The film, based on the ancient Greek poem by Homer, stars Matt Damon as the Greek hero Odysseus, and follows his perilous journey home after fighting the Trojan War. It is Nolan’s first movie since the 2023 blockbuster “Oppenheimer,” which won Academy Awards in several categories, including directing and best picture.

“There’s just palpable excitement across the domestic market this weekend for ‘The Odyssey’,” said Jim Orr, Universal’s president of domestic theatrical distribution.

READ MORE: Matt Damon calls ‘The Odyssey’ the most challenging film of his career

The film topped the weekend’s domestic and global box office, according to Rentrak. It had broad appeal with movie-goers, with half of ticket-buyers between the ages of 18 and 34 years old, Orr told Reuters.

The strong opening performance of the film is a testament to Nolan’s popularity among moviegoers.

“Modern audiences should not be underestimated on their knowledge of film and filmmakers,” said Paul Dergarabedian, Rentrak’s head of marketplace trends. “And that passion they have for film is manifest in their devotion to Christopher Nolan. It really is a thing.”

“The Odyssey” cost $250 million to make. It received an A CinemaScore from filmgoers who attended opening-night screenings, and an audience rating of 97% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The film ranks among Nolan’s biggest opening weekends. Factoring in inflation, “The Odyssey” ranks as his third-highest-opening film globally, behind 2012’s “The Dark

Knight Rises“ and 2008’s “The Dark Knight,” which brought in inflation-adjusted totals of $358.5 million and $304 million, respectively, in worldwide ticket sales during their opening weekends.

Half the movie-goers elected to see “The Odyssey” in an enhanced format in the U.S. and Canada, including 23% at IMAX, according to Universal. Fans began snapping up tickets for “The Odyssey” a year ago when seats at select IMAX theaters went on sale.

IMAX said demand for tickets was so high that more than 50 theaters across North America added show times between midnight and 7 a.m. IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond said the company had booked $50 million in advance ticket sales, its strongest presales ever. He has extolled the use of IMAX cameras and 70 mm film to capture the sweeping narrative, generating more buzz around the movie.

“It was just a well-made — almost perfectly made — movie in many respects,” said Gelfond.

Most scholars believe the epic poem attributed to Homer was composed in the seventh or eighth century BC and was sung and passed on orally before it was written down. Nolan’s film centers on a portion of Odysseus’ homecoming, where he encounters gods and monsters, storms and tragedy.

Employees were informed at a town hall meeting at Marvel’s Midtown Manhattan office that the publishing unit would move to Burbank, home to Marvel Studios and parent Walt Disney’s entertainment operations, according to the source, who spoke anonymously, because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

The move comes alongside a leadership shake-up at the comics division. Stephen Wacker, a longtime Marvel editor and producer, has been named editor-in-chief, replacing C.B. Cebulski, who has led the division since 2017.

New York was home to many of Marvel’s most influential creators, including Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, and served as the setting for several of its best-known characters and teams, including Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and the Avengers.

Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans unite for Marvel’s ‘Doomsday’

Marvel is now seeking to have all of the New York-based employees of the comics and franchise group, just over 100 people, relocate to California by July next year, according to the source.

The relocation reflects Marvel’s push to more closely align its comics division, the source of many of its characters and storylines, with its film, television and animation businesses.

The changes come as Marvel is betting on a year-end release of “Avengers: Doomsday” to revive momentum in its film franchise after several recent releases failed to match the box-office success of the studio’s earlier blockbuster run.

“The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer free,” a statement posted on Neill’s Instagram page said.

Neill died in Sydney, with the family paying tribute to a private hospital in the city for their care.

The Jurassic Park actor announced in April he was cancer-free after undergoing treatment for stage-three blood cancer.

Stars pay tribute to ‘Total Eclipse’ singer Bonnie Tyler, who has died at 75

“Wry and dry, thoughtful and laconic, Sam fought illness with the same dignity, humour and conviction that gave strength to his every performance,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a social media post.

“He will be much mourned and long remembered. May he rest in peace.”

Mamdani told reporters that the billionaire pop singer covered the bill for this month’s star-studded extravaganza, when asked if Swift would pay back the city for police overtime related to the ceremony.

“Taylor Swift has paid already the cost of the permit that was lodged, which was over $160,000 for that event and for the response to that event,” Mamdani said.

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Swift’s wedding, which took place over two days in Manhattan, drew hundreds of celebrities and involved a large deployment of police officers who shut down streets surrounding the huge indoor arena.

The total cost of the event is unknown, but Forbes magazine estimated that it exceeded $20 million. The couple also donated $26 million to several charities before tying the knot.

“Bracken Road” features on his upcoming “Life is a Dream” album, a collection of orchestral works written over six decades, “revealing a composer whose music shares the same emotional depth and storytelling that define his screen career”, label Decca Classics said.

The 88-year-old Welsh-born actor, who won Academy Awards for his performances in “The Silence of the Lambs” and “The Father”, learned to play the piano at the age of four and went on to compose music for local plays as a teenager in the 1950s.

“Music was my first desire, my first wish,” Hopkins said in a statement. “I’ve been composing music all my life. Some of these pieces have lived with me for decades and I still find myself returning to them.”

“Life is a Dream”, which is released on August 21, features works Hopkins wrote during different periods of his life that were inspired by his childhood, loved ones and his native south Wales.

It is performed by Grammy Award-winning conductor Gustavo Dudamel and the Philharmonia Orchestra.

Mick Jagger says Rolling Stones hope to tour new album ‘Foreign Tongues’

“It has been a true privilege to collaborate with the distinguished Philharmonia Orchestra and the virtuoso soloists, cellist Gregorio Nieto and classical pianist Sergio Tiempo,” Hopkins said.

“My deepest gratitude and respect go to Maestro Gustavo Dudamel, whose artistry is an integral part of this musical journey. With the graceful precision of his baton, he transformed each note with profound and indelible meaning, creating a pictorial landscape that invites the listener to feel and imagine something uniquely personal.”

Inspired by the landscape around his childhood home, Hopkins composed “Bracken Road” in 1963 when he was a young actor at the Liverpool Playhouse theatre, improvising on a piano before rehearsals. Another track “My Fatherland”, also pays tribute to Wales, while other pieces draw on loved ones and “the cinema that first caught his imagination”, Decca Classics said.

With her distinctive husky voice, tousled mane of blonde hair and black eyeliner, Tyler was instantly recognisable as the queen of the 1980s power ballad.

Tyler’s family said on Facebook they were “heartbroken to announce that Bonnie unexpectedly passed away last night in hospital in Portugal as a result of the illness that she was being treated for”.

Downing Street said British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was “saddened” to hear of Tyler’s death, calling her “one of Britain’s greatest recording artists”, whose music “continues to touch lives”.

