Moviegoers bid adieu to 2016 and welcomed in 2017 over the four-day holiday weekend, spending about $200 million to see just the 10 top-grossing films, a pack led once again by “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.”
The continued forceful showing by Disney’s “Rogue One” was expected to add $64 million to its total by the time the weekend drew to a close, bringing its domestic total to $439.7 million, according to figures from ComScore.
That would make it the second-highest-grossing film of 2016 after only 18 days in theaters, behind another Disney enterprise, “Finding Dory,” which has taken in $486 million during the year. Globally “Rogue One” has grossed nearly $775 million through Sunday, ComScore reported.
Close behind “Rogue One” over the holiday weekend was Universal’s new animated musical comedy “Sing,” with an estimated four-day take of $56.4 million to bring its two-week domestic box office total to $180 million.
The film featuring the voices of Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane , Tori Kelly and others at the top of its cast fared modestly with critics, posting a 69% positive score at rottentomatoes.com and a 60 (out of 100) at Metacritic.com aggregate movie review sites, but faring noticeably better with audiences, who awarded it an A rating, according to the audience polling site Cinemascore.com.
The worldwide total for “Sing” through the weekend is expected to hit $285 million, Universal officials estimated.
Those runaway hits are contributing to what industry sources are projecting to be a record year at the box office. Movie executives are expecting total domestic box office revenue to hit $11.3 billion when all is said and done, up from $11.14 billion a year earlier.
That news is tempered by the expectation that the number of tickets sold remained essentially flat in 2016 compared to 2015, and that because of the increase in movie streaming, studios are continuing to see profits drop from home video sales.
Also in its second week of release, Sony Pictures’ sci-fi thriller “Passengers,” starring Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt , placed third with an estimated four-day take of $20.7 million, having earned a B rating from fans but getting hammered by critics, scoring a 36% favorable rating at rottentomatoes.com and a modestly better 41 on Metacritic.com.
Disney retained a second film in ComScore’s Top 5, with “Moana” continuing to pull in moviegoers in significant numbers after six weeks, adding an additional estimated $14.3 million during the New Year’s weekend to elevate its domestic total above the $200 million mark to $213.4 million. It is barely shy of the $400 million mark globally, Disney officials report.
Rounding out the Top 5, Fox ’s comedy “Why Him?” starring Bryan Cranston and James Franco, posted an estimated four-day gross of $13 million, bumping its two-week take to $37.6 million.
“Why Him?” demonstrated another notable divide between fans and critics, moviegoers giving it a B+ rating at CinemaScore, while critics questioned its merits with a 38 rating on Metacritic and a 40% favorable score at Rotten Tomatoes.
One of the best-reviewed films of 2016, Paramount’s screen adaptation of August Wilson’s play “Fences,” lands at No. 6, with a four-day estimate of $12.7 million in its third week, raising its domestic total to $32.4 million.
In reprising their roles from the Broadway production, using Wilson’s own screenplay, stars Denzel Washington , who also directed, and Viola Davis wowed critics and fans alike. “Fences” earned a 95% positive rating at Rotten Tomatoes and a 78 on Metacritic, and an A- audience grade at CinemaScore.
Doing even better on both fronts, Lionsgate Films’ “La La Land,” the L. A.-based movie musical with Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, took in an estimate $12.3 million while still in limited release on 750 screens, compared with those that outgrossed it in general release and playing on more than 2,500 screens.
Its four-week domestic total has reached $37 million as director Damien Chazelle’s latest is poised to open wide on Friday on more than 1,500 screens. Audiences have given it an 89% positive rating at Rotten Tomatoes, while critics are even more enthusiastic about it, awarding it a 93% positive rating.
“La La Land” also took honors for highest per screen average of the 10 highest-grossing films, taking in an estimated $16,440 per screen over the holiday weekend, according to ComScore.
After two weeks of release, Fox’s video game adaptation “Assassin’s Creed” logged an additional $10.9 million for the four-day weekend, putting its domestic gross to date at $41.9 million.
Despite the presence of acclaimed actors including Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons and Charlotte Rampling, along with star Michael Fassbender, the time-jumping tale of a secret society sworn to safeguarding no less than the free will of humanity received a dismal 16% positive response on Rotten Tomatoes and 36 on Metacritic, while largely winning over fans and earning a B+ at CinemaScore.
At No. 9, director Kenneth Lonergan’s “Manchester by the Sea” is another late-in-the-year critical darling, scoring 97% positive reviews at Rotten Tomatoes and a 96 at Metacritic, while audiences have scored it as 82% favorable at Rotten Tomatoes.
The RSA Films release posted an estimated gross of $5.5 million for the four-day holiday weekend, pushing its domestic gross to just under $30 million in seven weeks.
Completing the Top 10, Warner Bros. ’ Harry Potter series spinoff, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” brought in an estimated $5.4 million, also in its seventh week in theaters, which puts its domestic gross to date at $225.4 million.
Having opened on Christmas Day in just 25 theaters, Fox’s “Hidden Figures,” which focuses on three math-and-science-savvy African American women who contributed significantly to the U. S. space program in the 1960s, is estimated to gross an additional $1.15 million through Monday, on its way to wide release on Friday in about 2,500 theaters.
The based-on-the-true-story drama stars Taraji P. Henson as math genius Katherine Johnson, and Octavia Spencer and R&B-pop singer Janelle Monae as her two comrades in overcoming prejudices against women and African Americans. It co-stars Kevin Costner as the NASA exec who aids in their efforts to break glass ceilings and has elicited an identical 92% positive rating from critics and audiences at Rotten Tomatoes.
Casey Affleck talks about the way Kenneth Lonergan uses everyday language to convey deep emotion in „Manchester by the Sea. “
For her role as Jackie Kennedy, Natalie Portman says, „It’s not a fashion story,“ but the clothes do tell a story.
Joel Edgerton talks about staying truthful to the real-life story of „Loving. “
Director Nicolas Winding Refn and composer Cliff Martinez discuss their „Neon Demon“ collaboration.
„Manchester By the Sea“ director Kenneth Lonergan discusses writing a quiet character and working with actor Casey Affleck to bring him to life.
„Manchester By the Sea“ director Kenneth Lonergan discusses writing a quiet character and working with actor Casey Affleck to bring him to life.

