Latest news with #Netflix
Fox News
40 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Travis Kelce's 'Happy Gilmore 2' co-star, Christopher McDonald, lauds Super Bowl champ's acting skills
Travis Kelce has excelled in football, but this summer he is putting his acting skills on full display. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end will star in the upcoming "Happy Gilmore 2" movie. Hollywood star Christopher McDonald will reprise his role as Shooter McGavin in the sequel. Earlier this week, McDonald spoke to People about how Kelce fared during the filming process. "Travis Kelce has been out there, and I just really liked him as a person. He is really funny. Way too handsome, by the way, but really a good actor actually," the Emmy nominee told the outlet. McDonald continued to praise the three-time Super Bowl winner, saying he is "surprisingly good." McDonald was also complimentary of Kelce's skill on the golf course. "I think he's got game," the actor noted, admitting he "did not" get to play with the NFL star while filming. Earlier this year, Kelce described the opportunity to be a part of the movie as "a dream come true." "I thought SNL was going to be the peak of my acting and showman or entertainment career," Kelce said during an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" in January. "Working with Happy Gilmore himself, the Sandman and Happy Productions, it was off the chain." The sequel to the 1996 sports comedy film is scheduled to be released July 25. It will be available on Netflix. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Squid Game' Season 3: Reviews warn of a divisive WTF sprint to the finish line
Let the games... end! Four years after it took the world by storm, Squid Game is throwing in the towel. The South Korean sensation just dropped its third and final season on Netflix, bringing the story of debtor-turned-liberator Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) to a conclusion. "It's a mixture of everything you can imagine. It's more brutal, more violent. It'sdarker, and even funnier," show creator told Gold Derby last month. "If I have to pick one season out of all three [as] my favorite, the best season is going to be Season 3." More from Gold Derby 'F1: The Movie' - Instant Oscar predictions The Emmys have one last chance to make things right with 'The Comeback' But do critics agree with Hwang? Opinions on the final six episodes — particularly the big denouement — are all over the map. Take Rebecca Nicholson writing in The Guardian that the series ends on a "moment so WTF and genuinely surprising that I bet my editor a serious amount of money she wouldn't be able to guess what happens." "Such reckless gambling is the sort of behaviour that would land me in Squid Game in the first place, so it just shows that nobody here has learned any lessons from it whatsoever," she continues. "The final two episodes have a nicely grand and operatic feel to them, and ultimately, Squid Game does its job. But it leaves the impression, too, that it has become a more traditional action-thriller than it once was." But Indiewire's Ben Travers is more on board with where the series goes in its grand finale. "While the general vibes are dour (there's very little room left for humor), Squid Game delivers enough closure to satiate anyone still perched on the edge of their seat, and its brief, fleeting bursts of light frame the darkness with the starkest truths." Time's Judy Berman is similarly ready to award a medal to the show's final sprint, singling out the second episode, "The Starry Night," for particular praise. "This is the kind of episode that will surely thrill fans and inspire recappers to dissect the ethical and emotional dimensions of each unthinkable choice," she teases. "Welcome to the exhilaratingly brutal last chapter of Squid Game, which ensnares viewers with characters and storylines we can't help but care about, then implicates us for treating a sadistic spectacle as entertainment."Over in The Hollywood Reporter, though, Angie Han knocks the series for an "unsatisfying" finish. "It brings me no pleasure to report that the third and thankfully last of Squid Game seasons only confirms that we, like Gi-hun should've left that cursed island behind for good after his first victory," she writes, later adding: "By the time Squid Game finally crawls over the finish line, there's no sense of the triumph you might get from completing a really good story — only of relief that this entire grueling experience is finally over." Look no further than Rotten Tomatoes to get a sense of the polarizing nature of Season 3: The aggregated critical reviews have resulted in a strong score of 88 percent but, the users "Popcornmeter" clocks in with a woeful 39 percent, indicating fans have not responded well. As Vulture's Roxana Hadadi puts it, Squid Game probably should have remained a "one-season wonder," instead of coming back for more. "There's an increasing repetition to how Squid Game plays out, a rehashing of the original idea instead of a deepening of it," she notes. "The payoff is in the metatext, in how Squid Game aimed its contempt outward through the existential dilemma of its own popularity." Best of Gold Derby Cristin Milioti, Amanda Seyfried, Michelle Williams, and the best of our Emmy Limited Series/Movie Actress interviews Paul Giamatti, Stephen Graham, Cooper Koch, and the best of our Emmy Limited Series/Movie Actor interviews Lee Jung-jae, Adam Scott, Noah Wyle, and the best of our Emmy Drama Actor interviews Click here to read the full article.