No more.

In the age of tech dollars and subscription business models, Sundance – like so much else in entertainment – has changed. The country’s preeminent showcase for independently financed and produced films, which ends this weekend, has quietly become a different beast.

Gone are the days when prestige-oriented studios justified buying a “Little Miss Sunshine” or “Winter’s Bone” with the hope they would slowly make inroads in theaters.

Now, instead, the world’s largest media and tech companies spend top dollar – often well above what traditional buyers offer – to land a movie that can be deployed for bragging rights among competitors and potential subscribers. There’s often little by which to gauge what impact, financial or cultural, the movie eventually has; the acquisitions are simply submerged into the well of a streamer’s offerings.

Experts see far-reaching – and dramatic – consequences in the development.

In interviews with eight film executives, producers and sales agents, many of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity so as not to upset negotiating partners, a portrait emerged of a sales market radically remade by the streaming era.

At this year’s Park City, Utah, gathering, Disney-owned streamer Hulu paid $17.5 million for “Palm Springs,” a high-concept romantic comedy from Andy Samberg and the comedy collective Lonely Island. It is the most expensive deal in Sundance history. (The sale was characterized as a joint acquisition with the independent distributor Neon, which will help raise the film’s awareness by handling a theatrical release.)

Few box-office experts believe the movie could actually break even theatrically. Even if the companies somehow spent not a penny on marketing, the film would have to do at least $35 million in ticket sales, an exceedingly high number for an independent comedy. (Theatrical distributors typically collect about half of box-office grosses in the United States.) Instead, the money was spent to attract buzz – and potential new subscribers – for Hulu.

The “Palm Springs” purchase was just the tip of the spear. Three other films at Sundance sold for a price higher than the once-inconceivable ceiling of $10 million. Another streamer, Amazon Studios, bought the gay-themed period drama “Uncle Frank” for $12 million, while Apple was the key financier behind a deal to pay as much as $10 million for a documentary about Texas high-schoolers called “Boys State.” (The boutique distributor A24 will put the movie in theaters.)

The only eight-figure sale that didn’t involve a streamer was the $12 million acquisition by Searchlight Pictures of the thriller “The Night House” – though the company as of last year was owned by Disney.

All of this happened before two of the larger streamers – WarnerMedia’s HBO Max and Comcast’s Peacock – have even launched.

The trend is a major departure from Sundance precedent. In 2007 – regarded as a kind of pre-Great Recession peak of independent film – no movie was acquired for more than $10 million, even though the independent box office was thriving compared with now. The biggest deal was when a then-extant studio division, Paramount Vantage, paid $7 million to acquire “Son of Rambow,” a coming-of-age British dramedy.

That year at least a half-dozen deals were made for movies between $4 million and $7 million – all, of course, to traditional theatrical distributors. Several of the acquired titles, including “Waitress,” broke out at the box office.

But the tide began to turn in earnest last year when Amazon paid an estimated $13 million each for three movies – “Late Night,” “The Report” and “Brittany Runs a Marathon.” “Late Night” and “Brittany” were both box office disappointments, grossing $15 million and $7 million, respectively. “The Report” did not get a significant theatrical push as Amazon shifts away from theaters. (Amazon founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)

The idea of fewer deals for more money, experts say, has created a climate that’s less about making investors whole as striking it rich – never mind the many films that strike out.

“Sundance used to be about the bottom, middle and top – it was a volume business,” said James Schamus, the former head of Focus Features and an independent producer who brought a new movie called “The Assistant,” which already had distribution, to screen at this year’s festival.

“But in the last year it’s totally changed. There are a few movies that line up cherries across the slot machine. And everyone else goes home on the Greyhound bus with quarters.”

Notably, he and others say, the high-end deals are driven by companies that often care more about the ability to boast that they’ve landed a big fish than making a traditional investment. That has basically created two different markets under one umbrella – or one set of products being sold to two very different kinds of buyers.

As the story was set to be published, Hulu spent another $8 million at Sundance on “Bad Hair,” a horror comedy.

For now, traditional companies – among them Sony Pictures Classics, Magnolia, Neon, Bleecker Street, A24, Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate – are still certainly in business. But unless they team up with a streamer, they are often buying movies below the top tier of buzz. Occasionally, they can rely on a filmmaker preferring the theatrical attention over money, as “The Farewell” director Lulu Wang and her team did when selling their movie to A24 at last year’s Sundance for about $7 million, half of what an unidentified streamer was offering.

Ironically, Netflix, which made arguably the first of the eye-popping Sundance deals when it bought the historical drama “Mudbound” for $12.5 million three years ago, despite no other buyer coming close to its offer, has been relatively quiet this year. The company made no major purchases in Park City, in part because it spent a lot of money on films, including the new Taylor Swift documentary “Miss Americana,” that it previously bought and brought to Sundance to promote.

Representatives for Amazon, Netflix, Hulu and Apple did not comment for this story.

Sales agents and producers are not inclined to lament a market in which prices routinely top $10 million; after all, they have a responsibility to return value to investors and incentives to increase their own payouts.

