According to The Hollywood Reporter, Greta Gerwig’s female-fueled Barbie – which is narrated by Helen Mirren – opened to a historic $162 million domestically, a threshold usually reserved for male-driven superhero fare or marquee IP, such as the final Harry Potter movie. It came in well ahead of an expected $90 million to $110 million and helped fuel one of the biggest weekends in history. And the final figure of $162 million was even ahead of Sunday’s already-stupendous $155 million. Barbie is also strutting to big numbers overseas. The pic launched to an impressive $182 million from 70 markets. It scored the biggest opening ever for a WB title in major markets, including Mexico ($22.3 million), Brazil ($15.9 million) and Australia ($14.6 million). The U.K. led with $22.9 million, the biggest showing for the studio since the pandemic. Barbie wasn’t expected to make a big splash in Asian markets, although it did do better than expected in China with $8.2 million. In North America, Barbie scored the biggest domestic start ever for a movie directed by a woman, solo or otherwise. The solo crown previously belonged to Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman, which started off with $103.3 million domestically in 2017. In 2019, the Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck-directed Captain Marvel opened to $153 million. The complete article can be read over at the The Hollywood Reporter.

Dame Helen Mirren will receive an achievement award at the 40th Jerusalem Film Festival (JFF) which opens on Thursday July 13th. The accolade will be presented to the multi-award-winning British actress at the launch of the international event, at Sultan’s Pool, the outdoor amphitheater located directly under the walls of Jerusalem’s Old City. The festival will open with her new film “Golda”, about former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir. A statement from JFF said: “The mere mention of Helen Mirren’s name inspires awe and anticipation for each one of her new films. Our anticipation is doubled, as she honors us with her presence to mark her appearance in the role of one of the most significant figures in Israeli history, Golda Meir. We are thrilled to take this opportunity to honor her for her illustrious career.” The film festival also praised Mirren’s “versatility and professionalism,” as they “contributed to her iconic status and cross-generational popularity.” The film is set during the three-week war, which began as a surprise attack on Israel launched by Egypt, Syria and a number of allies on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.

Helen Mirren is expressing her condolences after Queen Elizabeth II’s death at 96. On Thursday, Buckingham Palace announced that the Queen “died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.” As reported by People, in a message on Instagram, Mirren called the late monarch the “epitome of nobility. I am proud to be an Elizabethan. We mourn a woman, who, with or without the crown, was the epitome of nobility,” wrote Mirren. At the “Helen Mirren and Hawk Koch Discuss the Magic of Movies” event back in 2019, the actress opened up about a “lesson in embarrassment” she was taught during tea with Queen Elizabeth. “She invited me for tea,” Mirren began. “I thought it was going to be in a room with 200 other people, which it often is. I’ve met her once before and it was in a room with 200 other people. So I said, ‘Oh, well, I can manage that.’ So it was at the horsey place and the message came to me that the Queen would like to invite you to tea, she knows you’re here.” “So I walk in, and there’s like eight people sitting around a table. Prince Philip, the Queen, a Sheik of somewhere or other and a couple of horsey people. I know absolutely nothing about horses, at all, and the Queen knows everything about horses,” continued Mirren, adding that she was “desperately trying to make polite conversation and it’s just coming out like gobbledygook.” She added of the meeting that “they were lovely, they were utterly gracious.” Mirren was appointed a dame by Queen Elizabeth back in 2003.

A slew of A-list figures, including Jane Fonda, Adam McKay, Shailene Woodley, Helen Mirren, Michael Palin and Ted Turner, have demanded governments honor a long-awaited agreement to protect the world’s oceans. In the letter, dozens of celebrities and conservation groups have called for a High Seas treaty, which has been the subject of international talks for the better part of two decades. “We need our oceans. They keep our planet habitable. They provide livelihoods and livelihoods for billions, and are home to so much of our planet’s biodiversity,” the letter reads. “Currently there is no way for governments to protect the high seas, waters outside national jurisdictions. A strong treaty would solve this by allowing the creation of vast ocean reserves, off limits to destructive human activities. Urgent action is needed. Nearly two decades ago, governments first discussed a new treaty. As they have talked, the ocean crisis has worsened. Countless species and habitats have been destroyed or lost.”