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Netflix Stock (NFLX) Maintains Bullish Tempo Despite Nosebleed Valuation
Netflix (NFLX) stock has been trading above the 50-week moving average in price for about a year and a half, but that can't deter the market. Investors recognize that this is one of the most durable stocks, driven by an addictive flywheel of growth in recurring revenue. As TipRanks data shows, NFLX has consistently grown paid memberships since 2020—a remarkable feat, considering the global competition it faces. Easily unpack a company's performance with TipRanks' new KPI Data for smart investment decisions Receive undervalued, market resilient stocks right to your inbox with TipRanks' Smart Value Newsletter This is a company that has evolved from a DVD rental disruptor into a global streaming leader, now backed by financials driven by ad-tier growth, an AI-powered studio, and a powerful live content strategy. The only element that's not to love is the valuation, but sometimes the best investments thrive despite that predicament, so I'm staying bullish on NFLX stock. Netflix has established itself as a truly global enterprise, now available in over 190 countries. It continues to demonstrate strong user engagement, holding a 7.5% share of U.S. television viewership. Its pricing strength is evident in its average revenue per user of $17.20 per month in North America and Canada. While the company faces competitive pressures from short-form video platforms such as TikTok and YouTube, as well as saturation in mature markets, these challenges are consistent with the realities of being a market leader. In any thriving sector, competitors will inevitably seek to gain ground, but well-established organizations like Netflix have consistently demonstrated resilience and adaptability in maintaining their leadership positions. Netflix's growth performance remains impressive. For example, its forward diluted earnings per share are projected to grow by 37%, significantly outpacing the sector average of 10%. Although this is reflected in its forward non-GAAP price-to-earnings ratio of 49—versus 13 for the sector—this valuation appears proportionate when considering the company's earnings growth rate, which is 3.7 times higher than the sector's, effectively aligning with its relative valuation multiple. Financially, Netflix is on solid footing. The company has reduced its net debt to approximately $7.9 billion, highlighting the success of its self-sustaining content investment strategy. With expected free cash flow of around $8 billion in fiscal year 2025, management has been able to allocate substantial resources to shareholder returns, including $3.5 billion in share repurchases as of Q1. These achievements are underpinned by a global subscriber base approaching 300 million. Recent growth initiatives, including password-sharing controls and the introduction of an ad-supported tier, have contributed meaningfully to this momentum. Netflix's ad-supported tier has experienced rapid uptake, now reaching approximately 94 million users. Ad revenue is projected to double in fiscal year 2025, reflecting the success of this segment. To further optimize monetization and support shareholder returns, Netflix has developed a proprietary ad-tech platform designed to improve targeting and increase revenue per user. These developments are part of a broader, well-integrated ecosystem that enables both revenue growth and margin expansion. In essence, Netflix has developed a business model that generates long-term value, thereby reinforcing its attractiveness as an investment opportunity. Under a base-case scenario, Netflix could generate approximately $28 in trailing twelve-month normalized earnings per share by mid-2026. Assuming a modest contraction in its non-GAAP price-to-earnings ratio to 50 (down from the current 59, in line with expected growth normalization), this would imply a stock price of roughly $1,400 in a year. Given today's price of $1,280, that equates to nearly a 10% upside potential. While this return is respectable, it may not meet the threshold for more aggressive investors