☀️Inside ANT-MAN opening #s as Box Office is +50% in 2023 so far
META & TWITTER's new desperate moves for cash / DIS punts MARVELS from July / RHONJ pops in new season return
Mornin! This is Sean McNulty (connect with me on LinkedIn here if ya like), and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on MONDAY February 20, 2023.
Where I’m a fan of starting a week with a little life perspective whenever possible… and yesterday 60 Minutes really delivered. Their piece last night on the power challenges in UKRAINE in the dead of Winter is highly recommended viewing. Full piece is here on their website, or a section of it is here on YT.
AND: Congrats on the DGA AWARD wins to The Daniels and… HBO, which swept the Drama, Comedy & Limited Series TV directing categories (including a 3rd Comedy Series directing award for Bill Hader on Barry).
AH YES: Here are your BAFTA winners as well.
ALSO: Tina & Amy have added additional shows in their 4-city stops on their Restless Leg tour this Q2.
Tina also confirmed she’ll be in the new Mean Girls Musical pic at PARAMOUNT (along with Tim Meadows), that begins shooting next month.
PLUS: Security continues to be #Job1 at TWITTER… err - just as soon as Elon recoups his $44 Billion, courtesy of your wallet. Mr. ‘Users First’ CEO is now only letting paid TWITTER Blue subs do two-factor authentication for their accounts via text. Everyone else will have to use Google’s Authenticator or… well some other cumbersome way to keep your account secure.
DITTO AT FACEBOOK: They’re “testing” their own Blue Check META VERIFIED program… For just $12 a month ($15 if you pay via iOS), you too can help keep Zuck in the lifestyle he’s accustomed to, and get a ‘blue check’ next to your account on both IG & FB (ooh and yes, get “increased visibility”!). This is sad. #BadLook. It’s like Zuck never even watched The Social Network 🙄.
It’s starting as “a test” in AUSTRALIA and NZ, but if you think this will stop there, I have a prime apartment to sell you in the METAVERSE. Zuck said more countries will be “soon”. META: Continuing our almost 20 year tradition of ‘borrowing’ innovation.
AND: Nothing like announcing a program you’re super psyched to get out there than dropping the news on a Sunday night of a 3-day weekend (granted that’s only in the US, but still).
BY THE WAY: META will need a look at your Passport/License/Government ID to verify you… something I’m sure they’ll immediately destroy from their databases.
REST IN PEACE goes out to Richard Belzer, who died at 78-years-old over the weekend.
HEADS UP: No Wakeup tomorrow since ya’ll have the day off today.
IN TODAY’S EDITION:
Initial indications of what the WGA will be asking for in negotiations.
Sarandos does INDIA, as biz perked up in 2022 quite a bit after price cuts.
Who knew that having a steady stream of product would change the tide for the Theatrical Box Office? A look inside this weekend’s numbers, as my bewilderment at no one releasing family films in Q1 continues.
Spring & Summer Theatrical release date changes and more.
And The Wakeup Friday Box Office Predictors came up a bit short… 39% of you took ‘Under $110 Million’ for Ant-Man on the 4-day numbers, just above the 37% of you who correctly chose ‘$110 Mil to $120 Mil.’
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📽 THE SILVER SCREEN
