The 2019 movie “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” will look at the death throes of the old studio system — seen as a pivotal time in show business history — against the gruesome backdrop of the 1960s Manson family murders.

The 55-year-old “Reservoir Dogs” director opened Sony’s presentation at the glitzy annual CinemaCon industry get-together vowing that his hotly anticipated ninth solo feature would be similar in tone to his acclaimed mainstream breakthrough “Pulp Fiction” (1994).

“Sony and myself will be coming to the theaters with the most exciting star dynamic since Paul Newman and Robert Redford,” Tarantino told the crowd of theater operators at Caesar’s Palace.

Newman, who died in 2008, starred alongside 81-year-old Redford in 1973’s “The Sting” but the duo were best known as the titular heart-throb outlaws in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” (1969).

“It’s very hush hush and top secret. But I can tell you that ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ takes place in 1969, at the height of the counterculture, hippie revolution and the height of new Hollywood,” Tarantino added.

DiCaprio, a Los Angeles native, said he was excited to be working with Pitt, and described Tarantino’s screenplay as “one of the most amazing” he’d ever read.

The presentation came as Sony kicked off CinemaCon with an array of stars and never-before-seen footage of its upcoming slate of movies.

Hollywood decamps to the Nevada desert for four days every year for the gathering, where theater operators are offered exclusive previews of the movies they can expect to be showing over the coming year.

– Runaway success –

Sony sparked controversy in 2017 when its movies chief Tom Rothman — who was back this year — came to the stage to present new footage from “Blade Runner 2049.”

“Netflix my ass,” he quipped after wowing the crowd with bleak scenes from the long-awaited sequel to Ridley Scott’s 1982 masterpiece.

The internet streamer has found itself in conflict with movie theater operators in the past because its original content goes straight to viewers’ TVs and mobile devices.

“I love movies and I love movies in movie theaters. They are my favorite place in the world,” said Tarantino, who last directed Pitt in “Inglourious Basterds” (2009).

“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” — which is due to begin shooting in summer in LA — gets its US release on August 9 next year, the 50th anniversary of actress Sharon Tate’s murder by Manson’s cult devotees.

Sony set the tone for what is expected to be a week of surprises with exclusive footage from numerous blockbusters due to hit theaters over summer and beyond.

Still celebrating the runaway success of 2017 smash hit “Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle,” which made the thick end of $1 billion worldwide, the studio delighted fans with an array of star presenters including Will Ferrell, Michelle Williams, Matthew McConaughey, Gina Rodriguez, Riz Ahmed and Claire Foy.

– ‘Truly iconic’ –

In an action-packed presentation, Sony squeezed in footage from a mix of original material and sequels and spin-offs, including “Sicario: Day Of The Soldado,” “The Equalizer 2,” comedy “Holmes And Watson” and weepy “A Dog’s Way Home.”

Foy — best known as Queen Elizabeth II in Netflix’s “The Crown” — wowed as the new face of Swedish computer hacker Lisbeth Salander, previously played by Rooney Mara, in footage from “The Girl in the Spider’s Web.”

The 34-year-old British actress said the character, made famous in the original 2009 Scandinavian movie trilogy by Noomi Rapace, was “truly iconic.”

“She’s very much a survivor,” said the actress, who began shooting in Berlin in January with Fede Alvarez (“Don’t Breathe”) directing. The movie hits theaters on November 9.

Sony also unveiled a second teaser for “Spider-Man” spin-off “Venom,” which opens on October 5, showing rather more of the eponymous toothy villain (Tom Hardy) than the much-derided first trailer.

“Being part of this movie is a dream come true. He’s one of my favorite characters as well,” said Hardy, who revealed his excitement over being in a superhero film his son could enjoy.

Disney, STX, Universal, Paramount, 20th Century Fox, Lionsgate, Warner Bros, Amazon, Entertainment Studios and Focus Features will set out their stalls later in the week.

