‘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…
For many viewers, YouTube is TV now. What that means for Hollywood
Netflix rightly gets a lot of the attention for winning the streaming wars, but that obscures the dominance of what is the leading online entertainment…
The Oscars are Hollywood’s infomercial. But the awards and movies are getting more niche
At its core, the Oscars telecast is supposed to serve as a three-hour infomercial for the movie business. But celebrating the year in film is…
Sundance 2025: Marlee and Pee-wee take celeb docs to next level
PARK CITY, Utah — Welcome to a special Sundance Daily edition of the Wide Shot, a newsletter about the business of entertainment. Sign up here to…
Sundance: Jacinda Ardern on why ’empathetic leadership’ matters
PARK CITY, Utah — Welcome to a special Sundance Daily edition of the Wide Shot, a newsletter about the business of entertainment. Sign up here to…
Michelle Satter, her home burned in Palisades fire, accepts Sundance award
PARK CITY, Utah — Welcome to a special Sundance Daily edition of the Wide Shot, a newsletter about the business of entertainment. Sign up here to…
What should we expect at Sundance 2025? We asked the sellers
A quick heads-up to Wide Shot subscribers: The newsletter is going back to Sundance! I will be in Los Angeles but my colleague Matt Brennan…
Focus features chairman talks ‘Nosferatu,’ ‘Conclave’ and Sundance
Before getting into the main topic of this week’s newsletter, we have to acknowledge the story dominating our region. Wildfires have devastated Southern California since…
You survived ’til 2025. Here are the big Hollywood business stories to watch for
Covering the entertainment business is never boring, and 2025 is already shaping up to be another banger as business models that have been around for…
Box office bombs. Cable’s collapse. What went wrong for Hollywood in 2024
Note: The Wide Shot newsletter will be off next week.When chronicling what went wrong in Hollywood in 2024, it’s hard to narrow down the list…
Hollywood year in review: Who won in 2024?
There were plenty of things that went wrong for Hollywood in the year 2024. There were box office flops (sorry, “Joker: Folie à Deux” and…