🎬 A New Market

👋 Good morning! ‘Alien: Romulus’ is taking an unexpected detour through time. Director Fede Alvarez announced that the film will get a limited VHS release on Dec. 3rd. Yes, you read that right—VHS. The marketing stunt’s meant to mark the franchise's 45th anniversary, complete with 4:3 aspect ratio and vintage box art. No word on pricing or quantities yet.

Whether you're a seasoned subscriber or a new arrival, we're thrilled to have you here. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, we'll deliver the most important industry scoops directly to your inbox.

🎞 Here’s what’s on the reel today:

• ReelShort’s Vertical Rise

• Reviving WBD’s Confidence

• Last Looks: 👀 Bite-sized scoops on developing stories/projects

• Video Village: The latest trailers

• Martini Shot 🍸

But first, let’s take a look at what happened at the box office this past weekend!

BOX OFFICE BREAKDOWN
🎟️ All smiles at the box office…

1. 😈 Smile 2: Paramount's horror sequel debuts at #1 with $23M domestic opening ($46M global). Outperforms original's debut…new franchise? Strong critical (83%) and audience (84%) scores on Rotten Tomatoes.

2. 🤖 The Wild Robot: Universal's animated adventure holds steady at #2 with $10.1M (-28%), crossing $100M domestically ($101.7M total). Solid fourth-weekend hold.

3. 🤡 Terrifier 3: Cineverse's slasher sequel earns $9.3M (-51%) in its second frame, reaching $36.2M total. Outpacing recent horror competitors.

4. 🪲 Beetlejuice Beetlejuice: Tim Burton's sequel generates $5M (-32%) in its seventh weekend. Impressive $284M domestic total.

5. ⏰ We Live in Time: A24's romance drama expands wide, earning $4.2M (+1,699%) on 985 screens. Strong $4,250 per-screen average bodes well for word-of-mouth.

6. 🃏 Joker: Folie à Deux: Warner Bros.' sequel drops 69% to $2.2M, reaching $56.4M domestic. Global cume at $192M.

7. 🧩 Piece by Piece: Focus Features' drama earns $2.1M (-45%) in its second weekend, totaling $7.6M.

8. 🚗 Transformers One: Paramount's origin story adds $2M (-48%), reaching $56.6M in five weeks.

9. 🕺 Saturday Night: Sony's comedy earns $1.8M (-47%) in its fourth frame, totaling $7.6M.

10. 🎃 The Nightmare Before Christmas: Disney's perennial Halloween favorite adds $1.1M (-53%) in its umpteenth re-release, lifetime cume at $92.4M.

The big picture: The weekend's total haul of $67.2M is down from 84M from last year, but there's still plenty to smile about. Diverse genres are showing strength, proving audiences are hungry for theatrical experiences across the board. Meanwhile, the indie scene is buzzing thanks to Sean Baker's ‘Anora,’ which raked in a jaw-dropping $90K per theater in just 6 locations. With its Cannes pedigree and rave reviews, ‘Anora’ could be this year's art house breakout, echoing the success of past hits like ‘Parasite.’

CLOSEUP
🤳 ReelShort’s vertical rise is creating a new market…

ReelShort, a Silicon Valley-based platform backed by China’s COL Group, is shaking up the streaming world with its vertical video format, and soapy romance-mini dramas, proving that good things come in one-minute packages.

The app's growth is off the charts:

• Downloads soared 992% in 12 months, from 3.4M to 37M

• 50M monthly active users (75% women)

• Cashed in $40M in September 2024 alone

Vertical integration:

ReelShort's not just about vertical videos—it's vertically integrated from content to cash. Here’s what makes it unique:

• One-handed binge-watching optimized for smartphones

• 60-80 one-minute episodes per series (perfect for Zoom breaks)

• Freemium model: First 8 episodes free, then users pay to unlock the rest using a coin-based system

• Subscription for die-hards: $20/week or $200/year

• In-house production: 100 originals + 2,000 licensed shows

• Exclusive talent deals building a star system from the ground up, creating ReelShort-native celebs

This approach gives ReelShort control over its entire ecosystem, potentially edging out user-generated and traditional TV platforms.

The downside? It's soap central. Critics point to the platform's repetitive storylines and soap opera style might not be everyone's cup of tea. With 2,000+ titles (100 in-house productions and 2,000+ licensed), there's definitely quantity. But quality and variety? That's up for debate. Shows like 'The Virgin and The Billionaire' (yes, that’s a real show) are finding their niche, even if it's not exactly Emmy material.

Quibi 2.0? Not quite. ReelShort learned from Quibi's $1.75B faceplant. While Quibi bet on A-list celebs and repurposed TV content, ReelShort is building its own star system with exclusive talent deals and tailor-made vertical content. But here’s a key difference: ReelShort's freemium model is way more Gen Z-friendly. You can binge a few eps for free, then decide if you want to commit. No pressure, no credit card required upfront, unlike Quibi's "you're either in or you're out" approach.

An unexpected lifeline:

In a time of industry contraction, ReelShort's become a surprising source of steady work for Hollywood pros. Kate Tucker Fahlsing, head of Elastic Heart Studio (one of ReelShort's production houses), reports that her studio alone churns out four to eight series monthly. The platform's high-volume model is creating steady gigs for writers, actors, producers, and casting directors.