Stars from music and film also paid tribute to Tyler.

Husky-voiced British rock star Rod Stewart wrote on Instagram that he and Tyler “shared similar styles of vocalising”, calling her “a good pal, a true soul stirrer”.

Hollywood actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, who is also Welsh, wrote on Instagram that Tyler, who sang at her wedding, was “an extraordinary woman with vocals to match”.

British pop singer Cliff Richard recalled that Tyler’s “infectious zest for life entertained so many around the world”, while Canadian singer Bryan Adams wrote on X that Tyler “had such a great voice” and thanked her for her “beautiful” version of a song he co-wrote.

Singer Bonnie Tyler out of coma

And classical singer Katherine Jenkins hailed “a true Welsh legend whose unmistakable voice inspired generations and put Wales on the world stage with such power, passion and authenticity”.

Born Gaynor Hopkins in the Welsh town of Neath in 1951 where she grew up with five siblings, Tyler little imagined the success she would have after leaving school at 16.

“The best thing I did was ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’. How can you ever possibly imagine it would still be so big today and people who weren’t even born then would be singing it at karaoke?” she told the Daily Telegraph in 2025.

She came from a humble background. Her father worked in the coal mines, while her mother was a housewife.

Ballad queen

Initially, Tyler worked in a grocery shop and began singing in her spare time, changing her name to Sherene Davis to avoid any confusion with another Welsh singer Mary Hopkin.

In 1975, she was spotted by talent scout Roger Bell singing in a Swansea nightclub, and was signed a few months later by RCA records, changing her name again, this time to Bonnie Tyler.

Shortly afterwards she had to have surgery to remove nodules on her vocal cords, and after not resting her voice enough following the operation developed her signature sultry sound.

Tyler’s first major smash hit was “It’s a Heartache” in 1978, and entering the 1980s she turned more towards rock music.

But it was “Total Eclipse”, written by American composer Jim Steinman, which rocketed her to international fame.

It’s one of rock music’s most famous ballads and in 2026 – 43 years after it was first released – it hit more than a billion listens on streaming website Spotify.

It has sold over six million records, and the stirring video has been viewed more than a billion times on YouTube.

At the peak of her fame in 1984, Tyler released “Holding Out for a Hero” from the hit film “Footloose”.

‘Audience sings with me’

She released 17 studio albums and was nominated for three Grammy Awards during her career.

In 2013 she carried UK hopes in the Eurovision song contest with “Believe In Me” only to finish 19th.

A fan of Tina Turner and French rocker Johnny Hallyday, Tyler was known for her down?to?earth nature and for keeping her Welsh accent.

Since the 1970s, she and her husband, former judo athlete Robert Sullivan, divided their time between Wales and the Algarve in Portugal.

She was also awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to music by Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.

“I live a very normal life and don’t go around with bodyguards; I’m not Mariah Carey, darling. I’m always happy to take a selfie in front of the salad counter,” she told The Times in 2025.

“People ask me if I get tired singing the old songs, but why wouldn’t I love singing something like ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’? As soon as I start one of those numbers, the whole audience sings it back to me – it’s magic.”

“Foreign Tongues” is set for release on Friday and follows the Grammy Award-winning 2023 record “Hackney Diamonds,” which the group supported with a North American tour in 2024. It marks the Stones’ second studio album since the 2021 death ​of drummer Charlie Watts and 25th since the group first formed in London in 1962

“We hope we go on tour, Ronnie and I are really into that, so we hope we see everyone on the road,” Jagger, 82, told Reuters as he and guitarist Ronnie Wood, 79, arrived at the album’s launch party.

The 14-track album features guest contributions from Paul McCartney, The Cure’s Robert Smith and Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers among others. Jagger said a lot of the collaborations on “Foreign Tongues” were accidental.

Sign of the times: Harry Styles sets record with 12-night Wembley run

“People come and visit you in studios and (say) ‘can I come down and listen’?” he said. “Robert Smith came just to listen, and I said, ‘Robert, you can’t just listen, you’ve got to sing’, so he went and sang and played some guitar.”

The upcoming album release was celebrated with a dazzling lights drone display over the River Thames, which lit up the night sky with shapes including the band’s famed lips-and-tongue logo.

It follows another launch event in New York in May attended by Jagger and Wood and fellow guitarist Keith Richards.

“We’ve had (the album) ready for a while, so we’re very excited that it’s coming out this Friday,” Jagger said.

He “has broken the record for longest residency by a musician at Wembley Stadium… with his shows at the iconic UK venue,” the Guinness World Records said on Monday.

Styles, who shot to fame with the band One Direction, began his London tour on June 12 to mark the release of his fourth solo album “Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally.”

Guinness adjudicator Will Munford said the “record-breaking 12-date run is a testament to the scale, ambition and cultural impact of his live performances, as well as the incredible connection he has with his fans”.

The Wembley dates ended on an emotional note for the “Watermelon Sugar” singer on Saturday when he paid tribute to his former One Direction band members – Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and the late Liam Payne.

The London run has flooded social networks with videos of Styles dancing and singing - opting to wear a range of colourful, tailored shorts as a UK heatwave hit last month.

His mother, Anne Twist, praised his “sunshine personality, and his beautiful soul” in a post on Instagram in Monday.

Read More: Matt Damon calls ‘The Odyssey’ the most challenging film of his career

“How could I have possibly known… that he would break records doing exactly what he was put in this world to do, that he would grow up being the kind of man the world needs right now.”

Styles, who launched his solo career with the hit song “Sign of the Times” in 2017, also brought his older sister, Gemma, onto the stage on the last night.

Praising the “incredible community” he had formed around him, she told him she was “proud of who you are and the impact you have made on so many”.

She said in a post later on Instagram that speaking onstage to 80,000 people “my legs were like jelly and I had to keep pausing to breathe.”

Styles’s “Together, Together” tour launched in Amsterdam in May, and now heads for Sao Paulo and Mexico City.

He will play 30 nights from August 21 to October 31 at New York’s Madison Square Gardens – where his ex-girlfriend Taylor Swift was married at the weekend.

The tour will end in Australia on December 13.

Director Christopher Nolan insisted on practical effects and real-world scale over digital shortcuts for his telling of “The Odyssey,” which will debut in theaters on July 17. The nearly three-hour movie from Universal Pictures, the first feature film shot entirely with IMAX cameras, adapts one of the oldest surviving stories in human history.

“This is how a movie would have been made 80 years ago,” Damon said. “Everything’s in-camera. You know, if you see a thousand people, then there are a thousand people there. The ships, those are real ships in the background.”

Nolan’s “Odyssey” was shot in six countries, including Morocco, Greece and Iceland. Damon and fellow cast members worked through extreme weather conditions with high winds and pounding rain that battered them on ships out in the open ocean.

