Reuters Entertainment News Summary
Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.
'Abominable' film axed in Malaysia after rebuffing order to cut China map
DreamWorks' animated movie "Abominable" will not be released in Malaysia after its producers declined to meet a censor board requirement to cut a scene showing China's "nine-dash line" in the South China Sea, the movie distributor said on Sunday. The U-shaped line is used on Chinese maps to illustrate its territorial claims over vast expanses of the resource-rich South China Sea, including areas claimed by other countries.
Box Office: 'Maleficent: Mistress of Evil' dominates with soft $36 million
Five years after Angelina Jolie's "Maleficent" cast a spell over the box office, the villainous enchantress has returned to the top of domestic charts. Disney's "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil," a sequel to 2014's fantasy adventure based on the "Sleeping Beauty" sorceress, debuted to $36 million from 2,790 North American theaters, nearly half of what the first movie made in its inaugural weekend ($69 million). Despite opening below projections heading into the weekend, "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil" easily towered over competition including holdover from Warner Bros.' "Joker" and newcomer Sony's "Zombieland: Double Tap." The "Maleficent" follow-up did benefit as one of the few offerings catering to younger female moviegoers in a marketplace that's been largely dominated by male-skewed titles like "Joker" and Paramount's "Gemini Man." Women represented 56% of ticket buyers, about 50% of which were under the age of 25.
A day in Elton John's life: Buy Rolls, write hit song, dine with Ringo
When Elton John was working on his new autobiography, the legendary singer, songwriter and performer pulled out diaries he had been encouraged to write during a stint in rehab. One entry read like this: "Got up, tidied the house, bought a Rolls Royce, had dinner, wrote 'Candle in the Wind,' had dinner with Ringo Starr," the musician said. "That was one day."