But some are hesitant about what the streaming world has wrought.

“The money that’s in the marketplace is, to my mind, unprecedented,” said sales agent John Sloss, a Sundance and independent-film veteran, as he took stock of the change. “Whether it’s an improvement is a much more complicated question.”

At least one sales agent said the trend concerned them because it could price traditional distributors out of the biggest movies – and ultimately out of the market entirely – leaving a key void.

“What happens when the streamers stop spending? Who will still be around?” said the sales agent, who spoke on the condition of anonymity so as not to ruffle feathers with potential buyers.

“And of course there’s the effect on theaters,” the agent added. The streamers’ entree means consumers have fewer options to see these movies in theaters, while theaters have fewer shots at a breakout.

The rise of the streamers at Sundance has other long-term effects: It can shape how a movie even gets made in the first place. Traditional independent films are financed by selling off rights before cameras start rolling – a foreign territory sold here, a cable platform sold there.

But streamers almost always want to buy all rights around the world, which puts producers in a bind. No filmmaker wants to take the option of streamers off the table before they make their movie. But to do that they’d have to shun the preproduction deals that often allow an independent film to be financed in the first place.

“As buying goes more toward the streamers, you have a tough decision as a producer – a very tough decision,” said Jonathan Dana, a longtime film producer who has been on both the buying and selling sides of the indie-film table. Basically, he said, filmmakers have to decide between making the film at the budget they’d like, even though it will turn off streamers – or accept a less favorable budget in the hope of ultimately landing one of those coveted streaming deals.

Past eras have seen new players descend on Sundance. Large Hollywood studios, for instance, have shown intermittent interest in opening their wallets for a buzzy title.

But insiders say this is different.

“It used to be that new companies come in spending a lot of money but under the same terms of success,” said the head of an independent theatrical distributor who spoke on the condition of anonymity so as not to appear to be criticizing competitors. “You had to weather the onslaught, but at least you were all judged the same. Now you’re not even playing the same game.”

Another executive offered a stark analogy.

“It would be like two teams arriving at the Super Bowl,” the executive noted, except one team took the field trying to score touchdowns while their opponent was trying buy a lot of hot dogs.

“How would you know who won?” the executive said. “And how much effort would you expend trying to win?”

Beginning Jan. 31 “all standalone FOX channels will no longer be available on Roku streaming devices,” the company said in an e-mail. Roku encouraged customers to continue using its system to access FOX channels through other streaming apps, including: FuboTV, SlingTV, YouTube TV and Hulu’s live television option.

The news sent the stock on an abrupt slide, falling as much as 7.6% to $120.71 in New York, its lowest since Nov. 11. Shares of Fox Corp. fell as much as 1.7% intraday.

Roku’s notice to customers comes as a distribution agreement with Fox is scheduled to expire, after hosting the network’s channels for years. The dispute could be a big blow to Fox prior to Sunday’s match-up between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs.

According to a Fox spokesperson, “Roku’s threat to delete FOX apps from its customers’ devices is a naked effort to use its customers as pawns. Only Roku can pull apps from its customers’ devices, and we would urge them to stop the intimidation tactics and reconsider the merits of irritating their best customers in pursuit of Roku’s own interests.”

Rosenblatt Securities views the weakness in Roku as an opportunity for investors to increase their holdings. Mark Zgutowicz, a media analyst at the firm, commended the company for “acting from a position of strength” and leveraging its leadership among over-the-top streaming providers.

In a blog post, Roku asserted that it “tried for months” to reach a deal and even offered Fox an extension although the network operator declined.

“If an agreement is not reached, we will be forced to remove FOX channels from the Roku platform because we can’t distribute content without an agreement,” Roku said. “Our discussions with FOX continue and we hope that FOX will agree to an agreement soon.”

With the launch of prepaid Netflix Cards, Thai viewers no longer need a credit or debit card to enjoy Netflix’s wealth of Thai, Asian and global films and shows. The cards (Bt500, Bt1,000, and Bt1,500 in value), are now on sales at 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Tesco Lotus (including Tesco Lotus Express). It will also be available at Mini Big C outlets nationwide from March 20.

“We are excited to provide another way for our Thai fans to enjoy great entertainment on Netflix. Prepaid payments are well-known in Thailand and are also popular – so introducing these Netflix Cards makes a lot of sense and demonstrates how we’re continuing to evolve our service to meet local needs,” said Pradon Sirakovit, Communications Manager /Thailand & Vietnam.

Netflix Cards are easily redeemable in just a few taps or clicks at netflix.com/code or via the user Account page.

For more information on Netflix Cards, visit https://help.netflix.com/en/node/32950/th.

After the familiar appearance of the on-screen title “8 months earlier,” we meet the owner of that itchy trigger finger: Stephanie Patrick, a once-promising student at Oxford now supporting a drug habit through prostitution in a sordid London flat. Stephanie – played by Blake Lively, gamely giving the sordidness her all – is entertaining a client (Raza Jaffrey) who just wants to talk, in this case about the fact that the plane crash that killed Stephanie’s family was because of not mechanical failure but a terrorist bomb.

