Mornin! This is Sean McNulty and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on FRIDAY May 7, 2021.
Where Travis Scott sold 100k concert tickets in under an hour yesterday for his 2-day November “Astroworld” event in Houston. No word if everyone gets free McDonalds and Cacti Hard Seltzer.
ALSO: Baseball fans can now get a free Covid vaccine before a Mets or Yankees game. Beers are still $15.
AND: Welcome new readers this week! My one ask: Share THE WAKEUP with your work team? This thing is free – but I’ll totally cover for ya if you wanna tell ‘em you bought them all subscriptions.
📽 THE SILVER SCREEN
PARAMOUNT moves Mark Wahlberg’s next movie to stream on PARAMOUNT+
Sci-fi thriller “Infinity” directed by Antoine Fuqua and co-starring Chiwetel Ejiofor was supposed to hit theaters on Sept 24, but will now hit PARAMOUNT+ on June… TBD. (it will still go to theaters Internationally).
This news comes the same day VIACOM did a no-reveal on PARAMOUNT+ US subscriber additions since the service launched 2 months ago with a multi-million dollar ad campaign. 🤔
ALSO: PAR+ will add one new movie a week starting in 2022. Very similar to a plan already announced for the PARAMOUNT MOVIE NETWORK launch TBD this year (that’s the new name/rebrand for the PARAMOUNT NETWORK). Seems like the plan is still evolving – no specific details as of yet. /Deadline
ALSO ALSO: PARAMOUNT+ will be in 45 countries by the end of… next year. (NETFLIX is in 190, DISNEY+ is in 59, HBOMAX will be in 40+ by end of June).
Kids programming (aka NICKELODEON) is driving a lot of the initial PAR+ usage. “Paw Patrol” alone accounts for well over 10% of viewing. /Variety
FUN FACT: When I went to cancel my PAR+ account after the free 30 day trial in early April, they gave me 2 more months for $6 total (ad supported version).
AMAZON buys SONY’s “Cinderella” movie starring Camila Cabello
Kay Cannon (“Pitch Perfect”, “30 Rock”) wrote & directed, also stars Idina Menzel as the evil stepmother and Billy Porter as the fairy godparent “Fab G”. Features cotemporary pop songs and new music from Camila.
Was set for July 16 in theaters, but will now stream globally on PRIME VIDEO… TBD. No sale price disclosed. /Deadline
SONY PICTURES still has 2 movies for theatrical release this Summer: “Escape Room 2” July 16, and “Hotel Transylvannia : Transformania” on July 23.
DISNEY FOX picks up ‘revisionist’ take on “Romeo & Juliet” with Kaitlyn Dever set to star
Story seen thru the eyes of Juliet’s cousin “Rosaline”… who is also Romeo’s recent ex 😂👏 . Based on a book, script written by Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber (“500 Days of Summer”).
Karen Maine directing (first studio movie), Shawn Levy / 21 LAPS producing. Project was formerly at MGM. /Deadline
ALSO IN MOVIES
PARAMOUNT sets Owen Wilson to star in Bruckheimer family action movie, “Secret Headquarters”. Kid finds headquarters of world’s most powerful superhero…. under his house, then defends it with his friends when villains attack. Script currently undergoing re-write. /Deadline
STX sets Nasim Cambron as new EVP of Publicity. Returns to the company from NETFLIX, will report into Keri Moore, new Head of Marketing. /Variety
📺 THE TV SET
APPLE TV+ sets Billy Crudup to lead new series “Hello Tomorrow!”
