CHILDREN OF THE CORN Reboot Centers on the Massacre of Adults

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Producer Lucas Foster says that Equilibrium and Ultraviolet director Kurt Wimmer’s “reimagining” of Stephen King’s Children of the Corn has “almost nothing to do with” director Fritz Kiersch’s 1984 movie.

He says that while the movie is based on the same classic King short story, “We went back to the story and free-associated from there.”

Instead, it will center on the events leading up to, and including, the massacre of the adults of a small town in Nebraska by their children, after the adults’ irresponsibility ruins the crop and the children’s future.

The film is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Lucas Foster (Ford v Ferrari) produces the reboot with Doug Barry (FML) and John Baldecchi (Happy Death Day). Wimmer, Mathieu Bonzon, Donald P. Borchers, Pascal Borno, John Fragomeni, Brian LaRoda, Keri Nakamoto, Andre Gaines, and Sean Harner are executive producing.

Are you up for this remake? Make sure to let us know what you think in the comments below or over on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!

The original film begins as physician Burt Stanton (Peter Horton) and his girlfriend, Vicky (Linda Hamilton), drive across the Midwest, their trip comes to a sudden halt when they encounter the body of a murdered boy in the road. In trying to contact the authorities, Burt and Vicky wander into a small town populated only by children, followers of sinister young preacher Isaac Chroner (John Franklin). Soon the couple is fleeing the youthful fanatics, who want to sacrifice them to their demonic deity.

The film sports a 35% approval rating over on Rotten Tomatoes with a Critics Consensus that reads: Children of the Corn’s strong premise and beginning gets shucked away for a kiddie thriller that runs in circles.

CHILDREN OF THE CORN Reboot Wraps Shooting & Reveals Cast

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Kurt Wimmer’s “reimagining” of Stephen King’s Children of the Corn has wrapped shooting in Australia during coronavirus. And today, the producers revealed the previously undisclosed cast of young actors.

Variety reports the new cast includes Elena Kampouris (Before I Fall) and Kate Moyer (When Hope Calls), Callan Mulvey (Avengers: Endgame), and Bruce Spence (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King).

Lucas Foster (Ford v Ferrari) produces the reboot with Doug Barry (FML) and John Baldecchi (Happy Death Day). Wimmer, Mathieu Bonzon, Donald P. Borchers, Pascal Borno, John Fragomeni, Brian LaRoda, Keri Nakamoto, Andre Gaines, and Sean Harner are executive producing.

Are you up for this remake? Make sure to let us know what you think in the comments below or over on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!

The original film begins as physician Burt Stanton (Peter Horton) and his girlfriend, Vicky (Linda Hamilton), drive across the Midwest, their trip comes to a sudden halt when they encounter the body of a murdered boy in the road. In trying to contact the authorities, Burt and Vicky wander into a small town populated only by children, followers of sinister young preacher Isaac Chroner (John Franklin). Soon the couple is fleeing the youthful fanatics, who want to sacrifice them to their demonic deity.

The film sports a 35% approval rating over on Rotten Tomatoes with a Critics Consensus that reads: Children of the Corn’s strong premise and beginning gets shucked away for a kiddie thriller that runs in circles.

Kurt Wimmer’s Children of the Corn Remake Wraps Production

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Kurt Wimmer’s Children of the Corn remake wraps production. After making headlines last month for continuing to film on the outskirts of Sydney, Australia despite the COVID-19 lockdown laws imposed throughout the country, producer Lucas Foster has confirmed that production has officially wrapped on director Kurt Wimmer’s upcoming remake of the 1984 horror film Children of the Corn.

CHILDREN OF THE CORN REMAKE CAST REVEALED AS FILMING WRAPS

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Last month, we caught word that EQUILIBRIUM director Kurt Wimmer was working on a new adaptation of the Stephen King story CHILDREN OF THE CORN - and that this project was actually filming in Australia during the pandemic, while most other productions were shut down. That was possible because the production followed "stringent health and safety protocols", had multiple insurance policies in place, and did not have a completion bond.

