn Bigelow, Guillermo Del Toro to Bring New Films to 2025 Venice Film Festival
Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Bugonia,” Noah Baumbach’s “Jay Kelly,” Kathryn Bigelow’s “A House of Dynamite,” and Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” are heading to the Lido for their world premieres at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival.
At a press conference in Venice on Tuesday morning, the announcement of those and other titles was made by Alberto Barbera, Director of the Cinema Department and Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, president of La Biennale di Venezia.
Other films in the Venice main competition include new work from Paolo Sorrentino (“La Grazia”), Jim Jarmusch (“Father Mother Sister Brother”), Laszlo Nemes (“Orphan”), Park Chan-wook (“No Other Choice” and Benny Safdie (“The Smashing Machine.”
Films out of competition include Luca Guadagnino’s “After the Hunt,” which will bring Julia Roberts to the festival for the first time, Gus Van Sant’s “Dead Man’s Wire” and Julian Schnabel’s “In the Hands of Dante.”
In addition to the large number of new films from acclaimed international auteurs, the Venice lineup contains an unusually robust group of documentaries, among them Werner Herzog’s “Ghost Elephants,” Sofia Coppola’s “Marc by Sofia,” Lucrecia Martel’s “Nuestra Tierra” and Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus’ film about journalist Seymour Hersh, “Cover-Up.”
An additional group of documentaries in the Out of Competition – Film & Music section includes Robert Gordon’s “Newport and the Great Folk Dream,” a chronicle of the Newport Folk Festival during the early-1960s era depicted in last year’s James Mangold film “A Complete Unknown.” Another section of documentaries about cinema contains films about Guillermo Del Toro, John Boorman, Kim Novak, Louis Malle and Holocaust movies, among other subjects.
The Venice Spotlight section includes new works from Maryam Touzani, Potsy Ponciroli and Stephan Komandarev, while the Orizzonti section devoted to up-and-coming directors will open with Teona Strugar Mitevska’s “Mother,” starring Noomi Rapace as Mother Teresa.
As previously announced, Alexander Payne will be heading the international jury, which will award the Golden Lion and a number of other awards. Fernanda Torres, Stéphane Brizé, Maura Delpero, Cristian Mungiu, Mohammad Rasoulof and Zhao Tao will also be on the jury.
In April, the festival shared that Werner Herzog would receive the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement.
Venice is the first of three major fall festivals that arrive back-t0-back-to-back in late August and early September and typically showcase many of the films that will be in the awards race for the remainder of the year.
In recent years, films that premiered in Venice have included “The Brutalist,” “I’m Still Here,” “Maestro,” “Poor Things,” The Banshees of Inisherin,” “Tar,” “The Whale,” The Power of the Dog,” “Dune,” “Joker,” “Marriage Story,” “Roma,” “The Favourite,” “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” and Oscar Best Picture winners “Nomadland” and “The Shape of Water.”
The 82nd Venice Film Festival will take place Aug. 27 – Sept. 6, 2025. The four-day Telluride Film Festival begins two days later in the Colorado mountain town, followed by the larger Toronto International Film Festival the following week.
Here is the Venice lineup. Additional information can be found at the Biennale Cinema 2025 web page.
