Zoe Saldana Becomes First Performer to Appear in Top Three Highest Grossing Films Globally

Zoe Saldana is officially a box office blockbuster star…

The 44-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican American actress’ latest film Avatar: The Way of Water has replaced Titanic as the third-highest grossing film in history.

Zoë SaldañaWhile the director of both films, James Cameron, has two films in the top three, Saldana appears in all three films, a feat not achieved by any other performer.

The sci-fi sequel Avatar: The Way of Water has generated $2.2433 billion globally, enough to overtake Titanic ($2.2428 billion) at the worldwide box office. Now, The Way of Water trails only Avatar ($2.92 billion) and Avengers: Endgame ($2.7 billion) on the all-time charts.

Saldana stars as Ney’tiri in the Avatar films and appears as her Guardians of the Galaxy character, Gamora.

Like the original “Avatar,” the follow-up’s success is attributed to its generation-spanning appeal as well as the incentive to watch the film in premium and 3D formats. On Imax screens, the movie has crossed $250 million. That’s more coinage than many films manage to earn in their entire theatrical runs.

In North America, “The Way of Water” is the ninth-highest grossing movie ever with $657 million to date. In order to fly higher on the all-time domestic charts, it’ll have to take down Titanic (at No. 8 with $659 million) and Avengers: Infinity War (at No. 7 with $678 million).

Elsewhere, “Avatar 2” recently passed Titanic to become the third-highest grossing international release ever with $1.585 billion. It’s behind only 2009’s Avatar ($2.1 billion) and Avengers: Endgame ($1.9 billion) in terms of overseas ticket sales. Standout markets include China ($242 million), France ($144 million), Germany ($135 million) and Korea ($106 million). It ranks as highest-grossing film of all-time in more than 20 countries, including France, Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Rep, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Turkey, UAE, Cambodia, Mongolia, New Zealand, Colombia and Puerto Rico.

Disney and 20th Century spent roughly $460 million to produce and promote The Way of Water, which is one of the most expensive films ever. The long-delayed sequel opened on the big screen in December and has remained in the top five on box office charts for 10 consecutive weeks. Saldana and Sam Worthington star in the otherworldly saga about family. A third installment is set to debut in December 2024 with plans for fourth and fifth entries in the coming years.

Angela Aguilar Launches New Line of Perfumes

Angela Aguilar is bracing for the sweet smell of success…

The 19-year-old Mexican American singer, the daughter of Pepe Aguilar, has launched a new line of perfumes this week , hich includes three scents: Caricia (green bottle), Joy (white bottle), and Mexican in Love (red bottle) — the colors of the bottle represent the Mexican flag.

Ángela AguilarThe perfumes will be sold at her virtual store and at her concerts, and a large part of the profits will go to the Gilberto AC Association, which “is made up of Mexican women who help, support and make a big difference in housing, education and in areas affected by natural disasters,” according to a press statement.

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Bad Bunny Makes Forbes List of ‘World’s 10 Highest-Paid Entertainers’

Bad Bunny is makin’ money moves…

Forbes has revealed its list of the World’s 10 Highest-Paid Entertainers, who, combined, made more than $1.3 billion last year, with the 28-year-old Puerto Rican superstar making the list.

Bad BunnyBad Bunny came in at No. 10 with $88 million, and he can attribute much of his financial success to his massive El Último Tour Del Mundo and The World’s Hottest Tour, plus endorsements from Corona, Cheetos and Adidas.

Topping the list are Genesis and Sting, who made $230 million and $210 million, respectively, thanks to selling their music.

Among the other major artists on the list was Taylor Swift, James Cameron and Brad Pitt.

See the full list of the world’s highest-paid entertainers here.

Rosalía Partnering with Coca Coca for Limited-Edition Flavor

Rosalía is officially a (soda) pop queen…

The 30-year-old Spanish Grammy-winning singer/songwriter has a new collaboration dropping with Coca-Cola later this month.

RosaliaThe beverage giant and the multi-platinum selling singer teamed up for a limited-edition Coca-Cola Creations flavor as part of the Coke Move campaign.

Rosalía co-created the flavor, which serves up a unique twist on the classic taste, at the Coca-Cola headquarters in Georgia.

“I went to Atlanta, and tried a thousand flavors and chose aromas,” she told Billboard Español. “The whole process of getting to the flavor that you are looking for is a lot of fun.”

“I gave in to the flavors that awakened something in me,” she added. “The ones that made me close my eyes when I tasted them and that seemed more delicious to me. It reminds me a lot of coconut, my favorite fruit, and one that I have always eaten since I was little.”

The Coca-Cola collaboration includes an exclusive track, “Lie Like You Love Me,” which was released on January 27.

