Mornin! This is Sean McNulty and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on MONDAY August 2, 2021.
Where tickets for the WE LOVE NYC Central Park concert on Sat Aug 21 become avail today at 10am EST here (they’re free). NYC.Gov/HomecomingWeek
Also it’s now apparently August. Where later this month I’ll be holding my first “Hey who wants to write a few editions of this email for me while I’m at the beach?” contest. I’ll pay you double my rate.
ALSO: In Covid news… EMMYS requiring proof of vaxx for all attending next month. Same for all DISNEY workers within the next 60 days. Guests are already required to wear masks in any indoor areas at their US theme parks.
The NY TIMES “indefinitely” delays a return to office for employees (at bottom of story in link), although offices are open for any vaxx’d employees who want to go in. NPR has also pushed their return from September to October 17.
📽 THE SILVER SCREEN
Tom Hanks joins for Wes Anderson’s next movie
No plot details but Tom’s role is reportedly a small one.
Tilda Swinton, Bill Murray and Adrien Brody already on board for the movie, will shoot this month in Spain. /THR
PARAMOUNT pulls “Clifford the Big Red Dog” from September 17 release
Basically due to fears around continued Covid growth so… looks like PARAMOUNT’s 2021 return to the box office may be short-lived with just “A Quiet Place II” and “Snake Eyes”.
They have “Paw Patrol 2” on Aug 20 but that’s also streaming on PAR+. Next in theaters only release is “Jackass Forever” on Oct 22. /Deadline
BOX OFFICE
“Jungle Cruise” $34 Million ($27.6 Million int’l, $61 Million global box office total).
Plus $30 Million via DIS+ rentals. Giving it a 1.4% purchase rate among the 70 Million-ish DIS+ subscribers with access to rent it (it’s not avail in India). Vast majority of renters were in the US but no specific breakout given.
IN THE US: About 3.5 Million (ish) people went to see it in a theater, and let’s say about 700k accounts rented it at home.
That $30 Million is half the “Black Widow” DIS+ opening weekend number.
“JC” $34 Mil box office pretty close to “Space Jam” two weeks ago ($31 Million), which also had the HBOMAX streaming component.
DEADLINE puts “JC’s” film’s production & marketing costs at $360 Million, so opening weekend totals are about 1/4 of that, minus the cuts that movie theaters and app stores (Apple, Google Play etc) take. Or – it’s less than half of the production budget alone of $200 Million.
“The Green Knight” : $6.8 Million (5 of its top 10 grossing theaters were ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE locations)
“Old” : $6.8 Million ($30 Million US, $48 Million globally)
60% drop from opening weekend
“Black Widow” : $6.4 Million ($167 Million US)
“Stillwater” : $5 Million (5 of its top 10 grossing theaters were in Oklahoma)
“Snake Eyes” took in $4 Million in 7th place, a hefty 70% drop in week 2.
Mark Wahlberg’s “Joe Bell” dropped 80% to $121k in week 2, putting its total at $1.2 Million
ALSO IN THE MOVIE… BUSINESS
Gerard Butler suing producers of “Olympus Has Fallen” for $10 Million, claims he hasn’t seen a cent of his cut of Net Profits on the film that grossed $170 Million worldwide in 2013. /THR
CAA Co-Chairman Bryan Lourd, who earlier this Summer pointedly criticized WARNER BROS for not making any headway with talent after the HBOMAX/movies in theaters same day backlash, ripped into DISNEY on Friday for their statement about CAA client Scarlett Johansson around the the “Black Widow” lawsuit. /WSJ
And if you wanna hear Barry Diller kinda talk around the abuse accusations against Scott Rudin (“the 7 or the 9 or however many it is” – approximate quote. There were 33 accounts in the NY MAG piece), and also describe how he apparently hasn’t talked to Scott, his longtime business partner and former employee, about any of this – check out the latest episode of Kim Masters’s podcast “The Business” here: SPOTIFY APPLE PODCASTS
📺 THE TV SET
“Star Trek” series showrunner / leader Alex Kurtzman extends CBS Studios deal for $160 Million
He set a $25 Million, 5 year deal there back in 2018 but… overall TV deals for A-List showrunners have gone up a notch since then (#thanksNetflix!) and he “requested to renegotiate” according to THR. So – the new 5 year deal is set thru 2026 for $160 Mil.
He currently oversees the “Star Trek” TV empire, and CBS’s “Clarice” and SHOWTIME’s “The Comey Rules” also fell under his deal. CBS CEO George Cheeks calls Alex “our future”. /NY Times
ALSO IN TV
PEACOCK in the lead to acquire a Magic Johnson docuseries a la “The Last Dance” for $25 Million according to Lucas Shaw’s BLOOMBERG Screentime email. Rick Famuyiwa (“Dope”, “Brown Sugar”) directing.
💻 THE MEDIA BIZ
CHARTER adds 350k new Broadband customers in 2nd Quarter
400k if you count Business accounts… which is also what COMCAST added for the April thru June period. But as cable companies do every quarter… they lost another 163k Cable TV subscribers.
