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Chris Lee

Movies Reporter
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Chris Lee is a Vulture senior reporter who covers Hollywood and the business side of showbiz.

  1. box office
    What Shang-Chi’s Success Means for Movies in 2021The calculus of pandemic-era movie distribution may have fundamentally changed … again.
  2. box office
    Venom: Let There Be Carnage May Be Delayed Until 2022Will more fall movies follow?
  3. easter eggs
    Everything You Didn’t Notice About the World of Free GuyTo build Free City, production designer Ethan Tobman contemplated simulation theory, looked at Nan Goldin photos, and played video games for days.
  4. chatroom
    Eugenio Derbez Explains Why He Passed on Coda the First Time AroundThe megafamous Mexican actor is a little nervous for his breakout Sundance movie to finally hit theaters.
  5. disney
    What Does the Black Widow Lawsuit Mean for COVID-Era Movies?Scarlett Johansson’s complaint against Disney is a reaction to a rescaling of studio ambitions during the streaming wars.
  6. box office
    Possible Future Presidential Candidate Attempts to Save American Box OfficeWhether Jungle Cruise can beat the pandemic-era record currently held by Black Widow will come down to The Rock’s ability to put butts in seats.
  7. box office
    M. Night Shyamalan’s Old Gives Us the Pandemic Era’s First Big Box-Office UpsetIt arrived as the lowest-grossing July No. 1 in a quarter-century.
  8. who has my pig?
    Nicolas Cage Is Afraid to Watch His Next MovieHe’s more comfortable with his truffle-foraging Pig character than with the surrealist version of himself he plays in an upcoming film.
  9. parts unknown
    Why Roadrunner Director Morgan Neville Skipped Interviewing Asia ArgentoThe limited presence of Anthony Bourdain’s former girlfriend raises more questions than it answers in the documentary.
  10. the fast and the furious
    F9’s Space Scenes Began as a Joke. Then NASA Got Involved.Can a Pontiac Fiero survive in the stratosphere? Don’t worry, director Justin Lin checked.
  11. very good q&a
    Vin Diesel Is Killing the Fast Films, But Maybe Not Dom Toretto“I will say that there is nothing that is off the table.”
  12. don’t call it a comeback
    How Alamo Drafthouse Battled Back From BankruptcyThe beloved movie-theater chain would like you to know that reports of its death have been greatly exaggerated. Chris Lee reports.
  13. box office
    How A Quiet Place Part II Set a Pandemic-Era Box-Office Record“This is the start the industry needed. And it’s saving the theatrical experience as we know it.”
  14. top gun
    Jerry Bruckheimer Is Cool With You Thinking Top Gun Is a Gay FilmThe legendary Hollywood titan tells Vulture what’s true (and what’s not) about the movie’s lore and offers his thoughts on its great gay legacy.
  15. the gold rush
    How the Golden Globes Canceled ThemselvesThe HFPA never had a great reputation, but its awards might not have been scrapped if simmering tensions hadn’t been pushed to their boiling point.
  16. the oscars
    This Year’s Oscars Ceremony Will Be ‘Completely Different’“It’s a take that doesn’t leave room for comparison,” says the show’s director, Glenn Weiss.
  17. state of the industry
    Will Abusive Behavior Allegations Tank Scott Rudin’s Career?According to Hollywood insiders, it will take a lot more than the THR piece — and may even depend on Hugh Jackman.
  18. box office
    Godzilla vs. Kong Stomps Off With the Biggest Opening of the Pandemic EraThe movie grossed $48.5 million over its first five days to become the “next big step toward theatrical recovery,” even while streaming on HBO Max.
  19. sequels
    Netflix Just Paid Nearly Half a Billion for ‘Knives Out 2’ and ‘3’The streaming behemoth eclipsed its biggest movie-acquisition expenditures while landing a popular new homegrown franchise
  20. fall guy
    Brad Pitt Is Doing His Own Stunts in David Leitch’s Bullet TrainThe Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood co-star has been performing “95 percent” of his own action for the star-studded ensemble thriller Bullet Train.
  21. going full keanu
    How Bob Odenkirk Actually Transformed Into a Badass for NobodyThe Better Call Saul star spent nearly two years training with the John Wick team to go full Keanu.
  22. alamo drafthouse
    Wait, Maybe Alamo Drafthouse’s Bankruptcy Is Actually a Good Thing“The whole internet is like, This is so depressing. And we’re like, Wait, this will actually allow the company to exist.”
  23. stonks!
    Inside Hollywood’s Rush to Make the First GameStop MovieA Who’s Who of screenwriters, producers, and streaming-service execs are speeding to make the next Big Short. But is there room for them all?
  24. anonymous in hollywood
    The Biggest Shot in HollywoodEvery A-lister wants a COVID vaccine, but are they willing to get canceled for it?
  25. sundance 2021
    Virtual Buzz Led to the Biggest Movie Sale in Sundance HistoryAvatar-filled parties, Tweets and Slacks made up for the whispers usually heard in-person at the coveted Utah film festival.
  26. q&a
    MLK/FBI Delves Into the ‘Darkest Part’ of FBI HistorySam Pollard’s documentary chronicles the bureau’s yearslong campaign of governmental harassment, wiretapping, and attempted defamation.
