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What's news: YouTube will stream Eurovision for free in the U.S. Katy Perry is denying a sexual assault claim made by actress Ruby Rose. Peacock has renewed The 'Burbs. SNL is moving to CTV/Crave in Canada. And Trump’s $10b defamation suit against the WSJ has been dismissed. — Abid Rahman
Do you have THR's next big story? Confidentially share tips with us at tips@thr.com. |
CinemaCon Day 1: Rothman Calls Out Theater Owners►"Get off the ad crack." There’s no one better than Tom Rothman when it comes to getting theater owners fired up at CinemaCon, the annual gathering of theater owners in Las Vegas. The chairman of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group has used profanities more than once when taking aim at the perceived enemies of the theatrical experience who make it far too easy for consumers to watch a movie at home. “Netflix, my ass,” is one of his more notorious quips. But his comments at this year’s edition took a surprise turn Monday night when he instead took issue with cinema operators and the consumer experience they provide, or lack thereof. The forthright exec says studios aren't solely to blame for the lagging box office, and that exhibitors must enforce windows, have shorter preshows and keep ticket prices in check. The story.
—"It’s a real David and Goliath story." The Social Reckoning director Aaron Sorkin hit the stage at CinemaCon to debut the trailer for the companion piece to The Social Network. This footage marks the first look at Strong as Mark Zuckerberg which is already the talk on social media. Sony is set to release The Social Reckoning in theaters Oct. 9. The buzzy cast includes Mikey Madison, Jeremy Allen White, Bill Burr and Jeremy Strong. The story.
—"I’ve never had more fun working on a movie." Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart and Jack Black are heading to our society this time around in Jumanji 3. The trio of stars hit the CinemaCon stage during Sony's presentation to debut the first footage from the forthcoming film, which revealed its title as Jumanji: Open World. The story.
—All-timer incoming. Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse spun up some new footage at CinemaCon, where Sony shared a look at the upcoming trilogy capper. Writer-producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller were joined on stage by directors Justin K. Thompson and Bob Persichetti, as Miller promised it was “the most emotional Spider-Verse film we have ever made” and Lord dubbted it the “most spectacular.” They explained that the new film will pick up the moment the last movie, Across the Spider-Verse, ended, with main character Miles Morales lost in an alternate dimension. The story. |
'Brand New Day' Swings Into CinemaCon ►Sony's secret weapon. Four years after Spider-Man: No Way Home became the biggest film in Sony history, Tom Holland‘s webslinger was back as part of the studio’s CinemaCon presentation. Sony introduced a scene from Spider-Man: Brand New Day, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton. Sony head Tom Rothman first showed off two upcoming posters for the movie, noting it’s “feels like nothing we’ve ever made” despite the many past stories around the superhero. He also called it Holland’s “finest performance,” before Holland appeared virtually to declare the movie is “the most emotional Spider-Man movie we’ve ever made, and in some ways, the most grown up." The story.
—"If you love the games, you will feel their influence everywhere in the movie." Zach Cregger, fresh off of the success of Weapons, unveiled a first look at his Resident Evil reboot during Sony’s CinemaCon presentation. The filmmaker took the stage solo as he debuted the film’s trailer to the Las Vegas crowd. The feature hits theaters Sept. 18, 2026, and adapts the popular Capcom video game series about an elite task force battling zombies. The story.
—"I assure you this movie is the most terrifying in the franchise." Sony got supernatural at its CinemaCon presentation, debuting the trailer for the sixth film in the Insidious franchise, Insidious: Out of the Further. Following 2023's Insidious: The Red Door, the more recent entry in the franchise, Out of the Further returns with a new family and a new terror at the center. Amelia Eve stars as Gemma, a young mother raising her daughter in the house she grew up in who discovers she can travel into The Further, the purgatorial realm of lost souls that is the basis for the Insidious universe. The story.
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Dated! π
The mystery of when Godzilla Minus One filmmaker Takashi Yamazaki’s new film Grandgear will hit theaters has been solved, along with a hint as to what the mystery movie is about. Sony Pictures revealed the news Monday night that the Oscar-winning Japanese director's first English-language film, will hit theaters Feb. 18, 2028. Producer J.J. Abrams‘ Bad Robot teamed with Yamazaki on the project, which sparked a major bidding war in late 2024. The story.
