☀️NETFLIX #DataDump: What Worked & Didn’t in H1 2025
VERIZON kicks off Q2 cable TV melt / 'South Park' cuts a PAR deal / APPLE TV+ sets Jake Johnson
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, July 22, 2025.
Where it seems virgins are finally the next hot genre in reality TV (kinda odd it took this long, no?), as HULU is doing a show called Virgin Island Are You My First?.
The conceit is — well, let’s not overthink this . . . bringing together “the largest, hottest group of virgins ever assembled” #NoUggos in a reality competition show at a tropical paradise to navigate “love, lust and losing it,” which I think is how we all imagined the experience growing up.
Catch the action (or lack of, depending on how things go) on Aug. 18.
But hey — if things work out, maybe the lucky couple can also get married by the HELLMANN’S Mayo mascot, fulfilling what I’m sure is the other half of how they dreamt their lives would go one day.
AND: The WWE is putting SummerSlam in select REGAL theaters the weekend of Aug. 2/3 - tix on sale here via FANDANGO. Price seems to be $28/ticket based on a random sample check.
THEN: Juno Temple and Brendan Hunt are both officially returning for Ted Lasso season 4, which is now shooting.
AH: Fortune is cutting 10% of its staff due to site traffic declines / the rise of AI usage.
PLUS: Montreal’s JFL festival set 47 comics for its New Faces showcase this year.
ALSO: The Venice Film Fest announced its lineup, including:
AMAZON MGM’s After the Hunt from Luca Guadagnino (screening out of competition)
NETFLIX’s Noah Baumbach pic Jay Kelly
NETFLIX’s GDT pic Frankenstein
NETFLIX’s Bigelow pic House of Dynamite
Jim Jarmusch’s Father Mother Sister Brother
Julian Schnabel’s In The Hand Of Dante
The fest is opening with Paolo Sorrentino’s La Grazia on Aug. 27 (already announced)
OH: More pics at TIFF in September:
LGF Good Fortune world premiere
SPC’s Nuremberg
Sydney Sweeney’s boxing movie Christy
Angelina Jolie’s Couture
Directorial debuts:
Maude Apatow’s Poetic License
Brian Cox’s Glenrothan
James McAvoy’s California Schemin’
North American premieres:
A24’s Smashing Machine (which is premiering at Venice)
NETFLIX’s Frankenstein
Canadian premiere:
NETFLIX’s Ballad of a Small Player from Edward Berger
YUM: In L.A. burger-related news 🍔:
Lynsi Snyder, scion of the IN-N-OUT chain, is moving her belongings (and $7.3B net worth) out of CA to TN, where the chain will soon open its first location in the state, making for 9 states total.
Elon finally opened his TESLA Diner yesterday (at 4:20 p.m., naturally), which I’m sure is where you’re all reading this from today. Enjoy the $13.50 TESLA Burger, and the clips from
YOUTUBE TIKTOKHollywood movies playing on the giant screens outside.
REST IN PEACE: Goes out to a huge figure from the childhood of anyone who grew up in the ’80s, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who died from an accidental drowning on a family vacation in Costa Rica at the age of 54.
A WAKEUP HOUSEKEEPING NOTE
It’s going to be 82 and sunny today, so I’m pulling a Bueller and will see you again on Thursday unless someone announces they’re also splitting up their company.
AND A THANKS!
To NETFLIX for the invite to check out Happy Gilmore 2 last night in NYC. While the comedy lineup is stacked . . . gotta say Scottie Scheffler managed to come away with some of the best moments — that guy just can’t lose this week. Also nice to finally see Scott Stuber finally catch a break on the big screen.
IN THIS EDITION
Take a dive inside NETFLIX’s first half of 2025 viewership data across:
STUDIO MOVIES
What director did unusually well with his WB film that was middling at the box office.
What surprising SONY pic from the archive still does extremely well
SPORTS Programming
LIVE EVENTS (including the SAG Awards, which had a pretty nice 2nd year!) and more.
PLUS: VERIZON gives us our first glimpse into the Q2 #cordcutting trends, LGF is the next to make marketing exec changes and more.
FINALLY: Jon had some . . . thoughts on the news from the end of last week.
🎥 THE SILVER TV 📺
