The next time an Academy Award winner’s acceptance speech runs long, a new conductor will strike up the band to play them off.
Michael Giacchino, whose credits include “Ratatouille” and “Lost,” has been tapped as music director for the upcoming Oscar ceremony, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Monday.
The Emmy-winning composer and conductor was selected by producer Laurence Mark and executive producer Bill Condon, themselves newcomers to the show. In Giacchino, Mark and Condon follow a pattern of choosing Academy Awards first-timers that include director Roger Goodman and set designer David Rockwell.
Giacchino, who’s never conducted a live telecast before, said he’s hoping to inject some Hollywood nostalgia into the ceremony when he leads the orchestra pit for the Feb. 22 ceremony at the Kodak Theatre.
“It’s such a classic fairy tale setting,” said Giacchino. “That’s why I love about this town when I think about it. I think we’re going to try to incorporate that feeling somehow. Instead of trying to play to the celebrity of it, I think we’re going to play to the ideals behind it, and where it all came from — the fun aspect of it.”
Giacchino takes over the podium from “Rocky” composer Bill Conti, who has served as musical director 19 times since his first in 1977, including the 80th Academy Awards earlier this year.
Giacchino was nominated last year for an original score Oscar for “Ratatouille.” His other credits include “Speed Racer,” ”Mission: Impossible III” and “The Incredibles.” He’s also composed and conducted the scores for the upcoming films “Star Trek,” ”Land of the Lost” and “Up.” He won a music composition Emmy in 2005 for his work on “Lost.”
“I anticipate it being different but having a lot of fun doing it,” Giacchino said. “I also anticipate it being very tense and counting every second. At the same time, it’s always like that when you’re scoring because you’re constantly watching the clock, checking to see if you’re on time and making sure you’re on budget, so it may not be that different.”
Last month, the Academy announced that architect Rockwell, who handled the set design on Broadway for “Hairspray” and “Legally Blonde,” would serve as the show’s production designer.
“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