The actor"s manager Terry Bomar confirmed the news to ABC News.
His daughter, Megan, was using a crowdfunding site to raise money for his fight against "this bear known as cancer." She had raised about $10,500 toward a goal of $100,000.
Haggerty played outdoorsman James Capen "Grizzly" Adams, who befriends a bear he raises as a cub, in the 1974 surprise box office hit "The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams" and the TV series of the same name, which aired on NBC from 1977 to 1978. He later played Adams in another film (1981) and in a 1982 telefilm.
He also had small roles on other TV shows, including "Charlie"s Angels" in 1981 and "The Love Boat" in 1983.
Haggerty was arrested in 1985 after selling cocaine to two undercover police officers. His career was further derailed following a 1993 motorcycle accident that almost claimed his life. He returned to his iconic role 18 operations and four years later in "Grizzly Mountain" and in a 2000 sequel.
He most recently appeared in 2013 films "Axe Giant: The Wrath of Paul Bunyan" and "Dead in 5 Heartbeats."
Aside from Megan, Haggerty"s survivors include his other children, Dylan, Cody, Tracey and Don.
Ride Along 2 Featurette - Olivia Munn (2016) - Ice Cube, Kevin Hart Movie HD Photo The film and television producer Will Packer in Miami. Credit Jason Henry for The New York Times
Miami Twenty years ago, freshly graduated from college, Will Packer loaded 350 newspapers into his Honda Civic every day at dawn and drove around Atlanta, tossing them onto lawns and driveways. In the afternoons, he sold subscriptions door to door.
I was broke, eating ramen noodles, trying to make ends meet, Mr. Packer, 41, recalled a few days ago over tea at the Mandarin Oriental hotel here. I made enough to eat.
Such privations are a world away from the life Mr. Packer has made for himself since then as a Hollywood success story of the first order. Although his is not a household name, seven of Mr. Packers productions including Stomp the Yard (2007), Think Like a Man (2012), Ride Along (2014), No Good Deed (2014), and The Wedding Ringer (2015) opened in the top spot at the box office. Altogether, the theatrical films he has produced or on which he served as executive producer a category that includes the huge 2015 hit Straight Outta Compton have grossed more than $1 billion worldwide.
Photo Kevin Hart, left, and Ice Cube in Ride Along 2. Credit Quantrell Colbert/Universal Pictures
Mr. Packers newest production, Ride Along 2, is the second installment of the buddy-cop farce starring Ice Cube and the irrepressible Kevin Hart, who owes much of his explosive success to Mr. Packers mentorship. With the films opening on Friday, Jan. 15, Mr. Packer was in Miami the movies setting for the premiere.
Im having a good run, Ill tell you that, said the dapper Mr. Packer, whose attire was set off by a dark blue vest and wildly colorful striped socks. I dont take it for granted, and I certainly dont underestimate it, because its incredible.
Growing up in St. Petersburg, Fla., Mr. Packer never came close to imagining such a future. It seemed too far away, he said. It seemed like something for guys who I didnt know, and who didnt look like me, and who I would never meet.
He stumbled into filmmaking while studying electrical engineering at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee. A fellow student, Rob Hardy, needed a hand shooting a movie on campus, and Mr. Packer pitched in. I was helping him figure out how to pay for this thing, how to cast it locally and ultimately how to get it out, he recalled. Later, I learned thats what a producer does! I thought, this is my widget. A guy like me can do this.
The film was Chocolate City, a 1994 low-budget effort about a black college student played by Mr. Packer that turned a little profit from the distribution deal he brokered with Blockbuster, the video store chain.
After earning his degree magna c*m laude, he is proud to point out Mr. Packer turned down offers from two engineering companies. It just wasnt me, he said. I wanted to be an entrepreneur.
Still, Mr. Packer had to spend many months slogging through paper routes in Atlanta where he lives today before he and Mr. Hardy could make another movie, a super low-budget, indie, erotic thriller called Trois that required what he called a crash course in niche marketing. Made for $250,000, the film grossed $1.3 million and, although the reviews were tepid, it got the attention the two men needed to kick off their movie careers.
