Top Director Cuts Ties With Agent Who Launched Her
Why would one of the hottest directors in Hollywood bail on the agent who helped get her there? This is why ⬇️⬇️ https://t.co/dxU95e8QOI
Disney Hires Notorious Lawyer to Suppress Critical CEO Biography
News: Disney and Bob Iger are engaged in a quiet war on an upcoming book that promises to reveal a VERY non-Disney version of its former CEO, and they’ve enlisted an infamous lawyer to bully the author. Details ⬇️⬇️ https://t.co/mi9nJu2EgN
Zootopia 2 Smashes Viewership, Nearly Doubles Netflix Rival
ZOOTOPIA 2 debuted with a monster 1.7B minutes viewed in its first five days on Disney+, per Nielsen. That's nearly double the #2 movie that week, WAR MACHINE on Netflix.
Devil Wears Prada 2 Opens $66M, Beats Original
DEVIL WEARS PRADA 2 came on tracking today at $66 million opening, per NRG. First DEVIL opened to $27.5 million in 2006, or $44 million in today's dollars. Good news for @Lucas_Shaw, though MICHAEL (on Team Belloni) is also surging,...
Why a Michael Jackson Biopic Costs $200 Million
How in the name of Bubbles the Chimp does a Michael Jackson biopic cost more than $200 million to make? Here’s how ⬇️⬇️ https://t.co/foRDHFkfEP
NFL TV Deal Threatens Hollywood Funding, Murdochs May Politicize
The NFL’s looming TV renegotiation is a ticking timebomb for Hollywood, with billions about to be siphoned away from film and TV to billionaire monopolist team owners. Can the Murdochs fight back the only way they know, with politics? Details...
Jeff Shell's Paramount Exit Negotiated Amid Rapid Investigation
News: Lawyers for Jeff Shell have begun discussions about his exit as President of Paramount. Contours of any future role (like "consultant" or outright ouster) will be determined by the internal investigation, which is expected to be done in a...
Michael Jackson Biopic Opens Strong, Poised for Global Success
The troubled Michael Jackson movie MICHAEL came on tracking today at a $55M domestic opening, per NRG. That’s pretty good, especially since this movie will likely play much better internationally.
Julia Ormand Wins; CAA Exec Forced to Testify
News: Actress Julia Ormand picked up a win today in her legal case claiming CAA knew that Harvey Weinstein was a pig and sent her into private meetings with him anyway. Michael Ovitz, CAA’s co-founder, is being forced to testify...
Republicans Stall Trump’s Film Tax Credit, Awaiting Sign
Trump’s interest in helping US film productions got everyone excited. But now that the push for a tax credit is real, Republicans are “waiting for the white smoke at the Vatican.” Details ⬇️⬇️ https://t.co/jQTLzxgQlj
Amazon's 'Project Hail Mary' Hits $141M Worldwide, Debut Blockbuster
Project Hail Mary opened to $80M domestic and $141M worldwide, per Amazon. Net budget a little less than $200M. Looks like this could be its first global Hollywood-style blockbuster after a decade of making original movies…. https://t.co/FNpnEsqWCB
Netflix Treats K‑Pop Demon Hunters Directors Like Showrunners
Netflix is paying the KPop Demon Hunters directors like elite TV showrunners AND giving them a share of merch sales to return for a sequel. All the details ⬇️⬇️ https://t.co/nO22PPaCo7
Melania Docs Pulls 747k Views, Ranks Fourth
MELANIA generated 747,157 views on Prime Video in its debut week, big for a documentary but only 4th place on the Luminate streaming movies chart.
