| | | | | | What's news: CNN is projected to have $1.8b in revenue in 2026. The Disney Princess brand is set to become a lifestyle franchise. Brooklyn Beckham excoriated his parents on social media. Christmas Day 2025 marked an all-time high in streaming usage. And Timothy Busfield has been edited out of Amazon rom-com You Deserve Each Other. — Abid Rahman
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Netflix Goes All-Cash in Warner Bros. Bid ►Upping the pressure. Netflix is making a significant change to its $83b deal for Warner Bros. The streaming giant said Tuesday that it was amending its bid to make it an all-cash deal, eliminating the $4.50 in Netflix stock that had been a part of its original winning offer. The move will apply pressure to David Ellison’s Paramount, which has been arguing that its $30 per share all-cash offer is clearly superior. With the tweak, Netflix is now offering $27.75 in cash for WB, leaving Discovery Global as its own standalone company. In a proxy filing Tuesday, WBD outlined what it believes the value of a standalone Discovery Global to be, outlining a menu of possibilities for Discovery’s stock as a standalone, from a low of $1.33 per share to a high of $6.86 per share. The story.
—Closer look. For the first time, internal financial projections of CNN have been broken out by WBD. The company disclosed the numbers in the proxy filing released Tuesday. CNN is projected to have $1.8b in revenue in 2026, according to the filing, rising to $1.9b in 2027, $2b in 2028 and $2.2b by 2030. CNN’s adjusted EBITDA in 2026 is estimated to be about $600m, before falling to $500m in 2027 and remaining flat at $600m through 2030. The story.
—"The Disney Princess brand has become one of our most powerful global franchises, and we’re accelerating its evolution." THR's Alex Weprin has the scoop on Disney’s push to transform its immensely popular Disney Princess brand into a high-margin lifestyle franchise. Alex reports that the company is embarking on an ambitious plan to expand the Princess line from toys to more premium products, with a Viktor&Rolf Cinderella doll and a Pandora diamond collection launching this month to underscore where it's going. The story.
—Work to do. When Gov. Gavin Newsom signed in to law a doubling of California’s tax incentives for film and TV projects from $330m to $750m annually in July, the move sent a signal that the state was finally taking runaway production seriously. Yet that piece of legislation may just be the first step needed to keep more of Hollywood in Hollywood, if the latest U.S. production figures are any indication. In Q4 of 2025, California saw a 20 percent decrease in movie and TV projects filming in the state year-over-year, with production spend from those projects similarly down 22 percent, according to the Q4 report from industry tracker ProdPro released Jan. 16. Total production spend in the quarter amounted to $1.35b. The story.
—Supporting creators. Adobe is pledging close to $10m in grants and product donations this year to support filmmakers, including funding creators directly for the first time. The software company’s film and TV fund, which has created in 2024, will continue to support film and TV productions through community partners, as well as the newly announced support directly from Adobe, with recipients nominated by industry and community organizations. Adobe is launching new partnerships with organizations including Amelia Dimoldenberg's Dimz Inc. Academy and Rideback RISE. The story. |
Timothy Busfield Edited Out of Amazon Film ►The latest. Timothy Busfield‘s role has been edited out of Amazon MGM’s upcoming rom-com, You Deserve Each Other, following his child sexual abuse allegations. You Deserve Each Other, which stars Meghann Fahy and Penn Badgley, is based on Sarah Hogle’s bestselling 2020 novel of the same name. It follows an engaged couple who have fallen out of love and try to sabotage each other into calling off their wedding, only to fall back in love in the process. Busfield was playing Bernie, father to Fahy’s character Naomi. A release date for the film has yet to be announced. The story.
—The Fall of the House of Beckham. While David Beckham expressed in his 2023 Netflix docuseries, Beckham, that he and Victoria Beckham “tried to give our children the most normal upbringing as possible,” it seems his eldest son, Brooklyn Beckham, would strongly disagree. After months of speculation surrounding a family rift, Brooklyn has now taken to his Instagram Story to call out his parents for controlling “narratives in the press about our family” and “trying endlessly to ruin my relationship since before my wedding, and it hasn’t stopped.” Brooklyn tied the knot with actress and billionaire heiress Nicola Peltz in April 2022. The story.
—Damning allegations. Prince Harry‘s legal war with the British tabloids continues. The Duke of Sussex’s case against the Daily Mail formally kicked off on Monday with a legion of stars by his side at London’s High Court — among those also suing the outlet’s publisher are Elton John and husband David Furnish, actors Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost, as well as U.K. political figures. They allege “grave breaches of privacy” and more illegalities, including the interception of voicemails, tapping of landlines, paying off police officers “with corrupt links to private investigators,” faking medical records, and bugging celebrity homes by the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday. The story.
