Entertainment

Zara Larsson leaves Epic to join RCA Records amid career surge

• Swedish pop artist Zara Larsson signed with RCA Records after over a decade with Epic Records
• Her recent commercial resurgence began with a viral feature last year and helped establish her as a major cultural presence in pop music
• Billboard named her the 2026 Women in Music Breakthrough artist, recognizing her chart and radio success across multiple tracks

The singer joins the label after more than a decade on Epic Records, also part of Sony Music.

The Odyssey draws strong critical response as IMAX screenings sell out

• Early critical reactions to Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey are predominantly positive, praising its technical ambition and cinematic scope, though assessments of narrative structure diverge
• Film positioned as leading awards contender with particular spotlight on Matt Damon's lead performance across multiple categories
• Domestic box office projections of $80M–$100M opening could expand given sold-out IMAX bookings and sustained critical momentum

While we knew when 70mm IMAX tickets were selling out a year ago that Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey would be a hit, we now have some confirmation that the film itself lives up to the standard we’ve come to expect from the director of Oppenheimer. Early reactions dropped…

I want to hold your hand

Paul McCartney reportedly performed the Beatles' 1963 hit "I Want To Hold Your Hand" at the wedding of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, held on 3 July 2026 at Madison Square Garden. According to People, it was the first time McCartney had sung the song, the Beatles' first…

Zara Larsson leaves Epic for RCA in Sony internal move

• Pop artist Zara Larsson shifts to RCA Records after 13 years at Epic Records, both Sony-owned labels
• Move follows unexpected commercial resurgence with 2025's 'Midnight Sun' album after years of modest chart performance

Zara Larsson has left her decade-plus home at Epic Records and signed with RCA Records, Variety can confirm. Two sources tell Variety that the pop star has inked a new deal with RCA. The sources say that Larsson was entertaining offers from multiple labels but that Sony, which…

Xbox to cut 3,200 jobs and close four studios in major restructure

Microsoft's Xbox division has announced what its CEO Asha Sharma called "the most significant restructure in Xbox history", cutting 3,200 jobs and closing four studios — Compulsion Games, Double Fine Productions, Ninja Theory and Undead Labs. In a memo to staff, Sharma said the business was "not healthy",…

The Odyssey draws staggering first reactions as Nolan’s most ambitious epic yet

• Early reactions to Nolan's The Odyssey are overwhelmingly positive.
• Billed as the first film shot entirely in Imax, best in 70mm.
• Praise for its scale, cast, score and unexpected horror elements.

The first press reactions to Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey have been published, and they are overwhelmingly positive, with critics hailing the film as a spectacular, large-scale epic and, by several accounts, the director's biggest and most ambitious work to date. The reactions matter because they set early expectations…

Desmond Limerick thriller Deadlock set for screen adaptation by Matthew Carnahan

• Carnahan to direct thriller The Gatekeeper for Amazon MGM Studios.
• Based on James Byrne's novel Deadlock, adapted by Brian Helgeland.
• Follows ex-operative Dez Limerick uncovering a vast conspiracy.

Filmmaker Matthew Michael Carnahan, known for the war drama Mosul, is set to direct The Gatekeeper, a thriller in development for Amazon MGM Studios and Di Bonaventura Pictures. The film is an adaptation of James Byrne's bestselling novel Deadlock and marks another high-profile literary-to-screen project drawing established Hollywood…

The Odyssey draws rave first reactions as Nolan gamble impresses critics

• Nolan's The Odyssey wins strong first reactions, dubbed his most impressive.
• Matt Damon stars as Odysseus in a star-studded ensemble cast.
• Critics call it dense but accessible, epic and built to last.

Christopher Nolan's latest film, The Odyssey, has drawn strongly positive first reactions from critics and industry figures, with early viewers hailing it as among his most impressive work. Following his Oscar-winning Oppenheimer, Nolan's adaptation of Homer's epic poem represents a significant creative gamble, and the initial buzz suggests…