Other signatories include actors Rosanna Arquette, Javier Bardem, Joanna Lumley, Stephen Fry and Mark Rylance; singers Alejandro Sanz and Grag Queen; comedian Sindhu Vee and TV presenters Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Fearne Cotton and Chris Packham. The leaders of environmental organizations including Greenpeace, Oceana, SharkProject International and Women4Oceans have also added their support. There is currently no legal protection for the “high seas” – the two-thirds of international waters that are not tied to one country and are open to shipping, fishing and research to all. But the ocean, which covers 70 percent of the planet and produces about 50 percent of its oxygen, is being attacked in multiple ways by the climate crisis, environmental pollution and human exploitation. The ocean has absorbed about 90 percent of the excess heat caused by greenhouse gas emissions, largely from the burning of fossil fuels. The higher temperatures affect almost all marine life. United Nations negotiations on new Global Ocean treaty stall, activists demand robust treaty be drafted by the end of 2022

According to The Hollywood Reporter, U.K. network ITV has lined up a host of big names to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee next month. Among those leading the festivities for the monarch’s 70 years on the throne will be Tom Cruise, Helen Mirren and Damian Lewis, who will take part in a grand theatrical event, including 1,300 performers and 500 horses taking viewers through various moments in history, from the reign of Queen Elizabeth I through to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Mirren is set to play Queen Elizabeth I (a role she has performed before in a 2005 TV series), while a cast of “Queen’s Players” will be introduced by a character called The Herald, played by actor and comic Omid Djalili. Each act will reflect on key moments in history, including Elizabeth I’s Tilbury Speech and James I and the Gunpowder Plot. The Commonwealth will also be celebrated, as well as the four nations within the United Kingdom. All of this will be interspersed with a number of military and equestrian displays from around the world, including Azerbaijan, India, Oman, France, Norway, Switzerland and Trinidad & Tobago. Music will be provided by a 75-piece orchestra comprising Tri-Service personnel and augmented with members of The National Symphony Orchestra, with special performances from Keala Settle, Gregory Porter and Katherine Jenkins. The musical director will be the multi-award winning composer, Debbie Wiseman, whilst the principal director for music will be Lieutenant Colonel Jason Burcham RM. The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee will be broadcast live from the private grounds of Windsor Castle on Sunday, May 15.

A whole host of A-list celebrities such as Dame Helen Mirren and Susan Sarandon have teamed up with global not-for-profit charity THINK EQUAL in their latest campaign, according to the Mirror. Think Equal’s mission is to achieve a global system change in education introducing social and emotional learning as a compulsory new subject on national curriculum around the world. EQlicious sees Dame Helen and Susan alongside celebrities such as Olivia Colman, Stephen Fry, Richard E. Grant, and Emma Thompson narrate a collection of new animated stories for families with children aged three to six. The idea is that the stories will bring wellbeing and positive life outcomes to the next generation of children. EQlicious features a total of 12 digital stories and 60 activities including art-based creations, interactive games, playful songs and prompts for meaningful conversation. Each heartwarming story provides a different learning objective, from self-esteem and communication skills to celebration of diversity, emotional literacy, problem solving and kindness. The complete article can be read over here. In the above video, taped in 2016, Helen Mirren talks about Think Equality.

Helen Mirren is mourning the loss of British stage and film actor Antony Sher, who died on Thursday at the age of 72, in an article posted by People. The Oscar winner shared an emotional tribute to Sher on Friday. “I am devastated to hear of the death of Antony Sher,” Mirren wrote, in a statement. “The theater has lost a brilliant light.” She went on to recall first meeting Sher in the mid-1970s, writing, “I will never forget the moment I met the actor in Antony. We were doing the first reading rehearsal of the play Teeth and Smiles by David Hare. Antony was a comparatively unknown actor at the time. We were buried in our scripts.” “I read the first words of our scene together and he answered. I raised my eyes above the pages to look at him more precisely, as with simply those minimal words I immediately realized I was opposite a great actor,” the Woman In Gold actress added. “Of course he went on to become the celebrated artist he was, but the extraordinary ability was born in him, as natural to him as breathing: it was as clear as a summer sky,” said Mirren. Sher – who was knighted by the British Empire in 2000 for services to theater — was commemorated Friday by the Royal Shakespeare Company, which said the respected actor died after being diagnosed with terminal cancer earlier this year. “‘Antony was deeply loved and hugely admired by so many colleagues. He was a ground-breaking role model for many young actors, and it is impossible to comprehend that he is no longer with us,” the statement read in part. In addition to his celebrated and Tony-nominated stage career, Sher is remembered as having played Dr. Moth in 1998’s Oscar-winning Best Picture Shakespeare in Love, along with roles in Mrs. Brown and The Wolfman. Others to pay tribute to the late actor have included Patrick Stewart and Mark Rylance. Sher is survived by husband Gregory Doran, artistic director for the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Dame Helen Mirren and actor Nicholas Hoult are among the stars wearing vintage festive knits while holding messages from children across the world in support of Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper Day campaign, according to The Independent. This year stars, including model and actress Poppy Delevingne, activist Munroe Bergdorf and Bafta EE Rising Star winner Bukky Bakray, have all been photographed holding messages from young people about their hopes for the future to celebrate 10 years of the annual fundraiser. Dame Helen is pictured holding a message that reads “Defend the rights of girls”, written by a 14-year-old named Maya from Syria, while Hoult’s sign reads “Ban plastic. Reduce pollution” and has been written by siblings James and Isla who attend a school in Wales which is supported by Save the Children.