—"This is clearly out of her depth." Don Lemon is not holding back in his response to Nicki Minaj after she called him a homophobic slur over one of his reports on ICE protests in Minneapolis. The former CNN anchor, who is openly gay, went off on the rapper during an interview with TMZ, calling her a “homophobic, bigoted, ignorant woman” after she called him “disgusting” for his coverage. "She doesn’t understand politics. She doesn’t understand journalism. And I’m not surprised that she is weighing in on something that is beyond her capacity," Lemon said. The story.
—"We’re seeing our neighbors being kidnapped, peaceful protestors being assaulted and murdered." A little over a week after the Homeland Security publicly blasted her “garbage rhetoric” for anti-ICE social media posts, Billie Eilish graciously received the 2026 MLK Jr. Beloved Community Environmental Justice Award presented by the King Center on Saturday in Atlanta. The star once again denounced ICE in her speech, months after announcing plans to donate over $11m to climate justice groups and challenging billionaires to "give your money away." The story.
—Long time coming. David Letterman is returning to perform in Canada for the first time in nearly a half century. The former Late Show host is set to make his Just For Laughs festival premiere in Vancouver on Feb. 18 with an interview of guest star Zach Galifianakis. Letterman last did a stand up routine before an interview on the variety show 90 Minutes Live in Feb. 1978 on the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., the country’s public broadcaster. “I was advised by the staff here to speak very slowly on behalf of the viewers in Brandon, Manitoba,” the legendary funnyman told host Paul Soles in his trademark deadpan comedy style. The story. |
Peace Out, Park City: Stars Bring Buzz to Final Utah Sundance ►"Crowd-pleasing dramedies, wild midnight movies and plenty of star power." The time has come to bid goodbye to Park City — but not before one final festival packed with buzzy indies. This year’s lineup is emblematic of the kinds of films Sundance has long springboarded to box office success and awards recognition. There are feel-good dramedies that light up the Eccles, standout nonfiction offerings that become must-sees and out-of-left-field Midnight titles that catch audiences by surprise. THR's Mia Galuppo highlights the films already sparking interest as the festival prepares to close out its time on the mountain. The list.
—Last hurrah! Sundance officials will be rolling out many red carpets as the festival prepares for a final bow this month in Park City which is expected to be packed to the gills with Hollywood stars, auteurs and film-lovers as the indie world bids goodbye to the snowy enclave. THR's nicest man Chris Gardner has a roundup of all the parties, events, panels and more. The story. |
Berlin 2026 Competition Lineup Revealed ►Guter Gott! Keine studios! The Berlin International Film Festival unveiled its 2026 lineup on Tuesday, revealing a program sure to delight the festival’s many hardcore arthouse fans, but with little in the way of big Hollywood titles to draw in the undecided. Bar a last-minute addition, the 76th Berlinale (Feb. 12-22), will not feature any studio productions this year, something that could put a damper on the glam factor in the German capital. But Berlinale festival director Trica Tuttle and her team, have pulled together an impressively diverse competition lineup, with 22 features across virtually every genre. The lineup.
—Boarding. Emmy-winning comedy writer and producer Harper Steele has boarded the Berlin-premiering feature documentary What Will I Become? as an executive producer. A co-production between ITVS and Deep Dive Films in association with Storylens Pictures, the film explores the vulnerability of the transmasculine community by delving into the personal experiences of directors Lexie Bean and Logan Rozos — making their directorial debuts — while intertwining the stories of two young trans men who died by suicide. The story.
—🏆 Comhghairdeachas! 🏆 The 2026 awards race has officially reached Ireland. Jessie Buckley, Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Mescal and Cillian Murphy are among the top stars nominated at the Irish Film & TV Awards this year ahead of the Feb. 20 ceremony at Dublin’s Royal Convention Centre. Brendan Canty’s Christy leads IFTA’s film nominations with 14 in total. The nominees. |
'Landman' Co-Creator Teases S3 Reset ►"There’s a great level of trust there that whatever Taylor decides will be the right move." THR's queen of chat Jackie Strause spoke to Landman co-creator Christian Wallace, and asked him some of the burning questions following the surprising season 2 finale of the Parmount+ hit drama. Wallace also dishsed on star Billy Bob Thornton’s "nerve-racking" finale move. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—Woof! With three streaming-exclusive NFL games and the second part of Stranger Things’ final season debuting, Christmas Day 2025 marked an all-time high in streaming usage. Nielsen says streamers logged 55.1b minutes on streaming services on Christmas, breaking the previous high — set on Christmas in 2024 — by 3.9b minutes. That amounts to 54 percent of all TV use during the day, also an all-time high for streaming services. The huge day on Christmas — plus another day, Dec. 13, when it had more than half of all TV use — helped push streaming to its highest monthly usage in Nielsen’s Gauge snapshot for December. The ratings. |
Never Question Dacre Montgomery's Commitment to a Role ►"I’m always someone who’s going to be pushing to have the handcuffs tighter and the wire to be real." THR's Carly Thomas spoke to Dacre Montgomery, the young Aussie actor who first broke out as Billy in Stranger Things. Montgomery discusses his new film Gus Van Sant's Dead Man’s Wire and being pushed to his limits. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"I wasn’t in denial about my sexuality; I was afraid of it." THR's Brande Victorian spoke to The Upshaws star Jermelle Simon. The actor reflects on the end of the Netflix sitcom and how his character became the catalyst for him to live his truth: “I put Bernard to rest with a smile on my face.” The interview.