Producer Lucas Foster has now confirmed to Variety that filming has successfully been completed.

It has also been revealed that this new version of CHILDREN OF THE CORN stars Elena Kampouris, Kate Moyer, Callan Mulvey, and Bruce Spence.

Kampouris's credits include MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 2 and BEFORE I FALL. Moyer is best known for playing Heather Hobbie on the Hulu series Holly Hobbie. Mulvey has been seen in BATMAN V. SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE and AVENGERS: ENDGAME. Spence is the most prolific and well known of the bunch; among his 121 credits are films in the MAD MAX, LORD OF THE RINGS, MATRIX, STAR WARS, and PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN franchises.

The new take on the concept will show 

the events leading up to, and including, the massacre of the adults of a small town in Nebraska by their children, after the adults’ irresponsibility ruins the crop and the children’s future.

Foster said the film has "almost nothing to do with" the 1984 adaptation,

We went back to the story and free-associated from there."

Foster's fellow producers are Doug Barry, John Baldecchi, and Pam Collis. Executive producers are Wimmer, Mathieu Bonzon, Pascal Borno, John Fragomeni, Brian LaRoda, Keri Nakamoto, Andre Gaines, Sean Harner, and Donald P. Borchers - who produced the 1984 adaptation and directed the 2009 CHILDREN OF THE CORN.

I have always been a fan of the CORN movies, through all of their ups and downs, so I'm really looking forward to this new one.

Are horror fans ready for a re-imagining of Children of the Corn?

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Another re-imagining is on the way. Children of the Corn has wrapped production in Australia. Are King fans ready for this adaptation?

Children of the Corn is one of those Stephen King adaptations that frequently gets mentioned when discussing creepy kids in movies. The original 1984 film starring Linda Hamilton of Terminator fame and Peter Horton spawned a series of ten sequels.

According to Deadline, director Kurt Wimmer (Equilibrium) wrapped production on an untitled re-imagining of King’s tale. What makes this particular effort unusual is that it is the first feature to be completed during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Information on this particular venture is limited. What we do know is that it will be a modern approach to the story and that it stars Elena Kampouris (Summer Night), Kate Moyer (The Handmaid’s Tale), Stephen Hunter (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey), Sisi Stringer (Mortal Kombat 2021), Callan Mulvey (Power) and Bruce Spence (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales).

Variety has more information on the plot of the film. It won’t take its cues from the first movie. Instead, it will follow King’s work. From the description, it sounds as if audiences will get to see why the adults were murdered in that small town in Nebraska.

Another distinction that this Children of the Corn incarnation has is that the cast and crew were given the go ahead by New South Wales government agency, Safe Work NSW and film expert, Jon Heaney to continue with filming since the cast and crew were already on set together. Of course, proper protocols were adhered to in order to keep everyone involved Coronavirus free.

It will be interesting to see how die-hard fans of this particular franchise respond to this latest venture. Could it be the next Midsommar?

Children Of The Corn Wraps Filming, Cast Revealed

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The “re-imagining” of Stephen King’s Children of the Corn at the hands of Kurt Wimmer has officially finished shooting, as the cast pushed hard to get this one over the line during the ongoing crisis that is affecting the world.

Alongside the news of filming finally coming to an end in Australia, producers of the upcoming movie have revealed the cast of young actors that’ll play roles in Children of the Corn.

• Callan Mulvey. An Australian actor that is most known for his leading roles in television’s Rush, Underbelly, and Bikie Wars: Brothers in Arms. He has also featured in movies such as Batman vs Superman and 300: Rise of an Empire.

• Elena Kampouris. A 22-year-old actress who stars in the 2018 Facebook Watch series, Sacred Lies, where she portrays Minnow Bly.

