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As is typical of Disney, a live-action remake of a classic animated film cannot simply be a faithful adaptation. Instead, they deem it necessary to adjust the original material to appeal to current sensibilities and to make casting less white. The latest example is the new live-action/CGI remake of The Little Mermaid, which has black actress Halle Bailey playing the title character. As expected, there were Disney purists who love the classic 1989 animated film who were no doubt hoping for a more faithful adaption of the original, complete with the classic look of Ariel, the mermaid—but were taken aback...

Ticket sales for the Artemis 1 launch, which is targeted for Aug. 29, were so popular after opening Tuesday (Aug. 2) that the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex's website was briefly overwhelmed, Florida Today reported(opens in new tab) late last week. A "quick fix" to the website, however, allowed the complex to sell out two of the three package deals within 2.5 hours of opening ticket sales, the report added. The news comes amid expectations that more than 100,000 people will show up on the Space Coast of Florida, which includes the Kennedy Space Center and the nearby Cape Canaveral...

(Snip) There’s only one way to buy London Olympic tickets– through the ’official’ office that’s controlled by the government. They’ve even solidified their monopoly by making it a CRIMINAL OFFENSE for individuals to resell Olympic tickets. The concierge at my hotel, an affable Italian named Paulo, explained to me that the police even came around to warn (i.e. threaten) him against helping hotel guests find tickets. Paulo directed me to the government’s official website so I could buy tickets the legal way. I quickly found out how Byzantine it is– there are all sorts of ridiculous hoops to jump through;...

The Passion 'Takes $20 million' on First Day The Passion of the Christ, Mel Gibson's controversial film about the last days of Jesus, took $20 million at the box office in its first day, according to its distributor. The much-hyped and criticised blockbuster drew thousands in early morning screenings in the US yesterday and continued to draw crowds later in the day. It also opened in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Christians raved about its strong religious message but some said that it was gory and overly-violent. Jewish groups had complained that it portrayed Jews as cruel and responsible for...

LOS ANGELES - Mel Gibson (news)'s "The Passion of the Christ" took in an estimated $15 million to $20 million after just one day of release, a remarkable number for a religious-themed movie so divisive that no Hollywood studio would touch it. "The Passion" rang up $7 million in matinee ticket sales alone in the United States and Canada on Wednesday, said Rob Schwartz, head of distribution for Newmarket Films, which Gibson hired to release the movie after studios balked. With an estimated $3 million from private screenings for church groups Monday and Tuesday in advance of Wednesday's official opening,...

‘Passion’ takes in $15 to $20 million This falls short of ‘Spider Man’s’ record $43.6 million The Associated Press Updated: 6:46 p.m. ET Feb. 25, 2004LOS ANGELES - Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” took in an estimated $15 million to $20 million after just one day of release, a remarkable number for a religious-themed movie so divisive that no Hollywood studio would touch it. advertisement “The Passion” rang up $7 million in matinee ticket sales alone in the United States and Canada on Wednesday, said Rob Schwartz, head of distribution for Newmarket Films, which Gibson hired to release...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Mel Gibson's controversial movie "The Passion of the Christ" opened in cinemas across the United States on Wednesday as Jewish groups decried it as anti-Semitic and New York's Catholic cardinal stressed Jews did not kill Jesus. Manhattan cinemas opened doors early for people eager to see a film that has been harshly criticized by some prominent film reviewers ahead of its release in 2,800 theaters nationwide -- an opening more normally reserved for blockbusters like Gibson's "Lethal Weapon" series. "I thought it was a great movie," said Elsie Figueroa after an early showing at an Upper...

If you didn't know better, you'd think it was the Second Coming. Thousands of the faithful in South Florida are expected to flock this week to Mel Gibson's controversial new religious film The Passion of the Christ, which chronicles the final hours of Jesus' life. It opens nationwide Wednesday -- Ash Wednesday -- in about 2,800 theaters, including 12 in Palm Beach County and five on the Treasure Coast. Area theaters are reporting advance sales that surpass Star Wars standards, in some instances. Religious congregations are renting theaters for special screenings, and some complexes are increasing weekday security to weekend...

Here's a fun fact sure to enrage Mel Gibson's enemies, whose constant attacks have only given him and his movie more free publicity. On a hunch we did some research and found that "The Passion of the Christ" has already beat the equally controversial "Last Temptation of Christ" in ticket sales. As of last week, theaters had already reported $8 million in advance sales for Gibson's movie, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Saturday. At this rate, "The Passion" will by Wednesday's launch have easily outsold Martin Scorsese's 1988 dud, which offended many Christians with its randy Jesus and its ridiculous Brooklyn-accented...

Mel Gibson who spent as much as $30 million of his own money making a film he was warned would be a box-office disaster may recoup his entire investment within five days of its opening on February 25. According to the Los Angeles Times, no booster of Gibson's "The Passion of The Christ" just three weeks before its release the film "has the industry buzzing -- not just because of its controversial portrayal of Jesus' last hours -- but because it seems to be generating the kind of interest among moviegoers that could deliver $25 million to $30 million in...