| | | | | | What's news: Gavin Newsom is suing Fox News for $787m. Canada has pulled a planned tech tax to smooth U.S. trade talks. The BBC "regrets" livestreaming "Death to the IDF" chants from Glastonbury. The rights to Akira are up for grabs. NBC has canceled Grosse Pointe Garden Society. — Abid Rahman
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'F1' Zooms to $144M Globally, 'M3GAN 2.0' Bombs ►Pitt stop. Apple Original Films' critically acclaimed F1: The Movie is off to the races. The Formula One movie — teaming Top Gun: Maverick filmmaker Joseph Kosinski with Brad Pitt — zoomed to an impressive $55.6m opening in North America in the first major theatrical win for Apple. Warner Bros. is distributing the big-budget summer tentpole on behalf of Apple, with the two companies sharing marketing duties. Overseas, it clocked in at $88.4m for a worldwide start of $144m to supplant World War Z ($112m) and rank as the top global launch of Pitt’s multi-decade career, not adjusted for inflation. F1 has a huge advantage in having a lock on Imax screens until Superman opens July 11, along with Dolby Cinemas and other premium large-format screens for part of that time.
Horror pic M3GAN 2.0 flamed out with an estimated domestic opening of $10.2m, only good enough for a fourth-place finish. The Universal release had been forecasting a $20m debut, which would still have been $10m less than the first film’s record $30.4m record launch in January 2023, on its way to earning $117.7m domestically and $226.3m globally. Things went south in a major way when it limped to $3.4m on its opening day, including $1.5m in previews. The pic’s global start was an equally disappointing $17.2m. The sequel cost a modest $25m to produce before marketing, but that’s still more than double M3GAN's miniscule $12m budget.
THR's Pamela McClintock writes that Jason Blum's Blumhouse — which has suffered a string of misses this year — and James Wan’s Atomic Monster reteamed to make M3GAN 2.0 and they had hoped the movie would serve as counter-programming for younger women who have little interest in F1. And while M3GAN 2.0 skewed 53 percent female, simply not enough of the target audience showed up. The box office report. |
California Greenlights $750M Tax Credit Program ►"It’s a good deal for taxpayers." California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to woo Hollywood productions back to their cultural home got the green light on Friday, with a budget bill that significantly augments the state’s entertainment tax credit program passing both houses of the state’s legislature. The bill realized Newsom’s ambitions to increase the cap on California’s film and television tax incentives from $330m to $750m a year, making the state the most generous outside of New York and Georgia, whose program is uncapped. Though Newsom’s proposal, first announced in the fall of 2024, was initially met with skepticism, it grew in popularity, with the State Assembly voting for the increase 64 to one and the Senate voting 31 to three. The story.
—"If Fox News wants to lie to the American people on Donald Trump’s behalf, it should face consequences — just like it did in the Dominion case." On a busy Friday for Gavin Newsom, the California governor revealed he is suing Fox News for defamation over its coverage of a phone call he had with Donald Trump. In the suit, Newsom says that Fox News had used deceptive edits to claim that the governor had lied in saying that Trump had not called him about deploying National Guard troops during the L.A. protests. He is demanding $787m in monetary damages, which is about the same amount Fox paid in 2023 to settle a defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems. The story.
—Post-Peak TV blues. It came as no surprise to anyone when the WGA West’s 2023 annual financial report showed that television and film writers’ earnings and employment had declined the same year that union members waged a 148-day strike against studios and streamers. But one year later, in a work stoppage-free environment, employment dipped further than their strike-era levels, even as earnings slightly rebounded. That’s according to the union’s 2024 annual financial report, released Friday to members and reviewed by THR . The document finds that in 2024 the total number of WGA West members reporting earnings fell 9.4 percent compared with the prior year and 24.3 percent from 2022. At $1.5b, members’ total earnings rose 12.7 percent compared with 2023, but were still 21 percent below 2022’s $1.9b. The story.
