UPDATE, SUNDAY 10 A.M.: You would think a massive hurricane was about to sweep over America. But no, it’s just Disney Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, which will be kicking off this Thursday. While the final frame of April has proven its mettle to launch summer early (e.g., Fast Five‘s 2011 bow of $86.2M), most of…

The box office will take a little breather this weekend with some new counterprogramming offerings and expansions before Disney/Marvel’s Avengers: Age Of Ultron arrives to blow the hinges off the box office annals next Thursday. Universal’s Furious 7 is hands down the front-runner for the fourth weekend in a row and…

With about 40 films under his belt as an actor, an Oscar and several nominations, Russell Crowe now adds film director to his resume with The Water Diviner, a sweeping, humane and riveting tale that reminds you of the big and bold movies of the past that we loved. Or at least I loved before Hollywood discovered gold…

2ND UPDATE, 4:42 PM: Warner Bros said today that The Water Diviner also will screen in Imax theaters starting April 24. UPDATED, November 7: Warner Bros just said it plans an April 24 limited release for The Water Diviner. PREVIOUSLY, November 7: Russell Crowe’s first feature as a director, The Water Diviner, will…

Russell Crowe’s directorial debut The Water Diviner has already found success in its home country Australia, where with Universal handling distribution it was the top-grossing film of 2014 and it shared the Best Picture prize at the Aussies’ version of the Academy Awards. Now it’s Warner Bros’ turn for a platform bow…

Before bestowing its international awards in LA on Saturday, the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts handed out trophies for homegrown titles in Sydney on Thursday. In a rare, but not unprecedented turn of events, the Best Film prize was a split. Both from first-time helmers, Russell Crowe's The Water Divi…

Universal Pictures International’s local language strategy, including English language films with specific appeal to local languages in the UK and Australia, is paying dividends for the studio. UPI enjoyed successful local-language productions in six major European territories in 2014. The Physician, the…

The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts unveiled its nominees for Oz's equivalent to the Oscar and the Emmy today with sci-fi thriller Predestination leading the pack of feature films at nine mentions. That group also includes Russell Crowe's directorial debut, The Water Diviner, which scored eight…

The Weinstein Co acquired Russell Crowe‘s feature directing debut at the Cannes Film Festival in May, where 12 minutes of the film was screened. I saw footage of The Water Diviner at Cine Europe in Barcelona in June and there is definitely an epic feel to the picture based on what was shown there. Crowe plays an…

EXCLUSIVE: I’m back on my feet after an awful case of jet lag, in time to lob a couple end-of-day stories as the Cannes Film Festival continues supplying splashy deals into the waning days. The Weinstein Company tonight is now in exclusive negotiations to acquire The Water Diviner, and is in position to land the…

EXCLUSIVE:  Jai Courtney is in high demand with Oscar-winning actors-turned-directors; he has signed to co-star in the films directed by Angelina Jolie and Russell Crowe. He’ll start with Unbroken, the film Jolie is directing for Universal based on the unbreakable spirit of Louis Zamperini, the former Olympic track…

Olga Kurylenko has been cast opposite Russell Crowe in The Water Diviner, which will be Crowe’s helming debut. The story, which takes place four years after the battle of Gallipoli in Turkey during World War I, centers on Australian farmer Connor (Crowe), who travels to Istanbul to discover the fate of his sons…