‘Spider-Man’ slings into records
“Spider-Man: No Way Home” now holds the title for the second-biggest opening weekend ever, behind only “Avengers: Endgame.”
Weekend grosses for the third Tom Holland SpiderMan came in even higher than expected, netting out with $260 million from ticket sales in North America, Sony Pictures said Monday. It’s also the best opening weekend ever for Spider-Man films, Sony Pictures and the month of December.
While the extra push Sunday put “No Way Home,” ahead of “Avengers: Infinity War,” which opened to $257.7 million in April 2018, it’s still a ways behind “Avengers: Endgame,” which debuted to $357.1 million in April 2019.
The stellar opening was a much-needed win for the theatrical exhibition business, which has struggled during the pandemic. Until “Spider-Man” came along, no film in the pandemic era had opened over $100 million.
Rudd hosts SNL sans
People’s Sexiest audience: Man Alive of 2021 was indeed inducted into the vaunted Five-Timers Club on “Saturday Night Live,” but the surging omicron variant of the coronavirus meant there was no live audience to see it happen. Instead, viewers at home saw new sketches taped earlier in the week, as well as highlights from years past.
The long-running sketch comedy show announced on social media Saturday afternoon that the night’s episode, featuring Paul Rudd as host, would tape without a live audience and with only limited cast and crew “due to the recent spike in the Omicron variant and out of an abundance of caution.”
The entire cast — save for Kenan Thompson — and most of the crew had been sent home, too, Tom Hanks told viewers. Hanks opened the show, which forewent its usual cold open skit, to announce the departure from the show’s planned Christmas episode.
Noah sues NYC hospital: Trevor Noah has sued the Hospital for Special Surgery and an orthopedic surgeon following an alleged botched surgery last year.
The 37-year-old host of Comedy Central’s “Daily Show” filed suit in Manhattan Supreme Court against the hospital and orthopedic surgeon Riley J. Williams III alleging they were negligent while he was in their care.
Noah was treated at the hospital between August 2020 and December 2020 for “various medical conditions and other related treatment, including surgery which was performed on November 23, 2020,” says the suit, filed Nov. 29.
Noah was bedridden and unable to work following the surgery, which rendered him “sick, sore lame and disabled,” the suit states.
Noah’s attorney, Justin Blitz, claims the comedian “sustained permanent, severe and grievous injuries.” The lawsuit does not seek a specific sum of money. The Hospital for Special Surgery did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Dec. 21 birthdays: Actor Jane Fonda is 84. Actor Larry Bryggman is 83. Singer Carla Thomas is 79. Actor Samuel L. Jackson is 73. Actor Jane Kaczmarek is 66. Actor Ray Romano is 64. Comedian Andy Dick is 56. Actor Kiefer Sutherland is 55. Actor Rutina Wesley is 43. Actor Steven Yeun is 38. Actor Kaitlyn Dever is 25.