“It was without question the hardest film, the most challenging, that I’ve ever done,” he said.

“The Odyssey,” the epic poem, dates back in written form to around the seventh or eighth century BC and is widely believed to have been sung before that in oral tradition. The story centers on Odysseus as he tries to get home after devising the strategy that won the Greeks the Trojan War.

On his voyage across the seas, Odysseus encounters witches, monsters and gods before finally getting back to his wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), and son, Telemachus (Tom Holland).

“What’s so cool about the text is how relevant it is, you know, and the lessons that we can all learn from this piece of material,” Holland said. “That is the importance of love and loyalty, perseverance, failure, facing your consequences, understanding right and wrong, and all that sort of stuff. I think that it’s super topical.”

The movie, Nolan’s follow-up to the 2023 blockbuster and best picture winner “Oppenheimer,” cost $250 million to make. Fans began snapping up “Odyssey” tickets a year ago when seats at select IMAX theaters were put on sale. Box office forecasters expect its opening weekend will haul in between $80 million and $100 million at U.S. and Canadian box offices.

Zendaya, who plays the goddess Athena, said she felt “speechless” after seeing Nolan’s take on the classic story.

“It is such a visceral emotional experience and you feel very much that you are on this odyssey with Odysseus the whole time,” she said. “You are with him, you know, from the beginning to the end. It’s unrelenting.”

Excitement has swirled around America’s “royal wedding,” which is happening on the United States’ 250th birthday weekend amid a record-breaking heat wave, a near-total news blackout and a security lockdown of the kind typically reserved for heads of state.

The anticipation was even greater as Swift and Kelce made no public announcements about their wedding plans at storied Madison Square Garden – and reportedly insisted guests sign non-disclosure agreements.

But the singer’s longstanding publicist Tree Paine broke the silence late Friday as she detailed a luxurious and intimate ceremony – without saying exactly when the pair wed.

“Taylor and Travis did not have bridesmaids or groomsmen. Instead, her brother Austin Swift served as Taylor’s Man of Honor and Jason Kelce was Travis’s Best Man,” she said in a statement.

“The ceremony joined both families together and was officiated by friend Adam Sandler,” Paine added.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce married ahead of NY celebration, report says

She said the couple’s wedding looks were created by Christian Dior Haute Couture, while their shoes were custom made by Christian Louboutin. Swift wore Cartier jewelry.

Shortly before the announcement, a giant screen outside the Garden showed the message “JUST&T MARRIED!” – T&T for Taylor and Travis.

Star-studded

Ahead of Friday’s bumper event, a crowd of Swifties – as the megastar’s fans are known – cheered and sang her songs outside the arena as a line of black SUVs dropped off guests.

“I grew up with her music and I’m really excited to get to be in New York today for her wedding day,” Mayan Menahem, 31, told AFP in Manhattan.

Some 1,000 guests, reportedly banned from carrying phones, were expected to attend the secretive wedding.

Stars heading to the venue included model Gigi Hadid, actors Hugh Grant, Bradley Cooper and Dakota Johnson, and pop figures Benson Boone and Camila Cabello.

Frenzied reporting has included unidentified sources telling New York Post gossip column Page Six that the billionaire artist and three-time Super Bowl champion had already tied the knot in front of “a tiny group of loved ones.”

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding fascinates, flummoxes media

The Empire State Building said it would have a “light blue sparkle” to celebrate the wedding.

All night party

The main event came after an initial rehearsal dinner late Thursday for 100 invitees at Madison Square Garden.

Entertainment outlets said Swift and Kelce gave guests black velvet boxes etched with the couple’s initials, apparently containing a champagne flute adorned with diamonds.

Friday’s party reportedly kicked off with mid-afternoon cocktails, before a reception going late into the night.

Stevie Nicks and Tim McGraw were to perform, while Ed Sheeran was also rumored to be among those taking the stage, according to Page Six.

By midday, police had closed off streets surrounding the Garden, where journalists have been sniffing out clues – such as the arrival of trucks with deliveries of donuts and lobster.

‘Royal wedding’

Meanwhile, Swifties have flocked to Big Apple locations mentioned in their idol’s lyrics, including the Bus Stop Cafe in the West Village.

“She is the biggest thing in America – like, she is our royalty, she is our queen, she is everything,” said Alyssa Heinen, 24, from Manhattan. “It feels like a royal wedding to us.”

America’s royal couple, Taylor and Travis, may wed this week

Ahead of the big day, Swift’s spokesperson said the couple were donating $26 million to various US charities, including in New York and Kansas City.

Swift’s marriage to Kelce comes after a string of high-profile failed relationships – including with British actor Joe Alwyn, and singers John Mayer and Harry Styles – which became fodder for her songs.

She revealed her engagement to the hulking, bearded Kelce last August in an Instagram post announcing that “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.”

The 14-time Grammy winner is coming off a banner year with the success of her album “The Life of a Showgirl,” induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and a new song on the “Toy Story 5” soundtrack.

Kelce, a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, has signed on for a 14th season in the National Football League. He is also a co-host of the popular “New Heights” podcast alongside his brother Jason.

The singer has reunited with Stuart Price, the co-producer and co-writer on its predecessor, for the 16-track dance-pop album.

Martin Garrix, Cirkut and Andrew Watt also worked on “Confessions II”, which features guest appearances by Sabrina Carpenter, Stromae and Madonna’s daughter Lola Leon.

The album is accompanied by a 10-minute musical film “Confessions II - The Film”, directed by TORSO.

Madonna stuns fans with New York pop-up concert

“Confessions II” marks Madonna’s first studio album since “Madame X” in 2019, as well as her return to Warner Records.

Rolling Stone, Variety and the Guardian newspaper all called it her best album in two decades.

Madonna, 67, shot to fame in the early 1980s with hits including “Holiday” and “Like a Virgin”.  Known for pushing boundaries and her provocative imagery, Madonna’s work has influenced scores of artists.

Paramount said it was “confident that this remedy directly and comprehensively addresses any concerns expressed in the European Commission’s preliminary assessment and support the path for timely clearance”.

The Commission, which acts as EU competition enforcer, did not provide details of the remedies, in line with its policy.

A person with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters last week that Paramount would propose ditching its film distribution joint venture with Universal Pictures to allay antitrust concerns voiced by European cinema operators.

US clears Paramount’s $111bn Warner Bros. takeover

The Commission extended its deadline for its decision to July 22 from July 7 to give it time to assess the remedy.

The U.S. Department of Justice has cleared the deal but Paramount could face a hurdle as California, New York and other U.S. states are preparing a lawsuit to block it, sources have told Reuters.

Britain said on Tuesday it may intervene in the deal because of the potential impact on news, children’s television and streaming services.

