October
Hit films and now a hit hotel: The design genius of Luca Guadagnino
The director behind Challengers and Call Me By Your Name has a new movie, a new five-star hotel in Rome and a just-opened craft festival.
- Maria Shollenbarger
September
How Netflix won the streaming wars
The company has staged a remarkable recovery since the ‘great correction’ of 2022 and now has the edge over rivals in traditional Hollywood.
- Christopher Grimes
If you’re leaving Disneyland while it’s light, you’re doing it wrong
The world’s best-known theme park inspires awe and delight during the day, but after dark Walt’s $280 billion vision truly comes to life.
- Lucy Dean
June
Defamation, disclaimers and the truth of ‘Baby Reindeer’
Throughout cinematic history, made-up stories have pretended to be true.
- Alexander Larman
April
‘Waterboarded with green magic’: the bizarre Gen Z cult of Shrek
The 2001 film about a lovable ogre in a swamp has found a new lease of life among young adults, many of whom weren’t even born when it first came out. But why?
- Poppie Platt
February
Hoyts sale up in the air after Chinese businessman snaps up parent
The cinema chain’s chief executive, Damian Keogh, says a strike in Hollywood has had a material impact on the film slate this year and on box office takings.
- Sam Buckingham-Jones
December 2023
What it’s like inside Luna Park’s Dream Circus
The amusement park operators have spent $15 million on an immersive technology centre, but does it live up to the hype?
- Michael Bailey
- Opinion
- Tech Observed
Recreating dead actors with AI does not make for a wonderful life
It may seem harmless to recreate Jimmy Stewart’s voice for a wellness app, but it is the start of a slippery slope that doesn’t end well for humanity.
- Paul Smith
Is the very rich Robert De Niro being a hypocrite?
Like the rest of us, most celebrities mellow as they age and become less hung up on themselves. But this wealthy Hollywood icon is taking on Republicans.
- Ed Power
October 2023
Dumb Money director would ‘love’ another GameStop craze
The Australian-born Craig Gillespie’s enthusiasm for meme stocks investors taking on short sellers is undimmed by his own losses from the movement.
- Nick Bonyhady
September 2023
Harry Potter actor Michael Gambon dies
The deep-voiced actor had a career spanning 50 years but gained fame among young people for his portrayal of Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore.
BGH Capital to preview debt markets in $600m Village Roadshow refi
The private equity firm is approaching its third anniversary as owner of the cinema and theme park business, a chunk of which was spent wiling away lockdowns.
- Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
Barbie could turn Mattel into a movie powerhouse
The toymaker has 12 more films planned, including one based on its Hot Wheels line that will be produced by Mission Impossible director J.J. Abrams.
- James B. Stewart
The latest South Korean film drama is about real life box-office fraud
Police allege as many as 2.67 million theatre admissions have been forged for films including “Emergency Declaration”, a 2021 disaster blockbuster, and “Hot Blooded”, a 2022 crime thriller.
- Song Jung-a
August 2023
Cinema owner EVT banks Barbenheimer box office bounce
Cinema and hospitality heavyweight EVT Ltd is reaping the rebound in tourism and return of moviegoers across its hotels, resorts and cinemas business.
- Nick Lenaghan
Aussie film sector doubles to $4.5b, but Hollywood strike impact looms
New data from an ABS survey of the TV and film production industry shows its revenue has doubled – but costs have risen more.
- Sam Buckingham-Jones
July 2023
Hoyts suitor PEP lines up debt funding for $700m bid
Pacific Equity Partners has asked a handful of lenders to submit indicative terms for a $500 million-odd debt package to bankroll the acquisition.
- Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
Meet one of history’s most influential designers
One of the most imaginative minds in American culture, costume master Ann Roth is being recognised for her influence over 50 years of iconic movies.
- Maureen Dowd
- Opinion
- Review
The real story of Oppenheimer and Einstein’s unlikely friendship
Dynamic but psychologically disturbed, Robert Oppenheimer became close after the war to the much older Albert Einstein, who he admired but saw as unworldly.
- Boris Starling
Barbenheimer! Dual debuts break Aussie box office records
The opening weekend of Barbie & Oppenheimer lifted Aussies cinemas to their biggest weekend since before the pandemic.
- Mark Di Stefano