—Pulled. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said late Sunday trade talks with the U.S. have resumed after Canada rescinded its plan to tax American technology firms. Donald Trump said Friday that he was suspending trade talks with Canada over its plans to continue with its tax on technology firms, including streamers such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, which he called “a direct and blatant attack on our country.” The Canadian government said “in anticipation” of a trade deal “Canada would rescind” the Digital Services Tax. The tax was set to go into effect Monday. The story. |
BBC "Regrets" Not Pulling Bob Vylan Glastonbury Livestream ►"The BBC respects freedom of expression but stands firmly against incitement to violence." The BBC “regrets” not pulling its livestream of a Glastonbury performance in which rap duo Bob Vylan chanted "death, death to the IDF." The television partner of the U.K.’s biggest music festival released a statement Monday as the event wound down and the controversy over Bob Vylan's set escalated. The BBC drew widespread criticism for airing the set on its livestream. “Millions of people tuned in to enjoy Glastonbury this weekend across the BBC’s output, but one performance within our livestreams included comments that were deeply offensive.” The story.
—"Their chants very much crossed a line." Glastonbury organizer Emily Eavis also condemned anti-IDF chants made by performer Bob Vylan. Eavis, the youngest daughter of Glastonbury Festival co-founder Michael Eavis, posted to Instagram on Sunday to say that the team is “appalled” by the band’s behavior. The story.
More from Glastonbury 2025....
—Kneecap shocks as expected with raucous Glastonbury performance
—Lorde performs surprise Glastonbury set
—1975's Matty Healy gives mixed message on politics during headline set
—Charli xcx burns Brat at packed Glastonbury set
—Olivia Rodrigo brings out The Cure’s Robert Smith |
Is Denis Villeneuve the Right Director for 007? ►"He’s certainly saying all the right things." Steven Spielberg once applied for the job — and didn’t get it. Same with Christopher Nolan. And Quentin Tarantino. And Peter Jackson. Over the decades, James Bond has left behind a smoldering trail of blown-up villain lairs and wrecked Aston Martins — but also a hefty pile of heartbroken A-list directors. Now that Denis Villeneuve has been confirmed as the helmer of the next chapter of 007's ongoing story, THR's Benjamin Svetkey considers the prospect of the Canadian taking on one of Hollywood's most enduring characters, writing that Villeneuve could make the most visually stunning Bond movie ever — or the least fun one in franchise history. The story.
—Back to development hell. Riding into Neo-Tokyo is going to take a little bit longer. After more than two decades of developing a live-action take on Japanese sci-fi classic Akira, Warner Bros. has let go of the movie rights. The rights have reverted back to Kodansha, the manga publisher that first put out the postapocalyptic cyberpunk story by Katsuhiro Otomo in 1982. Warners picked up the movie rights in 2002 and set Blade filmmaker Stephen Norrington to direct an adaptation, with Jon Peters producing. What followed is one of the longest development hell escapades in Hollywood history, as the studio would go on to spend millions, well into the eight figures, over the next two decades. Writers and directors that came and went include Taika Waititi, Gary Whitta, Mark Fergus, Hawk Otsby, Steve Kloves, Allen and Albert Hughes, and Jaume Collet-Sera. The story.
—Wait, what? Dominic Toretto and Brian O’Conner will, indeed, see each other again. Fast & Furious franchise star Vin Diesel (who played “Dom” Toretto) attended Paul Walker‘s (who played Brian O’Conner) brother, Cody Walker’s automotive festival, Fuel Fest and gave updates on what fans can expect for the 11th Fast film. The actor began by sharing an expected release date. “[Universal] said to me, ‘Vin, can we please have the finale of Fast & Furious [in] April 2027?’ I said, ‘Under three conditions because I’ve been listening to my fanbase.” “The first is to bring the franchise back to L.A.,” he said before adding, “The second thing was to return to the car culture, to the street racing.” Diesel concluded with his last wish: “The third thing was reuniting Dom and Brian O’Conner. That is what you’re going to get in the finale.” The story. |
'The Comeback' Set for Third and Final Season ►The end is nigh. Two decades after it premiered — and nearly 11 years after its most recent installment — The Comeback is making another comeback. HBO announced a third, and final, season of the comedy starring Lisa Kudrow. The show, created by Kudrow and Michael Patrick King will begin production later in the summer for a 2026 premiere. The Comeback stars Kudrow as Valerie Cherish, an actress who appeared on a hit sitcom in the early 1990s who’s trying to make her way back into the spotlight. The first season, which premiered in June 2005, follows her as she’s cast in a new comedy, with the stipulation that she also appear in a reality show about the making of the scripted series. Season two saw Valerie cast in an HBO project about the sitcom writer who made her life hell in season one, earning widespread acclaim professionally even as her personal life was falling apart. The story.
