Entertainment News Roundup: 'Maleficent: Mistress of Evil' dominates with soft $36M

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

British-born Nigerian actor hopes black skinhead film will 'heal' pain

British-born Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje was taken into foster care by a white family near London as a baby in the 1960s. As a youth, the unthinkable happened: the black boy joined a gang of violent white supremacists. Now an award-winning actor, he has brought his story to cinemas in his country of origin - Nigeria. He hopes his directorial debut will be part of a "healing" process for people who sought foster care to give their children a better life.

Box Office: 'Maleficent: Mistress of Evil' dominates with soft $36 million

Five years after Angelina Jolie's "Maleficent" cast a spell over the box office, the villainous enchantress has returned to the top of domestic charts. Disney's "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil," a sequel to 2014's fantasy adventure based on the "Sleeping Beauty" sorceress, debuted to $36 million from 2,790 North American theaters, nearly half of what the first movie made in its inaugural weekend ($69 million). Despite opening below projections heading into the weekend, "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil" easily towered over competition including holdover from Warner Bros.' "Joker" and newcomer Sony's "Zombieland: Double Tap." The "Maleficent" follow-up did benefit as one of the few offerings catering to younger female moviegoers in a marketplace that's been largely dominated by male-skewed titles like "Joker" and Paramount's "Gemini Man." Women represented 56% of ticket buyers, about 50% of which were under the age of 25.

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