In Case You Haven’t Heard: ‘One Battle After Another,’ ‘Dexter’

A film supercharged with Hollywood star power is winning the lion’s share at the box office, Pete shares his thoughts on the genre-defining “Dexter,” and millennials everywhere are celebrating after Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco got married in this edition of “In Case You Haven’t Heard.”

There’s a new top dog at the box office after last weekend. A big-time director, an all-star cast and excellent reviews could not keep “One Battle After Another” from the top spot at last week’s box office. The Paul Thomas Anderson directed film that stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Regina King, and Benicio Del Toro opened at number one at the box office, with $22 million domestically and $48.5 million worldwide. It also set a record as the highest grossing film opening of Paul Thomas Anderson’s career.

Last week’s number one, “Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle” dropped to number three this past weekend, with a haul of $7.1 million at the gate. “Infinity Castle” has been out for three weeks now and has a total domestic haul of $118 million, crossing the $600 million mark globally.

Coming in at number two was the G-rated “Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie,” which brought in $13.7 million. “The Conjuring: Last Rites” came in fourth place with just under $7 million in its fifth week in theaters. And finishing at number five was another new release, the horror flick “The Strangers: Chapter 2,” which finished at just under $6 million. Lots of good variety at the box office and more to come.  

Here’s one of Pete’s Pics. I was late to the party with the original “Dexter,” but I really enjoyed all eight seasons. I continued watching the franchise with the one and only season of “Dexter: New Blood” and thought it was good enough. I am really enjoying the latest installment, “Dexter: Resurrection.” The show has the mystery of the first incarnation as well as the solid writing, but the Dexter character has evolved into a caring father, which complicates things. A talented cast surrounds Michael C. Hall, which includes Neil Patrick Harris, Eric Stonestreet, Peter Dinklage and Uma Thurman. It’s worth a look!

In news nobody over 30 cares about, Selena Gomez and her fiancé Benny Blanco tied the knot after their two-year courtship. The wedding took place last Saturday in California. Gomez announced the news on Instagram over the weekend. Taylor Swift was the flower girl and Martin Short the ring-bearer. Other celebrities in attendance included Paris Hilton, but there were also celebs with actual talent who attended, like Steve Martin, Ed Sheeran, and Paul Rudd.

Dolly Parton fans, especially those who were headed to Vegas later this year to see her live, will not be happy to hear that the singer is postponing her Las Vegas shows. “Dolly Live in Vegas” was announced in June and was supposed to run from Dec. 4 through Dec. 13 at Caesars Palace. The country music icon and national treasure posted on social media that her doctors have told her she needs a few medical procedures, but she left out details. In the post, Parton made it clear she is not ready to retire and wants to be at her best when she returns. Stay tuned. 

The only way Taylor Swift will be at this year’s Super Bowl will be if she’s cheering for Travis Kelce, which would mean the Kansas City Chiefs make yet another appearance… Sigh. Swift announced over the weekend that she will not take the Super Bowl Halftime Show gig. Yahoo Sports reports that the NFL failed to meet Swift demands, adding that the NFL is strict about dictating terms for Super Bowl halftime performers. It was also announced over the weekend that Bad Bunny will take the gig. Mr. Bunny or Bad – may I call you Bad? There is no shame in being a bridesmaid to Taylor Swift. 

Editor’s note: For more movie and entertainment talk, join host Pete Schwaba weeknights from 6 to 8 p.m. for “Nite Lite” on the Civic Media radio network.