The Devil Wears Prada 2 has jumped on the popcorn bucket train, but its signature vessel, nicknamed the Butter Birkin, is increasingly hard to find. Disney released the long-awaited sequel in theatres on May 1, reuniting the core cast of the 2006 classic, including Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci. In conjunction with the movie's release, a prized popcorn bucket was made available to fans, but demand has well outstripped supply.

Several weeks before the release of The Devil Wears Prada 2, Disney unveiled the official tie-in popcorn bucket design. The vessel is shaped like a red couture handbag, complete with a Devil Wears Prada 2 shoe keyring. The bucket quickly went viral and was dubbed the "butter birkin" by fans. 

Theatre chains like AMC, Regal, and Cinemark promised to stock the merch, but come May 1st, Devil Wears Prada 2 Handbag popcorn buckets were few and far between. 

Backrooms releases in theaters on May 29, meaning A24 is ramping up marketing. After initial rumors that it would be rated R, the MPA soon confirmed it, specifically for "language and some violent content/bloody images." Alongside its official rating, the studio released new footage revealing that the creepypasta adaptation will have at least one iconic monster.

While there have been countless video games and film shorts based on the premise since its 2019 inception on 4chan, none have been more influential than the YouTube web series created by Parsons, simply titled The Backrooms. Some fans of liminal horror have often resented the inclusion of monsters in the Backrooms, believing it distracts from the horror of isolation and solitude from the concept. For those fans, two new Backrooms teasers confirmed that Dr. Kline and Clark won't be alone in the Backrooms.

The first teaser has new dialogue, with an unseen character telling the camera, "I've never been out this far...there's something else in here!" This suggests that whatever's with them in the Backrooms isn't human.

HBO Max users have only 48 hours left to watch Jason Momoa's most underrated passion project, which proves the DCU star's longtime love for a sport he admires. It is no secret that Momoa thrives on physical challenges, as evidenced by his numerous stunt-heavy roles in action and superhero films such as Aquaman and  Fast X. Still, his deepest passion is rock climbing. In an interview with Men's Health Magazine in February 2019, Momoa openly declared his love for the sport, telling the outlet that they built a rock-climbing gym on the Aquaman set, which "kept [his] mind in a beautiful place."

Jason Momoa's love for rock climbing translated on-screen in 2023's HBO Max original reality competition series, The Climb. The eight-episode show was executive produced by Momoa via his production company, On the Roam, alongside legendary climber Chris Sharma. Meagan Martin rounds out the show's hosting trio.

The reality show pits 10 amateur rock climbers against each other as they face intense challenges in various global locations. The winner receives a $100,000 grand prize and a $100,000 sponsorship from outdoor gear producer, prAna. 

Netflix's Swapped pushed a vibrant and unique magical ecosystem to the forefront, where animal-plant hybrid creatures experience an unexpected body-swap twist. Skydance Animation's 2026 original fantasy-adventure movie follows a young otter-like Pookoo named Ollie who undergoes a magical mishap that swaps his body with a Javan (a colorful, bird-like creature), leading to an unusual team-up between two rival species (similar to Pixar's Hoppers but without the humans). 

The pair embarks on a thrilling adventure across the Valley, finally learning each other's perspectives and coexisting during a time of crisis.  Directed by Nathan Greno (who spoke with The Direct about how unique the film is), Swapped is streaming on Netflix and stars Michael B. Jordan, Juno Temple, and Tracy Morgan. 

What Animal Is Ollie in Swapped?

Resident Evil already unveiled three terrifying monsters for Zach Cregger's video game adaptation flick. Sony Pictures is heading into the third iteration of the Resident Evil franchise, following a widely panned six-movie saga and a 2021 reboot, Welcome to Raccoon City, that tried and failed to adapt the first two games' story. Next up, the studio has its best shot yet at taking the Capcom survival horror franchise to the big screen, as the director behind last year's Oscar-nominated Weapons is taking the wheel.

Instead of directly adapting any of the Resident Evil games' story or characters, Cregger will tell his own tale in this world on September 18. Weapons actor Austin Abrams is reuniting with Cregger to play Bryan, a medical courier making a delivery as the T-virus outbreak in Raccoon City unfolds, plunging him into a fight for survival in a surprising genre for Resident Evil that nobody expected.

