It took the Great War to finally take down “Star Wars.” Director Sam Mendes’ World War I story “1917″ brought in $36.5 million in its first weekend of wide release, easily topping the box office and ending the three-week reign of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” which brought in $15 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. Universal’s expansion strategy…

“Star Wars” was still rising in the last weekend of the year, while “Little Women” broke big at the box office. “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” brought in $72 million over the weekend to remain the top-earning film in North America by light-years, according to studio estimates Sunday. In 10 days of release it has brought in $362.8 million…

Lee Mendelson, the producer who changed the face of the holidays when he brought “A Charlie Brown Christmas” to television in 1965 and wrote the lyrics to its signature song, “Christmas Time Is Here,” died on Christmas day, his son said. Mendelson, who won a dozen Emmys in his long career, died at his home in Hillsborough, California, of congestive…

René Auberjonois, a prolific actor best known for his roles on the television shows “Benson” and “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” and his part in the 1970 film “M.A.S.H.” playing Father Mulcahy, has died. He was 79. The actor died Sunday at his home in Los Angeles of metastatic lung cancer, his son Rèmy-Luc Auberjonois told The Associated Press....

Gabrielle Union and NBC both said Wednesday that they have had a “productive” first conversation on her firing from “America’s Got Talent” and her allegations that she was removed for complaining about on-set racism and other behavior. Union, who was removed as a judge after one season, tweeted Tuesday that she was able to express her “unfiltered truth” and “desire...

An attorney representing two Michael Jackson accusers who appear in an upcoming documentary says their sexual-abuse allegations have not been discredited as the Jackson estate says, and deserve to be heard. Vince Finaldi, who represents Wade Robson and James Safechuck in lawsuits alleging Jackson molested them, said the suits were dismissed on technical grounds, not the credibility of the men’s...