HOLLYWOOD
Matthew Belloni
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December 5, 2025
Is the Netflix-Warners Deal Really Such a Disaster?
Yes, the blockbuster $83 billion acquisition of the Warner Bros. studio and HBO Max would decisively end the streaming wars. And the Ellisons can still blow their lids and go hostile. But amid inevitable consolidation and a likely government challenge, is Ted Sarandos getting his hands on a historic studio definitely the end of Hollywood as we know it?
Julia Alexander
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December 3, 2025
Amazon’s Streaming Numbers Are Not What They Seem
The platform has quickly gobbled up viewers on its path to becoming the third-most-used app in streamerdom, but it’s largely by becoming the place people go to watch other apps. So how do you actually quantify that kind of audience?
Kim Masters
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December 2, 2025
‘Rush Hour 4’ Was Dead—Until Trump
The shock announcement of a fourth film in the Jackie Chan–Chris Tucker action franchise, willed to life with help from the president, has led to far more questions than answers. Chief among them: How did Brett Ratner pull this off?
Scott Mendelson
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December 2, 2025
Why China Uncaged ‘Zootopia 2’
Disney’s Thanksgiving smash notched a surprisingly outsize win in the fickle territory, but studios shouldn’t mistake its success for a sign that the gaudy numbers of the 2010s are about to return—except, maybe, for ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash.’
Eriq Gardner
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November 25, 2025
The Zaslav “Revlon Mode” Conundrum
Echoes of the Diller–Redstone Paramount brawl and potential Delaware court battles are beginning to haunt the long road to resolution for David Zaslav’s sale of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Matthew Belloni
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November 25, 2025
Will the Ellisons Let Trump Greenlight ‘Rush Hour 4’?
Brett Ratner, the director of three ‘Rush Hour’ films for Warner Bros., was exiled from Hollywood after he was accused of sexual assault. But lately he’s become royalty in Trump world—and with Trump buddy David Ellison trying to acquire WBD, he may have an opportunity to come in from the cold.
Matthew Belloni
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November 25, 2025
Candid Cameron
One of the greatest directors of all time offers a thoughtful assessment of his career evolution (“I was an asshole in the ‘80s”), why Netflix owning Warners would be “a disaster,” the “pure cinema” of performance capture, Bob Iger’s notes on ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash,’ the impact of A.I. on the business, and his friend Elon Musk.
Matthew Belloni
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November 21, 2025
Do We Believe Netflix Loves Movie Theaters Now?
As bids for Warner Bros. Discovery come due and exhibitors prep an antitrust challenge, Ted Sarandos has pledged to play Warners movies in theaters. Is this just a shameless wet kiss to the town and regulators, or another sign of his company’s ability to pivot?
Kim Masters
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November 19, 2025
Paramount Enters the Octagon
The UFC’s two F.B.I. investigations caught its new partner, Paramount Skydance, off guard. With a $7.7 billion deal signed and the bloodsport soon to start streaming, is it worth fighting over?
Eriq Gardner
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November 18, 2025
WBD’s World War P
The streaming boom has been partly enabled by an underappreciated—and potentially incredibly valuable—suite of software, which suddenly has license holders and distributors racing to courthouses across the globe. The future of digital content delivery may hang in the balance. And Warner Bros. Discovery is on the front lines.
Matthew Belloni
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November 18, 2025
David Ellison Pitches Warners Deal
With bids for the Warner Discovery media empire due soon, the Paramount leaders explained to David Zaslav’s team why their plan is better than others.
Scott Mendelson
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November 18, 2025
The Glen Powell Paradox
Leading men, take heed: “The Running Man” remake’s soft opening is a lesson about the difference between bankable I.P. and fare maybe best left to history. Meanwhile, movies made by, for, and/or starring women continue to power the box office, with “Wicked” on deck.
Matthew Belloni
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November 14, 2025
Scooter Braun Wanted to Buy OnlyFans
The former Justin Bieber manager was in talks to take over the porn-friendly video platform, but abruptly walked away from the deal.
Julia Alexander
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November 14, 2025
Quibi Died. Can Microdramas Live?
They’re the new street drug of the content economy—telenovela-level action parceled out in 90-second clips designed to make viewers fork over in-app dollars for the next hit. Can anyone make them work in the American market?
Eriq Gardner
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November 11, 2025
The Michael Jackson Probate Mystery
More than 15 years after the King of Pop died with millions in debt, his estate has experienced a remarkable turnaround. But why is a multibillion-dollar business being administered out of a corner of the legal system typically reserved for validating wills, settling debts, and parceling out leftovers?
Matthew Belloni
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November 11, 2025
What Was Brian Roberts Doing in Saudi Arabia?
The Comcast C.E.O., who’s at least nominally in the WBD hunt, was conspicuously absent last week when Hollywood’s elite feted David Zaslav. Was he searching for a deep-pocketed backer?
Julia Alexander
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November 6, 2025
Netflix’s Plan for Total Living Room Domination
As the O.G. streamer approaches the upper limits of subscriber saturation, and daily screen time rates threaten to plateau, Netflix is expanding beyond live sports into video podcasts and video games in a bid to own every waking hour of your day.