The series can be streamed on HBO GO and HBO on AIS Play and the AIS Playbox. New episodes premiere every Monday at the same time.

Fans of the series can also have fun with a series of online, on-ground and virtual reality activities by playing the Maze Game on the Westworld Microsite (http://hboasia.com/HBO/shows/westworld).

Within the site, fans have a chance to beat the children’s ball-in-a-maze game in the virtual world. The symbolism of the maze resonates throughout the series with the different characters’ storylines and the maze symbol is also frequently spotted in the park.

From now to June 25, participants of the maze game will need to direct the ball to the centre of the maze. There will be 12 levels to clear, each with increasing difficulty. There will be a leader board and participants with the 10 top highest scores will stand to win exclusive Westworld merchandise and attractive prizes. Do read the small print as terms and conditions apply.

The entire Virtual Reality experience in Sweetwater (available in Singapore and Malaysia only) begins with an introduction by a white-suited host – just like any visitor would encounter as a guest starting their visit to Westworld at the Delos office, the corporation behind Westworld. Visitors are then instructed to don the Virtual Reality goggles and headphones, entering an immersive and interactive experience!

Once in the Virtual Reality realm, guests are invited to select either a black or white hat, try on suitable outfits and pick their weapon of choice (in reality, a joystick with a trigger), before embarking on different virtual activities within Westworld such as practising at a shooting range or getting involved in a shootout with Sheriff Pickett.

This immersive experience event also features a range of Westworld-themed activities such as a Mechanical Bull, a Ring Toss Game and a video booth.

“Westworld” debuted on HBO in October, 2016 to become the network’s most-watched freshman series ever. The returning cast includes Evan Rachel Wood (Dolores), Thandie Newton (Maeve), Ed Harris (Man in Black) and Jeffrey Wright (Bernard).

New cast members for the second season are Fares Fares (Antoine Costa), Katja Herbers (Grace), Gustaf Skarsgard (Karl Strand) and Hiroyuki Sanada (Musashi).

The first season of “Westworld received 22 Emmy nominations last year, winning five, including Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media within a Scripted Programme and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour). Director Jonathan Nolan received a DGA nomination for the season finale, and both Nolan and Joy received a WGA nomination for season one.

“A Quiet Place,” an almost wordless Paramount production, stars actor/director John Krasinski and real-life wife Emily Blunt as a couple silently struggling to protect their family from invading aliens that are blind but can track their prey by sound.

The film took in a $22 million for a total of $132.4 million since opening atop the box office early this month.

Fallen from the top spot to number two was “Rampage,” starring hard-working Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson as a primatologist who befriends an albino gorilla — which grows to enormous size after a rogue experiment and then teams with Johnson to stop invading monsters. Naomie Harris co-stars.

The video-game inspired “Rampage” took in $21 million for the weekend for a total of $66.6 million in two weeks, against a budget of $120 million.

In third place was “I Feel Pretty,” an Amy Schumer film about a self-conscious woman who suffers a head injury and subsequently sees herself as beautiful, which made $16.2 million on its debut weekend.

In fourth was “Super Troopers 2” — the long-awaited sequel to the 2001 film about a ne’er-do-well group of cops — in which the protagonists are tasked with replacing a Mountie unit in a Canadian town that is found to be part of the US.

The partially crowd-funded film made $14.7 million on its first weekend.

In fifth was “Truth or Dare,” a supernatural thriller starring Lucy Hale and Tyler Posey as spring breakers caught up in an innocent game that turns deadly. The film made $7.9 million on its second weekend.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

“Ready Player One” ($7.5 million)

“Blockers” ($7 million)

“Black Panther” ($4.6 million)

“Traffik” ($3.9 million)

“Isle of Dogs” ($3.4 million)

“I chose not to attend because I did not want to appear as endorsing Benjamin Netanyahu, who was to be giving a speech at the ceremony,” Portman said in a statement posted late Friday on Instagram.