seeking 20–30% annualized gains. The company's strong fundamentals and strategic vision explain why its stock has outperformed the S&P 500 (SPX) so far this year. Operationally, Netflix continues to demonstrate forward-thinking leadership. The company is investing in AI to enhance its content development capabilities, with a focus on producing high-margin, lower-budget titles. This includes an emphasis on quality storytelling—such as international productions with subtitles—over costly star-driven projects. In many respects, Netflix embodies the spirit of a lean, innovative startup that has successfully scaled while maintaining its core identity. That consistency is commendable. On Wall Street, Netflix has a consensus Strong Buy rating based on 29 Buys, nine Holds, and zero Sells. However, the average NFLX stock price target is $1,255.76, indicating a 1.5% downside over the next 12 months. Current analyst consensus reinforces my earlier point regarding the stock's premium valuation. However, I believe Netflix still has considerable momentum and over the long term, any significant decline in the stock is unlikely to occur without an external catalyst. Fundamentally, Netflix remains on a solid trajectory. Clearly, this isn't a stock to aggressively accumulate at current levels. It may be prudent to wait for a more attractive valuation. That said, I remain bullish on Netflix's long-term prospects. The company is led by a competent management team and benefits from a strong competitive moat built around a financially disciplined and strategically integrated digital entertainment ecosystem. Like all equities, Netflix will inevitably face periods of pullback, and when that happens, I'm prepared to step in to add to my position at more favorable prices. 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NZ Herald
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
The best TV shows of 2025, so far
A prequel series to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) – and arguably the most acclaimed Star Wars story of any kind since that film – Andor offered one of TV's deepest explorations of the political realities and human costs of rebellion. Its two-season run wrapped up in May. 'Prequels are often where dramatic tension goes to die,' James Poniewozik writes. 'How invested can you be in a story whose outcome you already know? The genius of Andor, created by Tony Gilroy, is to make that knowledge an asset.' Asura Machiko Ono in Asura. Photo / Netflix Written and directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda (Shoplifters), this Japanese period drama is visually sumptuous and emotionally meticulous in its depiction of four sisters grappling with controlling men and their complex relationships with one another. The series 'is the full package: a detailed, human-scale domestic drama with plenty to say, fascinating characters to say it and the stylishness to make it sing,' Margaret Lyons writes. 'The downside is that other shows feel paltry and thin in comparison. The upside is everything else.' Common Side Effects Common Side Effects tells a gripping story with fanciful, occasionally phantasmagoric animation. This animated conspiracy thriller revolves around a magic mushroom miracle drug, an unconventional environmentalist who wants to heal the world with it and the various bad actors – Big Pharma, sinister mycologists – trying to stop or control him. And a tortoise. The series 'is as rare and precious as the miraculous mushroom its hero, Marshall (Dave King), discovers in the jungle,' Lyons writes. 'Smarts, humour, style and perspective rarely align so harmoniously. Not a lot of shows have as much to say, and fewer still say it with such panache.' Couples Therapy Dr Orna Guralnik in Couples Therapy. In May, the documentary series Couples Therapy, which follows Dr Orna Guralnik's sessions with couples in various forms of crises, wrapped up its fourth season. 'Some pairs seem so ill-suited one wonders how they got this far in the first place, while others seem tragically root bound, unable to change any of the patterns in their lives — until now, of course,' Lyons writes. 'The magic of the show is that through Dr. Guralnik's patience and probing, people change before our eyes. Revealing oneself is difficult; understanding oneself is even more challenging. 'This season's four couples were pulled in different directions — toward the altar, toward divorce, toward quiet, toward disclosure — but each relationship was transformed. Most shows go to great lengths to gin up this amount of conflict and revelation, but Couples Therapy manages it with a few well-placed 'hmm's.' Exterior Night Fabrizio Gifuni plays the Italian politician Aldo Moro in Exterior Night. The first television series by great Italian film-maker Marco Bellocchio, Exterior Night, revisits the 1978 kidnapping and killing of politician Aldo Moro by the Red Brigades. (Bellocchio explored those events previously in his 2003 film Good Morning, Night.) 