What's news: The Paramount-WBD deal has been approved by the U.K. The World Cup helped Fox to a blockbuster quarter. Tubi now has 110m MAUs. Peacock has renewed The Five Star Weekend. And Spider-Man: Brand New Day had the biggest Tuesday in domestic box office history. — Abid Rahman
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Paramount, WBD Staffers In Limbo and Denial as Merger Drags On
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►Projects at risk and priorities restricted by deal terms. THR's Alex Weprin reports that inside both Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount, anxiety is pervasive in offices and studio lots as David Ellison’s $111 b marriage stalls while 12 states take their legal fight to court with a winner-take-all trial set for March. The story.
—Some good news, innit. The U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authority has approved Paramount's takeover of WBD. The CMA, considering the megadeal on theatrical film distribution grounds, concluded although "the parties compete closely, they do not appear closer to each other than to Universal, Disney, or Sony. While the merged entity would become the U.K.’s largest distributor, it would continue to face competition from these three major studios and a range of other smaller studios." The story.
—"I believe David is sincere in making these commitments." What do the CEOs of AMC Theatres and Regal Cinemas have in common? Both have been enticed to back David Ellison’s quest to merge Paramount and WBD. Regal chief Eduardo Acuna was the latest to go public with his blessing on Wednesday. The endorsement from the leader of a major exhibitor is notable given that the lawsuit filed by 12 states against Paramount to halt the deal is being waged as an antitrust battle on the turf of the fragile theatrical marketplace. The story.
—"I don’t believe government should use its powers to determine who owns a news platform or to control how that outlet reports the news." In a guest column for THR, former Fox News and CNN anchor Chris Wallace, who is now a paid advisor at a firm that has a large stake in Paramount, reflects on the divisive politics of the Paramount-WBD deal. The column.
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WBD Q2 Content Revenue Crashes on Rough Box Office
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►A lament for Pam and Mike. WBD would like you to focus on its second quarter 2026 streaming revenue — up 9 percent to $3.1b — because the box office was ugly. Theatrical revenue dropped 46 percent from the comparable quarter last year as Supergirl and The Bride bombed. Making matters worse, their comps were to Q2 2025 hits A Minecraft Movie and Sinners. WBD’s advertising revenue sunk 22 percent as Turner continues to feel the sting of no NBA. TV/streaming programming highlights in the June quarter included Euphoria, House of the Dragon, The Pitt, and the final season of Hacks. The results.
—Goaaaaaaal! The 2026 FIFA World Cup helped Fox Corp. score a blowout quarter in its latest earnings report (its fiscal Q4), with the company reporting revenue of $4.2b, up 28 percent from a year ago, and adjusted EBITDA of $1.2b, up 27 percent from a year ago. The World Cup was most reflected in the company’s advertising results, with ad revenue surging to $1.9b, up from $1.1b a year ago. In the television segment specifically (which includs Fox and Tubi, but not Fox News), ad revenue surged by 108 percent, or $755m to a total of $1.5b. The results.
—Woof! Tubi is on a tear. The Fox-owned free streaming platform now has more than 110m monthly active users. On Thursday, Fox reported that Tubi's last quarter (it’s fiscal Q4) was the highest revenue quarter in its history. Tubi last reported MAUs last year, when it topped 100m, and now has more than $1b in annual revenue. The story.
—Solo showing. Versant, the cable TV-focused spinoff from NBCUniversal that runs CNBC, MS NOW, USA, Golf Channel and other assets, reported lower second earnings on lower revenue and public company costs from its Comcast separation. Now solo Versant reported revenue for the quarter to June 30 at $1.64b, down 3.8 percent from $1.7b in the same period of 2025. In that revenue mix, linear distribution was down 6.3 percent to $954m, as Versant continues to navigate a declining pay TV landscape. The results.
—ICYMI. As Disney looks to make Disney+ the hub for its direct-to-consumer business, the company will add more sports programming to the platform. The uptick in sports content on the streamer will begin in the fall, with an increase in simulcasts of college football games from recent years. Disney+ will continue to simulcast ESPN’s College Gameday pregame show. The story.
