Scorsese Repulsed by B.O.; Peter Jackson’s Budget Battle; Matilda the Musical Trailer

Martin Scorsese finds B.O. “repulsive,” and by B.O., we mean the box office; Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson recalls the budget battle over The Two Towers; The trailer is out for Matilda The Musical. All in today’s Movie News Rundown.

Out Today: Halloween Ends is in theaters now and available on Peacock tomorrow. Is it really the last time Jamie Lee Curtis will face Michael Myers? She signed a document promising Jimmy Kimmel this really is the end.

A Lot Has Changed: For Anthony Jeselnik since he was an aspiring 23-year-old comedian in 2002. After bombing hard at an open mic, he couldn’t bring himself to get back on stage for months — until he saw Jerry Seinfeld: Comedian in theaters. That movie changed his perspective and was the start of everything for Jeselnik, who is now extremely successful and tells his origin story here.

In Other Comedian News: T.J. Miller says he and Ryan Reynolds are cool now after a Deadpool spat.

Peter Jackson’s Battle: In a brilliantly written story, The Telegraph explains how, 20 years ago, Peter Jackson fought his own battle with New Line Cinema while simultaneously shooting the epic Battle of Helm’s Deep in the second Lord of the Rings movie, The Two Towers. The late, former New Line Cinema co-chairman Michael Lynne was trying to get ahold of him to discuss how much the franchise had gone over budget while Jackson was in the middle of shooting the grueling battle scene. But instead of hearing the studio out, Jackson called their bluff and basically told them to either leave him alone or pull the plug on LOTR right there. He won that battle, both in that moment and in the eyes of cinematic history.

Jackson Says: “It was one of the only points where I really snapped… I said, ‘Just tell Michael Lynne that I’m shooting this f—ing film and I’m doing the best job I can, and I’m not going to interrupt my day with a phone call like that,'” he told The Telegraph. 

Prize Fest 2022: Stars tomorrow, kicking off with the music and fashion portion. The film prizes will take place next week, along with comedy and food. Find out more here.

Martin Scorsese Is Repulsed: By box office chatter and people making movies all about the money. “Cinema is devalued, demeaned, belittled from all sides, not necessarily the business side but certainly the art,” the Goodfellas and Taxi Driver director said on Wednesday at the New York Film Festival. “Since the ’80s, there’s been a focus on numbers. It’s kind of repulsive. Of course, the cost of a movie is one thing— I understand that a film costs a certain amount, they expect to at least get the amount back, plus. I get it. The emphasis is now on numbers, cost, the opening weekend, how much it made in the U.S.A., how much it made in England, how much it made in Asia, how much it made in the entire world, how many viewers it got. And as a filmmaker and as a person who can’t imagine life without cinema, I always find it really insulting.” Watch his full remarks below:

Elliot Page: Has just been announced as an executive producer on the new cheerleading movie Backspot starring Reservation Dogs actress Devery Jacobs, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Directed by D.W. Waterson, this will be the first movie made under Page’s production banner Page Boy and Jacobs’ company, Night is Y. Backspot will follow members of a competitive cheerleading squad as they navigate athletic careers, budding romance, and a cheerleading coach’s antiquated ideas about what it means to be a queer woman in the spotlight.

Matilda the Musical Trailer: Emma Thompson looks like she’ll make an excellent Trunchbull in the trailer for Netflix’s new Matilda the Musical, based on the beloved book by Roald Dahl. She’s the only person I would trust to take on the role after Pam Ferris played The Trunchbull so wonderfully in the 1996 movie adaptation opposite Mara Wilson. This new one looks like a great Christmas movie to watch if you have little kids. It’s out in select theaters and on Netflix on Dec. 25. Here’s the trailer:

Main Image: Emma Thompson as The Trunchbull in Matilda The Musical, courtesy of Netflix.