Though he didnt know anyone in Hollywood, Mr. Packer said: My parents had always told me, You can do anything, and I embraced it. If you tell kids they can fly, theyll be jumping from buildings and soaring.
As his influence and box-office clout have increased over the years, Mr. Packer appears to have been fully embraced by the film industrys power structure in a way that African-American auteurs like John Singleton and Spike Lee have perhaps not. More crucially, he was determined to expand the appeal of his films beyond what might have been considered the typical crowd for such fare.
You make sure that you have a core audience that says, Thats for me, but you want to make something that doesnt exclude other audiences outside your core, Mr. Packer said. These days, because there is such a cross-pollination of demographics and cultures and ethnicities, because of social media and the way we interact now, niches are becoming less and less well-defined. The majority of my films have been fronted by African-American actors and actresses, but that is now no longer the signifier that it once was, that thats only for people who look like that. The lines are a lot more blurred these days in terms of what a demo is.
Donna Langley, the chairwoman of Universal Pictures, where Mr. Packer has a multifilm deal, said in an interview that Mr. Packers expansive view of his potential audience is a big part of his success. Hes not interested in making films that are exclusionary, she said. His pace, his demeanor and his objective is all about inclusion, and I think thats why were seeing his movies actually cross over.
Continue reading the main story Video Trailer: "Ride Along 2"
A preview of the film.
By UNIVERSAL PICTURES on Publish Date December 3, 2015. Photo by Internet Video Archive. Watch in Times Video
At the same time, she noted, Mr. Packer has reinvigorated the kind of comedy that focuses on black characters.
He rediscovered a dying genre and forced it back into the mainstream, Ms. Langley said. What Will has done is really captured this market. Its been there for a long time, but I think the studios had kind of moved away from the African-American audience in making films that were specifically catered to them. I think Will looked at Hollywood and saw a void, and he stepped in and he filled it in a very significant way. Of course, hes not the only person making these types of films, but he has become one of the most prolific in a very short period of time.
Relatively few of Mr. Packers films have received critical acclaim, but any such reviews, he said, do little to affect the box office in any case. Do you know what matters? he asked. Trending topics on Twitter and what your friends are talking about on Facebook. Those are the reviews that people listen to.
Six of Mr. Packers most recent pictures have both pushed and benefited from the fame of Mr. Hart, whose manic energy and rat-tat-tat delivery have elevated him to the top ranks of comedys bankable stars. Hes tapped into what pop culture feeds on, Mr. Packer said. Kevins personality lends itself very well to that kind of round-the-clock, 24/7, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook scrutiny.
Mr. Hart, 36, had worked in stand-up, on television and in films for years before Mr. Packer cast him in one of his movies, an act that propelled the comedian to an altogether different level of fame.
He gave me a shot on Think Like a Man, and we hit it out the park, Mr. Hart said in a telephone interview. Weve never looked back. It takes a special person to see the talent in a person that you feel deserves an opportunity, and thats exactly what Will did. He saw something in me before other people did. He saw me on a different scale.
Mr. Hart said he had never valued an opinion more than that of Mr. Packer.
The way he handles connections, people are seeing the true talent that this guy has, Mr. Hart said. Hes the definition of an entrepreneur who is driven enough to start a vision and finish it.
Mr. Hart said he was planning to work on at least three more projects with Mr. Packer, including probably a third Ride Along outing. If its not broke, he said, I dont think you try to fix it.
Not content with filling the big screen, Mr. Packer recently executive-produced two comedies for television: Truth Be Told, which ran last fall on NBC to poor reviews and weak numbers, and Uncle Buck, set for broadcast this spring on ABC. In a more serious vein, Mr. Packer is behind plans for a remake of the 1977 mini-series Roots, to be shown as a simulcast on the History, A&E and Lifetime channels.
Mr. Packer a father of four, one of them studying at Harvard gives motivational speeches, especially to children who remind him of whence he came.
This younger generation, when they see someone like me, they know that its attainable, he said. The boy who never leaves his room doesnt know what the sunset looks like, but once he sees it he can never get enough.
Dan Haggerty, best known for his role of Grizzly Adams on the 1970s hit television series The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams, has died at the age of 74, according to numerous entertainment news reports.
