Apple Drops $120 Million on Upcoming Action Thriller Film 'Emancipation' Starring Will Smith

Apple has acquired the rights to "Emancipation," an action thriller film about a slave on the run from the Confederacy in the midst of the Civil War, journeying north to join the Union Army (via Deadline). The film is set to star Will Smith and will be directed by Antoine Fuqua, who previously helmed "Training Day" and "The Equalizer."

Apple's purchase of "Emancipation" is described as the largest festival acquisition deal in film history. Several bidders were interested in the film when it was introduced at the Cannes Virtual Film Market, which was held late in June as a replacement to the physical Cannes Film Festival.

Apple allegedly paid north of $120 million for the film package, and "Emancipation" is set to premiere in theaters first and then around the world on Apple TV+. Production is expected to begin in early 2021.

Popular Stories

2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Adjusts Trade-In Values for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and More

Thursday November 6, 2025 11:12 am PST by
Apple today updated its trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models. Trade-ins can be completed on Apple's website, or at an Apple Store. The charts below provide an overview of Apple's current and previous trade-in values in the U.S., according to its website. Maximum values for most devices either decreased or saw no change, but the iPad Air received a slight bump. ...
Liquid Glass General Feature

Apple Shares Liquid Glass Design Gallery

Thursday November 6, 2025 2:45 pm PST by
Apple is promoting the new Liquid Glass design in iOS 26, showing off the ways that third-party developers are embracing the aesthetic in their apps. On its developer website, Apple is featuring a visual gallery that demonstrates how "teams of all sizes" are creating Liquid Glass experiences. The gallery features examples of Liquid Glass in apps for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac. Apple...
airtag purple

Apple's Website Lists AirTag 4-Pack at Shockingly Low Price [Updated]

Friday November 7, 2025 6:40 am PST by
Apple's online store in the U.S. is suddenly offering a pack of four AirTags for just $29, which is the same price as a single AirTag. This is likely a pricing error, and it is unclear if orders will be fulfilled. Apple has not discounted the AirTag four-pack in any other countries that we checked. Delivery estimates are already pushing into late November to early December, suggesting...
iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Available Now With These 8 New Features

Monday November 3, 2025 5:54 am PST by
Following more than a month of beta testing, Apple released iOS 26.1 on Monday, November 3. The update includes a handful of new features and changes, including the ability to adjust the look of Liquid Glass and more. Below, we outline iOS 26.1's key new features. Liquid Glass Toggle iOS 26.1 lets you choose your preferred look for Liquid Glass. In the Settings app, under Display...
ikea smart home devices

IKEA Debuts 21 HomeKit-Compatible Smart Bulbs, Sensors, and Controls

Thursday November 6, 2025 4:08 pm PST by
IKEA today announced the upcoming launch of 21 new Matter-compatible smart home products that will be able to interface with HomeKit and the Apple Home app. There are sensors, lights, and control options, all of which will be reasonably priced. Some of the products are new, while some are updates to existing lines that IKEA previously offered. There are a series of new smart bulbs that are...
Early Black Friday Deals 1

The Best Early Black Friday Apple Deals on MacBook, Apple Watch, iPad, and More

Saturday November 8, 2025 6:16 am PST by
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When ...
Apple fitness plus feature

Future of Apple Fitness+ 'Under Review'

Sunday November 9, 2025 5:30 am PST by
The future of Apple Fitness+ is "under review" amid a reorganization of the service, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that Apple Fitness+ remains one of the company's "weakest digital offerings." The service apparently suffers from high churn and little revenue. Nevertheless, Fitness+ has a small, loyal fanbase that...
maxresdefault

In-Depth iPhone Battery Experiment Pits Slow Charging Against Fast Charging

Friday November 7, 2025 1:19 pm PST by
HTX Studio this week shared the results from a six-month battery test that compared how fast charging and slow charging can affect battery life over time. Using six iPhone 12 models, the channel set up a system to drain the batteries from five percent and charge them to 100 percent over and over again. Three were fast charged, and three were slow charged. Another set of iPhones underwent...
apple watch se 3 always on

Apple to Remove iPhone-Apple Watch Wi-Fi Sync in EU With iOS 26.2

Thursday November 6, 2025 4:37 am PST by
Apple in iOS 26.2 will disable automatic Wi-Fi network syncing between iPhone and Apple Watch in the European Union to comply with the bloc's regulations, suggests a new report. Normally, when an iPhone connects to a new Wi-Fi network, it automatically shares the network credentials with the paired Apple Watch. This allows the watch to connect to the same network independently – for...

Top Rated Comments

cmaier Avatar
70 months ago

So much money. It bothers me to think that this money could have been given to a charity instead. I’m not liking movie/TV Apple.
Apple gives lots of money to charity. And the way they get that money is by making money. If they gave all their money to charity, they would have nothing more to give.
Score: 39 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cmaier Avatar
70 months ago
When was the last will smith movie that wasn’t terrible?
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JimmyBanks6 Avatar
70 months ago
Seems like a good investment, everything he has been in lately has been unbelievably good....
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
yaxomoxay Avatar
70 months ago

i thought gemini wasn't half bad, no?
It was bad.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Michael Scrip Avatar
70 months ago
I hate how everyone uses the word "drops" differently.

I know it was popularized by the music industry as in an artist "drops" a new album.

But to me the word "drops" means "removed"
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
yaxomoxay Avatar
70 months ago

Independence Day is like one of the worst movies ever.

BLASPHEMY!
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)