The client is actually a freelance journalist – his business card literally says “freelance journalist” – and he soon welcomes Stephanie into his apartment, which is decorated like the lair of a serial killer, with walls filled with newspaper clippings and photos of the plane’s numerous other dead passengers.

So why has he chosen Stephanie, who, out of all the other surviving friends and family members of the crash victims, seems the least reliable person with whom to share this kind of information?

That is an excellent question. And the simple answer, if you manage to sit through the cheesy, predictable thriller – or if you have read the 2018 novel on which it is based, the first of the Stephanie Patrick Thrillers series by Mark Burnell, who also wrote the screenplay – is that there would otherwise be no story to tell.

That story, which jumps from England to Scotland to Morocco to the United States to Spain to France, concerns the making of an assassin – but also a book/movie franchise.

Stephanie eventually finds herself in the company of the journalist’s clandestine source, a disgraced former MI6 agent named Boyd (Jude Law), who becomes Stephanie’s reluctant sensei in what can only be called Revenge Boot Camp. “You’re a cliche,” Boyd tells her in an example of a film critiquing itself.

There, to prepare for the execution of those responsible for masterminding, financing and building the bomb, Stephanie learns hand-to-hand combat, mental toughness – the master making his pupil swim across a lake in the winter, risking hypothermia – and how to fire a gun. The film’s title refers to a firearms calming technique: your heart is the drums; your breathing is the bass.

Soon enough, Stephanie is ready for the field, dying her hair India-ink black and adopting the alias Petra. (Nikita and Lisbeth were, presumably, taken.) In the field, Boyd hooks her up with a colleague (Sterling K. Brown), an ex-CIA agent who becomes her lover.

“The Rhythm Section” was directed by Reed Morano, who did a nice job with the first few episodes of “The Handmaid’s Tale” but seems a bit self-indulgent here. When we first meet Boyd, for instance, we see only his boots, for something like five minutes. And despite the tale’s violent themes – innocent children are collateral damage – the soundtrack has a weirdly jaunty flavor, with old pop songs by the Mamas and the Papas, the Monkees, Brenda Lee and Elvis Presley popping up at inopportune moments.

It’s not a morality tale, despite a perfunctory nod in that direction. Boyd tells Stephanie that killing someone is the easy part. The hard part? “Living with it.”

He also tells her something else about revenge that applies equally well to “The Rhythm Section,” despite its few moments of bloody fun. In the end, Boyd warns her, “it’s not worth it.”

_ _ _

1 1/2 stars. Rated R. Contains violence, sexual scenes, crude language throughout and some drug use. 109 minutes.

Ratings Guide: Four stars, masterpiece; three stars, very good; two stars, OK; one star, poor; no stars, waste of time.

Despite its accolades, including several Oscar nominations, the thriller has found itself on several snub lists this award season as its actors have largely been overlooked for major awards. But “Parasite” was clearly a crowd favorite at this year’s SAG Awards – the cast received two standing ovations – and its victory (over heavily nominated contenders including “Bombshell” and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”) makes this year’s Oscars race that much tougher to predict.

Joaquin Phoenix won best actor in a leading role, for “Joker,” continuing a winning streak that has landed him a Golden Globe and a Critics’ Choice Award. Renée Zellweger, also a Golden Globe winner for her well-received portrayal of Judy Garland, triumphed over Scarlett Johansson in the leading actress category. The supporting actress trophy went, not at all surprisingly, to Laura Dern – in the midst of an awards season sweep for her turn as a powerhouse divorce attorney in “Marriage Story” – while Brad Pitt took best supporting actor, for “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.”

“Fosse/Verdon” was a standout in the television categories, with leads Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams winning for their roles as Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon, respectively, in the limited series/TV movie category. Jennifer Aniston, meanwhile, took the best actress in a TV drama award for “The Morning Show,” beating out “The Crown’s” Helena Bonham Carter and Jodie Comer, whose turn as a complicated villain on “Killing Eve” earned her an Emmy in September. Peter Dinklage won best actor in a TV drama, adding a note of victory to the swan song of HBO’s “Game of Thrones.” The top prizes for TV comedy went to Phoebe Waller-Bridge, for “Fleabag,” and Tony Shalhoub for “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.”

Here are 10 major moments from the two-hour show, which aired on TNT and TBS.

– “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” cast’s tribute to Brian Tarantina

When Shalhoub took the stage to accept his best actor in a TV comedy award, he dedicated his trophy to his late co-star, Brian Tarantina, who played Jackie, the emcee at the bar where Midge Maisel gets her start in stand-up. Tarantina died of an accidental overdose in November, just a month before the show’s third-season premiere.

“I share this Actor with my fellow ‘Maisel’ castmates,” Shalhoub said. “It is a joy to know you. It is a privilege to work alongside you. And so with your blessings, I will dedicate this to one of our family who we lost this year and who we miss terribly, the most marvelous Brian Tarantina, our brother. Here’s to you.”