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Initial reports indicate the cause of death was cancer.
While best known for his television work, Haggerty continued to work in the industry in small film roles up until his death, according to IMDB.
This morning, eight films received Oscar nominations for Best Picture.
Many of them, however, weren"t released until late last year, so it"s unlikely that you"ve seen all of them.
Below, you"ll find trailers of each film, along with synopses to explain what the movies are about.
The Academy Awards will be held on Feb. 28 in Hollywood. The show will be televised live on ABC.
"The Big Short"The Adam McKay-directed film, starring Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling and Brad Pitt, focuses on the financial crisis of 2007-2008 and the implosion of the housing market.
"Bridge of Spies"Starring Tom Hanks and directed by Steven Spielberg, "Bridge of Spies" is the true story of a lawyer charged with negotiating the release of a U-2 spy plane shot down over the Soviet Union in exchange for a KGB spy.
"Brooklyn""Brooklyn" is the story of an Irish woman (Saoirse Ronan) who immigrates to Brooklyn and must return to Ireland after receiving news about her family. Ultimately, she"s forced to choose between staying in Europe or returning to her new lover stateside.
"Mad Max: Fury Road"The action film centers on two heroes (Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron) who must battle a ruthless army to save themselves and other survivors in this post-apocalyptic world.
"The Martian"Matt Damon plays an astronaut stranded on Mars who must learn to survive while his colleagues try to rescue him.
"The Revenant""The Revenant" stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a frontiersman who is attacked by a bear and left for dead by a good friend. Relying on his survival skills and grit, he must make his way back to his family. The movie is directed by Alejandro Gonzlez Irritu.
"Room"Years after she was abducted, a woman (played by Brie Larson) must try to escape the room where she"s been held captive for years with the help of her five-year-old son.
"Spotlight"Another nominee based on a true story, "Spotlight" focuses on the Boston Globe team who investigated a priest accused of molesting dozens of young boys.
Did an ex-Scandal star marry Superhead? According to the Instagram of Karrine Steffans, 37, she married actor Columbus Short, 33. The two have been rumored to be dating for some time. Steffans is best known for telling all about her various liaisons with some of todays biggest stars from music, modeling and acting. Short is best known from the hit movies This Christmas, Cadillac Records and Stomp The Yard. This is Shorts third marriage after the last one ended with accusations and an arrest for domestic violence shortly after he was dropped from Scandal by Shonda Rhimes. This is Steffans second marriage after a brief three years with Family Matter star Darius McCrary.
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We remember innovative singer/songwriter David Bowie. Bowie fused new wave, electronica, experimental, soul and glam rock over five different decades. His latest release, Blackstar, was just last week. Bowie had two children: 44-year-old son Duncan from his first marriage, and his 15-year-old daughter Alexandria from his 23-year marriage to his widow, iconic supermodel Iman. Reports have already surfaced that Bowie left Iman his $195 million estate. Bowies career has ties here in Philly. Save for two cuts recorded in New York with ex-Beatle John Lennon, Bowie recorded his iconic Young Americans album at the legendary Sigma Sound Studios at the same time Gamble & Huff and Thom Bell were recording Billy Paul, The OJays, The Spinners, MFSB, The Three Degrees and Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes. Bowie used a young songwriter and background vocalist on those sessions who would go on to become a legend in his own right Luther Vandross. Bowie became one of the first white performers on Soul Train and one of the first white performers to publicly challenge MTV on their refusals to play African-American artists. Bowies biggest hit was Lets Dance. It became his first platinum album on the strength of the songs China Girl, Modern Love and the title track, which hit No. 1. He co-produced the album with Chics Nile Rodgers. The iconic rocker was able to keep his illness a secret until very close to his death. David Bowie died of liver cancer at the age of 69.
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Sherri Shepherds going back to court and vows to take it as high as she can go. The actress and comedienne has lost the court case, appeal and was declared twice as responsible for the surrogate child she and ex-husband Lamar Sally agreed to have before they broke up. Shepherd recently joked she wishes her exes would win the Powerball and then her problems would be over.
