What's news: The Dog Stars bombed big time at the box office. John Galliano has withdrawn from the Met Gala exhibition. Netflix has ordered a Manifest spin-off. Disney and The Pokémon Company have inked a distribution deal. Anne Hathaway has joined the cast of Days of Thunder 2. And Howard Stern is returning to SiriusXM with one live show a week. — Abid Rahman
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'Coyote vs. Acme' Snags No. 2 With $15.4M
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►Beep beep! It might not have been quite the show of emphatic box office support that Looney Tunes fans hoped to see after Coyote vs. Acme avoided becoming a Warner Bros. tax write-off, but the film managed to get rolling over the weekend to score a second-place finish behind the unstoppable Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Ketchup Entertainment released Coyote vs. Acme on 3,575 North American screens, with the film grossing $15.4m for the weekend after collecting $5.3m on Friday. The film earned an A CinemaScore from audiences.
This marks the biggest debut ever for the independent distributor, topping their previous best for the Looney Tunes feature The Day the Earth Blew Up, which was originally intended for HBO Max before opening to $3.5m in March of last year ahead of a $15m global cume. Coyote vs. Acme had a softer opening than other recent hybrid films — the past 15 of which debuted with an average frame of $23.2m, according to FranchiseRe — but looks likely to recoup its investment through ancillary markets.
Meanwhile, Ridley Scott‘s The Dog Stars was sent to the doghouse. The Jacob Elordi-led post-apocalyptic drama displayed little bite for 20th Century Studios with $8m domestically as it opened in 3,300 locations. The Dog Stars bagged a 41 percent critics approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, along with a 70 audience score. The box office report.
—Woof! Spider-Man: Brand New Day is doing pretty darn well. Insanely well. Like $2.24b and counting worth of well. Now, going into its fifth weekend, the Sony-Marvel blockbuster is quietly showing another type of strength: Even with two new major films opening, exhibitors are keeping Brand New Day in more theaters than any other movie. It’s close, mind you, but still: Brand New Day was in 3,678 theaters, more than any other title, just barely dropping from the previous weekend’s 4,006. The story.
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The Lone Dem on the FCC Wants to Keep Fighting |
►"This is a moment in time where I feel I have to do this." As the lone Democratic commissioner at the Federal Communications Commission, Anna Gomez has been in the unique position of speaking out on some of the agency’s biggest decisions and even publicly urging Disney to fight back against the FCC. She’s been unabashed about condemning agency decisions she sees as violations of First Amendment rights and what she views as the FCC’s directed targeting of critics of the Trump administration. And while she doesn’t exactly relish having to speak out against her own agency, Gomez says she’d like to keep going in the role. THR's Caitlin Huston spoke to Gomez at a pivotal moment in FCC's history. The interview.
—Late proposal. After failing to secure an exemption for the entertainment industry, stakeholders have made a last-minute proposal to mitigate the impact of California‘s new business tax credit regulations on Hollywood. State Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur and Senator Ben Allen on Friday introduced AB/SB 186, which if passed would exempt indie projects from the state‘s new business tax credit caps and allow all productions with state tax credits to monetize more of their refunds, faster. Stakeholders say a state budget bill that was signed into law on June 29 has jeopardized the celebrated increase to California‘s film and television tax credit increase to $750m in 2025. The story.
—🤝 New deal. 🤝 Howard Stern is returning to SiriusXM with one live show a week, plus a new deal with HBO Max. Stern returns to his longtime SiriusXM Sept. 14 and will embark on one new show a week, airing Monday, down from two per week. Additionally, Stern will adapt his live SiriusXM show into a streamable episode for HBO Max, alongside extras. The Howard Stern Show on HBO Max will debut Sept. 17, with episodes released on Thursdays. The story.
—🤝 "Headless Body in Topless Bar." 🤝 The New York Post has set a path into film, TV, documentary and streaming projects via a first-look creative partnership with Crazy Legs Productions. Atlanta-based Crazy Legs, represented by CAA, will look to adapt stories and archival materials from the News Corp. tabloid across scripted and unscripted platforms. The deal, to include stories from the recently launched California Post publication, will see the partners focus on developing media content in the true crime, pop culture and sports genres drawn from the tabloid’s vast archives. The story.
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'Housewives' Star Jen Shah on Finishing Federal Sentence |
►"I feel blessed. I feel free." After being released from prison in December and transferred to home confinement tied to her role in a nationwide telemarketing fraud scheme, former Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jen Shah completed serving her federal sentence on Friday. “Today marks the official completion of my sentence and the closing of a chapter that changed my life and my family forever,” Shah said in a statement to THR. "I made decisions that had serious consequences, and I accept those consequences." The story.
—"For the Palestinian people, nothing has changed, and tears are not enough to absolve us." Roger Waters, Annie Ernaux, Guy Pearce and a host of Italian and international artists have signed an open letter to the Venice Biennale and the Venice Film Festival calling on the event to take “concrete action” against what they describe as a genocide against the Palestinian people. The appeal under the Venice4Palestine banner follows a similar open letter to the festival a year ago. The story.