  27. why not?
    How Locked Down Convinced Harrods to Let a Film Crew Into Its VaultsDoug Liman’s COVID heist movie began with a dare: write a screenplay, land financing, and rush into production, all while in quarantine.
  28. the streaming wars
    Did Wonder Woman 1984 Lasso New Subscribers for HBO Max?Warner Bros. celebrated WW84 having “broken records and exceeded our expectations” but did not release any subscriber data. Here’s what we know.
  29. 2020
    The Year Hollywood Stopped Playing by Its Own RulesIt took a pandemic to force the movie-making business to change its ways. But what does a post-2020 industry really look like?
  30. box office
    Wonder Woman 1984 Earns Highest Box-Office Opening of the Pandemic EraDespite middling reviews, Patty Jenkins’s superhero sequel hauled in $16.7 million at North American movie theaters.
  31. documentaries
    With Drawn Arms Resurrects the Story of Tommie Smith for TodayInformally screened for players in both the NBA and the WNBA bubble, it chronicles the Olympian’s singular path from athleticism to activism
  32. multiverse
    Everything We Learned About The Future of the MCUDisney would like to remind you that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is still very much connected.
  33. the cunard line
    Steven Soderbergh Insists His Improvised Movie Was Not That ImprovisedThe Let Them All Talk director did not “wing it” aboard the Queen Mary 2. But he did get a deal on the boat.
  34. the industry
    ‘You Just Screwed the Film Business’: Panic Over the Warner Bros. News Sets InThe company’s decision to premiere its 2021 titles on HBO Max has major segments of the movie industry up in arms.
  35. rip blockbusters
    Wonder Woman 1984 Gives a Glimpse of Hollywood’s HereafterWarner Bros. is taking a step into the future — perhaps the only future studios have. But the HBO Max pivot is a gamble.
  36. the lost files
    Our ‘Lost’ Weekend With Van HalenA couple college dudes won an MTV contest to tour with Van Halen. Then all hell broke loose.
  37. backstories
    The Unlikely Movie Life of ‘The Outpost,’ the Pandemic’s Sleeper HitOriginally set for release in 600 theaters, the film rolled out into the homes of military families and became an on-demand winner instead.
  38. welcome to the blumhouse
    Jason Blum Won’t Let a Pandemic Stop His Low-Budget-Horror MachineHis new Amazon film series, Welcome to the Blumhouse, is plowing ahead for a second season in 2021.
  39. is nice!
    Who Plays Sacha Baron Cohen’s Daughter in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm?Bulgarian actress Maria Bakalova — or is it Irina Nowak? — steals scenes even while sowing confusion in her Hollywood debut.
  40. box office
    What Exactly Does Disney’s ‘Reorganization’ Mean for the Movie Industry?Hollywood’s most dominant box-office force is shifting emphasis away from the blockbuster biz to try to eat Netflix’s lunch.
  41. mutant movies
    The New Mutants Heads to Home Video, Deleted Scenes and AllIn the midst of a pandemic, the X-Men spinoff is unlikely to break even at the box office, so it’s turning to collectible DVD sales instead.
  42. box office
    The Problem With Calling Tenet a FlopIn the midst of a pandemic, nobody wants to use the F word. Yet Christopher Nolan’s movie is coming to be viewed as a theatrical misfire nonetheless.
  43. tiff 2020
    Netflix Spent a Lot of Money at the Toronto International Film FestivalHalle Berry’s new movie, a Shia LaBeouf–Vanessa Kirby drama, and the Zendaya-starring Malcolm & Marie are all headed to the streaming platform.
  44. box office
    Tenet Could Be Chasing Profits at the Movie Theater for Months to ComeThe movie did resoundingly okay at the American box office opening weekend, and if Nolan’s past films are any indication, this is just the beginning.
  45. the industry
    Which Movie Studios Won and Lost the Summer of No Blockbusters?The Big Five studios — Disney, Warner Bros., Universal, Paramount, and Sony — each faced the novel coronavirus with no small amount of disarray.
  46. down to business
    Get Ready to Watch Disney’s Mulan From the Comfort of Your CouchThe live-action remake will be available to stream on Disney+ this September — for a fee.
  47. box office
    Lots of People Actually Braved the Coronavirus to See Tenet in TheatersThe Christopher Nolan caper racked up $53 million in over 40 countries across its opening five days in release. It hasn’t even opened in the U.S. yet.
  48. in memoriam
    Why Chadwick Boseman Was Always the ‘Unanimous’ Choice for Black PantherLike so many of us, casting director Sarah Halley Finn had no idea he was battling cancer. Here is her tribute to the Marvel star.
  49. mutant movies
    What Happened to The New Mutants?The behind-the-scenes story of an X-Men horror movie five years in the making involves The Breakfast Club, penis graffiti, and a lot of rewrites.
  50. the movie
    Unhinged Is Still Hell-bent on Becoming the First Post-Lockdown Movie in AmericaThe Russell Crowe thriller wants to “ride the notoriety” of arriving in theaters at a time when moviegoers aren’t guaranteed to show up.
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