The band is the first to use blanks that Universal Music Group’s (UMG) merchandising division Bravado has upcycled from more than 400,000 unsold T-shirts from other artists’ past tours which lay in a Nashville warehouse.

Bravado shipped the garments to Tangier in Morocco, where textile manufacturer Hallotex broke down the old T-shirts and spun them into new yarn. It aims to make an estimated 280,000 recycled cotton blank T-shirts and hooded sweatshirts for musicians to sell on their European tours.

“We wanted to give the artists the options to have this product available for them to use … it sets … you apart by using these blanks, but also makes a difference,” Bravado President and CEO Matt Young told Reuters.

The new garments are “a little bit more expensive”, Young said, adding the plan was to expand the initiative.

“It could be anywhere from 10 to 20% more for the actual raw T-shirt to be made. But that’s only because we haven’t hit the scale yet,” he said, adding the upcycling initiative was inspired by singer Billie Eilish’s mother Maggie Baird.

Both mother and daughter have long been vocal about environmental causes and sustainability.

“By doing this and getting more people to do it and having more partners that start doing it, the price will get to be the same as a new piece at some point,” Young said.

Currently in between European shows, Social Distortion singer Mike Ness said it was “a no-brainer” to use the recycled blanks as tour merchandise, featuring the leopard head from their “Born to Kill” album cover as well as the band’s logo of a skeleton holding a martini glass and cigarette.

“I’m very proud of it,” Ness said. “We can talk about it all day long … complain. But … now we’re getting proactive and that feels good.”

“We celebrate the extraordinary life and enduring legacy of James ‘Jimmy’ Burrows, who passed away peacefully today surrounded by his loving family,” his family said in a statement. The time and place of his death were not disclosed.

Burrows won 11 Emmy awards for excellence in television and helmed more than 1,000 episodes of hit programs, working as a director, producer and writer.

Burrows was among the early innovators of the multi-camera sitcom – short for situation comedy – when his prolific career began in the 1970s, directing episodes of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “Laverne & Shirley” and “The Bob Newhart Show.”

His first Emmy came for directing “Taxi,” a groundbreaking comedy starring Danny DeVito, Andy Kaufman and Tony Danza, about the rough and tumble staff of a New York City taxicab company.

He directed 236 episodes and also co-created “Cheers” with longtime collaborator James Brooks, as well as its spin-off “Frasier.” His other hit shows include “The Big Bang Theory,” “Mike & Molly,” and “3rd Rock from the Sun.”

Recently, Burrows took a rare step in front of the camera and starred as himself in “The Comeback,” reuniting with “Friends” star Lisa Kudrow for a show that pokes fun at life behind the scenes working on a sitcom in Hollywood.

“For more than five decades, Burrows was one of the most influential and beloved directors in television history. As a legendary director, mentor, and creative force, he helped shape generations of comedy and brought immeasurable joy to audiences around the world,” his family said.

With an ensemble cast led by Emily Blunt and Josh O’Connor, the action-packed film follows an effort to reveal a decades-long coverup of extra-terrestrial visitations.

Decades after making “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” (1977) and “E.T.” (1982), Spielberg returns to the burning question of whether humanity is alone – but with a setting in our modern AI- and social media-altered world.

Industry analyst David A. Gross called the $44 million debut a “very good opening for an original sci-fi thriller.”

“The film’s success is going to depend on how well it holds,” he said, adding that “reception is very good, but with Steven Spielberg, many people want great.”

Second place went to Focus Features’ indie horror hit “Obsession,” which took in another $19 million in its fifth week out for a total domestic haul of $188.3 million, Exhibitor Relations reported.

Directed by 26-year-old Curry Baker on a budget of less than $1 million, the film has ridden strong critical and audience reviews to a whopping global estimated haul of $286 million.

Variety said it represents Focus Features’ highest grossing film of all time and noted that it has now had four consecutive weekends above its “already-impressive $17 million debut.”

Inde Navarrette has earned particular plaudits for her leading role as a young woman who becomes hauntingly infatuated with a man, played by Michael Johnston, after he makes a magical wish for her affection.

Third place went to Paramount’s reboot of the “Scary Movie” parody franchise, with $14.5 million in its second week out.

A24’s horror film “Backrooms” came in fourth with $11.3 million, taking its domestic total to $160 million after a record-breaking debut two weeks ago.

The film is based on 20-year-old director Kane Parsons’ viral YouTube series and has now earned over $262 million at the global box office on a budget of just $10 million.

Starring Oscar nominees Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve, the movie follows a furniture shop owner (Ejiofor) who discovers a mysterious, labyrinthine complex underneath his store.

Fifth place went to MGM’s “Masters of the Universe” reboot, which took in just $8.7 million in its second week out – a 70 percent drop from its already modest debut.

With a production budget of over $200 million, Variety said, the adventure film based on a 1980s Mattel toy “will leave theaters as one of the year’s biggest bombs.”

Rounding out the top 10 were:

“Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu” ($4.7 million)

“Michael” ($4.1 million, for a total global haul of $932 million)

“BTS World Tour Arirang in Busan” ($3.8 million)

“The Furious” ($2.8 million)

“Stop! That! Train” ($2 million)

The Antitrust Division approved the blockbuster deal without demanding a single change, capping an eight-month review and clearing the way for one of the largest media mergers in years.

It said the tie-up was “not likely to result in harm to competition or American consumers” – and could even increase competition.

The approval is a coup for Paramount chief executive David Ellison, whose father, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, largely financed the takeover.

Paramount, Warner Bros deal under EU subsidy scrutiny, decision due July 14

The elder Ellison, one of the world’s richest men, is a close ally of Trump.

A group of Democratic senators led by Elizabeth Warren had warned that a Warner Bros. deal risked being “tainted by political favoritism and corruption,” urging the Justice Department to review it on the law and facts.

Larry Ellison’s financial guarantee was what finally won over the Warner Bros. board, sealing Paramount’s victory in a bruising bidding war with Netflix.

The combined company will control a sprawling roster of assets, including CNN, Warner Bros. Pictures and the HBO Max streaming service.

But the federal sign-off does not end the deal’s legal peril.

A coalition of about 10 states led by California is preparing an antitrust lawsuit that could land this month, Bloomberg has reported.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office said this week the acquisition “remains an active investigation.” The European Commission is reviewing the merger as well.

Hollywood workers rally against Paramount-Skydance deal

Hollywood is uneasy about the deal.

Hundreds of actors and directors have signed a letter opposing the merger, warning it will choke production in an industry already battered by years of consolidation and cost-cutting.

The Justice Department pushed back on those fears directly, arguing the evidence did not show the merger would shrink output.

The saga began last year, when streaming giant Netflix and Paramount went to war over Warner Bros. and its prized back catalog.

A wary Tinseltown reluctantly lined up behind Netflix as the lesser of two evils, only to watch Paramount keep raising its bid until the streamer walked away.