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Dated! π
Sony helped brighten up CinemaCon with the first look at Klara and the Sun. Jenna Ortega and Amy Adams star in Taika Waititi‘s feature adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro‘s dystopian sci-fi novel. The studio revealed Monday that the film is set for theatrical release on Oct. 23. The story. |
'Paddington 4,' 'Escape' Reboot in the Works at StudioCanal ►Leaning on IP. Escape From New York and Paddington are among the properties getting attention from France's StudioCanal, the company revealed during its CinemaCon presentation on Monday. A fourth film in the Paddington franchise is currently in development, with a team of comedy writers are attached to pen the script, although the names of the scribes were not shared. The company is partnering with The Picture Company to develop a reimagining of John Carpenter’s 1981 cult favorite Escape From New York. Also StudioCanal is developing a reimagining of horror flick The Howling, Joe Dante’s 1981 film about a news anchor who ends up at a resort populated by werewolves. The story.
—Still kicking. Values-driven Angel Studios arrived at CinemaCon to remind theater owners it is keeping its films flowing, promoting its eight wide releases still to come this year. Among them was a first look at historical drama Brink of War, which stars Jeff Daniels as Ronald Reagan; a trailer for Young Washington, starring William Franklyn-Miller as young George Washington; and a trailer for Alan Ritchson and Owen Wilson’s Runner. The story. |
Cannes Directors' Fortnight Lineup Revealed ►Finally some star power. The official Cannes Film Festival feels a bit low-wattage in terms of stars this year, but the bold-faced names are turning out in force for the 58th edition of festival sidebar Directors’ Fortnight, which unveiled its 2026 lineup Tuesday. Across its 19-feature selection, the Fortnight leans heavily into marquee names, including Barry Keoghan and Riley Keough, stars of opening night feature Butterfly Jam. Ayo Edebiri, David Oyelowo, and Sophie Okonedo star in Clarissa, a Nigeria-set reimagining of Virginia Woolf’s literary classic Mrs. Dalloway. Clio Barnard returns to Cannes with her latest, I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning, a drama featuring Joe Cole, Anthony Boyle, Daryl McCormack, Jay Lycurgo, and Lola Petticrew. The lineup.
—Crash bandwagon. 20th Century Studios is jumping into the video game adaptation business. In a competitive situation, 20th Century has picked up theatrical film rights to the popular game 99 Nights in the Forest, developed by Grandma’s Favourite Games and hosted on Roblox. It marks the first time the division is tackling a feature adaptation of a video game, which has emerged as a top source material for Hollywood movies and series, under Disney ownership. No writer or director is attached at this stage nor are any producers involved. The story.
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Zombie fans rejoice! π
Train to Busan, Yeon Sang-ho‘s 2016 Korean masterpiece, is heading back to theaters to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the film that reanimated the zombie genre. And that’s not all — Yeon’s new film about the pernicious undead has set its North American theatrical release date. Well Go USA Entertainment is bringing Train to Busan back to North American theaters on Aug. 14. The film will be presented in 4K for the first time in theaters. The indie distributor has also acquired the North American rights to Yeon’s newest zombie feature Colony. That film will have its world premiere in Cannes in May, with a theatrical release set for Aug. 28 this year. The story. |
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2026 Class Revealed ►The British are coming! The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame officially unveiled its 2026 class on Monday night, with Phil Collins, Oasis, Billy Idol, Wu-Tang Clan, Luther Vandross, Sade, Joy Division/New Order and Iron Maiden all named as inductees. Six of the 8 acts are British. Ryan Seacrest and Lionel Richie revealed the inductees on the latest episode of American Idol for the show’s Rock Hall episode. Beyond the performer category, Queen Latifah, Graham Parsons, Celia Cruz Fela Kuti and MC Lyte will all be honored with the early influence award, while Linda Creed, Arif Mardin, Jimmy Miller and Rick Rubin will receive the musical excellence award. The story.
—"Dangerous reckless lies." Katy Perry is denying a sexual assault claim made by actress Ruby Rose who took to Threads on Sunday to accuse the pop star of assaulting her at a nightclub nearly 20 years ago. “Katy Perry sexual assaulted me at spice market nightclub in Melbourne,” the Aussie actress wrote in response to a comment about the singer being at Coachella. “I was only in my early 20s. I’m now 40. It has taken almost 2 decades to say this publicly … I told the story publicly but changed it to be a ‘funny little drunk story’ because I didn’t know how else to handle it." A rep for Perry said in a a statement: “The allegations being circulated on social media by Ruby Rose about Katy Perry are not only categorically false, they are dangerous reckless lies." The story.
