Latest news with #TopGunMaverick
Hamilton Spectator
19 hours ago
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Movie theatre ‘visionary': Cineplex CEO Ellis Jacob praised as he plans retirement
TORONTO - Movie theatre giant Cineplex Inc. says president and chief executive Ellis Jacob will retire at the end of next year, in what industry watchers say marks the end of an era for the company. Cineplex board chair Phyllis Yaffe praised Jacob for his work in building the company over the past four decades. The company said Jacob will continue to lead Cineplex in the interim and help in the transition to new leadership. 'Ellis is, quite simply, a giant in our industry,' Yaffe said in a press release. 'It has been a privilege to work alongside him for many years and we look forward to working with him through this transition.' Jacob was appointed president and chief executive of Cineplex in 2003 when the Canadian assets of Lowes Cineplex Entertainment and Galaxy Entertainment Inc. were merged. Before his current role, Jacob was president and CEO of Galaxy Entertainment, which he co-founded in 1999. That shift more than 20 years ago marked the first time in decades that Canada's movie theatre footprint was largely owned by Canadian companies, said Paul Moore, a professor of film history at Toronto Metropolitan University. 'Ellis Jacob is there at the helm of another moment of a big transition in the industry here in Canada — he's at the helm of actually creating a Canadian-owned business that runs the majority of movie theatres across Canada,' said Moore. 'Historically, if you look back from the 1930s all the way up to the 1990s, there's always been concern about our movie theatres are owned by Hollywood, and that's why we don't see our own stories on screen. Well, for 20 years now, we've had Cineplex being Canadian-owned.' Moore said the company has navigated a number of challenges during Jacob's leadership, including the rise of streaming platforms and plummeting box office sales during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said the company has pulled through 'partly because of its gorilla-sized proportion of the market' in Canada. 'So whenever a blockbuster does come along like Top Gun Maverick or most recently, the Minecraft movie, it's almost always a Cineplex theatre that Canadians go see that big blockbuster,' said Moore. 'And it's kind of protected them to a certain extent from competition domestically, and helped the transition here in Canada of the decline of everyday movie-going and the real shift to only occasional blockbuster movie-going.' Cineplex spent much of the pandemic period grappling with the fallout from its failed sale to U.K. theatre company Cineworld Group PLC. The scuttled $2.8 billion deal wound up in a court battle meant to decide whether Cineworld had the right to walk away from the transaction. A judge sided with Cineplex, but Cineworld made an appeal before it filed for bankruptcy in the United States. Cineplex has since said it does not expect to meaningfully recoup its costs. Today, Cineplex has more than 170 movie theatres and entertainment venues across Canada. The company has also long run its RecRoom arcade and dining venues, which Moore noted has helped diversify the movie-going experience for consumers. In a statement, Jacob said he has 'unwavering confidence in Cineplex's bright future' and was committed to working with the company's board as it transitions to a new CEO. 'After thoughtful consideration, I welcome this next chapter,' he said. 'For decades, I have been focused on making Cineplex a great Canadian company, and I move forward with immense pride in what we've built for generations of Canadian movie fans who come to us for those magical moments of escape that can only be found in a true theatre experience.' RBC analyst Drew McReynolds said Jacob 'has been the visionary beating heart of not only Cineplex but the broader theatrical exhibition industry for decades.' 'While these shoes are next to impossible to fill, we expect the leadership transition at Cineplex to be seamless and believe the transition timing is consistent with what should be a full industry recovery by 2026,' McReynolds said in a note on Friday. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2025. Companies in this story: (TSX:CGX)
Geek Culture
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Culture
'Days of Thunder' Crossover Pitched For 'F1' Sequel To Reunite Brad Pitt And Tom Cruise
Both Top Gun: Maverick and F1: The Movie share two common threads — satisfying the need for speed, and putting Joseph Kosinski in the director's chair. As the Brad Pitt-starring movie steers into theatres, the filmmaker has shared his dream vision for a sequel, and it goes full throttle on the ambition. Speaking to GQ Magazine UK, Kosinski expressed interest in exploring a Days of Thunder and F1 crossover, which would reunite Pitt and Tom Cruise for the first time after 1994's horror classic Interview With the Vampire . 'Well, right now, it'd be Cole Trickle, who was [Cruise's] Days of Thunder character, we find out that he and [Brad Pitt's] Sonny Hayes have a past,' he said. 