Chennai Express breaks box office records

Plus: Zeta-Jones and Douglas separate; Bullock denies rumours with Clooney; Chopra says nothing final on Milan Talkies; Bryan keeps top spot on Billboard; James Spader cast as Avengers villain.

Chennai Express, starring Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone, has become the most profitable movie in India. AFP

Chennai Express breaks box office records

The Bollywood movie Chennai Express, starring Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone, has smashed box office records since it opened on August 8 to become the most profitable movie in India. The film has overtaken the previous record holder, 2009's 3 Idiots, to collect at least 2.11 billion rupees (Dh118m) domestically. Directed by Rohit Shetty, the film is reportedly the most widely released Bollywood film of all time and has already made $16.8m (Dh61.7m) abroad in gross box office collections. – AFP

Zeta-Jones and Douglas separate

A spokeswoman for Catherine Zeta-Jones says the actress and her husband, Michael Douglas, "are taking some time apart to evaluate and work on their marriage". The publicist said there would be no further comment. People magazine, citing unnamed sources, first reported that Zeta-Jones and Douglas had decided to spend time apart. Zeta-Jones, 43, and Douglas, 68, were married in 2000. They have two children. – AP

Bullock denies rumours with Clooney

Sandra Bullock quashed tabloid suggestions that George Clooney might be making the moves on her. The British tabloid The Sun published a photo of the pair from the Venice Film Festival premiere of their new film Gravity, saying that Clooney was "making eyes" at his co-star. Bullock told reporters on Thursday: "He was not making eyes. Maybe cross-eyes, but that is about the extent of his goggle eyes." Adding that each has enough "dirt" on the other to command "a level of respect and understanding. I adore George." Clooney said in a statement that he and Bullock have known each other before either had success in films. "So there is no pretence. We are just friends." – AP

Bryan keeps top spot on Billboard

The country singer Luke Bryan has topped the Billboard 200 album chart for the second consecutive week with his album Crash My Party, denying John Mayer's latest album, Paradise Valley, the No 1 spot in its first week. Four of Mayer's six albums have topped the weekly US album chart. The R&B group TGT landed at third with their debut album, Three Kings, in its first week. Katy Perry still holds the top spot on the digital songs chart with her single Roar. – Reuters

James Spader cast as Avengers villain

James Spader will play the villain Ultron in Avengers: Age of Ultron. In the comics, the character is a robot with artificial intelligence. Age of Ultron, the sequel to 2012's hit The Avengers, is scheduled to be released in May 2015. The film will be directed by Joss Whedon and will star Robert Downey Jr, Mark Ruffalo and Scarlett Johansson. Spader, 53, is known for his television work, including a role on the new drama The Blacklist. – AP

Chopra: nothing final on Milan Talkies

Priyanka Chopra, who has been attached to star in the forthcoming drama film Milan Talkies, says she's clueless about the movie's development. Directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia and co-starring Shahid Kapoor, the film is scheduled to begin shooting this year, but the 31-year-old actress says she hasn't formally signed on to the project. "I don't know what is happening with Milan Talkies. I haven't spoken to Ekta [the producer Ekta Kapoor] yet," Chopra told reporters. "Ekta and Tigmanshu discussed the script a year and half back. After that I don't know what happened to the movie." The actress will be next seen in Zanjeer, a remake of Amitabh Bachchan's 1973 film. Directed by Apoorva Lakhia, the film is scheduled to be released in India this week. – IANS

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