Movies
Beyond Fest’s First Wave Announced: From Tollywood to Hollywood!
With all the horror forthcoming, Beyond Fest announced today the first wave of programming for its tenth anniversary edition.
From Tollywood to Hollywood is a month-long celebration of the Indian writer/director S.S. Rajamouli featuring his most iconic work and very special in-person appearances by the filmmaker himself!
Built in collaboration with long-time Beyond Fest partner, American Cinematheque, and IMAX, Variance Films, Potentate Films, and Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, From Tollywood to Hollywood: The Spectacle & Majesty of S.S. Rajamouli is the first U.S. retrospective of S.S. Rajamouli, and the first time the legendary director has appeared with his films in-person at a U.S. film festival.
“Since inception, Beyond Fest has fought tirelessly to give film fans the best theatrical experiences in the world, From Tollywood to Hollywood delivers on that promise,” said Christian Parkes, co-founder of Beyond Fest. “To celebrate the world’s greatest filmmaker and present the biggest film in the world, RRR, in IMAX at the most famous theater in the world is the dream culmination of a decade’s work. Glory to the People’s Republic.”
Launching with an incredibly rare IMAX-presentation of the global phenomenon RRR at the world-famous TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, From Tollywood to Hollywood: The Spectacle & Majesty of S.S. Rajamouli also features an epic nine-hour, ultra-marathon including BAAHUBALI: THE BEGINNING, BAAHUBALI 2: THE CONCLUSION and EEGA with S.S. Rajamouli in-person for a career-spanning Q&A, and special screenings of MAGADHEERA and MARYADA RAMANNA.
All films will be presented in their native Telugu with English subtitles, and intermissions will be observed as originally intended by the filmmaker. S.S. Rajamouli will also guest program the American Cinematheque’s ‘Sunday Print Edition’ at the Los Feliz 3 and introduce a black and white 35mm screening of Charlie Chaplain’s 1931 silent classic, CITY LIGHTS.
“As the filmmaker’s exhibitor, the American Cinematheque is thrilled to present the larger-than-life films of S.S. Rajamouli on the biggest and best screens in Los Angeles,” said Grant Moninger, Director of Programming, American Cinematheque. “Rajamouli’s work encompasses all that is great about cinema and the shared theatrical experience.”
Tickets for all From Tollywood to Hollywood: The Spectacle & Majesty of S.S. Rajamouli screenings are available exclusively through the American Cinematheque’s ticketing site (americancinematheque.com) and will be made available for sale tomorrow (Thursday, September 8th) at 10 AM PST. Visit beyondfest.com and the americancinematheque.com for dates, showtimes and details.
The full slate of Beyond Fest’s 10th Anniversary edition will be announced next week.
BEYOND FEST 2022 – S.S. RAJAMOULI PROGRAM
TCL CHINESE THEATRE – IMAX
RRR
Special Screening – Friday, 9.30
Director: S.S. Rajamouli
Country: India
Telugu with English subtitles
Runtime: 187 minutes
Year: 2022
Guests: With Director S.S. Rajamouli in attendance
MUBI THEATRE at the Aero Theatre – Saturday
EEGA
Special Screening (Triple feature with BAAHUBALI + BAAHUBALI 2) – Saturday. 10.1
Director: S.S. Rajamouli
Country: India
Telugu with English subtitles
Runtime: 145 minutes
Year: 2012
Guests: With Director S.S. Rajamouli in attendance
BAAHUBALI: THE BEGINNING
Special Screening (Triple feature with EEGA + BAAHUBALI 2) – Saturday. 10.1
Director: S.S Rajamouli
Country: India
Telugu with English subtitles
Runtime: 159 minutes
Year: 2017
Guests: With Director S.S. Rajamouli in attendance
BAAHUBALI 2: THE CONCLUSION
Special Screening (Triple feature with BAAHUBALI + EEGA) – Saturday. 10.1
Director: S.S. Rajamouli
Country: India
Telugu with English subtitles
Runtime: 167 minutes
Year: 2017
Guests: With Director S.S. Rajamouli in attendance
MAGADHEERA – Friday 10.21
Special Screening
Director: S.S. Rajamouli
Country: India
Telugu with English subtitles
Runtime: 166 minutes
Year: 2009
MARYADA RAMANNA – Sunday 10.23
Special Screening
Director: S.S. Rajamouli
Country: India
Telugu with English subtitles
Runtime: 125 minutes
Year: 2010
Movies
‘Abigail’ on Track for a Better Opening Weekend Than Universal’s Previous Two Vampire Attempts
In the wake of Leigh Whannell’s Invisible Man back in 2020, Universal has been struggling to achieve further box office success with their Universal Monsters brand. Even in the early days of the pandemic, Invisible Man scared up $144 million at the worldwide box office, while last year’s Universal Monsters: Dracula movies The Last Voyage of the Demeter and Renfield didn’t even approach that number when you COMBINE their individual box office hauls.
The horror-comedy Renfield came along first in April 2023, ending its run with just $26 million. The period piece Last Voyage of the Demeter ended its own run with a mere $21 million.
But Universal is trying again with their ballerina vampire movie Abigail this weekend, the latest bloodbath directed by the filmmakers known as Radio Silence (Ready or Not, Scream).
Unlike Demeter and Renfield, the early reviews for Abigail are incredibly strong, with our own Meagan Navarro calling the film “savagely inventive in terms of its vampiric gore,” ultimately “offering a thrill ride with sharp, pointy teeth.” Read her full review here.
That early buzz – coupled with some excellent trailers – should drive Abigail to moderate box office success, the film already scaring up $1 million in Thursday previews last night. Variety notes that Abigail is currently on track to enjoy a $12 million – $15 million opening weekend, which would smash Renfield ($8 million) and Demeter’s ($6 million) opening weekends.
Working to Abigail‘s advantage is the film’s reported $28 million production budget, making it a more affordable box office bet for Universal than the two aforementioned movies.
Stay tuned for more box office reporting in the coming days.
In Abigail, “After a group of would-be criminals kidnap the 12-year-old ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, all they have to do to collect a $50 million ransom is watch the girl overnight. In an isolated mansion, the captors start to dwindle, one by one, and they discover, to their mounting horror, that they’re locked inside with no normal little girl.”
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