• Bruce Spence. A New Zealand-born man who has played parts in numerous TV shows and movies, but none more famous than The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

• Kate Moyer. Born in 2008, Kate has already been nominated for two Canadian Screen Awards. Her performances in Holly Hobbie and Our House have begun the young girl’s rise to fame.

Happy Death Day’s John Baldecchi, Ford v Ferrari’s Lucas Foster, and FML’s Doug Barry all team up to produce the remastered thriller.

The original 1984 movie followed a young couple who become trapped in a small town where a cult of children, who believe that everybody over the age of 18 must be killed, reside.

Three-time Golden Globe-nominated Linda Hamilton (Vicky) and three-time Primetime Emmy-nominated Peter Horton (Burt) featured in the 80s horror.

Children of the Corn Reboot Story Hints at a Prequel – /Film

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While most movie productions have been shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, a new Children of the Corn movie that filmed in Australia found ways to keep going. The movie has now wrapped, and details are finally trickling out, including cast members and a brief synopsis. From the looks of things, this latest take on Stephen King‘s short story will be a prequel, detailing how those children of the corn got so darn creepy to begin with.

Last month, word broke that yet another Children of the Corn movie was on the way. The news came accompanied with the surprising reveal that the production, which was set up in Australia, was able to keep filming while virtually every other film production shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. At the time, all we really knew about the film beyond that was that Kurt Wimmer was in the director’s chair.

Now, Variety has more info. Elena Kampouris (Before I Fall), Kate Moyer (When Hope Calls), Callan Mulvey (Avengers: Endgame), and Bruce Spence (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King) are part of the cast, and, as producer Lucas Foster puts it, this new Corn has “almost nothing to do with” the 1984 Children of the Corn movie. That’s not really a surprise, all things considered since pretty much every single Children of the Corn sequel has almost nothing to do with the film preceding it.

The new Children of the Corn “describes the events leading up to, and including, the massacre of the adults of a small town in Nebraska by their children, after the adults’ irresponsibility ruins the crop and the children’s future.” In case you’re rusty on the whole Children of the Corn story, the first film followed a couple – played by Peter Horton and Linda Hamilton – who wound up in the creepy town of  Gatlin, Nebraska, where all the adults are dead, and a horde of evil kids run wild. This synopsis sounds like it’s going to be a prequel to that story.

Children of the Corn 1984 was adapted from the Stephen King story of the same name, but it was a very loose adaptation. The story is brief, and ends on a rather nasty note. It also doesn’t go into specific detail as to how the town of Gatlin ended up in its nightmarish state, so that’s where this new movie comes in, I suppose. Based on everything I’m reading here, I’m 99.9% sure this latest Children of the Corn is going to be a straight-to-VOD flick, as that’s par for the course for the series at this point.

The world watches as Children of the Corn, Neighbours film through COVID

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Two of the most-watched shows in the English-speaking world right now haven’t even been released yet.

Neighbours, which resumed production in suburban Melbourne two weeks ago after a four-week hiatus (the episodes now being filmed won’t screen for four more months), and Children of the Corn, a US-financed feature nearing the end of its shoot in Richmond, on the edge of Sydney, have captured the attention of the filmmaking world by showing it is possible to keep working through COVID-19 – albeit with some major modifications.

And according to some heavy hitters in the industry, that means Australia could be poised to attract a lot more foreign production and co-production as it emerges from the shutdown than might otherwise have been the case.

“We’ve always been seen as an overachiever,” says Chris Oliver-Taylor, CEO of FremantleMedia Australia, which produces Neighbours. “Our crews and cast are world-class, we’re English-language, we have a good climate, it’s safe, there are great facilities, and the dollar is in a great position for internationals looking in.

“The only issue we’ll have is can we get people into the country – and that’s a global issue, so there's no advantage or disadvantage, we’re all the same. But I think we are best placed and we’ve got to take advantage of that, to show the rest of the world just how good we are.”

If Australia does emerge from the pandemic sooner than the rest of the world, the sector wants to be ready with protocols in place to make cast and crew feel it is safe to work.