10 half-hour episodes, set in a “retro-future world” where traveling salesmen pitch Lunar Timeshares 🤔. MRC TV producing, no timeline given. /Variety
EPIX sets Erika Alexander (“Living Single”), Derek Luke (“13 Reasons Why”, “FNL” movie) and Sam Trammell (“True Blood”) for BLUMHOUSE movie
Called “American Refugee” – Family seeks shelter in neighbor’s bunker after a US economic collapse and Martial Law is declared. Turns out… yeah they were safer outside 😬. Ali LeRoi (“Everybody Hates Chris”) directing, will hit EPIX next year. /Deadline
ALSO IN TV
AMAZON casts Ali Wong in a lead role for “Paper Girls” series – 4 teen girls in 1988 get caught between warring factions of time-travelers, and I think kinda have to meet/join forces with adult versions of themselves to save the world? 🤷♂️ Ali will play the adult version of one of the girls. Based on graphic novel by Brian K Vaughan (upcoming “Y: The Last Man” at FX/HULU). /Variety
NBC ending “A Little Late with Lily Singh” on Thu June 3. Lily getting 1st look deal at Universal TV’s Alternative group, also developing NETFLIX comedy series with Kenya Barris. No word on what will take the 130a slot. /Deadline
HBO SPORTS doing Willie Mays docu, directed by Nelson George. Currently in production. /Deadline
💻 THE MEDIA BIZ
ROKU adds 2.6 Million accounts from Jan thru March
Now totals 53.6 Million active accounts. +35% from April 2020. (Probably) higher than AMAZON FIRE users by a smidge – the ZON not really a font of information these days.
Avg Revenue Per User: $10.60/month (mostly from ad sales/selling commercials).
Revenue grew almost 80% vs this time last year, and they turned a quarterly profit of $75 Million, surprising analysts. Stock up 9% in after-hours trading. /Deadline
FOX’s free streaming service TUBI hits 40 Million Monthly Active Users (MAU)
Already exceeding 2021 revenue estimates – FOX bumps up guidance by $50 Mil to $350 Million for this year. /NextTV
Main competitor PLUTO (owned by VIACOM) just hit 50 Million MAU globally. PEACOCK has 14 Million monthly “active accounts”.
Worth noting no real data revealed by anyone as to definition of “active”… other than the assumed baseline of a user watched something on the service one time in a month.
ALSO IN MEDIA
TWITTER launches a “Tip Jar” feature. Users can link their online payment accounts (Venmo, Patreon, PayPal etc), feature the Tip Jar on their profiles and get payments from followers. Or I guess anyone really. TWITTER not taking a cut. For now. /CNBC
Jay-Z, Serena Williams and Ari Emanuel invest in “set up your own NFT storefront” service BITSKI in their new $19 Million funding round. /FOS
AMC MOVIE THEATERS lost $567 Million from Jan thru March. Q1 Revenue was $148 Million at the country’s largest theater chain (slightly below expectations but I… think they deserve a break these days). Still has $5.4 Billion of debt incurred during the pandemic. 😬
#3 US chain CINEMARK lost $208 Million, had $114 Million in revenue. Q1 last year was $543 Mil. /THR
WSJ adds 170k digital subscribers from Jan thru March, now has 2.6 Million (less than half of NY TIMES, though WSJ non-discounted subscription is about 2X the price). WSJ print subs declined slightly to 750k (about equal to NY TIMES). /Marketwatch
AMC NETWORKS on track to have 9 Million paid streaming subscribers by end of year across all of their services (ACORN, AMC+, SHUDDER, etc). They started the year around 6 Mil. Revenue from their streaming services up 14% vs a year ago – not setting any records… but slow and steady as AMC NETWORKS does. Ad revenue -7% tho. /THR
BUZZFEED hires Litty Samuel from MEREDITH as head of Editorial Video. Reports into SVP of Content, Tommy Wesely. /Variety
🏦 STOCK NOTES:
VIACOM down 2.5%. Not a big loss… but Wall Street obviously not impressed with the streaming service numbers revealed.
PINTEREST down 4%. Continuing its post earnings call downward fall in May.
🎥 TRAILER HOUSE
PARAMOUNT “A Quiet Place 2” final trailer – Only in Theaters (as the trailer end card reinforces nicely) to kick off Summer Movie Season on Fri May 28th.
