Iron Man 3 led the box office again this weekend, pulling in $72.5 million. And its geopolitical dance has finished with a graceful bow: the film's top two international markets are China and Korea. In second place in the U.S. was Baz Luhrman's adaptation of The Great Gatsby, which surprised industry insiders by making $51.1 million. More box office analysis here.
Star Wars: Episode VII will be filmed in the United Kingdom, Lucasfilm announced this week. The land of tea and crumpets is the historic shooting location for the series. "We've devoted serious time and attention to revisiting the origins of Star Wars as inspiration for our process on the new movie, and I'm thrilled that returning to the UK for production and utilizing the incredible talent there can be a part of that," said company president Kathleen Kennedy. Read more here.
Flush from their superhero success, Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. will be teaming up again in Chef, an independent comedy that has been a true labor of love for Favreau. He will star as a fired chef who tries to reinvent himself as a food truck owner. Sofia Vergara will also star. Read more casting news here.
If you've noticed a difference in how the movies have been sounding recently, you're not crazy. Many theaters are starting to incorporate what has been hailed as the next generation of audio technology: Dolby Atmos. By placing speakers in the ceiling, floors, and everywhere in between, the new system is taking surround sound to a whole new pitch. Read more about the new technology and how it is changing movies here.
The producer of the smash right-wing documentary hit, 2016: Obama's America, has written a letter complaining that political bias caused the film (the second highest-grossing political documentary of all time) to be snubbed for Oscar consideration. While Michael Moore sits on the Board of Governors, the Academy denies bias. Read the full story here.
