What's news: Xbox is cutting 3,200 jobs. Versant is set to buy Full Swing for $530m. Toy Story 5 has zoomed past $750m worldwide. George Clooney will receive Venice's Golden Lion for lifetime achievement. And Jesse Eisenberg is getting Polish citizenship as he looks to make more films in Europe. — Abid Rahman
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Sky to Buy ITV's Networks, Streaming Units for $2.13B
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►🤝 It's coming home (to Sky)! 🤝 Comcast‘s Sky said that it has agreed to acquire the media and entertainment unit of U.K. TV giant ITV for $2.13b. The deal covers ITV’s networks and streaming businesses, but not its production arm ITV Studios. ITV had first disclosed the talks with Sky focused on the company’s commercial free-to-air TV channels in the U.K., as well as its ITVX streaming platform, in November. The planned deal would make ITV Studios a standalone company. The story.
—Transformative deal. Sky's acquisition of ITV's networks and streaming business will see another British public service broadcaster come under U.S. ownership. THR's Lily Ford and Scott Roxborough unpack what the deal means for the U.K. media market at a time of increasing suspicion of U.S. domination. The analysis.
—Tough scrutiny to come. ITV doesn’t expect it will be easy to convince regulators to approve the biggest merger in the history of U.K. broadcasting. ITV CEO Carolyn McCall, speaking to the media on a conference call following the news of the deal, admitted antitrust scrutiny will be rigorous. "We expect a very thorough and comprehensive review [of the deal]. Which we expect will go to phase 2," said McCall, noting that U.K. regulatory approval could take "12 to 18 months." The story.
—🤝 Sold! 🤝 Versant has cut an agreement for its biggest acquisition yet: a $530m deal to acquire Full Swing, a sports technology company. Full Swing is best known for its advanced golf simulators, tracking and analytics software, though it also plays in other sports like baseball. The deal will bolster the company’s Golf vertical, which is anchored by Golf Channel, arguably Versant’s flagship sports property, and the business line that CEO Mark Lazarus touts as the best example of where he wants to take the rest of the company. The story.
—Brutal. Microsoft‘s Xbox video game division will shed 3,200 jobs and four of its game studios in what CEO Asha Sharma is calling “the most significant restructure in Xbox history.” Sharma announced the restructuring in a memo to staff Monday, titled “resetting Xbox.” The changes will happen over the course of the next year, with about 1,600 layoffs happening today and the remainder being spread out over the next 12 months or so. The story.
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Taylor Caps 20 Years, America Marks 250 (While Trump Muscles In)
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►"Have two famous people in America ever been as constantly attuned to their emotional temperature as Donald Trump and Taylor Swift?" On a busy, historic, and very weird, weekend for America, Taylor Swift trumped Donald Trump for attention. THR's Steven Zeitchik reflects on the Swift-Kelce union, U.S.'s very own "Royal Wedding," as well as the president heading up an omnishambles of official 250th anniversary events. The story.
—"They cried, and they laughed, and they danced, and they hugged, and they kissed." Despite the reported no-phones policy at Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s Friday wedding, details of the “intimate” Madison Square Garden ceremony are starting to emerge from those who were inside the exclusive event. THR's Hilary Lewis recaps the moments we know about, from Adam Sandler's original song the “Blank Space” handkerchiefs. The recap.
—Aron errs. AMC Theaters CEO Adam Aron inadvertently broke the omerta around the Swift-Kelce wedding after posting — and then deleting — a long detailed account of what went on inside the MSG on July 3. It is unclear why Aron deleted his X post, but the NDAs, and the desire to remain inside Swift’s “orbit” may have made him take his recollections of the event down. The story.
—Ex-communicated era. Amid confusion about whether Blake Lively was invited to longtime friend Taylor Swift’s wedding, the It Ends With Us actress wasn’t spotted among the guests arriving to the star-studded celebration at MSG on Friday. Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds weren’t seen by photographers, social media or the many news outlets reporting on the festivities. The story.
