🎬 AMPTP says... PSYCH!

👋 Good morning! Welcome aboard the Dailies.

We're excited to have you, whether you're a longtime subscriber or a fresh face. Twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays, we'll be your trusted guide, taking you on a journey through the world of Hollywood, and bringing you the juiciest industry scoops right to your inbox.

🎞 Here’s what’s on the reel today:

• AMPTP says PSYCH!

• AMC Networks Confident in Programming Supply

• Billion-Dollar Barbie

• Box Office Surges Amid Strikes

• Soderbergh on Data Transparency

• Digital Replicas & Actors’ Worries

• CEO Pay in Jeopardy

• Last Looks 👀

• Video Village

• Martini Shot 🍸

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

LAST WEEKEND’S
🎟️ BOX OFFICE BREAKDOWN 🎟️

💃 Barbie: Warner Bros.' comedy holds strong, declining -43% with $53.0M in its third weekend, three-peating in first place. It crosses the $1 billion mark globally, standing as the #24 biggest movie of all time.

🦈 Meg 2: The Trench: The shark-themed thriller opens with $30.0M, slightly below the original's debut. It earns $142.0M globally, beating the first movie's numbers in key markets like China.

💥 Oppenheimer: Universal's historical war drama declines -38% to $28.7M in its third weekend, ranking as Christopher Nolan's biggest non-Batman film.

🐢 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Paramount's animated action comedy reboot opens in fourth place with $28.0M, outperforming Spider-Verse but trailing the 2014 hit. It overindexes in several markets, including L.A. and Dallas.

👻 Haunted Mansion: Disney's family horror-comedy struggles, dropping -63% to $9.0M in its sophomore frame. It has earned $59.6M globally but faces challenges reaching its predecessor's total.

AMPTP ready to talk….PSYCH!
Writers’ hopes of resuming negations dashed

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) and major studios and streamers finally came face to face for the first time since the writers' strike began on May 2. 🤝🎬 The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) allegedly reached out first to restart talks, to which the WGA responded with cautious optimism, recognizing they’d “been down this road before.” There seemed to be some momentary hope, but, alas, the meeting didn't yield any breakthroughs. The WGA's negotiating committee reported "no agreement" on the pressing issues at hand. 😔

The WGA this message to their members after Friday’s meeting:

TLDR: There was no agreement on some key issues. The AMPTP didn't budge, but don't worry, the WGA is standing firm on getting everything addressed and is committed to fair negotiations.

😬 Looks like we’ve got a long road ahead of us. It's a pivotal moment for the creative minds in the industry, and we'll be keeping a close eye on the developments as they unfold.

AMC Networks CEO Confident in Programming Supply Amid Strikes 📺⚖️ AMC Networks CEO Kristin Dolan expressed hope for labor peace during the WGA and SAG/AFTRA strikes but reassured investors that the company's programming supply is safe until "well into 2024." Despite falling short of analysts' revenue forecasts due to declining advertising revenue, Dolan believes AMC Networks is well-positioned to weather the strikes. With a pipeline of finished shows, including spinoffs of The Walking Dead and new series in the Anne Rice franchise, AMC Networks can continue serving viewers across all platforms this year and beyond.

🎉 Billion-Dollar Barbie 🎉 We knew she was unstoppable, and now it's official—Barbie has crossed the mega milestone of $1 billion worldwide in just three weekends! 🌎 The doll sensation holds the No. 1 spot in 35 markets and is now the second-biggest studio film of 2023 globally, just behind The Super Mario Bros Movie. 🎬👏 Warner Bros can celebrate too, as Barbie is their biggest title ever in 12 markets. 🎉💰 With such incredible success, Barbie has already surpassed the lifetime grosses of major blockbusters like Fast X and Harry Potter, proving she's the ultimate box office queen! 💃💖

🎥 2023 Domestic Box Office Surges Past $6 Billion As Strikes Continue🎥 The Hollywood box office keeps booming despite the ongoing strikes! This year's domestic box office has soared past $6 billion, a whopping 22% increase from the same period last year. This weekend alone, all movies combined brought in an estimated $178 million, with four films crossing the $25 million mark—something that hasn't happened since Thanksgiving 2018. 💰

Steven Soderbergh Weighs in On Streaming Data Transparency 📊 During the dual strike, the filmmaker expressed concern about media companies hiding profits or losses from creatives during Hollywood's dual actors and writers strikes. While AI use in the creative process is a serious issue, Soderbergh is more bothered by the lack of transparency from streaming platforms.

Digital Replicas and Actors' Strike Worries 😱🎥 Advancements in digital technology have allowed filmmakers to create virtual avatars from real actors, a practice increasingly used in movies and TV shows. This week, the New York Times published an article outlining how techniques like crowd tiling, motion capture, and photogrammetry are utilized to replicate and morph performers into digital versions, even bringing deceased actors back to life for roles. However, this innovation has become a major concern in the actors' strike, with SAG-AFTRA fearing studios' proposals could lead to actors' likenesses and voices being exploited without proper compensation. The fear is that actors may lose control over their digital replicas, and artificial intelligence developments might further jeopardize their job opportunities.

🎬 Lavish Hollywood CEO Pay Threatened By Strikes 🎬 All eyes are on executive pay in Tinseltown. Hollywood execs are rolling in the dough, while average writers and actors are struggling to make ends meet. The strikes are shining a spotlight on the stark reality of Hollywood life, and shareholders are starting to take notice too. Some execs are facing Say on Pay votes, and the feedback might just lead to changes. 👀

• Amazon’s The Summer I Turned Pretty renewed for a third season. (more)

• Gravitas Ventures acquires rights to ‘American: An Odyssey to 1947.’ (more)

• Warner Bros. Discovery reported saves $100 million in Q2 due to strikes. (more)

• LA Mayor Karen Bass says she’s willing to “personally engage” with AMPTP to facilitate agreement with strikers. (more)

• Dwayne Johnson says Black Adam sequel was dropped amid a “vortex of new leadership.” (more)

• Suits breaks viewership records (more)

• Mark Margolis passes away. (more)

• Cinemark shares rise as the company makes $120M dollar profit on box office recovery. (more)

• AMC Networks in the U.S. sees a 17% drop in ad revenue and a decline in streaming subscriptions. (more)

• Apple tops 1 billion total paid subscribers. (more)

• Harry and Meghan buy film rights to bestselling romantic novel Meet Me at the Lake. (more)