🎬 A Windfall for Streaming

👋 Good morning! Apple TV+ just pulled off some next-level awards season chess with 'The Studio's' latest episode. The Seth Rogen comedy dedicated an entire installment to a fictional Golden Globes ceremony where Adam Scott plays himself and wins an award. Talk about manifesting… Scott is already among the top Globes contenders for his performance in 'Severance' (another Apple TV+ series) making this fictional win feel less like comedy and more like Apple planting subliminal messages in voters' minds. Meta marketing or brilliant coincidence? Either way, someone in Apple's strategy department deserves their own award.

Happy Friday and welcome aboard The Dailies. Grab your coffee and we’ll get you caught up with the fast-paced world of Hollywood. Here’s what’s on the reel today:

• Top Streamed in the U.S.

• Netflix Gets a Makeover

• Podcasts Crash Hollywood

• App Store Defeat = Streaming Windfall

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

• Video Village: The latest trailers

• Release Radar: What to watch this weekend

• Martini Shot 🍸

TOP STREAMED
📊 What U.S. audiences were watching this week…

WIDESHOT
🎬 Netflix redesign, podcasts, and the App Store…

📺 Netflix is going full TikTok. The streaming giant is overhauling its homepage with a major redesign heavily inspired by social media apps. In the coming weeks, Netflix will roll out a cleaner TV interface with more visual elements and contextual callouts like "Emmy Award Winner," while the mobile app will feature a TikTok-style vertical feed for swiping through clips. Live events and games are getting pushed to center stage—a clear signal that Netflix wants to be your one-stop entertainment shop beyond just binge-watching crime documentaries. On top of all that, an OpenAI partnership will power a conversational search function that responds to mood-based queries like "show me something like ‘Stranger Things’ but less scary and set in summer." Translation: Netflix is officially done obsessing over subscriber numbers and is now playing a new game—desperately trying to keep your eyeballs from wandering over to YouTube or whatever shiny app is stealing attention spans this week.

🎙️ Hollywood's red carpet is making room for microphones. The Golden Globes just announced a shiny new "Best Podcast" category debuting in 2026, making it the first major awards show brave enough to let the audio crowd crash Hollywood's fancy party. The category will select six nominees from the 25 most-listened-to podcasts, potentially bringing figures like Joe Rogan, Alex Cooper, and Megyn Kelly to "Hollywood's Party of the Year." This follows the Globes' recent category additions for stand-up comedy and box office achievements in 2024, part of a desperate—er, strategic—attempt to modernize the ceremony and reverse declining viewership that has plagued the show since its 2004 peak. For an awards program still recovering from its 2021 diversity scandal that led to industry boycotts, the podcast category represents another attempt to regain relevance and rebuild the Globes' once-prominent position in the entertainment landscape.

🍎 Streamers just got a windfall, and Apple’s paying. For years, Apple has blocked apps from allowing customers to pay outside the App Store, where they charge their notorious 30% "Apple tax" on every transaction, including streaming subscriptions. Not anymore—last week, a judge ruled Apple must stop this practice. For perspective, Netflix alone reportedly handed Apple an astronomical $250M in 2018 before figuring out a workaround. For struggling streamers like Paramount+ and Peacock, this is like finding forgotten cash in your winter coat: instant profit boost without changing a thing. Consumers may see lower subscription prices as services pass along savings. The streaming industry might finally catch a break as platforms can either lower prices to attract subscribers or invest more into content production. The only potential loser? Apple TV+, which loses the subsidy that helped fund its $1B annual content splurge. Apple, pushing back hard, is calling the ruling an "extraordinary intrusion" that could cause "grave irreparable harm" and is begging the court to pause everything while it appeals.

