Entertainment

Lilo and Stitch beat Tom Cruise in box office bonanza

Published

3 weeks ago

May 26, 2025

editor

Disney’s live-action Lilo and Stitch remake and Tom Cruise’s supposedly final Mission: Impossible outing have opened as two of the biggest films of the year in a record-breaking weekend at the box office.

Lilo and Stitch, which revisits the 2002 animated family favourite, exceeded expectations with takings of $341m (£252m) around the world.

That made it the second highest opening of 2025 so far after A Minecraft Movie, Variety reported, and broke the record for the Memorial Day weekend in the US.

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, the eighth film in the franchise, also proved a hit with $190m (£140m) in ticket sales.

Cruise has been playing agent Ethan Hunt since 1996, and seemingly confirmed The Final Reckoning would be the last instalment by telling the Hollywood Reporter: “It’s the final! It’s not called ‘final’ for nothing.”

But some have doubts about whether it will really turn out to be the end.

The blockbuster has had some rave reviews, with the Guardian calling it a “wildly entertaining adventure” in a five-star review, and Vanity Fair describing it as “a worthy send-off”.

However, not everyone was blown away, with the Hollywood Reporter saying it’s “a disappointing farewell”, and Mashable saying the series risked going out with the “fizzled whimper of a message self-destructing in a tape deck”.

Meanwhile, Lilo and Stitch is the latest in a long line of live-action remakes of beloved Disney animations, and achieved the third-best box office opening behind 2019’s The Lion King and 2017’s Beauty and the Beast, Variety said.

The new version stars Courtney B Vance and Zach Galifianakis alongside eight-year-old Maia Kealoha and a computer-generated cuddly runaway alien.

It has also had mixed reviews, being described as “jovial, zany, and sweet” by the Daily Beast, but a “mind-numbing abomination” by the Times.

(BBC News)

Entertainment

South Indian actress Varalaxmi arrives in SL

Published

1 day ago

June 18, 2025

editor

Renowned South Indian actress Varalaxmi Sarathkumar arrived at Katunayake Airport yesterday (June 17) to play the lead role in the upcoming film “Cage Bird”.

The film is a Sri Lankan production directed by Chandran Ratnam, which is set for international release.

She arrived at the Katunayake Bandaranaike International Airport at 11:04 a.m. via SriLankan Airlines flight UL-122 from Chennai, India.

She was welcomed by Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) officials, including Deputy Director Harendra Wijewardene and Assistant Director Chaminda Munasinghe.

Entertainment

Indian actor Mohanlal arrives in SL

Published

3 days ago

June 16, 2025

editor

Renowned Indian actor Mohanlal arrived in Sri Lanka on Saturday (June 14) for the second phase of shooting director Mahesh Narayanan’s big-budget film.

He landed at Bandaranaike International Airport at 11.20 a.m. via SriLankan Airlines flight UL-166 from Kochi and is expected to stay for 10 days.

Speaking to the media, Mohanlal praised Sri Lanka as a “beautiful destination with fresh cinematic backdrops” and expressed interest in filming more projects on the island in the future.

The film, produced by Antony Perumbavoor’s Aashirvaad Cinemas in collaboration with Anto Joseph Films, also features legendary actor Mammootty.

Key action scenes are set to be filmed during this schedule.

@Mohanlal is about to went to Sri Lanka to join the sets of #MMMN for a few days of shoot✌#Mohanlal pic.twitter.com/iUwjxOzD0p
— AKMFCWA Official (@AkmfcwaState) June 15, 2025

ലാലേട്ടൻ ❤️
Latest at Sri Lanka#MMMN Schedule @Mohanlal #Mohanlal pic.twitter.com/zj4L2Hm0sT
— AKMFCWA Official (@AkmfcwaState) June 15, 2025

Entertainment

Special award for renowned actress Iranganie Serasinghe

Published

4 days ago

June 15, 2025

editor

he 2025 Silver Screen Awards Ceremony held with the participation of the Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya.

The 2025 Silver Screen Awards Ceremony was held on June 13 at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH), with the participation of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya.

The aim of this year’s awards ceremony included appreciating artists who enriched the Sri Lankan cinema industry during the years 1970–1975. At the ceremony, renowned actress Iranganie Serasinghe was presented with the Sumith Bibile Memorial Gold Award by the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister also conferred awards to distinguished artists Padma Sri Kodikara, Dinesh Priyasad, and Indrani Perera.