Domestic box office is up about 10 percent so far year-over-year, giving chains like AMC and Cinemark some breathing room. After bowing to $168 million on its first day, Spidey will throw a whole lot more fuel on that fire this weekend, and August doesn't look like a slouch either. — Erik Hayden
Ticker: Evan Spiegel frets about AI slop; Anne Sweeney exits Netflix; Mike Cavanagh hires NBCU's money man; Taylor Sheridan buys two movie scripts.
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What do Ari Emanuel, Adam Aron and Gavin Newsom have in common? The first two, the superagent and the AMC Theatres chief, wrote op-eds this week backing David Ellison's $111 billion merger of Paramount and Warner Bros., just as California attorney general Rob Bonta's legal case heats up in court.
Meanwhile, a Wall Street Journal item about California's governor has reporters reading between the lines about where Newsom stands on the case. "Newsom has told people involved in the matter that if the deal is blocked as a result of the suit, state employment would suffer," the Journal reported. However, the Gov.'s office declined to comment and nowhere in the story is Newsom or his team on the record. The way the article is phrased gives Newsom flexibility to respond however he chooses on the record, eventually.
The item dropped the same day as Paramount's legal team put out a statement arguing for a November trial date and arguing that Bonta's "request to delay proceedings until April is nothing more than a stonewalling tactic." As Winston Cho has put it, "time is not on Paramount's side" as this drags on. Here's why.
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James Hibberd has real praise for the one Big IP brand seemingly immune to franchise stutters: "Some critics say Brand New Day, which opens this week, is the best in the franchise. It's poised to explode at the box office, tracking to open at $465 million globally. The anticipation for the film is remarkable considering how little Brand New Day relies on the usual superhero franchise pump-up mechanics. There's no cliffhanger storyline leading into this film, no splashy new villain in the trailers, no end-of-the-world stakes, or parade of returning legacy stars. Brand New Day is simply: Hey, Spider-Man is back.
The success is all the more remarkable considering Spider-Man's wonky joint custody corporate stewardship." The column.
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There’s a reason Sally Field's Emmy nomination for Netflix's Remarkably Bright Creatures marks the first time in nearly a decade that a film role has broken through the best actress in a limited series/TV movie category. David Canfield's report.
*Missed out on the Emmys Special in print? Flip through this one here. (And subscribe!)
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From Grey Gardens to The Gleaners and I, Gimme Shelter to Grizzly Man and beyond, THR critics pick their favorite non-fiction films of all time: "Nearly half of our top 25 are about people or places nobody had really heard of before. Whether it’s skateboarders facing hardship in the Rust Belt; high-school ballers struggling in Chicago; drag queens voguing in 1980s New York; Parisians dumpster diving for produce; Kentucky miners striking for a union contract." The list.
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"That’s the only way that we can really move forward. Total denial." — John Oliver, on sticking with Last Week Tonight for at least another year as he tries his best to ignore his parent company's future.
"Unfortunately, we have been unable to reach an agreement thus far." — Warner Bros. film chiefs Pam Abdy and Michael De Luca on stalled talks for a Barbie sequel.
"This is a first for us. Unfortunately, someone stole a good amount of drives from our office desks this past week." — Sean Berney, Netflix’s head of film acquisitions, in an email ahead of a lawsuit over an unreleased Nicolas Cage movie that was stolen from Netflix's L.A. office.
"The main hurdle is getting people to support you, which means advertisers and sponsors." — Don Lemon, on growing his indie news brand in podcasting.
"I leave with pride in what we created together." — Casey Wasserman, accepting a buy out from his company by Providence Equity, ending an auction.
"If they wanted to do it, we would've done it." — Mahershala Ali, washing his hands of Marvel's long-delayed Blade adaptation.
"We’d already taken a 25 percent cut in salary. We’d already done all sorts of things to keep the show going." — Tom Selleck, on the "very frustrating" negotiations with CBS before Blue Bloods' cancellation.
Payday of the Week
$19.4M
Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer saw his total compensation rise to $19.37 million in 2026. That’s up from fiscal 2025 when the exec received $9.82 million in total pay, but more in line with 2024.