—"I do not want the debate surrounding me to place the Met in a difficult position." John Galliano has bowed out of the Met Gala where he was set to be honored, after a backlash over past remarks by the legendary British designer, in particular a drunken antisemitic rant from 2011. "After much reflection and discussion with all those involved, I have decided, with great sadness, that it is best for the exhibition not to take place at this time,” Galliano said in an Instagram post. The exhibit that has been set to kick off May 3 with the Met Gala is overseen by Anna Wintour, Vogue’s global editorial director who also serves as a Met trustee. But a backlash left gala organizers in damage control. The story.
—In jeopardy. A comeback for L.A.'s iconic 88-year-old Bruin Theatre in Westwood is now in doubt. Information about its new operator, Canadian exhibitor Rui Pereira, may kill the revival. On Aug. 26, IndieWire published an investigation highlighting claims of a checkered history with previous endeavors in Toronto’s film community. Among the accusations are nonpayment and unlicensed screenings at another independent venue, which he disputes. Most notably, the outlet highlighted Pereira’s history of making racist and antisemitic remarks on his theaters’ social media accounts. The story.
—Deported. On Friday, far-right provocateur, former Breitbart journalist and Kanye West associate Milo Yiannopoulos was detained at an ICE facility in Louisiana ahead of being deported back to the U.K. after allegedly overstaying his U.S. visa. Laura Loomer, the racist White House insider, wrote on X that she reported Yiannopoulos’ immigration status to authorities after he called for her assassination amid their feud. The story.
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Stars Gather at Grand Ole Opry for Dolly Tribute
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►"A lady who I truly believe was the most beloved human being in the world." Following Dolly Parton’s death at age 80, stars gathered at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville on Saturday night to honor the queen of country music. Parton made her debut on the Opry stage in 1959 at just 13 years old after being introduced by Johnny Cash. On Saturday, Carly Pearce, Kathy Mattea, T. Graham Brown, Molly Tuttle, Dan Tyminski, Channing Wilson, Belle Frantz and Jelly Roll were among those who performed tributes to Parton. The recap.
—Huge success. The sweltering Southern California heat couldn’t stop the swarm of music-loving fans from descending upon Irvine’s Great Park Saturday for the inaugural Daisy Chain Fields music festival. The Olivia Rodrigo-created all-women festival brought in 45,000 people, according to the singer before her headlining set. The event raised $10m for women- and girls-focused charities, which billionaire Melinda French Gates doubled, bringing the final amount raised to $20m. The recap.
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Hathaway Joins Cruise in 'Days of Thunder 2'
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►🎭 The busiest woman in Hollywood. 🎭 Anne Hathaway has joined Tom Cruise for the Days of Thunder sequel. Paramount has set a June 2, 2028, release date for the follow-up to the 1990 movie, which will also be filmed for Imax and released in theaters in Dolby Cinema, 4DX and premium large formats. Cruise will return as NASCAR driver Cole Trickle, while Hathaway will play a team owner and engineer. Further plot details are under wraps. The Top Gun star will also produce alongside Jerry Bruckheimer and Tommy Harper. A script will be penned by Will Staples, with Jonathan Levine set to direct. The story.
—"A racist caricature." Sacha Baron Cohen‘s outrageous Ali G character is back after 24 years — and so is the controversy. With a new movie coming in October — Ali G: Who Iz I? — some activists are calling Cohen’s dreadlocked wannabe hip-hop star a racist caricature and urging theaters to boycott the Amazon-MGM Studios film. Following a backlash online, NewsCord — a U.K.-based watchdog site that uses AI to track media bias — has rallied its members to support sending 37,000 emails to cinemas around the world urging them to refuse to screen the film. The story.
—🎭 Film debut. 🎭 Ryan Dorsey and the late Naya Rivera's son is set to make his feature film debut. Josey Dorsey, 10, has landed a role in writer-director Evan Coury’s The Burning Valley. Ryan Dorsey also is listed among the cast, meaning the father-son duo could share some screen time in the younger Dorsey’s film debut. Josey’s mom, Naya Rivera, was known for her role in Glee. She died in a drowning accident in 2020 on a boating outing with Josey, who was then 4-years-old, in Lake Piru in Ventura County, California. The story.
—📅 Heading to the biggest screen. 📅 The ESPN Films documentary Portrait of an Artist: Stephen Curry is set to open exclusively on Imax screens from Oct. 9. The film is directed by Gotham Chopra, portrays the NBA superstar reaching a record 4,000 three-pointers on the basketball court, and the shooting mastery behind the Golden State Warrior team leader’s sporting greatness. IMAX, Religion of Sports, Unanimous Media, and NBA Entertainment produce the film. The story.
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'Pokémon' Stop-Motion Series Set at Disney+
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►🤝 New pact. 🤝 Disney and The Pokémon Company International have struck a distribution deal that will bring both a new and a classic animated series to Disney+. The streamer, and sibling cable channel Disney XD, have picked up a stop-motion series called Pokémon Tales: The Misadventures of Sirfetch’d & Pichu for a 2027 premiere. The deal also includes rights to Pokémon the Series: The Beginning, the first animated series featuring Ash, Pikachu and the rest of the foundational Pokémon characters. It’s now streaming on Disney+ and began airing on Disney XD earlier in August. The story.