Rachel Brosnahan, who plays the comedy’s title role, also paid tribute to Tarantina as the cast accepted the trophy for best ensemble in a TV comedy. “This ensemble extends far beyond those that you see on this stage. We are missing … one really, really important member of our ensemble tonight, Brian Tarantina,” Brosnahan said. “We had such an amazing time here with him last year, so thank you so, so much for this. This is dedicated to him.”

– Laura Dern’s sweet moment with her father, Bruce Dern

Before Dern made it to the stage to accept her best supporting actress award, she stopped to give a hug to her father, an Oscar-nominated actor who co-stars in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” “I’m emotional because I got to hug my dad,” she told the audience.

As she reflected on her years in the industry, Dern noted that she “literally, literally would not be here if not for actors,” thanking her dad – and mother (and “Enlightened” co-star) Diane Ladd.

“Thank you for raising me in the community of your friends, on your movies, doing your plays and getting to know the wealth of these extraordinary people,” she told her famous parents.

– Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s stateside farewell to “Fleabag”

Thanking her SAG colleagues for their stateside support of her quirky (and beloved) comedy, Waller-Bridge noted that the team behind the series would be heading back to the U.K. after the ceremony. And despite recent wins at the Emmys and Golden Globes, it appears that the actress-writer is still coming to grips with her success. “This whole thing really has been a dream,” she said. “And if I wake up tomorrow and discover it was just that, then thank you,” she said. “It’s been the most beautiful dream.”

– Michelle Williams’ sweet shout-out to her daughter

Williams has made several speeches this awards season, but her Emmy and Golden Globe speeches were notably more political than the acting-centered speech she made while accepting her best actress award for “Fosse/Verdon.” But there was one thing connecting all three speeches: Matilda, Williams’s 14-year-old daughter with the late Heath Ledger.

“Matilda, it’s one thing to be completely honest as an actor,” Williams said Sunday. “It’s another thing to be completely honest as a human being. And that’s who you are and how you live. You teach me just by being you.”

– Brad Pitt’s Tarantino joke

Pitt had one of the funniest speeches of the night. He began with yet another joke about his dating life. “I get to add this to my Tinder profile,” he quipped, looking at his trophy.

His speech was at times deprecating – at one point he joked about how on-the-nose his “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” role could be from certain perspectives. “It was a difficult part, a guy who gets high, takes his shirt off and doesn’t get on with his wife. It was a big stretch,” he joked – to laughter from the audience, which included his ex-wife Jennifer Aniston.

But Pitt saved the biggest zinger for director Quentin Tarantino, who has been known to have somewhat of a, well, foot fetish. “I’d like to thank my co-stars, Leo (DiCaprio), Margot Robbie, Margot Robbie’s feet, Margaret Qualley’s feet,” he joked before revealing the, um, kicker: “Quentin Tarantino has separated more women from their shoes than the TSA.”

Pitt’s speech wasn’t all jests though – he offered some wisdom gleaned from his three decades in the industry. “I’ve been banging away at this thing for thirty-some years,” he said. “I think the simple math is: Some projects work, some projects don’t and there is no reason to belabor either.”

“Enjoy the evening,” he added. “Because tomorrow it’s back to work.”

– Jennifer Aniston’s emotional speech

Aniston looked genuinely shocked – and teary eyed – as she took the stage to accept her trophy for Apple TV Plus’s “The Morning Show.” It was the actress’s first SAG win since 1996 when she shared best TV comedy ensemble with the cast of “Friends.”

“What?! Oh my gosh. This is so unbelievable,” Aniston said. She recalled listening to audiotapes of “Laverne & Shirley” and “Happy Days” episodes as a young girl, and thinking that she wanted to be an actor when she grew up. She eventually landed a Bob’s Big Boy commercial and the rest is history, as they say.

Aniston pivoted to the current project that had earned her the admiration of her colleagues. “Boy, did we get to dive deep into our own experiences and our own history and really be able to breathe life into these extraordinary characters,” she said, before joking: “Who knew that emotional breakdowns felt that good? It really was like, seven months of therapy covering about 20 years of work. So thank you for watching that.”

“I love you, girl. It took 20 years but we did it,” Aniston said to her co-star (and co-producer) Reese Witherspoon. And she offered another shout-out – to Adam Sandler, whose acclaimed work in “Uncut Gems” was left out of this year’s Oscar nominations. “Oh, Adam Sandler, your performance is extraordinary, your magic is real, buddy,” Aniston said. “I love you.”

Oh, and in case you’re wondering, Aniston and her ex-husband did interact backstage, sending the internet into a tailspin.

– Robert De Niro’s subtly political speech

De Niro, recipient of this year’s Life Achievement award, is an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump, but his speech did not mention POTUS – at least not directly. After reflecting on his craft, De Niro first praised the actors’ union:

“I thank SAG-AFTRA for tirelessly fighting on our behalf for workplace and economic gains and respect. And that especially bears remembering these days when there’s so much hostility towards unions,” De Niro said.

