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Bollywood’s Jawan and star Shah Ruhk Khan livened up a slow specialty market, grossing close to $2.5 million in 776 locations in week two for a cume close to $12.2 million. The Yash Raj actioner is no. 6 at the domestic box office.

Its weekend split was $694,724k Fri.; $1.024m Sat,; $775k Sunday as Jawan races to records in India, including the top box office opening last week for a Hindi film. Commentators are noting that the dubbed Telugu and Tamil versions – a key to box office in India, and Stateside — are also raking in more than they have for any other Hindi film. Indian films continue to be a gift to U.S. exhibitors as loyal audiences who follow release schedule closely turn out weekly and in force for the films that open day and date. A breathlessly awaited, well-reviewed movie there is the same here.

Sony notable Dumb Money by Craig Gillepsie, banked a projected $217k for the first leg of three-step platform release in eight theaters across six markets. The film captures the meme-stock frenzy that saw scrappy retail traders flood onto social media, egging each other on to buoy GameStop and other shares in dramatic showdown with traditional Wall Street players. It made $92K Friday, $74K Saturday and an estimated $50K Sunday for a per-screen average of $27,080. A decent number since there was zero publicity due to the actors’ strike by very marketable stars from Pete Davidson to Seth Rogen, to Paul Dano, and that hurts. Gillepsie did some Q&As in NYC and LA.

The R-rated film that premiered to strong reviews at TIFF is banking on word of mouth as it expands to 200+ screens next weekend and goes wide September 29. No social data but anecdotal reports from theaters of positive reactions from advance screenings, and high audience scores.

The original release strategy was a four-step platform that would likely have garnered significantly higher PSAs on fewer screens this weekend. But Sony condensed the plan and skipped a step to leave a few weeks for Dumb Money before the mid-October opening of Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour – an event that’s hit $65 million in presales, with a $100 million opening within reach.

Paul Dano in ‘Dumb Money’

Other specialty openings: From Roadside Attractions, Camp Hide Out is posting an estimated three-day gross of $510,160 on 848 screens for a PSA of $602.

The Inventor stop-motion animation from Blue Fox Entertainment grossed an estimated $201k+ from 700 runs. From flying contraptions, war machines, and studying cadavers, Leonardo da Vinci takes on the grand meaning of life itself with the help of French princess, Marguerite de Nevarre. Directed by Jim Capobianco, the film stars Stephen Fry, Marion Cotillard, Daisy Ridley, Matt Berry & Gauthier Battoue.

Limited release: Documentary Invisible Beauty from Magnolia Pictures grossed $10,500 at the Film Forum. Expanding on Friday to LA, Chicago, Washington, DC and Atlanta. Fashion revolutionary Bethann Hardison looks back on her journey as a pioneering Black model, modelling agent and activist.

Kino Lorber’s release of Radical Wolfe grossed $8,270 at IFC Center. Based on bestselling author Michael Lewis’s 2015 Vanity Fair article, the documentary traces the author’s rise from a journalism pioneer to bestselling novelist and celebrity whose singular voice and iconic white suit made him one of the most recognizable literary figures of all time. Expands to LA, Toronto and additional markets Sept. 22.

Thriller Rebel from Yellow Veil Pictures grossed $6,500, also at IFC Center. By Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah. it expands to LA’s Nuart next weekend. A young man leaves Belgium to help war victims in Syria, but once there is stranded and forced to join Isis. His younger brother back home becomes easy prey for radical recruiters who promise a reunion.

Oscilloscope’s Canary grossed $8,350 on three screens. The distributor — in partnership with Rei Co-Op Studios and Boardwalk Pictures — presents the true story of Dr. Lonnie Thompson, the world’s greatest living climatologist, in NYC, LA and Columbus, Oh. Expanding Wed. nationwide to over 140 theaters.

Noting Oscilloscope’s CatVideoFest 2023 has crossed half a million theatrical in week seven, grossing $30k on 20 screens for a cume of $502k. It’s a new best for the event that celebrates all things feline and which Oscilloscope has handled since 2019. The compilation, which has also raised over $50k for cats in need, will continue to add new engagements throughout the fall.

