HOLLYWOOD
Matthew Belloni
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November 18, 2022
Disney’s Bob vs. Bob Blame Game
The Chapek vs. Iger narrative was mostly just gossip, a product of one of the most celebrated media C.E.O.s of all time being replaced by a decidedly less dynamic manager. Their differences are much more relevant now that the company’s financial situation has become more perilous.
Julia Alexander
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November 15, 2022
Netflix Paralysis & The Pivot to Live
After years spent running away from linear TV, consumers are rediscovering the mindless pleasure of browsing YouTube TV and Hulu, among others. With ad tiers launching and Apple and Amazon testing the water with live sports, could Netflix be far behind?
Matthew Belloni
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November 14, 2022
Harry Potter & The Desperate Movie Studio
David Zaslav may want more Potter hits, but he has more than a few obstacles—franchise challenges, sequel blues, a complicated and semi-cancelled talent—in front of him. And Zaz needs Rowling more than she needs him.
Matthew Belloni
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November 11, 2022
Hollywood’s Path of Mutually Assured Destruction
Writers are angrier than ever, and ready to strike. But between the industry’s streaming arms race and stock market woes, those studio water towers aren’t exactly overflowing with champagne these days. Look out below.
Julia Alexander
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November 8, 2022
Bob Chapek’s New Streaming Moneyball
‘Hocus Pocus 2’ has become perhaps the quintessential title for understanding modern Hollywood’s identity crisis. If a movie this successful on streaming isn’t going to theaters, what does that mean for other films coming down the pipeline at Disney?
Matthew Belloni
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November 7, 2022
The CW Chooses Its Undertaker
Brad Schwartz is taking over the last-place broadcast network that has become little more than a linear money pit, and the numbers are only getting worse. Those Greg Berlanti-produced Y.A. shows and DC Comics adaptations are likely coming to an end under new owner Nexstar, and ultimately, the economics of the entire network probably aren’t sustainable.
Matthew Belloni
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November 4, 2022
Why Ari Emanuel Banned Amy Pascal
Emanuel may be the C.E.O. of a public company, but he isn’t above putting the chill on an executive when they refer talent to Bryan Lourd.
Matthew Belloni
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November 4, 2022
Hollywood’s Worsening Catch-22
The plunging value of entertainment companies presents terrible options: limit streaming spending too much and you risk being left behind; go all in and you risk spending yourself out of business. Is there a magical middle ground?
Julia Alexander
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November 1, 2022
Netflix’s ‘Seinfeld’ Strategy
Girls5Eva, a Tina Fey-produced comedy that struggled to break into the zeitgeist at Peacock, was the perfect target for Netflix as it down-shifts from high-budget originals to ad-friendly comfort food. It’s also evidence of a new and sophisticated audience retention tactic to turn network castoffs into global hits.
Matthew Belloni
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October 31, 2022
Five Awkward Questions for the New DC Studios
The inside conversation percolating in Hollywood about the new Gunn-Safran regime, and what it might reveal about Zaslav’s strategy to take on Marvel.
Matthew Belloni
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October 31, 2022
The Will Smith Image Rehab Tour, Sponsored By Apple
If anyone wonders whether there are consequences in Hollywood for bad behavior, just juxtapose Smith’s seamless redemption tour for Emancipation with what people were saying about him after the Slap at the Oscars.
David T. Friendly
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October 31, 2022
Shorter Movies, Please!
A producer’s plea to auteurs (and streamers and “value”-craving audiences) to reconsider run times as both the year-end Oscar contenders and blockbusters try everyone’s patience, even as attention spans are shortening.
Baratunde Thurston
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October 30, 2022
When It All Falls Down
Some thoughts on the artist formerly known as Kanye West. And Mark Zuckerberg, too.
Julia Alexander
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October 25, 2022
Disney’s Star Wars Streaming Puzzle
Andor, one of the best reviewed and most ambitious Lucasfilm projects in years, is also one of its least watched. But as Disney+ looks to expand the Star Wars audience, there’s more to success than just ratings.
Eriq Gardner
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October 24, 2022
Paul Newman’s Warring Heirs & Metaverse Estate Planning
The late Hollywood heartthrob turned salad-dressing entrepreneur left behind a billion-dollar food empire and very, very specific instructions for his estate. But even the best laid plans can go awry when there’s money on the line.
Matthew Belloni
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October 24, 2022
The Next Star Wars Movie Terrifies Lucasfilm
Kathleen Kennedy’s stewardship of the movie franchise continues to baffle as a key right-hand exits and a new film, perhaps the one in development with Damon Lindelof, isn’t expected until at least 2025, six years after ‘Rise of Skywalker.’ With Marvel churning out multiple movies every year, such a massive pause is borderline corporate negligence.
Matthew Belloni
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October 21, 2022
The Netflix Middle-Finger Quarter
After a yearlong humbling on Wall Street, Reed Hastings and Ted Sarandos’ victory-lap earnings call was both offensive and defensive—an F-U to the haters who cast doubt on the company’s ability to remain disruptive. Some arguments landed more solidly than others.
