Mornin! This is Sean McNulty and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on MONDAY May 23, 2022.

While it was kinda hard to watch… as a “golfer”, I gotta say it was a little reassuring to see a pro golfer just totally blow a tee shot on the 18th hole of the PGA CHAMPIONSHIP yesterday ⛳️.

Feel terrible for Mito Pereira who lost his lead on the last hole… but gotta think it’s a name we’ll be hearing a lot more of this Summer, and congrats to Justin Thomas for winning his 2nd PGA Championship in 6 years.

ALSO: Here are the TONY AWARDS nominations, to be given out Sun June 12.

AND: Kate McKinnon, Pete Davidson, Aidy Bryant and Kyle Mooney all said goodbye to SNL (this is a post from Pete before the show, using his co-writer Dave’s account).

📽 THE SILVER SCREEN

BOX OFFICE

1. “Doctor Strange…” : $30 Million ($803 Million global)

   • A… somewhat better? 50% week-to-week drop (vs. 67% last weekend).

   • Tops “The Batman” for #2 global movie since the pandemic.

2. “Downton Abbey: A New Era” : $16 Million ($51 Million global)

   • Budget was $40 Million so… if the movie shows some legs over Memorial Day weekend, pic should be OK (int’l doing well regardless).

   • Will hit $20 PVOD home rental after the first weekend of June.

   • More on this below.

3. “The Bad Guys” : $5.7 Million ($74 Million US, $182 Million global)

   • Will soon become #1 grossing US pic in CHINA this year ($25.5 Million and climbing).

4. “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” : $4 Million ($181 Million US)

   • Both “Sonic” & “Bad Guys” had weekend-to-weekend drops under 20%, as they continue to have the Family audience to themselves… for another month. #Lightyear

5. “Men” : $3.3 Million

   • For a movie launched on 2200 screens… not great.

   • Clearly making a play counting on buzzworthy word of mouth, but gotta think it may have a problem keeping screens if theater chains blowout “Top Gun” screen-count wise this weekend.

6. “Everything Everywhere All at Once” : $3.2 Million ($52 Million US)

   • The movie-that-could continues to astound… staying even with last weekend.

   • Now A24’s highest grossing pic in the US ever.

AND: “Firestarter” dropped 55% in week 2 to $1.7 Million, $6.8 Million total.

About “Downton”….

What does this say about the movie business? Well. Whatever narrative you’d like to fit really - which I’m sure you’ll see plenty of today.

ONE CERTAINTY: No matter how you cut it - “Downton”-mania is clearly a thing of the mid 2010’s, and any hope at UNI for a lot of runway left in this franchise is kinda dashed.

• Save for perhaps a major reboot or spinoff to extend the franchise (and lower the production costs).

THE OLD’S: While 48% of the audience was 55+ years-old (with a heavy female skew), clearly not enough showed up, but anyone saying this is due to a reluctance to go to the movies vs. just not being that interested is 💯 making their own interpretation.

• Pair this with the fact that the specialty market has yet to rebound… and contrary to popular speculation - the movie business seems to have an older audience problem, not an 18-34 demo problem - they’ve been showing up in solid numbers repeatedly this year (“Scream”, “Jackass”, “The Batman” etc).

• Older demos have been MIA since 2020 - the only true specialty hit to date in the pandemic is the one with younger demo appeal (“Everything, Everwhere…”).

Bong Joon Ho adds Mark Ruffalo, Toni Collette and Naomi Ackie to next pic at WB

Robert Pattinson already on board to star in the sci-fi pic based on an upcoming book “Mickey7”.

It’s about a man who takes risky jobs on an expedition to colonize an ice planet. Whenever he dies, he’s cloned with his memories intact but… apparently #7 didn’t die as thought, and meets #8🫣. /THR

NETFLIX makes $50 Million buy on Emily Blunt pic at CANNES

Called “Pain Hustlers” - a Pharma industry pic about a single mom, high-school dropout in FLORIDA who gets a job at a failing pharmaceutical start-up where she excels at sales to raise her fortunes (and the company’s) … and wouldn’t ya know it - also becomes the center of a criminal conspiracy at the same time 🤦‍♂️.

