☀️WBD Bids In, What Now; the NETFLIX Movie Façade
PAR+ grows sports empire / ‘TMNT’ gets ‘Sonic’ producer / CA TV tax credits land
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 Friday, November 21, 2025.
Where WALMART’s doing great! See, I told you offering folks free PAR+ or PEACOCK would really juice the business!
But take what you will regarding the state of the larger economy, given that WALMART also raised its revenue guidance for 2025.
The company indicated that lower-income folks were spending less in Q3, and that the gains it’s seeing are from increased business via folks in higher income brackets.
And if you’d like further evidence of the growing “two economies” in this country, thanks to BOFA and the WSJ for this handy chart.
THEN: Filmmaker magazine is being rebooted by former VF Exec Digital Director Mike Hogan. The mag is from The Gotham Film & Media Institute. Former Filmmaker EIC and co-founder Scott Macauley set plans to leave the organization earlier this year.
GOOD NEWS!: We can finally find out what happened at the end of Joey! WBTV is finally releasing the last 8 unaired episodes of the Matt LeBlanc spinoff series on the Friends YT channel. 19 years later.
AND: BLACK BEAR was the $31M buyer of the home of J.J. Abrams’ BAD ROBOT.
PLUS: Pras from The Fugees was sentenced to 14 years in prison for conspiracy and illegal foreign lobbying.
WAKEUP BOX OFFICE POLL
Lotta folks sticking a bit closer to the industry tracking Wicked: For Good this weekend ($125M) — but count me in with the Minecraft opening territory . . . with a dash of additional optimism.
NEW POD
THANKS!: To NETFLIX for the invite to attend the COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS (CPJ) annual Press Freedom Awards event in NYC last night, on behalf of the streamer’s upcoming doc that knows a little bit about the subject from acclaimed filmmaker Laura Poitras (Citizen Four) called Cover-Up, examining the career and work of renowned journalist Seymour Hersh (new trailer drop here).
In an era of “piggy,” consistent calls to revoke broadcast licenses and the Department of Defense essentially booting journalists from inside the building — not to mention further atrocities against journalists on the global stage — this organization’s work is more pressing than ever.
🎥 THE SILVER SCREEN