Meanwhile, the special-edition Coke cans and bottles channel Rosalía’s lively personality, with vibrant colors and doodles hand-drawn by the singer. Additionally, fans will be able to scan a QR code on the collectible Coca-Cola Move can or bottle to access the digital Coca-Cola Creations Hub featuring exclusive, behind-the-scenes content from the making of “LLYLM” and more.

“Transformation as a means of self-expression is powerful and resonant for today’s generation, and music is the universal language for transformation” said Oana Vlad, Senior Director, Global Strategy at The Coca-Cola Company. “Partnering with the inspirational and genre-defying Rosalía to bring to life our latest drop under Coca-Cola Creations has been a blast and has broken new ground for Coca-Cola Creations. We hope our collective fans will love this drink!”

Fans will also get a chance to bid on Rosalía memorabilia, including an autographed helmet, tour outfit, poster and other collectibles.

Proceeds from the auction will support the Antonio Gala Foundation, a non-profit based in Rosalía’s home country of Spain that provides residency scholarships to young creators.

The new Coca-Cola Move flavor, available in cans and bottles, will be released in the U.S and in Canada on February 20.

Coca-Cola previously collaborated with DJ Marshmello on a limited-edition flavor last year. Aside from the signature flavor and limited-edition drops, Coca-Cola offers Coke vanillaCoke cherry and cherry vanilla.

Rosalía has a lot in the works. Besides the beverage collab, she will take the stage at Coachella, which kicks off April 14-16. This year’s festival will be headlined by Frank Ocean, Bad Bunny and BLACKPINK. Other names on the bill include Charlie XCX, Gorillaz, Burna Boy, The Chemical Brothers, Blondie, Becky G, Metro Boomin, Latto, Björk, Kali Uchis, Porter Robinson, Glorilla, Jai Paul and Jackson Wang.

Gina Rodriguez Signs Overall Deal with 20th Television

Gina Rodriguez has a new deal…

The 38-year-old Puerto Rican Golden Globe-winning actress, the star and executive producer of Not Dead Yet, has signed an overall deal with 20th Television, the studio behind Rodriguez’s new ABC comedy series.

Gina RodriguezUnder the pact, Rodriguez will develop, direct and executive produce new series across all platforms through her production company I Can & I Will, run by executive Molly Breeskin.

Rodriguez and Breeskin will continue to follow the company’s mission statement to create art that tells stories from the unheard and unseen, to discover and expose new talent, and to increase empathy and understanding for all communities.

“Gina is a true multi-hyphenate, an extremely talented performer who’s as adept at directing and producing as she is in front of the camera,” said 20th Television president Karey Burke. “She has an incredible eye for IP, an optimistic and uplifting point of view, and a unique ability to spotlight underrepresented voices and stories in a broad and ambitious way.”

Best known for her award-winning title role in Jane the Virgin, Rodriguez will next be seen in Robert Rodriguez’s Spy Kids reboot and Players, both for Netflix.

She recently appeared in Netflix’s Lost Ollie and Amazon’s I Want You Back and is heard in the title role of Netflix’s Carmen Sandiego animated series as well as in the streamer’s Big Mouth.

I Can & I Will produced two seasons of Disney+’s Diary Of a Future President, for which Rodriguez directed the pilot and co-starred as the future president. With her family, she established the We Will Foundation to champion underprivileged youth through arts, education, scholarship funding and financial literacy.

“At I Can & I Will, we are constantly working to expand the narrative of underrepresented communities and I am over the moon to join forces with the incredible leaders at 20th in that mission,” said Rodriguez.

Insight Editions to Release Collectors Set of “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”

Guillermo del Toro’s latest project is getting a special collector’s box…

Fans of the 58-year-old Oscar-winning filmmaker’s Oscar-nominated Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio can buy an exact replica of the seven-inch wooden marionette with the release of a new collectors set from Insight Editions.

Guillermo del Toro, Pinocchio,The release is limited to 550 pieces worldwide and is available to pre-order exclusively on InsightEditions.com.

The set comes with a 1:1 replica of the wooden Pinocchio maquette, constructed with supervision from del Toro and the original sculptors at ShadowMachine, who worked on the film.

Guillermo del Toro's PinocchioAlso included in the set is a limited edition of the book Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio: A Timeless Tale Told Anew with an updated cover illustration by the film’s co-production designer Guy Davis. The book, maquette and a signature card signed by del Toro, are all presented in a bespoke wooden presentation case that features engraved details.

A Timeless Tale Told Anew,” written by Gina McIntyre and featuring a forward by del Toro, follows the remarkable creative journey that brought “Pinocchio” to the screen, from the acclaimed director’s earliest brainstorms to the character design, puppet building and meticulous animation process. In addition to stunning visuals and behind-the-scenes images, the deluxe volume also includes exclusive interviews with the cast and crew such as Gregory Mann, Ewan McGregor and Finn Wolfhard.