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John Singleton is an Oscar nominee, a critically acclaimed writer and director but is he also broke! Singletons 21-year-old son reportedly got told by his pops he was too broke to give him the $30,000 in tuition to finish school. Maasai Singleton now has a GoFundMe page. John has directed the classics Boyz In The Hood, Rosewood, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Shaft 2000 and Baby Boy over his 25-year career, so how could he be broke?
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Patti LaBelle aint saying nothing and we aint saying nothing. Miss Pattis career is legendary, but for the past few months shes become a social media sensation and a top seller thanks to those sold out Pattis Pies at Wal-Mart. Now the 71-year-old Philly native is making headlines for her dating life. Shes seeing 41-year-old drummer Eric Seats. The two are all over social media, but of course rumors of family and friends objecting are following them, too. Were gonna follow Miss Pattis example: shes not talking about that, so we wont. Meanwhile, her new Vanilla Pound Cake is out right now. Plus, on Jan. 18, its Patti LaBelles Premium Caramel Cake. Finally, LaBelle will be honored along with L.A. Reid, Lee Daniels, Spike Lee, Eric Holder and Mellody Hobson at The BET Honors airing Feb. 23 on BET.
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Simon Cowell will replace Howard Stern as a judge on Americans Got Talent. The show, which airs summers on NBC, also boasts judges Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, Melanie Brown and host Nick Cannon. Cowell has already been a judge on the English counterpart, Britains Got Talent, and is one of the executive producers of both shows. Cowell will also be making an appearance on the farewell season of American Idol, where he was an original judge.
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Gayle King sends the Obamas off in style. Since his first term in office, President Barack Obama has sat down for an interview during the halftime of every Super Bowl with the various networks. Well, for his farewell interview, first lady Michelle Obama will join him as the first couple sit down with Gayle King of CBS This Morning. In other Super Bowl news, Beyonc will make a special appearance when she joins Coldplay for the halftime concert.
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Speaking of Bey, she under the swirl of pregnancy rumors again. Published photos with baby bump captions are making the rounds. What makes this such a big deal is shes scheduled to start a late spring stadium tour in May. Meanwhile, word on the street is Beyonc is also working on another top-secret album this time with hubby Jay Z.
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Michael Strahan is hosting the $100,000 Pyramid on ABC this summer. The multitasking media personality who already co-hosts Good Morning America, Live With Kelly & Michael, Fox NFL Sunday and appears in a string of successful ad campaigns, is adding game show host to his repertoire. The original Pyramid show had successful runs in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Past hosts have included Donny Osmond, John Davidson and Bill Cullen, but the most successful of all was original host d**k Clark with an unmatched 15-year run. This new version will have Strahan host as well as be one of the executive producers. The show has a 10-episode order. The $100,000 Pyramid may join Celebrity Family Feud with Steve Harvey when both shows join the ABC summer lineup.
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Kevin Hart has a lot going on. First, he opened up about his fathers struggle with drug addiction, and how he and his brother had to put him in rehab. Hart credits his late mother for stepping up and keeping him and his brother centered. Today, Harts dad is clean and sober and Kevin says theres no hard feelings because the two never lost touch. Also, my nephews upcoming wedding to fiance Eniko Parrish will happen on Aug. 8, and he revealed that his 8-year-old son, Hendrix, will be his best man. Finally, Harts movie, Ride Along II, co-starring Ice Cube, Benjamin Bratt and Tika Sumpter, opens this weekend.
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Chris Rock is set to host the 88th Annual Academy Awards airing Feb. 28 on ABC, and now the nominees have been announced. Straight Outta Compton, which hits DVD shelves Jan. 19, is up for Best Screenplay. The late summer bio-pic of the rise of rap musics N.W.A has grossed over $200 million, and is now an Oscar nominee. So is Sylvester Stallone for Best Supporting Actor as Rocky Balboa, the role he created 40 years ago. Stallone is nominated for reprising that role in Creed, which starred Michael B. Jordan and was directed by Ryan Coogler. When Stallone won a Golden Globe for Creed, he forgot to thank Jordan and Coogler during his acceptance speech. After getting put on blast online, including by actor Samuel L. Jackson, Stallone issued an immediate apology and acknowledged he owed Jordan and Coogler everything.
