What's news: The Odyssey is smashing records all over. Netflix paid $587m for Ben Affleck's AI company InterPositive. Lawmakers have written to the DOJ calling for an “impartial” review of Fox's $22b deal for Roku. The Call of Duty movie will be set in the Modern Warfare universe. And Colman Domingo is in talks to co-write a live-action film involving Princess Tiana from Disney‘s The Princess and the Frog. — Abid Rahman
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'Odyssey' Seizes $124M Opening in Box Office Triumph
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►The King of Hollywood. Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey led the summer box office to a major victory, as the movie business celebrates the commanding opening weekend for the Universal epic. The film made $124.5m on 3,900 North American screens on the weekend, earning an A CinemaScore from audiences. The Odyssey sailed away to 2026’s biggest live-action opening, with only Toy Story 5 ($159m) and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie ($131m) debuting above it. The Odyssey also claimed the top R-rated opening of the year and Universal’s highest weekend launch ever for an R-rated movie.
Globally, The Odyssey collected a sum of $264.1m, adding $139.6m from 73 international markets. The film marks Nolan’s biggest worldwide opening of all time, topping The Dark Knight Rises’ $249m global launch in 2012. This counts as an even stronger start than initially projected for The Odyssey, which has a production budget of $250m, as the studio was targeting a domestic opening in the mid-$80m to $100m range. The box office report.
—Cor blimey! The Odyssey also broke records in Christopher Nolan's native U.K. The British Film Institute’s Imax theater, the U.K.’s largest screen, has had its best-ever opening weekend at the box office. The BFI Imax was the number one Imax venue in both the U.K. and international markets from July 17-19 and the three-day gross came in at a whopping $296,147 from a single screen. The story.
—Woof! Stephen Chow‘s perfectly timed return to soccer comedy kept on kicking in its second weekend at China‘s box office. Kung Fu Soccer, the comedy legend’s Shaolin Soccer spinoff, added $73.7m over the July 17-19 frame, lifting its total to $214.3m in just nine days. Having crossed the milestone RMB 1b in its first week, the film has prompted ticketing giant Maoyan to raise its full-run forecast to $441m (RMB 3b). Kung Fu Soccer looks likely to finish just short of Chow’s personal box-office record of $500m-plus, set by the fantasy comedy The Mermaid in 2016. The China box office report.
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Trump Booed at World Cup Final
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►No, they're saying boo-urns! Donald Trump was booed at the 2026 FIFA World Cup final on Sunday. The president took the stage at MetLife Stadium with FIFA president Gianni Infantino to present the trophy to tournament champion Spain after the team defeated Argentina in extra time by a score of 1-0. As the two men walked out onto the field, a cacophony of boos could be heard coming from the crowd. The story.
—Unlikely to come back for 2030. Madonna, BTS, Justin Bieber and Shakira headlined the first-ever FIFA World Cup Finals Halftime Show on Sunday, playing a packed 11-minute mega-mix that also featured Burna Boy, the New York Philharmonic’s Gustavo Dudamel and The Muppets. The recap.
—"Alright, young man, it’s your big shot." Ted Lasso made his way to the FIFA World Cup. Jason Sudeikis brought his infectiously positive soccer coach character to the biggest event in the sport, thanks to a cameo in the halftime show, where his Ted Lasso character offered up some words of encouragement to co-headliner Justin Bieber. The story.
—All the stars were there! Sunday’s World Cup Final will go down as the most star-studded championship match in FIFA history as the stands were packed with celebrities from film, TV, music, sports and more. Outside of President of Movies Tom Cruise, Matt Damon and wife Luciana, Jay-Z and Beyoncé, Rihanna and ASAP Rocky, David and Victoria Beckham, Timothée Chalamet, Kylie Jenner, Will Ferrell, Kevin Hart, Austin Butler, Serena Williams, Pharrell Williams, Javier Bardem, Jon Hamm, Odessa A’zion, Scott Eastwood, Mr. Beast, Adrien Brody, Trevor Noah, Richard Gere, Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Future, Victor Wembanyama, Jason Sudeikis, Julia Garner, Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union, Rob Gronkowski, Gayle King, Anya Taylor-Joy, Anna Wintour, Chloe Malle, Michael Rubin and more were seen at the game. The story.
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Free Trials? Hiding Data? Netflix Is Turning Back the Clock |
►Back to the future. Anyone who’s followed Netflix long enough knows that the streaming giant doesn’t rest on its laurels, and it isn’t religious about anything. Ads? They are bad. Until they aren’t. Live sports? Not for us. Until it is. Original content? No need for it. Until there was. With questions being raised about its business, the company is suddenly operating like it's the 2010s again. THR's Alex Weprin writes that given its challenges, the Netflix model is to crawl, start walking, and then to sprint, not being afraid to change course quickly if things aren’t looking great. The analysis.