To that end, the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) has spent the past couple of weeks consulting with various screen agencies, production companies, broadcasters and the unions to develop a 50-page Working with COVID document, which went to state and federal health advisers this week for feedback. The hope is that it will be ready for adoption in workplaces within two weeks.

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“Obviously there’s a desire to return to production,” says AFTRS chief Nell Greenwood. “We’re trying to balance that with having in place a really robust set of protocols.”

There is some difference in opinion about whether an industry-wide set of guidelines is the right approach, with The Block producer Julian Cress saying this week that “each show has to look at its own set of circumstances and develop its own guidelines”. And it’s easy to see that the circumstances of a MasterChef – which has continued production throughout – are vastly different to a Married at First Sight, which is almost impossible to conceive with physical contact restricted.

“Each production is going to have to navigate its own set of conditions and pressures,” says Greenwood. “But not all productions have the resources or the time to research and establish their own practices. We can do that, we can help develop these for the industry as a whole.”

In the early days of the pandemic in Australia, with information about what was safe practice and what wasn’t changing almost daily, the scriptwriting department on Neighbours attempted to tweak on the run. But a week shy of a planned Easter break, Oliver-Taylor says, “it was all getting too much, the writers were on their knees, rewriting every day”.

“Neighbours is really big, and that’s our advantage,” says Oliver-Taylor, referring to the former Channel 10 studio complex in Nunawading that is now solely used for production of the show.

It has been split into four colour-coded precincts, with production teams assigned to each of those (and given a matching-colour lanyard). Cast are only allowed to move from one zone to another on a Friday “so we have a bit of time if someone develops symptoms”.

Oliver-Taylor isn’t permitted to visit. “Even the executive producer, Jason Herbison, can’t go on set,” he adds. “It’s all designed to minimise crossover and risk wherever we can, and to work out where people have been if someone does come down with illness. We’ve tried to build resilience in the system so that if we do close down one unit, the others can still keep shooting. It works on paper.”

On the US feature Children of the Corn, based on the Stephen King short story, producer Lucas Foster has had his own unique set of circumstances to deal with, and to help him.

He decided to shoot in New South Wales after scouting locations last November. By January, he’d had a field of corn sown, and by February 6 he was ensconced on location.

Filming started in late March, but even before it became apparent the situation was deteriorating rapidly, he had made the key decision that would allow production to continue.

“Everybody on our movie has been self-isolated for the better part of two months, nobody has gone home,” he says. “We’ve basically created a cluster of our own, if you will – a safe cluster – that has been isolated for several months. And by the time we shot any scenes that involved any touching, we were way past the 30-day mark. It’s just a non-issue.”

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This is the full-production quarantine model that is gaining some currency as a way forward. But it doesn’t come cheap.

“It was a low-budget film that is now kissing the mid-budget range due to COVID-19,” he says. Though declining to name a figure, he says the mid-budget movies he generally produces “are typically in the $50-$60 million range”.

Whatever the final cost, Foster – who also produced the Oscar-winning Ford v Ferrari – has at least bought himself a unique marketing angle when the film is ready for release, which he hopes will be by the end of the year: as far as anyone can tell, it is the only significant feature film in production anywhere in the English-speaking world.

Production on MasterChef has continued throughout the crisis.

Of course, plenty of other productions – both scripted and unscripted – have not been able to continue, including big-budget features such as Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which was filming at Fox Studios in Sydney, and Baz Luhrmann’s untitled Elvis Presley biopic, which was a week away from production at Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast when the pin was pulled. In Victoria, the Netflix series Clickbait was just 2½ weeks from wrapping when cast and crew – including American star Adrian Grenier – were sent home.

The priority will be on getting those shows finished as soon as possible, but the challenge will be the restrictions on international travel.

“We are going to need everybody to play nice,” says Screen Australia chief Graeme Mason. “Where something was mid-production, we need to have everybody agree that they can go first.”