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Did Jermaine Jackson step out on his wife and have it come back to bite him? literally! You may remember over last Thanksgiving holiday, the famous member of The Jackson 5 and solo artists wife of 11 years was arrested for corporal injury of a spouse. Halima Rashid was arrested after she bit Jermaine on the leg when their argument got ugly. She got released on $50,000 bail after a five-hour jail stay. Jackson, 61, told the press he still loves Rashid, 45, and that these things happen. Well, reports say one of those things was reportedly stepping out with a young blonde who is actually 12 years younger than his wife.
BET made some moves and now theyve got projects with Taraji P. Henson, Ludacris, Lawrence Fishburne, Snoop Dogg and the long-awaited New Edition biopic later this year. First, the cable networks big hit series Being Mary Jane, starring Gabrielle Union, has garnered a fourth season renewal. Ludacris will appear in Music Moguls with Snoop Dogg, Birdman, Jermaine Dupri and Damon Dash, and then Ludacris will produce Inside The Label, an inside look at the inner workings of record labels and their relationships with artists. Meanwhile, Henson returns as host of The BET Celebration Of Gospel airing Sunday, Jan. 31 at 8 p.m.
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Today show meteorologist/anchor Al Roker and ABC News Deborah Roberts have a new book theyve authored together. The couple, who have been married 20 years, chronicle lifes lessons in Been There, Done That: Family Wisdom for Modern Times. Roker and Roberts took a unique route and wrote different chapters covering their upbringings, raising children and marriage.
Actress Meagan Good and her movie executive husband Devon Franklin have authored a new book together. The Wait is a relationship book which takes a look at the practices Good and Franklin used during their time dating, including their practice of celibacy. The couple also write about how their Christian faith guides their marriage for the better. The Wait is due out Feb. 2.
Ashley Olsen Murder Suspect Arrested by Italian Police
1/30 12 January 2016
The Blue Mosque and the empty Sultanahmet square after a blast in Istanbul"s tourist hub. At least 10 people were killed and 15 wounded in a suspected terrorist attack in the main tourist hub of Turkey"s largest city Istanbul. A powerful blast rocked the Sultanahmet neighbourhood which is home to Istanbul"s biggest concentration of monuments and and is visited by tens of thousands of tourists every day
2/30 12 January 2016
Indian school girls prepare to fly kites during celebrations on the eve of the Lohri festival in Amritsar. The Lohri harvest festival, which falls on January 13 this year, commemorates the winter solstice and is marked in northern India by the lighting of bonfires and the flying and battling of kites
3/30 12 January 2016
Indian wildlife officials measure one among the dozens of whales that have washed ashore on the Bay of Bengal coast"s Manapad beach in Tuticorin district, Tamil Nadu state, India
4/30 11 January 2016
A wave crashes on the protecting wall at the fishing harbour in Pornic, France as stormy weather with high winds hits the French Atlanitic coast
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Local residents watch as a helicopter, known as "Elvis", drops water onto a pile of burning tyres in Melbourne, Australia. A large pile of truck tyres caught alight at an industrial area located on the outskirts of Melbourne
6/30 11 January 2016
A woman with a tatoo of David Bowie reacts as she pays her respects in front of the British singer, painted by Australian street artist James Cochran, aka Jimmy C, following the announcement of Bowie"s death
7/30 10 January 2016
A man holds a bottle containing what is believed to be sacred medicine during the annual Voodoo Day celebration in Ouidah, Benin. Benin"s voodoo festival is held every year and is the west African country"s most vibrant and colourful event. Officially declared a religion in Benin in 1996, Voodoo and the Voodoo festival attracts thousands of devotees and tourists for a day filled with ritual dances, goat slaughtering and gin drinking
8/30 10 January 2016
A man puts a snake on his head as supporters of presidential candidate Jovenel Moise of PHTK political party attend a rally in support of the candidate in the commune of Petion Ville, Port-au-Prince, during the first rally of Jovenel Moise as he campaigns for the second round of the presidential elections. Haiti"s presidential election will go to a runoff on 24 January, between ruling party candidate Jovenel Moise and Jude Celestin
9/30 10 January 2016
Herders ride horses on snow-covered field in Zhaosu County, Yili, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, China
10/30 9 January 2016
A Kosovo government building is set on fire by protesters during clashes in Pristina, Kosovo. Demonstrators in Kosovo fought running battles with police and briefly set fire to government headquarters in the latest violence in the young Balkan country over an accord with its former ruler Serbia
11/30 9 January 2016
Farmer Sindulfo Fernandez inspects a dried watering hole for llamas in Orinoca, Oruro Department, Bolivia. The water dried due to a drought
12/30 9 January 2016