She also denied accusations by Israeli Culture Minister Miri Regev who on Friday said Portman subscribed to the ideology of the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

“I am not part of the BDS movement and do not endorse it,” the Oscar-winning US-Israeli actress said.

“Like many Israelis and Jews around the world, I can be critical of the leadership in Israel without wanting to boycott the entire nation,” she said.

On Friday the Genesis Prize Foundation said that Portman had cancelled her participation in a Jerusalem ceremony slated for the end of June.

One of Portman’s representatives informed the foundation that she was troubled by “recent events” in Israel and “does not feel comfortable participating in any public event in Israel,” the foundation said.

The foundation did not say which events distressed Portman.

Portman said her decision to stay away from the award ceremony had been “mischaracterised”, insisting that she wanted to set the record straight and “speak for myself”.

“Israel was created exactly 70 years ago as a haven for refugees from the Holocaust. But the mistreatment of those suffering from today’s atrocities is simply not in line with my Jewish values,” she said.

“Because I care about Israel, I must stand against violence, corruption, inequality and abuse of power,” Portman added.

Portman did not go into details, but her decision came amid a series of controversies for Netanyahu and his government.

The army has come under scrutiny over its use of live fire over the past three weeks during protests and clashes along the blockaded Gaza Strip’s border with the Jewish state.

In a fourth straight Friday of mass demonstrations, four Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli forces, bringing the total death toll since March 30 to 38.

Netanyahu also recently reversed a controversial deal with the UN refugee agency aimed at avoiding the forced deportations of thousands of African migrants.

The Israeli premier is also the subject of a series of corruption investigations. Police in February recommended he be indicted in two of the cases and a third is ongoing.

The Genesis prize, launched in 2013, is awarded to “extraordinary individuals who serve as an inspiration to the next generation of Jews,” according to foundation’s website.

Recipients contribute their winnings to causes of their choice, and Portman has said she intended to dedicate the money to programmes advancing women’s equality.

Born in Jerusalem to a doctor father and an artist mother, 36-year-old Portman won a best actress Oscar for 2010’s psychological ballet thriller “Black Swan”.

“A Quiet Place,” an almost wordless Paramount production, stars actor/director John Krasinski and real-life wife Emily Blunt as a couple silently struggling to protect their family from invading aliens that are blind but can track their prey by sound.

The film took in a $22 million for a total of $132.4 million since opening atop the box office early this month.

Fallen from the top spot to number two was “Rampage,” starring hard-working Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson as a primatologist who befriends an albino gorilla — which grows to enormous size after a rogue experiment and then teams with Johnson to stop invading monsters. Naomie Harris co-stars.

The video-game inspired “Rampage” took in $21 million for the weekend for a total of $66.6 million in two weeks, against a budget of $120 million.

In third place was “I Feel Pretty,” an Amy Schumer film about a self-conscious woman who suffers a head injury and subsequently sees herself as beautiful, which made $16.2 million on its debut weekend.

In fourth was “Super Troopers 2” — the long-awaited sequel to the 2001 film about a ne’er-do-well group of cops — in which the protagonists are tasked with replacing a Mountie unit in a Canadian town that is found to be part of the US.

The partially crowd-funded film made $14.7 million on its first weekend.

In fifth was “Truth or Dare,” a supernatural thriller starring Lucy Hale and Tyler Posey as spring breakers caught up in an innocent game that turns deadly. The film made $7.9 million on its second weekend.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

“Ready Player One” ($7.5 million)

“Blockers” ($7 million)

“Black Panther” ($4.6 million)

“Traffik” ($3.9 million)

“Isle of Dogs” ($3.4 million)

The show is about the budding relationship between Yoon Jin-ah (played by Son Ye-jin) and her best friend’s younger brother, Seo Joon-hee (Jung Hae-in), who have known each other since childhood.

The story begins with Joon-hee’s reunion with Jin-ah after completing an overseas assignment. Working in the same office building, their feelings for each other grow through different daily encounters – both intentional and unintentional – and their friendship slowly transforms into somewhat different and sweet.

