Anthony Gonzalez’s Disney-Pixar Film “Coco” Wins Thanksgiving Holiday Box Office

He’s nowhere near voting age, but Anthony Gonzalez is beating superheroes at the box office…

The 13-year-old Latino actor voices the character of Miguel, a young Mexican boy with musical dreams who has a wondrous adventure in the Land of the Dead in DisneyPixar’s animated film Coco, which won the Thanksgiving holiday box office.

Anthony Gonzalez

Gonzalez’s Coco earned $71.2 million at 3,987 North American sites during the Wednesday-Sunday period, while Warner Bros.DC Entertainment’s Justice League pulled in $60 million at 4,051 locations during the same timeframe in its second weekend in theaters.

Coco posted for the fourth-best Thanksgiving holiday opening ever, trailing three other Disney titles — Frozen with $93 million in 2013, Moana with $82 million in 2017 and Toy Story 3 with $80 million in 2010.

Audiences surveyed by comScore’s PostTrak gave Coco strong ratings with 66% calling it “excellent,” and another 23% rating it “very good.”  Surveys also showed 77% of viewers saying they would “definitely recommend” the movie to friends and 20% saying they would watch it again in a theater.

Coco

Coco, directed by Lee Unkrich and co-directed by Adrian Molina, is based on the traditions surrounding the Day of the Dead holiday in Mexico and centers on a 12-year-old boy who dreams of becoming a musician and explores his family history in the Land of the Dead. The studio hasn’t released a price for the movie. Disney-Pixar titles are usually budgeted in the $175 million to $200 million range.

In addition to Gonzalez, in his breakout role, Coco’s ensemble voice cast includes Benjamin Bratt, Gael Garcia Bernal, Renee Victor, Edward James Olmos, Ana Ofelia Murguia, Jaime Camil, Sofia Espinosa, Gabriel Iglesias, Cheech Marin and Lombardo Boyar.

The holiday weekend is one of the busiest moviegoing periods of the year. According to comScore, this year’s five-day Thanksgiving weekend saw total grosses his $268 million — $7.5 million better than last year’s when Moana opened with $82 million, and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them taking in $65 million in its second weekend.

The strong holiday performance left the 2017 overall domestic total at $9.71 billion, or 4% behind the same point last year, according to comScore. The industry fell behind last year’s record-setting total due to downbeat performances in August and October — so much so that the much-anticipated Dec. 15 opening of Star Wars: The Last Jedi will probably not be enough to pulled this year even.

Pablos’ “Las Elegidas” Picks Up Five Ariel Awards

David Pablos is the chosen one…

The 32-year-old Mexican filmmaker’s Las Elegidas, a drama about a teenage girl forced into prostitution, proved to be the big winner at the 58th Ariel Awards, Mexico’s version of the Oscars.

David Pablos

Produced by Canana Films, Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna’s production company, Las Elegidas earned Pablos the Best Director and Best Original Screenplay awards.

The film, which had its world premiere last year in the Cannes Film Festival‘s Un Certain Regard, was also named Best Picture.

In all, writer-director Pablos’ film won five Ariels on Saturday night in Mexico City, including cinematography and breakthrough performance for actress Nancy Talamantes.

Also winning five awards was Gloria, Christian Keller‘s biopic about controversial Mexican pop icon Gloria Trevi. Gloria won best actor and actress for performances by Marco Perez (Amores Perros) and Sofia Espinosa.

Best Ibero-American picture went to Ciro Guerra‘s Amazon jungle-set Embrace of the Serpent, which made history last year when it became Colombia’s first film to ever receive an Oscar nomination.

Lifetime achievement awards were handed to veteran filmmaker Paul Leduc and Rosita Quintana, an actress known for her work during Mexico’s golden age of cinema.

Here’s the complete list of winners:

Best Picture: Las Elegidas
Director: David Pablos (Las Elegidas)
Actor: Marco Perez (Gloria)
Actress: Sofia Espinosa (Gloria)
Supporting Actor: Noe Hernandez (600 Millas)
Supporting Actress: Adriana Paz (Hilda)
Breakthrough Performance (Actor): Martin Castro (El Jeremias)
Breakthrough Performance (Actress): Nancy Talamantes (Las Elegidas)
Cinematography: Las Elegidas
Original Screenplay: Las Elegidas
Adapted Screenplay: Un Monstruo de Mil Cabezas
Ibero-American Picture: El Abrazo de la Serpiente
Documentary: El Hombre Que Vio Demasiado
Animated Picture: La Increible Historia del Nino de Piedra
First Work: 600 Millas
Production Design: Mexican Gangster
Costume Design: Mexican Gangster
Makeup: Gloria
Original Score: El Hombre Que Vio Demasiado
Sound: Gloria
Editing: Gloria
Special Effects: Mexican Gangster
Visual Effects: Mexican Gangster
Short Fiction Film: Tremulo
Short Documentary: Ausencias
Short Animated Film: Zimbo