Holdovers: Variance Films’ expanded Amerikatsi, Armenia’s official Oscar submission for Best International Feature, grossed an estimated $91,932 on 19 screens in week two for a per-screen average of $4,839 and a new cume of $167,697.

Also Noting Bottoms from MGM is heading towards $10 million in week four. Emma Seligman’s rauchy teen comedy starring Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri has successfully reached a younger movie-going audience and racked up another $1.2M on its way to a current estimated cume of $9.87M.

And A24’s low-budget horror Talk To Me, ditto with younger fans, is still on 570 screens, where it grossed $567,472 this weekend for a cume of nearly $47 million since it opened July 28.

Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on Wbgr-fm on September 14th, 2023, reviewing “The Inventor,” an animated epic on the final days of inventor and artist Leonardo Da Vinci. In theaters on September 15th.

Rating: 4.5/5.0

The film is an animated take on the life of Leonardo da Vinci (voice of Stephen Fry). We find da Vinci at a crossroads as the church in Italy, represented by Pope Leo the 10th (Matt Berry), condemns the painter and inventor for his progressive thought. When the King of France (Gauthier Battoue) and his mother Louise de Savoy (Marion Cottillard) convince da Vinci to move to France, he finds a muse in Marguerite (Daisy Ridley) and a new passion for creation in his last days.

”The Inventor” in in select theaters since September 15th. See local listings Featuring the voices of Stephen Fry, Daisy Ridley, Matt Berry,...

With “The Inventor,” Jim Capobianco (the Oscar-nominated screenwriter of “Ratatouille“) has managed to direct a family-friendly animated musical (in both stop-motion and 2D) about Leonardo da Vinci’s search for the meaning of life at the end of his life. That’s quite a da Vinci code to crack. That is why it took 12 years to make as a co-production with Curiosity Studio (Ireland), Foliascope (France), Aerial Contrivance Studios, and Robert Rippberger’s Sie Films.

Capobianco’s fascination with da Vinci began with the 2009 2D short “Leonardo,” after intense research into his legendary life as an inventor of flying machines, artist, and pioneer in the study of human anatomy. But what sparked Capobianco’s interest was the notion of da Vinci as “a real person struck with ideas beyond the technical, intellectual, and the societal capabilities of his time.” For him, “The Inventor” explores legacy, how you live your life,...

An exclusive new clip from the upcoming stop-motion movie The Inventor finds Star Wars actor Daisy Ridley singing in this tale of Renaissance man, Leonardo da Vinci. Coming courtesy of Blue Fox Entertainment, Ridley voices princess of France Marguerite in The Inventor alongside The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy star and all-around legend Stephen Fry as Leonardo da Vinci. Check out our exclusive new clip from The Inventor below.

The official synopsis for The Inventor reads as follows:

“The Inventor tells the story of the insatiably curious and headstrong inventor and artist Leonardo da Vinci (Stephen Fry) as he leaves Italy to join the French court where he can freely experiment, invent flying contraptions and incredible machines, and study the human body. Joined in his adventure by the audacious Princess Marguerite (Daisy Ridley), Leonardo attempts to uncover the answer to the ultimate question: “What is the meaning of life?"

An...

The Inventor is an animated movie that explores the humanity behind Leonardo da Vinci's art, highlighting his search for the meaning of life. The film features a star-studded cast, including Stephen Fry as da Vinci and Daisy Ridley as Princess Marguerite de Navarre. The animation style of the movie combines 2D hand-drawn and stop-motion, each presenting its own challenges in production.

The world may know Leonardo da Vinci as a great artist, but few have thought about the person behind the legend. Jim Capobianco focuses on the humanity that drove the art in his new animated movie The Inventor. He wrote and directed the project, with Pierre-Luc Granjon serving as co-director, after first stepping into da Vinci's shoes in 2009 with his silent short film Leonardo. This time there are not only voices but also songs, which were written by his collaborator Alex Mandel.

The Inventor stars Stephen Fry as...

Stop-motion film The Inventor has a new trailer, featuring the voices of Star Wars' Daisy Ridley and The Sandman's Stephen Fry.