—Merle FTW. There were many — many — predictions about which luxe label Taylor Swift would choose for her wedding. But THR's Merle Ginsberg, thanks to some very well informed sources, got it spot on with her prediction that it would be Jonathan Anderson for Dior Haute Couture. Merle unpacks the dress. The story.
—Gasp! One story that has leaked from the Swift-Kelce wedding festivities involves Girls creator Lena Dunham, a close friend of the bride, who made seemingly divisive joke made during a speech. According to reports, Dunham gave a speech during the couple’s Thursday night smaller gathering at the Infosys Theater at Madison Square Garden. She reportedly joked during her speech that “American football is just straight guys reenacting gay porn,” which caused a slew of mixed reactions from gasping to laughing. Tough crowd. The story.
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Jesse Eisenberg Is Getting Polish Citizenship |
►"I pursued Polish citizenship because of my family’s heritage." Jesse Eisenberg will in the coming days receive Polish citizenship and hopes to spend more time making movies in Central Europe because the kind of films he likes to create are becoming more difficult to make in Hollywood. The actor, writer and director shared the news as he received a standing ovation and massive collective hug, figuratively speaking, at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in Czechia on Saturday. Eisenberg was honored with the fest’s President’s Award before a screening of his film The Double. The story.
—"I don’t want to be associated with him anymore." Chatty Jesse Eisenberg also spoke about The Social Network and playing Mark Zuckerberg at Karlovy Vary Film Festival. The actor discussed his feelings on Zuckerberg, revealing that given the tech oligarch's history since David Fincher's film, he didn't want to be linked with the billionaire in any way. The story.
—"I am furious, but I am sailing." Patti LuPone has revealed that an LGBTQ+ cruise ship she is performing on has been banned from entering Turkey. The Tony winner took to Instagram to share her shock regarding the news. LuPone is scheduled to perform on Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady, which sets sail on July 5 through July 15. “I am shocked. The Atlantis cruise I am performing on next week has been banned from entering Turkey,” she wrote. “A ship — a magnificent ship — full of gay men. And me. Denied entry to Turkey simply because of who is on board.” The story.
—Mamdani makes moves. Cynthia Nixon‘s wife Christine Marinoni is reportedly among the latest additions to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani‘s administration. Marinoni has been hired as the chief of mass engagement at the Family and Community Empowerment office at the Department of Education. The gig, according to reports, is a way of rewarding Nixon for endorsing him during last year’s mayoral primary, though Nixon has denied that her wife was a political hire. The story.
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'Minions & Monsters' Posts Franchise-Low $61M 5-Day Opening
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►Bello-bello, no good-a. Despite opening at No. 1, Minions & Monsters didn’t get the Hollywood ending it hoped for over the weekend. The film — a sendup of old Hollywood — launched to a $61.4m, 5-day opening over the long July 4 weekend, and to a franchise low, three-day number of $36.4m. That’s a comedown from two years ago, when Despicable Me 4 brought in $120m for the five days. And in 2022, Minions: The Rise of Gru brought in $122m for the five days. Overseas, the news is better, where it has grossed $98.43m after expanding to 71 markets.
THR's second-nicest man Aaron Couch writes that Minions 3 is the second high-profile film in a row to underwhelm, though the Illumination animated feature is still a hit, and things were far worse for last week’s Supergirl, which bombed with $37.1m. This weekend, the DC Studios film fell to No. 4 with $9.6m, a 74 percent decline, and has a domestic total of $58.5m and a worldwide total of $100.5m.
News continues to be sunny for Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story 5, which came in at No. 2 with around $31m. It stands at $764.3m globally, the No. 3 film of the year so far. $366m of that is domestic. Disney is particularly high on its Japanese opening of $14.6m, the biggest ever for a Hollywood studio in the country. The box office report.
—ICYMI. THR's Borys Kit has the definitive piece on the behind-the-scenes issues with Supergirl, that, ultimately, resulted in a major whiff at the box office. Borys writes that for months, DC Studios knew the film wasn't working. Things came to a head in March when the studio tested its own cut against one from filmmaker Craig Gillespie. The story.