Competition
“La Grazia,” Paolo Sorrentino
“The Wizard of the Kremlin,” Olivier Assayas
“Jay Kelly,” Noah Baumbach
“The Voice of Hind Rajab,” Kaouther Ben Hania
“A House of Dynamite,” Kathryn Bigelow
“The Sun Rises on Us All,” Cai Shangjun
“Frankenstein,” Guillermo Del Toro
“Elisa,” Leonardo Di Costanzo
“A Pied D’Oeuvre,” Valerie Donzelli
“Silent Friend,” Ildikó Enyedi
“The Testament of Ann Lee,” Mona Fastvold
“Father Mother Sister Brother,” Jim Jarmusch
“Bugonia,” Yorgos Lanthimos
“Duse,” Pietro Marcello
“Un Film Fatto Per Bene,” Franco Maresco
“Orphan,” Laszlo Nemes
“L’Etranger,” Francois Ozon
“No Other Choice,” Park Chan-wook
“Below the Clouds,” Gianfranco Rosi
“The Smashing Machine,” Benny Safdie
“Girl,” Shu Qi
Out of Competition – Fiction
“Chien 51,” Cedric Jimenez (closing film)
“Sermon to the Void,” Hilal Baydarov
“L’Isola di Andrea,” Antonio Capuano
“Il Maestro,” Andrea Di Stefano
“After the Hunt,” Luca Guadagnino
“Hateshinaki Scarlet,” Mamoru Hosoda
“The Last Viking,” Anders Thomas Jensen
“In the Hand of Dante,” Julian Schnabel
“Dead Man’s Wire,” Gus Van Sant
“Orfeo,” Virgilio Villoresi
Out of Competition – Non Fiction
“Kabul, Between Prayers,” Aboozar Amini
“Ferdinando Scianna – Il Fotografo Dell’Ombra,” Roberto Ando
“Marc by Sofia,” Sofia Coppola
“I Diari di Angela – Noi Due Cineasti. Capoitolo Terzo,” Yervant Gianikian, Angela Ricci Lucchi
“Ghost Elephants,” Werner Herzog
“My Father and Qaddafi,” Jihan K
“The Tale of Sylian,” Tamara Kotevska
“Nuestra Tierra,” Lucrecia Martel
“Remake,” Ross McElwee
“Kim Novak’s Vertigo,” Alexandre Philippe
“Cover-Up,” Laura Poitras, Mark Obenhaus
“Broken English,” Jane Pollard, Iain Forsyth
“Notes of a True Criminal,” Alexander Rodnyansky, Andriy Alferov
“Director’s Diary,” Aleksandr Sokurov
“Back Home,” Tsai Ming-liang
Out of Competition – Film & Music
“Nino. 18 Giorni,” Toni D’Angelo
“Piero Pelu. Rumore Dentro,” Francesco Fei
“Newport and the Great Folk Dream,” Robert Gordon
“Francesco De Gregori Nevergreen,” Stefano Pistolini
Out of Competition – Series
“Portobello” (Ep. 1-2), Marco Bellocchio
“Un Prophete” (Ep. 1-8), Enrico Maria Artale
“Etty” (Ep. 1-6), Hagai Levi
“Il Mostro” (Ep. 1-4), Stefano Sollima
Orizzonti
“Mother,” Teona Strugar Mitevska (opening film)
“Divine Comedy,” Ali Asgari
“Hiedra,” Ana Cristina Barragan
“Il Rapimento di Arabella,” Carolina Cavalli
“Strange River,” Jaume Claret Muxart
“Lost Land,” Akio Fujimoto
“Grand Ciel,” Akihiro Hata
“Rose of Nevada,” Mark Jenkin
“Late Fame,” Kent Jones
“Milk Teeth,” Mihai Mincan
“Pin de Fartie,” Alejo Moguillansky
“Father,” Tereza Nvotova
“En El Camino,” David Pablos
“Songs of Forgotten Trees,” Anaparna Roy
“Un Anno di Scuola,” Laura Samani
“The Souffler,” Gaston Solnicki
“Barrio Triste,” Stillz
“Human Resource,” Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit
“Funeral Casino Blues,” Roderick Warich
Venice Classics – Documentaries About Cinema
“Mata Hari,” Joe Beshenkovsky, James A. Smith
“Elvira Notari: Oltre Il Silenzio,” Valerio Ciriaci
“Louis Malle, Le Revolte,” Claire Duguet
“Memoria de los Olvidados,” Javier Espada
“Megadoc,” Mike Figgis
“Boorman and the Devil,” David Kittredge
“Holofiction,” Michal Kosakowski
“Sangre Del Toro,” Yves Montmayeur
“The Ozu Diaries,” Daniel Raim
Venice Spotlight
“Hijra,” Shahad Ameen
“Un Cabo Suelto,” Daniel Hendler
“Made in EU,” Stephan Komandarev
“Motor City,” Potsy Ponciroli
“La Hija de la Espanola,” Mariana Rondon, Marite Ugas
“A Bras-le-Corps,” Marie-Elsa Sgualdo
“Calle Malaga,” Maryam Touzani
“Ammazzare Stanca,” Daniele Vicari
The post Yorgos Lanthimos, Noah Baumbach, Kathryn Bigelow, Guillermo Del Toro to Bring New Films to 2025 Venice Film Festival appeared first on TheWrap.
