🎬 AI Censorship?

👋 Good morning! If your Instagram feed is suddenly full of those razor-thin horizontal videos that look like miniature movie screens, here's what's happening: Instagram now supports ultra-wide 5120×1080 aspect ratios in Reels, offering creators an antidote to the monotony of vertical video. Plenty of creators are running with it, cropping their footage to turn everyday clips into widescreen masterpieces.

Welcome to The Dailies. Congrats on making it to Friday. Pour yourself something caffeinated and let's dive into what's moving the needle in the industry, starting with the latest streaming data. 👇

TOP STREAMED
📊 This week’s top-streamed originals…

How last week’s releases are stacking up…

• 🐇 Black Rabbit: (Netflix) Opened strong with 5.6M season views and 42M hours watched in its first week according to Luminate, making it the top streamed original overall this week. That's a similar debut to 'The Waterfront' (6.8M season views / 43M hours in week one). If it maintains momentum, 'Black Rabbit' could land in Netflix's Top 5 shows this year.

• 🤠 Tulsa King: (Paramount+) Returned for S3 with 5.2M views in its first four days, up from S2's premiere numbers of 4.3M. The Sheridan universe continues to expand its viewership.

• 📱 Swiped: (Hulu) A quiet launch with just 488K season views in its opening weekend.

Top-streamed chart (U.S.) Sep. 19 to Sep. 25. Data provided by Luminate.

CLOSEUP
🇨🇳 Is China using AI to censor American movies?

Film censorship took a dystopian turn this week. Chinese distributor Hishow allegedly used AI to turn a gay wedding straight in Neon's horror film 'Together,' face-swapping one groom with a woman to comply with China's anti-LGBTQ+ censorship policies. After screenshots from Chinese social media exposed the alterations, Neon pulled the $15M Sundance acquisition from Chinese theaters.

Hishow wasn't allowed to do this. When indie distributors like Neon sell territorial rights, the contract explicitly requires releasing the film as intended. That typically means no edits, period. This isn't like when major studios pre-approve cuts for certain markets. Neon demanded Hishow cease distribution immediately.

Making matters worse: Without spoiling too much, the gay couple's story is a key setup for what happens later. Changing it creates a plot hole and breaks the narrative.

Why this matters: Editing out LGBTQ+ subject matter in foreign markets is nothing new. Warner Bros. cut dialog from ‘Fantastic Beasts,’ and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ lost three minutes of Freddie Mercury’s coming out story to appease Chinese censors. But those were pre-approved edits that leave obvious scars. While it's unclear whether this was truly AI or just a shoddy editing job, the alterations here are virtually undetectable. Chinese viewers on film forums are calling it "terrifying" because viewers can't tell they're watching a doctored version.

If distributors can seamlessly rewrite characters with AI, what's next? Changing dialogue? Altering plot points? Swapping entire performances?

Looking ahead… This raises a lot of questions about the future of international film distribution. Expect indie distributors to start thinking about stronger anti-AI manipulation clauses in their contracts.

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WIDESHOT
🎬 New York Film Festival, TikTok, and Vince Gilligan…

🗽The New York Film Festival kicks off today. The 63rd edition runs through October 13 and showcases 74 feature films including Bradley Cooper's closing night premiere and Daniel Day-Lewis's return from retirement. Unlike other festivals chasing exclusives, NYFF takes a survey festival approach, curating the best titles from Cannes, Venice, and Toronto, which has made it essential for Oscar campaigns. Last year's lineup earned 40 Academy Award nominations. With major distributors like A24, Neon, and Mubi headquartered locally, the festival works as a "de facto mini-market" where buyers evaluate proven titles just as awards buzz starts building.

🤳 TikTok’s about to become American-owned. President Trump signed an executive order yesterday approving a $14B deal that hands 80% of TikTok's U.S. operations to American investors, with Oracle, Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi's MGX leading the group. The agreement brings ByteDance's stake down to 19.9%, just under the 20% threshold that would have triggered a U.S. ban. It's a major addition to Oracle founder Larry Ellison's growing media empire, after his family recently acquired Paramount and is now pursuing Warner Bros. Discovery. The deal still needs approval from Chinese regulators.

🤝 Vince Gilligan just re-upped at Sony TV in a rare post-Peak TV exclusive deal. The 'Breaking Bad' and 'Better Call Saul' creator is staying put at the studio where he's created both hit series over the past two decades. He calls Sony "Hollywood's last independent studio," which makes sense since it's the only major TV producer not owned by a streamer or larger company. During Peak TV, top creators fled to Netflix and other streamers for massive exclusive deals, but in today's profit-focused climate, most are getting downgraded to cheaper first-look pacts. Gilligan landing another exclusive overall puts him among the few still commanding top-tier deals. His new show 'Pluribus' with Rhea Seehorn hits Apple TV+ in November.