In a creative leap from the team that created the Academy Award-winning movie Ratatouille, a new stop-motion masterpiece is on the horizon. The spotlight shines on a real-life visionary, Leonardo Da Vinci, whose voice is supplied by veteran actor and comedian Fry. The trailer offers a glimpse into the essence of Da Vinci, not only showcasing his ingenious creations but also delving into the profound personal struggles that shaped his extraordinary journey.

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The Inventor will focus on the latter years of Da Vinci's life, presenting him with a long beard and bald head, iconic symbols of his later days. The trailer opens with Da Vinci introducing himself, in his own unique way, as "a rather insightful inventor." This...

"Why can't you just be satisfied with painting pretty things?" Blue Fox Entertainment has revealed the first official trailer for a stop-motion animation creation called The Inventor, co-directed by Jim Capobianco & Pierre-Luc Granjon. This just premiered at the 2023 Annecy Film Festival, and reviews say it invokes the "Rankin/Bass animation that came before." The insatiably curious, headstrong inventor / artist Leonardo da Vinci leaves Italy to join the French court where he can freely experiment, invent flying contraptions & incredible machines, and study the human body. Joined on his adventure by Princess Marguerite, Leonardo attempts to uncover the answer to the ultimate question: "What is the meaning of life?" Starring the voices of Stephen Fry as Da Vinci, Daisy Ridley, Marion Cotillard, Gauthier Battoue, and Matt Berry. The stop-motion adventure looks like a whimsical, mainly-for-kids story about imagination and the freedom to think. It's a passion project, utilizing 2D animation & stop-motion to tell this delightfully uplifting story.

Blue Fox Entertainment has picked up U.S. rights to the stop-motion adventure comedy The Inventor, starring Stephen Fry as Leonardo da Vinci. Also starring Daisy Ridley, Marion Cotillard, Gauthier Battoue and Matt Berry, the film is set for an exclusive release in theaters nationwide on August 25th.

World premiering in competition at last month’s Annecy Animation Film Festival, The Inventor marks the directorial debut of Oscar-nominated Ratatouille scribe Jim Capobianco. A co-production among the United States, France and Ireland, it follows inventor and artist Da Vinci as he leaves Italy to join the French court where he can freely experiment, invent flying contraptions and incredible machines, and study the human body. Joined in his adventures by the audacious Princess Marguerite (Ridley), Leonardo attempts to uncover the answer to the ultimate question: “What is the meaning of life?”

Capobianco directed from his own script, with Pierre-Luc Granjon serving as co-director.

mk2 handles international rights.

Blue Fox Entertainment has acquired US rights to animated comedy adventure and Annecy selection The Inventor featuring a voice cast led by Stephen Fry, Daisy Ridley, Marion Cotillard, Gauthier Battoue, and Matt Berry.

Directed by Oscar-nominated Ratatouille co-screenwriter Jim Capobianco in his feature debut, the stop-motion feature tells the story of Leonardo da Vinci (voiced by Fry) as he leaves Italy to join the French court where he can experiment, invent flying contraptions and other machines, and study the human body.

Joined in his adventure by the audacious Princess Marguerite (Ridley), da Vinci attempts to uncover...

“The Inventor,” a new stop-motion animated feature starring Daisy Ridley and Marion Cotillard, has secured U.S. theatrical distribution at Blue Fox Entertainment.

Having premiered in competition at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in June, the feature is about Leonardo da Vinci and marks the directorial debut of Pixar vet Jim Capobianco. “The Inventor” will be released nationwide on Aug. 25.

Capobianco is a longtime animation stalwart who worked on movies during the so-called Disney Renaissance before moving to Pixar, where he wrote on “Ratatouille” (and was subsequently nominated for a Best Original Screenplay Oscar) and worked in the story department for “Inside Out,” “Coco” and “Finding Dory.” Capobianco wrote “The Inventor” and directed alongside Pierre-Luc Granjon.

In addition to Ridley and Cotillard, the stop-motion film features the voices of Stephen Fry, Gauthier Battoue and Matt Berry, with the story following da Vinci as “he leaves Italy to join the...