July 21, 2025
‘South Park’ Creators Strike $1.5 Billion Global Streaming Deal With Paramount | Report
“South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have resolved their dispute with Paramount over the global streaming rights to “South Park,” reaching a deal worth $1.5 billion that will bring the show to Paramount+ in the United States, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday.
Among other things, the agreement made through Parker and Stone’s Park County, will bring “South Park” to Paramount+ in the United States for the first time, as well as restoring the show to the streaming service in several foreign countries after being pulled from them last week.
The value of those streaming rights is set at $300 million a year over a 5-year period, according to LA Times.
The conflict over streaming rights to the show escalated in June when Parker and Stone, who operate South Park Digital Studios, owner of the show’s streaming rights, accused Jeff Shell, the Redbird Capital executive who is set to become the next president of Paramount should the deal with Skydance close, of sabotaging streaming deals with other companies.
In a June 21 letter obtained by TheWrap, counsel for Parker and Stone’s entertainment company, Park County, accused Shell of directing Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery to modify their deals in a “manner calculated to benefit Paramount at the expense” of Park County. Specifically, the letter alleged that Shell asked Warner Bros. Discovery to grant Paramount+ an exclusive 12-month window for new episodes, as well as shorten the deal from 10 to five years.
On July 11, “South Park” was pulled from Paramount+ outside of the U.S. as the streamer’s license to stream the series internationally expired.
As part of the new agreement, Parker and Stone agreed to produce at least 10 new episodes of “South Park” a year, according to the LA Times. The deal also means relations between Parker and Stone, and Paramount Global, which owns “South Park” network Comedy Central, is patched up before the Season 27 premiere on Wednesday. The season had already been delayed by 2 weeks, which Parker and Stone blamed on the upcoming Paramount-Skydance merger.
Paramount representatives didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from TheWrap.
The post ‘South Park’ Creators Strike $1.5 Billion Global Streaming Deal With Paramount | Report appeared first on TheWrap.
LA Times to Go Public ‘Over the Next Year,’ Patrick Soon-Shiong Says | Video
Los Angeles Times Owner Patrick Soon-Shiong intends to make the paper a publicly traded company by next year, the billionaire said during an interview with Jon Stewart on Monday’s episode of “The Daily Show.”
“Whether you right, left, Democrat, Republican, you’re an American. So the opportunity for us to provide a paper that is the voices of the people, truly the voices of the people [is important],” Soon-Shiong said. “So I’m going to announce something with you tonight…that we are going to take LA Times public and allow it to be democratized and allow the public to have ownership of this paper,” Soon-Shiong said.
Asked when this would happen, Soon-Shiong said, “We think over the next year that we will, I’m working through with an organization that’s putting that together right now, and right, and so the idea and that can hopefully remove maybe some of those questions of where ethics get cloudy.”
Watch the interview below:
It’s unclear how this will affect the paper’s current employees, who have been rocked by cascading crises in recent years. This year alone has seen layoffs and buyouts, on top of an ideological shift mandated by Soon-Shiong that led directly to a steep drop in subscribers.
In early may, 14 staffers were let go, and in march, dozens of employees in operations and communications sections were axed, a move that followed buyouts for 40 newsroom employees.
And the paper lost at least 25,000 subscribers in the weeks after Soon-Shiong overrode the paper’s editorial board to cancel a planned endorsement of Kamala Harris, and then began mandating more right leaning coverage.
And aside from all of that, LA Times reportedly lost $50 million in 2024.