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Clooney to be Honored With Venice Golden Lion |
►🤌 Splendido Giorgio! 🤌 George Clooney will receive the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 83rd edition of the Venice Film Festival, recognizing a career that has spanned acting, directing and producing across film and television. “I’ve had so many extraordinary moments in Venice,” Clooney said in a statement. “This festival is without question my favorite and to be given the Golden Lion is a tremendous honor. It also probably means I’m old, but I’ll take it.” The story.
—"Officially separating my name." Tomi Adeyemi is sharing her feelings about Paramount's film adaptation of her YA novel Children of Blood and Bone. The author took to social media to address why she has not recently been promoting Gina Prince-Bythewood‘s film version that hits theaters Jan. 15, 2027. On TikTok, Adeyemi posted a video that also included a screenshot of an apparent message that she sent to Amandla Stenberg, who plays Princess Amari in the movie. Adeyemi’s message read, “Do not ever use my name in an interview or video again. Do not text me. Do not call me.” The story.
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Beyoncé Releases First New Song in 2 Years
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►Beyhem! Beyoncé rang the alarm on the Fourth of July with the release of her first new song in two years. The superstar musician dropped “Morning Dew (Donk),” which she wrote with Pharrell Williams, The-Dream and Darius Dixon and produced with Williams, on Saturday morning. The track, set to be included on the 20th anniversary edition of her sophomore album B’Day, starts a 60-day countdown to that reissue and her next birthday on Sept. 4. The story.
—From one queen to another. Madonna is back with more confessions. The pop icon at last released her 15th studio album, Confessions II, on Friday, marking her first album in seven years following 2019’s Madame X. As the sequel to Confessions on a Dance Floor, Madonna’s last truly monumental album era, Confessions II quickly became her most-anticipated release in 20 years. Sonically, Madonna literally returns to the dance floor, a move that’s getting her early critical praise already. The story.
—'arry's 'aving it. Everything’s coming up roses for Harry Styles. The former One Directioner has set a Guinness World Record for the longest run of concerts at London’s historic Wembley Stadium. He was visibly emotional on stage Saturday night after a 12-date sold-out run for his Together, Together tour that began on June 12. The 32-year-old beat the previous record for the longest residency run at Wembley, which was held by Coldplay for their 10 nights last year. The story.
What else we're reading...
—Katherine Bindley reports that Big Tech is starting to flip on the jobs wipeout predictions as the public turns on AI [WSJ]
—Lucas Shaw has an in-depth look at Netflix's struggles to get viewers to stick with its shows for more than a season [Bloomberg]
—Incredible Wiktoria Gucia story about how Mitch McConnell’s wife Elaine Chao reportedly traveled to China just three days after he received CPR following an apparent heart attack [Daily Beast]
—Matt Hughes explains the controversy and whiff of corruption over FIFA's decision to suspend Folarin Balogun’s World Cup red-card after a call from Trump [Guardian]
—Despite a heroic defeat, Shaimaa Khalil looks at how Mexico's World Cup run brought joy after a year of fear [BBC]
Today...
...in 1994, Paramount unveiled Robert Zemeckis‘ Forrest Gump in theaters. The Tom Hanks satire would go on to win six Oscars at the 67th Academy Awards, including best picture. The original review.
Today's birthdays...
Kevin Hart (47), 50 Cent (51), Sylvester Stallone (80), Eva Green (46), Jennifer Saunders (68), Audrey Fleurot (49), Ranveer Singh (41), Kate Nash (39), Jee-woon Kim (62), Geraldine James (76), Gregory Smith (43), Mark Mitchinson (60), Grant Goodeve (74), Brian Posehn (60), Fred Dryer (80), Cody Fern (38), William Lee Scott (53), Camille Sullivan (51), Dylan Kingwell (22), Allyce Beasley (72), Tia Mowry-Hardrict (48), Tamera Mowry-Housley (48), Matt O'Leary (39), Nnamdi Asomugha (45), Moshe Kasher (47), J. Alphonse Nicholson (41)
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Joby Baker, the nightclub entertainer and painter who played drums in a band with Elvis Presley in Girl Happy and starred as a radio D.J. on the short-lived CBS sitcom Good Morning World, has died. He was 92. The obituary.
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