The female record was previously held by Carole Bayer Sager, who was 43 when she joined in 1987. Stevie Wonder remains the youngest person ever admitted, at age 32 in 1983.

Artists become eligible for the Hall of Fame 20 years after the release of their first commercial track. For Swift, that was “Tim McGraw,” released in June 2006.

Her success since is undeniable: the American artist has recorded 12 albums spanning country, pop, and folk, earning her 14 Grammy Awards in the United States, including four Album of the Year trophies – a record.

“Swift’s ability to shape shift as a songwriter, to inhabit different sonic landscapes and write as credibly in the world of one genre as she does another is part of her superpower as a songwriter,” reads her bio on the Hall of Fame website.

Taylor Swift named best-selling artist of the year for sixth time

“It also represents the boldness and bravery of her artistry: to explore new frontiers when the most practical next step would be to keep mining the material that has gotten you the success in the first place.”

Swift appeared on the red carpet in New York on Thursday wearing a strapless black dress with floral motifs ahead of the naming ceremony.

‘Great honor’

Also inducted on Thursday were Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of KISS, the band behind hits such as “Rock and Roll All Nite” and “Detroit Rock City.”

“It doesn’t suck,” Stanley told AFP when asked how it felt to join the prestigious songwriting ranks.

“It’s really hard to digest the idea. I certainly don’t consider myself in that rarified air of some of the writers, but if you wanna be in that club, I’m there.”

Kenny Loggins, the hitmaker behind movie soundtrack classics like “Footloose” and “Danger Zone” from “Top Gun,” was inducted into the Hall of Fame as well.

“It’s a great honor and I appreciate it,” Loggins told AFP. “It’s the culmination of a lifetime writing, and that’s exciting for me.”

Canadian singer Alanis Morissette, inescapable in the 1990s, and American record producer Walter Afanasieff were also among the total of nine songwriters joining the Hall of Fame this year.

Estimates put Taylor Swift’s worldwide sales at over 250 million album-equivalents. Her most recent tour in 2023 and 2024, titled “The Eras Tour,” brought in a record sum of around two billion dollars.

She is also the female artist with the most songs ever to reach the top 10 list compiled by Billboard, the leading US music magazine.

Swift is omnipresent in the media. After unveiling a country track for the soundtrack of the film “Toy Story 5,” she was at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday for a game of the NBA Finals.

The director behind cult romantic dramas such as “Jab We Met”, “Rockstar” and “Love Aaj Kal” told AFP that while Gen Z youth may be growing up in a world of seemingly endless choice, that has only intensified their desire for meaningful connection.

“I think young people… are more desperate to find something that they can hold on to for longer – forever perhaps,” Ali, 54, said in an interview ahead of the June 12 release of his latest romance, “Main Vaapas Aaunga”.

“Everything is so accessible that almost everything has no value. So, I feel this is the right time to have a story of enduring love,” he said.

The film, whose title means “I will return”, tells the story of a romance that survives nearly eight decades, inspired by real-life accounts from families affected by the 1947 partition of India and Pakistan.

Ali said the idea emerged after hearing of two men, aged 91 and 95, who travelled to the India-Pakistan border hoping to visit the villages where they had spent their childhoods before the subcontinent was divided at the end of British rule.

The sectarian bloodshed that accompanied the partition killed hundreds of thousands of people and left many families divided.

“Almost everything you will see in ‘Main Vaapas Aaunga’ is taken from somebody’s life,” said Ali, calling the film a “collection of stories of love”.

Hit action films such as “Animal”, “Dhurandhar” and the “Pushpa” series have helped cement the dominance of violent action cinema in Bollywood.

All three films celebrate highly dominant male protagonists who project raw power, aggression and emotional intensity.

But Ali rejects the notion that audiences only want blood and gore.

“The kind of film that works… is a good film, a popular film, a film that people enjoy,” he said.

‘The music in your heart’

Ali argued that successful films are defined less by genre than by the conviction behind them.

“What makes one film a large film? It’s the heart of the maker.”

“Main Vaapas Aaunga” features Punjabi superstar Diljit Dosanjh alongside veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah, with Vedang Raina and Sharvari Wagh portraying younger characters navigating questions of love and commitment.

Ali praised Dosanjh’s ability to bring warmth and restraint to emotionally complex scenes, particularly opposite Shah’s character who struggles with Alzheimer’s disease.

For Ali, the film’s broader message transcends romance.

“It’s about how love can be the music in your heart that keeps you alive through all tragedies,” he said. “A love that survives 78 years without meeting or even speaking to the person you love.”

Ali hopes that beneath the appetite for action, viewers still seek a deeper meaning.

In one scene, a young person “wonders whether… that kind of love was possible only in the old times”, he said.

“It is very difficult for the younger generation to find that kind of love. They are yearning for it, they seek it in films.”

The U.S. entertainment giant sought EU approval under its Foreign Subsidies Regulation, which targets unfair foreign state aid, on Tuesday.

The Commission, which acts as the EU competition enforcer, will decide by July 14 whether to clear the deal or open a full-scale 90 working day investigation.

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), Abu Dhabi-based L’imad Holding Company, and Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) are backing the deal, which is also being reviewed under EU merger rules.

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The subsidy review is expected to be easier than the merger one where the companies will likely have to offer concessions such as divesting a children’s channel to address EU competition concerns, sources have previously told Reuters.

Based on a television series, “Schmigadoon!” is a send-up of Golden Age Broadway shows, following a modern couple drawn into a musical theater fantasy world.

“Liberation,” a drama examining the legacy of the 1970s women’s liberation movement, added to its 2026 Pulitzer Prize for drama, as author Bess Wohl became the fourth woman to win the Tony Award for best play and the first since 2009.

“Ragtime” prevailed over “Cats: The Jellicle Ball,” reviving a sweeping story that intertwines Black, immigrant and upper-class white lives, exploring race, class and the promise of the American Dream at the dawn of the 20th century. Caissie Levy and Joshua Henry won best lead actress and actor for their roles in the show.

In “Giant,” the 80-year-old Lithgow portrayed author Roald Dahl in the 1980s as he faces fallout for remarks deemed antisemitic and weighs apologizing against risking his reputation. It was his third Tony, having won his first 53 years ago for his Broadway debut in “The Changing Room.”

“At every point we had to figure out, ‘Why is this man doing this?’” he told reporters later. “Antisemitism, cruelty of all kinds … these are things that we’re dealing with these days up front and personal … that’s what makes ‘Giant’ so important and such a success.”

Lesley Manville won best lead actress in a play for her role as Jocasta in Robert Icke’s reimagining of the Sophocles classic “Oedipus” as a political thriller.