Soldiers of People"s Liberation Army (PLA) Lanzhou Military Region jump through a burning obstacle during a training session at a military base in Tianshui, Gansu province, China
13/30 8 January 2016
Firefighters battling a fire near Yarloop in Western Australia. The out-of-control blaze 110 kilometres (68 miles) south of Perth more than doubled in size in 24 hours and has now burned through 53,000 hectares (130,000 acres), with a third of the town of Yarloop destroyed
14/30 8 January 2016
Indian Muslims pay tribute to Indian soldiers killed in the recent Pathankot air base attack, outside a mosque in New Delhi, India
15/30 7 January 2016
Duane Ehmer rides his horse Hellboy at the occupied Malheur National Wildlife Refuge on the sixth day of the occupation of the federal building in Burns, Oregon. The leader of a small group of armed activists who have occupied a remote wildlife refuge in Oregon hinted that the standoff may be nearing its end
16/30 7 January 2016
A coin-operated viewfinder is covered in ice near the Kyffhaeuser monument in Bad Frankenhausen, central Germany
17/30 7 January 2016
Armed French police patrol near the Boulevard de Barbes in the north of Paris. French police have shot dead a man as he attempted to gain access to a Paris police station whilst brandishing a knife. It is believed that the man was wearing a fake suicide vest and bomb disposal experts were brought in to investigate. The incident comes on the first anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attacks
18/30 6 January 2016
Members of the Shia Muslim community of Greece hold up placards and banners bearing images of prominent Shiite cleric and activist Nimr al-Nimr during a demonstration near the Saudi Arabian embassy in Athens, as they condemn Nimr"s execution by Saudi authorities
19/30 6 January 2016
Men dance in the icy winter waters of the Tundzha river in the town of Kalofer as part of the Epiphany Day celebrations. As a tradition, an Eastern Orthodox priest throws a cross in the river and it is believed that the one who retrieves it will be healthy through the year as well as all those who dance in the icy waters
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A bride and groom take part in a wedding ceremony as part of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin, northeast China"s Heilongjiang province
21/30 5 January 2016
Mount Soputan spews ash into the air during an eruption seen from Silian village, Southeast Minahasa district in Northern Sulawesi. Mount Soputan is one of the most active volcanoes in North Sulawesi and last erupted in March 2015
22/30 5 January 2016
An American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) feeds in the waters of Lake Chapala in Cojumatlan de Regules, Michoacan State, Mexico. Thousands of white pelicans migrate from the United States and southern Canada to Mexico during winter
23/30 5 January 2016
Participants wear colofur costumes during the day of the "Castaneda Family" parade held as part of the "Carnaval de Negros y Blancos" (Carnival of Blacks and Whites) in Pasto, Colombia. The Blacks and Whites Carnival that runs from 2 to 7 January every year, was included in the UNESCO list of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2009
24/30 4 January 2016
Wearing ancient Japanese costumes, members of the Kemari Preservation Society play "kemari," an ancient Japanese ball-lifting game using only the right leg, at the Shimogamo shrine in Kyoto, western Japan. The annual New Year football-like game came from China almost 1,400 years ago
25/30 4 January 2016
A man looks at a giant statue of Chinese late chairman Mao Zedong under construction near crop fields in a village of Tongxu county, Henan province, China. According to local villagers, several entrepreneurs spent nearly 3 million yuan (460,000 USD) to build the 36.6-metre-high statue covered in golden paint, local media reported
26/30 3 January 2016
A man walks on the frozen Songhua river beside the Harbin international ice and snow festival in Harbin, northeast China"s Heilongjiang province
27/30 3 January 2016
Police try to release a car trapped in a snow slide in Altay, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, China
28/30 3 January 2016
An Indian right wing Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) volunteer climbs atop a tree as he listens to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat speak at a rally in Pune some 135 kms from Mumbai. Over 150,000 RSS voluntreers are attending a day long congregation"Shivashakti Sangam", the largest in recent years
29/30 2 January 2016
Iranian protesters gather outside the Saudi Embassy in Tehran during a demonstration against the execution of prominent Shiite Muslim cleric Nimr al-Nimr by Saudi authorities. Nimr was a driving force of the protests that broke out in 2011 in Saudi Arabia"s east, an oil-rich region where the Shiite minority of an estimated two million people complains of marginalisation
Getty
30/30 2 January 2016
Gordini"s US driver Robby Gordon and co-driver Kellon Walch compete during the 11km Prologue of the 2016 Dakar Rally, in the province of Buenos Aires. The Dakar Rally, which officially starts on January 3, will see participants race across Argentina and Bolivia in a two-week test of endurance
Star Wars: The Force Awakens record-breaking run is coming to an end.