—Crazy story. A scripted adaptation of the Karen Read murder case, which ended in a recent acquittal, is in the works. LBI Productions is partnering with Read and her lead defense attorney, Alan Jackson, to develop a scripted project chronicling the case that ignited national media attention. CAA is representing the film and TV rights. On June 18, a jury found Read not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter charges in the 2022 death of her Boston police officer boyfriend, John O’Keefe. The same jury also found her guilty of a lesser charge of drunken driving after 22 hours of deliberations. A first trial had previously ended in a mistrial. Read’s lawyers during both trials argued she was framed by the police after dropping O’Keefe off at a party in the home of a fellow officer. The story.
—One and done. NBC is disbanding the Grosse Pointe Garden Society. The network has canceled the first-year series, which comes from in-house studio Universal Television and creators Jenna Bans and Bill Krebs. The decision comes five weeks after the show aired its first season — now series — finale. The delayed decision was due in part to NBCUniversal exploring a potential move to Peacock for the series. A deal didn’t come together, however, leading to the end for Grosse Pointe Garden Society. The story.
—Picking up the wand (again). Selena Gomez is reprising her role as Alex Russo in the Wizards of Waverly Place spinoff, Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, this fall. The original series ran on Disney Channel from 2007-2012 for four seasons. The spinoff launched on Disney Channel and Disney+ in Oct. 2024 and starred Gomez’s original series’ costar, David Henrie. Gomez appeared in two episodes of the show’s first season. The story. |
'Squid Game' Creator Explains His Hero's Fate, Talks Spinoffs ►"This has completely consumed me for six years." THR's queen of chat Jackie Strause spoke to Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk about the season three finale and the culmination of his most important work. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—Questions, questions. Jackie Strause considers all the big reveals from the Squid Game finale. Jackie writes that the winner was a surprising one, but the takeaway from that Hollywood star cameo leaves viewers with the most to ponder. Warning: Spoilers! The analysis.
—Victory lap. Could all this really be for one TV show? THR's Patrick Brzeski report that on a humid, hazy night in Seoul over the weekend, Netflix staged its most extravagant fan event to date — a full-scale victory parade celebrating the final season of Squid Game. Stretching nearly a mile, the spectacle featured over 450 performers, airborne displays of Squid Game iconography, phalanxes of pink-suited guards, a brass marching band blasting the show’s eerie anthems, and a 25-foot-tall Young-hee doll with laser beams shooting from its eyes. The recap.
—ICYMI. Fans around the world were ready for some big twists from the series finale of Squid Game — but arguably no one saw this surprise coming. In the final moments of the show’s last episode, the Squid Game universe suddenly gets a lot more global, when the camera jumps to California to find a character played by none other than [Spoilers!] on the streets of Los Angeles, recruiting potential American players to enter a U.S. version of the show’s eponymous death game. Warning: Spoilers! The story.
—"Exhausted and exhausting." Here again is THR's Angie Han's review of season three of Squid Game. In the aftermath of a violent rebellion, the contestants press onward through high-stakes competitions as outside forces continue searching for the operation's mysterious location. Starring Lee Jung-jae, Lee Byung-hun, Wi Ha-joon, Park Gyu-young, Park Sung-hoon, Kang Ae-shim, Yang Dong-geun, Jo Yu-ri, Im Si-wan, Roh Jae-won and Jeon Seok-ho. The review. |
'Gilded Age' Boss Shares Why Peggy Deserves a "Soft-Life Era" ►"Unfortunately, I think, women, often back then [and some] still do internalize the patriarchy and the misogyny." For THR, Ronda Racha Penrice spoke to television writer Sonja Warfield about the latest episode of HBO's The Gilded Age. Warfield, who works closely with creator Julian Fellowes, discusses the health update for the character played by Denée Benton, and that evolving romance and tension between the sisters played by Christine Baranski and Cynthia Nixon. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"I couldn’t believe that this truth, this bombshell for me, didn’t ever come to light." THR's Rick Porter spoke to Mariska Hargitay about the making of My Mom Jayne, a doc about her mother Jayne Mansfield. Hargitay opens up about going public with her biological father’s identity and why it was important to do it on her own terms. The interview.