—"I don’t think anyone will be disappointed by how much pain Grace is put in." THR's Brian Davids spoke to the ever-busy Samara Weaving. The Aussie actress discusses the three films she stars in this year — Ready or Not 2, Over Your Dead Body and Carolina Caroline — and shares lessons from along the way, including the strange wedding present co-star Jason Segel helped her arrange. The interview. |
How Jack O'Connell Became Hollywood's Favorite Bad Guy ►"People are going to lose their minds." THR's Lily Ford spoke to (bad) man-of-the-moment Jack O'Connell about his new film, the absolutely brilliant 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (go and see it now!). The Derby-born actor discusses his rep as the go-to villain after Sinners, and his latest turn as blinged-out satanist Sir Jimmy Crystal. The interview.
—"It’s a beautiful example of collaboration in film and an actor just willing to really fucking rock it." THR's Mikey O'Connell spoke to The Bone Temple filmmaker Nia DaCosta. The director discusses her career mining wildly different IP, zombie semantics and capturing one of Ralph Fiennes' wildest performances to date (seriously go and see this film, if you don't they won't make a third one!). The interview.
—"I’ve gotta remember where I come from." Lily Ford's back, this time she spoke to The Bone Temple's young star Alfie Williams. The 15-year-old actor, the emotional core of the film, opens up about fear and his newfound fame (seriously, go and watch this film, I want to know what happens next). The interview. |
'Star Wars' Has New Hope (and Some Growing Pains) in Its Future ►"Star Wars is in a bit of an odd spot." For THR, Richard Newby reflects on the seismic changes at the home of Star Wars. Richard writes that after the departure of Kathleen Kennedy, the course is uncertain as Lucasfilm must prove it can make Star Wars into epic, theatrical events that excite fans old and new again. The analysis.
In other news...
—BAFTA to honor Picturehouse Cinemas creative director Clare Binns
—BAFTA names ITN’s Lisa Campbell executive director of programs
—Piers Morgan hospitalized after breaking hip
—Summer House stars Kyle Cooke and Amanda Batula announce split
What else we're reading...
—Kurt Wagner writes that the ongoing controversy over Grok’s sexualized images is really testing the limits of AI oversight [Bloomberg]
—Elise Taylor looks back at the late Valentino's love affair with Hollywood [Vanity Fair]
—Tom Fairless looks at the new research that shows that ordinary Americans are, indeed, footing the bill for Trump's tariff madness [WSJ]
—Emma Rosenblum reports on the new super rich hobby: commissioning couture getups and time-traveling to another era for parties [The Cut]
—Kelly Ng reports that China's birth rate hits record low as the population continues to shrink [BBC]
Today...
...in 2012, Wrekin Hill Entertainment gave a limited theatrical release to Zhang Yimou's The Flowers of War in the U.S. The period war drama, which starred Christian Bale and Ni Ni, divided critcs and stalled at the box office. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Evan Peters (39), Rainn Wilson (60), Omar Sy (48), Bill Maher (70), Skeet Ulrich (56), Michael Nardone (59), Lorenzo Lamas (68), Emily Gateley (25), Sophie Thompson (64), James Denton (63), Kerri Kenney (56), Tom Baker (92), Yan-Kay Crystal Lowe (45), Nic Westaway (37), Joshua Colley (24), Margaret Avery (82), Chase Paris (43), Daniel Cudmore (45), Krys Marshall (37), Ray Panthaki (47), Branka Katić (56), Morgane Polanski (33), Reno Wilson (57), Dave Fennoy (74), Ingeborga Dapkunaite (63), Daniel Benzali (80), Olivia Hallinan (41), Ciara Hanna (35), Rukiya Bernard (43), Joey Bada$$ (31), Pete Ploszek (39), Chris Miller (58) |
| Valentino, the legendary Italian fashion designer who seamlessly blended opulence and high style to create clothes that delighted generations of high-profile women, died Monday at his Rome residence. He was 93. The obituary. |
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