After The Force Awakens spent four weekends at No. 1, theres a new box office contender in town, andRide Along 2 is expected to top the charts this holiday weekend. Back in 2014, the first Ride Along set a record for the biggest Martin Luther King weekend opening ever, earning $48.6 million over four days. That record stood until last year, when American Sniper more than doubled it, earning $107.2 million when it expanded to wide release.
This time around, Ride Along 2 is opening in even more theaters (3,175 instead of Ride Alongs 2,663), and the sequel, starringIce Cube and Kevin Hart,is expected to debut somewhere in the forties if not higher. Add that to the fact that Michael Bays 13 Hours is also opening not to mention that The Revenant may actually bump Star Wars to third and it should make for a busy MLK Day at the box office.
Heres how this weekends box office race might play out. (All predictions are for the four-day weekend.)
1. Ride Along 2 $40 million
Ride Along 2 picks up where the first one left off, with Ice Cube and Hart reprising their roles as a cop and his brother-in-law. Reviews have been pretty rough, with a current 15 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but thats about what the original earned, and that didnt detract from its box office performance. While Universal is being more conservative with a $30 million projection for Ride Along 2, other experts are predicting at least $40 million, if not $50.
2. Star Wars: The Force Awakens $30 million
After breaking just about every box office record you can think of, The Force Awakens is sitting pretty with $822.8 million the biggest domestic total of all time. But with Ride Along 2 on the horizon, it should give up its weekend box office crown for the first time. (Last Friday, The Revenant did manage to usurp Star Warsspotfor one day.) J.J. Abrams take on a galaxy far, far away is expected to earn about $30 million over the long weekend. Globally,The Force Awakenshas hit $1.78 billion, making it the third-biggest movie of all time.
3. The Revenant $29 million
After a successful limited run, Alejandro Gonzlez Irritus survival drama expanded last weekend to earn a whopping $39.8 million, nearly dethroning Star Wars (which earned $42.4 million). This weekend, its expected to be just as close, and although The Force Awakens may hold on to its edge, theres a chance that The Revenant could surpass it to earn second place. After all, the Leonardo DiCaprio-starring drama led this mornings Oscar nominations with 12. Oscar nods generally give more of a bump to smaller movies expect a small surge for titles like Spotlight and Brooklyn but all the Revenant buzz, coupled with DiCaprios recent Golden Globes win, might just help push The Revenant in front of Star Wars. So far, The Revenant has earned $54.1 million domestically.
4. 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi $20 million
Michael Bays latest tackles the true story of the 2012 terrorist attack on a U.S. diplomatic compound in Libya. Based on the book by Mitchell Zuckoff, 13 Hours stars John Krasinski, James Badge Dale, and Pablo Schreiber. With a 59 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, reviews have been mixed, and its expected to debut around $20 million over four days.
5. Daddys Home $10 million
After opening on Christmas Day, Daddys Home was one of the December releases not to get swamped by Star Wars, and so far, its made more than $119 million domestically. Its headed for a four-day MLK weekend around $10 million.
Outside of the top five, Lionsgates family-friendly Norm of the North is also opening. Rob Schneidervoices the titular polar bear in the animated comedy, and its headed for a debut somewhere around $5 million.