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Disney Boss: 'Spider-Man' Record Opening "Bodes Well" for 'Doomsday'
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►"It’s a great reminder of just how much strength this franchise still has." Does the extraordinary box office launch of Spider-Man: Brand New Day signal good news for Avengers: Doomsday? Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro thinks so. On the company’s quarterly earnings call early Wednesday, the executive made a case for Spidey being a positive omen for Marvel‘s big team-up movie in December. The story.
—"The good news for us is our diversified business." Disney has acknowledged that its recent Star Wars movie did not meet expectations at the box office. On Wednesday's earnings call, Josh D’Amaro and CFO Hugh Johnston told investors The Mandalorian and Grogu and the live-action Moana underperformed, but added that the films drove revenue to other parts of the company — such as toy sales and attendance to rides at Disney theme parks. The story.
—Spider-mania. Spider-Man: Brand New Day keeps delivering more records in the breathtaking box office launch. The Sony Pictures feature has set the record for the biggest Tuesday in domestic box office history with $42m for the day. This surpasses the previous Tuesday record that Sony held with Spider-Man: Far From Home, which earned $39.2m on July 2, 2019. The box office report.
—Diya-bolical development. A musical comedy film celebrating the spirit of Bollywood is ready to spring to life for Paramount Animation. The original animated feature Diya is in development at the studio, with Nitya Mehra (Baar Baar Dekho) attached to direct. Jaydeep Hasrajani and Jake Goldman will write the script for the project that includes Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley and Kunal Nayyar as producers. Diya centers on an Indian American teen girl in New Jersey who unexpectedly finds herself transported into the world of a Bollywood musical. The story.
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Paramount+ Scored With Dad Shows. Now It's Coming for the Ladies
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►Seeking the female gaze. With 1923, Landman, Tulsa King, Lioness, and Mayor of Kingstown, prolific TV creator Taylor Sheridan has been at the forefront of Paramount+'s strategy for a number of years as he churned out show after show. Now, however, there’s new management at the platform, Sheridan will be out the door in a few years and Paramount+’s identity is being reworked. THR's Katie Kilkenny report that the streamer is in the market to buy romance, family, soaps and more Nicole Kidman. The story.
—📅 Dated! 📅 Paramount+ has unveiled first look photos and a premiere date for The Varnell Hill Show, a new half-hour workplace comedy starring Tommy Davidson as the talk show host first introduced nearly three decades ago in the Martin sitcom. The eight-part rookie season for the spinoff will debut on Paramount+ on Sept. 1 and run on Tuesdays with new episodes until a finale on Oct. 13. Martin Lawrence, who will make special appearances in the new series, and Davidson are executive producing the show alongside Bentley Kyle Evans. The story.
—Another booking. Peacock has renewed The Five Star Weekend for a second season. The pickup comes on the heels of the drama, based on a novel by Elin Hilderbrand and starring Jennifer Garner, getting strong viewing numbers after its July 9 premiere. The show centers on Hollis Shaw (Garner), a cook and author who is stuck following a devastating loss. She invites three friends from different phases of her life and a surprise guest (played by D’Arcy Carden, Gemma Chan, Regina Hall and Chloë Sevigny) to a weekend in Nantucket, where they uncover secrets and deepen their bonds. The story.
—Stars Hollow-ed out. HBO Max is in production on a documentary about Gilmore Girls, the beloved series that ran from 2000-07. Athlete A's Bonni Cohen is directing the film from Warner Horizon Unscripted Television and R.J. Cutler’s Sony-based This Machine banner. Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, executive producer Daniel Palladino and star Lauren Graham are all set to take part in the documentary, along with other cast and crew members. The story.
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Ryan Murphy Goes Inside 'The Shards'
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►"This show will certainly launch discussions." THR's queen of chat Jackie Strause spoke to Ryan Murphy about his buzzy new show, the series adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' The Shards. The prolific TV creator dishes on how his passion won over Ellis as he goes inside the casting process — “We saw 500 actors for these parts” — of an “emotional” production, talks about how they approached the eroticism in the book, and reveals that he and Ellis have been plotting a three-season series from the start. The interview.