“Political leaders who support unions are more likely to support Affordable Care Act, equitable taxes, humane immigration regulations, a safe environment, a diverse citizenry, reproductive rights, sensible gun control and fair wages and benefits,” the veteran actor continued. “We owe them our support and we owe them our vote.”

De Niro acknowledged that some of his colleagues may have wanted him to steer clear of politics in his speech. “But we’re in such a dire situation, so deeply concerning to me and to so many others, I have to say something,” he said, joking that his recent comments to Variety conveyed his feelings so well he would quote himself.

“There’s right and there’s wrong. And there’s common sense and there’s abuse of power. And as a citizen, I have as much right as anybody, an actor, an athlete, a musician, anybody else, to voice my opinion, and if I have a bigger voice because of my situation, I’m going to use it whenever I see a blatant abuse of power. And that’s all I’m gonna say about that tonight.”

– Joaquin Phoenix’s Heath Ledger tribute

Phoenix has been notably averse to many awards shows, even admitting on the SAG Awards stage that he “couldn’t fully appreciate” the ceremony several years ago. But he took the time onstage to honor his fellow nominees, addressing each of them directly as he praised their work. (He also recalled losing several roles to DiCaprio.) Phoenix ended his speech with a nod to another actor who portrayed the Joker: “I’m standing on the shoulders of my favorite actor, Heath Ledger,” he said.

– Bong Joon-Ho as a proud dad (er, director)

As the “Parasite” cast accepted its prestigious trophy, the filmmaker sat in the audience, recording the historic moment on a cellphone.

– Eugene and Dan Levy’s non-host banter

The father-son duo, both nominated for “Schitt’s Creek,” opened and closed the show with witty banter, but – as they reminded us several times – they were not the hosts of the ceremony. (Following the lead of several recent awards shows, the SAG Awards went hostless this year.)

Fittingly, the elder Levy kicked things off with a dad joke – involving a famous toilet paper commercial – that he worked into one of SAG’s trademark “I am an actor” profiles.

The unit has been renamed 20th Century Studios, while the iconic 20th Century Fox logo will no longer contain the word “Fox.”

Meanwhile, Fox Searchlight, the prestige unit behind films such as 2020 Oscar best picture nominee “Jojo Rabbit” and past winners “Slumdog Millionaire” and “12 Years a Slave,” is being re-branded as Searchlight Pictures.

The two Fox-branded TV studios that Disney bought in last year’s deal, 20th Century Fox Television and Fox 21 Television Studios, will retain their Fox names, at least for now.

The news was first reported by Variety.

The move further separates, at least in the public eye, Disney and Rupert Murdoch’s new Fox Corporation, which counts the Fox Broadcasting Network and Fox News among its core assets.

Disney and Fox spokespeople did not immediately comment.

The move was not unexpected. While Disney has in the past maintained much of the branding of acquired companies such as Marvel and Pixar, Fox has long been in a different category. The other companies’ staffs remained largely intact, but Disney began letting go of hundreds of Fox film employees last year.

Disney at the time also unexpectedly fired Elizabeth Gabler, who had been running the Fox 2000 label; many had expected the division to continue under Disney.

20th Century Fox is one of Hollywood’s most historic names and brands. The studio, itself formed by a merger in the 1930′s, released some of the biggest classics in movie history, including “The Sound of Music,” “The French Connection” and “Avatar.” The sight of its logo along with its memorable theme music provided the rare studio brand that carried weight with ordinary consumers.

With the decision, Disney has signaled its attention to dissociate itself from Fox as Fox News remains a polarizing force. Disney has sought to stay above the culture-wars fray and appeal to families across the ideological spectrum, not always successfully.

The disassociation from Fox also helps to disentangle Disney from Murdoch – at least publicly. Murdoch still holds as much as $10 billion in Disney shares.

Branding is only part of the issue for Disney and its Fox acquisition. The entertainment giant has struggled with movies it bought from 20th Century Fox, with “Dark Phoenix,” “Stuber” and several others underperforming in the past year. Only “Ford v Ferrari” has been an exception. The Matt Damon-Christian Bale auto-racing movie has grossed more than $200 million worldwide and been nominated for a best picture Oscar.

Disney chief executive Bob Iger last summer blamed Fox movies for the company’s poor quarterly results. At the time he also was seeking a “new direction” and an attempt to “turn around” the unit under Disney studio chiefs Alan Horn and Alan Bergman.

The box-office trend has continued into 2020, with the deep-sea horror movie “Underwater” opening to just $7 million last weekend.

Warner Bros. and DC Comics are releasing films featuring their two most popular big-screen characters of the moment (Wonder Woman and Harley Quinn), Valiant Comics is finally seeing one of its heroes hit the big screen (Bloodshot) and Venom hopes to best its previous movie’s $856 million worldwide haul in a sequel that looks to be a lot bloodier.

Marvel Studios is looking to provide a mild Avengers flashback (“Black Widow”) before they move on to bigger out-of-this-world aspirations (“Eternals”).

Here’s the upcoming superhero movie slate for 2020.

