| | | | | | What's news: David Ellison will be the new CEO of Paramount Global, with Jeff Shell to serve as its president. Abigail Disney and Rob Reiner have joined the chorus calling on Joe Biden to step down. John Cena will quit wrestling in 2025. Inside Out 2 has raced to $1.217b worldwide. A DC Arkham Asylum show at Max is dead. — Abid Rahman
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Skydance Wins Battle for Paramount ►It's official. In a landmark deal that will shake up Hollywood, Shari Redstone has agreed to sell control of Paramount Global to a consortium led by David Ellison's Skydance Media and Gerry Cardinale’s RedBird Capital. The sale, assuming it is approved by regulators and completed, would see Skydance acquire Redstone’s majority stake in National Amusements, which in turn would secure control of the Paramount film and TV studios, Paramount+, CBS, Nickelodeon, MTV, and Comedy Central. When the deal closes, Ellison will be CEO of the company, with Jeff Shell to serve as its president. The story.
—"We want to make this company the leader in entertainment, and that goes for DTC too." The incoming owners of Paramount Global laid out their vision for the company — and why the deal is a good one for investors — in a call with Wall Street analysts early Monday morning. David Ellison and Jeff Shell, as well as Paramount’s three co-CEOs hosted the call, answering questions from the investor community, while a presentation included a refreshed Paramount logo… one that seemed to merge Skydance’s logo with the legacy studio’s. The story.
—"We continue to review our options, but we don’t comment on rumors and speculation." Regal Cinemas owner Cineworld looks poised to close about a quarter of its theaters in the U.K. as part of a post-bankruptcy restructuring plan. On Friday, the company responded to a media report that it was looking to shutter about 25 of its U.K. theaters, and renegotiate rent costs with landlords at another 50 locations. Cineworld has about 100 locations in the U.K. and it is looking to put its restructuring plans to creditors in that country in the near future. The story.
—Fair dinkum. Australia has juiced its tax incentives for foreign, mostly Hollywood movies and TV series that shoot in the country. The Aussie federal government, through Ausfilm, has passed legislation to boost the 16.5 percent location offset to 30 percent. The near doubling of the location offset will apply to local Australia-shot productions but with a catch: Producers must have budgets of at least $13.3m for production, or $1m per hour for a TV series. The story.
—Wunderbar! Germany has pledged to add a plan for a new tax incentive program to its 2025 budget aimed at attracting more international productions to shoot in the country. The deal, announced Friday, would provide a rebate of up to 30 percent on German production costs for films and high-end series, with funding coming from the federal government and the states. Pending approval from the cabinet, parliament and state governments, the new scheme could go into effect as early as Jan. 1, 2025. The story.
—🤝 Reupped 🤝 James Dolan has signed three-year contract extensions with the companies he and his family control: MSG Sports, MSG Entertainment, and Sphere Entertainment. MSG Sports owns the New York Knicks and New York Rangers NHL Team; MSG Entertainment operates Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, The Beacon Theater and other venues; Sphere owns and operates the Sphere in Las Vegas, and also owns the MSG Networks cable channels. The story. |
Jon Landau 1960 - 2024 ►Hollywood titan. Jon Landau, the Oscar-winning producer who made the dreams of James Cameron come to life by overcoming extreme logistical challenges to bring the filmmaker’s Titanic and Avatar blockbusters to the big screen, has died. He was 63. Landau died Friday in Los Angeles after a 16-month battle with cancer. A son of producers — his father was an Oscar nominee — the passionate Landau produced films including Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and Dick Tracy before spending some five years as an executive at Fox, where he oversaw production on Die Hard 2, The Last of the Mohicans, Mrs. Doubtfire and Cameron’s True Lies. The obituary.
—"He gave everyone a sense of purpose and belonging." James Cameron, Leonardo DiCaprio, Zoe Saldaña, Alan Bergman, Peter Jackson and the cast and crew of the Avatar franchise are among those in Hollywood who have paid tribute to Jon Landau. Cameron remembered his longtime friend in a statement to THR, writing, "A great producer and a great human being has left us. Jon Landau believed in the dream of cinema. He believed that film is the ultimate human art form, and to make films you have to first be human yourself. He will be remembered as much for his vast generosity of spirit as for the movies themselves." The reaction.
—"That movie required a lion, and he proved he could roar." In a guest column for THR, film exec Bill Mechanic remembers Jon Landau. Mechanic, who was chairman and CEO of Fox Filmed Entertainment when Landau was producing James Cameron's epic Titanic for that company, says that "even at the toughest moments, Jon was someone we absolutely trusted." The column. |
The Hollywood Donors No Longer Supporting Biden ►"I've been asleep at the wheel, and it’s time to wake up." Hollywood’s top donors are increasingly recoiling from Joe Biden's re-election campaign in the wake of last week’s debate disaster. THR's James Hibberd runs through the influential celebrity Dem donors with deep pockets who are calling on Biden to drop out of the race. Plus, the few major celebrity supporters who have stayed quiet since the debate. The story.