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That said, he adds, “the more complex the show, the slower it will be to come back. If you’ve got a crew of 20 and one on-screen talent it’s much easier than 900 crew and 200 extras.”

Coming back won’t necessarily mean a return to the Pre-Times, though. Many of the practices being developed now under emergency conditions may well linger into the post-COVID world.

“I've always looked at filmmaking as creative problem solving – the bigger the problem, the more creatively exciting the solution,” says Kriv Stenders, the prolific director of feature film Red Dog, documentary The Go-Betweens: Right Here and the miniseries The Principal and Wake In Fright.

“For me it's always been a case of embracing your limits and reverse-engineering. It's a creative industry and I think that if we all work together we can work out clever solutions and ways forward. The will and need is simply too great for something not to happen.”

One of the big problems facing the sector will be getting international talent, such as Clickbait star Adrian Grenier, back into the country. CREDIT:AP/JEFF CHRISTENSEN

For an industry currently on its knees, there is perhaps a great opportunity in all this.

“Over the last few months we have maintained our strong relationships with international partners, studios and streaming platforms and forged new contacts who are actively looking to bring productions here,” says Screen Queensland CEO Kylie Munnich.

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Screen NSW head Grainne Brunsdon believes the shutdown could prove beneficial for local shows too, with agencies having redirected funding earmarked for production towards further development.

“I do think there will be a lift in quality,” she says. “There’s always the cry that there’s not enough time for development, and now there is – and people are taking advantage of this time to refine their scripts more.

“Hopefully it will be a bit of a watershed where production companies and commissioners will say, ‘OK, if we do put that bit more time and money into development we get a markedly better product, so that should be the way we go forward’.”

For Film Victoria boss Caroline Pitcher, this is a moment both to make a play for international work and to consolidate our local content.

“The focus has to be on high-quality productions for cultural reasons and economic benefits,” she says. “But we also have to have a view to growing our industry in a completely global economy. We want the world to be seeing our shows, to be demanding to see them, and that is about quality.

“It will absolutely be challenging, but we’re in a better position than most of the rest of the world,” she adds. “We should be really focused on how do we make this work, and how do we lead this globally. It has to be an opportunity, doesn’t it?”

Kurt Wimmer Wraps ‘Children Of The Corn’ Reboot In Australia After Cast & Crew Isolate Together During Lockdown Shoot

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There can’t be many examples of this – Kurt Wimmer, whose credits include writing and directing Equilibrium, has wrapped production on a feature film shot on set entirely during the lockdown.

This project is a yet-to-be-titled reimagining of Stephen King’s short story Children Of The Corn, which has already spawned 10 feature movies prior to this one, and shot in Australia. It originally went into production in New South Wales at the beginning of March. When the COVID-19 pandemic forced productions to shutdown across the world (few of which have resumed yet), the producers say they consulted with local body Screen NSW, which was a major investor in the pic, and decided to progress.

Collaborating with Safe Work NSW and film safety expert Jon Heaney, they drew up a reconfigured shoot schedule and methodology that implemented health and safety measures for the entire production. As they were already on set together, the full cast and crew were able to enter a joint isolation to restrict the potential for virus spread. The producers didn’t specify if they conducted any coronavirus testing on set or what exact measures were in place to avoid transmission (Deadline has sought further clarity), but they do say “no one got sick” and the shoot was successfully wrapped.

The movie’s cast includes Elena Kampouris (Sacred Lies) and Kate Moyer (The Handmaid’s Tale) with Australian talent Callan Mulvey (Avengers: Endgame) and Bruce Spence (The Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King). Pic’s plot follows the events leading up to the infamous massacre of the adults of a small town in Nebraska by their children.

Producers are Lucas Foster (Ford v Ferrari) Doug Barry (FML) and John Baldecchi (Happy Death Day). Wimmer wrote and directed and also executive produced with Mathieu Bonzon, Donald P. Borchers, Pascal Borno, John Fragomeni, Brian LaRoda, Keri Nakamoto, Andre Gaines and Sean Harner.