There’s no groundbreaking moment, but both admit they want to be more than just friends.

Directed by An Pan Seok, who worked on other K-drama series such as “Secret Affair”, the show stars Son Ye-jin, who rose to fame in romantic TV series and films such as “The Classic”. Her most recent movie, in which she stars with So Ji-sub, is a remake of the famous Japanese romance “Be With You” and will be released in Thailand on June 23.

Meanwhile rising star Jung Hae-in gained increased recognition for his supporting roles in the 2017 television series “While You Were Sleeping” and a later appearance in “Prison Playbook”.

Netflix members will be able to watch the first four episodes of the series today. Two more episodes will premiere on Netflix every Friday.

And it seems that when it comes to watching TV, 80 per cent of Thais find pets to be the best binge partner and 87 per cent of Thais have watched Netflix with their pets!

Watching a show with someone else can sometimes have its downsides, like being told what’s going to happen or incessant chatter, Not only do pets not hog the remote or judge your entertainment tastes (well, maybe), they make the perfect partners for the company. The cuddles are most prominent, with 47 per cent of Thai viewers turning to their furry friends for comfort during a sad or scary scene, making Thailand is the top country globally to cuddle with their pet.

Though you should be warned that pet bingeing can also be ruff. Thirty per cent of Thai members said they have moved seats so their pet would be more comfortable. Thirty two per cent have bribed them with treats to watch longer, and some (11 per cent) have even gone so far as turning off a show because their pet didn’t appear to like it. The snuggle is real.

So what are the shows everyone is barking, meowing and chirping about? Thai pet owners are more likely to choose a mix of sci-fi series like “Star Trek Discovery” and a little action like “The Last Kingdom” or even go for a teen drama like “13 Reasons Why”. Dark comedies like “Santa Clarita Diet” and “Big Mouth” made the top 5 as well.

Top Netflix & Woof Shows in Thailand

1.  Star Trek Discovery

2.  The Last Kingdom

3.  13 Reasons Why

4.  Santa Clarita Diet

5.  Big Mouth

6.  Stranger Things

7.  Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

8.  Love

9.  Club de Cuervos

10.Fuller House

The survey was conducted by SurveyMonkey from January 9-25, 2018 and based on more than 50,000 responses. The sample is representative of an adult online population who watch Netflix with their pets in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, USA, UK.

Taviani and his brother Paolo formed one of Italian cinema’s most famous duos and together they made more than 15 films.

One of their best-known was the gritty biopic “Padre Padrone”, set in Sardinia, which won the top Palme d’Or prize at Cannes in 1977.

Born in San Miniato, Tuscany, on September 20, 1929, Taviani died in Rome after suffering from a long-term illness.

Another of the brothers’ critically acclaimed films is 2012’s “Caesar Must Die”, for which they won the Golden Bear prize at the Berlin International Film Festival.

The pair’s father was an anti-fascist lawyer and they had an early interest in social issues, which they later translated onto the screen.

Speaking to the industry magazine Variety, Ted Sarandos said the festival — whose selection will be made public Thursday — had instituted a new rule prohibiting any film without a theatrical distribution in France from competing for main prizes.

“We want our films to be on fair ground with every other filmmaker,” Sarandos said. “There’s a risk in us going in this way and having our films and filmmakers treated disrespectfully at the festival.”

“They’ve set the tone. I don’t think it would be good for us to be there.”

Netflix showed two films at the prestigious film festival last year — but triggered scandal over its refusal to show “Okja” in French cinemas before distributing it for streaming to its subscribers.

The streaming giant also showed the film “The Meyerowitz Stories” by Noah Baumbach at the festival.

French law stipulates movies cannot be available for home streaming until three years after a cinematic premiere.

The timeline is considered largely obsolete due to a spike in piracy and streaming platforms in the United States like Netflix and Amazon.

Netflix has voiced willingness to taking films to French theaters — but refuses to wait three years to make it available on its platform.