What it means for Hollywood if Paramount and Warner Bros. merge
The Ellison era of Paramount was barely a month old when another major potential Hollywood merger appeared on the horizon.Last week the share prices of…
Cracks in Hollywood’s box office armor: Lessons from another summer bummer
“The Conjuring: Last Rites” gave movie theaters a needed jolt over the weekend with a much better than expected domestic opening of $84 million and…
Netflix’s unlikely summer blockbuster: A ‘KPop’ smash that took over the internet
It was bound to happen sometime. This year, the most important Hollywood movie of the key summer season didn’t start its quest for world domination…
Could this movie based on a Hindu epic become India’s ‘Avatar?’
Movies from India’s prolific film industry have found success on the world stage before. “RRR,” an over-the-top Telugu-language action film, energized audiences in the U.S.…
Paramount, UFC and the biggest question for streaming sports fans
It’s been a dramatic couple of weeks in the wide world of sports rights, as media companies locked down a slew of deals that remake…
David Ellison is coming to Paramount with Silicon Valley cash. Can he save a classic studio?
As a deep-pocketed producer, David Ellison helped breathe new life into Paramount franchises including “Mission: Impossible,” “Star Trek” and “Top Gun.”But can the high-flying son…
Hits, flops and scandals: Hollywood’s 2025 midyear review by the numbers
No surprise, 2025 has been an eventful year so far in Hollywood.In addition to the megahits and epic bombs at the box office, the entertainment…
After ‘F1’ speeds off, what’s next for Apple’s film business?
The $145-million global opening of Apple’s “F1 The Movie” came as a relief — both for the iPhone maker itself and theater operators hoping for…
Hollywood’s fight against alleged AI copyright infringement has only just begun
It was only a matter of time before the major Hollywood studios started taking the fight to the artificial intelligence industry over its alleged abuse…
Why cozy content is king for stressed-out young adults
Meredith Hayden, a New York-based social media influencer and cookbook author, didn’t start out wanting to create comforting content.But that’s exactly what resonated with audiences.She…
‘Lilo & Stitch,’ ‘Minecraft’ and the revenge of the PG family movie
The PG rating has made a major comeback in Hollywood.It’s strange to remember now, but during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic — when studios…
Hollywood isn’t ready for AI. These people are diving in anyway
When filmmakers say they’re experimenting with artificial intelligence, that news is typically received online as if they had just declared their allegiance to Skynet.And so…
What Elmo, Netflix and HBO Max tell us about the state of streaming
If you want to understand what’s going on in the streaming business, go find Elmo and Cookie Monster.Netflix’s recent deal to stream the upcoming season…
Trump’s movie tariff plan roils Hollywood; IFC unveils a new look at 25 years old
Since Sunday night, Hollywood has been trying to make heads or tails of President Trump’s bombshell proposal to levy 100% tariffs on films made outside…
How ‘Minecraft’ and ‘Sinners’ went viral in completely different ways
Aside from their commercial prowess, “A Minecraft Movie” and “Sinners” don’t seem to have much in common. One is a PG-rated, special effects-heavy comedy based…
As Hollywood faces tariff trouble, don’t downplay the China problem
If you’ve been reading this newsletter, you know that Hollywood is already in a tough spot. President Trump’s tariffs, the resulting stock market volatility and…
Why Hollywood is not alarmed enough about Gen Z
Last week, people from all over the film industry descended on Las Vegas to debate the future of the theatrical experience at CinemaCon, the annual…
The 2025 box office is off to a terrible start. Is the problem supply or demand?
The first quarter of 2025 has been bleak for the movie theater business. The year that many analysts thought would be the one when the…
Paramount+ gains altitude from streaming bets. Can it compete long term?
When Paramount+ launched in 2021, there were plenty of reasons to believe the service with the self-proclaimed “mountain of entertainment” would end up relegated to…
‘Anora’ director Sean Baker’s ‘battle cry’ for theaters may fall on deaf ears
Sean Baker, the now four-time Oscar-winning filmmaker behind best picture champion “Anora,” made the most of the moment when he accepted the trophy for directing.Speaking…