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JOKER: FOLIE A DEUX, (aka JOKER 2), from left: Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn, Joaquin Phoenix as Joker, 2024. © Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection

Top Story

‘Joker 2’ Singing Off-Key

The Warner Bros. sequel, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, earned $20 million on its opening day.

By Michaela Zee

‘SNL’ Mocks VP Debate: JD Vance and Tim Walz Get Way Too Friendly, Vance Complains About Fact Checking

The debate between Walz (Jim Gaffigan) and Vance (Bowen Yang) took a turn for the surreal.

By William Earl, Michaela Zee

Film

I Watched 'Joker 2' at an Opening Night Imax Screening at the Grove: The Fanboys Were Nowhere to Be Found

During a Thursday editorial meeting, a Variety editor asked if anyone was willing to give up their Friday evening to write a piece covering an opening night screening of “Joker: Fo…

By Tatiana Siegel

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 15: Donald Glover attends the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards at Peacock Theater on January 15, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)

Music

Donald Glover Cancels 2024 Childish Gambino Tour Dates After Hospitalization: ‘I Have Surgery Scheduled and Need Time Out to Heal’

Donald Glover has canceled the remainder of his Childish Gambino concert tour in North America and Europe, saying he has surgery scheduled and needs “time out to heal.” The…

By Ethan Shanfeld

‘She-Ra’ Live-Action Amazon Series Taps ‘What the Constitution Means to Me’ Creator Heidi Schreck to Write (EXCLUSIVE)

The live-action “She-Ra” series in development at Amazon MGM Studios has found its writer. Variety has learned exclusively that Heidi Schreck has joined the project as…

By Joe Otterson

Himesh Patel, Aya Cash, Daniel Bruhl and Lolly Adefope in 'The Franchise'

HBO’s Superhero Satire ‘The Franchise’ Is Cathartic but Thin: TV Review

HBO's superhero satire is a cathartic but thin take on the MCU and its ilk.

By Alison Herman

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Emmys Snubs and Surprises

'Hacks' Devours 'The Bear,' Lamorne Morris Defeats Iron Man and 'The Traitors' Banishes 'Drag Race'
Emmys Review

A Humdrum Show Is Weighed Down by Sparse Crowds and Sponsored Content

‘Joker: Folie à Deux’

Todd Phillips' jukebox musical sequel with Lady Gaga doesn't let Joker be Joker enough.
Critics Pick
‘Saturday Night’

Jason Reitman finds the right ensemble to capture the lunacy from which 'SNL' was born.
‘The Wild Robot’

This kid-lit adaptation offers that and a radical new visual approach to CG animation.
‘In the Summers’

René Pérez Joglar impresses as a troubled father in this portrait of complicated familial bonds.

‘A Man in Full’

A one-note Jeff Daniels stars in this empty Netflix series.
‘The Tattooist of Auschwitz’

Peacock's gruesome and grueling love story is set during the Holocaust.
‘The Veil’

Elisabeth Moss stuns in FX's fascinating spy thriller.
'Dead Boy Detectives’

This 'Sandman' spinoff adapts Neil Gaiman's comic as a zany teen procedural.

‘Hit Me Hard and Soft’

Billie Eilish and producer Finneas keep up their winning streak with a surprising and intimate third album.
‘Atavista’

Childish Gambino's latest is a masterpiece, and a kaleidoscopic showcase for his seemingly endless talents.
‘Dark Times’

Vince Staples searches for light on his new album, his most vulnerable project to date.
‘Radical Optimism’

Dua Lipa's new album is a joyous blast of pop savvy.

‘An Enemy of the People’

Sam Gold's production is an actorly face-off between Jeremy Strong and Michael Imperioli, but the script ultimately let's the audience off the hook.
‘Long Day’s Journey Into Night’

Patricia Clarkson gives a luminous performance in an otherwise uneven revival of Eugene O'Neill's family drama.
‘Tommy’

Strictly for the boomers.
‘Water for Elephants’

The stage adaptation has escapism, enchantment and heart, all elevated to new, literal heights that blend theater and cirque.

More Reviews

Video

Jodie Foster and Robert Downey Jr. Variety Actors on Actors

Popular on Variety

Jodie Foster & Robert Downey Jr. — Actors on Actors (Full Conversation)

Perfection is rarely achieved in movies, but this heaven-sent concert doc hits the sweet spot. Over two days in January 1972, the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin — she was 29 at the time — sweeps into the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Watts in front of a congregation and testifies to God in song. The blessed thing took nearly half a century to come out because director Sydney Pollack failed to sync the image with the sound. Then digital angels stepped in, and glory, glory, hallelujah!