The post LA Times to Go Public ‘Over the Next Year,’ Patrick Soon-Shiong Says | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
Jon Stewart Sings the Gospel of ‘Go F– Yourself’ to Paramount Over Colbert Cancelation | Video
In a move that sure looked like it had been coordinated with his friend and former co-star, Jon Stewart had a message to Paramount Global following the cancelation of “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert”: “Go f— yourself.”
But unlike Colbert, who said it almost laconically about Donald Trump during his own monologue on Monday, Stewart sang it with the help of a gospel choir backing him.
Stewart wasn’t just singing “go f— yourself” to Paramount though, but to the companies and figures in business and media who are in his words “bending the knee” to Donald Trump in order to “protect your bottom line.”
Watch the whole segment from “The Daily Show” below:
Stewart got there first by bringing up the topic of “The Late Show,” kicking the commentary off by paying tribute to Stephen Colbert at length. He noted their decades of working together first from 1999 to 2005 on “The Daily Show” and then with Colbert as the host of “The Colbert Report.” He also praised Colbert’s success in leaping from basic cable to a major TV network and eventually having the number one late night talk show.
Stewart also acknowledged the changing economic environment for network television and for late night TV, but then made it clear he does not but Paramount’s explanation that canceling “The Late Show” was purely about money.
“My God, when CDs stopped selling, they didn’t just go, ‘oh, well, music, it’s been a good run.’ The fact that CBS didn’t try to save their number one rated network late night franchise that’s been on the air for over three decades is part of what’s making everybody wonder, was his purely financial, or maybe the path of least resistance for your $8 billion dollar merger,” Stewart said, referring to the planned merger of Paramount Global with David Ellison’s Skydance Media.
CBS and Paramount “killing a show that you know rankled a fragile and vengeful president, so insecure suffering, terribly from a case of chronic penis insufficiency,” feels suspect, Stewart told his audience, because “CBS lost the benefit of the doubt two weeks prior when they sold out their flagship news program to pay an extortion fee to said president.”
“I understand the corporate fear. I understand the fear that you and your advertisers have with $8 billion at stake,” Stewart went on, “but understand this truly: The shows that you now seek to cancel, censor and control, a not insignificant portion of that $8 billion value came from those f—ing shows… shows that take a stand, shows that are unafraid…”
Stewart then made the case that seeking to reach deals or kiss up to Trump never protects anyone, using as his example the fact that Trump is now suing the Rupert Murdoch-owned Wall Street Journal.
“Donald Trump is suing Rupert Murdoch, the owner of Fox News, the man other than Biden maybe most responsible for getting Trump elected,” Stewart joked. “Fox spends 24 hours a day blowing Trump and it’s not enough. Imagine suing someone mid-blow.”
“So here’s the point: If you’re trying to figure out why Steven’s show is ending, I don’t think the answer can be found in some smoking gun email or phone call from Trump to CBS executives or in CBS QuickBooks spreadsheets on the financial health of late night. I think the answer is in the fear and pre-compliance that is gripping all of America’s institutions at this very moment, institutions that have chosen not to fight the vengeful and vindictive actions of our pubic hair doodling commander in chief,” Stewart continued.
This led him to the aforementioned “go f— yourself” gospel performance.”
The post Jon Stewart Sings the Gospel of ‘Go F– Yourself’ to Paramount Over Colbert Cancelation | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
Stephen Colbert Tells Trump ‘Go F– Yourself’ in Response to Celebrating ‘Late Show’ Cancelation
In his latest monologue, Stephen Colbert had a short response to Donald Trump after the president celebrated the cancelation of his show: “Go f– yourself.”
On Friday, the day after Colbert revealed that “The Late Show” is coming to an end next year, Trump wrote on his Twitter clone. Truth Social, ““I absolutely love that Colbert’ got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings.” I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert!””
After explaining this to his audience on Monday’s episode of “The Late Show,” Colbert said, “How dare you. How dare you sir. Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism?”
At this, Colbert turned to another camera and, with a placard onscreen that read “eloquence cam,” Colbert said “Go f— yourself.”
Watch the clip below:
Colbert also took swipes at Paramount, throwing shade on the official explanation that the show had lost $40 million.
