Entertainment News Roundup: Russell Crowe's property scorched by Australian bushfires; Disney+ streaming exceeds expectations with 10 million sign-ups, shares surge

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Disney+ streaming exceeds expectations with 10 million sign-ups, shares surge

Walt Disney Co shares soared to a record high after the entertainment firm said its new streaming service, Disney+, had been met with "extraordinary consumer demand," reaching 10 million sign-ups in its first day. The strong performance, which added $18 billion to its market capitalization, appears to establish Disney as a leading player in the streaming wars that pit it against industry leader Netflix Inc, Amazon.com Inc's Prime Video service, Apple Inc's Apple TV+ and AT&T Inc's forthcoming HBO Max service.

Russell Crowe's property scorched by Australian bushfires

Bushfires raging across Australia's east coast destroyed two buildings on a rural property owned by Russell Crowe, the Oscar-winning actor said on Twitter on Wednesday. The 55-year-old posted a video and pictures on his Twitter feed of a helicopter water-bombing smoke-filled trees near a fence and driveway, commenting "Top shot son!"

Award-winning film 'Atlantics' offers haunting take on life in Senegal

To capture the harsh reality of life in Senegal, film director Mati Diop chose young people she met at building sites, bars and in Dakar's poorer suburbs as the stars of 'Atlantics', a ghost story about migrants and those they leave behind. The coming-of-age tale has already won critical acclaim, securing the Grand Prix award at the Cannes Film Festival in May, and it will reach a wider audience this month when it hits U.S. cinema screens and debuts on screening platform Netflix.

A Minute With: Alicia Vikander, Wash Westmoreland on thriller 'Earthquake Bird'

Swedish-born Oscar winner Alicia Vikander performs in both English and Japanese in her new movie, thriller "Earthquake Bird", as she immerses herself in 1980s Tokyo. The actress portrays an expat translator caught up in a love triangle in the film, directed by Wash Westmoreland and based on the novel of the same name by Susanna Jones.

'Mandalorian' creator Favreau teases more 'Star Wars' surprises

"The Mandalorian" creator Jon Favreau and cast members debuted the "Star Wars" series on Wednesday at a red-carpet event for fans and promised more surprises following the reveal of an unexpected new character in the first episode. "The Mandalorian," which runs on Walt Disney Co's new Disney+ streaming service, is the first live-action series set in the galaxy far, far away that was first seen on screen in the 1977 movie "Star Wars".

Jay-Z, Iconix settle lawsuits over licensing, alleged fraud

Jay-Z and Iconix Brand Group Inc have settled a series of legal disputes arising from transactions between the rapper and the clothing licensing company dating back to 2007. In a Wednesday regulatory filing, Iconix said it agreed to sell some intellectual property assets to Jay-Z's Roc Nation LLC and membership interests in his Marcy Media Holdings LLC affiliate, in exchange for $15 million.

Rare photographs capture Rolling Stones' humble beginnings

A series of rarely seen black-and-white photographs dating back to the Rolling Stones' first concert tour in 1963 will go on display in east London this month. The images, taken in a London recording studio and at a gig in Cardiff, Wales, had been kept under photographer Gus Coral's bed for years before he decided to dust them off.

Pidgin perfect: Slang spreads message for Nigeria's 'opera queen'

Dressed in a bright red and blue robe and backed by a local band with an eclectic range of instruments, Helen Epega beats a steel drum as she declaims dramatically to an unseen audience. The opera she composed and is performing in a Lagos theatre is an unusual, trance-like mix of classical and indigenous music - but what makes it unique is that she is singing in pidgin.

'The Crown' welcomes its new royals in Season 3 launch

Television fans welcomed a new queen on Wednesday as Olivia Colman and other stars of royal drama "The Crown" turned out for the world premiere of the Netflix show's third season. Colman, who won an Oscar earlier this year for playing a different royal in dark comedy "The Favourite," portrays Queen Elizabeth in a retelling of the life of Britain's reigning monarch. Colman replaces Claire Foy, who won a Golden Globe for the role as a younger version of Elizabeth.

'Ford v Ferrari': racing and friendship 'told at 230 mph'

You don't need to be a motor racing fan to watch "Ford v Ferrari" because the battle to win is played out as much between the men making the cars as those behind the wheel. Starring Matt Damon and Christian Bale, the movie opening on Friday in U.S. theaters is based on the little-known true story of the American and British car designers and engineers who built the Ford GT40 to take on Italy's fabled Ferrari team at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans race.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)