☀️ Movie Theater Biz Report 2025
DISNEYFOX + Schwarzenegger / AMAZON MGM’s Flanagan deal / New job list Tuesday!
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 Tuesday, March 9, 2026.
Where as we sit on the cusp of our next technological revolution . . . well, at some point (enjoy your ORACLE earnings call this afternoon), it feels a fitting time to recognize the 150th anniversary of the first telephone call, and the famous first words ever spoken were uttered (that’s where “Bababooey!” came from, right?).
With 2022 being essentially the 1876 of AI (when the technology had its big moment) — or the 2007 iPhone introduction as the equivalent for smartphones — you can look at things 2 ways.
One being that it took phones about 45 years to become remotely commonplace in the U.S. — and it took smartphones about 5-6 years to start killing Blackberrys, StarTacs and Sidekicks (have fun asking AI about those last 2, Gen Z 2.0). Some industries get killed exponentially faster.
The second way is that the “old” technologies still exist. The U.S. Post Office still exists, and people still write letters and cards.
#Funfact: The U.S. government put all telephone lines under the Post Office’s jurisdiction in the late 1910s — that lasted a year before they discovered that putting the ‘new tech’ under ‘the mail people’ was a terrible idea and thusly put it back under private ownership, showing that bad management decisions never get old.
People still have desk phones in their homes and offices. Radio still exists 80 years after TV — a technology that itself took about 30+ years to create a way to do “radio on the TV” with the launch of MTV.
There’s no doubt that technological adoption happens at a rapidly faster clip as time moves forward, and some old technologies do eventually fade out (good luck finding a newsstand anywhere near you in your daily routines, except for NYC bodegas).
Every technology also immediately comes with many people telling you that everyone will be using it tomorrow, and everyone else is toast. AI’s increasing autonomy also has much larger implications than previous technologies (our current “drone war” certainly is rattling a lot of previously held perceptions on that front, too).
However, it’s also important to keep in mind the other guarantee of the equation — the rate of change is very difficult to accurately predict, despite the certainty in which prognostications are delivered . . . and the vast fortunes being spent on it (again, see you on the ORACLE earnings call later today).
So, I’ll round out here on the most important front — the executive front, naturally, with this new survey from “Big 4” company KPMG, citing that only 9% of CEOs at large U.S. companies ($500M+ revenue) now plan to cut jobs due to AI this year.
The main reason, according to KPMG: The majority of companies are “not actually realizing, nor can they see, the return on investment of the AI they’re deploying.” Remember that 2025 was also supposed to be the year the movie business came back big.
OH: META bought that “social network for AI bots” MOLTBOOK, with its 2 founders joining META’s “Superintelligence” lab. The deal should close next week.
AH: Who says Hollywood is dying — so much foreign ownership interest in PSKY! Chinese firm TENCENT is intending to invest hundreds of millions in WARNAMOUNT as another ‘passive’ investor (although it’s not a done deal yet), according to Bloomberg.
TENCENT was involved in one of the early December bids for WBD (honestly, I forget which number), but was removed after WBD raised concerns about it raising red flags around government approval of a deal. Ah, WBD — you so silly!
YES: The DOJ curiously is allowing the LIVE NATION / TICKETMASTER behemoth to continue (a $280M fine? Really?), and yes, 27 state attorneys general will continue with a lawsuit seeking to split the 2.
OH: While ANTHROPIC may now have a “$20B annual run rate revenue” — according to documents filed in its lawsuit against the U.S. Defense Department . . . it’s actually only made about $5B in, ya know, real revenue in its existence so far, and spent $10B.
UH HUH: And the award for “Worst Ability to Read The Room” goes to . . . the NY FILM CRITICS CIRCLE! This really couldn’t have waited until after the Oscars?
YAH: The previously threatened Jeff Shell lawsuit is now official. A cool $150M in damages for violating an “oral agreement” on a TV show and unpaid crisis comms services from R.J. Cipriani, a man whose comms services I’m sure will now be highly in demand.
PAR is not implicated, but Jeff’s wife is also named in the suit.
HUZZAH: A shout out to the NETFLIX EU marketing team for this pretty innovative and expansive partnership with Spanish soccer team ATLETICO MADRID to promote the new Peaky Blinders pic.
On top of traditional social and video promos, there will be a branded pub and barbershop at the stadium, and a group of Peaky Blinders escorting the players onto the pitch for a game on Saturday.
YEAH: Renowned and heavily lauded chef René Redzepi of NOMA fame sounds like he was a real 🍑 to work for. Yikes . . .
THEN: WASSERMAN has been rebranded to THE-TEAM as the sale process continues.
HUH: PEACOCK got the U.S. rights to stream SKY’s SNL U.K. (it’ll go up the next day). Nicely done, Biz Affairs!
THANKS! To the folks at PAR+ for the invite to check out The Madison premiere in NYC last night — a welcome, beautiful escape to Montana, especially coming out of the NYC winter we just had. Plus, the WiFi seems to work well there, so I need to start writing this thing by that river instead of the East River.
FINALLY: Gonna move my weekly job list roundup here for the Ankler freebie subscribers this week in celebration of a 73-degree day in NYC. Especially as it’s going to be 38 degrees next Tuesday.
💼 GET A JOB
If you’re looking to hire someone — drop me a note to be included here! seanmcnultynyc@gmail.com or connect with me on LINKEDIN here.
AMAZON PV — Head of Streaming Movies Strategy ($144k to $253k)
NETFLIX — VP Production, Animation Studio ($378k to $600k)
FOCUS FEATURES — EVP of Events & Publicity ($260k to $340k)
AUDIBLE — Head of Production ($157k to $276k)
FOX/RED SEAT VENTURES — VP, Video Content Syndication ($206k to $235k)
AMAZON MGM — Marketing Manger, Series ($72k to $155k)
BYTEDANCE — EP, Short Drama ($75k to $173k)
CARNEGIE HALL — Director of Marketing ($150k to $175k)
NBA — Content Strategy Manager ($100k to $115k)
CNN — Channel Manger, TIKTOK & INSTA ($103k to $192k)
ROKU — Content Strategy Coordinator (no salary listed)
BLUMHOUSE — Marketing Coordinator ($80k)
AMC NETWORKS — Coordinator, PR ($50k to $55k)
NBCU TV — Coordinator, Drama Development ($50k to $60k)
UNI TV — Casting Coordinator ($60k to $65k)
NBCU — Coordinator, Global Platform Partnerships ($50k to $60k)
PARAMOUNT — Assistant to EVP/Head of Comms ($56k to $105k)
AMAZON MGM — Assistant to Head of Film Production ($23 to $34/hr)
SEARCHLIGHT — Development Assistant ($65k to $84k)
CAA — Assistant to MP Talent Agent ($20 to $22/hr)
CLYDE STAFFING GIGS — email clyde@clydestaffing.com, mention you saw it in The Wakeup.
Manager/Director of Talent Coordination for Media Company (5 years of experience needed)
Assistant to Media Mogul, heavy focus on scheduling and
managing expenses.
Assistant to Media Mogul, including preparing on-site logistics and travel, meeting prep, and travel.
EARNINGS SEASON — MOVIE THEATER EDITION
So, as our dear movie theater chains face yet another major consolidation on the supplier front . . . how did the “2025 To Forget” at the box office translate to the bottom line?
Now that we have all of the FY25 numbers, post-earnings season — let’s dive into revenue trends, who’s making money, who’s losing money, admissions trends and more.
This really is not a “one business trend fits all” business despite it generally being seen as one.