LAST LOOKS
Film Development 🗒️

• Rebel Wilson will write, direct, produce, and star in comedy ‘Girl Group,’ with Randall Park and Sheridan Smith joining the cast. (more)

• Denis Villeneuve will begin casting a “fresh face” Brit to play 007 in ‘Bond 26’ after finishing ‘Dune: Part Three,’ with filming eyed for 2027. (more)

• Rick Moranis is ending his retirement to reprise Lord Dark Helmet in ‘Spaceballs 2,’ now filming with the original cast and new stars. (more)

• Josh Brolin will star in the action-comedy ‘Mister,’ directed by Wade Eastwood and produced by Thunder Road and Bright White Light. (more)

• Yara Shahidi will star opposite Jason Statham in Miramax’s sequel ‘The Beekeeper 2,’ which begins production this fall. (more)

• Rose Byrne’s true-life drama ‘Tow’ has been acquired by Roadside Attractions and Vertical for a 2026 U.S. theatrical release. (more)

• ‘Poetic License,’ Maude Apatow’s feature directorial debut, has been acquired by Row K in a mid-seven-figure TIFF deal. (more)

• Row K has acquired U.S. rights to the ‘Cliffhanger’ reboot, its biggest deal yet, with a 2026 theatrical release planned. (more)

• Millie Bobby Brown will star as Olympian Kerri Strug in Gia Coppola’s film ‘Perfect,’ with Netflix in talks to acquire the project. (more)

TV Development 📺

• AMC Networks is developing ‘Down by the River,’ a crime thriller from Scott Stuber and Peter Landesman. (more)

• Lucy Liu will star in and executive produce Peacock’s crime-drama ‘Superfakes.’ (more)

• Atomic Cartoons is developing an animated TV adaptation of Sony’s ‘Surf’s Up,’ bringing the Oscar-nominated penguin comedy to series. (more)

• Marc Cherry is developing a Charleston-set family drama series at Netflix with Sandbox Studios. (more)

• Meredith Averill will take over as showrunner of Amazon’s ‘Fourth Wing,’ replacing Moira Walley-Beckett. (more)

Business 🤝

• Amazon will pay $2.5B to settle the FTC lawsuit accusing it of Prime “cancellation trickery,” with users eligible for up to $51 each. (more)

• NBCUniversal and YouTube TV are in a fee fight that could see NBC channels pulled from YouTube TV after Sept. 30. (more)

• Amazon MGM Studios has hired former Netflix exec Peter Friedlander as its new head of global television, starting Oct. 6. (more)

• Delta has struck a multiyear partnership with YouTube to bring creator content, Premium trials, and music playlists to its inflight entertainment. (more)

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RELEASE RADAR
📅 This week’s new releases…

🎥 THEATRICAL

• One Battle After Another: Paul Thomas Anderson's action epic starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, and Benicio del Toro.

• The Strangers: Chapter 2: Horror sequel directed by Renny Harlin starring Madelaine Petsch.

• Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie: Live-action/animated musical comedy from DreamWorks starring Laila Lockhart Kraner with Kristen Wiig and Gloria Estefan.

📺 STREAMING

• House of Guinness: (Netflix) Historical drama series from Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight.

• Slow Horses: (Apple TV+) S5 of the spy drama starring Gary Oldman.

• The Lowdown: (FX) Neo-noir crime drama from Reservation Dogs creator Sterlin Harjo starring Ethan Hawke and Keith David.

• The Man in My Basement: (Hulu) Psychological thriller starring Corey Hawkins and Willem Dafoe, based on Walter Mosley's novel.

🔮 BOX OFFICE PREVIEW: Paul Thomas Anderson's 'One Battle After Another' eyes a $20-25M debut. That’s modest for a DiCaprio vehicle but would be PTA's biggest opening ever. 'Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie' brings the Netflix preschool series to theaters with a $15-20M projection, though soft pre-sales suggest it could go either way. Horror sequel 'The Strangers: Chapter 2' aims for third place with $7-10M, down from its predecessor's $11.8M start. With no clear breakout, we're looking at a sub-$75M weekend overall.

VIDEO VILLAGE
📺 Latest trailers

MARTINI SHOT
🍸 Latest viral moments