Maurice Compte Signs with Zero Gravity Management for Representation

Maurice Compte has zeroed in on new representation…

Zero Gravity Management has signed the Cuban-American actor-producer.

Maurice CompteCompte is best known for portraying Pablo Escobar’s nemesis, Colonel Horacio Carillo, in the first two seasons of Netflix’s Narcos.

His other major credits include his villainous turn opposite Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña in David Ayer’s police actioner End of Watch, and the STXfilms crime drama, Den of Thieves, in which he appeared alongside Gerard Butler.

Compte currently appears as Detective Mike Duarte on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and has also been seen on such notable series as Mayans M.C.Breaking Bad, Power and From Dusk Till Dawn, among others.

Other notable film credits include Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Ayer’s DEA crime pic, Sabotage.

As a burgeoning producer, Compte’s goal is to spotlight elevated and visceral stories with authentic cultural underpinnings. He is currently a co-executive producer on Hotel Cocaine — an upcoming crime drama from Narcos creator Chris Brancato that’s headed to MGM+. The show tells the story of Miami’s infamous Hotel Mutiny, where Compte’s father Roman was general manager during the drug-fueled 1980s.

Anahi & Her RBD Group Mates Sign with Creative Artists Agency (CAA)

Anahi and her RBD group mates are getting creative

The Mexican pop group, featuring the 39-year-old Mexican actress and singer, has signed with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) for worldwide representation in all areas.

RBDSpecifically, the L.A.-based agency will represent the band — now comprised of Anahí, Christian ChavezDulce MaríaChristopher von Uckermann and Maite Perroni — in areas such as acting, brand consulting, touring, podcasting and fashion/beauty.

News of the signing follows RBD’s highly-anticipated announcement of a reunion that includes a 26-date global Soy Rebelde Tour with stops in Mexico, the U.S. and Brazil.

The stint will mark the group’s first time taking the stage together since disbanding in December 2008 after their last show in Madrid.

The Live Nation-produced trek will kick off in El Paso, Texas, at the Sun Bowl Stadium on August 25 and will make stops in key U.S. cities like Chicago, New York, Miami and Los Angeles.

When RBD last toured, in total it grossed $72.5 million and sold over 1.5 million tickets, according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore.

“It’s a new era that makes us really excited and it’s a new opportunity to share the stage once again and feel a unique energy,” Perroni previously told Billboard. “There’re cycles in life and each one of us had to focus on our careers as actors and musicians and that meant we had to give those projects time, energy and a lot of dedication. It also allowed each one of us to grow professionally and personally. Now, the time [for the reunion] is perfect because we’re now more conscious, more mature, we’ll enjoy it from a different perspective now as adults.”

According to CAA, the group will also release new music in the spring.

On the Billboard charts, RBD has a total of seven entries on the Billboard 200 chart including RebeldeCelestial and Nuestro Amor, and eight entries on Top Latin Albums with six hitting the top 10. On Hot Latin Songs, the band has 10 total entries and out of those, five hit top 10.

RBD is managed by Guillermo Rosas, who’s also executive producing the Soy Rebelde Tour.

Eddie Alcazar Partnering with Paul Wedgwood to Launch LA and London-Based Production Company Entropy Pictures

Eddie Alcazar is expanding his empire…

The Bolivian American writer-director is teaming up with British gaming mogul Paul Wedgwood to launch the Los Angeles and London-based production company Entropy Pictures.

Eddie Alcazar,Alcazar’s most recent project is the Sundance Film Festival thriller Divinity, starring Stephen Dorff, Bella Thorne and Scott Bakula.

Wedgwood, who most recently executive-produced thriller The Kill Room starring Samuel L. Jackson and Uma Thurman, was a co-founder of successful video game developer Splash Damage.

The duo’s new film, TV and transmedia firm Entropy will look to “seed and develop IP which is character-driven, high-concept and has commercial appeal”. The company will look to make three to five films a year with financial backing from Wedgwood’s investment firm Supernova Capital.

Veteran games and studio executive Nick Bridger will serve as Head of Development and Production, while line producer James Allen — who has worked on all of Alcazar’s productions — is also aboard.

The first film on the slate is a hybrid live action-animated thriller called Absolute, which Alcazar wrote and will direct as his next feature, producing alongside Wedgwood.

The film follows a pair of college friends who are working on a device that will change humanity’s relationship with the universe. The device can transport a person into a neighboring dimension using one’s mind to complete a roadmap. When one of the friends experiences a devastating relationship breakup, he makes a choice to enter the portal they have created in search of a better version of his girlfriend.

According to the partners, financing is in place and the film is due to shoot this summer.