“We’re thrilled to be able to announce the completion of principal photography with Elena, Kate, Callan and Bruce who lead our cast on this reimagining of Stephen King’s timeless short story,” said producer Lucas Foster. “We’d like to thank our cast and crew for their unrivalled professionalism, banding together to work to bring this movie to life. It was incredibly important to us to us to keep our production alive and to keep people employed and productive for as long as we could do so safely, during this crisis. We accomplished that – no one got sick and we all figured out how to work together as a team to do our jobs while keeping our cast, crew and workplace, safe and secure. We’d also like to thank Screen NSW, Safe Work NSW and all those vendors and suppliers who worked with us as valuable partners during the shoot to ensure the health and safety of our cast and crew was protected.”

“Congratulations to the cast and crew for their perseverance during these unparalleled times to safely bring this classic remake to life here in Richmond and regional NSW,” added Grainne Brunsdon, Head of Screen NSW. “It is an example of the screen industry thinking innovatively and collaboratively to ensure our creative sector continues to thrive.”

International sales on the project will be handled by Timeless Films’ Ralph Kamp.

‘Children of the Corn’ Wraps Coronavirus-Defying Shoot in Australia (EXCLUSIVE)

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Kurt Wimmer’s reimagining of “Children of the Corn” has completed its coronavirus-defying shoot in Australia. The filmmakers employed stringent health and safety protocols, and multiple insurance policies.

The producers revealed the previously undisclosed cast of young actors, with Elena Kampouris (“Before I Fall”) and Kate Moyer (“When Hope Calls”) starring. They are accompanied by Australian talent Callan Mulvey (“Avengers: Endgame”) and Bruce Spence (“The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”).

“You can theorize all you like about safety protocols, but until you get on set, you don’t really know. But I can now tell you it is impossible to keep a camera crew 1.5 meters apart,” producer Lucas Foster (“Ford v Ferrari”) told Variety.

Principal photography began in New South Wales in early March, when the COVID-19 outbreak forced the majority of productions around the world to shut down.

“We ended up taking hundreds of measures. We did not trust the whole. Instead, we broke down every scene separately. Night. Day. Crowds. Interiors. And so on, assessing different levels of risk,” Foster said.

The production leaned heavily on safety manager Jon Heaney. A stunt coordinator with credits on “Mad Max: Fury Road” and “Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones,” he also has experience in the construction and mining industries. It also worked closely with the Screen NSW and SafeWork NSW agencies.

Australia has now drawn up standard protocols for film and TV productions, and has eased its lockdown and internal travel restrictions as the rates of infection have eased. But much of the industry currently remains grounded because insurance companies are unwilling to issue cover that includes compensation for COVID-19 infection.

“Corn” bought its insurance cover early. “We had the insurance in place before we hit the ground, and I made sure to have paid the premiums before I left the U.S.,” Foster said. “I treated the film like an indie movie, one with no margin of error and lots of insurance.” Foster says he took out three policies: for travel, production and the kind of specifics that can occur on a horror action movie.

“We did not use a completion bond. If we had, we would probably have been considered unfilmable and got shut down,” Foster said.

Foster says the new film has “almost nothing to do with” the 1984 movie, directed by Fritz Kiersch, and based on the same Stephen King short story. “We went back to the story and free-associated from there,” he said.

The film describes the events leading up to, and including, the massacre of the adults of a small town in Nebraska by their children, after the adults’ irresponsibility ruins the crop and the children’s future.

Along with Foster, production credits go to Doug Barry (“FML”) and John Baldecchi (“Happy Death Day”). Wimmer, Mathieu Bonzon, Donald P. Borchers, Pascal Borno, John Fragomeni, Brian LaRoda, Keri Nakamoto, Andre Gaines and Sean Harner are executive producing. Foster, Bonzon, Harner and Pam Collis produced on the ground in Australia.