—Bruce Wayne money. When Netflix acquired Ben Affleck’s mysterious AI company InterPositive earlier this year, it took the industry by storm. What was the company? What tools did it create for filmmakers? How would Netflix use them, and use Affleck, who committed to work as a senior advisor to the company in the deal? And then there was the question of price. How much was the company worth to Netflix? Thanks to a new securities filing, we know the answer to that final question. Netflix disclosed in an SEC filing Friday that it paid $587m for InterPositive, in cash. The story.
—Call for more scrutiny. Lawmakers have written to the DOJ calling for an “impartial” review of Fox Corp.’s proposed $22b merger with Roku amid antitrust and backroom dealmaking concerns. Democratic politicians, led by U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren and U.S. Representative Becca Balint, raised concerns that “the Department may not give this transaction the close review it deserves. We are particularly alarmed that you advised federal antitrust law enforcers that you want to avoid antitrust trials.” The story.
—Mr. Blunderful. Kevin O’Leary, a businessman and Shark Tank star, is being sued for defamation after going on Fox News and accusing some opponents of his Utah AI data center plans of being backed by China. The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in a Utah federal district court by Alliance for a Better Utah, Elevate Strategies, Gabrielle Finlayson and Josh Kanter. It alleged that as a result of O’Leary’s on-air attacks, Finlayson and Kanter “suffered devastating reputational harm, significant economic losses, severe emotional distress, and ongoing threats to their physical safety.” The story.
—Woof! An ongoing and apparently sustained Hollywood box office recovery underpinned solid revenue growth for AMC Theatres during the second quarter. Overall revenue was up 14 percent to $1.59b, compared to $1.39b in the same period of 2025, even as AMC increased its net loss to $11.4m, against a year-earlier $4.7m. The Q2 results at AMC follow the exhibition industry seeing gains from steady supply of Hollywood tentpole releases like Toy Story 5 and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, and surprise horror pics like Backrooms and Obsession. The results.
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Parsons, Barker and the Battle for Gen Z Eyeballs |
►Feeding frenzy. The great Gen Z genre land grab is in full swing. THR's Mia Galuppo and Aaron Couch write that mere months after Obsession and Backrooms stormed the summer box office, Hollywood studios have been throwing millions at Internet-fluent horror filmmakers and online-native IP in a battle for the dollars, eyeballs and hearts (in that order) of Gen Z viewers. The story.
—Wait, what? Natalie Portman famously saw a twisted version of herself in mirrors as part of her Oscar-winning performance as a tortured ballerina in Black Swan. She may experience the same queasy sensation if Unherd writer Valerie Stivers is to be believed, as she suggests in a new column that Rachel Cusk’s upcoming novel, Life of M, is a thinly-veiled portrait of Portman. And Portman, despite apparently being friends with Cusk and a cheerleader for her novels, may not be flattered with the portrayal. The story.
—🎠Heartbreaking. 🎠Amazon Prime Video‘s God of War series will recast the starring role of Kratos, the titular God of War, following an injury to the original actor Ryan Hurst. The actor tore his bicep while performing a stunt for the adaptation of the popular PlayStation video game, pausing production. The show had already been delayed long enough: God of War was greenlit by Prime Video in December 2022. Hurst has had surgery, but it will be a pretty long recovery. The story.
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Colman Domingo in Talks to Write Live-Action Princess Tiana Movie
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►Ignoring that Moana talk. Colman Domingo is in talks to co-write an original live-action film spotlighting Princess Tiana from Disney‘s The Princess and the Frog. Domingo will co-write the take alongside Tony-nominated director Robert O’Hara. Deals have not closed for the pair. It is not described as a live-action remake of Princess and the Frog, but rather a story inspired by the original film. The Princess and the Frog released in 2009, centers on Princess Tiana, an aspiring restaurant owner who tries to help a frog prince turn back into a human, when she herself also turns into a frog and they end up falling in love. The story.
—Big update. Paramount and Activision’s upcoming Call of Duty movie will be set in the Modern Warfare universe. Director and co-writer Peter Berg announced the news Saturday during Fanatics Fest in New York City, confirming that the film will adapt the franchise’s most popular and recognizable subseries. The prolific Taylor Sheridan is co-writing the screenplay for the studio alongside Berg. Sheridan, Berg and David Glasser of 101 Studios are also producing. The story.
—"We had a story breakthrough." Anne Hathaway is sharing a status update on the long-awaited third installment in The Princess Diaries franchise. The Oscar winner, who played Mia Thermopolis in the 2001 and 2004 films, made a recent appearance on SiriusXM’s Radio Andy, where she was asked, “Where are we at on Princess Diaries 3?” “I’m busy making baby No. 3 and that has sort of taken the place of knowing exactly when I can make Princess Diaries 3,” Hathaway said with a laugh. She announced last month that she’s pregnant with her third child. The story.