– “Birds of Prey” – Feb. 7

Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) gets a new movie and a new team all in one film in this post-Joker-breakup adventure (no Jared Leto in sight, but no worries, he appears later on this list). Helping Quinn in the fight are lethal archer the Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), ultrasonic-voiced Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), quick-handed Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco) and veteran Gotham City cop Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez), as they go up against a Batman villain not commonly known by the general public (Ewan McGregor’s Black Mask).

– “Bloodshot” – March 13

Vin Diesel gets a superhero role with a lot more lines than when he played Groot in the “Guardians of the Galaxy” series. He stars as an indestructible soldier looking to put together the mystery of a past he can’t remember. This is the first live-action film from the Valiant Comics universe, which features other heroes hoping to make it to the movies, such as X-O Manowar and Shadowman.

– “The New Mutants” – April 3

Can a classic Marvel Comics series make for a good horror movie without the involvement of Marvel Studios? There’s a scary thought. “The New Mutants” is Twentieth Century Fox’s last stand with the X-Men universe as this film wrapped before it merged with Disney. Whether it will link to whatever Disney has planned for the X-Men is unknown. What we do know is this film features young mutants from that universe, as they get in touch with their powers for the first time while in a very creepy, prisonlike institution of some kind. Magik’s (Anya Taylor-Joy) mystic sword looks cool, though. That’s a start.

– “Black Widow” – May 1

Scarlett Johansson finally gets a solo-starring turn as superhero/Russian spy Natasha Romanoff. This movie obviously takes place before her death in “Avengers: Endgame” and involves her connecting some dots about her past. David Harbour also stars as Russia’s version of Captain America, the Red Guardian.

– “Wonder Woman 1984″ – June 5

Is this DC’s most anticipated sequel ever? “Wonder Woman” was DC’s first undisputed hit of the Justice League era and this follow-up, set in Washington, D.C., in the 1980s, could be the biggest superhero hit of 2020. Going up against Gal Gadot’s Princess Diana is Pedro Pascal’s not-to-be-trusted Max Lord, and somehow Chris Pine’s Steve Trevor is back from the dead.

– “Morbius” – July 31

Jared Leto’s Joker didn’t work out over at DC so now he’s giving the role of Marvel’s second-most-popular vampire a try (we see you, Blade). Morbius the Living Vampire is a classic Marvel character, known more by die-hard fans than a general moviegoer, and is yet another example of Sony trying to milk its rights to Spider-Man and any character connected to him. A rumored appearance by J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson could go a long way here.

– “Venom 2″ – Oct. 2

Speaking of Spider-Man villain movies, Tom Hardy’s Venom is back. This time, he’ll likely be up against the villain everyone wanted to see in the first movie (Carnage, played by Woody Harrelson). Both Hardy and Harrelson should get some top-notch CGI movement instruction from “Venom 2” director Andy Serkis, who’s no stranger to such performances over his career.

– “Eternals” – Nov. 6

So far all we know about “Eternals” is that Kumail Nanjiani got super-swole for his role as Kingo, and that the film will also feature Salma Hayek, Angelina Jolie, Gemma Chan, Brian Tyree Henry and a “Game of Thrones” reunion between Richard Madden and Kit Harington. The Eternals, created by the late comic-book legend Jack Kirby, are an advanced alien race with the power of apparently being Marvel Studios’ next big thing.

In a statement signed from “Da People’s Republic of Brooklyn, New York,” Lee detailed his history with the prestigious festival dating back to his 1986 debut feature, “She’s Gotta Have It,” which won the Prix de la Jeunesse, an award honoring young directors. Lee, 62, has since returned to Cannes six times. His most recently chosen film, 2018′s “BlacKkKlansman,” won the Grand Prix, or second place overall.

“In this life I have lived, my biggest blessings have been when they arrived unexpected, when they happened out of nowhere,” Lee wrote. “When I got the call that I was offered the opportunity to be President of Cannes Jury for 2020, I was shocked, happy, surprised and proud all at the same time.”

“BlacKkKlansman,” a thriller starring John David Washington as a black police officer who infiltrates a local Ku Klux Klan chapter in the late 1970s, marked Lee’s return to the Cannes competition after 22 years. The film received a lengthy standing ovation – “It doesn’t always have to be that way,” Lee told The Washington Post that year, as “people get booed at Cannes” – and went on to earn six Academy Award nominations, including his first best director nod. (He won best adapted screenplay.)

The reception to “BlacKkKlansman” represented a high point in Lee’s relationship with the festival, which hit a snag in 1989 when Steven Soderbegh’s “Sex, Lies, and Videotape” beat Lee’s acclaimed front-runner “Do the Right Thing” for the top prize, the Palme d’Or. Lee never held anything against Soderbergh but instead directed his frustration toward that year’s jury president, German filmmaker Wim Wenders, whom Lee heard found his now-iconic lead character, Mookie, to be “unheroic.” In the film, Mookie incites a riot after another character is choked to death by a police officer.

The situation has figured into conversations surrounding the myth that “black films don’t travel well,” which, as Lee once discussed with fellow director Jordan Peele, has less to do with cultural differences and more to do with a dearth of opportunities for black filmmakers.