—So much losing. A Florida federal judge has dismissed Donald Trump’s $10b defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal over its report on a lewd drawing he allegedly contributed as part of a gift to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, stating that no proof of malice was evident in the case. In the order dismissing the lawsuit brought against the explosive news story’s reporters, the paper, its parent company, News Corp and even Rupert Murdoch, U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles wrote that Trump’s legal team had failed to argue that the article was published by those named in the complaint with malicious intent. The story.
—Probably ominous. Former Fox News host-turned-podcaster Tucker Carlson is getting his own book imprint. Skyhorse Publishing, which earlier published memoirs by Woody Allen and Melania Trump, is giving a home to Tucker Carlson Books after the conservative pundit’s previous bestsellers like The Long Slide: Thirty Years in American Journalism and Tucker Carlson Ship of Fools were released by Simon & Schuster. His banner’s initial book slate includes titles by rape-accused Russell Brand, vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy, and ex-convict Peter Navarro. The story.
—Shakeup. The New York Times is making some significant changes to its executive ranks, promoting a pair of executives as its CTO is set to depart in the coming months, underscoring the news company’s business focus on subscriptions, data and technology under CEO Meredith Kopit Levien. The changes will see CTO Jason Sobel exiting the company, with Levien telling staff that he informed her of his decision to leave the role late last year. The Times is beginning the search for a successor, with Sobel sticking around until they find one. Alex Hardiman and Hannah Yang will also be promoted to executive vp, with Hardiman adding shared oversight of engineering and Yang adding shared oversight of data at the company. The story. |
Eurovision to Stream for Free in U.S. on YouTube ►Brace yourself America! The U.S. will be able to follow all the fun and the fury of the annual Eurovision Song Contest for free, courtesy of YouTube. Jurian Van Der Meer, commercial director of the European Broadcasting Union, who oversees all business and commercial activities related to Eurovision, revealed that YouTube has struck a deal for the event, starting with this year’s 70th anniversary edition, taking place in Vienna. The deal covers the semifinals and final, which are also already available in the U.S. for Peacock subscribers. The story.
—Woof! The revival of Malcolm in the Middle has turned out to be a welcome family reunion for viewers. Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair, a four-episode update of the 2000-06 comedy, scored solid returns for its opening weekend on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally. In fact, Disney says, the show had the best season premiere of any show on the two platforms so far this year. Life’s Still Unfair drew 8.1m views worldwide in its first three days (it premiered April 10), calculated as total viewing minutes divided by running time. That equates to more than 900m minutes/15m hours of watch time globally. The ratings.
—π€ New home. π€ Saturday Night Live is set to leave longtime Canadian home Global Television for rival CTV and the Crave streamer, starting with the 52nd season later this year. The deal between CTV-parent Bell Media and NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution will see the NBC sketch comedy series shift to CTV and Crave, which already has library SNL episodes on its platform. A change of Canadian rights holders also follows NBCU’s Peacock as a direct-to-consumer streaming platform continuing to focus on the U.S. market and doing deals for its studio programming with Canadian broadcasters. The story. |
'The Rookie' and 'Will Trent' Renewed at ABC ►No-brainers. Two veteran ABC shows have locked in their places on the 2026-27 schedule. The network has renewed dramas The Rookie and Will Trent for next season. The pickups ensure a ninth season for The Rookie, starring Nathan Fillion, and a fifth season for Will Trent, which stars RamΓ³n Rodriguez. The renewals don’t come as a big surprise, as both shows have performed well for ABC. With a week of cross-platform viewing (primarily on Hulu), The Rookie and Will Trent each average more than 8m viewers per episode, and both shows rank in the top 15 network entertainment series among adults 18-49. The Rookie in particular gets a huge boost to its 18-49 rating from streaming, often seeing a sixfold increase over its initial on-air total. The story.
