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Hollywood trying to balance box office with ballot box on its fall marquee

Mix of films and stars features everything from actively avoiding politics, to embracing it fully
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This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Joaquin Phoenix, left, and Lady Gaga in a scene from 含羞草研究社淛oker: Folie 脿 Deux.含羞草研究社 (Niko Tavernise/Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

Three weeks after the in November, will present his latest big-screen opus. 含羞草研究社淕ladiator II含羞草研究社 returns the prodigious filmmaker to ancient Rome for a story about a power, the survival of Rome and the fate of democracy.

含羞草研究社淗opefully,含羞草研究社 Scott says, 含羞草研究社渋t will be a good omen.含羞草研究社

This fall, Hollywood will be trying 含羞草研究社 with everything from swaggering historical epics like 含羞草研究社淕ladiator II含羞草研究社 to the high-seas adventure of 含羞草研究社淢oana 2含羞草研究社 含羞草研究社 to capture the nation含羞草研究社檚 attention at a time when much of it will be directed at the polls.

Already, Hollywood has played a co-starring role in the . The Democratic Convention in August was packed with . Republican vice-presidential candidate, , was first introduced to many by the 2020 big-screen adaptation of his And it was George Clooney, who this month stars in the Apple Studios film alongside Brad Pitt, who was one of the most prominent voices from the race.

Hollywood, famously progressive, has always had to strike a balance between the liberal leanings of the majority of its creatives with the big-tent demands of pop culture. In recent years, that含羞草研究社檚 grown increasingly tricky.

At the same time, the movie industry, after several years hobbled by pandemic and strikes, is striving to recapture its all-audiences populism 含羞草研究社 and all the billions that can come with it. Disney chief Robert A. Iger last year signaled the need 含羞草研究社渢o entertain first,含羞草研究社 adding 含羞草研究社渋t含羞草研究社檚 not about messages.含羞草研究社

This past summer, Disney led Hollywood out of a box-office slump with a pair of billion-earners in and Ticket sales for the summer rose to $3.7 billion, according to Comscore 含羞草研究社 less than the traditional $4 billion benchmark but significantly better than initially feared after

One of the fall含羞草研究社檚 likeliest candidates to continue the trend is 含羞草研究社淢oana 2.含羞草研究社 Dwayne Johnson, who returns as the voice of Maui, earlier this year in the election out of concern for the division it would cause.

Like many of the films opening this fall, 含羞草研究社淢oana 2含羞草研究社 (opening Nov. 27), as a story about a strong female protagonist and a celebration of Pacific Islander culture, could resonate very differently, depending on the outcome of the election.

含羞草研究社淚f it resonates for people in a different way, I can含羞草研究社檛 control that,含羞草研究社 says Dana Ledoux Miller, who directed 含羞草研究社淢oana 2含羞草研究社 with David Derrick Jr. and Jason Hand. 含羞草研究社淚含羞草研究社檓 so excited about what this story is and what it means to be a person in a community who wants something more for the world they live in and for the future. We含羞草研究社檒l see what happens, but the movie is what it is.含羞草研究社

Movies this year have largely only approached political themes from a distance. by Alex Garland, imagined the U.S. in all-out warfare. directed by Tony Gerber and Jesse Moss, gathered real political figures for an insurrection simulation.

But 含羞草研究社 will offer the movie version of an October surprise. The film, the release of which , stars Sebastian Stan as a young Donald Trump under the tutelage of Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong). The Trump campaign has called it 含羞草研究社渆lection interference by Hollywood elites.含羞草研究社 Its director, Ali Abbasi, argues filmmakers have a responsibility to face current politics head-on.

含羞草研究社淚含羞草研究社檝e been hearing a lot: Let含羞草研究社檚 make a movie about the Second World War or the Civil War 含羞草研究社 just go back in time,含羞草研究社 says Abbasi. 含羞草研究社淭hey say a Civil War movie is a good metaphor for the way our society is now. I含羞草研究社檓 like: Our society is extremely exciting, complex, complicated, has huge problems and opportunities. Why not address them? We have a (expletive) responsibility.含羞草研究社

As usual this fall, studios will trot out a new wave of awards contenders. Unlike last year, when came into the season the clear favorite, no such frontrunner has yet emerged. At the Venice, Telluride, Toronto and New York film festivals, notable premieres include Todd Phillips含羞草研究社 anticipated sequel 含羞草研究社淛oker: Folie 脿 Deux,含羞草研究社 Edward Berger含羞草研究社檚 含羞草研究社淐onclave,含羞草研究社 Marielle Heller含羞草研究社檚 含羞草研究社淣ightbitch,含羞草研究社 Malcolm Washington含羞草研究社檚 含羞草研究社淭he Piano Lesson,含羞草研究社 Steve McQueen含羞草研究社檚 含羞草研究社淏litz含羞草研究社 and LaMell Ross含羞草研究社檚 含羞草研究社淣ickel Boys.含羞草研究社

Standouts from earlier festivals will also mix in, like and But, at least for now, the Oscar race appears wide open.