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LAST LOOKS
Film Development 🗒️

• Dwayne Johnson’s Seven Bucks will produce ‘Ripped,’ about an underground fitness cult, written by Joe Ballarini. (more)

• Disney is developing ‘Molina,’ a film about the MLB Molina brothers dynasty, with Lin-Manuel Miranda producing and Jose Rivera writing the script. (more)

• Marvel Studios is in early talks with ’Thunderbolts*’ director Jake Schreier to helm its upcoming ‘X-Men’ movie. (more)

• Jack Thorne, Jez Butterworth, and Peter Straughan will script Sam Mendes’ four-part Beatles biopic for Sony. (more)

Cannes Market 🇫🇷

• Renny Harlin will direct survival thriller ‘Black Tides,’ based on real orca attacks. (more)

• Sebastian Stan and Leo Woodall will star in true-life thriller ‘Burning Rainbow Farm’ from Justin Kurzel. (more)

• Michelle Rodriguez and Richard Gere will star in thriller ‘Left Seat.’ (more)

• Aaron Eckhart will star in ‘Midair,’ a plane-set thriller from director Timo Vuorensola. (more)

• Cynthia Erivo will star in and executive produce ‘Prima Facie,’ a courtroom drama based on the hit stage play. (more)

• Dustin Hoffman, Alison Brie, André Holland, and Tom Sturridge star in ‘The Revisionist,’ a psychological drama. (more)

• Paul Walter Hauser, Lili Reinhart, and Tim Roth lead ensemble cast ‘The Very Best People,’ a comedic thriller set to begin filming this month. (more)

• Natalie Portman will star as DNA scientist Rosalind Franklin in ‘Photograph 51,’ directed by Tom Hooper. (more)

• Meghann Fahy will star in ‘Banquet,’ a supernatural thriller from ‘The Platform’ director, with production set to begin in October. (more)

TV Development 📺

• Hugh Laurie will star in ‘The Wanted Man,’ an Apple TV+ crime thriller about a betrayed syndicate boss plotting revenge. (more)

• Bravo has greenlit ‘The Real Housewives of Rhode Island,’ expanding the franchise to its 12th U.S. city. (more)

• CBS has ordered ‘Y: Marshals,’ a ‘Yellowstone’ spinoff starring Luke Grimes, set to debut in spring 2026 as part of its expanded 2025–26 slate. (more)

• Peacock has ordered ‘Dig,’ a comedy series from Amy Poehler and Mike Schur, marking their first TV collaboration since ‘Parks and Recreation.’ (more)

• ABC has ordered a drama pilot for ‘RJ Decker,’ based on Carl Hiaasen’s ‘Double Whammy,’ from ‘Elementary’ creator Rob Doherty. (more)

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RELEASE RADAR
📅 What to watch this weekend?

🎥 THEATRICAL

• Fight or Flight: Action comedy starring Josh Hartnett as a mercenary on a high-stakes airplane mission.

• Juliet & Romeo: Reimagining of Shakespeare's classic tale, starring Clara Rugaard and Jamie Ward, with Rebel Wilson and Jason Isaacs supporting.

• Shadow Force: Action thriller starring Kerry Washington and Omar Sy as former special forces leaders, directed by Joe Carnahan.

📺 STREAMING

• Nonnas: (Netflix) Heartwarming comedy about a Staten Island restaurant run by grandmothers, starring Vince Vaughn.

• Poker Face: (Peacock) Crime comedy-drama series returning for S2, starring Natasha Lyonne, with guest stars Giancarlo Esposito and John Mulaney.

• Forever: (Netflix) Drama series adaptation of Judy Blume's novel, starring Lovie Simone and Michael Cooper Jr.

🔮 BOX OFFICE PREVIEW

‘Thunderbolts*’ (or is it ‘The New Avengers’ now? 🤔) is set to take the top spot with $34-40M. Meanwhile, ‘Sinners’ continues to impress, likely pulling in $17-22M in its fourth weekend. This weekend’s mid-budget newcomers face an uphill battle in a crowded marketplace. Overall, expect a modest $85-95M weekend haul that has theater owners looking ahead to Memorial Day when ‘Lilo & Stitch’ arrives to potentially break records.

VIDEO VILLAGE
📺 Latest trailers

MARTINI SHOT
🍸 Latest trends & viral moments