'They were rivals at some point, maybe crossed paths… I heard about this epic go-kart battle on Interview With a Vampire that Brad and Tom had, and who wouldn't pay to see those two go head-to-head on the track?' The idea first blossomed when Kosinski was working to bring his own version of Ford v Ferrari to the big screen. It would have seen the actors pulling off the driving stunts by themselves, but his desired budget was not approved, resulting in a hand-off to James Mangold ( Logan ) and the leading pair of Christian Bale ( The Dark Knight ) and Matt Damon ( The Martian ). Based on the Formula One World Championship, F1 is developed in collaboration with FIA, its governing body, with Damson Idris ( Snowfall ), Kerry Condon ( Better Call Saul ), Tobias Menzies ( Outlander ), and Javier Bardem ( No Country for Old Man ) serving as co-stars. The film is produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, Kosinski, seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, and Chad Oman. It shares some similarities to the 1990 sports action drama pic Days of Thunder, which follows Cole Trickle, a talented racer who befriends Rowdy after they both end up in a hospital for their antics on a race track, while another competitor tries to create problems for Cole and defeat him. It featured appearances by real-life NASCAR drivers, including Richard Petty, Rusty Wallace, Neil Bonnett, and Harry Gant. As for the Top Gun: Maverick sequel, Kosinski previously revealed that it was still in the scripting stage with returning screenwriter Ehren Kruger ( Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen , Ghost in the Shell ), but fans can expect an 'ambitious' premise: 'It was about coming up with an idea that, again, felt like a new challenge. Something that opens up the story in a way you just can't let go. And I think the idea is so ambitious. That's what's exciting to me.' (image credit for header image: Gareth Cattermole / Getty Images) Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth's theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia's greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really. Brad Pitt Days of Thunder F1: The Movie Joseph Kosinski Tom Cruise
Indian Express
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
F1 movie review: Film leaves you wanting more Formula 1, and more Brad Pitt
If Formula 1 cars are a beautiful mesh of man and machine, Brad Pitt is as close to perfection in flesh and bones. Put one in the other, and you have a film that whirs by briskly – almost making you forget there is nothing much under the hood. Pitt's character Sonny Hayes is one of those natural born racers who cares little about money and trophies, after having had his brush with rash adventure in his callow youth, that ended in a near-fatal crash. The long recovery, a stint with gambling, a rash of failed relationships, to this new state of Zen, including living happily out of a van, must have cost Sonny some blood, sweat and tears. However, F1, made with the blessing of Formula 1 organisers and the producer tag of Lewis Hamilton, is not interested in the dark side at all – even the underside, when corners are cut on safety in a car in pursuit of speed. So just when Sonny is beatifically pondering what back-of-beyond race he can participate in next – the kind advertised on flyers distributed at laundromats – in walks old friend Ruben (Bardem). He is now an F1 team owner and he offers Sonny a shot at being world champion, 30 years after he messed it up. Read more – Bullet Train movie review: Brad Pitt's charm offensive in a lacklustre film Sonny, for all his cool detachment, is easily persuaded to slide back into the hot seat. What follows are a series of excitable and exciting races, where we go from the start to the finish in a strictly straight line, with no surprise turns. There is a rookie talent, Joshua Pearce (Idris), who is just the kind of hothead who could do with Sonny's guiding hand at the wheel. There is the team's technical director – the first-ever woman at the job – Kate (Condon), who is just waiting for a man like Sonny to walk into her life. And there is the dedicated team, just primed for Sonny to morph them into a winning unit. Except for Joshua, no one even pushes back at this Johnny Come Lately's brusque takeover. Pitt has perfected looking and playing a superstar who is getting older but not really ageing, and F1 is as much in awe of him as we are. So at every turn we are reminded about how Sonny does things differently than Joshua, including jogging instead of gymming, flicking cards instead of doing media, studying races instead of social media profiles, and wearing mismatched socks instead of being groomed to perfection. By the time he goes ahead and tells Joshua to 'Get off your phone… It's all noise', the message has been well and truly drilled home. Also read – Top Gun Maverick review: Tom Cruise starrer aces the skies, burns the roads But come on, we are talking of Pitt here, and races that are meant to stop your heart and dare you to blink your eyes. The director-writer team of Kosinski and Ehren Kruger, also behind 2022's top-billed Top Gun: Maverick, know this part well. The races are expensive and expansive edge-of-the seat stuff, all about wind drag, cold and warm tires, corners and speeding, hedging and betting, and strategy, strategy, strategy. The breathless commentary ensures even the uninitiated can follow what's happening over endless laps. You will come away wanting more of Formula 1 and, yes, more of Pitt. Given his pensive drive into the sunset, your wait may be just a Pitt stop away.