ALSO: Blunt/Krasinski (and their WME reps) apparently in a dispute with PARAMOUNT about their payday for this movie. They have a cut of box office gross, and want a little something extra to compensate for being in theaters in May, and PARAMOUNT setting a 45 day theatrical window for it (vs usual 90 day) which could eat into their payment. PAR not contractually obligated here… but ya know – talent relations? #AQuietPlace3 🥴 /Bloomberg
👩💻 THE FSS FEED:
(new Stuff to Watch this weekend)
FRIDAY:
IN THEATERS:
MGM “Wrath of Man” – Latest Jason Statham / Guy Ritchie joint, Josh Hartnett joins for the fun.
SONY/STAGE 6 FILMS “Here Today” – Billy Crystal & Tiffany Haddish as New Yorkers who strike up an unlikely friendship as Billy’s writer character slips into dementia. Billy also directed it.
RJLE “The Water Man” – David Oyelowo’s directorial debut (also co-stars). Coming of age family film, Oprah among producers.
IFC FILMS “Mainstream” – Andrew Garfield and YOUTUBE stars getting… I guess you’d call it a bit out of control. Well mainly Andrew. Directed by Gia Coppola. Also avail for PVOD streaming rental.
STREAMING:
APPLE TV+ “Mythic Quest” – Season 2 premiere episode drops. Watch or Add to your List here
HULU“Shrill” – Final/Season 3, All episodes available today. Watch or Add to your List here
NETFLIX “Jupiter’s Legacy” – 8 episode Mark Millar series starring Josh Duhamel, Leslie Bibb: The world’s first superheroes pass the mantle onto their children. Goes real smooth. Watch or Add to your List here
NETFLIX “Monster” – Movie about a 17 year old honor student from Harlem (Kelvin Harrison Jr) charged with murder; repurcussions abound. With Jeffrey Wright, Jennifer Hudson and Nas among others. Watch or Add to your List here
ON TV:
No premieres. Although… worth noting PEACOCK PREMIUM is now streaming all episodes of 2 new comedy series from from peak Thursday Night Comedy talent:
”Girls5Eva” from EPs Tina Fey & Robert Carlock (“30 Rock”).
“Rutherford Falls” starring Ed Helms, plus Mike Schur (“The Good Place”, “Parks and Rec”) is among the creators.
PEACOCK PREMIUM also has a 7 day-free trial… and it’s gonna rain in NYC most of tomorrow. #justSayin
SATURDAY:
“Vax Up” Global Citizen concert with Selena Gomez hosting – J Lo, Foo Fighters, Eddie Vedder and HER performing, and I think Meghan & Harry are stopping by. Presumably not singing. 8p on ABC, CBS, FOX, or stream on YOUTUBE.
SNL – Elon Musk and Miley Cyrus
SUNDAY
SHOWTIME ”Ziwe” – New 6 episode sketch/interview show. Premieres at 11p.
If you were forwarded “THE WAKEUP”… or uh got lost on the internet and just found it (hey it happens):
🕵️♂️ THE WEEK AHEAD
MON – HBO’s 2 part oxycontin/PURDUE PHARMA docu from Alex Gibney,“Crime of the Century” premieres.
TUE – PODCAST UPFRONTS begin; Seth Rogen memoir about his early years “Year Book” hits shelves
WED – “The Hills” returns to MTV
FRI – “Halston” hits NETFLIX; ”Underground Railroad” hits AMAZON
🎧 PLAYING ME OFF
Brand new COLDPLAY “Higher Power” – not to be confused with the new Billie Eilish single “Your Power” from last Friday. Look at Friday with the big flex in May so far 💪 .
Have a fine weekend ya’ll! Email me anytime – just reply to this email, or connect here on LINKED IN.
-Sean McNulty
@theseanmac on TWITTER or also here on CLUBHOUSE or on IG @TheWakeupNews