—Wait, what? Netflix will premiere “an extended look” at Grand Theft Auto VI on Aug. 27 at 3 p.m. ET. “Grand Theft Auto reveals have become cultural moments in their own right. The anticipation and fandom around Grand Theft Auto VI is unprecedented, and we’re honored that Rockstar Games has partnered with us to debut the next part of the Grand Theft Auto story with Netflix members first,” Brandon Riegg, Netflix’s vice president of nonfiction series, said. GTA6, the most-anticipated video game probably ever, will only be available as a digital download. The story.
—🎠Usual suspects. 🎠Hallmark has announced the full cast for its third Holiday Touchdown movie. Hallmark movie regulars Lyndsy Fonseca and Robert Buckley play the two lead roles in Holiday Touchdown: A Bears Love Story, which wrapped filming in and around Chicago — including at Soldier Field and the Chicago Bears’ team headquarters, Halas Hall — in late July. The cast also includes Marsha Mason, Barbara Alyn Woods and Khary Payton, with cameos by Tamera Mowry-Housley, Marilu Henner and Chicago-based actors Jake Connelly and Dyon “Mojo” Brooks. The story.
—🟢 Greenest of green lights. 🟢 HBO and the BBC‘s newest TV collaboration will travel back to the reign of Henry VIII — but it’s very much not a story about the English king. The two outlets have greenlit 1536, a darkly comedic drama from writer and showrunner Ava Pickett. The series is based on Pickett’s play of the same name, which concluded a run in the West End on Aug. 1. One Day's Molly Manners is set to direct the six-episode series. The story.
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Dale Dickey Is Finally an Emmy Nominee. Now She Needs a Dress
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►"Somebody design me!" THR's Seth Abramovitch spoke to Dale Dickey, the veteran character actor who received her first Emmy nomination for Apple TV's hit series Widow's Bay. Dickey discusses the audition that launched her career and why she's still waiting for a designer to call for her big night at the Emmys. The interview.
—"Galliano isn’t comparable to Kanye West." After Metropolitan Museum of Art announced a blockbuster exhibition celebrating John Galliano, the controversial British fashion designer whose career was derailed for a number of years for an antisemitism scandal, Seth Abramovitch spoke to author and former fashion journalist Hadley Freeman about the news. Freeman explains why Galliano's comeback shouldn't be conflated with today's rise in antisemitism — and argues the industry has failed to tell the story of the immigrants, artisans and entrepreneurs who built the world of couture. The interview.
—"London should not be the center of the universe. For anything." THR's Lily Ford spoke to Vicky McClure, the actress who is the reigning queen of the British police procedural. McClure dishes on season four of ITV's Trigger Point, opens up about Line of Duty fame, her working-class roots and reminding young creatives that showbiz remains a deeply privileged space. The interview.
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The Man Who Wants to Build a Hollywood Studio for Asian Stories |
►"The real impetus of doing this was because we’ve been asked by a lot of filmmakers." Bing Chen isn’t an agent, an executive or — at least until very recently — a producer. Yet over the past eight years, he has become an influential behind-the-scenes figure in Hollywood through Gold House, the organization he founded in 2017 to expand Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islander influence across entertainment, business and beyond. THR's Mia Galuppo spoke to Chen about the launch of Gold House Studios, which will see the ever-busy 38-year-old moving from helping other people get their work made to producing films and television himself. The interview.
—"It seems a little open-ended." THR's Brian Davids spoke to Jacob Batalon about his new film, the record-smashing Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The "CEO of Sex," discusses the handshake heard around the world and what it means for the future of the Tom Holland-led Spider-Man films. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"This is level one of the character’s potential." Brian also spoke to Brand New Day actor Michael Mando, who finally returns the MCU as Scorpion. The Better Call Saul alum is never one to get ahead of himself, but he admits he can't help but think about Scorpion's future as Venom. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
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Film Review: 'One Night Only'
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►"Magnetic leads redeem it." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Will Gluck's One Night Only. Sex between singles is outlawed except for one 12-hour window a year in Universal's high-concept romp. Starring Monica Barbaro, Callum Turner, Maya Hawke, Molly Ringwald, LeVar Burton, Julia Fox, Charlie Gillespie, Michelle Hurd, King Princess, Quintessa Swindell, Andrew Burnap and Mike Birbiglia. Written by Travis Braun. The review.