Looking ahead... ReelShort plans to ramp up production to one new show per day in 2025. CEO Joey Jia summed it up: "We're in our own lane. Small screen, big impact." Meanwhile, some analysts say the growth, while impressive, may eventually plateau. The question remains: Will ReelShort change the game or just be another one-minute wonder?

CLOSEUP
🎬 Horror hits are reviving WBD’s confidence…

Back in 2023, under the leadership of studio chiefs Pam Abdy and Mike De Luca, Warner Bros. made a gutsy move: they decided to invest heavily in a slate of adult-oriented, R-rated content. It was a bold strategy in an industry that often plays it safe with PG-13 fare. Now, barely a year into this strategy, that gamble is facing a harsh reality check at the box office, leaving executives scrambling for answers.

The not-so-marvelous misadventures of WBD:

• 'Joker: Folie à Deux'—More like ‘Folly à Box Office.’ This sequel to the billion-dollar hit face-planted at the box office, getting clobbered by the family-friendly 'Wild Robot.'

• 'Furiosa'—Turns out, the road to box office success isn't always... furious. This one stalled out at the starting line.

• Meanwhile, 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice'—the PG-13 black sheep of the family—is actually doing okay, complicating the studio's read on audience preferences.

Word on the street was that WBD execs were considering abandoning their edgy R-rated strategy for something more... vanilla.

Enter the unexpected heros: 'Terrifier 3' & ‘Smile 2’

Just when all hope seemed lost, a pair of blood-soaked saviors emerged from the darkness. 'Terrifier 3,' a micro-budget slasher, and 'Smile 2,' another R-rated horror hit, came to WBD's rescue like machete-wielding guardian angels:

• 'Terrifier 3's $2M gore-fest carved out a shocking $19M opening weekend.

• 'Smile 2' debuted over the weekend at #1 with a $23M domestic opening ($46M global). It even outperformed its predecessor!

• Turns out, there's still a ravenous audience for unapologetically violent, R-rated content.

• Maybe 'Joker 2's' problem wasn't being too dark—it was that it wasn't dark enough. Go figure.

Suddenly, WBD's upcoming slate of original R-rated films from directors like Bong Joon Ho and Zach Cregger looks a lot more promising.

Looking ahead… WBD's upcoming slate of original R-rated films includes:

• ‘Mickey 17,’ Bong Joon Ho’s sci-fi thriller starring Robert Pattinson.

• ‘Weapons’ from Zach Cregger—Hollywood execs were fighting over this one like seagulls over a french fry.

• ‘Sinners’ by Ryan Coogler—We're guessing it's not a rom-com.

• Paul Thomas Anderson's untitled mystery project.

• ‘Companion’—psychological thriller from Drew Hancock.

'Terrifier 3's surprise success and ‘Smile 2’s’ strong debut could mark a pivotal moment for Warner Bros. Discovery's content strategy. Rather than toning down their R-rated projects, the studio might now be emboldened to lean into their adult-oriented slate with renewed confidence. This success might also push the studio to seek out more low-budget, high-concept projects to balance their bigger, riskier ventures.

INTERMISSION: A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR
Where to find the best deals on Hoka shoes

Meaning “to fly” in Maori, Hoka was founded in 2009 so that anyone spending long hours on their feet could get the ultimate experience with optimum cushioning and stability. Less than 15 years after its founding, Hoka is bringing in revenues topping a billion dollars a year, so it’s clear that people are loving this brand. But with quality comes high prices, and Hoka is no doubt in the high end price-wise. Thanks to Brad's Deals, we found the best prices on Hoka.

Here are the top 8 stores where you can find great deals on Hoka. 👇🏻

LAST LOOKS
Development 🗒️

• Luca Guadagnino is set to direct a new adaptation of ‘American Psycho’ for Lionsgate, with Scott Z. Burns writing the script. (more)

• Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kevin Hart, and Keanu Reeves join the cast of Prime Video’s adult animated series ‘Secret Level.’ (more)

• Djimon Hounsou will star in the horror-thriller ‘The Monster,’ directed by Saw franchise’s Darren Lynn Bousman and produced by Mark Burg. (more)

• Nicholas Cirillo has joined the cast of ‘Black Mirror’ S7, set to premiere in 2025. (more)

• Michael Emerson joins ‘Elsbeth’ S2 in a recurring role as Judge Milton Crawford, with his first episode airing Dec. 12. (more)

• Andrew Call joins Kevin Williamson’s Netflix drama series ‘The Waterfront’ in a recurring role as Deputy Sawyer. (more)

Renewed & Canceled ✅ ❌

• ‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’ has been renewed for S2 ahead of its premiere. (more)

Business 🤝

• Apple TV+ has extended its first-look deal with producer Kevin Walsh after the success of ‘The Instigators’ and ‘Napoleon.’ (more)

• Paramount Streaming’s chief strategy officer Jeff Shultz is set to step down at the end of 2024, ahead of the company’s Skydance merger. (more)

VIDEO VILLAGE
📺 Latest trailers

MARTINI SHOT
🍸 Latest trends & viral moments