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'Heartstopper Forever' Director, Writer and Stars Talk Finale
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►"It connects the whole Heartstopper gang." For THR, Abbey White spoke to Heartstopper Forever stars Kit Connor and Joe Locke, creator Alice Oseman and director Wash Westmoreland, who break down the Netflix film that wraps up the groundbreaking series, discuss the biggest change from book to screen, alongside the intimacy, break-ups, and ambiguous endings from the final chapter. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"Not to say we’re the same as our characters, because we’re definitely different. But I do think that aspect of being open with your friends is something that I’m used to." THR's Nicole Fell spoke to Jack Martin about his new Hulu show Not Suitable For Work. The actor and budding writer-director digs into booking the Mindy Kaling comedy and how Gen Z filmmakers Curry Barker and Kane Parsons have inspired him. The interview.
—"I loved the blind optimism delusion that I had to move out to L.A. with not a lot of proof to back that decision up." THR's Carly Thomas spoke to rising star Hunter Doohan about his new film Evil Dead Burn. The 32-year-old actor unpacks how his decade-plus journey has paid off with his recurring role in the Jenna Ortega-led Netflix series Wednesday and now his turn in the long-running Evil Dead horror franchise. The interview.
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How Samantha Morton Pulled Off Circe |
►"I wanted to possess it." THR's David Canfield was lucky enough to speak to Samantha Morton about her film-stealing performance in The Odyssey. The two-time Oscar nominee unpacks her scenes and how they reflect what she's been doing her whole career: Making her mark with whatever screen time she's got. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"It was so intense for me." David also spoke to John Leguizamo about playing the pivotal role of Eumaeus in The Odyssey. "Working with Chris Nolan...you feel really seen," the actor tells THR in a wide-ranging conversation. "I was able to tap into these really difficult, painful emotions from the depth of my soul." Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—ICYMI. Here again is David Canfield's profile of The Odyssey's Jon Bernthal, who is having a banner year after the huge success of Netflix's His & Hers and the upcoming sure-to-be monster hit Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The profile.
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Film Review: '3 Weeks After' |
►"Nasty beyond belief." THR's Leslie Felperin reviews Miroslav Terzic's 3 Weeks After. The Serbian drama film, which premiered in Karlovy Vary, follows a group of teens to the countryside shortly after the suicide of a relentlessly bullied classmate. Starring Jovan Ginic, Klara Karaulic, Andjela Alavirevic, Tihana Lazovic, Branislav Trifunovic and Andrija Markovic. Written by Vladimir Arsenijevic, Bojan Vuletic and Miroslav Terzic. The review.
—"Girls have very little fun here, however much they want it." Leslie reviews Tonia Mishiali's The Lion at My Back. The Greek Cypriot filmmaker's Karlovy Vary premiere centers on the bond between a recovering addict and sex worker and a teenage Senegalese refugee. Starring Sokhna Diallo, Elena Kallinikou, Prokopis Agathokleous, Herodotos Miltiadous, Marina Mandri and Paris Erotokritou. Written by Tonia Mishiali, Dianne Jones and Simona Nobile. The review.
In other news...
—2026/2027 awards season calendar
—Avengers: Doomsday trailer reveals first look at Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom
—First look: Amanda Seyfried and Scoot McNairy go dark and dangerous in The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd
—Venice Critics’ Week unveils political, experimental lineup
—Apple Music raises subscription prices
—Locarno to honor James Gray with career Leopard
—Freddy Cannon, rock and roller behind hits “Palisades Park” and “Tallahassee Lassie,” dies at 89
—John Kirby, acting coach and son of actor Bruce Kirby, dies at 75
What else we're reading...
—Owen Tucker-Smith goes inside the surprise economic boost for World Cup host cities [WSJ]
—For those dying to know, Natasha O'Neill outlines the 10 biggest updates in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey from Homer's epic [Vanity Fair]
—David Freedlander writes that, like it or not, Kamala Harris is the Democrat front-runner for 2028 [Intelligencer]
—Ben Waterhouse wonders whether Broadway has a Gen Z problem after the stunning success of Obsession and Backrooms in enticing the young back to movie theaters [Broadway World]
—Maya Salam celebrates the wonderfully dumb Nicolas Cage film National Treasure, that also happens to be a great U.S. history lesson [NYT]
Today...
...in 2012, Warner Bros. released Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises in theaters. The final film in Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy, the DC movie was a huge commercial and critical success, grossing $1.1b at the global box office. The original review.
Today's birthdays...
Sandra Oh (55), Judy Greer (51), Simon Rex (52), Gisele Bündchen (46), Chloe Fineman (38), John Francis Daley (41), Julianne Hough (38), Aimee Mullins (51), Josh Holloway (57), Alycia Debnam-Carey (33), Dean Winters (62), Frank Whaley (63), Julian Rhind-Tutt (59), Omar Epps (53), Tantoo Cardinal (76), Donna Dixon (69), Naseeruddin Shah (76), Randal Kleiser (80), Carlos Santana (79), Jake Stormoen (38), Alycia Debnam-Carey (33), Reed Diamond (59), Carl Clemons-Hopkins (39), Percy Daggs III (44)
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James “Jim” Gilstrap, a singer whose credits include the Good Times theme song and Stevie Wonder‘s “You Are the Sunshine of My Life,” has died. He was 79. The obituary.
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