—"If you haven't acquired the taste by now, forget it." THR's Frank Scheck reviews Jay Chandrasekhar's Super Troopers 3. The Broken Lizard comedy troupe is back with their latest wacky effort about a ragtag group of Vermont cops. Starring Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, Erik Stolhanske, Hannah Simone, Nat Faxon, Chace Crawford, Andrew Dismukes, Marisa Coughlan and Brian Cox. Written by Broken Lizard. The review.
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►"Nostalgic, over-the-top and unsurprisingly uneven." THR's chief TV critic Daniel Fienberg reviews FX and Hulu's The Shards. Ryan Murphy and author Bret Easton Ellis team up for a series adaptation of Ellis' loosely autobiographical novel set in early-'80s Los Angeles. Starring Igby Rigney, Kaia Gerber, Homer Gere, Hayes Warner, Graham Campbell, Evan Rachel Wood, Wes Bentley and Jordan Roth. Created by Ryan Murphy and Bret Easton Ellis. The review.
—"Less sensationalistic than its predecessors." Daniel reviews HBO's Monsters of God. Tiger King documentarian Eric Goode's new five-parter focuses on the lucrative and illegal business of trafficking exotic snakes, tortoises and lizards. The review.
In other news...
—High Value Target: The Hunt for Saddam trailer: Joel Kinnaman interrogates Iraqi dictator
—NY Film Festival reveals 2026 main slate
—Busan Film Festival to honor Michelle Yeoh as Asian Filmmaker of the Year
—Zurich Fest to honor director Martin McDonagh
—TIFF: Noomi Rapace, Shamier Anderson, Alexander and Stellan Skarsgard films join lineup
—Former Disney imagineering president Bob Weis signs with WME
What else we're reading...
—With the release of Babygirl, Pillion and the upcoming I Want Your Sex, Christina Newland looks at how Hollywood "movies are getting horny again" [BBC]
—Max Tani reports on the AI ‘news’ accounts hyping a blue-state dystopia [Semafor]
—Shane Goldmacher talks to moderate Democrats who are preparing for "war" against an ascendant left [NYT]
—Richard Brody wades into the debate on The Odyssey, and opines on what makes an adaptation good [New Yorker]
—A harrumphing Adam Benzine wonders why vinyl albums from top pop stars are becoming so different from their digital versions [Guardian]
Today...
...in 2020, HBO debuted Brandon Trost's An American Pickle. In the comedy, Seth Rogen plays both a Brooklyn app developer and his Eastern European immigrant great-grandfather, preserved in brine for 100 years. The original review.
Today's birthdays...
Michelle Yeoh (64), M. Night Shyamalan (56), Vera Farmiga (53), Leslie Odom Jr. (45), Geri Horner (54), Josh Schwartz (50), Melissa George (50), Ever Carradine (52), Ty Simpkins (25), Ashlie Atkinson (49), Scott MacArthur (47), Leland Orser (66), Jason O'Mara (54), Romola Garai (44), Amy Forsyth (31), Merrin Dungey (55), Louise Sorel (86), Soleil Moon Frye (50), Kacey Rohl (35), Mario Morán (34), Okwui Okpokwasili (54), Stepfanie Kramer (70), Catherine Hicks (75), Jeremy Ratchford (61), Dorian Harewood (76), Moosie Drier (62), Monique Ganderton (46), Rory Scovel (46), Charlotte McKinney (33), Petra Biondina Volpe (56), Brook Sill (30), Jennifer Lyons (49), Dean Andrews (63), Reece Dinsdale (67), Faith Prince (69), Karl Davies (44), Kensington Tallman (18), Valerie Wildman (73), Dane DiLiegro (38), De'voreaux White (61), Alex Bonifer (38)
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