Brooks Barnes

Inside the reworked Stage 5, a hallowed soundstage where John Wayne once roamed and the cast of “Friends” sipped coffee on couches.

The history of Stage 5 has mirrored the changing fortunes of Hollywood with striking precision.

The movie, which cost $300 million to make and market, was expected to collect about $102 million from Thursday through Monday at domestic theaters.

“Backrooms,” a psychological horror flick opening this weekend, is part of a wave of breakout films from fledgling directors who honed their instincts on YouTube.

In a clear sign of Hollywood’s softening stance on artificial intelligence, the cinema icon is backing Black Forest Labs, an image generation start-up.

Fledgling directors are setting records at the box office with movies like “Backrooms” and Obsession."

(Circuits) LOS ANGELES -- Hollywood just hit the tipping point in its acceptance of artificial intelligence.

The film took in $55 million over the weekend in the United States and Canada. It was the biggest opening for an R-rated comedy in 12 years.

LOS ANGELES – Roughly a decade ago, Hollywood decided that crude, politically incorrect humour was a commercial and cultural liability.

The Disney-Pixar sequel was expected to make $160 million in North America over the weekend, lifting the summer box office to $1.85 billion to date.