Logline of the Week
[The Secret of Secrets]
"Robert Langdon races against ancient forces and time to rescue a missing scientist and her groundbreaking manuscript whose discoveries have the power to forever change humanity’s understanding of the mind. The series adaptation will blend futuristic science with mystical lore." - Morgan Spector will star in the Dan Brown novel adaptation for Netflix.
By the Numbers
(Most-read stories on THR.com this week)
1) "Stars Pen Op-Ed Urging U.K. to Block Paramount-WB Merger"
2) "ABC Calls on FCC to Dismiss 'Extraordinary' License Proceedings"
3) "Jumanji: Open World Trailer Takes Crew Out of the Console"
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Call it Post-Peak TV. Only a few short years ago the annual message from Hollywood had been “scripted TV show orders are rising — and have hit a new record.” That time is far in the rearview mirror. As a new report from Luminate outlines, TV premieres across nearly all categories are declining. The collapse of the cable TV ecosystem is a big factor, but the retreat in the subscription video on-demand (SVOD) space is just as notable. Notice, however, the slight rise in shows ordered for free streaming platforms.
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There's a new star in the Ferrell family. Magnus Ferrell — the 22-year-old son of Will Ferrell — is currently having "the greatest two, three weeks of my entire life," as his new song "Asleep Talking" is having a moment, taking off on social media and landing him on the Billboard charts: "It's been like this weird dream." Kirsten Chuba's profile.
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It might seem a bit jarring to hear that an actor “took a sweetness” from a character called Little Death, but Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma’s Jack Haven found an innocence to the slasher in Jane Schoenbrun’s latest feature: “I like a character that just doesn't quite know how human things work, but is interested in playing with them." Nicole Fell's Q&A.
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The Sundance Film Festival's leading man Eugene Hernandez opens up on what to expect as the iconic showcase for independent film makes the move from Utah to Colorado for 2027 and beyond: "The industry can sometimes be a little resistant to change — understandably, we all are — but people have really embraced the opportunity of building this new festival in Boulder." Chris Gardner's interview.
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In response to the increasingly mobile state of production, Central Casting is expanding its background casting business outside of traditional film and TV hubs like California and New York. The iconic business, which has provided extras for Hollywood for more than 100 years, is now open for business in all 50 states. Katie Kilkenny's scoop.
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In 2023, Justin Vernon of Bon Iver fame (and Taylor Swift and Noah Kahan collaborations) sold his touring equipment and said he'd never perform live again. He held to it, even as he put out an acclaimed double album last year with collabs featuring Danielle Haim and Dijon and attracted the biggest fandom of his life. But for the past year Vernon has stealthily been up to something else: he has quietly rehearsed to channel 1994-era Bob Dylan. Steven Zeitchik heads to the woods.
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Rose Byrne had a night out at Cinespia's screening of Edward Scissorhands at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Director Alysa Nahmias was joined by producer Meghan Markle at a screening of their Roadside Attractions film Cookie Queens in L.A. Spotify hosted "An Evening with Shaboozey" in support of his new album in L.A. Kaia Gerber, Homer Gere, Hayes Warner and Ryan Murphy walked the carpet at the NYC premiere of FX's The Shards. Laysla De Oliveira, Nicole Kidman, Zoe Saldaña and Jill Wagner kept close at the season three premiere of Lioness in NYC. Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston celebrated the launch of Dos Hombres Blanco tequila at the Wynn Las Vegas. Giancarlo Esposito accepted the Santa Fe Film Festival’s Visionary Award. All 43 photos from the week in premieres and events.
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Upcoming Releases
Notable movies heading to theaters
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One-liners from THR's team of critics
A24's Anthony Bourdain origin movie, Tony, starring Dominic Sessa, is "more of a light bite than a full meal, but flavorful." Daniel Cretton’s web-slinger entry Spider-Man: Brand New Day "balances self-reflection with action" as Tom Holland "bares his soul." 50 Cent’s London-set Starz drama Fightland "blends boxing and crime clichés in forgettable ways." Netflix’s six-part Lockerbie drama The Bombing of Pan Am 103 is "restrained to a fault." Adult Swim’s Rick and Morty spinoff President Curtis "gets better after a shaky start."
And finally,
A Hollywood Flashback
"For the first time on the screen, the world's favorite adventure super-hero comes alive."
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