The worldwide box-office hopped aboard Brad Pitt’s blockbuster express as Columbia Pictures’ action-thriller Bullet Train revved up $62.5M in its opening weekend to capture the No.1 spot globally (US and international) for the August 3 to 7 frame. The UK led all 57 markets with a 5-day total of $3.5M, followed by France with $3.1M. Mexico delivered $3.0M with a Wednesday start, and Australia launched with $2.2M. In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia took in $1.9M, and UAE pulled in $1.3M. Germany bowed at $1.5M while Spain debuted to $1.4M. Taiwan logged $1.3M over 5 days. The film also broke the record...

When Leitch first approached the prospect of directing Bullet Train, he admits that one of the biggest challenges would be how to create a compelling feature-length action film set in one contained environment. “As David was considering it, he thought, ‘How am I going to do action? The train is such a small space,’” says McCormick. “And I said, ‘Isn’t that an opportunity?’ That’s how we like to look at things – turning problems into opportunities.” “The problem is we’re on a train, but the opportunity is we’re on a train,” Leitch explains. “When you confront yourself with problems, when...

L A D Y B U G   Ladybug is an intuitive and skilled but burnt-out operative whose string of bad luck has taken its toll on him. Cajoled into taking what sounds like an easy pick-up job, he unwittingly stumbles into a vipers nest of the most notorious elite assassins in the game.    “You may think Brad Pitt and not necessarily think comedy, but he’s a very smart comedic actor who makes great choices with his physicality and delivery,” says Leitch. “More importantly, Brad plays Ladybug in a way where you do care about him.  He thinks he’s...

Emmy-nominated filmmaker Jessica M. Thompson directs Columbia Pictures’ new horror thriller The Invitation starring Nathalie Emmanuel (Game of Thrones, Fast & Furious 7 & 8). Thompson made her feature writer-directorial debut with The Light of the Moon, which won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Film at SXSW. The film holds a 97% Rotten Tomatoes score, with critics calling it "harrowingly effective" (Variety), "honest and complex" (The Hollywood Reporter), and Film Inquiry stated that "for any filmmaker this would be an unmitigated triumph, but for a first-time filmmaker this is revelatory." The Invitation gave Thompson the chance to work in the horror genre which...

Two of today’s most popular Japanese actors, Andrew Koji (HBO Max’s Warrior) and Hiroyuki Sanada (John Wick: Chapter 4) star alongside Brad Pitt in Columbia Pictures’ new action-thriller Bullet Train, in Philippine cinemas August 10. In the film, Pitt stars as Ladybug, an unlucky assassin determined to do his job peacefully after one too many gigs gone off the rails. Fate, however, may have other plans, as Ladybug's latest mission puts him on a collision course with lethal adversaries from around the globe—all with connected, yet conflicting, objectives—on the world's fastest train. The end of the line is just the beginning in this non-stop...