'Moro's abduction and death was a watershed moment in the 'years of lead,' when politically motivated bombings, shootings, kidnappings and assassinations convulsed Italy and other European countries,' Mike Hale writes. 'But it is a story that can speak to anyone who has a sense of living in perilous times. As a character in Exterior Night says, a society can tolerate a certain amount of crazy behaviour, but 'when the crazy party has the majority, we'll see what happens.'' Mr. Loverman Ariyon Bakare, left, and Lennie James in Mr. Loverman. Based on the novel by Bernardine Evaristo, this British miniseries follows an elegant Londoner named Barrington Jedidiah Walker (Lennie James) who is devoted to his wife, his children and his best friend and lover of many decades, Morris (Ariyon Bakare). The series alternates among characters' perspectives and uses flashbacks to trace Barry and Morris' relationship back to its early days in their native Antigua. 'Loverman is polished and literary, practically silky – sublime, even,' Lyons writes. 'It's natural to be baffled by other people's choices: Why would you do that? Why didn't you say anything? Why would you stay? Why would you leave? A lot of contemporary shows – even plenty of good ones – fall back on pat just-so stories for their characters' backgrounds, but the picture here is deeper and fuller than that. Fear and pain, love and loyalty: they're never just one thing.' Murderbot Alexander Skarsgard stars as the title character of Murderbot. In this comic sci-fi thriller, based on the novel All Systems Red by Martha Wells, Alexander Skarsgard plays a jaded robot that is charged with protecting a crunchy space commune but would rather just watch pulpy soaps. 'The real killer app of the story, adapted by Chris and Paul Weitz, is the snarky worldview of the artificial life form at its centre,' Poniewozik writes. 'Skarsgard gives a lively reading to the copious voice-over, but just as important is his physical performance, which radiates casual power and agitated wariness. Murderbot is odd, edgy, unmistakably alien, yet its complaint is also crankily familiar. It just wants to be left in peace to binge its programs, like Chance the Gardener if he had guns in his arms.' Pee-wee as Himself Pee-wee as Himself explores the life and work of Paul Reubens. This two-part HBO documentary details how performer Paul Reubens created his beloved alter ego, Pee-wee Herman, and how the character's fame affected the rest of his life. 'What unfolds, over more than three hours, is in part a public story: how Reubens channeled his genius into an anarchic creation that bridged the worlds of alternative art and children's TV, then had his life derailed by trumped-up scandals that haunted him to the end,' Poniewozik writes. 'It is also partly a spellbinding private story about artistry, ambition, identity and control. What does it mean to become famous as someone else? (The documentary's title refers to the acting credit in Pee-wee's Big Adventure, as a result of which Reubens remained largely unknown even as his persona became a worldwide star.) And what were the implications of being obscured by his creation, especially for a gay man in a still very homophobic Hollywood?' The Pitt Noah Wyle in The Pitt. With its '24'-like hour-by-hour structure, The Pitt infuses the familiar pleasures of a medical show with fevered intensity and narrative references to the pandemic and contemporary social issues. 'The Pitt generated old-school melodrama out of a simple understanding: The ER is where people end up when something goes wrong, either with the body individual or with the body politic,' Poniewozik writes. 'And what is wrong with the American corpus? Buddy, take a number; the waiting room is full.' Severance Britt Lower and Adam Scott in Severance. Photo / Apple TV+ In its second season, this trippy workplace drama deepens its mysteries and expands its emotional palette as the mentally 'severed' employees, their loved ones and their bosses battle (sometimes literally) over competing agendas and the future of Lumon Industries. The show finally returned in January, nearly three years after the end of Season 1. 'Its makers seem to have used every second of the absence productively,' Poniewozik writes. 'The season takes new turns while remaining the most ambitious, batty and all-out pleasurable show on TV, an M.C. Escher maze whose plot convolutions never get in the way of its voice, heart and sense of humour.' This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Written by: The New York Times ©2025 THE NEW YORK TIMES
Indian Express
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Squid Game Season 3 ending explained: The truth about Gi Hun's fate, the mystery woman, and all survivors