—Quick as you like. Peacock has handed out a second-season order for The ‘Burbs, the series-length reboot of the 1989 cult classic starring Tom Hanks. The rookie season of eight episodes, which launched Feb. 8 on the same day as the Super Bowl, earned a top 10 debut over four weeks on the streamer. Set in present-day American suburbia, the show follows a young couple who have reluctantly relocated to the husband’s childhood home. Their world is upended when a new neighbor moves in across the street, bringing old secrets of the cul-de-sac to light, and new deadly threats shatter the illusion of their quiet little neighborhood, according to a synopsis from the producers. The story.
—Finally! After several months of a pause in production, and the naming of a new showrunner earlier this year, Mr. & Mrs. Smith has started filming its second season for Amazon Prime Video. Season two is proceeding under showrunner and writer Anna Ouyang Moench, who came aboard the series in January. She takes over from co-creator and season one showrunner Francesca Sloane, who in September 2025 signed an overall deal with HBO. At the same time, Mr. & Mrs. Smith producers Amazon MGM Studios and New Regency hit pause on season two. Talia Ryder will star opposite Mark Eydelshteyn in season two. Ryder takes over for Sophie Thatcher, who had long been attached to play Mrs. Smith. The story. |
Film Review: 'Mother Mary'
►"Prayers are futile." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews David Lowery's Mother Mary. A24's genre-defying drama from The Green Knight filmmaker explores the fraught history of an iconic pop star and the architect behind her image, with music by Jack Antonoff, Charli xcx and FKA twigs. Starring Anne Hathaway, Michaela Coel, Hunter Schafer, Sian Clifford, Atheena Frizzell, FKA twigs, Jessica Brown Findlay, Kaia Gerber and Alba Baptista. Written by David Lowery. The review.
In other news...
—SNL UK: Nicola Coughlan, Aimee Lou Wood tapped to host
—Paul Dano plays “new Rasputin” to Jude Law’s Putin in The Wizard of the Kremlin trailer
—Netflix drops first look at Little House on the Prairie series
—Takeo Hisamatsu named festival director of Tokyo Film Festival
—Pedro Pascal joins Chanel as house ambassador
—Richard Donat, actor on Haven, dies at 84
—Mario Adorf, German-Italian star of The Tin Drum and Winnetou, dies at 95
—Valerie Lee, one of the young munchkins in The Wizard of Oz, dies at 94
What else we're reading...
—Must-read story from Doug Bock Clark and Jen Fifield about Trump’s effort to "take over" the midterm elections [ProPublica]
—Fascinating piece from Mitch Therieau about right-wing art and imagery during Trump 2.0 that veers towards fascism and annihilationism [The Drift]
—Melanie Mason and Jeremy B. White unpack the whisper network that caught up to the disgraced pol Eric Swalwell [Politico]
—Benjamin Mullin looks at The Economist's shift to modernity, putting its writers and editors in front of the camera for the first time [NYT]
—George Hammond reports that OpenAI's investors are questioning the company's $852bn valuation [FT]
Today...
...in 2017, Universal released F. Gary Gray's The Fate of the Furious in theaters. The first installment of Fast franchise without series star Paul Walker was a huge hit at the box office, making over a billion dollars worldwide. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Adrien Brody (53), Sarah Michelle Gellar (49), Rob Mac (49), Julie Christie (86), Peter Capaldi (68), James Gray (57), Anthony Michael Hall (58), Abigail Breslin (30), Robert Carlyle (65), Brad Garrett (66), Adam DiMarco (36), Skyler Samuels (32), Claire Coffee (46), Gina McKee (62), Vivien Cardone (33), Graham Phillips (33), Catherine Dent (61), Chris Wood (38), Humberly GonzΓ‘lez (34), Sibi Blazic (56), Jaimz Woolvett (59), Ben Lloyd-Hughes (38), Lloyd Owen (π΄σ §σ ’σ ·σ ¬σ ³σ Ώ60), Quentin "Mr. Oizo" Dupieux (52), Jon Daly (49), Langley Kirkwood (53), Bob Clendenin (62), John Shea (77), Nick Krause (34), Chuck Dixon (72), Gracyn Shinyei (20), Antwon Tanner (51), John D'Aquino (68)
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Sid Krofft, the wildly imaginative puppeteer who teamed with his younger brother Marty to build an entertainment empire behind such trippy TV shows as The Banana Splits Adventure Hour, H.R. Pufnstuf and Land of the Lost, has died. He was 96. The obituary.
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