All 3 Monsters in Zach Cregger's Resident Evil Trailer

The anticipation for Mortal Kombat 2 is sky-high, despite some spoilers that emerged online after its release. Picking up after the events of the first movie, New Line Cinema and Warner Bros.'s Mortal Kombat 2 will finally highlight the titular tournament as Earthrealm's champions (led by Johnny Cage) must battle Outworld's forces to stop the tyrannical Shao Kahn from conquering Earth. 

While much of the story is being kept under wraps, Mortal Kombat 2 writer Jeremy Slater told The Direct in June 2022 that the sequel has an "unexpected story," noting that he wrote something "incredibly satisfying, and really exciting, and unpredictable."

Mortal Kombat 2 is set to premiere in theaters on May 8. 

In an exclusive interview with The Direct, Swapped director Nathan Greno opened up about the making of his ambitious all-animal world, his reunion with John Lasseter, and how he secured Academy Award-winning Michael B. Jordan for the film's lead voice role. Greno, best known for helming Disney's beloved 2010 animated feature Tangled, walked through the movie's lengthy creative evolution and the many iterations it went through before reaching the screen. 

Swapped is an all-animal animated comedy starring Jordan, Juno Temple, and Tracy Morgan, following a Javan and a Pookoo, two natural sworn enemies of The Valley, who accidentally swap bodies after colliding with a magical plant. Swapped is now streaming on Netflix.

The film entered development in 2018 as something almost unrecognizable from its final form. It wasn't until John Lasseter joined Skydance in 2019 that things truly shifted. Greno walked into Lasseter's office and told him plainly, "I think we're doing this wrong," and rather than getting thrown off the project, he got the green light to "blow it up" entirely.

The Toy Story franchise will look much different in Toy Story 6 and 7, according to one of Pixar's top executives. Coming back to theaters this summer with Toy Story 5, Disney and Pixar will add another chapter to this saga after it first started more than 30 years ago. Additionally, looking ahead to future stories, the studios seem to already have ideas for how to shake things up for this story's toys.

Pixar Vice President, Creative, Andrew Stanton shared his ideas for where the studio can go with a potential Toy Story 6 and Toy Story 7, specifically, he threw out the idea of continuing the franchise without Buzz and Jessie's current kid, Bonnie. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, he feels that with a couple of months of brainstorming the mundane elements of a children's toy's lifecycle, the studio would have two movies' worth of material to explore in this universe in Toy Story 6 and 7. 

"That's why I feel like it can keep going," Stanton noted, while also indicating he may not direct another Pixar movie after finishing his work on Toy Story 5.

Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, who portrays Tuk, gave a solid preview of what to expect from Pandora in the next Avatar sequels, and her latest comments are both exciting and intriguing. Avatar: Fire and Ash ended with a sense of finality for the franchise, as the Na'vi finally achieved a significant victory against the Resources Development Authority (RDA), Spider was fully accepted as one of the Na'vi people, and Jake Sully and Neytiri's family found some peace after the conflict. Despite that, Avatar 4 is expected to start a brand-new chapter for the Sully family, especially after director James Cameron shared that the movie is "very likely" to be made. 

Avatar: Fire and Ash introduced harsher, more volatile regions of Pandora in the form of volcanic, ash-covered landscapes of the Mangkwan Clan led by Varang. It also showcased the wind traders' high-altitude territory. The currently untitled Avatar 4 is confirmed to feature an eight-year time jump, potentially pushing more unexplored regions of Pandora to the forefront.

In an exclusive interview with The Direct on the red carpet of the Saturn Awards, Avatar actress Trinity Jo-Li Bliss confirmed that Avatar 4 will "really expand" the story of the core characters while introducing new ecosystems of Pandora after the long time jump:

Nintendo's push into film has been one of the gaming industry's biggest stories of the past few years, with two animated movies in the books and several more in various stages of development. The Super Mario Bros. Movie arrived in 2023 and pulled in over a billion dollars at the box office, and its follow-up, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, opened earlier this April to another huge global haul. With the Mario sequel still playing in cinemas, attention has now turned to what comes next, and Nintendo just confirmed when its next film will arrive.

A newly published release schedule from Universal Pictures Spain confirms that Nintendo and Illumination's next theatrical film will land on April 12, 2028. The listing identifies the project as an "Untitled Illumination/Nintendo Event Film," giving it an exact date but no character, logo, or plot details. 

The April 2028 slot was already known to belong to an Illumination release, but this is the first time Universal has tied that date specifically to a Nintendo collaboration. 

Disney's plans for a follow-up to the beloved animated fairy tale Tangled were abandoned after the studio struggled to develop a compelling enough story. The Direct spoke exclusively with Nathan Greno, director of the 2010 original, who confirmed that while discussions about a sequel took place, a continuous story made little sense. Greno shared the news while promoting his upcoming Netflix animated film, Swapped, starring MCU veteran Michael B. Jordan, which debuts on the streamer on Friday, May 1.

When asked whether any ideas had ever been developed at Disney for a Tangled sequel, Nathan Greno said there had previously been discussions. The 2010 film was a massive box office success, earning $591.7 million globally, yet a follow-up was never officially greenlit at Disney Animation. 

Greno explained that continuing Rapunzel's story is a uniquely difficult creative challenge, drawing comparisons to other beloved Disney classics: "Once Pinocchio becomes a real boy, what else is there to say?"

A recent update about the first critic reviews for Mortal Kombat 2 may not be the best sign for the new live-action sequel. After the original Mortal Kombat was released in 2021 in theaters and on HBO Max, New Line Cinema greenlit a sequel just over a year later, with Moon Knight writer Jeremy Slater penning the film's script. Behind a cast that features Karl Urban (The Boys), Lewis Tan (Cobra Kai), and Hiroyuki Sanada (Shogun), the film will continue to explore this unique video-game-based universe.

According to @EmbargoLiftsFor on X, the embargo for Mortal Kombat 2 will lift on Wednesday, May 6. This is only two days before the film is officially released in theaters on Friday, May 8. The fact that this movie's reaction embargo is lifting so close to its release date is already raising concerns about whether Warner Bros. Discovery and New Line Cinema are confident in their latest release.

In Hollywood, studios give critics an embargo date for when reviews and social media reactions can be released before a movie debuts. For movies the studios have confidence in, those embargoes are lifted well before the film's release date (anywhere from 10 or more days to weeks in advance). This gives good reviews a chance to circulate well online, which builds up hype for the movie's release.

Toy Story 5 will break one long-standing franchise tradition when it returns to cinemas in June 2026. The 30-year-old franchise launched Pixar into the iconic animation studio it is today, and even three decades on, anticipation is as high as ever for a new Toy Story film. For years, Toy Story has been a consistent winner for Pixar, but reports about the fifth film's official classification suggest it may do things a little differently.

The official Motion Picture Association (MPA) rating for Toy Story 5 has seemingly been revealed to be PG (Parental Guidance suggested). The rating was reported in a spreadsheet on Cinemark's private screenings page, and can be viewed by selecting the "Choose From Available Movie Titles" option. 

The next Disney animated movie will center around a gender-swapped main character upon its release. Disney has a massive slate of new projects set to debut in the next few years, including the latest addition to its long line of animated classics. However, this new outing underwent major behind-the-scenes changes after its initial reveal.

Disney (via X) announced plans for a new animated movie, Hexed, in August 2025, with a Fall 2026 release. The announcement teased a story about "an awkward teenage boy and his Type-A mom," who eventually discover that he has magical powers that send them and a "secret world of magic" into a frenzy.

However, during Disney's presentation at CinemaCon in April 2026, the studio announced that Hexed's main character is now a teenage girl named Billie, played by MCU and Spider-Verse star Hailee Steinfeld. This was the first time the main character was discussed with fans after being changed from a boy to a girl.

The Michael biopic had a long list of notable stars and Jackson family members who were either not part of the story or asked not to participate in the movie's production. Lionsgate's Michael has faced major production headaches, mainly due to the costly reshoots that led to the making of a new third act that completely erased a sequence devoted to the scandal that derailed Michael Jackson's life. 

That is only the tip of the iceberg, as some Jackson family members explicitly declined to be involved in the movie for various reasons. As a result of the changes, Michael's release date was delayed from April 18, 2025, to April 24, 2026. Michael Jackson is portrayed on-screen by his real-life nephew, Jafaar Jackson, and the cast also includes Colman Domingo, Nia Long, Laura Harrier, and many others. 

Every Notable People & Jackson Family Member Who Refused To Be Involved In 'Michael'

Nintendo's movie universe is expanding, and quickly, according to a new report. The gaming giant recently released its second animated film in partnership with Illumination, bringing more of the Mario world to life in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. The sequel's inclusion of characters from the wider Nintendo universe of gaming quickly ignited speculation that more movies based on Nintendo properties are in the works, and a new rumor has outlined over half a dozen potential directions that the company is considering for its cinematic universe.

 A new rumor from entertainment scooper My Time to Shine Hello has revealed nine potential properties Nintendo is looking at turning into films over the next decade. Each of these is in varying stages of development, and many will likely never make it to the screen. But following both the Super Mario Bros. Movie and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie's huge returns at the box office, it's no surprise that Nintendo is looking to turn even more of its legendary gaming properties into big-screen successes.

10 Rumored Upcoming Nintendo Movies

Disney reportedly scrapped Sydney Sweeney's cameo from a long-awaited upcoming sequel for a very good reason. Having risen to her stardom peak through her HBO roles in The White Lotus and Euphoria, Sydney Sweeney recently suffered a string of box office flops but has since landed a box office hit with The Housemaid. Despite having her biggest roles at HBO, Sweeney previously worked under Disney in seven episodes of Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale and one episode of martial arts show Kickin' It at 13 years old.

According to a report from Entertainment Weekly (EW), the Disney-owned 20th Century Studios cut Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney's cameo from The Devil Wears Prada 2. The outlet confirmed that Sweeney filmed a short scene for the Meryl Streep sequel that would have appeared near the beginning of the film but was axed due to a "creative decision."

Coming-of-age stories will never grow old, and that's something SXSW 2026's Chasing Summer proves in spades. The film follows Jamie, who retreats to her small Texas hometown after losing both her job and her boyfriend, leading to an unforgettable summer filled with friends, flings, and plenty of drama.

The Direct spoke with the cast of Chasing Summer at the red carpet premiere of the film at SXSW in Austin, TX, including Garrett Wareing, Aimee Garcia, director and writer Iliza Shlesinger, and producer Ray Maiello. Chasing Summer does not have a release date.

For more coverage of SXSW 2026, be sure to check out The Direct's interviews with the cast of the festival's big road trip movie Seekers of Infinite Love, which includes stars from hit shows Fallout and Hacks.

Disney has confirmed its biggest movie releases for the remainder of 2026. After starting the year strong with the likes of Hoppers, Send Help, and Ready or Not 2, the House of Mouse is filling out the rest of the year with films from top directors, legacy sequels, and releases from its major brands, including Marvel Studios and Pixar. 

After a massive presentation at CinemaCon in April, Disney's slate for the rest of 2026 has been outlined, and it's going to be a huge year for the studio with 10 confirmed releases. 

The next Disney release in 2026 is the highly anticipated sequel to The Devil Wears Prada, set for May 1st. The Devil Wears Prada 2 sees Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci reprise their roles 20 years later and follows their characters at the high-end fashion magazine Runway, as both media and fashion enter a new era.

Amazon MGM Studios' Project Hail Mary has muscled past one of Disney's most celebrated sci-fi animated films at the domestic box office. The Ryan Gosling-led space adventure, adapted from Andy Weir's fan favorite 2021 novel, is proving to be the studio's biggest theatrical bet of 2026, and it's paying off. The film's rapid climb up the charts has caught some moviegoers off guard, with a new achievement passing one of Disney's very best films.

Project Hail Mary has officially surpassed Disney and Pixar's 2004 sensation, The Incredibles, with $264.6 million at the domestic box office, a feat achieved less than a month after its wide release on March 20.