Like many major film festivals, Cannes has attracted criticism over a perceived lack of diversity – in terms of gender, too – but has shown signs of improvement in recent years. Cannes president Pierre Lescure and artistic director Thierry Frémaux issued a joint statement Tuesday expressing their hope that Lee will help “shake things up.”

“Spike Lee’s perspective is more valuable than ever,” they wrote. “Cannes is a natural homeland and a global sounding board for those who (re) awaken minds and question our stances and fixed ideas.”

The warm feelings were mutual. In his statement, Lee added: “To me the Cannes Film Festival (besides being the most important film festival in the world – no disrespect to anybody) has had a great impact on my film career. You could easily say Cannes changed the trajectory of who I became in world cinema.”

Three films were close behind with 10 nominations: “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Quentin Tarantino’s fictional ode to 1960s Hollywood; “The Irishman,” Martin Scorsese’s mob drama starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci that clocks in at three and a half hours; and “1917,” the World War I epic that centers on two British soldiers on a dangerous trip to deliver a critical message that could save 1,600 troops.

All four of those movies also earned best picture nominations. Rounding out the prestigious category is “Little Women,” Greta Gerwig’s version of Louisa May Alcott’s tale of four sisters growing up in Massachusetts during the Civil War; “Marriage Story,” which centers on an excruciating divorce and custody battle; “Parasite,” the South Korean psychological thriller-slash-dark comedy; “Jojo Rabbit,” about a young German boy who counts Hitler as an imaginary friend; and “Ford v Ferrari,” based on the true story of Ford’s goal to make a faster car than the Ferrari.

For the second year in a row, there were no women nominated in the best director category: Nominees included Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Bong Joon-ho, Sam Mendes and Todd Phillips, with the notable snub of Gerwig.

Once again, the Oscars ceremony will be host-free – after the debacle over Kevin Hart’s tweets in 2019, the show’s producers aren’t taking any chances. “There was a lot of conversation about which way to go and there may be a day when we decide to have a host again, but the focus has been on the most entertaining show and not on the host,” ABC entertainment president Karey Burke told reporters last week.

The nominations were announced Monday morning, hosted by actress Issa Rae and John Cho. The Academy Awards air Sunday, Feb. 9 – with no host – on ABC.

– – –

Oscar nominations by movie:

“Joker” – 11

“Once Upon a Time In Hollywood” – 10

“The Irishman” – 10

“1917” – 10

“Parasite” – 6

“Marriage Story” 6

“Little Women” – 6

“Bombshell” – 3

– – –

The nominations for the 92nd Academy Awards:

Best picture

“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

“The Irishman”

“Parasite”

“1917”

“Marriage Story”

“Jojo Rabbit”

“Joker”

“Little Women”

“Ford v Ferrari”

– – –

Best actress in a leading role

Renée Zellweger, “Judy”

Charlize Theron, “Bombshell”

Scarlett Johansson, “Marriage Story”

Saoirse Ronan, “Little Women”

Cynthia Erivo, “Harriet”

– – –

Best actor in a leading role

Joaquin Phoenix, “Joker”

Adam Driver, “Marriage Story”

Leonardo DiCaprio, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

Antonio Banderas, “Pain and Glory”

Jonathan Pryce, “The Two Popes”

– – –

Best director

Martin Scorsese, “The Irishman”

Quentin Tarantino, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

Bong Joon-ho, “Parasite”

Sam Mendes, “1917”

Todd Phillips, “Joker”

– – –

Best actor in a supporting role

Brad Pitt, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

Al Pacino, “The Irishman”

Joe Pesci, “The Irishman”

Tom Hanks, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”

Anthony Hopkins, “The Two Popes”

– – –

Best actress in a supporting role

Laura Dern, “Marriage Story”

Margot Robbie, “Bombshell”

Florence Pugh, “Little Women”

Scarlett Johansson, “Jojo Rabbit”

Kathy Bates, “Richard Jewell”

– – –

Best international feature film

South Korea, “Parasite”

Spain, “Pain and Glory”

France, “Les Misérables”

North Macedonia, “Honeyland”

Poland, “Corpus Christi”

– – –

Best adapted screenplay

“The Irishman”

“Jojo Rabbit”

“Little Women”

“The Two Popes”

“Joker”

– – –

Best original screenplay

“Marriage Story”

“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

“Parasite”

“Knives Out”

“1917”

– – –

Best animated feature film

“Toy Story 4”

“How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World”

“Missing Link”

“I Lost My Body”

“Klaus”

– – –

Best documentary feature

“American Factory”

“The Edge of Democracy”

“Honeyland”

“For Sama”

“The Cave”

– – –

Best documentary short subject

“In the Absence”

“Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl)”

“Life Overtakes Me”

“St. Louis Superman”

“Walk Run Cha-Cha”

– – –

Best animated short film

“Dcera (Daughter)”

“Hair Love”

“Kitbull”

“Memorable”

“Sister”

– – –

Best live action short film

“Brotherhood”