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Mariah Carey welcomed in 2017 by saying „it is what it is“ while experiencing technical difficulties while performing live in Times Square.
The singer even tweeted „s*** happens“ and a GIF of herself after her disastrous performance that quickly went viral.
But it’s not the first time Carey has had a mishap in the spotlight. Click through to see other issues the singer has had in the past.
Mariah Carey made a very public and bizarre appearance when she surprised Carson Daly on „Total Request Live“ in 2001. The singer brought an ice cream cart with her and handed out ice cream to audience members — and stripped down to a tiny halter top and shorts.
„You’re my therapy session right now,“ she said to Daly. She was hospitalized for exhaustion shortly thereafter.
Carey emerged from her hospitalization for her first public appearance at a screening for her movie „Glitter“ in September 2001. Unfortunately, the movie tanked. The New York Times called it „an unintentionally hilarious compendium of time-tested cinematic clichés,“ while the Washington Post called it „primarily a showcase for her breasts. “
Carey became the subject of ridicule after her episode of „MTV Cribs“ aired.
The singer was shown exercising in stilettos and jumping into her jacuzzi in just a towel. The episode may still be the most infamous „Cribs“ ever.
The diva slipped up on an appearance on „Good Morning America. “
After performing, Carey said, „Oh s**t“ on air and then revealed that the back of her dress had ripped.
Carey had yet another morning show mishap when she was singing „Always Be My Baby“ on the „Today Show“ in 2014.
Her mouth moved during a section of the song, though no sounds came out. Watch the alleged failed lip-sync attempt at 2:35.
The singer revealed her diva antics on her reality show „Mariah’s World“ when four people helped her put her shoes on.
She admitted, „Oprah told me, ‚Don’t let anybody think that you don’t know how to put your shoes on anymore.‘ The problem is these shoes are abusive and I can’t put them on alone. I’m not gonna lie about it. “
The singer is now in a feud with Dick Clark Productions, claiming the company sabotaged her New Year’s Eve performance.
Her representative, Nicole Perna, blamed technical difficulties, and in an interview with Billboard she said Dick Clark Productions hampered Carey’s performance.
„She was not winging this moment and took it very seriously,“ Perna told Billboard. „A shame that production set her up to fail. “
In a statement released on Sunday, the production company called such claims „absurd. “
„As the premier producer of live television events for nearly 50 years, we pride ourselves on our reputation and long-standing relationships with artists,“ it said. „To suggest that dcp (Dick Clark Productions), as producer of music shows including the American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, New Year’s Rockin‘ Eve and Academy of Country Music Awards, would ever intentionally compromise the success of any artist is defamatory, outrageous and frankly absurd. „

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State public security secretary Sergio Fontes said that in addition to the deaths, some inmates escaped, but he did not say how many. Several prison guards were held hostage.
“This is the biggest prison massacre in our state’s history,” Fontes said during a press conference. The riot began Sunday afternoon and lasted until Monday morning.
Two of the biggest crime gangs of Brazil began fighting last year over control of several prisons and authorities in Amazonas believe that’s the reason behind the first riot of 2017.
Fontes said the inmates made few demands to end the riot, which hints at a killing spree organized by members of a local gang against those of another that is based in Sao Paulo.
The secretary said officers found a hole in a prison wall through which authorities believe weapons entered the building.
Fontes confirmed that many of the dead had been beheaded and Judge Luis Carlos Valois, who negotiated the end of the riot with inmates, said he saw many bodies that were quartered.
“I never saw anything like that in my life. All those bodies, the blood,” Valois wrote on Facebook.
Valois said that during the negotiations, inmates only asked “that we did not transfer them, made sure they were not attacked and kept their visitation.”
The BBC reports the riot began when six headless bodies were tossed over the prison’s walls. The prison, which was built for roughly 460 inmates, is believed to house almost 600.
Brazil’s frequently overcrowded prisons occasionally see bloody riots featuring dismemberment .
The riot ended after the inmates freed the last of the 12 prison staffers they had held hostage, Valois said.
In another prison in Amazonas, 87 inmates escaped in the first hours of Monday, Fonte said.
One of the inmates posted a picture on Facebook as he left the prison.

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Portland police on Monday identified the victim of a stabbing in the Munjoy Hill South housing development early on New Year’s Day.
Lt. Robert Martin said Anthony Peters, 23, was hospitalized for treatment of stab wounds that were serious but not life-threatening.
Alyssa Keating, 22, was charged with aggravated assault in connection with the attack and is being held at the Cumberland County Jail in Portland.
Martin said Peters has been summonsed on charges of criminal trespass and criminal mischief.
Police were called to the residence around 3 a.m. Sunday after reports of an argument that Martin characterized as a domestic dispute.
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