The film has received major production investment from the Made in NSW fund at Screen NSW. It is expected to be completed by the end of the year. International sales are handled by Timeless Films’ Ralph Kamp and CAA.

Casting involved large numbers of socially distanced auditions – many using self-tapes – under the supervision of John McAlary.

Kampouris next stars opposite Josh Duhamel and Leslie Bibb in the upcoming Netflix series “Jupiter’s Legacy,” for executive producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura; and will appear in “Shoplifters of the World” with Joe Manganiello.

Moyer is best known for her role as Heather Hobbie in Hulu’s “Holly Hobbie,” and for her part in the Season 3 finale of “The Handmaid’s Tale.”

Box Office: ‘Ford v Ferrari’ Races to First Place, ‘Charlie’s Angels’ Collapses

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“Ford v Ferrari” left its box office competitors in the dust as the historical sports drama from Disney and 20th Century Fox sped its way to $31 million in North America.

Directed by James Mangold and starring Christian Bale and Matt Damon, “Ford v Ferrari” debuted ahead of expectations thanks to strong word-of-mouth from moviegoers. However, those promising ticket sales weren’t enough to offset disappointing starts from fellow high-profile newcomers, “Charlie’s Angels” and “The Good Liar,” pushing the domestic box office down over 6% from last year, according to Comscore.

Sony’s action comedy “Charlie’s Angels” sputtered out of the gate with an uninspiring $8.6 million from 3,452 venues, landing in third place between Lionsgate’s war drama “Midway” ($8.75 million) and Paramount’s family film “Playing With Fire” ($8.5 million). Meanwhile, Warner Bros.’ thriller “The Good Liar” narrowly cracked the top 10, finishing in eighth place with $5.6 million from 2,439 theaters.

“Ford v Ferrari” secured a rare A+ CinemaScore, the highest marks among new nationwide offerings. That kind of praise from ticket buyers indicates the racing drama should have a long life in theaters, a good sign considering the Chernin Entertainment-produced movie carries a $100 million price tag. “Ford v Ferrari” enticed a mostly older male crowd: Men accounted for 62% of ticket buyers, while nearly 80% were over the age of 25.

“We knew it was a real crowd pleaser,” said Cathleen Taff, Disney’s president of global distribution. “With the caliber of talent from director James Mangold and Christian Bale and Matt Damon, it felt like a must-see movie. We’re thrilled to see it breaking out.”

International moviegoers, as well as potential Oscar buzz, should also help drive the film toward profitability. “Ford v Ferrari” launched overseas this weekend with $21 million, pushing its global tally to $52.4 million. If it’s able to sustain momentum, “Ford v Ferrari” looks to be a major victory for Fox under its new owners at Disney, as well as the first commercial success since the studios merged earlier this year.

It was undoubtably a busy weekend for the company given the debut of Disney Plus, the studio’s newly launched streaming service. But Taff notes that Disney is “still committed to the big screen in every way,” adding that the success of “Ford v Ferrari” demonstrates “there’s an appetite for great original dramas on the big screen.”

“Ford v Ferrari” tells the true story of the automotive team at Ford, led by designer Carroll Shelby (Damon) and his British driver Ken Miles (Bale), as they build a race car attempting to beat the legendary Ferrari in the prestigious Le Mans race.

“Charlie’s Angels,” however, wasn’t able to entice its core audience of younger females and arrived well behind domestic box office projections (the studio was anticipating a start closer to $13 million). Though co-financing partners will help offset any potential losses for Sony, “Charlie’s Angels” will now rely on overseas audiences to help recoup its $48 million production budget. At the international box office, the film bowed with $19 million.

Despite mostly positive reviews and a B+ CinemaScore, analysts note that “Charlie’s Angels,” joining the likes of recent underperforming blockbuster-hopefuls like “Doctor Sleep” and “Terminator: Dark Fate,” is yet another indication that familiar IP doesn’t always translate into commercial appeal.