“Death of a Salesman,” Joe Mantello’s staging of Arthur Miller’s American classic, won best revival of a play, with Mantello taking best direction of a play and Laurie Metcalf winning featured actress in a play for her role as Linda Loman — her third Tony. The play also stars veteran Nathan Lane.

A record year for broadway

This year’s awards cap a record Broadway season, having generated $1.91 billion in grosses as audiences turned out for both established hits and new productions.

Pop singer Pink, hosting the ceremony at Radio City Music Hall, led a huge opening number with a Broadway-updated rendition of “Lady Marmalade” and featuring the cast of every single nominated musical.

There were plenty of Easter eggs in the number, including veteran actress Lea Michele singing, “We don’t do it for the awards” and trans actor Dylan Mulvaney singing, “Protect the dolls.” Michele herself, the leading lady in the revival “Chess,” was passed over for a nomination this year.

Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch won best direction of a musical for “Cats: The Jellicle Ball,” a bold reimagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical that places the story within New York’s ballroom culture.

Shoshana Bean won best featured actress in a musical for “The Lost Boys,” a stage adaptation of the 1987 vampire cult classic film that follows two brothers who move to a California beach town and discover it is inhabited by vampires. This was Bean’s third nomination and first win.

Ali Louis Bourzgui won best featured actor in a musical for his role as lead vampire in the show. Alden Ehrenreich won best featured actor in a play for “Becky Shaw.”

The ceremony featured anniversary tributes including “Chicago,” “The Book of Mormon,” “A Chorus Line” and “Rent.”

Queen Latifah, who was in the 2002 movie version of “Chicago,” presented a performance led by Pink celebrating the 30th anniversary of the show’s long-running revival.

The original cast of “The Book of Mormon” performed for its 15th anniversary, and Rachel Zegler sang “What I Did for Love” from “A Chorus Line,” celebrating its 50th anniversary. Leslie Odom Jr. performed “Without You” from “Rent,” which also celebrated 30 years this year, for the In Memoriam segment.

In a preshow, Qween Jean won best costume design of a musical and Omari Wiles and Arturo Lyons won best choreography, both for “Cats: The Jellicle Ball.” Qween Jean became the first openly transgender person to win a Tony Award according to the show’s publicist.

See the list of winners here.

Madonna, 67, strutted her stuff in a pink corset, blue bra, thigh-highs and blue shades Thursday night to promote her upcoming album “Confessions II” and kick off Pride Month.

Fans had short notice to show up in the landmark Manhattan plaza to catch the impromptu 15-minute set sponsored by gay dating site Grindr, which also live streamed the show.

Madonna, BTS and Shakira to headline first World Cup final halftime show

Performing from a stage set inside one of Times Square’s huge LED displays, Madonna sang six tracks including “Hung Up,” “Get Together” and “I Love New York” from her 2005 album “Confessions on a Dance Floor.”

She also sang “I Feel So Free,” “Bring Your Love” and “Love Sensation” from her 15th studio album, which is set to drop on July 3.

Madonna, along with Shakira and K-pop megastars BTS, will headline a Super Bowl-style halftime show at the World Cup final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

Pop singer Lipa, 30, and actor Turner, 36, were pictured in the sunshine at the city’s five-star Grand Hotel Villa Igiea, which is owned by British businessman Rocco Forte and his family.

The celebrity couple married last weekend in a simple ceremony in London, according to media reports, and are now throwing a party in Palermo for friends and family.

Nicholas Galitzine finds footing as He-Man in ‘Masters of the Universe’ movie

Lipa is a three-time Grammy Award winner, whose albums include “Future Nostalgia” from 2020.

Turner is a familiar face to British TV viewers through series including dystopian thriller “The Capture” and also starred in the film “The Boys in the Boat”.

The deal is the latest step in Paramount’s push to become a live sports streaming destination, as media companies bet on live events to boost viewership and drive subscriber growth in a mature streaming market.

The agreement builds on the $7.7 billion deal in August last year, under which Paramount secured exclusive U.S. broadcast rights to the UFC, allowing it to carry the full U.S. slate of 13 numbered events and 30 “Fight Nights”.

The UFC was one of the earliest bets by David Ellison after he became Paramount CEO following the company’s merger with his production studio Skydance.

Under the expanded deal, all 13 UFC numbered events that traditionally feature championship bouts and the sport’s biggest stars will stream live on Paramount+ each year. The deal ends UFC’s traditional pay-per-view model in Canada.

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Since the UFC debuted on Paramount’s platforms in the U.S. and Latin America, over 10 million households have watched more than 100 million hours of UFC programming on Paramount+, the company said.

TKO Group Holdings-owned is a mixed martial arts organization that produces more than 40 live events annually. Specific events to launch the service in Canada will be announced later in 2026.

The expansion to Canada comes as the media giant prepares to complete its $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery, whose live sports portfolio includes TNT Sports’ Major League Baseball and NASCAR rights.

“Well, I was born in ’94, so I just really missed out on the initial wave of He-Man,” the English actor told Reuters.

However, after learning what the franchise has meant to generations of fans - especially those who grew up in the 1980s - and falling in love with the script, Galitzine said he became increasingly inspired to take on the character.

“I think the love and desperation to play the character kind of grew,” he said.

He-Man originated in the early 1980s as a Mattel action figure, with the 2026 “Masters of the Universe” film emerging from a collaboration between Mattel Studios and Amazon MGM Studios.

In 2025, Mattel merged its film and television divisions to form Mattel Studios, marking a significant step toward building entertainment around its brands, following the commercial success of the 2023 film “Barbie.”

Jason Momoa says having best year of his career

Mattel Films President Robbie Brenner, who also serves as president and chief content officer of the combined unit, produced “Masters of the Universe,” while “Bumblebee” director Travis Knight helmed the project.

The film follows Prince Adam, played by Galitzine, as he returns to his home planet of Eternia to embrace his destiny as He-Man and defend it from the villain Skeletor, portrayed by Jared Leto.

The cast also includes Idris Elba as Duncan, a trusted general; Camila Mendes as Teela, Duncan’s adoptive daughter; Alison Brie as the villainous sorceress Evil-Lyn; and Sam C. Wilson as Kronis, a cybernetic weapons expert allied with Skeletor.

Elba said he relishes the chance to introduce the franchise he grew up with to a new generation, including co-stars like Mendes, who, like Galitzine, did not experience He-Man in its original era.

“I think good IP has that opportunity to reimagine good art,” Elba said.

“We’re still doing Shakespeare, and we’re still doing biblical stories,” he added, noting that revisiting well-known material allows storytellers to connect it with younger audiences.

“Masters of the Universe” arrives in theaters on Friday.

The Massachusetts-based startup, which allows users to generate songs via AI prompts, said Bond Capital led the Series D funding round alongside venture capital firms such as IVP, Forerunner and Union Square Ventures.