含羞草研究社淓milia P茅rez,含羞草研究社 about a Mexican drug lord who transitions into a woman, is just one of the many musicals landing in theaters. Some studios have recently run from the label of 含羞草研究社渕usical含羞草研究社; last December含羞草研究社檚 含羞草研究社淲onka含羞草研究社 wasn含羞草研究社檛 advertised as such. But this fall, no matter what含羞草研究社檚 happening on the news, it won含羞草研究社檛 be hard to find song and dance on the big screen.

That includes 含羞草研究社淛oker: Folie 脿 Deux,含羞草研究社 含羞草研究社淢oana 2含羞草研究社 and the two-part adaptation of the Broadway show 含羞草研究社淲icked!含羞草研究社 含羞草研究社 not to mention biopics on Robbie Williams (含羞草研究社淏etter Man含羞草研究社) and Bob Dylan (含羞草研究社淎 Complete Unknown,含羞草研究社 with Timoth茅e Chalamet).

含羞草研究社淲icked含羞草研究社 director Jon M. Chu and producer Marc Platt were confident enough in their film, starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, that they opted to split it into two. (Part two will release in November 2025.) 含羞草研究社淲icked,含羞草研究社 opening Nov. 22, will open against 含羞草研究社淕ladiator II含羞草研究社 in the fall含羞草研究社檚 most -like weekend matchup.

含羞草研究社淚 love at this time, at this moment, we can root for all movies, all the time,含羞草研究社 says Chu. 含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 getting to tell people: Come to the movies. Everyone come.含羞草研究社

In 含羞草研究社淲icked,含羞草研究社 which imagines the story behind the opposing witches of 含羞草研究社淭he Wizard of Oz,含羞草研究社 Platt sees a story with plenty of relevance to the current political climate.

含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 a significant election for both of us,含羞草研究社 says Platt. 含羞草研究社淏ut our story aspires to be about the distance people travel to connect with each other, about seeing the other as not the other, about living in a world where sometimes the truth is not real.含羞草研究社

Some films are taking some novel approaches to storytelling. Morgan Neville含羞草研究社檚 含羞草研究社淧iece by Piece含羞草研究社 tells Pharrell Williams含羞草研究社 story with Lego bricks. Robert Zemeckis含羞草研究社 含羞草研究社淗ere,含羞草研究社 starring Tom Hanks, has the appearance of a film shot in one take. In 含羞草研究社淏etter Man,含羞草研究社 Williams is portrayed by computer-generated monkey.

In festival screenings of midway through the movie a man has walked on stage and addressed a question to the screen. Coppola, who financed the film himself, spent years steadily building 含羞草研究社淢egalopolis,含羞草研究社 a future-set epic about a visionary (Adam Driver). In cynical times, it含羞草研究社檚 brashly optimistic, even utopian.

含羞草研究社淵ou never turn on CNN or open the newspaper to: 含羞草研究社楬uman Being Is an Unbelievable Genius.含羞草研究社 But it含羞草研究社檚 true. How can you deny it?含羞草研究社 at the Cannes Film Festival. 含羞草研究社淭hink of what we can do. A hundred years ago they said man will never fly. Now we含羞草研究社檙e zooming around. So I ask myself: Why is it that no one dare say how great we are? There含羞草研究社檚 no problem that we含羞草研究社檙e facing that we含羞草研究社檙e not ingenious enough to solve.含羞草研究社

While Coppola was making his conception of a modern-day Roman epic, Scott was a making the genuine article. During the making of 含羞草研究社淕ladiator II,含羞草研究社 Scott 含羞草研究社 a self-professed news junkie 含羞草研究社 continually felt that his film was far from ancient history. unspooled during the film含羞草研究社檚 making, the director noted.

含羞草研究社淵ou are living during what I call democracy against tyrants, tyranny,含羞草研究社 says Scott. 含羞草研究社淲e含羞草研究社檙e looking in this film as about tyrannical leadership against people who try to rectify that. When is history not about that?含羞草研究社





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