Alacazar wrote, directed and produced Divinity with a guiding hand from Steven Soderbergh, who served as executive producer. The black and white Sundance NEXT project is set in an otherworldly human existence where a serum named “Divinity” is all powerful.

“Creating a foundation for this type of film is very motivating as there are so many opportunities to explore different worlds and each can lend itself to many formats such as film, digital and animation to truly immerse the audience in a specific style of emotion,” said Alcazar. “Ultimately this is a story about young adults striving to be recognized and significant in an imperfect world. They follow grandiose ideas in order to give their lives meaning and end up realizing peace of mind and love are found in simplicity, not absolute perfection.”

Wedgwood added: “I want to work with the most talented storytellers in the business – and Eddie is of course in that upper echelon of multitalented next generation writer/directors who really challenge audiences. In Absolute, he has created a gripping and evocative story that is a distinctly original cinematic experience. This is the type of bold film that will define Entropy.”

Wedgwood commented about Entropy: “As a company, we see ourselves as hyper-creative, nimble and collaborative. Eddie, Nick and myself are creators at heart and have complex projects we’ll develop and nurture very carefully. With the film landscape continuing to shift and evolve, our approach to championing distinctive material and bringing our creative visions to life is what drives us. I’m thrilled to start this exciting new endeavor with Eddie and Nick and work creatively and collaboratively to build a specialized brand.”

Added Alcazar: “With Entropy, we have an exciting new model for making films –  one that empowers creators and their vision. Paul and I share a unique creative vision and underlying business philosophies that will fuel us as we grow the company and our output.”

Ludmilla Signs New Management Deal with WK Entertainment & Central Sonora

Ludmilla has a new management deal…

The 27-year-old Brazilian powerhouse singer-songwriter has signed with WK Entertainment and Central Sonora. The alliance arrives after she won a 2022 Latin Grammy for her album Numanice #2, and after making history as the first Afro-Latina artist to reach one billion streams on Spotify.

Ludmilla,“[This deal] is a very important step in my career,” Ludmilla tells Billboard Español. “WK Entertainment/Central Sonora, together with my company Sem Querer Produções, will add structure and they will assist in enhancing my musical work, which is my focus. I am very happy and excited about this partnership and I am sure it will yield many results.”

Together, the teams will work to further amplify Ludmilla’s global artistic development. Central to this growth is Central Sonora’s CEO Cesar Figueiredo, who is leading this new stage in the artist’s career. He’ll oversee all management functions of the project. Walter Kolm, who is the founder and CEO of WK Entertainment and WK Records, will also provide support while helping develop key relations for Ludmilla’s continued growth.

“Ludmilla reflects the true sonority that exists in Brazil today. She is ready to conquer the world by exploring our Brazilian culture,” Figueiredo said in a statement shared with Billboard Español. “Our alliance began a few years ago as a friendship and has since blossomed, giving us the opportunity to finally work together professionally. It is truly an honor for me as a manager to represent a highly regarded and iconic artist such as Ludmilla.”

“This is a phase in my career that is very diverse and different from anything I’ve ever done, a phase that accompanies my current state and the work I propose, which has 100 per cent my truth and [aligned with] my artistic vein,” the artist adds.

With her propulsive pop and funk formula, Ludmilla has become a force to be reckoned with in her native Brazil and beyond. And her ever-expanding fan base further testifies her rise to prominence — she currently has 28.8 million followers on Instagram and 10.5 million on Twitter. The singer-songwriter navigates stylistic configurations with ease, whether she’s soulfully singing an R&B ballad (“Quem é Você”), spitting some funky carioca bars (“Tic Tac”) or charming listeners with sweet samba songs (“Maldivas”). Her gritty trap features equally intrigue, like on “Tanto Faz.”

“I think of funk as an agent of change, especially in the lives of so many peripheral people who don’t have opportunities,” she says. “Funk embraces and elevates, it makes is claim our place in the world.”

Ludmilla is poised to drop her next singles “Sou Má,” featuring funk MCs Tasha and Tracie, as well as “Nasci Pra Vencer” on February 2. “The lyrics [to the latter trap song] tell my story, which is similar to the story of those who come from a place without [economic] gains, but with talent and hard work, we can reach places we never thought possible. It’s about me, but it’s also about others who I hope feel represented,” she says.

Last week, Billboard Español exclusively announced WK Record’s Brazilian operational expansion, which began quietly running last year. It will function to develop the careers of local talent with global appeal, while creating international opportunities for them.

“I am delighted to welcome Ludmilla to our family of artists and join her in this exciting new journey, in partnership with Central Sonora,” Kolm stated. “Our companies look forward to amplifying Ludmilla’s career around the world and to consolidate [her] position as one of Brazil’s top artists.”

Ludmilla is currently working on an eclectic album which, she mentions, will span genres like pop, R&B, funk, trap and more.