Publisher cancels plans to release Woody Allen memoir

NEW YORK » Woody Allen’s publisher has decided to cancel the planned release of his memoir “Apropos of Nothing.”

The announcement by Hachette Book Group followed days of criticism focused on allegations that Allen sexually abused his daughter Dylan Farrow. On Thursday, dozens of Hachette employees staged a walkout.

“The decision to cancel Mr. Allen’s book was a difficult one,” the publisher announced. “At HBG we take our relationships with authors very seriously, and do not cancel books lightly.

“We have published and will continue to publish many challenging books. As publishers, we make sure every day in our work that different voices and conflicting points of views can be heard.”

Allen’s book was scheduled to come out next month.

Allen has denied any wrongdoing.

Business as usual at North American box office amid virus

LOS ANGELES » North American audiences are not staying away from theaters amid virus concerns, according to the weekend’s box office numbers. Disney and Pixar’s “Onward” topped the charts as expected, and the Ben Affleck basketball drama “The Way Back” also opened normally.

“Onward” earned $40 million from 4,310 North American locations, according to studio estimates on Sunday. It’s on the lower end of openings for the studio, more in line with “The Good Dinosaur’s” launch in 2015. “Onward” is an original story about two teenage elf brothers voiced by Chris Pratt and Tom Holland who get a chance to spend one last day with their late father.

COURTESY OF DISNEY/PIXAR A scene from “Onward.”