Good day! Welcome to the post-Turkey edition of The Monitor, WIRED’s culture news roundup. We know at least one movie that had a better Thanksgiving than expected. What else happened over the last few days in the world of entertainment? We’ve got your answers here.
Knives Out Had a Good Thanksgiving
Unsurprisingly, Disney’s Frozen 2 was at the top of the heap at the box office for the long holiday weekend, bringing in $124 million over five days. More surprisingly, though, writer-director Rian Johnson’s whodunnit Knives Out made $41.7 million, almost double what it was expected to gross. Director Melina Matsoukas’ Queen and Slim also beat expectations, bringing in $15.8 million.
Billy Dee Williams Uses Gender-Fluid Pronouns
As the release date for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker approaches, nearly everyone in the cast is getting their own magazine profile. That includes Billy Dee Williams, who is returning to the iconic role of Lando Calrissian in the latest installment in the franchise. In Williams’ big Esquire profile, the actor made a revelation that has a lot of fans cheering. “I never tried to be anything except myself. I think of myself as a relatively colorful character who doesn’t take himself or herself too seriously,” Williams told the publication. “I say ‘himself’ and ‘herself,’ because I also see myself as feminine as well as masculine. I’m a very soft person. I’m not afraid to show that side of myself.”
Martin Scorsese Doesn’t Want You to Watch The Irishman on an iPhone
Last week, just before the Thanksgiving holiday, director Martin Scorsese’s mob flick The Irishman hit Netflix. Theoretically, that means folks can now watch the movie on their TVs. It also means they could watch it on their smartphones—but Scorsese would prefer they didn’t. “I would suggest—if you ever want to see one of my pictures, or most films—please, please don’t look at it on a phone, please,” the director said on Rolling Stone critic Peter Travers’ YouTube show Popcorn with Peter Travers. “An iPad, a big iPad, maybe.” We’d suggest you heed his advice, unless you want a mobster to come over and paint your house. It is what it is.
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