David Yates (bunch of “Harry Potter” pics and the “Fantastic Beasts” franchise) is directing. /Deadline

ALSO IN MOVIES

• APPLE buys“Fingernails” at CANNES - Riz Ahmed and Jesse Buckley (“The Lost Daughter”) starring in the sci-fi love story, about a world where married couples can test if they’re truly in love. A woman is skeptical of her positive result with her husband 🤔, and begins working in the institute where couples are helped, alongside Ahmed’s mysterious instructor.

  • Will shoot later this year, no price disclosed. /Deadline

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📺 THE TV SET

PEACOCK adds Neve Campbell to “Twisted Metal” video game adaptation series

Will co-star with Anthony Mackie, Thomas Hayden Church and Stephanie Beatriz in the half-hour action comedy series. The “Deadpool” writers get the ‘idea by’ credit, and it’s written by “Cobra Kai” writer Michael Jonathan Smith.

Mackie plays a motormouth milk-man offered a chance at a big payday if he delivers a mysterious package across a postapocalyptic wasteland. Neve is playing “Raven” for any fans of the game. /Deadline

Lupita Nyong’o leaves APPLE TV+ limited series “Lady in the Lake”, currently in production

Natalie Portman is co-starring in 1960’s Baltimore set series, about a mother who reinvents her self as an investigative journalist looking into a murder, which ‘sets her on a collision course’ with another mother who is trying to advance Baltimore’s Black progressive agenda (Lupita’s former character).

Alma Har’el (“Honey Boy”) is directing. No reason indicated for the departure. /Variety

ALSO IN TV

• APPLE TV+ adds Ricky Martin in a lead role for “Mrs. American Pie” starring Kristin Wiig, Laura Dern, and Alison Janney, set in 1970’s Palm Beach high society. /Deadline

• DISNEY+ renews “High School Musical” series for a Season 4. Season 3 drops in July. /THR

• NETFLIX renews recently-debuted UK series “Heartstopper” for 2 more seasons. /THR

💻 THE MEDIA BIZ

JUST 2 THINGS

• Mayer & Staggs’s CANDLE MEDIA hires UTA exec Kendall Ostrow as SVP of Biz Dev & Community, reports into fellow former UTA’er Brent Weinstein, CANDLE’s Chief Development Officer who joined in Feb. /Deadline

• CNN DIGITAL’s Editor in Chief Meredith Artley is leaving after a 13 year run at the company. No next destination indicated. /Axios

🏦 STOCK NOTES:

AMC THEATERS -8% ($12.03)

ROBLOX -8% ($31.60)

ENDEAVOR +6% ($20.91)

BUZZFEED +9% ($4.37)

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👩‍💻 NEW TO WATCH:

FOX ”Don’t Forget The Lyrics!, “Beat Shazam” premieres starting at 8p.

🕵️‍♀️ THE WEEK AHEAD

TUE - “This Is Us” says goodbye

• NEW Ricky Gervais NETFLIX special “Supernature” drops

THU - “That Damn Che” new season hits HBOMAX

• “Ellen” says goodbye

FRI - ​​”Top Gun” day at theaters, “Stranger Things” day at home.

As does “Obi-Wan”, who seems to be getting a… considerably smaller marketing/PR budget on DIS+ (Or am I just not seeing it?)

• Depp-Heard trial should end. For now.

SAT - Beach 😎

🎥 TRAILER HOUSE

MGM “Three Thousand Years of Longing” movie trailer - In theaters Aug 31

SNL “Forgot About Lorne” - I don’t think this made the show which is a shame - amazing EMINEM cameo in this. Also Pete’s last rap/music video.

SNL - Kate McKinnon’s farewell to the show

HULU “Love, Victor” Season 3 trailer - Premieres Wed June 15

And if this 60 MINUTES piece from last night on South Chicago schools doesn’t lift your spirits a bit and make you wanna give it your best today…

🎧 PLAYING ME OFF

Going out with a congrats to ED SHEERAN and his wife CHERRY SEABORN on their new baby girl, joining her 2 year old sister Lyra. Slainté!

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-SEAN MCNULTY

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