☀️ SONY’s ‘Big’ Whiff; UNI’s ‘Him’ Misses Target
PAR makes next movie buy / Murdochs may be part of new TIKTOK / VERSANT reveals financials
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, September 21, 2025.
Where I’m gonna go out on a limb and say two of the biggest topics of conversation this weekend vacillated between Taylor Swift movie tickets and HULU/DIS+ cancellations.
Yes, say what you will about the movie business, but it’s never dull — T-Swift’s latest sprinkling of magic over the AMC THEATRES business will be a Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl uh, movie (🤷♂️) on the first weekend of October when her new album drops (any chance we can get Taylor and Nicole to do a spot together? 🙏).
Note that other theater chains are also showing the movie (REGAL, CINEMARK and ALAMO theaters all are listing showtimes here in the greater NYC area), but that AMC will play the pic in all 540 U.S. locations.
No specific details on the exhibitor splits (they got 43% of ticket sales on Eras Tour), other than Deadline describing them as “quite favorable” to movie theaters.
The 90-minute
album commercialfilm got $15M of pre-sales on its first day of ticket sales. Tickets are $12 plus tax (12 songs on the album and it’s her 12th album), and so far the booking is just for that first weekend of October.Gonna say a Smashing Machine double feature push has an uphill battle for A24 — but, hey, maybe sell it as something for dad to check out while the kids are at T-Swift?
It’ll also hit 18 other countries as of now on Oct. 3 as well, with more to come after that/TBA.
So, like a boss — Taylor is essentially using movie theaters to world premiere her new music video #sorryMTV, along with new lyric videos for songs and a bunch of interview/BTS footage around the making of the album.
It’s also a further shot in the arm of the movie theater business — you wanna give folks a real event to enjoy with friends simultaneously across the country (while subtly reinforcing your ability to make a #bossmove)? Do it at a movie theater.
PLUS: A 64-year-old man fired shots into the lobby of the TEGNA-owned Sacramento ABC affiliate on Friday afternoon (one person was in the lobby but thankfully not hit).
The suspect was then released on $200k bail on Saturday afternoon . . . and then apprehended by the FBI later that day under federal charges related to the incident for “willfully or maliciously” interfering with radio communications licensed or authorized by the federal government.
The man’s motives are still under investigation, and he’ll appear in federal court on the federal charge on Monday, and Sacramento Superior court on Tuesday on the local charges.
THEN: SINCLAIR backed off its plans to air its Charlie Kirk special in the JKL late-night timeslot on Friday night, and instead put the tribute on YOUTUBE and aired usual ABC programming instead.
That ABC programming was . . . a rerun of Celebrity Family Feud.
Jimmy Kimmel Live is still listed on the Monday schedule for SINCLAIR’s biggest ABC affiliate, WJLA in D.C. — obviously no word if this will be a new episode or not . . . or replaced by another riveting edition of the Feud.
JKL staff, which is estimated to be about 200 to 250 folks, will still be paid as usual this week while things are being sorted.
AH: Trump’s $15B lawsuit against the NY TIMES was already thrown out by a Florida judge on Friday, saying the 85-page complaint was unnecessarily lengthy and digressive . . . and didn’t event mention the defamation claim until page 80.
Trump has 28 days to file an amended complaint, which must be kept to 40 pages.
BUT: Lo and behold . . . Trump said on FOX NEWS today that the Murdochs may be included on his list of favorite people taking part in “New TIKTOK” ownership, although, and I’m sure you’ll be shocked to hear this, there were no other details proffered.
This investment would be via FOX CORP and not either Lachlan or Rupert personally. FOX CORP ended Q2 with $5.3B in cash on its books, and has very low debt/leverage.
YAH: Just a small follow-up to an item from the summer I mentioned about Trump halting of an already approved and 80% completed wind farm off Rhode Island, and pausing of other New England wind projects — the moves are putting 15k jobs at risk if they remain stopped indefinitely.
AND: Christopher Nolan was elected Prez of the DGA.
ALSO: A nice farewell to a pitching legend on Friday night, and another nice coincidental timing win for APPLE TV+ which had the MLB game. Alas, we will have no ratings for it as a result.
WELL: This certainly explains housing prices in my hometown near the shore. Uh, congrats, Monmouth County? 🤷♂️ Hopefully you’ll be ok, Westchester. #JerseyRulez
WAKEUP BOX OFFICE POLL
Kudos to the 29% bears this weekend making the right call. My optimism to at least hit $15M was thwarted by bad word of mouth.
🎥 THE BOX OFFICE
Hollywood had 3 new movies for the American public this weekend.
The American public was not very interested in any of them, and the ones who did show up were apparently not too happy with their decisions (except for the one which made the least money).
Here’s how the numbers played out this weekend . . . and where the year now stands as the autumnal season begins on the calendar tomorrow.