☀️ A24 Doubles Down on JLaw Pics
Comps to know for NETFLIX's Axel F debut / Sam Raimi + DISNEYFOX / CNN layoffs, subscription plan ahead
Mornin! This is Sean McNulty (connect with me on LinkedIn here if ya like), and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on WEDNESDAY, July 10, 2024.
Where this original ending to Anchorman according to Will Ferrell really sounds like uh, somethin’ — apparently it was a Patty Hearst-style kidnapping of Veronica and the newsteam guys had to save her.
Cue a test audience score of 50 out of 100 for the movie . . . and then we got the bears in the zoo reshoot thing instead, and here we all are. Yet another reminder that it’s an art folks, not a science.
ALSO: Just as with movies, podcasting is a business of hits, and Alex Cooper is looking for $100M guaranteed in a new podcast deal (no word on a desired duration), plus a rev-share in greater success, according to the WSJ. Her current 3-year, $60M deal at SPOTIFY is up at the end of the year.
AND: Add UCONN men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley to the big college sports payday list, getting a 6-year, $50M contract from the school. Yes, it’s “paying the players” that would really ruin college sports. This somehow just keeps getting more embarrassing.
OH: Severance will return to APPLE TV+ on January 17 for season 2.
HMM: MICROSOFT and APPLE dropped their plans to take observer roles on the OPEN AI board, as the Feds increasingly set sights on how #BigTech is influencing AI development. 👀
IN THIS EDITION
Another new TV writer deal, new movie deals, theatrical dates on the calendar, TIFF premieres and more, as the Hollywood gears have come back full speed after the holiday break.
A new creative approach to local sports rights emerges from the BALLYS disaster, plus a look at the sports TV audience sizes this weekend.
See how Eddie Murphy fared on NETFLIX over the weekend vs. other titles this year, and last year’s marquee efforts from other GenX faves Adam Sandler, JLo and more — did the BHC franchise provide a big pop?
My latest roundup of new job postings, a busy day in executive moves, what CNN’s CEO is laying out for the future . . . and much more.