AI music companies have been under growing scrutiny from artists, who have objected to the use of their work to train models without compensation.

More than 1,800 independent artists are supporting class-action lawsuits against Suno and Udio, alleging that the actions of these startups “were an attack” on the music community’s “most vulnerable and valuable members”.

Youtube says will flag AI-generated content

Last year Udio signed deals with Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group to settle copyright cases, while Suno reached a settlement with WMG.

Spotify announced a deal with UMG last month, allowing the Swedish streaming giant’s subscribers to create AI-generated covers and remixes of tracks by some of the label’s artists, doubling down on AI features to compete with Suno and Udio.

Suno plans to begin rolling out its first music model developed in partnership with WMG in the coming months.

The startup said in an emailed response it expects to work with additional industry partners, but did not provide further details.

Existing investors, including Lightspeed and Menlo Ventures, participated in the fundraise.

The startup had in November raised $250 million at a $2.45 billion valuation.

“It’s probably my biggest year of my career,” Momoa, 46, told AFP in an interview.

The actor said he’s enjoying playing a range of roles, including Lobo, the intergalactic bounty hunter in the upcoming “Supergirl” film, which he described as “a childhood dream.”

The star also appears in the film adaptation of “Street Fighter” and in the “Dune” trilogy, whose final installment hits theaters in December.

Momoa, who rose to fame thanks to “Game of Thrones,” had the opportunity to work with Julian Schnabel, whom he described as his favorite director, in “In the Hand of Dante,” which premieres this month on Netflix.

The actor is feeling like he’s on a roll after playing a comedic role in last year’s box office hit, “A Minecraft Movie,” which he starred in with Jack Black.

“Minecraft really was huge, you know?” he said. “We didn’t see that coming.”

“I always wanted to do comedy. I mean, I’ve always done action my whole life,” where playing superheroes felt “inevitable.” But he enjoyed the opportunity to “make people laugh.”

The actor said that comedic roles like those in “The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part,” in which he voices a parody of Aquaman, a character he has portrayed in several productions, also allowed him to connect with a very special audience: his family.

“It was an epic moment because my kids got to see me do the looping (voiceover),” he said. While they don’t seem to care much about his other roles, “when I’m involved with Lego, I’m an all-star.”

The actor reconnected with the famous brick brand by debuting this Monday as “the Playmaster,” the central figure in Lego’s “Never Stop Playing” campaign to encourage families to dedicate more time to playing with their children, as social media and screens gain ground.

“I grew up with Lego. My children grew up with Lego,” said Momoa, who sees the colorful pieces and their infinite possibilities as a tool for developing creativity and imagination.

“It’s something that makes my heart smile,” he said.

The unique role came with a bonus: “Being chosen by Lego to have your own little action figures… for them to make that was pretty special.”

Now, ahead of the June 19 release of his debut album, “My Mess, My Heart, My Life,” the 27-year-old opens up to Reuters about how therapy fuelled his creativity, the gap between musical expression and a sustainable career, and what it means to grow in public without hardening.

Your early success came through big, open-hearted songs that connected quickly with people online. With your debut album, what feels different?

With this album, it was about scratching deeper beneath the surface. It was really fun to put out the music and ride the wave of just putting out something. But there comes a point where you have to stop and ask yourself, “What do I want to say?” And I think that this album really is the start of that journey.

Because it was never about how many views or likes or shares (my music got); it was always just about expressing myself and putting parts of me out into the world. And I think that this album was just me stopping and taking stock and really delving into who I am as a person and all the things that made me me (and) encapsulating that in one body of work.

You’ve spoken about revisiting five years’ worth of therapy notes while writing this album. What made you feel ready to turn that kind of private work into something public?

I don’t think it was ever really a question of if I was ready. I’m still not ready. But I guess this is exposure therapy — throwing it out there and figuring it out afterwards.

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A lot of what I went through in therapy helped me understand myself. It’s only through talking to friends and family who’ve gone through their own hardships and haven’t been to therapy that you realise the beauty in it, and the benefit of it.

There’s no better way to tell my story than through me learning about myself and going back over those notes. It was a cathartic experience, and a useful one.

Several songs are about family, upbringing and what you describe as inheritance — not just what you’re given, but what you’re asked to carry. How did those ideas shape the album as a whole?

When I came up with the album title, “My Mess, My Heart, My Life,” it was about what experiences, relationships and people have made me the person I am.

Naturally, those relationships and the things I’d been through became the heart and soul of the album. There was no other way to write it than by looking inward and looking backward. That’s how it came together.

In one of the songs, you link violence and volatility at home to indecision later in life. How conscious were you of tracing that line between upbringing and adulthood?

I wasn’t conscious of it until therapy. There were many times where I’d say I liked being alone, and my therapist would ask, “Why?” (and) then “Why?” again, until you get to the root cause.

A lot of the songs were therapy in themselves. When you’re figuring out where a song goes, you have to look inward and answer those questions.

Not every song is emotional labour — some are fun. But the ones that really matter to me came from that process.

What’s the biggest misconception people have about what commercial success translates to day-to-day for an artist like you?

People think commercial success equals fulfillment. It really doesn’t.

You can have hits, be number one on (the) radio, play to millions of people — but the only things that make me happy are making music I’m proud of, connecting with people and playing live.

No amount of success dictates that. It’s about keeping those things true.

Tracks like “Grandma’s Place” suggest the idea of sanctuary, but also its limits. Why was it important to anchor that memory in texture rather than explanation, and how has your understanding of safety evolved over time?

I was always familiar with the feeling of safety, even if I didn’t fully understand what created it. As an adult, you’re given the language to understand it. Now I can recognise what made me feel safe, rather than just feeling it.

Putting that into the songs helped complete that thought process, and that song was an anomaly in my songwriting — it was about being in the moment.

(My grandmother’s house) was a place I could go to break out of the arguing and fighting at home. It did feel safe, but it also wasn’t everything safety is meant to be. For me, it was enough. It taught me that safety doesn’t have to be complete or perfect — sometimes it’s just enough to get you through.

You’ve said that this album isn’t about resolution. What did you mean by that?

The whole process was me processing things in real time. There were a lot of things that happened growing up — and a lot of missed opportunities. I never got to go to (my grandmother’s) funeral, and I never got to say goodbye. Writing the song let that come out. It felt like I got to say goodbye in my own way.

You’ve spoken about access to music education and how rare that’s become. What worries you most about who gets to make music now?

I’m from a working-class area (in Luton, England) and didn’t grow up with a lot of money. My school was one of a small group that got funding for instruments, and it changed my life. It gave me another path.

But the state of music now is scary. Grassroots venues are closing, funding is shrinking, and more young people don’t know where they fit if they’re not on a traditional career path.

What happens to a generation of creators with no outlet? More needs to be done to support that.