—"This is realism, not disrespect." Abigail Disney says she intends to halt her donations to the Democrats until Biden steps down. "Biden is a good man and has served his country admirably, but the stakes are far too high," Disney, the granddaughter of Roy O. Disney, told CNBC. "If Biden does not step down, the Democrats will lose. Of that I am absolutely certain. The consequences for the loss will be genuinely dire," she added. The story.
—"It’s time to stop fucking around." Rob Reiner has joined the list of prominent Hollywood Democrats calling on Biden to exit the race. On Sunday, the actor-director posted on X: "If the Convicted Felon wins, we lose our Democracy. Joe Biden has effectively served US with honor, decency, and dignity. It’s time for Joe Biden to step down." The story.
—ICYMI. On Friday, Biden had his most important media interview of his reelection bid. Speaking to ABC News, the president discussed his shaky performance at the first debate, describing it as “a bad night” and that he was "sick." The interview did Biden no favors but won’t bring the same panic heard after his rough debate performance. The recap.
—Playing it safe. Amid the rampant speculation over the president, Kamala Harris was interviewed at the 30th Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans Saturday evening. For THR, Ronda Racha Penrice reports that the vice president didn’t directly address the fallout from Biden’s poor debate performance, instead Harris played it safe, sticking to key talking points emphasizing women’s reproductive health and reiterating Biden-Harris policies such as student loan relief and bringing the price of insulin down to a flat rate of $35. The story. |
'Despicable Me 4' Rules July 4th With $122M Opening ►We are so back! Illumination/Universal’s Despicable Me 4 ruled the Fourth of July box office with an estimated five-day domestic opening of $122.6m from 4,428 theaters, including a three-day weekend haul of $75m after earning a stellar A CinemaScore. That’s in line with expectations and a strong start for the fourth outing in the main franchise, and the sixth in the Despicable Me/Minions series, which ranks as the top-grossing animated franchise of all time. Overseas, the newest movie has cleared $230m.
THR's Pamela McClintock writes that Despicable Me 4 is the second back-to-back win for the animated family marketplace after Pixar/Disney’s Inside Out 2, which finally fell to No. 2 in its fourth weekend with an estimated three-day weekend gross of $30m from 3,760 locations for a domestic gross $533.8m — the third-best showing ever for an animated film in North America, not adjusted for inflation.
Last weekend, Inside Out 2 joined the billion-dollar club in global ticket sales in record time, or 19 days, after posting the biggest domestic debut of the year. And this weekend, it passed up Minions to rank No. 5 on the global list of top-grossing animated films with a cume of $1.217b, including $683.3m overseas. The box office report.
—When Mother Nature is the biggest draw. Pamela McClintock reports that a recent poll conducted by David Herrin’s The Quorom found that tornadoes — and not the movie’s talent — are the chief reason moviegoers want to see Universal's upcoming summer tentpole Twisters, which hopes to turn into a category five-plus storm when it opens domestically on July 19. Among talent, 19 percent cited Glen Powell as the driving reason, followed by Daisy Edgar-Jones at 17 percent. Rival studios say those are strong numbers for talent. The data. |
'HOTD' Star on That Cliffhanger Dragon Battle ►"There's no going back." THR's Lily Ford spoke to Brit actor Ewan Mitchell about that incredible episode of the HBO's House of the Dragon. The star who plays Aemond Targaryen in the prequel series unpacks the episode while also explaining why he's never watched Game of Thrones and the meaning behind his full-frontal nude scene. The interview.
—Padlocking the gates. A Max/DC Studios show centering on Arkham Asylum, the hospital populated by Batman villains, is no longer moving forward — at least in its current iteration. The latest version of the show had The Staircase's Antonio Campos set as showrunner and The Batman filmmaker Matt Reeves as executive producer. While that take is no longer in the works, it’s possible a different version could emerge down the road. The proposed series went through years of development and changed direction several times. The story.
—Strong tune-in. The Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular brought in 7.6m viewers across NBC and Peacock, the best multi-platform showing for the special in three years. It improved slightly (by 2 percent) on last year’s all-in number. (The 7.6m figure includes both the live, two-hour special and a one-hour replay on NBC Thursday and Peacock’s simulcast of the live special.) A breakdown of the audience between NBC and Peacock wasn’t immediately available. In 2023, the Fireworks Spectacular averaged about 4.57m viewers for its live showing. The ratings.
