WRITETHRU, 11:20 AM Monday: Universal Pictures’ Fifty Shades Darker opened to less than the estimated $100 million-plus take with a $97.7M international debut, the fourth-biggest opening ever for an R-rated film behind its predecessor Fifty Shade Of Grey, Deadpool and The Matrix Revolutions. And it’s headed into…

Six months after Vin Diesel told his social media multitudes that he’ll be reprising one of his early signature roles, Paramount has set a release date for xXx 3: The Return of Xander Cage. The sequel will open January 20. The studio signed on last week to distribute the actioner.

The film marks the Furious franchise…

International martial arts and Ip Man star Donnie Yen has another big studio job to follow Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. He’ll square off against Vin Diesel in xXx 3: The Return Of Xander Cage at Paramount. Yen will play an alpha-warrior named Xiang, who battles the extreme sports-turned-secret agent Cage in a race…

Paramount has signed on to distribute worldwide xXx 3: The Return of Xander Cage, reviving the franchise Vin Diesel started and rejoins as an extreme sports athlete-turned-action hero. Revolution Studios, Roth Kirschenbaum Films and Diesel's One Race Films will produce. D.J. Caruso directs a film that shoots in…