Squid Game Season 3 wrapped its final run with six episodes dropping on June 27. With that, the Hwang Dong Hyuk directorial—Netflix's most-watched series to date- comes to an end, with no plans for another season. Season 3 picks up right where Season 2 left off, with Gi Hun stepping back into the game. Not for the money, not for guilt, this time, he's here to shut it down once and for all. He had previously led a rebellion against the system, but it failed miserably. His heroic act ended up costing 37 lives, leaving him shattered. He was sent out in a coffin. Now, with nothing left to lose, he's back in the arena with one mission. But the birth of a new baby gives him a glimmer of hope. So here we are, breaking down everything that went down in the finale of Squid Game Season 3. Also read: Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk hints at spin-off series, shares plot details: 'There is that three-year period' Players are divided into two types: Knives: Must kill a Key to survive. Keys: Just need to stay alive Myung Gi tells Jun Hee he will protect her and the baby, but ends up killing Hyun Ju, who had just helped Jun Hee deliver her baby. Jun Hee's trust is completely shattered. Geum Ja begs her son not to kill Jun Hee and instead kill her, but he leaps towards the newborn and his mother with a knife. Geum Ja stabs him from the back, yes, she ends up killing her own son. Later, she speaks to Gi Hun, telling him to save others and not to lose hope. That same night, she hanged herself to death. Gi Hun loses his mind. He blames Dae Ho for the failed rebellion. Dae Ho had claimed he'd bring back weapons, but he chickened out. So Gi Hun hunts him down and kills him with his bare hands. Players this time have to cross a narrow bridge or fall to their deaths. Jun Hee is badly injured in the leg, so she hands her baby to Gi Hun and trusts him with crossing the bridge with the baby. He promises Jun Hee that he will come back and take her along, but she asks him not to come. She jumps to her death. That way, Gi Hun can live and raise the child. Her baby becomes Player 222, an actual contestant. Also read: Squid Game Season 3 review: Brutal games and bigger moral dilemmas make you pause and reflect Gi Hun is taken to a private meeting with the Front Man (In Ho). He hands Gi Hun a knife and suggests: 'Kill the rest while they're sleeping, and vote to end the Game with the baby.' Gi Hun asks why he's doing this, and then In Ho removes his mask, he's Player 001. He taunts player 426, saying no matter what he does, someone else will always run the Game. But Gi Hun refuses to follow his path and chooses to play the game, leaving everything on faith. Players must cross three towers. To move ahead, one person must die at each level, being pushed down to death. At this point, the only ones left are: Min Su gets voted off first. Player 100 is killed by Myung Gi too. Gi Hun tells the rest, who are planning to push him and the baby, that he won't give up on the baby and will die with him if targeted. So someone from them will have to die in the next level. This causes a rift in the group, who play a game of rock, paper, scissors, slowly, everyone dies. Now, final showdown: Gi Hun vs. Myung Gi. They fight. Myung Gi falls and dies. But no one had pressed the button, so the Game still needs a death. Gi Hun has two choices: either kill himself or the baby. He lays the baby down and chooses to jump. Looks up, knowing the VIPs are watching from their secret room. Then says, 'We are not horses. We are humans. Humans are…'. The Game ends. The baby wins. Jun Ho (the cop from Season 1 and the half-sibling of In Ho, the frontman) tracks down the island again. His brother, In Ho, orders the entire place to self-destruct and escapes with the baby. Six months later, Jun Ho finds the child and Gi Hun's prize money in his apartment. It's clear, the frontman left the baby for his brother to raise, along with the winnings. No Eul, the soldier who saved a contestant, finds out her daughter might still be alive. Gyeong Seok, the father who joined the Game to help his sick daughter, reunites with her. Woo Seok, out of prison, looks to reopen Gi Hun's hotel. Sae Byeok's little brother is finally reunited with their mother. In Ho meets Gi Hun's daughter and hands her his belongings with the winnings. Who is the mystery woman? The most searched question of Squid Game 3 is the cameo of Cate Blanchett. In the final scene, In Ho is in LA, where he sees a woman in a suit slapping down a Ddakji card. Her identity is revealed, she's a recruiter. This sets up a possible spin-off of Squid Game in America. The Games are still going on. Somewhere else. Squid Game Season 3 isn't a happy ending. Gi Hun dies, and the system doesn't exactly collapse. But it triggers changes. We think so.