—"Thank you so much for letting me play in the house that you built for so many years." John Cena says he will retire from professional wrestling next year after two decades in the ring. On Saturday night, the wrestler-turned-actor delivered a heartfelt speech in Toronto to a stadium of WWE fans, who booed in disappointment as Cena said the 2025 season would be his last. He promised a farewell tour with dozens of dates and an epic final fight, and he assured fans he would remain involved with the wrestling franchise that launched his career. The story. |
As Baldwin Heads to Trial, Dueling 'Rust' Docs Become Part of Drama ►Tension. Among the many people who will be closely watching Alec Baldwin's involuntary manslaughter trial when it begins in Santa Fe this week are two sets of documentarians covering parallel and potentially competing stories from the movie Rust. THR's Rebecca Keegan reports that one film on Baldwin by Rory Kennedy and another on cinematographer Halyna Hutchins by her close friend Rachel Mason are in production, and drawing attention from New Mexico prosecutors. The story.
—Trailblazing gig. Sarah McLachlan’s 1997 all-female music festival Lilith Fair is the subject of a feature doc from CBC and director Ally Pankiw. The first Lilith Fair, which McLachlan spearheaded to defy a male-dominated music industry that couldn’t envision more than one woman performing on a concert stage or on a radio playlist. Dan Levy’s Not A Real Production Company and Elevation Pictures are co-producing Lilith Fair, with interviews by McLachlan, Bonnie Raitt, Sheryl Crow, Erykah Badu, Natalie Merchant, Mýa, Jewel, the Indigo Girls, Emmylou Harris, Brandi Carlile and Olivia Rodrigo. The story.
—"We’ve actually had conversations about giving the Minions superpowers since Despicable Me 2." THR mischief-maker Ryan Gajewski spoke to Chris Renaud about his new film, Despicable Me 4. The filmmaker discusses spoofing superheroes in the fourth installment of Illumination's megahit franchise, the #GentleMinions phenomenon, those crowd-pleasing cameos and the possibility of new spinoffs. The interview.
—"I just really wanted to make sure that I felt like I stuck the landing." THR's Brian Davids spoke to filmmaker Ti West about his new movie, MaXXXine. The horror maestro discusses capping off his unexpected X trilogy for A24, and his knack for casting talent right before they blow up, including Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega and David Corenswet, the new Man of Steel. The interview. |
Film Review: 'Longlegs' ►"Is there a more malevolent hobby than dollmaking?" THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Osgood Perkins' Longlegs. Writer-director Perkins spins a tense FBI procedural steeped in occult horror and nightmarish visions, starring Maika Monroe, Nicolas Cage, Blair Underwood and Alicia Witt. The review.
—"Heavy on atmosphere, light on substance." THR's Frank Scheck reviews Abdellah Taïa's Cabo Negro. Two young people encounter various strangers while spending time in a Moroccan beach resort in Taia's sophomore feature. The review.
In other news...
—Brad Pitt F1 teaser trailer arrives: "We need to build our car for combat"
—Nicolas Winding Refn’s restored cult classic Pusher to premiere in Venice Classics
—Kris Jenner reveals she has to get ovaries removed after doctors discovered a tumor
—Vanessa Hudgens criticizes paparazzi photos that revealed birth of her child
—Mike Heslin, actor in Lioness and The Holiday Proposal Plan, dies at 30
What else we're reading...
—Kellina Moore interviews Mia Goth about MaXXXine, and the culmination of the X trilogy that catapulted her to stardom [NYT]
—With everyone chattering about the person who "catastrophically shat themselves" at Gwyneth Paltrow's house, Jill Twiss has some advice for the poor person dealing with this mess [Daily Beast]
—A harrowing story from the daughter of the late Nobel Prize-winning writer Alice Munro, who reveals a family secret of sexual abuse [WaPo]
—Ellen Ioanes explains what the new Labour government in the U.K. will attempt to do [Vox]
—Gabriel Debenedetti has the inside track on what Kamala Harris' camp is thinking amid continuing speculation about Joe Biden [Intelligencer]
Today...
...in 1992, Fox unveiled Darren Star’s Beverly Hills, 90210 spinoff Melrose Place, a show that would become a pop culture staple throughout the decade. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Kevin Bacon (66), Anjelica Huston (73), David Corenswet (31), Milo Ventimiglia (47), Billy Crudup (56), Robert Knepper (65), Kim Darby (77), Shazad Latif (36), Maya Hawke (26), Jaden Smith (26), Sophia Bush (42), Michael Weatherly (56), Kathleen Robertson (51), Sebastian Maniscalco (51), Lee Tergesen (59), Alexis Dziena (40), Jake McDorman (38), Isabella Sermon (18), Amy O'Neill (53), Schuyler Fisk (42), Aimée Kelly (31), Thuso Mbedu (33), Michael B. Silver (57), Sky Ferreira (32), Corey Parker (59), Rocky Carroll (61), Valarie Pettiford (64), DeVaughn Nixon (41), Ana Ayora (41) |
| Judy Belushi Pisano, the widow of John Belushi and a former actress and producer, has died. She was 73. The obituary. |
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