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Box Office

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Hollywood’s Off Year for Movies

A veteran producer (and voting Academy member) on how the film business lost sight of audiences, and how getting back to fundamentals can win them back.
David T. Friendly • February 6, 2023
Julia Alexander • September 27, 2022
Hollywood’s Feel-Good Horror Story
In a time of great anxiety in Hollywood, scary movies are the rare stress-reliever to those in the theatrical business and the direct-to-consumer market, the latest data reveals.
Matthew Belloni • August 22, 2022
Cinemapocalypse Now
closed theater
After an awful August, this year’s box office will likely finish at about $7 billion—up from last year, but about a third less than in 2019. A third. For movie theaters, the only solution is full-scale reinvention, meme-stock nonsense, or, as is increasingly common, Chapter 11.
Julia Alexander • July 28, 2022
The Summer Box Office Wars Come to Streaming
At last, the streaming industry has matured to the state where it has multiple viable contenders, the best content on the market, and intense summer season face-offs can make-or-break a parentco’s quarter.
Tom Cruise
Matthew Belloni • May 6, 2022
Tom Cruise Might Barely Recognize This Movie Business
The new Top Gun is not competing against theatrical releases so much as shorter windows and new streaming drops. Should Cruise be scared Thetan-less, or will these fresh strategies save the movies?
Rupert Murdoch
Matthew Belloni • April 18, 2022
Rupert’s Age, Apple/NFL & The Bomb of the Pandemic
What I'm hearing about an M.I.A. Murdoch, the possible home of Sunday Ticket, Jeopardy’s Mike Richards, the future of WarnerMedia’s TV assets, and more.
The Dropout
David T. Friendly • March 20, 2022
The Real-Life TV Series Is Killing Off Great Movies
A Hollywood producer reflects on how ripped-from-the-headlines streaming series are outcompeting box office rivals with faster turnaround, A-list talent, and better paydays. Being second sucks.
The Batman premiere
Matthew Belloni • March 4, 2022
‘Batman’ & The Movie Pricing Predicament
If theaters are going to survive post-Covid, they very badly need to evolve the model. Does “ape”-obsessed AMC C.E.O. Adam Aron have a solution, or just another schlocky ploy?
Jason Kilar
Matthew Belloni • January 10, 2022
“We Made the Right Decision”: A Chat About Movies and HBO Max with Jason Kilar
We talked about the legacy of Project Popcorn, the future of non-franchise films, Discovery spinoff details, CNN+, The CW, The Batman and more.
No Time to Die still
Matthew Belloni • November 15, 2021
Your Real Box Office Champion of 2021 Is…
It’s a win with a big asterisk, but still notable, given the audience for the franchise.