“Over the weekend, somebody at CBS followed up their gracious press release with a gracious anonymous leak saying they pulled the plug on our show because of losses pegged between 40 million and $50 million a year. 40 million is a big number. I could see us losing $24 million but where would Paramount have possibly spent the other 16 million? Oh, yeah.,” Colbert joked, referring of course to the amount if paid Donald Trump to settle the lawsuit he filed baselessly accusing “60 Minutes” of deceptively editing its Kamala Harris interview.
Meanwhile, in the same post gloating about the show’s cancelation, Trump also said, “I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert!” Colbert took issue with that too, aggressively insisting “Nope. No, absolutely not Kimmel. I am the martyr, OK?”
“There’s only room for one up on this cross,” Colbert joked, adding, “and I gotta tell you, the view is fantastic from up here.”
Colbert broke the news on Thursday that CBS will cancel “The Late Show” next May at the end of the 2025-2026 season — Colbert will also depart the network at that time.
Numerous critics of the decision noted that it came just two days after Colbert Denounced CBS parent company Paramount’s $16 million settlement with Trump, which he called a “big fat bribe” to get FCC approval for the company’s $8 billion merger with Skydance Media.
For its part, CBS said in a statement last week that the cancelation was “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night” and “is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.”
The post Stephen Colbert Tells Trump ‘Go F– Yourself’ in Response to Celebrating ‘Late Show’ Cancelation appeared first on TheWrap.
Lionsgate Marketing Co-Presidents JP Richards, Keri Moore Out
JP Richards and Keri Moore are out as movie marketing co-presidents of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group effective immediately, and their roles will not soon be filled, the studio announced Monday.
Lionsgate chair Adam Fogelson will take a stronger position in overseeing the department, along with EVPS Jack Teed, Amanda Kozlowski and Nasim Cambron.
“In looking at our slate ahead, we have decided to re-approach our marketing group to meet the needs of a rapidly changing market,” Fogelson said in a statement. “As we redefine the way we explore our campaigns, JP Richards and Keri Moore will be transitioning from their roles at the studio.”
“The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping” is nearing production start for Lionsgate, whose other upcoming releases include sequel “The Strangers – Chapter 2” and “The Long Walk,” based on the Stephen King novel.
More to come …
The post Lionsgate Marketing Co-Presidents JP Richards, Keri Moore Out appeared first on TheWrap.
‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ Trailer to Screen Exclusively in Theaters
Disney is set to release the first trailer for 20th Century’s “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” and with it, the first look at the series’ evil Na’vi clan, the Mangkwan.
But to see it, you’re going to have to buy a ticket to “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” as the trailer’s debut will be theatrically exclusive.
Disney announced the trailer’s impending release with social media posts showcasing the teaser poster for the third chapter of the “Avatar” saga. Like the previous two installments, it features a half-face closeup of one of the Na’vi.
Meet Varang in Avatar: Fire and Ash.
— Avatar (@officialavatar) July 21, 2025
Be among the first to watch the trailer, exclusively in theaters this weekend with The Fantastic Four: First Steps. pic.twitter.com/MZi0jhBCI5
But while the first “Avatar” teaser poster featured Neytiri and its long-awaited sequel, “The Way of Water,” featured her daughter, Kiri, the poster for “Fire and Ash” shows Varang, the leader of the Mangkwan.
As series star Zoe Saldana revealed at CinemaCon, the Mangkwan — or Ash People — are a tribe who are hostile to other Na’vi and who have forsaken Eywa, the planetary consciousness of Pandora whom the other tribes worship as their goddess.
It’s the first time that “Avatar” has pivoted away from the conflict of Na’vi vs. humans, the latter largely represented by the RDA, the organization tasked with subduing the Na’vi and turning Pandora into the next home for the human race. Whether the Ash People and RDA team up against Jake Sully and the Na’vi remains to be seen.
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” is expected to be the highest grossing movie of 2025, just like the previous two films. If it reaches $2 billion at the global box office, it will join Marvel’s “Avengers” as the second franchise to have three films that cross that rare mark.
