☀️Ellison’s PAR 🎥 Pitch In Vegas, DIS ‘Star Wars’ / ‘Avengers’ Pitch
WB gets Iran war project / Hastings leaves NETFLIX / Canada’s top 🎥 chain explores sale
Mornin! This is Sean McNulty (connect with me on LINKEDIN here if ya like or email me at seanmcnultynyc@gmail.com), and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on Friday, April 17, 2026.
Where I’m a little embarrassed to start today’s email by saying I think I’ve mistakenly been at the wrong hotel on the strip for CINEMACON all week!
Well, lessons learned for next year.
THEN: NETFLIX is increasing its original podcast production, going deeper into tried-and-true formats like true crime and celebrity interviews.
We’re Back! With Brian Williams, an interview podcast with notable figures
Allegedly with Ellison Barber, a true-crime pod from NBC NEWS
Shut Up Evan with Evan Ross Katz, celebrity interviews and chat
The Rotten Files with Stephanie Soo, a true-crime pod
The Puzzle Room with David Kwong, a celebrity-based puzzle-solving pod
AND: Here to round out CINEMACON week — a couple of big movie theater biz news developments to note:
AMC THEATRES CEO Adam Aron, head of the largest theatrical movie chain in America, said the company now has a “favorable view about Paramount’s desire to acquire Warner,” something his company’s trade organization, CINEMA UNITED, reiterated its stark opposition to just this week. Talk amongst yourselves.
North of the border — Canada’s largest theater chain, CINEPLEX, is reportedly exploring a sale, per Bloomberg. This comes as longtime CINEPLEX exec Ellis Jacob is retiring in December (he was honored with a big Lifetime Achievement award at CINEMACON this week).
CINEPLEX went through a botched sale process to #2 U.S. chain REGAL’s parent company, CINEWORLD, earlier this decade, which famously fell apart in an acrimonious fashion, soon followed by CINEWORLD entering bankruptcy.
CINEPLEX also had its appeal denied on a $39M payout over “deceptive marketing” practices earlier this year in Canada.
AND: My Full breakdowns of the key things to know from the room in the PARAMOUNT and DISNEY presentations yesterday is down below.
OH: DISNEY is trying to bring its penchant for #pricehikes to Super Bowl advertising, reportedly floating $10M pricetags for 30-second spots in the game next year, according to Variety. The general price for the last game on NBC? Between $7M and $8M.
Note that the $10M could include some other placements in the DISNEY TV/streaming universe to go with it . . . but so far, it seems Madison Avenue is too busy laughing at the price to look at the details. See you at the Upfronts.
ALSO: YOUTUBE seems to have the lead in the talks for whatever new 5-game package the NFL is putting together, according to FOS, likely mostly international games that air early morning in the U.S., but no real details there as of yet.
WAKEUP BOX OFFICE POLL
I’m feeling optimistic about WB/NLC’s Lee Cronin’s The Mummy going a bit above and beyond, even if most of you are sticking to the lower sides.
NEW POD
🎞️ CINEMACON 2026
PARAMOUNT sets a new era, as it pitches the old regime’s product
Well, the top headlines from PARAMOUNT’s presentation weren’t actually the new movie previews shown.
Yes, David Ellison showed up! But he did not go in the same direction with his splashy big video to set the tone for a new era of PARAMOUNT as Robert Evans did in this 1971 video, teeing up “PARAMOUNT’s future.” Many thanks to The Wakeup reader who sent me this. 👏
1. Jon M. Chu, brand marketing directing guru
The presentation began with a very well-directed video from Jon M. Chu (who has a deal at the studio), kinda going around various parts of the PARAMOUNT lot — starting at the iconic gates and former PAR honcho Sherry Lansing driving a golf cart with Gina Prince-Bythewood . . . and finishing with Tom Cruise sitting atop the PAR lot watertower looking out over Los Angeles, as I’m sure he does from time to time on his own (he also narrated the video).
A nice list of talent taking part — Jim Cameron, Timothée Chalamet (he has a James Mangold pic set up at PAR), Sonic producer Neal Moritz, McKenna Grace, Dan Trachtenberg, Jerry Bruckheimer, Molly Ringwald, Will Smith, Johnny Knoxville, Chris Pontius, Marlon Wayans, Teyana Taylor, Issa Rae, Miles Teller, John Krasinski, Pete Berg, Mark Wahlberg, Callum Turner, Parker Finn, Margaret Qualley, Duffer brothers, Travis Scott, James Wan, Isabel May, Chris Pratt, Damson Idris and Chu himself.
Not a bad list. Now, these kinds of “brand marketing” videos can be tricky. It’s a tough needle to thread between being overly hokey or sales pitch-y (or just dull and not engaging), but this seemed to achieve the desired effect of being engaging and subtly reinforcing that this is a new era at PARAMOUNT, while delivering its new tagline — Long Live the Movies.
Speaking of 👇
2. Ladies & gentlemen . . . David Ellison
Yes, the CEO showed up to say hello and humbly reminded theater owners that he was the guy who gave them “what Variety called one of the biggest bombs of 2006” in Flyboys.
But, also a couple of pics that fared much better, like True Grit and Top Gun: Maverick from SKYDANCE.
Most importantly, he was there to go on the record with key #DavidEllisonGuarantees for this crowd, including a new one as far as I know: