Creative works

Most would agree the 1988 film "Beetlejuice" is a classic. And two of the main creative forces behind the macabre and comedic movie - titular star Michael Keaton and visionary director Tim Burton - say they plan to stick closely to the iconic film as they tackle its long-awaited sequel.

HBO said 2.9 million people watched or streamed the series finale of "Succession" on the night of May 28, a series record that is expected to grow as delayed viewing is taken into account.

That beat the first-night record of 2.75 million for an episode that aired on April 30, earlier in the fourth and last season of the family drama about a media company.

Disney's live-action version of "The Little Mermaid" netted the top spot at North American box offices on its opening weekend, over the United States' Memorial Day holiday, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported on May 28.

Turkish actress Merve Dizdar won best actress at the Cannes Film Festival on May 27 for her role in "About Dry Grasses," the latest film from festival favorite, Türkiye's acclaimed director Nuri Bilge Ceylan.

Dizdar said she played "someone who is fighting for her life and she has overcome a lot of difficulties."

A Los Angeles County judge on May 25 said she will dismiss a lawsuit that the stars of 1968's "Romeo and Juliet" filed over the film's nude scene, finding that their depiction could not be considered child pornography and they filed their claim too late.

Back for a seventh edition, the Athens Hispanic Film Festival (FeCHA, fecha.gr) brings gems from the Spanish-speaking world to the open-air Ellinis and Aello movie theaters. The festival opens officially with Santiago Mitre's 2022 "Argentina, 1985" and closes with Marc Romero's 2020 crime-thriller "75 Dias."

A Patek Philippe wristwatch once owned by China's last emperor sold for more than $6 million at auction in Hong Kong on May 23.

The Ref 96 Quantieme Lune timepiece, which boasts a crown-like moon phase, originally belonged to Aisin-Gioro Puyi, the final monarch of the Chinese Qing dynasty.

Druga Godba, a long-running festival of world music, will bring 20 performers from 18 countries to Ljubljana between 22 and 30 May. The line-up includes acts ranging from Portuguese fado to flamenco, jazz and new African electronica.

Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" trounced the competition for the second straight weekend in North American theaters, earning $60.5 million for a global haul topping half a billion dollars, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported on May 14.

Oscar-winning U.S. actor Jamie Foxx is out of hospital and recuperating from an unspecified medical emergency, his daughter and publicist said on May 12. 

Last month, the 55-year-old Foxx was rushed to a medical facility in the state of Georgia, where he was filming a Netflix movie at the time.