Trevi Announces First Dates for the U.S. Leg of Her “El Amor” World Tour

Gloria Trevi is bring a little amor to the world…

The 47-year-old Mexican singer, known as the “Supreme Diva of Mexican Pop,” will kick off the U.S. leg of her El Amor world tour at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on August 21, the same day she releases her highly anticipated new album.

Gloria Trevi

“These are songs that have transformed my life, that have taught me about love and how I want to be loved,” Trevi said in a statement. “I know I will leave pieces of my soul on this tour, which will be very physically and emotionally demanding but it will be worth it.”

Trevi enlisted Chilean producer Humberto Gatica for the as-yet-untitled new album, with the first single scheduled for release on May 19.

Trevi recently attended the premiere of her new biopic last month at South by Southwest. Directed by Christian Keller from a screenplay by Sabina Berman and starring Sofia Espinosa, Gloria chronicles the pop provocateur’s tumultuous rise to stardom, how she came to be known as the “Mexican Madonna,” her stint in a Brazilian jail due to bizarre criminal allegations, her exoneration and eventual comeback.

“I watched the movie at my fans’ suggestion,” Trevi told Billboard’s Leila Cobo during a Q&A at SXSW prior to the film’s first U.S. screening. “It’s not easy to see your life reflected and I personally had to understand that it’s not a documentary, but a film with dramatic license. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me get angry. It was hard to watch, but even with all the dramatic license it took, it’s a film with a positive message.”

“It’s hard to play me,” she added with wry humor. “I’m like a tragicomedy; I make people laugh and cry.”

Tickets for Trevi’s “El Amor” tour will go on sale April 24 on axs.com. Shows from Los Angeles to El Paso, Texas, have been announced so far, with more to follow.

First U.S. Dates of Gloria Trevi’s ‘El Amor’ World Tour:

Aug. 21 – Los Angeles @ The Greek Theatre
Aug. 22 – San Jose, Calif. @ City National Civic Performing Arts Theatre
Aug. 23 – Modesto, Calif. @ Gallo Center For The Arts
Sept. 11 – McAllen (Hidalgo), Texas @ State Farm Arena
Sept. 12 – Laredo, Texas @ Laredo Energy Arena
Sept. 18 – Houston @ Bayou Music Center
Sept. 19 – Dallas @ Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie
Nov. 6 – Phoenix @ Comerica Theatre
Nov. 7 – El Paso, Texas @ El Coliseo

Universal Pictures International to Release Gloria Trevi Biopic in Mexico

The biopic about controversial Mexican pop star Gloria Trevi has universal appeal…

Universal Pictures International will distribute Gloria in the  46-year-old Monterrey, Mexico-born pop-rock singer’s home country.

Gloria Trevi 

Gloria is slated to open south of the border on September 5 in 1,000-plus theaters, a large release by Mexican standards.

Trevi was often referred to as the “Mexican Madonna” for her provocative lyrics and edgy performances in the 1990s. Her career came crashing down in the late ’90s, after she and her former manager were accused of luring young girls into a cult-like pornographic ring. Trevi went on the lam and was later arrested in Brazil, where she was held in prison for more than four years. She was released in 2004 when a court found her innocent on charges of kidnapping, rape and corruption of minors.

In December, Trevi’s lawyers sent a cease-and-desist letter to the producers claiming that the production was using an unauthorized script about the singer-songwriter’s life.

At a Sunday music awards event in Miami, Trevi told The Associated Press that the producers “deceived” her and that the script contained “lies.”

The film’s producers say they have a notarized contract signed by Trevi, plus they claim that she approved of the screenplay.

“The contract is not subject to script authorization on behalf of Gloria Trevi,” a producer’s statement said. “In fact, she read the screenplay in 2010, was fully in agreement and even passed along some notes which have since been included.”

Directed by first-time helmer Christian Keller, Gloria stars Sofia Espinosa, who appeared in the HBO prison drama Capadocia.