☀️‘Goat’ Shows Legs as 🎥 Newbies Stumble
WBD drama heightens / HULU sets next animated series / PAR shifts ‘Turtles’
Evenin! 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 SUNDAY, February 22, 2026.
Where I hope you were all up at sunrise on the West Coast for some awesome hockey this morning!
Nothing like a 46-year gap between gold medals, and vanquishing the team that beat you in your last 2 Olympic hockey finals appearances — also very nice to have a 🥇 to go alongside the women’s team. 👏
AND: Here are your BAFTA winners, where American films also won pretty much everything.
BUT: Back here at home, America’s favorite tool arbiter of the airwaves, Brendan Carr (no poll needed, just ask him), would like America’s broadcasters to do the TV equivalent of wearing an American flag pin . . . and air more “patriotic, pro-America” programming that “promotes civic education” this year for the 250th celebration. I couldn’t agree more! Let’s start with a Schoolhouse Rock about Jan. 6, 2021.
AH: Good news for Mamma Mia fans — UNI film head Donna Langley just put her guarantee on it: “Yes, I’m going to say right now that there will be a Mamma Mia 3.”
ALSO: Who had . . . 1️⃣6️⃣ days in the office pool for how long Trump would not “be involved” in the WBD sale? I was actually figuring more like 8 — so I’m out, as Trump is telling NETFLIX to get rid of Susan Rice from its board . . . or else. Or else what, you ask? Hmm. I think maybe Laura Loomer will get to rule that the deal can’t happen? 🤷♂️ Oh wait, right.
PLUS: The DOJ is looking at whether a NETFLIX BROS. deal would “substantially lessen competition or tend to create a monopoly” among the creative talent set in Hollywood, according to Bloomberg.
It’s investigating whether the deal would violate a tenet of the Sherman Act, which is generally used in illegal monopolization cases (LIVE NATION-TICKETMASTER, etc.), as well as the Clayton Act, which typically pertains to details specific to merger deals, according to Bloomberg.
The AT&T / TIME WARNER deal was accused of violating the Clayton Act, lessening competition and increasing prices for consumers.
The head of SKADDEN ARPS, which is representing NETFLIX in the matter, had this statement: “We have not been given any notice or seen any other sign that the DOJ is conducting a monopolization investigation.”
THEN: Ted went on FOX BUSINESS on Friday (Greg had a thing) with this to say about the James Cameron letter last week:
“I’m particularly surprised and disappointed that James chose to be part of the Paramount disinformation campaign that’s been going on for months about this deal,” and referenced a conversation he had with him at the end of December.
As for the theatrical movie business that Cameron is so concerned about, Ted had some comments.
WB would have “a healthy, robust slate of films every year.”
Regarding movie theaters — “Remember they’ve been very short on inventory . . . and we’re going to be providing them a steady stream of high quality movies for years to come.”
Yet, still no one has asked him to define what “robust” or “steady” means in terms of an actual number of wide-release, well-supported theatrical films a year that would exist at a NETFLIX BROS. company.
I.e., Cameron’s main point in his letter.
Another big Hollywood movie distributor going from 12-16 theatrical movies a year to something like 5 (or say, 5 big ones and 5 others that get reduced / primarily NETFLIX on-service-based marketing campaigns) would be devastating to the theatrical movie theater business after the DISNEYFOX fiasco.
I’m not saying that is NETFLIX’s plan — but as no numerical details have been provided on this, I’m not saying it’s not . . . especially given leadership’s previous views expressed on the movie business.
ADDITIONALLY: On the carpet at the BAFTAs, Ted also said the thing the rest of Hollywood has been thinking for 2 months: “If you wanna try and outbid our deal … just make a better deal. Just put a better deal on the table.”
THUS: As PSKY hasn’t met a Monday morning news drop yet that it hasn’t liked — we’ll see what we wake up to tomorrow. Besides a bunch of snow.
FINALLY: Always nice when one #bigtech bro does a solid for another #bigtech bro. Can’t wait til INSTA launches its first scripted series.
WAKEUP BOX OFFICE POLL
Tough month for my fellow bulls . . . but at least bears also just missed 🤏 on I Can Only Imagine 2. Kudos to the 26%.
🎥 THE BOX OFFICE
