HOLLYWOOD
Matthew Belloni
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December 16, 2022
Never Over-Estimate James Cameron
Even if Avatar: The Way of Water performs as Hollywood hopes, Cameron alone can’t save cinema. This year will end with theatrical revenue down about a third versus 2019. There simply aren’t enough big movies these days to sustain theaters—and far too many duds.
Julia Alexander
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December 13, 2022
Netflix’s ‘Harry & Meghan’ Game Plan
News and notes from inside the streaming industry: The surprising data, and strategy pivot, behind Netflix’s two-part documentary series with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Matthew Belloni
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December 12, 2022
The One Film Academy Voters Should Watch
The troubling arc of Meg Smaker’s “Jihad Rehab,” from Sundance sensation to swift cancellation, represents an alarming trend for all filmmakers. But there’s a way to make amends this week.
Matthew Belloni
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December 12, 2022
How Taylor Swift Ended Up at Searchlight
Behind the scenes of Swift’s first feature foray in Hollywood.
Matthew Belloni
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December 9, 2022
The Obamas’ Hollywood Education
Netflix has quietly done what Spotify wouldn’t: re-up Barack and Michelle’s Higher Ground production company after a rocky experiment in entertainment. The question now is whether the Obamas can justify that hefty investment, or whether Hollywood is merely a pricy post-presidential hobby.
Julia Alexander
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December 6, 2022
The Great Netflix Hit Factory Paradox
Netflix pumped out more megahits in 2022 than any time in recent history, so why is subscription growth petering domestically as its stock limply recovers? Hollywood may be a hits business, but streaming is a little more complicated.
Eriq Gardner
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December 5, 2022
The People vs. James Dolan
The Knicks and Rangers owner has long been considered one of the worst, and least effective, owners in sports. Does he care? Now he’s added technology at MSG to facially identify lawyers suing his company.
Matthew Belloni
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December 5, 2022
Netflix Doesn’t Want the Sequel to One of Its Most Important Movies
Icarus was a landmark, award-winning, zeitgeist-shifting film for Netflix. But even the genre obsessive Ted Sarandos has evolved his thinking as the financial picture has darkened.
Jonathan Handel
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December 2, 2022
Iger & Optimism in Hollywood’s Labor War
A recent DGA statement and Bob Iger’s return to Disney present two critical data points in the looming battle bewitching Hollywood and the possibility of a Writers Guild strike.
Matthew Belloni
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December 2, 2022
‘Outright Betrayal’ Over a Music Industry Windfall
The story of how dozens of top touring acts allegedly pocketed $70 million in Covid grants, and the Hollywood legal war that erupted in the process.
Matthew Belloni
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November 28, 2022
‘No Great Options’: The Iger Succession Tarot Card
I talked, texted, and emailed with about 20 keen Disney observers this week about the succession issue, and here is the early rundown and buzz, based on my own research and conversations with those in and around Disney. All caveats apply.
The Editors
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November 26, 2022
The Iger Intrigue
What will he buy? Who will he fire? And who is the favorite to succeed him? An urgent Inner Circle conversation with Matt Belloni, Dylan Byers, and William D. Cohan.
Matthew Belloni & William D. Cohan
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November 26, 2022
Barbarians at the Disney Gates
How will returning C.E.O. Bob Iger defang Dan Loeb, and possibly even Nelson Peltz, the activist behind the coups at GE and DuPont? Plus, Wall Street’s Zazlovian doubts. Here’s the inside conversation on a big week in big media.
Julia Alexander
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November 22, 2022
The Iger+ Streaming Strategy
Bob Iger was legendary for big ideas—Marvel, Star Wars, the pivot to streaming—at a time when the economy, and Disney’s stock, only went up. Now, upon his return amid a brutal market correction, Iger’s success or failure will depend on sweating the small stuff, too.
Eriq Gardner
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November 21, 2022
Is Taylor Swift the Anti-Hero of the Ticketmaster Debacle?
The “Eras Tour” imbroglio doesn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know about the notorious ticketing company, but it’s cause to revisit the idea of suits versus artists. Ticketmaster, after all, functions as an agent for artists. Shouldn’t they shoulder some of the responsibility?
Matthew Belloni
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November 21, 2022
The Logic Behind a Horror Movie Megamerger
With the pending acquisition of James Wan’s Atomic Monster, Jason Blum’s hit-factory production company will become a behemoth that could be worth billions—if he makes smart moves.
Matthew Belloni
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November 21, 2022
The Iger Shocker
Notes, intrigues, and analysis from across Hollywood on Iger’s un-retirement, Chapek’s defenestration, and the future of Disney after the corporate shakeup of the decade.
