| | | | | | What happened to a quiet December? This is the time reserved for reading too many best-of lists. Instead, each day brings another consequential deal that will rattle Hollywood for years. The Weekender splits the difference this Saturday. — Erik Hayden
+ News ticker: Scott Rudin's return closes early; Dana Walden on the Kimmel war; Jeff Williams joining Disney's board; The Black List scripts revealed.
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HOLLYWOOD'S LAST KING As the $100 billion war over Warner Bros. intensifies, Ted Sarandos and David Ellison are both battling for dominion over a fading Hollywood. These would-be kings are separated by 20 years but united by their belief that they are the true standard-bearers of the Dream Machine that Jack Warner and Irving Thalberg and Carolyn Strauss and Bob Evans and Sheri Lansing and Barry Diller built way back in the 20th century. And certainly something that costs that much can’t be worth so little? Steven Zeitchik's scene-setting cover story. |
ELLISON'S SCARE TACTIC In his pitch to Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders to accept Paramount’s takeover bid, David Ellison has argued that European regulators will never allow Netflix to buy WB. Not everyone agrees. THR spoke to several European antitrust experts and most believe that both Paramount's and Netflix's buyout deals would face regulatory scrutiny by the EU, but neither is likely to be stopped. Scott Roxborough's report. |
MOVIE THEATER DREAD Wondering what any sale of Warner Bros. means for theatrical? Look to Disney-Fox. In 2016, Disney and 20th Century Fox released 26 new titles in more than 2,000 domestic theaters each. This year, the combined total is 14, a 46 percent decline. The impact of this drop on domestic box office is that 20th Century titles are projected to gross $900 million less this year than in 2016, a drop of 63 percent. Pamela McClintock's report. |
Disney's $1 Billion AI Bet How un-American can OpenAI chief Sam Altman be if Disney loves him? That may be one rationale for why the San Francisco tech giant made a blockbuster deal with studio chief Bob Iger. Practically speaking, in the next few months, you’ll be able to play with Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars characters using Sora on Disney+, or on OpenAI’s own platforms. The open questions. |
A Few Questions For THR: When you opened for Adam Sandler, how did you adjust your act for a crowd that I would imagine would have a rainbow of reactions to your regular set?
"That’s a good way to put it. (Laughs) What’s funny about Sandler is that his hour is very surreal, kind of psychedelic and very blue. He has a very dirty act. I like thinking of myself as a comedian who’s hired to give everybody a good time right before Sandler goes on. So I do try to be on my best behavior..."
Mikey O'Connell's Q&A. |
Animation Roundtable Arco director Ugo Bienvenu, Zootopia 2 co-director Jared Bush, Little Amélie co-director Liane-Cho Han, KPop Demon Hunters co-director Maggie Kang, Elio co-director Domee Shi, and In Your Dreams co-director Alex Woo talk originality and shifting audience expectations in the genre. Scott Roxborough's feature. |
Cinematographers Roundtable DPs Autumn Durald Arkapaw ( Sinners), Michael Bauman ( One Battle After Another) Claudio Miranda ( F1: The Movie), Robbie Ryan ( Bugonia), Adolpho Veloso ( Train Dreams) and Lukasz Zal ( Hamnet) on the resurgence of VistaVision, its “finicky” nature and much more. Brande Victorian's feature. |
Yes, They Did Say That "I think the best-case scenario for everybody is for David Zaslav to leave our industry and never come back." — Teamsters entertainment leader Lindsay Dougherty, asked about the best-case scenario in a Warner Bros. sale.
“When we talk about profitability problems on Broadway, that’s it." — Producer Ken Davenport, on data showing that Broadway saw the lowest percentage of admissions from the suburbs in 30 years.
"We do want to embrace innovation, but not to the detriment of people." — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, on AI actors in advertisements, as she signed two bills to boost AI transparency in the film industry. "If my company’s got that kind of green, I’m sure they can afford to un-cancel one of their best shows." — Stephen Colbert, on Paramount's $108 billion bid for Netflix. "Carl Erik Rinsch took $11 million meant for a TV show and gambled it on speculative stock options and crypto." — U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton, upon the conviction of the director hired by Netflix to helm a sci-fi series. |
Percy Jackson Grows Up With higher stakes, more experienced actors and a great big chariot track, season two of the Disney+ series feels bigger in just about every way. The streamer’s most popular show not from Marvel or Lucasfilm is on the way to becoming a franchise in its own right. Rick Porter's set visit feature.
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Making Frankenstein A total of 100 shooting days and 119 set builds went into making his fantasy a reality. When Guillermo del Toro first told prosthetic wiz Mike Hill that he was actually, really, finally going to make Frankenstein, he let him know one condition: He would not make the movie without him. del Toro says, "Mike doesn't do likeness — Mike does soul." David Canfield's feature. |
Best Movies of '25 A multilayered political thriller, a dark-comedy salute to radical resistance, a ping-pong picaresque and a bluesy vampire tale set in Jim Crow Mississippi are among THR film reviewers’ favorites of the year. The Top 10 lists. |
Best TV of '25 An Arctic-set heartwarmer, the second and final season of Andor, a pair of new animated gems, a bold historical drama and a star-studded Hollywood satire are among THR TV reviewers’ favorites of the year. The Top 10 lists. |
Around Town This week's events: Kelly Sawyer Patricof, Chrissy Teigen, Demi Lovato, Tommy Edman, Norah Weinstein and Emma Chamberlain took part in Baby2Baby's Holiday Distribution event. Sotheby’s held its Creators & Collectors dinner in NYC with Lily Allen, Kristina O'Neill and Jon Batiste. David Harbour, Cara Buono, Jake Connelly and Joe Chrest attended the Netflix House Dallas opening event. Michael B. Jordan was on hand as Spike Lee and Ryan Coogler were honored at the Critics Choice Association's annual Celebration of Black Cinema & Television in L.A. Charlie Cox and Zooey Deschanel joined Gus the Dog for a special NYC screening of Merv, hosted by The Dogist. All 76 photos from 7 days in premieres, parties and openings. |
The Bottom Line Snapshots from THR's team of critics: Kate Winslet’s directorial debut Goodbye June is "a Netflix tearjerker redeemed by a stellar ensemble." Emma Mackey "battles to breathe authenticity Into James L. Brooks' Ella McCay." Taylor Swift's End of an Era docuseries is "a well-earned victory lap" on Disney+. Diane Kruger leads a Paramount+ "whodunit that runs out of steam" in Little Disasters. |
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