Also added 265 Mobile service customers to hit 2.9 Million. COMCAST has 3.3 Million, and the growth rates are still very healthy for both, even though a small business for them big picture overall. /Next TV
CHARTER still firmly the 2nd largest US Broadband & Cable TV provider right behind COMCAST, with counts now standing at:
BROADBAND: 27.7 Million (29.6 Million including business customers)
CABLE TV: 15.4 Million
HOME PHONE: 9 Million (this is falling at about a 400k a year clip)
MOBILE: 2.9 Million
Total 2 Qtr revenue: $12.8 Billion
Reference points: COMCAST Cable revenue is about $16 Billion. NETFLIX $7.3 Billion. FACEBOOK $29 Billion.
ALSO IN MEDIA
HULU + LIVE TV bundle adds NFL NETWORK to base $65 bundle before pre-season starts. /Next TV
Production / Management compay RANGE MEDIA PARTNERS sets up their own music label imprint at CAPITOL RECORDS and VIRGIN MUSIC & ARTIST SERVICES. Called RANGE MUSIC. Seems like it’ll mostly be to add radio promotional support for RANGE’s music clients, but there is the option there to put out albums for clients via CAPITOL for clients who’s label deals are up. /Variety
🏦 STOCK NOTES:
AMAZON ended Friday -7.5% on their underwhelming earnings call forecasts.
PINTEREST down over 18% on their report of losing US subscribers in Q2.
👩💻 NEW TO WATCH:
HBO “Small Town News: KPVM Pahrump” – 6 half-hour episode docuseries about a small TV affiliate in Nevada. First 2 eps premiere at 9p.
If you were sent this newsletter or… just kinda found it:
PAGE SEVEN
(yes, this is new – trying a weekly Monday roundup of some items from what I’d call the US WEEKLY world because I’m old and that’s how I refer to it. Candid thoughts 👍 or 👎 on making it a weekly staple? Email me, just reply to this email).
Here’s KANYE’s “accommodations” at Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz stadium while he’s finishing his “Donda” album, expected this Friday, so hopefully he packed enough clothes 🤞. And apparently he’s going to hold another live-listening event there this Thursday. His last one just… a week ago was live-streamed on APPLE MUSIC to 3.3 Million folks in addition to the packed Benz stadium.
Kelly Clarkson ordered to pay her ex Brandon Blackstock $200k a month in alimony, or $2.4 Million a year. He was asking for twice that much, after leaving his career managing Blake Shelton & Rascal Flatts among others to become… a rancher. Kelly also has to pay $1.25 Million for Brandon’s legal fees. Agreement is “temporary” but no timeline horizon given for a final version. /The Blaze
LOLLAPALOOZA dropped DA BABY from the festival yesterday over his series of homophobic and tone-deaf comments about HIV / AIDS last week. /THR
Bennifer took their 2021 reunion tour to Saint Tropez & Capri, complete with bikini boat hangs like it’s 2002 all over again #JennyFromTheBlock. Capped off with a BEN necklace as a 52nd birthday present this weekend. /TMZ
🎥 TRAILER HOUSE
SHOWTIME “Billions” Season 5 part 2 trailer. Premieres Sun Sept 5
NETFLIX “Vivo” trailer. Animated movie about a kinkachu voiced by Lin Manuel Miranda, who goes on an adventure to deliver a love song to Gloria Estafan’s character on behalf of his owner. Premieres Fri Aug 6.
NETFLIX “Brand New Cherry Flavor” limited series trailer. Young female filmmaker (Rosa Salazar) comes to Hollywood in the early 90’s and turns to an… occult revenge specialist (witch?) played by Catherine Keener to take revenge on a producer who seems to have assaulted her, all told in a very trippy and pulpy tone. Premieres Fri Aug 13.
🕵️♂️ THE WEEK AHEAD
TUE – HBO “Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union” 3 part documentary premieres at 9p; DISCOVERY earnings call in the AM
WED – NY TIMES, SONY earnings in AM; ROKU, FOX CORP in late afternoon
THU – NFL Hall of Fame pre-season kickoff game Steelers Vs Cowboys; VIACOM earnings in the AM, LIONSGATE, NEWS CORP in late afternoon
FRI – The well-reviewed “Suicide Squad” movie hits theaters and HBOMAX; AMC NETWORKS, CINEMARK earnings in the morning
SUN – The OLYMPICS end.
🎧 PLAYING ME OFF
New BILLIE EILISH – “Happier Than Ever”. New album dropped on Friday. This song about life after an Ex really kicks in around the 3 minute mark.
Listen to the Album on SPOTIFY or:
If you need new tunes:
And if you want to send the newsletter to someone, here’s a button:
Email me anytime – just reply to this email, or connect here on LINKED IN.
-Sean McNulty
@theseanmac on TWITTER
@TheWakeupNews on INSTAGRAM
or I’m also here on CLUBHOUSE
