Hollywood loves a billion-dollar bet. But what happens when it doesn’t pay off? Our runaway story of the week was Ashley Cullins’ look at the stunning fall of Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine — and the private equity reckoning now rippling through Hollywood. As the company trades for a fraction of its original valuation, Ashley reveals where the smart PE investment is going next, which new class of stars stands to benefit and what’s happening with other PE-backed celebrity shingles right now.
Another of Hollywood’s biggest bets is just beginning. Peter Rice takes over Netflix’s content operation Monday, and The Ankler has been examining his arrival from every angle — including Richard’s nine suggestions for the new boss and Elaine Low and Lesley Goldberg’s coverage of why him, why now and what to expect (hint: not just gourmet cheeseburgers).
Meanwhile, at Beverly Hills hotspot Bad Roman, Janice Min and Whalar co-CEO Jo Cronk hosted several of Cronk’s fellow Ankler Future of Entertainment 25 honorees — Dhar Mann, Netflix’s Brandon Riegg, Unanimous Media CEO Erick Peyton and Cosm’s Jeb Terry and Alexis Scalice. Also in attendance: NBCUniversal’s Pearlena Igbokwe and Liz Jenkins, Spotify’s Jordan Newman, Banijay’s Ben Samek, Propagate’s Howard Owens, creator Josh Richards and the CEO of his CrossCheck Studios, Chris Sawtelle, plus many more top execs.
Now, ICYMI, the rest of our best of the week:
Series Business
↑ TV in 3: Hollywood’s C-Suite Women are Disappearing. Why? Bela, Cindy and Pam are out. Lesley asks, is the boys’ club back? Plus: YouTube wins more, and Jon Stewart stays put.
Crowd Pleaser
↑ DC’s Clayface Cost $30 Million. Is This How to Fix Superhero Hell? After Supergirl flopped, James Gunn and Peter Safran bet on a low-budget horror movie. Matthew Frank lays out why the stakes go far beyond one film.
Movie-Lot Mazel Tov
↑ $100,000 Bar Mitzvahs: Hollywood Empty Soundstages’ New Stars As film and TV production slumps, Degen Pener goes inside the studios rolling out red carpets for lavish coming-of-age parties to rival “a Netflix premiere.”
Prestige Junkie
↑ Too Big to Win? You Can See Everything Divides Oscar Purists A historic best picture nomination? A shocking doc snub? And what about its acting (yes) contender? Katey answers all.
Plus, Katey chats with A Talent for Murder star Alden Ehrenreich about the twisty ride of going from Solo’s crash to winning a Tony:
Something Wicker This Way Comes — and Middleburg Goes Wild Olivia Colman’s unlikely romance brings down the house at the Virginia festival. Plus: Katey’s chat with La Bola Negra breakout Guitarricadelafuente
Richard Rushfield
↑ This Hollywood Life: Kathy Griffin’s 7 Years in Exile — And the Long Road Back She tells Richard that newly obtained records reveal a White House effort to amplify her infamous photo scandal — and recalls the famous friends who abandoned her.
The Wakeup
It’s earnings season, and nobody goes deeper on the numbers to know than Sean McNulty. This week: Netflix and Comcast:
Friday → ☀️ Musk’s $1 Billion Won’t Change SKYDANCE’s Challenges
Thursday → ☀️ COMCAST Q3: Cable Layoffs, Peacock Struts
Wednesday → ☀️ NETFLIX Can’t Sell Wall Street On Growth Plan
Tuesday → ☀️ Rice’s NETFLIX Film Options As Wall Street Places Bets
Podcasts
Ankler Agenda
Elaine, Sean and Natalie Jarvey read between the lines of Netflix’s earnings call to assess whether it’s pivoting to a new growth era — or if streaming is going the way of basic cable 10 years ago:
Shows
Monday Morning QBs
Sean and Christopher Rosen have no reason to deceive you, as the duo breaks down A24’s Nathan Fielder–Elizabeth Holmes documentary taking the box office by storm:
Rushfield Lunch
Richard chats with Bell Media president Sean Cohan about how he’s turning the Canadian company behind Heated Rivalry into a global force — one seductive puck drop at a time:
Like & Subscribe
New from Natalie Jarvey’s creator economy newsletter:
↑ Spotify’s Newest Weapon in the Creator Wars: Paid Membership
The Optionist
Andy Lewis’ latest IP picks:
↑ A Hot Influencer Divorce Story for War Fans
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