Two Hollywood veterans, Laurence Mark and Bill Condon, will oversee the next Academy Awards telecast.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Wednesday that producer Mark will produce the Feb. 22 show, while writer-director Condon will be executive producer. It will be the first time either has worked on the Oscars.
“It’s both daunting and the gig of a lifetime,” Mark said. “We haven’t done anything like this before. I’m hoping that’s in some way a plus. We don’t quite know what can’t be done.”
Sid Ganis, the academy’s president, said Mark and Condon are “fresh thinkers” who will bring a new perspective to the show.
“They’re both fun and elegant, and that’s what we want the show to be,” Ganis said.
Mark and Condon worked together on 2006’s “Dreamgirls.” Mark’s other producing credits include “I, Robot” and “Jerry Maguire.” Condon won a screenplay Oscar for 1998’s “Gods and Monsters,” and was nominated for a second for writing 2002 best-picture winner “Chicago,” which he also directed
The first order of business for the pair?
Choosing the Oscar host.
“All doors are open,” Mark said. “The casting of any movie is crucial to the success of the movie, and we believe the same is true with any kind of awards show. The casting of the host is a big deal.”
He declined to offer any hints as to whether a past host would return or a new face would grace the Kodak Theatre stage.
Mark and Condon plan to brainstorm together — and listen to the counsel of the film academy’s staff — to create a show that celebrates movies.
“Not only should the Oscars celebrate excellence in the movies of the year,” Mark said, “but hopefully we can figure out a way to also celebrate the joy, poignancy, laughter and thrills that folks have had at many movies of the year.”
“Mufasa: The Lion King” and “Sonic 3” Rule Box Office For 1st Weekend Of 2025
The Walt Disney Co.'s "Mufasa: The Lion King" claimed the No. 1 spot on the North American box office charts over the first weekend of 2025.
The photorealistic "Lion King" prequel earned $23.8 million in its third weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. Paramount's "Sonic the Hedgehog 3," which has dominated the past two weekends, wasn't far behind.
"Sonic 3" stayed close with a 3-day estimate of $21.2 million, bringing its total domestic earnings to $187.5 million and helping the overall franchise cross $1 billion worldwide. "Mufasa's" running total is slightly less, with $169.2 million.
In third place, Focus Features' "Nosferatu" remake defied the fate of so many of its genre predecessors and fell only 39% in its second weekend. Horror films typically fall sharply after the first weekend and anything less than a 50% decline is notable. "Nosferatu," which added 140 screens, claimed $13.2 million in ticket sales, bringing its running total to $69.4 million since its Christmas debut. The film, directed by Robert Eggers, already surpassed its reported production budget of $50 million, though that figure does not account for marketing and promotion expenses).
No new wide releases opened this weekend, leaving the box office top 10 once again to holdovers from previous weeks. Several have been in theaters since Thanksgiving. One of those, "Moana 2," claimed the No. 4 spot for Disney in its sixth weekend in theaters. The animated sequel earned another $12.4 million, bumping its global total to $960.5 million.
The Bob Dylan biopic "A Complete Unknown," dipped only slightly in its second weekend, bringing in $8.1 million. With $41.7 million total, it's Searchlight's highest grossing film since Disney acquired the company in... Read More