“Nefta Football Club”

“The Neighbors’ Window”

“Saria”

“A Sister”

– – –

Best film editing

“The Irishman”

“Ford v Ferrari”

“Parasite”

“Joker”

“Jojo Rabbit”

– – –

Best cinematography

“1917,” Roger Deakins

“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Robert Richardson

“The Irishman,” Rodrigo Prieto

“Joker,” Lawrence Sher

“The Lighthouse,” Jarin Blaschke

– – –

Best original song

“I’m Standing With You,” from “Breakthrough”

“Into the Unknown,” from “Frozen II”

“Stand Up,” from “Harriet”

“(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again,” from “Rocketman”

“I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away,” from “Toy Story 4”

– – –

Best visual effects

“Avengers: Endgame”

“The Lion King”

“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”

“The Irishman”

“1917”

– – –

Best production design

“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

“The Irishman”

“1917”

“Jojo Rabbit”

“Parasite”

– – –

Best makeup and hairstyling

“Bombshell”

“Joker”

“Judy”

“Maleficent: Mistress of Evil”

“1917”

– – –

Best costume design

“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

“Little Women”

“The Irishman”

“Jojo Rabbit”

“Joker”

– – –

Best sound mixing

“1917”

“Ford v Ferrari”

“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

“Ad Astra”

“Joker”

– – –

Best sound editing

“1917”

“Ford v Ferrari”

“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”

“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

“Joker”

– – –

Best original score

“1917,” Thomas Newman

“Joker,” Hildur Guðnadóttir

“Little Women,” Alexandre Desplat

“Marriage Story,” Randy Newman

“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” John Williams

“The most undeniable thing that can be said about Tom Hanks is both deceptively simple and yet overwhelmingly true,” the actress said. “He just makes the world a better place.”

Theron introduced Hanks by first telling a story from her childhood: “When I was 8 years old, growing up on a farm in South Africa, my three most prized possession were my ballet shoes, my pet goat and my VHS copy of ‘Splash.’ ” She said she watched the movie so many times that the ribbon broke, which she fixed with a piece of Scotch tape.

Years later, she found herself auditioning for “That Thing You Do!,” the 1996 film Hanks directed.

“After my first read, I thought I completely blew it . . . and I had somehow forgotten to breathe . . . Tom just kindly looked at me, took a beat, and said, ‘I’m so sorry, Charlize. Do you mind just giving me five minutes? I have to step out. I’ll be right back and we’ll do that scene again,’ ” she recalled. But “Tom didn’t need five minutes. I needed five minutes.”

A jubilant Hanks, who hugged Theron as he took the stage, said “most of the people in this room, I would pay to see them get their cars washed” before joking about “Love Boat” being included in his highlight reel.

His voice sounded hoarse, which he quickly addressed by saying, “I have a cold the size of Merv Griffin’s ‘Jeopardy!’ royalties, so forgive me. I’ve been drinking an awful lot of savagely orange drinks for the past 24 hours, and I’m a little jittery.”

He grew serious as he thanked his family and began choking up.

“A man is blessed with a family sitting down in front like that,” he said, gesturing to his children and spouse, Rita Wilson. “A wife who is fantastic in every way, who has taught me what love is. Five kids who are braver and stronger and wiser than their old man is. And a loving group of people who have put up with me being away for months and months and months at a time. I can’t tell you how much your love means to me.”

The rest of his speech was slightly less focused, as he discussed the people with whom he’s worked and those he admired before offering a bit of advice.

“You’re a dope if you don’t steal from everybody you’ve ever worked with, and I have stolen from the likes of the people who only need one name, like Meryl, like Denzel, like Antonio, like Meg, like Julia,” he said. “I have never not been challenged or flummoxed or lost sleep because of the work that was asked of me by the directors I’ve worked with, every single one of them, the screenwriters I’ve worked with, every single one of them.” He then shouted out the likes of Nora Ephron, Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood and Ron Howard – among others.

Hanks was sure to note that actors, directors and screenwriters aren’t the only people involved with creating films.

“Movies are made shot by shot. . . . Everyone has to do their job to perfection, have to hit a mark and have to go there,” he said, pointing out that sometimes the movie’s success rests on the shoulders of the makeup artist or the focus puller and, yes, the actor. “And it’s those moments as an actor where everyone I have ever worked with helped me get to that place. ”

He also offered advice to the crowd that had given him a standing ovation as he took the stage. “Showing up on time is one of the greatest liberating acts you can give yourself in a movie,” Hanks said. “That means those people with radios in the ears don’t need to knock on your door and say, ‘They’re ready for you.’ You’re actually already ready, and you have the liberty and you have the freedom of being there early enough to settle down, because when the time comes you have to hit the marks and you have to go there.”

As he reflected on his career, he began choking up again. “It’s the cold that is making this happen,” he said through tears. “I swear to God I’m not this emotional at home. Thank you, HFPA. Thank you all here. Thank you all for your inspiration and all of your work and all of the struggle that you guys all go through in order to hit the marks and tell the truth.”