AP Entertainment SummaryBrief at 9:59 p.m. EST

'Zootopia 2' roars to record-setting global box office with $556M opening

“Zootopia 2" broke box office records with a massive Thanksgiving weekend opening. The Disney sequel earned $96 million in North America over the weekend and $156 million over the five-day Thanksgiving frame. Since its Wednesday opening, it has made $556 million globally, making it the highest international opening for an animated movie. “Wicked: For Good” also performed well, earning $62.8 million domestically over the weekend. The two sequels made Thanksgiving weekend a bright spot in an otherwise challenging year for theaters. “Zootopia 2" arrives nearly a decade after the original, featuring a bunny cop voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin and a scheming fox voiced by Jason Bateman.

AI country hit 'Walk My Walk' built on Blanco Brown's sound sparks questions of attribution, ethics

LOS ANGELES (AP) — An AI-generated country song, “Walk My Walk,” recently topped Billboard's country digital song sales chart. It's credited to a fictional artist named Breaking Rust, but the vocal style is based on Grammy-nominated country artist Blanco Brown. Brown was unaware of the song until friends alerted him. The track's success highlights how generative AI is disrupting the music industry, allowing anyone to create songs using models trained on real artists' voices. Brown has since released his own version of the song. He sees this as a legal and cultural issue, emphasizing the unique value real artists bring to music.

25 holiday TV offerings to watch ranging from comedies to rom-coms and cozy mysteries

The holiday season is packed with festive TV specials and movies. On Dec. 1, Derek Hough hosts “The Wonderful World of Disney: Holiday Spectacular” on ABC, featuring artists like Nicole Scherzinger and Gwen Stefani. Reba McEntire hosts NBC's “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” on Dec. 3, with the iconic tree lighting. The Duchess of Sussex shares holiday tips on Netflix's “With Love, Meghan.” Apple TV's “The First Snow of Fraggle Rock” offers a magical tale. Hallmark, OWN, and UPtv bring new holiday movies, while classics like “The Sound of Music” and “Home Alone” air throughout December. Football fans can catch NFL games on Christmas Day.

A lost generation of news consumers? Survey shows how teenagers dislike the news media

NEW YORK (AP) — You don't have to tell Cat Murphy or Lily Ogburn about the attitudes of young people toward journalists. The profession hasn't been popular among adults for many years, but a new survey shows the extent to which teens aged 13 to 18 feel the same way; Murphy and Ogburn have seen it for years among their friends who wonder why they want to go into the field. Experts say it's a combination of their surroundings, including the most prominent politician they have known — Donald Trump — who frequently denounces “fake news” — and a lack of understanding of journalism's role in society.

The best new holiday music releases for 2025

NEW YORK (AP) — ’Tis the season to put on some holiday music. The best way to get festive is to sing along to Christmas classics new and old. But don’t know what to press play on? We’ve got you covered. In honor of the most wonderful time of the year, The Associated Press has selected some of the best new holiday releases for the 2025 season. So, grab a loved one, a cup of eggnog and get to listening. The list includes new releases from Brad Paisley, Trisha Yearwood, Pentatonix, LeAnn Rimes and Mickey Guyton.

A long-lost Rubens painting depicting Crucifixion sells for $2.7 million

VERSAILLES, France (AP) — A long-lost painting by Baroque master Peter Paul Rubens has sold for $2.7 million at an auction Sunday. The painting depicting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ was recently found in a private townhouse in Paris. Initially thought to be from one of Rubens' workshops, it was rarely valued at more than $11,500. Auctioneer Jean-Pierre Osenat said the painting was authenticated by the Rubens committee in Antwerp. Art expert Eric Turquin noted that the painting had virtually disappeared in the early 1600s. It belonged to 19th-century French painter William Bouguereau before being passed down in the family.

Tom Stoppard, sparkling playwright who won an Oscar for 'Shakespeare In Love,' dies at 88

LONDON (AP) — British playwright Tom Stoppard, who won an Academy Award for the screenplay for 1998’s “Shakespeare In Love” has died. He was 88. In a statement Saturday, United Agents said Stoppard died “peacefully” at his home in Dorset in southern England, surrounded by his family. “He will be remembered for his works, for their brilliance and humanity, and for his wit, his irreverence, his generosity of spirit and his profound love of the English language,” they said. “It was an honor to work with Tom and to know him.” The Czech-born Stoppard was often hailed as the greatest British playwright of his generation and was garlanded with honors.

Clair Obscur leads the AP's list of 2025's top video games

In a year in which technology news was dominated by artificial intelligence, the outstanding video games were still being designed by human beings. Top of the list is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which Associated Press writer Lou Kesten calls “a landmark achievement" with profound storytelling, stunning graphics and music and impeccable voice acting. The rest of 2025's top 10 includes The Outer Worlds 2, Silent Hill f, Assassin's Creed Shadows, Donkey Kong Bananza, The Séance of Blake Manor, Avowed, Ghost of Yōtei, South of Midnight and The Alters.

The greatest mystery of Rian Johnson's 'Knives Out' movies? Daniel Craig's Benoit Blanc

NEW YORK (AP) — The greatest mystery in Rian Johnson’s “Knives Out” movies might be Benoit Blanc. Over the course of three films, Johnson and Daniel Craig have stingily dropped clues to Blanc’s past and personal life. Since Blanc first introduced himself in “Knives Out” as “a respectful, quiet, passive observer … of the truth,” following the breadcrumbs has been a sport of its own. Every “Knives Out” movie is a wholesale change. New setting. New case. New cast of characters. But Craig and Johnson are the mainstays. Together, they’ve turned Blanc, the gentleman sleuth, into one of the greatest protagonists in recent movies.