—It's official! A new Pokémon movie is headed to the big screen. Pokémon: Wild Card was announced Sunday night during the closing ceremony of the 2026 Pokémon World Championships, which took place in San Francisco. A teaser for the upcoming animated feature film also was unveiled, which revealed that the movie will be released in 2027. The story.
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Brutally Honest Emmy Ballot: Frank Views on 'DTF St. Louis,' 'Widow's Bay' and More |
►"I skipped The Gilded Age — I’d rather prep for a colonoscopy than watch another period drama." An Emmy-winning member of the TV Academy’s producers peer group, granted anonymity in return for candor, talks to THR's Scott Feinberg about his ballot. The producer says Apple TV's Your Friends and Neighbors is "a dumb show about entitled people," the "stereotypes" in Netflix's Nobody Wants This make him "uncomfortable" and "Jeff Bezos should stay the fuck out of our business." The story.
—🟢 Manifest destiny. 🟢 A spinoff of the NBC-turned-Netflix series Manifest is set to touch down on the streamer. Netflix has ordered a show called Arrivals: A New Manifest Mystery, three years and change after the original show’s fourth and final season concluded. The series will be set in the same world as Manifest but follow a new group of characters. Netflix made the announcement on Aug. 28 — or 8/28, a nod to the Flight 828 that was at the center of the original show’s mystery. Manifest creator Jeff Rake is teaming with Margaret Easley and Laura Putney, writers and co-executive producers on the original, for Arrivals. The story.
—📅 Dated! 📅 Alex Cooper’s Unwell is launching the next edition of its reality games competition, Unwell Summer Games, as the company continues its expansion amid increased headlines and controversy. The YouTube series, which launches Sept. 7, brings together 16 reality stars, creators and internet personalities who compete for a $250,000 cash prize. The show was filmed over four days at a luxury ranch in Canada and follows the launch of the Unwell Winter Games in March. The story.
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'Adults' Star Amita Rao Is Not Issa, But She Sure Loves Playing Her |
►"I hadn’t seen a show that really encapsulated a Gen Z ethos." THR's Nicole Fell spoke to Amita Rao, the breakout star of FX's much-talked about Gen Z comedy Adults. Rao says she's ready to dig into season two, especially the internet's favorite love triangle: "What was always been interesting to me was the tension between Issa and Anton as best friends." The interview.
In other news...
—Late F1 icon Gilles Villeneuve drives for speed, trophies in Rise of a Legend trailer
—Zurich: Club Kid, Bunker and Danny Boyle’s Ink added to lineup
—Spotify names Joe Hadley vp of global music content and partnerships
—Finneas O’Connell and Claudia Sulewski are married
—Anna Louizos, scenic designer for Broadway’s In the Heights, School of Rock and Avenue Q, dies at 69
—Pierce Thiot, creative executive at Maximum Effort, dies at 40
—Jackie Glass, Swift Justice host, dies at 70
What else we're reading...
—Angelica Jade Bastién makes the compelling case that Miss Piggy is "our last movie star" [Vulture]
—Very revealing report from Douglas Belkin and Roshan Fernandez about Syracuse University's struggles to attract the students it needs to pay the bills [WSJ]
—Laban, Alex! Albert Samaha reports on tennis phenom Alex Eala, who has become a symbol of the Philippines [New Yorker]
—Leander Schaerlaeckens wonders whether NBC’s Premier League coverage in the U.S. is just "too English" [Guardian]
—Ashok Dahal and Kamal Pariyar have a miraculous story from the Nepal flash flood disaster, where a school principal saved 900 pupils with his quick thinking [BBC]
Today...
...in 2012, Focus Features released Jamie Travis' For a Good Time, Call... in theaters. The Sundance comedy starred Ari Graynor, Lauren Anne Miller, Mark Webber, and Justin Long but failed to make an impact at the box office. The original review.
Today's birthdays...
Sara Ramirez (51), Richard Gere (77), Chris Tucker (55), Marc Webb (52), Stephen McKinley Henderson (77), Daniel Bernhardt (61), Debbie Gibson (56), Jeff Russo (57), Mark Mangini (70), John Cameron (68), Van Morrison (81), Mark Lewis Jones (62🏴), Devan Chandler Long (43), Rajkummar Rao (42), Dee Bradley Baker (64), Yara Martinez (47), Mimi Ndiweni (35), Jonathan Cake (59), Lisa Waltz (65), Ryan Kelley (40), Blake Lee (43), Joe Swanberg (45), Jaylen Barron (28), Elizabeth Cullen (29), Jack Thompson (86), Nick Reding (64), Rachel Parton George (67), Sofia Barclay (38), Dónal Finn (31), Garrett Wareing (25), Rhian Blundell (29), Richard Sharrah (40), Joshua Close (45), Kae Alexander (41), Jung Kyung-ho (43)
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