The film hits theaters December 19.
The post ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ Trailer to Screen Exclusively in Theaters appeared first on TheWrap.
First ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ Trailer Reveals the Next Chapter in James Cameron’s Saga
The next chapter in James Cameron’s “Avatar” franchise hits theaters just before Christmas, after a delaye bumped it from 2024, and the first footage of the threequel promises exactly what’s in its title.
The full trailer will run ahead of “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” for fans on Thursday, and was previewed Monday night ahead of the Marvel premiere event.
In the footage, we more gorgeous scenery and creatures of Pandora, largely existing peacefully. But, with war on the way, Jake needs to summon the strength of the ancestors.
The trailer isn’t dialogue heavy, instead opting for various moments from battle, which largely appears to take place in the sky this time around. Of course, as the title promises, there will be fire and ash; we see a large volcano with lava dripping down, and the Na’vi firing flaming arrows at their RDA enemies.
That said, even as war looms, Jake warns his wife that she cannot live with hate in her heart.
The footage also warns of potential casualties — specifically Jack Champion’s Spider, the human who was adopted into Jake’s family at the end of “Way of Water.” He’s alive in the footage but there are concerns for his well being.
In one scene, the newly-revealed character Varang warns ““your goddess has no dominion here.” As is typical with this universe, the visuals are stunning, and similar to “Way of Water,” and indications from the trailer are that the narrative will have heavy focus on Jake and Neytiri’s children.
As fans will remember, “Avatar: The Way of Water” ended with evil RDA goons finding Jake and his family, and unfortunately, killing one of his sons. Why come for them? The company has decided to colonize Pandora, and they know Jake is a threat to that plan.
Knowing that they’re just going to keep coming, Jake and his family vow to continue fighting, and start preparing for war. This December, that war returns.
“Avatar: The Way of Water” was released back in 2022 and marked a box office milestone, as it surpassed $2 billion in global grosses just over a month after its release. That gross made it the sixth film in history — a record third from Cameron — to reach the milestone before adjusting for inflation.
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” marks the third movie in the franchise, with fourth and fifth installments planned for 2029 and 2031, respectively.
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” hits theaters on Dec. 19, 2025.
The post First ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ Trailer Reveals the Next Chapter in James Cameron’s Saga appeared first on TheWrap.
July 20, 2025
Uma Thurman Says ‘Hundreds of Hours’ of Sword Training on ‘Kill Bill’ Helped Her in ‘The Old Guard 2’
Uma Thurman didn’t get a lot of time to train for “The Old Guard 2,” but luckily the “Kill Bill” alum previously spent plenty of time learning to wield a sword, she told The Times.
Despite the fact that it’s been 20 years since the release of “Kill Bill: Volume 2,” Thurman said she remembers everything. “Thank God for that, because I signed on quite late for this project so I didn’t have time to do proper training,” she explained in an interview published Saturday.
“Fortunately I had put in hundreds of hours learning how to hold a sword.”
She spent 8 hours a day for three months learning how to properly fight with a sword, Thurman added.
“You may not be limber and strong, but if your brain has learned how to memorize sequences of movements, you can get back in that zone,” she said.
The movie, which is based on a comic book, brings back Charlize Theron and adds Thurman and KiKi Layne. In a May interview with Jimmy Kimmel, Theron reveled in having the opportunity to work alongside the “Pulp Fiction” star.
“We knew each other kind of offhand, but I knew her from being a massive fan, just watching her work, and always wanted to do something with her,” Theron first told Kimmel. “Because when I came into the action world, she was really, to me, like, the sensei. She was the OG.”
“To me, she’s just such a badass. So, since I’ve been in action movies, I’ve been like, ‘Who do I want to work with and do an action sequence with?’ It’s always been Uma Thurman. Always,” Theron added.
Read the full interview with Thurman at The Times.
The post Uma Thurman Says ‘Hundreds of Hours’ of Sword Training on ‘Kill Bill’ Helped Her in ‘The Old Guard 2’ appeared first on TheWrap.
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