Street Talk
Trevor Beattie, chairman/chief creative officer at TBWA, London, is leaving the agency, along with Bill Bungay, deputy creative director, and Andrew McGuinness, the shop’s chief executive. It’s expected that the trio will open their own ad agency. Danny Brooke-Taylor and Tony McTear have been promoted to co-creative directors at TBWA….Documentary filmmaker Mark Lewis (The Natural History of Chicken) has signed with Area 51, Santa Monica, for exclusive representation in commercials….Director/cinematographer Reed Smoot, known for his work on large format Imax films, has joined Santa Monica-based MotivFilms for commercials and Imax projects….Bicoastal Stardust has hired Eileen Doherty as its West Coast executive producer. She had been working for the company on a freelance basis. Earlier Doherty was a writer/producer at MTV….Nonlinear editing pioneer Tom Ohanian–an Academy Award and two-time Emmy Award winner for his inventions of the Avid Media Composer, Film Composer, and Multicamera systems–has been named senior director of Autodesk Consulting for the media and entertainment industry (which would include the products in the Autodesk Media and Entertainment unit, formerly known as Discreet). Prior to joining Autodesk, Ohanian served as VP of product development at DMOD, after spending much of his career at Avid. An accomplished editor, designer and inventor, Ohanian is author of industry textbooks Digital Nonlinear Editing and co-author of Digital Filmmaking….Lachlan Murdoch, deputy COO of News Corp., will receive the Media Person of the Year Award at this year’s Cannes International Advertising Festival……Speaking of the Cannes Ad Fest, Team USA has been named for the ’05 Young Creatives Competition: Krista Lea Hogg and Justin Lesinski of West Wayne, Tampa, Fla., and Elena Fridman of Atmosphere BBDO New York. At Cannes, they will compete against teams from all over the world, having just 24 hours to complete an ad or a Web design assignment to be assessed by leading industry judges. For additional info about the Young Creatives program, visit the Canne Web site (www.canneslions.com)….
“Venom: The Last Dance” Tops Box Office Again; “Heretic” Debuts In 2nd Place
"Venom: The Last Dance" has been no blockbuster in North American theaters. But in a lethargic fall moviegoing season, even a so-so performing superhero sequel can rule the box office for three straight weeks.
For the third weekend in a row, "Venom: The Last Dance" was the No. 1 movie at the box office, collecting $16.2 million in ticket sales in U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to studio estimates Sunday. It fended off a pair of new challengers in the Hugh Grant horror thriller "Heretic" and the feel-good holiday movie "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever."
With the election on Tuesday, the major studios opted not to put any new releases into theaters. That allowed Sony Pictures' "Venom: The Last Dance," the third entry in the Tom Hardy-led franchise, to hold its position.
While "The Last Dance" hasn't been a huge hit domestically — opening below expectations in late October — it has thrived overseas, grossing almost triple what it has in North America. The "Venom" sequel has grossed $279.4 million internationally, bringing its global total to $394.2 million.
"Heretic" and "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" were neck and neck for second place. Counting only Friday-Sunday ticket sales, the edge went to "Heretic," which debuted with $11 million. "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever," though, factored in $2.2 million in sneak-peak screenings from last weekend to claim a reported opening gross of $11.1 million.
A24's "Heretic," directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, follows two Mormon missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) who knock on the door of a man (Grant) they'll regret trying to evangelize to. Though "Heretic" has been critically acclaimed for the darkest turn yet by Grant, audiences were less impressed, giving it a... Read More