Reuters Entertainment News Summary
Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.
Box Office: 'Don't Breathe' scares up $26.1 million as hot summer for horror continues
"Don't Breathe," a twisty story of a group of teenage delinquents who pick the wrong house to burglarize, dominated the late summer box office, debuting to a potent $26.1 million and topping charts. It joins a long list of recent horror films such as "The Purge: Election Year," "The Conjuring 2," "Lights Out," and "The Shallows" that have all found success with audiences. It's a genre that's particularly attractive to studios, because these films don't require much in the way of special effects or star power, making them cheaper to produce than comic book adventures and science-fiction fantasies. "These are the films of bean counters' dreams," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at ComScore. "They are profit machines and even when they're poorly reviewed, people line up for them."
Hollywood stars pose for 2017 Pirelli Calendar
Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz and Lupita Nyong'o have posed for the 2017 Pirelli Calendar, which features a host of Hollywood's biggest names. The likes of Uma Thurman, Kate Winslet and 'House of Cards' actress Robin Wright are also among the 15 stars who appear in the calendar.
Fire severely damages 'Knightfall' set in Prague: media
A fire severely damaged a set for the "Knightfall" television series at studios in Prague overnight, causing damage worth about $4 million, Czech media reported on Saturday. Firefighters brought the fire under control late on Friday after they used helicopters to dump water on the blaze at the Barrandov Studios from the nearby Vltava river, CTK news agency reported.
Beyonce storms Video Music Awards, Rihanna gets lifetime award
Beyonce dominated the MTV Video Music awards on Sunday, prowling the stage with a 15 minute medley from her powerful "Lemonade" album and taking home eight statuettes, including the top prize - video of the year. On a night when women ruled, Britney Spears returned to the VMA stage for the first time in a decade, and Rihanna performed four times to mark her lifetime achievement award.
Mexican singer Juan Gabriel dies of heart attack aged 66
Mexican singer Juan Gabriel, a musical icon across Latin America for more than 40 years, died on Sunday of a heart attack at age 66, broadcaster Televisa reported. The prolific songwriter and performer, who was known for his powerful love ballads, died in Santa Monica, California, Televisa reported. He was due to sing at a concert in El Paso, Texas, later on Sunday.
'Birth of a Nation' filmmaker reflects on his 2001 rape trial, acquittal
Actor-director Nate Parker says he never gave another thought to his trial and acquittal on rape charges in 2001 until forced to confront the issue again as the promotion for his film "Birth of a Nation" was gaining steam this month. In an interview with Ebony magazine published on Saturday, his first since learning in recent weeks that the women who accused him of rape in 1999 had committed suicide, Parker also acknowledged his previous comments to the media about the case were "insensitive."
© Copyright Reuters Ltd. All rights reserved. The information contained in this news report may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of Reuters Ltd.
