According to Variety, “Knives Out,” the acclaimed whodunit from director Rian Johnson, hit a notable box office milestone this weekend, crossing $100 million in the U.S. and $200 million worldwide. It’s another triumph for original content – a form of entertainment once thought to be imperiled by the ubiquity of franchise fare. “Knives Out” became the de facto choice for families without young kids over the holiday season. Lionsgate’s motion picture co-chairman Joe Drake said the film had a broader appeal than the studio initially expected. From Lionsgate, Media Rights Capital and T-Street, “Knives Out” cost $40 million. “On paper, you could say that [‘Knives Out’] could live on a streaming service,” Drake told Variety. “But when you take the screenplay Rian Johnson wrote and the cast he put together, you deliver the kind of experience which is dramatic, thrilling, really funny and really suspenseful. It hits all those beats that make for the theatrical ride.” To compete with superhero tentpoles and big-budget blockbusters, Drake says it takes a mix of “the science and the art of our business.” “We’re focusing on theatrical audiences, looking at genres and concepts for a combination of what we believe can create urgency to see on a Friday night,” he said. “There’s data and art to making creative decisions.” “We really believe in the audience,” Drake said. “For ‘Knives Out,’ it really captured the imagination of the audience. They have been selective, but they clearly have a big appetite.”

Congratulations to Toni Collette for receiving a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series for “Unbelievable”. She shares the category with Patricia Arquette and Joey King (The Act), Emily Watson (Chernobyl) and Michelle Williams (Fosse/Verdon). Unofrtunately, neither Merritt Wever nor Kaitlyn Dever scored a nomination for the series. This is Toni’s fourth nomination for a SAG Award. She previously won as part of the ensemble of “Little Miss Sunshine” and was nominated with the cast of “The Hours”. In 2010, she received an individual nomination as Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series for “United States of Tara”. The Screen Actors Guild Awards will be handed out during a live ceremony on January 19, 2020.

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
Patricia Arquette (The Act)
Toni Collette (Unbelieveable)
Joey King (The Act)
Emily Watson (Chernobyl)
Michelle Williams (Fosse/Verdon)

Toni Collette has received an Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) Awards nomination as Best Supporting Actress for “Knives Out”. She shares the category with Margot Robbie – a double nominee for “Bombshell” and “One Upon a Time… in Hollywood”, Nicole Kidman for “Bombshell” and Florence Pugh for “Little Women”. The annually held awards ceremony will have the Australian film academy honour the best movies of the year from around the world. “The AACTA International Awards honor film excellence on a global scale, acknowledging international excellence within the screen industry,” AACTA CEO Damian Trewhella said in a statement. “As always, we are thrilled to see many of our talented Australian practitioners and performers nominated for AACTA International Awards this year.” The ninth annual AACTA International Awards will be handed out at a ceremony in Los Angeles on January 3, 2020.

Best Supporting Actress
Toni Collette, Knives Out
Nicole Kidman, Bombshell
Florence Pugh, Little Women
Margot Robbie, Bombshell
Margot Robbie, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Congratulations to Toni Collette for receiving a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television for “Unbelievable”. She shares the category with Patricia Arquette (The Act), Helena Bonham Carter (The Crown), Meryl Streep (Big Little Lies) and Emily Watson (Chernobyl). Unbelievable leads the television field with a total of 4 nomination – as Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television and for both Kaitlyn Dever and Merritt Wever as Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television. “Knives Out” fared equally well with 3 nominations – for Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for Ana De Armas and Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for Daniel Craig. The three-hour telecast hosted by Ricky Gervais will air live on NBC coast to coast Sunday, January 5, 2020, at 8:00 p.m. EST/5:00 p.m. PST.

Unbelievable – 4 nominations
Best Television Limited Series
Best Actress in a Limited Series – Kaitlyn Dever
Best Actress in a Limited Series – Merritt Wever
Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series – Toni Collette

Knives Out – 3 nominations
Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Best Actress Musical or Comedy – Ana De Armas
Best Actor Musical or Comedy – Daniel Craig

Today, Toni Collette has received two Critics Choice Award nominations – as part of the ensemble of “Knives Out” and as Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie made for Television for “Unbelievable”. She shares the category with six other ladies – Patricia Arquette (The Act), Marsha Stephanie Blake (When They See Us), Niecy Nash (When They See Us), Margaret Qualley (Fosse/Verdon) and Emma Thompson (Years and Years). In the ensemble category, “Knives Out” competes against Bombshell, The Irishman, Little Women, Marriage Story, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood and Parasite. The winners will be revealed at the star-studded Critics’ Choice Awards gala, which will once again be hosted by film, television, and stage star Taye Diggs, and broadcast live on The CW Television Network on Sunday, January 12 from 7:00 – 10:00 pm ET (delayed PT).

Unbelievable – 4 nominations
Best Limited Series
Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television – Kaitlyn Dever
Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television – Merritt Wever
Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television – Toni Collette

Knives Out – 3 nominations
Best Acting Ensemble
Best Original Screenplay – Rian Johnson
Best Comedy

Toni Collette’s upcoming film “Dream Horse” will celebrate its world-premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. A premiere date has not been set yet. The full list of films can be found over at their official website. Toni has a long and successful history with the festival – from attending the premiere of “Clockwatchers” in 1997 to building Oscar buzz in 2006 with “Little Miss Sunshine” and presenting the (still) little-seen “Glassland” in 2015.

Dream Horse / United Kingdom (Director: Euros Lyn, Screenwriter: Neil McKay, Producers: Katherine Butler, Tracy O’Riordan) — Jan, a cleaner and bartender, decides on a whim to breed a race horse in her Welsh village. As the horse rises through the ranks against all odds, Jan and the townspeople are pitted against the racing elite in a nail-biting race for the national championship. Cast: Toni Collette, Damian Lewis. World Premiere