—"She's a bit of a self-saboteur." THR's Carly Thomas spoke to Jurnee Smollett about her new Apple TV+ show, Smoke. Smollett discusses how she transformed to play the role of a complex former Marine, including putting on 15 pounds. Warning: Spoilers! The interview. |
Film Review: 'Heads of State' ►"Too much predictable action, too little comedy." For THR, Caryn James reviews Ilya Naishuller's Heads of State. John Cena plays the American president and Idris Elba the British prime minister in this Amazon Prime Video buddy-comedy action film. Also featuring Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Paddy Considine, Jack Quaid and Carla Gugino. The review.
—"Sexually frank, emotionally resonant." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Mathias Broe's Sauna. The Danish filmmaker explores the bumpy love story between a Copenhagen gay sauna worker and a trans man that exposes a divide in the ways they navigate the world. Starring Magnus Juhl Andersen, Nina Rask, Dilan Amin and Klaus Tange. The review.
In other news...
—Sony, Crunchyroll drop first Demon Slayer trailer
—Apple Music unveils new Culver City studio space
—Longtime Cineplex CEO Ellis Jacob to retire in 2026
—Rob McElhenney files to legally change name to “Rob Mac”
—Rebekah Del Rio, singer in Mulholland Drive’s Club Silencio scene, dies at 57
—Walter Scott Jr., vocalist of The Whispers, dies at 81
—Penny Noble, veteran talent agent, dies
What else we're reading...
—A very grim story from Danielle Chelosky, who reports that a AI-generated psych-rock band, The Velvet Sundown, is racking up hundreds of thousands of Spotify streams [Stereogum]
—Tim Higgins reports that our tech overlords think that AI chatbots might be the cure to loneliness and will be the driving force of the new "friend economy" [WSJ]
—Yi Ma and Eunice Yang report that China is cracking down on women who write gay erotica [BBC]
—Fran Hoepfner recaps an emotional evening at Ramy Youssef's June 28 Beacon Theatre show, where Zohran Mamdani and Mahmoud Khalil came out on stage [Vulture]
—In an op-ed, Bernie Sanders wonders if Democrats will learn anything from Zohran Mamdani's victory [Guardian]
Today...
...in 1933, Clark Gable and Jean Harlow hit the big screen together again in Hold Your Man as it made its New York City premiere. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Lizzy Caplan (43), Tom Burke (44), David Alan Grier (69), Ashley Walters (43), Desi Lydic (44), Katherine Ryan (42), Vincent D'Onofrio (66), Grant Harvey (41), Marton Csokas (59), Monica Potter (54), Molly Parker (53), Angela Sarafyan (42), Derek Haas (55), Rupert Graves (62), Rick Gonzalez (46), Deirdre Lovejoy (63), Colton Dunn (48), Brian Bloom (55), Julie Engelbrecht (41), Christopher Jacot (46), Alissa Jung (44), Jena Engstrom (83), Josh Ruben (42), Nancy Dussault (89), Gata (38), Bashir Salahuddin (49), Elliot Fletcher (29), Cody Rhodes (40), Willam Belli (43), Payman Maadi (55), Sean Marquette (37), Mark Waters (61), David Witts (34), Adil El Arbi (37), Kate Luyben (53), David Garrison (73), John Heffernan (44), Patrick Baehr (33), Emma Myles (38), Rebecca Tilney (65) |
| Joe Epperson, the three-time Emmy-nominated camera operator who had long stints on All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Full House and The Tonight Show, has died. He was 80. The obituary. |
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