Oscars Lose Nearly 2 Million Viewers, Predictions Miss
Oscars down almost 2m viewers from last year. Lots of What I’m Hearing readers wildly overshot in their guesses and will not be getting a stylish Puck hat… https://t.co/erwld2eQNM
Roku Thrives Yet Remains Unacquired Despite Profitability
Roku is scaled, growing, and profitable, so why hasn't anyone bought it? Via @loudmouthjulia. ⬇️⬇️ https://t.co/dyvtlQl7RB
My Personal Picks: Best and Worst Awards This Weekend
New @PuckNews: The only awards that matter this weekend, my own personal honors for the best and mostly worst of awards season. ⬇️⬇️ https://t.co/KbYgEnpWTy
Bradley Cooper to Write, Direct Ocean's 11 Prequel
Fun news: Bradley Cooper is now the choice to write and direct the Ocean's 11 prequel for WB. (Lee Isaac Chung recently dropped out.) Cooper would also star with Margot Robbie. No deals yet, but goal is to shoot this...
Discussed Launching “The Town” On YouTube Video
Had a nice chat with the official @YouTube blog about launching The Town on video. ⬇️⬇️ https://t.co/Zj2sG7EZNv
Ellison’s Hiring Choices Raise Red Flags Beyond MeToo
David Ellison, the guy who wants to run two Hollywood studios, has some questionable hiring judgment. And it’s not just the MeToo men. Via @kimmasters ⬇️⬇️ https://t.co/MWzlUjRS9A
WarnerMount Layoff Numbers Not as Scary as They Appear
The layoff math looks scary at the combined WarnerMount studio. Or does it? Crunching the numbers with the company's top dealmaker. ⬇️⬇️ https://t.co/W35ws7KiGx
Wuthering Heights Earns $200M, Modest Profit for Warner
Wuthering Heights just hit $200 million at the worldwide box office. A good number for a period drama, but the movie cost Warners about $85 million, so still not a big moneymaker for the studio.
Arbitrators Issue Stark Rebuke to CAA Leadership
A pretty stunning rebuke of the CAA leadership by the arbitrators overseeing its fight with defectors who started Range Media. Details via @eriqgardner ⬇️⬇️ https://t.co/BXxjGwkXt1
Paramount Gains, Ellisons Burdened by Massive Debt
Who really won in Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Discovery? Plus new details on the mountain of debt awaiting the Ellisons. My debate with Bill Cohan @PuckNews ⬇️⬇️ https://t.co/xl4sfxLQQD
Paramount Probes Lawsuit Claim From Mysterious Former Consultant
News: Paramount is investigating a litigation threat against its president Jeff Shell by a man with an *interesting* background who claims to have represented Shell as a consultant and now says Shell disclosed confidential company information to him. This is...
CBS Highlights Ratings Competition, Undermining Netflix Antitrust Claim
Funny to see CBS promote Nielsen ratings showing robust competition for U.S. TV audiences that contradict its parent company’s antitrust narrative that Netflix is too dominant… https://t.co/z1adVe6D1T
Sarandos Reaffirms Netflix Commitment to Warner Bros Theatricals
Takeaways from my interview with Netflix’s CEO Ted Sarandos, specifically his detailed commitments to theatrical releases for Warner Bros movies ⬇️⬇️ https://t.co/y6Ya3j2nWi
Scandal Sparks Fire Sale Talk for Wasserman Agency
New pod: Time for a scandal-induced fire sale...Who's gonna buy the Wasserman agency? With @Lucas_Shaw. https://t.co/A5o9vSMmEb
Wuthering Heights Falls Short of $50M Expectations
WUTHERING HEIGHTS is coming in well below pre-release tracking, now projecting mid to high $30m domestic (WB spinning $40m) for the 4-day weekend. Most services projected it at about $50m, some thought it would blow past that.
Talent Industry Prioritizes Optics Over Reasonable Judgment
Should a guy lose his company because he sent flirty emails 20 years ago? Clearly no. But in the talent business, optics can matter more than reason. ⬇️⬇️ https://t.co/BOp7Xmhkrh
Amazon's $93M Thriller Projects $15‑17M Weekend Gross
Amazon's Chris Hemsworth thriller CRIME 101 cost $93 million to make ($108.8m gross, minus $15.8m incentive). It's projected to gross around $15m-$17m over the long weekend.... https://t.co/XUFU680JLW