What do you hope people understand about you through this album?

I’m actually happy. A lot of the album reflects a specific period of my life, but the last couple of years have been incredible. There is joy in it. I don’t want people to walk away thinking I’m miserable, because I’m not. I’m good.

The perspectives expressed in Culture Current are the subject’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Reuters News.

The 48-year-old, also known as “Ye”, has sparked widespread anger over remarks glorifying Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and for antisemitic rants, which he has blamed on having bipolar disorder.

The mayor of the eastern city of Arnhem, Ahmed Marcouch, has granted a permit for the June concerts to go ahead despite what he described as “reprehensible statements made by the artist in the past”.

The majority of the Dutch House of Representatives had called for the rapper to be denied entry to the country.

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But asylum and migration minister Bart van den Brink said there were no formal legal grounds to bar him from the Netherlands.

“You need clear reasons to bar people from your country. We did not find those in the analyses that were conducted,” said Van den Brink.

West is scheduled to play in Arnhem on June 6 and 8 – the latter date being the rapper’s birthday.

He is also slated to appear in Istanbul on May 30.

However, his extreme statements and actions – last year he released a song called “Heil Hitler”, with swastika T-shirts advertised on his website – caused a backlash against his planned European tour.

In April, the British government banned him from entering the country to headline a festival, forcing organisers to cancel the event.

A week later, he postponed a concert in Marseille following reports France’s interior minister was seeking to block the performance.

Taylor Swift concert attack plan accused to be sentenced in Austria

A Polish stadium cancelled a West concert scheduled for June 19, with the culture minister saying Poland wanted to bar him over his “promotion of Nazism”.

Later, Swiss football club FC Basel told AFP they had turned down an approach about hosting a West concert.

In January, West took out an advert in the Wall Street Journal to defend himself, saying: “I am not a Nazi or an antisemite” and “I love Jewish people”.

He attributed his behaviour to a manic episode brought on by bipolar disorder.

He is also set to perform in the Albanian capital Tirana on July 11, and in Prague on July 25.

The US megastar was forced to cancel the three Vienna shows of her record-breaking “Eras” tour in the summer of 2024 after authorities warned of the plot by the so-called Islamic State group.

Accused of planning the attack and forming an IS cell, Beran A. went on trial last month on terror offences and other charges in Wiener Neustadt outside Vienna.

The defendant – who was arrested the day before the cancelled concert and has been detained since – has pleaded guilty to all charges except being an accomplice to attempted murder.

Masked police led Beran A. and another defendant, Arda K., into court on the trial’s final day.

The two men mostly sat with their heads down, looking at the floor.

Having heard testimony from two psychological experts and the closing arguments, the jury is due to deliver its verdict later Thursday.

Beran A. faces up to 20 years in prison.

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If he is acquitted of being an accomplice to attempted murder, he faces up to 10 years in prison, his lawyer Anna Mair told AFP.

Bomb-making instructions

In their closing remarks, both defendants apologised.

“I just want to say that I’m sorry,” Beran A. told the court.

In his testimony last month, Beran A. said he had become convinced that he “had to wage jihad” but was “afraid to die”.

He told the court he picked the packed Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna during Swift’s concert as a target.

He detailed how he got instructions and tried but failed to make a bomb. He also sought advice on what weapons to choose in several chat groups and from a high-ranking IS member.

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‘Send a clear signal’

Beran A. and Arda K. are accused, together with a third Austrian, Hasan E., of forming a “highly dangerous IS terror cell” planning to carry out several attacks, mainly abroad, in the name of IS, prosecutors say.

Hasan E. is currently in prison in Saudi Arabia, accused of stabbing a security official in Mecca in 2024 and injuring four others.

Defence lawyer Mair used her closing argument to urge the jury to acquit Beran of the charge of encouraging Hasan over the stabbing, arguing there was no evidence.

“Beran is not a leader, he is not an ideological mastermind,” she said.

The prosecution told the jury they had the “chance to send a clear signal” that those who commit crimes will be held accountable on all counts, adding Beran A. encouraged Hasan E. through “intensive contact” and other ways.

Beran A. is accused of having been a member of a terror organisation from 2023, according to prosecutors.

By sharing IS propaganda, he participated and “openly aligned himself” with IS, they said.

The Swift concert plot was thwarted with the help of US intelligence.

Swift later wrote on social media that “the reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many had planned on coming to those shows”.

Last year, a Berlin court convicted a Syrian teenager of contributing to the plot to attack the Swift concert.

The 16-year-old was given an 18-month suspended sentence.

The world’s biggest film festival is set to bestow its annual Palme d’Or for best film at a star-packed ceremony on the French Riviera after two weeks of premieres, red carpets and parties.

“Minotaur”, by exiled Russian auteur Andrey Zvyagintsev, depicting a callous and calculating Russian businessman in the midst of Russia’s mobilisation for the Ukraine war, has emerged as one of several strong contenders for the prize.

“Those who agree that it’s time to put an end to this hell, and that it’s a nightmare and a disaster for Russia, those people will understand this film clearly,” Zvyagintsev told AFP this week, referring to the war.

Other critics’ favourites include “La Bola Negra”, a big-budget Spanish drama about multiple gay lives, arty black-and-white historical drama “Fatherland”, and “Fjord”, which stars Norwegian actress Renate Reinsve.

A widely praised French production, “A Man of His Time”, about an ambitious local official working in France’s collaborationist government during World War II, or poignant humanist drama “All of a Sudden”, by Japan’s Ryusuke Hamaguchi might also be in with a shot.

Who will win the 2026 Cannes Film Festival’s top prize?

This year’s jury is headed by South Korean auteur Park Chan-wook and includes Hollywood star Demi Moore and Oscar-winning “Nomadland” director Chloe Zhao.

Last year’s prize was handed to “It Was Just an Accident”, a political drama written and directed by dissident Iranian director Jafar Panahi that tackled issues of torture and revenge in the Islamic republic.

Other prizes

Some prizes have already been handed out, with Iranian documentary “Rehearsals for a Revolution”, about political repression in the war-wracked country by exiled actress and director Pegah Ahangarani, taking the top documentary prize.

One of Britain’s only feature films showing in Cannes, “I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning”, by Clio Barnard about a group of five friends, picked up top prize in the parallel Directors’ Fortnight section.

The 79th edition of the film festival was packed with its usual stable of A-listers from John Travolta to Cate Blanchett, but Hollywood was under-represented.

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No major US studio agreed to launch a blockbuster at Cannes this year, or at the Berlin International Film Festival in February, raising questions about why giants such as Universal, Disney or Warner are dodging European events.

Other big talking points included the use of artificial intelligence in filmmaking, as well as the continued under-representation of women in the industry.

Only five out of 22 of the films in the main competition this year were directed by women.