The Star
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Star
Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise reunite at 'F1' premiere in London
Brad Pitt (left) and Tom Cruise last worked together in the 1994 film 'Interview With A Vampire'. Photo: AP No, these are not Louis and Lestat out to have another go at each other's throats, but fans of Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise were nonetheless delighted after the A-listers met at the London premiere of the former's film F1 , marking their first public reunion in over two decades. The reunion happened after the Mission: Impossible star made a surprise appearance at the movie premiere held at Leicester Square on Monday, June 23. Cruise and Pitt greeted each other with a tight hug before posing for photos side by side. 'Great night at the movies with my friends! You guys crushed it!' Cruise said on his Instagram page on Tuesday, June 24, showing a snap of them from the event. The F1 movie is co-produced by Pitt, seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, Apple Studios and Jerry Bruckheimer, the filmmaker behind Cruise's Top Gun Maverick. It also stars Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, Kim Bodnia, and Javier Bardem, and was shot during actual Grand Prix weekends as the team competes against the titans of the sport. Dubbed 'the greatest that never was,' Pitt plays Sonny Hayes, Formula 1's most promising phenom of the 1990s until an accident on the track nearly ended his career. Thirty years later, he's a nomadic racer-for-hire when he's approached by his former teammate Ruben Cervantes (Bardem), owner of a struggling F1 team that is on the verge of collapse. Ruben convinces Sonny to come back to the race tracks for one last shot at saving the team and being the best in the world. He'll drive alongside Joshua Pearce (Idris), the team's hotshot rookie, intent on setting his own pace. But as the engines roar, Sonny's past catches up with him and he finds that in Formula 1, your teammate is your fiercest competition — and the road to redemption is not something you can travel alone. Cruise and Pitt last worked together in the 1994 film Interview With A Vampire where they respectively portrayed the roles of vampires Lestat and Louis. The Hollywood actors have yet to reunite on screen, but they had a public encounter in September 2001 during the America: A Tribute To Heroes benefit concert. Pitt earlier this month said he is open to working again on a project with Cruise but on one condition. 'I'm not gonna hang my ass off airplanes and s**t like that,' he said, referring to a scene from Cruise's Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning. 'So… when he does something again that's on the ground.' Cruise and Pitt, as disclosed by film director Joseph Kosinski, were supposed to reunite in the filmmaker's version of the racing drama Ford v Ferrari. However, the project was axed after the proposed budget was not approved. – Philippine Daily Inquirer/Asia News Network
India Today
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- India Today
What did Brad Pitt do to look fit for F1? Director Joseph Kosinski answers
Brad Pitt plays the lead role in Joseph Kosinski's latest film 'F1', which follows a race car driver getting a second chance at victory. At 61, Brad is looking his best and had to maintain peak physical fitness for the film, in which he drives the race car an exclusive chat with India Today, Joesph Kosinski, the director of 'F1', revealed how Brad Pitt stayed fit during the shoot. Joseph said, 'You know he obviously takes care of himself. He is in incredible shape and that was really useful to this film because driving these cars is so physically gruelling. You have to be an athlete to be able to do it, you know, hour after hour to get in the car and shoot these rigorous scenes. And sometimes, you know, we would be shooting eight or ten hours a day in these cars. So, yes, it was physically demanding.'Adding that Brad did the driving himself, Joseph continued, 'Brad also has a real natural ability with driving. I couldn't have made this film if he hadn't been able to do that. And even Lewis Hamilton, who is also a co-producer on the film, was really impressed with Brad's athletic ability.'READ F1 REVIEW HEREJoseph has also directed 'Top Gun Maverick' with Tom Cruise. Having worked with the two biggest actors in the world, he spoke about the similarities between them and the differences. He revealed, 'I think they're more similar than people would realise. They are both great actors, obviously. They both work very hard and are very focus on every detail of the filmmaking process. They are both obviously very involved in the script all the way to the final edit. You know, on the outside, maybe Brad seems a little more relaxed and chilled out, but he's just as driven as Tom is and wants to deliver the best experience for an audience.' F1 will hit theatres in India on June 27.- Ends