Elizabeth Banks wrote and directed “Charlie’s Angels” — starring Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott and Ella Balinska — the third big-screen adaptation of the classic action series. The newest chapter sees the Angels going global to halt the spread of a dangerous new technology that could threaten the world. Banks portrays one of the many Bosleys, while Sam Claflin, Patrick Stewart and Noah Centineo joined the cast.

“The Good Liar” also failed to be much of a draw for its target demographic, potentially competing with “Ford v Ferrari” for attention among adult audiences. Over 60% of moviegoers were above 50 years old, a group that doesn’t routinely turn up in force on opening weekend. But mediocre reviews, along with a B CinemaScore, doesn’t bode well for its future in multiplexes. Directed by Bill Condon and starring Ian McKellen as a con artist who targets a wealthy widow (Hellen Mirren), “The Good Liar” is the latest literary adaptation from Warner Bros. that hasn’t been able to fill seats in theaters. In recent weeks, “The Goldfinch,” “Motherless Brooklyn” and “Doctor Sleep” were all major misfires. “Doctor Sleep” suffered a massive 57% decline in its second weekend, pulling in $6.1 million for a domestic total of $25 million.

It’s not all bad news on the Warner Bros. lot. This weekend, “Joker” officially became the first R-rated movie in history to gross over $1 billion at the global box office. All the more impressive, it’s only the third movie ever to reach that milestone without a release in China, one of the world’s biggest moviegoing markets.

Universal’s romantic comedy “Last Christmas” rounded out the top five, generating $6.7 million for a domestic total of $22.5 million. After 10 days in theaters, “Midway” has earned $35 while “Playing With Fire” pocketed $25 million.

At the specialty box office, A24’s “Waves” kicked off with $144,562 from four venues in New York and Los Angeles, equating to a strong $36,140 per location. Trey Edward Shults wrote and directed the acclaimed drama about a South Florida family coming together in the face of tragedy. The studio will continue to slowly roll out the film nationwide into the holiday season.

Among awards hopefuls, Fox Searchlight and Taika Waititi’s “Jojo Rabbit” picked up $2.8 million when it expanded to 995 theaters. To date, the World War II satire has brought in $13.59 million in North America.

Other notable expansions include Amazon Studio’s “Honey Boy,” which amassed $210,617 from 14 screens, averaging $12,389 from each venue. Based on Shia LaBeouf’s childhood, the movie has made $584,713 in limited release.

“The momentum behind ‘Honey Boy’ furthers this weekend and is growing stronger looking into next weekend’s 15 market expansion,” said Amazon marketing and distribution executive Vincent Scordino. “We’re seeing more diverse and commercial audiences turnout this week which is encouraging as the film steadily pushes forward on its awards path reaching nationwide the weekend of Golden Globe nominations.”

Comics Watch: 'Morbius' and the Future of Sony's Marvel Universe

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The new comic starring the vampire gives hints as to where Jared Leto's big-screen version of the character could go.

Welcome back to The Hollywood Reporter's weekly Comics Watch, a dive into how the latest books from Marvel, DC and beyond could provide fodder for the big screen. This week looks at Marvel's Morbius No. 1, so be warned of spoilers ahead.

We’re well past spooky season, but Marvel Comics still has its share of monsters. Wednesday sees the release of Morbius No. 1 by Vita Ayala and artist Marcelo Ferreira. The Living Vampire, spun out of the pages of The Amazing Spider-Man, has been a Marvel mainstay since his debut in Amazing Spider-Man No. 101 in 1971. The character saw the height of his popularity in the '90s with his longest-running solo series (32 issues), and as a member of the horror-themed superhero team Midnight Sons. While he’s never been too far removed from the shadows, the character’s latest ongoing series and probable prominence over the course of the next year can be traced to the upcoming film starring Jared Leto as the titular vampire.