English Entertainment
Zee Studio presents the Indian television premiere of Hands of Stone
MUMBAI: “I am not God but I am something similar”, said Roberto Duran, the legendary boxer who was known for his aggressive knocks inside the boxing ring and his unabashed attitude off it. Presenting the real-life story of this boxing phenomenon, Zee Studio, the ultimate Hollywood movies destination, is all set to bring the Indian television premiere of ‘Hands of Stone’. Starring two-time Academy award winner Robert De Niro, pop-icon turned actor Usher andÉdgar Ramírez in pivotal roles, the movie airs this Sunday, 5th November 2017 at 12 noon and 9 pm.
Written and directed by Jonathan Jakubowicz, Hands of Stone is the knockout biopic of boxing legends Roberto Duran and trainer Ray Arcel and how they each changed the other’s life. Set during boxing’s Golden Era, when Duran was among top notch fighters including Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto fought them all and won 103 of his 119 fights, but his life inside and outside of the ring would not be the same without a corner to turn to.
The premiere of Hands of Stone is a part of Zee Studio’s 12 months – 12 premieres offering. Building up the excitement to its on-air, the channel curated a special property, Studio Knockout, which brings blockbuster movies around the theme of boxing. So, have a power-packed week with films like Undisputed I, II, III, Never Back Down II and Bloodsport between 30th Oct and 3rd Nov at 9 pm leading to the premiere of Hands of Stone on 5th November.
English Entertainment
Ellison takes his Paramount-Warner Bros case straight to theater owners
The Skydance chief goes to CinemaCon with promises and a skeptical crowd waiting
CALIFORNIA: David Ellison strode into a room packed with thousands of cinema owners and executives at CinemaCon in Las Vegas on Thursday and did something rather bold: he looked them in the eye and asked them to trust him.
The chief executive of Paramount Skydance vowed that his company would release a minimum of 30 films a year if regulators greenlight its proposed $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery, a deal that has made theater owners deeply, and loudly, nervous.
“I wanted to look every single one of you in the eye and give you my word,” Ellison told the crowd. “Once we combine with Warner Bros, we are going to make a minimum of 30 films annually across both studios.”
It was a confident pitch. Whether it landed is another matter. Cinema operators have already called on regulators to block the deal, and scepticism in the room was hardly concealed.
Ellison pushed back by pointing to recent form. Paramount, born from the merger of Paramount Global and Skydance Media last August, plans to release 15 films this year, nearly double the eight it put out in 2025. Progress, he argued, was already underway.
He also threw theater owners a bone they have long been chasing: all films, he pledged, would run exclusively in cinemas for a minimum of 45 days, drawing applause from a crowd that has spent years fighting for exactly that commitment across the industry.
“People can speculate all they want,” Ellison said, “but I am standing here today telling you personally that you can count on our complete commitment. And we’ll show you we mean it.”
Fine words. The regulators, however, will have the last one.