To celebrate 10 years of Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper Day, famous faces from across the nation have joined forces to amplify the urgent changes that children want to see in the world.The striking images, shot by celebrated photographer Misan Harriman, connects influential names from the worlds of fashion, film and music with young people’s messages of protest and hope for the future. Launching a month before Christmas, the series aims to give children from communities across the globe a platform to share the changes they want to see in the world – from reducing pollution to ending racism – and share their messages of hope for the future.“Defend the rights of girls” are the poignant words written by 14-year-old Maya from Syria and chosen by Helen Mirren to feature in her portrait. Maya, who now lives in Za’atari refugee camp in Jordan is a powerful advocate for the rights of girls and is determined to end child marriage. Supported by Save the Children to deliver advocacy training in the camp, Maya now helps to raise awareness among parents of child marriage and the importance of female empowerment. “I always tell girls to defend their rights, to defend their roles and to be the voice of all women in the community. I tell them don’t stay quiet,” she says.“A girl has dreams, a future and many other things. We must prevent early marriage, prevent harassment and prevent anything that might be a factor in destroying girls’ lives.”Speaking of her involvement in the campaign, Dame Helen Mirren said: “I’m delighted to be supporting Save the Children’s 10th Christmas Jumper Day. “My placard says ‘defend the rights of girls’ and the words were chosen by a young Syrian refugee called Maya who is a strong advocate for girl’s rights within her camp and is particularly passionate about ending child marriage and campaigning for better education for girls and I feel very lucky to be able to share the message of such a powerful cause.

The campaign also advocates sustainability as each celebrity photographed is wearing a one-off vintage jumper, some of which will be distributed back into Save the Children outlets across the country and will be available to purchase from December 1. Save The Children said its Christmas Jumper Day – being held on December 10 and which asks those taking part to donate £2 – has raised more than £27 million since launching in 2012. The fundraiser is encouraging the nation to upcycle, borrow or buy a second-hand festive sweater this year to make it the most sustainable Christmas Jumper Day yet.

Sad news today. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Roger Michell, the British stage, television and film director whose movies include the hit romcom Notting Hill, has died. He was 65. Michell’s family announced his death on Wednesday in a statement on Thursday. They didn’t disclose the place or cause of death. “It is with great sadness that the family of Roger Michell, director, writer and father of Harry, Rosie, Maggie and Sparrow, announce his death at the age of 65 on Sept. 22,” said the statement released through Michell’s publicist. Michell directed for British theaters including the Royal Court, the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company, and made acclaimed television series in the 1990s, including adaptations of Hanif Kureishi’s novel The Buddha of Suburbia and Jane Austen’s Persuasion. On the big screen, his biggest commercial hit was Notting Hill, the Richard Curtis-penned comedy about an awkward romance between a movie star played by Julia Roberts and a London bookshop owner, played by Hugh Grant. After its release in 1999 it was for a time the highest-grossing British film in history, and Michell followed it with Hollywood thriller Changing Lanes, starring Ben Affleck and Samuel L. Jackson. But he largely made films in Britain, including Enduring Love, based on an Ian McEwan novel, and Venus, which gained Peter O’Toole an Academy Award nomination. Later films included Hyde Park on Hudson, a historical drama starring Bill Murray as President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the upcoming The Duke, a real-life art heist story starring Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren. Michell is survived by ex-wives Kate Buffery and Anna Maxwell Martin, both actors, and by his four children.

Dame Helen Mirren and legendary comic actor Stephen Fry are to join a Best of British cast to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. A spectacular equestrian display showcasing horses from across the globe will also be staged in events across four nights in the grounds of Windsor Castle next May. A Gallop Through History has been billed as a “personal tribute to our monarchy” and will feature more than 500 horses and over a thousand dancers and musicians taking the audience on a journey from Elizabeth I to the Queen. The monarch has a life-long love of all things equestrian and is being kept informed by organisers of their plans, and her ponies and horses are expected to feature in the event, with royal fans hoping to see members of the royal family taking part. Marking the monarch’s record breaking 70 years on the throne, volunteers from across the UK and all corners of the Commonwealth will create a special pageant along the streets of London. An extended bank holiday, from Thursday 2nd to Sunday 5th June, will begin with Trooping the Colour, which will be staged in full for the first time since the pandemic, followed by a service of thanksgiving for the Queen’s reign at St Paul’s Cathedral on the Friday. On Saturday, the Queen will be accompanied by members of her family at The Derby at Epsom Downs with a special concert outside Buckingham Palace in the evening. The BBC will stage and broadcast the live concert that will bring together some of the world’s biggest entertainment stars to celebrate the most significant and joyous moments from The Queen’s seven decade reign.